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Chemistry For Your Life

Chemistry For Your Life

Written by: Melissa and Jam Bleav
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A podcast that helps you understand the fascinating chemistry hidden in your everyday life. Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life! In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of life’s mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way that is easy to understand, and totally fascinating. If you’re someone who loves learning new things, or who wonders about the way the world works, then give us a listen.© For Your Life 2023, All rights reserved. Science
Episodes
  • How does a pencil eraser remove graphite?

    How does a pencil eraser remove graphite?
    Jun 4 2026

    How can the same element make both pencil lead and diamonds? This week we wrap up our pencil chemistry mini-series by answering a surprisingly tricky question: how do erasers actually erase? Then we dive into one of chemistry’s coolest ideas. Graphite and diamond are both made entirely of carbon, but one is soft enough to write with and the other is the hardest natural material we know. What changed? The answer reveals something remarkable about chemistry, structure, and the hidden world of atoms.

    Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

    Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

    Watch our episodes on YouTube

    Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

    0:00 – Intro: diamonds, carbon, and the hardest natural material 2:25 – How erasers actually erase pencil marks 6:50 – Why erasers get old, crumbly, and less effective 9:50 – Graphite vs. diamond: same element, completely different materials 13:50 – Why diamonds are so hard (and why they sparkle) 15:30 – Allotropes: how carbon can become radically different substances 17:00 – Melissa’s carbon epiphany: appreciating chemistry in a new way 20:20 – Things we didn’t appreciate until later in life (birds, coffee, and more) 25:20 – Father’s Day advice for dads and families 31:50 – Wrap-up + your carbon questions

    Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

    Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

    Watch our episodes on YouTube

    Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

    References from the Episode:

    Thanks to our monthly supporters
    Sara Hull
    Dog Day Dan
    Bri .
    Summer Alden
    Amanda Raymond
    Kyle McCray
    Justine
    Ash
    Vince W
    Julie S.
    Heather Ragusa
    Autoclave
    Dorien VD
    Scott Beyer
    Jessie Reder
    J0HNTR0Y
    Cullyn R
    Erica Bee
    Elizabeth P
    Rachel Reina
    Letila
    Katrina Barnum-Huckins
    Suzanne Phillips
    Venus Rebholz
    Jacob Taber
    Brian Kimball
    Kristina Gotfredsen
    Timothy Parker
    Steven Boyles
    Chris Skupien
    Chelsea B
    Avishai Barnoy
    Hunter Reardon

    Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

    Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

    Watch our episodes on YouTube

    Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife


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    35 mins
  • How do gemstones get their color?

    How do gemstones get their color?
    May 28 2026

    #158 Rebroadcast

    Gemstones come in all sorts of colors, but how do they get them? Are different stones super different at the molecular level? How do these different colors happen naturally? And how can those colors be replicated in lab-made gemstones? Let's get into it.

    References from this episode

    1. https://www.acs.org/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/activities/jewelry-science.html
    Thanks to our monthly supporters
    • Ciara Linville
    • J0HNTR0Y
    • Jeannette Napoleon
    • Cullyn R
    • Erica Bee
    • Elizabeth P
    • Sarah Moar
    • Rachel Reina
    • Letila
    • Katrina Barnum-Huckins
    • Suzanne Phillips
    • Nelly Silva
    • Venus Rebholz
    • Lyn Stubblefield
    • Jacob Taber
    • Brian Kimball
    • Emerson Woodhall
    • Kristina Gotfredsen
    • Timothy Parker
    • Steven Boyles
    • Chris Skupien
    • Chelsea B
    • Bri McAllister
    • Avishai Barnoy
    • Hunter Reardon
    Support this podcast on Patreon

    Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

    Watch our episodes on YouTube

    Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.

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    45 mins
  • How do pencils write on paper?

    How do pencils write on paper?
    May 21 2026
    Why does a pencil work so perfectly? Why does graphite leave marks on paper instead of just crumbling apart? And what do pancakes, honeycombs, geckos, and intermolecular forces have to do with any of it? This week we follow a simple pencil all the way down to carbon atoms, graphene sheets, and the weirdly satisfying chemistry that makes writing possible. Plus: final exam horror stories, missed alarms, and why reading the syllabus might save your GPA. Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife Timestamps 0:00 – The strangely satisfying feeling of fresh pencils 1:03 – So… how do pencils actually work? 2:07 – A “polymer eraser” sparks this whole episode 3:10 – Are pencils disappearing for Gen Alpha? 4:35 – Graphite, graphene, and carbon structures 6:20 – What graphene actually looks like 7:10 – Carbon bonding and tetrahedral shapes 8:10 – Double bonds and flat molecular structures 9:40 – Electron highways and conductivity 10:20 – Melissa’s graphene model demonstration 13:10 – Why graphene could replace silicon chips 13:30 – Carbon nanotubes explained 14:40 – What holds graphite layers together? 15:00 – Intermolecular forces return 17:10 – Quick refresher on intermolecular forces 18:50 – London dispersion forces and temporary dipoles 19:30 – Why graphite is brittle 20:00 – How pencils leave marks on paper 21:20 – Why graphite is basically perfectly designed for writing 22:00 – A detour into paper, parchment, and writing history 24:00 – Pencil hardness and clay mixtures 26:30 – Jam attempts a chemistry-heavy recap 33:20 – Cliffhanger: how erasers work 34:00 – Final exam disaster stories 36:50 – Oversleeping a college final 39:10 – Melissa’s sprint across campus in pajamas 41:00 – Read the syllabus. Seriously. 43:10 – Teasing next episode: erasers and other forms of carbon Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife References from the Episode: Thanks to our monthly supporters Kelly D. Bri Summer Alden Amanda Raymond Kyle McCray Justine Ash Vince W Julie S. Heather Ragusa Autoclave Dorien VD Scott Beyer Jessie Reder J0HNTR0Y Jeannette Napoleon Cullyn R Erica Bee Elizabeth P Rachel Reina Letila Katrina Barnum-Huckins Suzanne Phillips Venus Rebholz Jacob Taber Brian Kimball Kristina Gotfredsen Timothy Parker Steven Boyles Chris Skupien Chelsea B Avishai Barnoy Hunter Reardon Support this podcast on Patreon Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    47 mins
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