Chain Reaction by ACS

In this special bonus episode of Chain Reaction, meet the voices behind the American Chemical Society’s newest chemistry podcast. Host and producer Margot Wohl and executive producer Sam Jones introduce themselves, share their journeys from science research to science communication, and explain why Chain Reaction by ACS exists in the first place.

Sam talks about launching ACS’s long‑running podcast Tiny Matters and her path from bio...

For centuries, chemistry in the United States was for one kind of a person: The white man. But now, after decades of progress, chemistry is more inclusive than ever.

Historian Laura Puaca reveals how wars, feminist movements, and shifting societal expectations opened long‑closed doors for women in science. As feminism changed women's role in chemistry, other social movements were advancing the causes of minority scientists. Che...

Chemistry doesn’t just shape conflict — conflict shapes chemistry. And at no time in history is that more apparent than during the two world wars. Historian Alison McManus recounts how the race to weaponize toxic gases like chlorine and mustard gas transformed chemists into key military players, spurred industrial growth, and ignited an international arms race during WWI. 

However, some battles of the world wars weren’t waged agains...

In this debut episode of Chain Reaction, we go on a thrilling journey through the earliest chapters of chemistry’s history starting with the quest to make gold from abundant metals. Chemical historian Larry Principe guides us through the winding past of alchemy – its evolution across Greek, Islamic, and European traditions, and the secrecy, symbolism, and ambition that defined the craft. From coded manuscripts to the social politic...

Introducing Chain Reaction, a podcast by the American Chemical Society that links chemistry's past to its future, revealing how this ever‑evolving science shapes the world around us — from the materials we use every day to the environment that we depend on. Each episode brings fresh perspectives and personal stories from chemists, engineers, and other scientists, as well as historians who guide us through pivotal moments in ch...