• Question: what kind of chemicals do you make?

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      Asked by anon-285348 on 15 Mar 2021. This question was also asked by anon-290184.
      • Photo: Martin McCoustra

        Martin McCoustra answered on 15 Mar 2021:

        We start with very simple chemicals and look at how more complicated chemicals are made. Typically, we might have water, carbon monoxide and perhaps ammonia and we can shine light on that might and make a whole range of complicated chemicals that are found in comets and the like.

      • Photo: Atia Azad

        Atia Azad answered on 15 Mar 2021:

        Hi,

        I mix lithium and silicon and then react them together at 500 degree C in a furnace. The powder left at the end of the reaction has a nice shine to it!

      • Photo: Jesko Koehnke

        Jesko Koehnke answered on 15 Mar 2021:

        We focus on things that are made by bacteria and bioactive. That can be antibiotics, anti-cancer or anti-viral substances.

      • Photo: Andrew Parrott

        Andrew Parrott answered on 15 Mar 2021:

        I don’t make many chemicals (as in pure substances) these days. I usually make and analyse mixtures of chemicals, which is a lot more like products you encounter in “real life” – e.g. see the number of ingredients on the back of a shampoo bottle. The aim is to work out if simpler methods can be used to work out what is in these mixtures than the standard tests which tend to take a long time to run and are expensive.

      • Photo: Nick Penfold

        Nick Penfold answered on 24 Mar 2021:

        I help take small molecules (monomers) and join them together to create extremely long chains (polymers). These very long, heavy chemicals have extremely important properties that are utilized in many personal care and every day products, such as shampoos, computers, waterproof clothing and even the new waterproof £5 and £10 notes.

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