Summer 2009, Vol. 27, No. 2

Artificial Clouds and Inflammable Air

The first balloons, both hot-air and hydrogen powered, drew spectacular crowds and set off a craze - balloonomania!

Aspirin

Aspirin has had a long history as a pain reliever - 2,000 years of history. But only in the 1970s did scientists begin to uncover its chemical secrets.  

Book Review: Amphetamine's Missing History

Book Review: Corporate Morality in the Third Reich

How did National Socialism shape the conduct of management at IG Farben, the German chemical giant?

Book Review: The Secret of Max Perutz's Life

Georgina Ferry paints a personal portrait of the Nobel prize-winning crystallographer.   

Books to Note

Summer 2010 book topics include gender in science, the life of Alfred Bader, the people who made modern chemistry, and the problem of carbon dioxide.    

Chemistry’s Outer Limits

Svante Arrhenius was one of the founders of modern physical chemistry. His later work cosmological work, especially on panspermia, pushed him beyond the scientific limits of many of his colleagues. 

Community Adjourned

Community advisory panels link chemical facilities and neighboring communities. How well do they work?

Exhibit Review: The Devouring Element

From antiquity to the present, lead has taken on many roles - from artificial sweetener to paint ingredient, to modern health scourge. 

Hands-On Science

Explore Michael Friedman's biodiesel curriculum at Wissahickon Charter School in Philadelphia.

Sustainability Made Easy? R&D and Energy Technopolitics

While politicians speak of renewable energy, energy policy in the United States has long focused on gasoline. Matthew N. Eisler takes a look at the issues behind any real shift in energy policy. 

The Integrated Circuit at Fifty

The integrated circuit emerged out of cold war concerns. Since then integrated chips have moved from ballistic missile systems into everyday life.