The Chemistry of Illegal Drugs, Part 2 How many TV shows can you name that star a chemist as hero and feature references to reductive amination and x-ray crystallography? I can think of only one. Breaking Bad is by far and away my favorite show on TV. It’s got a truly addictive combination: intriguing premise, great scriptwriting, great directing and strong acting talent. And honestly, I’m hooked. In addition to all the other things I love about BB, it occasionally gets around to some chemistry. Yeah, I know, the science of BB isn’t flawless, but let’s be fair: by Hollywood standards, it’s great. These folks did their research. In a way they had to, because the show is after all about a chemistry teacher who turns to cooking meth. And while the chemistry of a meth lab isn’t horrifically complicated, it’s more so than it appears at first glance. Permit me to explain.
Again, Puff the Mutant Dragon is a great blog about the chemistry behind...stuff. It's utterly fascinating. Paired with the source material cited at the end of each blog, these posts can be a great way to talk about the difference between writing for English class and writing a scientific paper. They're also just generally great ways to introduce various topics in chemistry as they relate to "real life." Again, one needs to be carefully aware of the school environment before presenting this particular article (don't want to look like you support drug abuse!) but either way it's fascinating.