Molecular Milestones: Odd and Important Events in the History of Chemistry

Did you know....

- Fluoride treatment began with brown teeth in Colorado Springs more than 100 years ago.
- The British almost lost World War 2 because they stole seeds from Brazil in 1876.
- Alchemists did not succeed in turning base metals into gold, but they did lay the foundations of experimental science.

Molecular Milestones is your window on the often weird world of chemistry from ancient times to the new millennium.

Pre-Chemistry From ancients to alchemists	Early Chemistry Groundbreaking discoveries	Modern Chemistry The journey continues

Pre-chemistry

	Burning question: the mystery of Greek fire Historians debate the chemistry and chemical engineering behind the most fearsome fire weapon of the first millemium.
	A Blast from the Past: The History of Fireworks Part 1 of this article takes a look at the invention of fireworks by the Chinese and how explosives evolved until the 16th century. Part 2 of this article explores the use of explosives for entertainment and subversion in Europe and the New World.
	Alchemy attracted the great pioneers of modern science Although it was publicly disparaged, even Sir Isaac Newton and John Locke had a (secret) interest in alchemy.
	Repeatable Reaction by Alchemist Leads to Atomism Repeatable experiments by alchemists strongly suggested to Sir Robert Boyle that atoms were the smallest particle of matter.

Early Chemistry

	Oxygen Discovered by the Batman of the 18th Century Joseph Priestley and Henry Cavendish worked on how and why properties of things change when they burn, but Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier was the first to really understand oxygen's role in the process.
	Aspirin and heroin: one man invents two pain relievers in two weeks These two drugs represent the efforts of late-19th-century chemists to create new substances that could be used as medicines.
	Halogen Hardships Herbert Dow tried and failed several times before finding the formula for chemical success.
	Brown Teeth Have Fewer Cavities Effective fluoride treatment for cavities began with brown teeth in western towns!
	Anesthesia: Making Surgery More Bearable Easily one of the greatest medical innovations in history: ether, chloroform and the compounds developed later spared countless patients from intense suffering.

Modern Chemistry

	Foul In, Fragrant Out: Transforming Stench Into Scents Of the five senses, the sense of smell gets the worst rap.
	Present at the creation: Joe Labovsky wove perserverence and nylon fiber into a career Labovsky's basement is a museum to the development of nylon.
	Recycled Sails Honor Engineer’s Genius An inspired chemical engineer creates soda bottles that can withstand carbonation...and be spun into sails.
	Good Chemist, Bad Chemist: The Fritz Haber Story Haber’s work developing fertilizer keeps billions well fed today, but his work in chemical weaponry played a large role in taking millions of lives.
	Titanium dioxide: from black sand to white pigment How did titanium go from saving sailors to saving your skin?
	Chemistry, the Central Science and the Origins of Life The Miller-Urey experiment to show how life could have begun in a reducing atmosphere was, and is, a great source of inspiration for many and the object of loathing for many others.
	Synthetic Rubber Industry Sprouts from Stolen Seeds In the 1800's, the British smuggled rubber tree seeds out of Brazil, but later a war forced the development of synthetic rubber.
	Tetra-Ethyl Lead: The End of an Era for a Well-Known Molecule Banned for regular cars in the 1970's, why was lead, specifically tetra-ethyl lead, used in NASCAR engines until 2007?