Mode of Action of Penicillin
We have seen that antibiotics, like penicillin, stop the growth of the outer casing of the bacteria, which is called a cell wall. Just like the walls of a house, …
Course: Exploring Everyday Chemistry
Nucleophilic Acyl Substitution
One of the most important reactions in organic chemistry is nucleophilic acyl substitution (sometimes called nucleophilic addition–elimination reactions). A good leaving group is replaced with a nucleophilic group, to convert …
Determining the Antimicrobial Properties of Spices
It has been known for centuries that some spices can have an antimicrobial effect, mainly in their use as preservatives of food. You are going to test the effectiveness of …
The history of antibiotics
The discovery of penicillin The discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928 is a landmark scientific discovery. But how does this rank against other scientific discoveries? In 2010, a …
The Race for New Antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance is a growing cause for concern for us all. Experts warn of an impending catastrophic situation in which patients die following routine surgery due to infections that can …
Create a Poster Activity
Good posters effectively summarise information, help publicise it, and generate discussion. We hope you are now inspired to produce a colourful, distinctive, and scientifically accurate poster. Don’t forget to keep …
The impact of 3-D printers on the perfume industry
The future of perfume manufacture Currently, perfume manufacture has managed to remain outside the reach of self-creation and continues to be controlled by large, well-known fragrance, flavour and fashion companies. …
Love and Pheromones
Human pheromones are an important concept in pop culture, where it is suggested that they can have a significant influence over the human ‘mating ritual’, similarly to that of animals. …
The Role of Pheromones
What are Pheromones? Pheromones are generally recognized as a single or small set of compounds that transmit signals between organisms of the same species, to change their behaviour. They are …
How to Make Perfume Oil From Flowers
Diluting your perfume oil will not only alter its potency – the character of the scent itself will also be affected. We have included the dilutions that we used, and …
How to Extract Fragrance From Flowers
In this step you will be looking at the extraction of fragrant compounds from flowers through an activity where you will have the opportunity to make your own flower scented …
Limonene and Orange Peel
Orange juice, made by squeezing fresh oranges, is enjoyed by millions of us across the world every day. With so much orange juice being prepared, unfortunately, this leaves behind a …
The Fragrant Compounds in Rose Oil
We will now look at the components of rose oil extracted from Damask rose, which has light pink blooms. This rose is renowned for its fine fragrance, so much so, …
Tools of the trade: understanding nucleophilic substitution reactions
Let’s now return to the reaction of hydroxide ion with bromomethane (CH3Br). Here, the hydroxide ion attacks the carbon atom, not a hydrogen atom. The carbon atom is directly bonded …
How to Make a Molecular Model
During this exercise we are going to use readily available materials – that we can all find around the house or buy easily at the supermarket – to make a …
