Find by Interest Chemistry

Anatomy of a Firework
All you see is brilliant light and vivid color. Here, put on the pyrotechnician's hat and see a typical firework from the inside out.

Build a Steroid
Follow the steps a chemist takes to synthesize a disease-fighting drug.

Career Milestones
A time line of Percy Julian's most notable achievements in chemistry

Chemical Residue
Find out how chromatography can be used to trace a bomb's chemical components.

Dating Game, The
Discover the science behind radiocarbon dating.

Elemental Quiz, An
Take a test you likely never took in chemistry class.

Illuminating Photosynthesis
In nature, photosynthesis takes place on a grand scale without any help from you. Here, you need to help the process along.

Julian Speaks
Hear Percy Julian himself in these audio excerpts from a 1965 speech.

Nature's Pharmacy
In this slide show, see wild species that gave rise to penicillin, morphine, and other medications.

Newton's Alchemy
He kept it hidden, but was it truly scandalous? Find out in this interview and interactive manuscript.

On Fire
This virtual laboratory lets you explore the basics of combustion, including how a fire ignites, what a flame is made of, and how burning molecules rearrange themselves.

Pyrotechnics: It's Elemental
Click on areas in the Periodic Table to discover some of the elements needed to make fireworks work.

See Inside a Diamond
Build a carbon atom out of quarks and electrons and manipulate the three-dimensional structure of a diamond crystal.

See the Spy Messages
Read the actual telegrams sent between Norway and London.

Structure of Metal, The
Explore metal at the atomic level and discover how it's structured, why it bends, and what happens when it heats up.