Although most of my work remains in the non-fiction arena, I'm an enthusiastic writer of both crime and science fiction, and as far as SF goes, I have a number of short stories published. The journal Nature , which carried my story Wonderful Things , put together an interesting podcast, intertwining input based on my story and reflections on an opinion piece from Nature proper, both of which concern the very long-term future handling of nuclear waste. You can read the short story here, and you can listen to the podcast here  - the segment is only a few minutes long, accessed from the 'One million years from now' play button on the left hand side of the page once you've clicked through (see illustration to right).

In my latest podcast for the RSC's Chemistry in its Element series I take a look at the assorted oxides of vanadium. Vanadium, the transition metal at number 23 on the periodic table, is one of those elements that sounds more like something out of a superhero movie than a real substance. You might expect that vanadium oxide would be of vanishingly small interest, but the reality is different. I should really have said the vanadium oxides, because thanks to vanadium’s five valence electrons there are enough oxides to sound like a successful Hollywood franchise – vanadium (II) oxide, VO, vanadium (III) oxide, V 2 O 3 , vanadium (IV) oxide, VO 2 and vanadium (V) oxide, V 2 O 5 , without going into extra intermediate phases that can produce entertaining combos like V 6 O 13 and V 8 O 15 . Also like those Hollywood franchises, some instalments are more interesting than others, as you'll discover by taking a listen ...

When I read about them in my youth, there seemed something magical in the description of the acetylene or carbide lamps that were used on early motor vehicles. The idea that adding water to the lamp started a process that could generate a flame seemed wonderfully counter-intuitive. But acetylene, the unusually triple bonded inflammable organic compound that was generated by a reaction between water and calcium carbide is more than just a flash in the lamp. Find out more about this zippy little molecule, in my latest Royal Society of Chemistry podcast.   Take a listen by clicking to pop over to its page on the RSC site.

It's irresistible. You are eating your breakfast, and the most interesting reading in sight is the cereal packet. (It's that or more election news*.) So you start to read, and you notice that your cereal is 'fortified' with niacin. Now hang on there, cereal people. Why are you feeding me this strange chemical that sounds somehow related to nicotine? For that matter, why is my cereal so weedy that it needs fortification? The answer comes with a decision made by government decree, but that strangely is more like to end in over-consumption than under-consumption these days. Find out more about niacin, aka vitamin B3, in my latest Royal Society of Chemistry podcast.  Take a listen by   clicking to pop over to its page on the RSC site . * This is the expected humorous form. In fact, I can't get enough election news.

If, like me, you suffer from GERD and the thought of a big, tasty meal always has to be balanced against the dread of acid reflux, you'll know what friend the compound sodium alginate can be. What's more, not only does it help with gastrointestinal nightmares, it also produces some Heston Blumenthal style delights by allowing chemi-chefs to go in for spherification. (Not to be confused with spaghettification, which is what happens to you if you get too near a black hole.) Intrigued? Discover more in my latest Royal Society of Chemistry podcast about sodium alginate. Take a listen by clicking to  pop over to its page on the RSC site .

Your great grandma might not have known about phenol - but she certainly would be familiar with carbolic, the harsh soap that included carbolic acid, now properly known as phenol. This simple aromatic compound might have dropped out of our morning cleansing routine (thankfully) but it has more recent roles from the production of aspirin to Agent Orange. Discover more in my latest Royal Society of Chemistry podcast about phenol. Take a listen by clicking play on the bar at the top of the page - or if that doesn't work for you, pop over to its page on the RSC site .

One of the saddest things about the way chemistry teaching has progressed is the way experiments have been made safer and safer. In our after school chemistry club I once did an experiment using hydrogen cyanide as an ingredient - somehow I can't see it being employed today. And the modern idea of a chemical volcano is the impressively bubbly but totally un-volcano like result of combining sodium bicarbonate and vinegar. But back in the day we could produce much more impressive volcanoes that threw out sparks and sent ash flowing, as you will discover in my latest Royal Society of Chemistry podcast. To find out more about ammonium dichromate, take a listen by clicking play on the bar at the top of the page - or if that doesn't work for you, pop over to its page on the RSC site . And in case you'd like to see it action (though the real thing is better):  

If your only association of ‘tannin’ is that stuff that makes tea taste astringent, you’ve got some surprises to come in my new podcast for the Royal Society of Chemistry. After all, 'tanning' and 'tannin' don't just sound similar by coincidence... and then there's the tannenbaum. To find out more about the stuff that links leather trousers to a nice cup of tea, take a listen by clicking play on the bar at the top of the page - or if that doesn't work for you, pop over to its page on the RSC site .