Mental Floss

CHEMISTRY

iStock.com/Harry Wedzinga

It's deeply concerning to archaeologists and paleontologists who rely on the method.

iStock/RichVintage

Way back when, chemistry sets were stocked with poison and blowtorches, all in the name of education.

This 6.5-pound gold nugget was sold at auction in 2010.

All the gold on Earth may have come from outer space.

GeorgiosArt/iStock via Getty Images

Michael Faraday's formal schooling was limited, but his work as a bookbinder allowed him to learn about chemistry, physics, and a mysterious force called "electricity."

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Marie Curie’s elder daughter had a brilliant and tragic career of her own.

iStock

If you have a cell phone in your pocket or dirt on your shoes, you’re carrying silicon.

Hulton Archive, Getty Images

The two-time Nobel Prize winner tops the BBC's list of 100.

iStock

Not all cats love it.

iStock

The processes behind the physics of LEGOs, the chemistry of laundry, and more.

iStock

Enjoying crispy leftover fries at home is possible.

iStock

You're a quick chemistry lesson away from a better brew.

Mario Tama, Getty Images

You don't want to come into contact with even the slightest wisp of it.

Narayan Khandekar, director of the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies

The rainbow of jars at the Straus Center can tell us a lot about how art comes into being—and how to save it.

iStock

This is one case where fresh isn't best.

iStock

Creating compounds in the lab just got a lot more precise.

enviromantic/iStock via Getty Images

It's called petrichor, and a surprising amount of research has been done into the origins of the scent since it was first identified more than five decades ago.

iStock

Lithium is used in everything from smartphone batteries to medication for bipolar disorder.

Noshin R, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

Those tiny candies pack a lot of pressure.

iStock

The culprit isn't perspiration—it's your deodorant.

iStock

It was named after subterranean German goblins.

iStock

This isn't your average kitchen table.

iStock

In the 1930s, farmers weren't sure why their clothes kept bursting into flames.

iStock / Collage by Jen Pinkowski

Diamonds aren't called "ice" because of their appearance.

Uranium glass vessels.

Uranium made Fiesta Ware colorful … and radioactive.