Kit Chapman

Falmouth

Course leader, MA Journalism, Falmouth University at Freelance

Lecturer, @FalmouthUni. Globetrotting science historian. Superheavy, Racing Green, weird chemistry oddballs. he/him 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Rep: @watsonlittle

Featured in: Favicon

nature.com Favicon

telegraph.co.uk Favicon

newscientist.com Favicon

rsc.org (+1) Favicon

marketplace.org Favicon

sciencefocus.com Favicon

kirkusreviews.com Favicon

undark.org Favicon

bigissue.com Favicon

chemistryworld.com + 7 more

Articles

The destruction of this U.K. tree prompted outrage-and now, a guilty verdict

6 days ago | nationalgeographic.com | Kit Chapman

In the early hours of September 28, 2023, an act of violence and vandalism shocked the U.K.The next day, news of the attack dominated social media and mainstream news coverage, leading to outpourings of grief, fury at its senselessness, and pilgrimages to the remote stretch of countryside where the crime took place. This wasn’t a human tragedy.
Trithorium superatom confounds with its unexpected and ‘mind-blowing’ diamagnetism

1 week ago | chemistryworld.com | Kit Chapman

The first superatoms made using actinides have been created, continuing to upend our understanding of how f-block elements form bonds and adding a new dimension to one of the strangest chemical phenomena. Source: © John A Seed et al 2025 Superatoms are unusual structures first discovered 40 years ago, where clusters of atoms exhibit the properties of elemental atoms due to quantum confinement effects.
Actinide bonding could be tweaked by adjusting oxidation states

2 weeks ago | chemistryworld.com | Kit Chapman

The final piece of the jigsaw puzzle of how actinides bond with ligands through phi bonds has been identified, with its control via oxidation states paving the way for advances in f-block catalysis and quantum computing. Source: © Los Alamos National Lab The actinide series includes the heaviest elements that occur naturally on Earth, and how they bond with ligands is essential to understand, both in terms of fundamental chemistry and in solving problems in the nuclear industry.
Why does your sweat smell?

2 weeks ago | edu.rsc.org | Kit Chapman

Deodorant vs antiperspirant: what’s the difference? No one likes the reek of old gym clothes or feeling sweaty and stinky after a long, hot day. Chemists have been fighting against such whiffs and pongs for thousands of years. In fact, one of the first recorded chemists in history,Tapputi-Belatekallim, was a perfumer who lived around 1200BC in what is now Iraq. Our need to smell fresh has led to some simple yet clever chemistry.
Berkelium snared in organometallic trap

2 months ago | chemistryworld.com | Kit Chapman

The synthetic element berkelium has been trapped between two carbon rings to create berkelocene for the first time, one of the heaviest organometallic structures ever created. Source: © Dominic R Russo et al/Science/AAAS Berkelium, element 97, is highly unstable and has largely remained a mystery since its discovery at its namesake Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, US, in 1949.
Superheavy by Kit Chapman is an interesting blend of science and history

Jan 31, 2025 | ipreferreading.com | Kaitlyn Skees |Kit Chapman

Earlier this month I picked up Racing Green by Kit Chapman, which I really enjoyed! So when I was interested in picking up more nonfiction, Chapman's catalog seemed like a great place to start. Chapman's other book, Superheavy, delves into the periodic table. While that might not sound super interesting or very fact-heavy, Chapman crafts a narrative that makes the audience feel the magic and complexity of science and discovery.
What’s the stretchiest cheese?

Jan 30, 2025 | edu.rsc.org | Kit Chapman

What’s the stretchiest variety and why can cheddar give you nightmares? Source: © Moncherie/Getty Images It’s hard to beat the delicious taste of a stretchy strand of cheese on a pizza. But why does cheese get so gooey? And why are some cheeses better than others when it comes to your favourite dinner? Humans have loved cheese since before recorded time – we believe people have made it for at least 10,000 years.
Why does copper jewellery turn your skin green?

Nov 25, 2024 | edu.rsc.org | Kit Chapman

From warships to computer chips, discover the metal’s many uses throughout historyIf you’ve ever worn copper jewellery, you might have noticed a greenish colour left on your skin. The good news is that you aren’t turning into the Incredible Hulk or Elphaba from Wicked but seeing some chemistry in action. In fact, it’s the same chemistry you can see on one of the most famous monuments in the world.
Will we run out of elements?

Sep 25, 2024 | edu.rsc.org | Kit Chapman

From helium to lithium and aluminium, discover some of the elements at riskHumanity has already found all the elements that exist on Earth. These are the elements on the periodic table up to atomic number 92, uranium. Anything beyond that is too unstable to have been able to exist naturally since the Earth’s formation. Scientists have also made a further 26 elements in the lab and are confident that there are at least 172 possible elements.
How F1 plans to transition to ‘100% sustainable fuel’

Sep 15, 2024 | chemistryworld.com | Kit Chapman

Formula One is at a crossroad. The pinnacle of motorsport is synonymous with high octane thrills and excess at a time when environmental consciousness has never been more important. The sport has already sworn to be carbon-neutral by 2030, but a huge leap is coming sooner, with a radical shake-up to how the cars are powered in 2026. But what are the changes, and can a sport known for gas-guzzling engines really go green?