Free Articles
Don't Sweat It: How Moisture-Wicking Fabrics Keep You Cool and Dry
By聽Brian Rohrig
If you work hard enough during sports or exercise, you are going to sweat.聽 Whether or not you keep comfortable doing it is a matter of chemistry.聽
Downloads
Teacher's Guide (DOC)聽 聽聽 聽Spanish Translation of Article (PDF)
A Periodic Table of Its Own?
By聽Sam Lemonick
The periodic table is considered the bedrock of chemistry education. But what use is it if a student can鈥檛 read it?
Keeping Us Safe
By聽Carmen Drahl
Lead formulator of Purell hand sanitizer, Kayla Ivey, talks about rising to COVID-19鈥檚 challenges and gaining a soapbox on Twitter.
Subscriber Exclusive Articles
ChemMatters subscribers have full access to all feature articles in this issue.聽
Access full content as a subscriber for only $16 a year
Full access to upcoming issues
Print & digital issues
Current Subscriber?聽
What Are Glow Sticks, and What is the Chemical Reaction That Makes Them Light Up?
By Bethany Halford/Chemical & Engineering News
If you鈥檙e trick-or-treating on Halloween or dancing the night away, glow sticks provide a cool source of light. That light is made by a chemical reaction鈥攁 phenomenon known as chemiluminescence.
The Opioid Epidemic: How Did It Get This Bad?
By Steven Farmer
Opioids are a class of drugs that work in the brain to relieve pain by blocking pain signals between the brain and the body. When used correctly they are great medicines, but when they are abused, they can be lethal.聽
Origin of Life
By Danielle Sedbrook
How did life on Earth begin? Scientists and philosophers have been pondering this question for millennia. We know more today than ever about what life is and how it works, but there鈥檚 still so much we don鈥檛 know about how life began.
