ChemMatters Archive

ChemMatters is produced by the American Chemical Society in October, December, February, and April. The archive gives you access to all of ChemMatters’ past articles, dating back to February 1983. The most recently released issue is available through a complimentary subscription, if you chose to receive one when you joined AACT.

For recent articles, issues, or available teacher’s guides visit acs.org/ChemMatters.

AACT members can access the archive and generate a Student Pass that gives their students access to the articles. Available Teacher’s Guides can also be found next to the corresponding issue and article in the archive.

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  • Interview With Gerhard Ertl, Winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

    How did he feel about winning the prize? Why does he think chemistry is interesting? What did he discover? Read the answers to these and other questions here.

    Issue Date | April 2008

  • Question From the Classroom | April 2008

    Why does regular glass shatter when it is heated, but Pyrex glass does not?

    Issue Date | April 2008

  • Sniffing Landmines

    Dogs can be trained to detect landmines because their noses are so sensitive that they can detect very low amounts of vapor released by landmines from a distance.

    Issue Date | April 2008

  • The Chemistry of Arson Investigation

    Have you ever wondered how fire investigators determine whether a fire has been set intentionally? Here, you will find some important clues that will get you started as an arson investigator.

    Issue Date | April 2008

  • The Quest for a Clean Drink

    In India and Bangladesh, drinking water is contaminated with arsenic. Three enterprising scientists have each recently devised a way to remove arsenic from drinking water. Discover how they did it.

    Issue Date | April 2008

  • "Follow the Carbon." Follow the What?

    A rover will soon join the two Mars Exploration Rovers "Spirit" and "Opportunity" that are currently exploring the red planet. Called the Mars Science Laboratory, this new rover will carry the biggest suite of instruments ever sent to the Martian surface to look for chemical evidence of past or present life there.

    Issue Date | February 2008

  • How Chemistry Helps Make Blood Transfusion Safer

    Although blood transfusion is common, it is not without risks. Learn about the techniques that are used to store blood, screen it against deadly diseases, and make sure it is compatible between a donor and a recipient.

    Issue Date | February 2008

  • Question From the Classroom | February 2008

    Discover why shaking a can of soda and then opening it makes it explode all over the place. And learn whether tapping on the top of a can that has just been shaken prevents it from exploding.

    Issue Date | February 2008

  • Rebreathers

    Scuba divers can stay under water for a long time, thanks to cylinders filled with air that they carry on their back. But the air Scuba divers breathe out contains oxygen that can be reused by a breathing device called a rebreather.

    Issue Date | February 2008

  • The Forensics of Blood

    By looking at the blood left behind at a crime scene, police investigators can find many clues to what happened. The investigators can use chemistry-based techniques to determine whether the victim, the criminal, and/or other people left blood at the crime scene and whether pets or other animals may have been part of the crime too.

    Issue Date | February 2008

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About ChemMatters Magazine

Published four times a year since February 1983, ChemMatters Magazine is an award-winning high school chemistry magazine from the American Chemical Society that helps students demystify chemistry and make connections to the world around them. AACT members receive a complimentary subscription.

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