Chemistry

Compounds and chemistry worth a second look.

Reading

• 6-Chloronicotine (Article) — nicotine with a chlorine swapped in, which makes it roughly twice as potent at its receptor and gives it painkilling effects in animal studies. A tiny tweak, a big change.

Sites

• Compound Interest (Website) — clean, colourful infographics unpacking the chemistry of everyday things, from the fragrance of magnolias to the metal in Olympic medals, pairing molecular diagrams with plain-English explanations.