Everyone’s familiar with the smell after a heavy rain shower in the summer – or, for that matter, the ominous scent of an oncoming thunderstorm. In the third part of the Aroma Chemistry series, this graphic examines the chemical compounds that are the major contributors to these smells, and how ...

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The summer holidays are here, which means there’ll soon be crowds flocking to the coast to spend the day at the beach. The supposed benefits of ‘fresh sea air’ are commonly extolled, but its origins might not be what you think:it’s the chemical compounds produced by algae and seaweed that ...

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Ever wondered what compounds help kitchen cleaners keep your kitchen surfaces bacteria free? Or about the compounds that help antiseptic creams do their job? In this graphic, we take a look at some of the compounds used for antisepsis and disinfection, and where they’re commonly used.

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When we’re suffering from a bacterial infection, a trip to the doctors to be prescribed antibiotics is commonplace.However, there are a wide range of antibiotics available, and they vary both in their usage and their mechanismof action. This graphic summarises the major classes, and also gives ...

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And A New Way to Find More

If you’ve read any science news over the past day or so, you’ll have noticed it’s been dominated by stories about the discovery of a new antibiotic, teixobactin. There’s a reason that the scientific community is so excited by its discovery, but in truth, it’s the method which was used to discover ...

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