If you used every particle in the observable universe to do a full quantum simulation, how big would that simulation be? At best a large molecule. That’s how insanely information dense the quantum wavefunction really is. And yet we...

One could say that snowflakes are simply frozen water — but if you compare a snowflake to an ice cube, you’ll notice a big difference. Why are all snowflakes six-sided? Why are none of them exactly the same? And how do we ski on them?...

If you were given a chemical and told to identify it, how would you go about doing that? You could look at different factors like color, boiling point, melting point, or smell, but the answer still might not be clear. Thankfully, today...

We’ve spent the last few episodes talking about substitution reactions, but now it’s time to talk about a related type of reaction: elimination reactions! Elimination reactions are super important because they are the main way we can...

Water is a special substance for several reasons, and you may have noticed an important one right in your cold drink: ice. Solid ice floats in liquid water, which isn't true for most substances. But why? George Zaidan and Charles Morton...

The shape of molecules is super important to life as we know it. In this episode of Crash Course Organic Chemistry we’re learning about stereochemistry and how to identify molecules as chiral or achiral. And as always, we’ll be doing a...

In order to understand how we study the universe, we need to talk a little bit about light. Light is a form of energy. Its wavelength tells us its energy and color. Spectroscopy allows us to analyze those colors and determine an object’s...

The classical physics that we encounter in our everyday, macroscopic world is very different from the quantum physics that governs systems on a much smaller scale (like atoms). One great example of quantum physics' weirdness can be shown...

Video on QM of Atoms which may clarify some concepts:    • The Quantum Mechanical model of an atom. W...  

Why do atoms combine to form molecules? The quantum mechanics of chemical bonds and chemistry....

This constant represented by the Greek letter alpha is just a dimensionless number, so no matter what units you use, it will always have the same value, about 1/137. If it was different by just 4%, life may not...

When Ernest Rutherford realized that atoms have a heavy nucleus, he hypothesized that the way the moon orbits earth is the same as the way an electron orbits the nucleus of atoms. We now know an atom would...

We take a deep dive to understand how chemistry works at a fundamental level. All chemistry is about electrons. They are the primary drivers responsible for an atom’s behavior in chemical reactions, or more precisely the way...

The gauge bosons of the standard model of particle physics are responsible for 3 of the 4 known forces in the universe. A force is conferred is through the exchange of virtual bosons. So for example in...

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Quantum field theory or QFT is the basis of the best theory we have in physics today to explain nearly everything, called the Standard Model of particle physics. What is Quantum Field theory? Why is it...

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In this video, I show Why Some Reactions EXPLODE and Others COOL: Root Cause of Chemical EnergyI I show how the chemistry behind endothermic and exothermic reactions can be traced to the underlying quantum...

Why do certain elements have similar properties? Because of the way electrons are arranged around the nucleus of atoms. But why are electrons arranged specifically in certain orbitals and shells? The structure of...

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To make most complex structures in the universe like trees, and us, you need more than atoms. You need molecules. How do you go from atoms formed in the core of stars, to molecules that can lead to living...

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) carries the genetic instructions for an organism's growth, development, and reproduction, encoded by sequences of four nitrogen bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). These bases form...

What is an amino acid? Learn about the structure, classification, types and functions of amino acids in this fun video.

Wolfgang Pauli's Exclusion Principle, developed in 1925, is a crucial concept in quantum mechanics. It states that two electrons in the same atom cannot have the same set of quantum numbers, which are the principal quantum number (𝑻n),...

In a hydrogen atom, the electron is bound to the nucleus, so its energy is negative. This shows that it is in a bound state. When there is negative energy, it means that the electron is stable. It is inside the atom because its...

Line spectra are unique patterns of light emitted or absorbed by atoms, resembling discrete lines. These patterns serve as the "fingerprints" of different elements, providing critical insights into atomic structure and composition....

In 1913, Niels Bohr proposed an atomic model that dramatically altered our comprehension of atomic structure by establishing a novel framework for describing the arrangement and behaviour of electrons within an atom....

Mars InSight will be the first to detect seismic activity on Mars’ surface, first to measure rate of heat transmitted from interior, first to dig nearly 5m down, first to measure magnetic fields on Mars’ surface, and first to use a...