Distillations - a chemistry podcast review

Sometimes it is not easy to categorize a podcast. I will put Distillations under science, as it is all about chemistry. This is a very original and fantastically performed podcast though one which takes many varying angles on chemistry. A historical one, a didactic one and more. With music and various items, among others the rubric, the element of the week. This can be an elelement of the periodic system (like Chromium) or an element such as 'fire', telling the historical sense of the show. I was fortunate to find this podcast thanks to a recommendation from The Missing Link, great science and history podcast in its own right.

The last three episodes concentrate on Chemistry in the class room - an issue concentrated on the chemistry education with among others the use of Second Life for chemistry education. The chemistry of love; all you ever wanted to understand about the chemicals in attraction but were afraid to ask, along goes a history of aphrodisiacs. And color; that wonderful world of hues, how they work and how chemistry made it possible to dye.

Distillations is a rather new podcast and what it does very well is improve on the somewhat singular style of many older podcasts. What we see with, let's call it old style podcasts, is that there is a single podcaster that delivers a lesson on the subject at hand, possibly deals with some feedback and questions and that is that. Newer podcasts are much more varied, have sound effects, more voices on the cast, rubrics and such. In many ways, I suppose, podcasting is growing up and beginning to resemble more and more conventional, professional radio, with the added advantages of podcast.

More Science.
More History.

The Missing Link on this blog:
Time's Arrow,
On Time and on Counting - The Missing Link,
Strength in Numbers,
Constant Companions,
From Berlin,
History of Science.