Botanic Garden Chemistry Audio Tour

Thank you for exploring the Botanic Garden with our group of plant loving chemists.

One small part of the plant kingdom makes a different type of pigment to all the rest.

How plants manage to photosynthesise in extreme environments.

Why chlorophyll and hence plants, looks green.

How chemistry can change the colour of dye molecules from plants.

Hear about natures natural nitrogen fixers.

Why nitrogen is important to plants and the communities of microorganisms living in the soil.

Why the Katsura tree smells of caramel and how analytical techniques have solved the problem of what is responsible for the smell.

Many modern medicines are derived from plants.

The notorious history of healing molecules. Many molecules from plants can be used as medicines but are also toxic if the dose is too large.

The photosynthetic machinery inside plants is explained.

Pigments from plants are different colours depending on the chemical environment they are in.

How chillis and a euphorbia are helping to produce new painkillers.

How chemistry impacts on decaffeination of the world's second most popular drink.

Ginger contains a cocktail of different molecules. The different molecules in dried, cooked and fresh ginger lead to different flavours.

The lotus plant has inspired the development of new self-cleaning materials.

How plants use energy from the sun to make food from carbon dioxide and water.

Sir Robert Robinson used the Botanic Garden in his research investigating the structures of alkaloids derived from plants.

Hear what the word organic means to a chemist.

Everything is made of chemicals - whether they are from a natural source or not.

A welcome to the Botanic Garden and the Chemistry at the Garden audio trail from the Senior Curator, Dr Alison Foster.

Botanic Garden Chemistry Audio Tour: Recent Episodes