Chemistry

45 ideas, each explained on one page with a 60-second lesson you can play right there.

5-HT2A receptor The 5-HT2A receptor is the primary excitatory serotonin receptor in the brain and the main docking target for psychedelic drugs like LSD.
Acids in wine Wine contains organic acids like tartaric and malic that shape its taste, protect it from bacteria, and can form harmless crystals on the cork.
Adrenaline Adrenaline is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that prepares your body to react to danger or stress.
Alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume measures the ethanol in a beverage, defined by pure ethanol volume over total solution volume at 20 °C.
Aluminum Aluminum is a lightweight chemical element and silvery metal that makes up a major part of Earth's crust.
Antigen An antigen is any molecule that can latch onto a specific immune receptor or antibody, acting like a chemical identifier.
Assay An assay is a laboratory test that detects or measures a specific target substance, called an analyte, in a sample.
Bioluminescence Bioluminescence is the production of light by a living organism through a chemical reaction.
Brewing Brewing turns grains, water, and yeast into beer through fermentation, a process practiced for at least 13,000 years.
Caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, a chemical that speeds up messaging between your brain and body.
Capsaicin Birds can't feel capsaicin: their TRPV1 receptor doesn't react to it, so they eat chilies and spread the seeds.
Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is a systemic cancer treatment that uses drugs to disrupt cell division and trigger cell death.
Creatine Creatine is an organic compound that your body uses to rapidly recycle ATP, the molecule cells consume for energy.
Decaffeination How coffee beans and tea lose up to 99.9% of their caffeine using organic solvents, water baths, and supercritical carbon dioxide.
Dopamine Dopamine is a chemical messenger that nerve cells use to communicate with one another.
Entropy Entropy is a measure of how widely energy in a system spreads out and becomes unavailable to do useful work.
Fermentation Fermentation is a chemical process where cells break down sugars to make energy without using oxygen.
Fleur de sel Fleur de sel is a delicate crust of pyramid-shaped crystals that forms on the surface of evaporating seawater in coastal salt marshes.
Food additive A food additive is any substance added to food to preserve it or enhance its flavor, appearance, or texture.
Food processing Food processing is the transformation of raw agricultural products into edible food, or of one form of food into another.
Gamma-Aminobutyric acid Gamma-Aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is the main chemical messenger that dampens nerve cell activity in the adult mammalian nervous system.
Himalayan salt Himalayan salt is rock salt mined from ancient mineral deposits in the Punjab region of Pakistan.
IC50 IC50 measures how much of a drug is needed to inhibit a biological target by 50 percent, acting as a core metric for inhibitor potency.
Iodised salt Iodised salt is common table salt mixed with tiny amounts of chemical iodine compounds.
Kosher salt Kosher salt is a coarse, additive-free salt named after meat preparation, valued by chefs for controlled seasoning, lower density, and clean flavor.
Lactate dehydrogenase Lactate dehydrogenase is an enzyme found in almost all living cells that converts pyruvate into lactate and back again.
Lipoproteins Lipoproteins are microscopic carrier particles made of fats and proteins that transport greasy molecules through watery fluids like blood plasma.
LSD LSD is a powerful semisynthetic psychedelic drug derived from ergot, a fungus that grows on rye.
Neurotransmitters A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger released by a nerve cell to send a signal across a microscopic gap to another cell.
Noradrenaline Noradrenaline is a chemical messenger in your body and brain that acts as both a hormone and a neurotransmitter.
Oak (wine) Oak is a type of wood used during winemaking to alter the color, texture, tannin profile, and flavor of wine.
Oceanography Oceanography is the scientific study of the ocean, exploring its physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and global currents.
Piperine Piperine is a plant compound known as an alkaloid that gives black and long pepper their pungent bite.
Protein (nutrient) Protein breaks down into amino acids to build tissue and enzymes.
Rapamycin Rapamycin is a bacterial compound that inhibits mTOR, halts cell division, stops transplant rejection, and is studied for extending lifespan.
Salt Salt is a crystalline mineral made mostly of sodium chloride, a compound of sodium and chlorine.
Scoville Scale The Scoville scale is a measurement system that rates the heat of chili peppers in units called Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
Sea salt Sea salt is salt produced directly by evaporating seawater, either through open-air solar pans or fueled heat.
Sodium Chloride Sodium chloride is an ionic compound made of equal parts sodium and chlorine ions, commonly known as table salt or the mineral halite.
Sourdough Sourdough is bread leavened by wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria living in a fermented flour starter.
Sweetness of wine How residual sugar, acids, and alcohol determine wine sweetness, from legal dry limits to dessert styles like Tokaji and Sauternes.
Syn-propanethial S-oxide Syn-propanethial S-oxide is a volatile sulfur-containing compound produced when an onion bulb is sliced.
Tannins Tannins are large, astringent biomolecules produced by plants that bind to proteins and force them out of solution.
Vinegar Vinegar is an acidic liquid made by fermenting sugars into alcohol and then converting that alcohol into acetic acid.
Wine fault A wine fault is an unpleasant smell, taste, or appearance in a wine caused by chemical reactions or microbial spoilage.