Chinese alchemists searching for an elixir of eternal life discovered the world's first chemical explosive. Hank has the full story on gunpowder in this SciShow about a big idea of science.

Atoms or molecules combine to form a new compound in a synthesis reaction. Examples include the addition of oxygen to magnesium metal to create magnesium oxide and the addition of carbon dioxide to water to crete carbonic acid. A...

Scientists working at a nuclear fusion facility in Oxford announced a record-breaking result. And while there's still a lot to figure out to make fusion viable, this brings us one step closer to realizing a technology with huge potential...

You're just in time to help Jessi and Squeaks with their baking soda and vinegar experiment! Then, stick around to learn all about chemists, special scientists who study chemicals!

In which John Green continues to teach you about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. You'll learn about romantic vs Romantic, the latter of which is a literary movement. John will also look at a few different critical readings of Frankenstein,...

We’ve already learned a bit about substitution reactions in organic chemistry and the two different paths they can follow: SN1 and SN2. In order to better predict the products of a substitution reaction and understand how they work, we...

Aspirin isn't just an old medicine cabinet stand-by, it's one of the oldest medicines we humans learned how to make ourselves. And our research into aspirin did more than just make it better at relieving pain, it opened the door to whole...

You may know that cows produce methane, which is a big concern when it comes to global heating, but did you know that organic chemistry provides a potential solution to this problem? Feeding cows small amounts of red seaweed can greatly...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how thermodynamic and equilibrium reasoning can be related through changes in free energy and the equilibrium constant. When the delta G is negative the reaction shifts to the right or favors...

It's a moldy world out there, especially in the kitchen. You have questions about food mold, right? Well Hank has your answers.

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Physicist Steven Cowley is certain that nuclear fusion is the only truly sustainable solution to the fuel crisis. He explains why fusion will work -- and details the projects that he and many others have devoted their lives to, working...

In this video Paul Andersen shows you how to write balanced equations that describe chemical changes. He then gives you a short introduction to balancing equations and uses the PHET site to practice this skill. In aqueous solutions an...

In a neutralization reaction (or acid-base reaction) a proton is transferred from the Brinsted--Lowry acid to the Brinsted--Lowry base. Water is amphoteric and so it can serve as either an acid or a base in a neutralization reaction. ...

Carbon-carbon double bonds are pretty common in nature, but triple bonds between carbons, called alkynes, are not. When alkynes do pop up in nature, it’s usually in a compound that’s toxic to humans, however, we can synthesize alkynes...

Throughout this series we’ve mostly talked about pairs of electrons, but electrons don’t always have a buddy. An atom or group of atoms with a single unpaired electron is called a radical. In this episode of Crash Course Organic...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how heat can be absorbed in endothermic or released in exothermic reactions. An energy diagram can be used to show energy movements in these reactions and temperature can be used to measure them...

Think natural disasters are bad? Humans do a pretty good job on our own. Michael Aranda co-hosts this infusion to explain.

We’re going back to the lab! So far we’ve learned some important lab techniques that organic chemists might use day to day, like chromatography and proton NMR, but there are even more to learn. In this episode of Crash Course Organic...

When we venture to new places, we need navigational tools to guide us. In organic chemistry, those are reaction mechanisms! In this episode of Crash Course Organic Chemistry, we’ll learn all about how to write reaction mechanisms. Having...

SciShow takes you to a uranium deposit in Africa where, eons ago, a unique set of conditions came together to form the world's only known natural nuclear reactor. Check it out! No radiation suit required!

In this video Paul Andersen explains how the reaction path can be described in an energy profile. Enough energy must be added to reach the activation energy required and stress the bonds. Eventually the bonds break and new bonds are...

While not used much any more as a primary source of light, candles are still everywhere, from an aroma in a bathroom to a mood during dinner. That is, until they’re gone.

Sure, throwing grease down the drain is not great for the plumbing in your home, but it can actually cause problems on a much bigger scale in the form of FOGs - also known as fatbergs. And yes, those are as gross as they sound.

Have you ever been to a Demolition Derby? Then you have an idea of how molecular collisions happen. In this episode, Hank talks about collisions between molecules and atoms, activation energy, writing rate laws, equilibrium...