Chemistry in Film

Chemistry is often called the “central science” because it connects the physical sciences with the life sciences. Today I am going to talk about movies where chemical reactions and molecular discovery play a central role. While many sci-fi movies focus on building spaceships or fixing machines, these films focus on the invisible world of atoms, elements, and compounds.

Radioactive is the film follows Marie Curie, the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields, as she discovers the elements polonium and radium. This film explores the double-edged sword of chemical breakthroughs. We see the physical labor of chemistry, crushing tons of pitchblende ore to isolate a fraction of a gram of a new element. We also see how her work led to mobile X-ray units that saved soldiers in World War I, but eventually caused the radiation sickness that claimed her life. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6017756/?ref_=fn_t_1

Dark Waters is based on a true story that shifts the focus to environmental toxicology. The film follows attorney Robert Bilott as he exposes the chemical giant DuPont for polluting the water supply with PFOA, a chemical used in Teflon. This film explores the danger of the Carbon-Fluorine bond one of the strongest in organic chemistry which creates “forever chemicals” that do not break down in nature. This movie allows us to see the moral responsibility of chemists, reminding us that better living through chemistry must be tempered with caution for public health.

Lorenzo’s Oil is a moving drama that focuses on biochemistry and lipid synthesis. Based on a true story, it follows two parents with no medical background who dive into the library to save their son from ALD, a rare disease that causes a buildup of fatty acids in the brain. The parents teach themselves chemistry to synthesize a specific blend of olive and rapeseed oils to block the enzyme causing the disease. It is a powerful look at how understanding molecular chains can literally save a life.

The Insider is a corporate thriller, the “smoking gun” of the plot is pure chemistry. The film follows a whistleblower from a tobacco company who reveals that the industry was chemically altering cigarettes to increase their impact. Specifically, they were using ammonia to increase the pH of the smoke, which changes nicotine into a “freebase” form that is absorbed more quickly by the brain. This movie allows us to see how chemistry can be weaponized for profit, and the high stakes involved in exposing the formula.

5. Chernobyl

Chernobyl is technically a miniseries, but it is essential viewing for understanding nuclear chemistry. The story follows Valery Legasov as he investigates the 1986 disaster, where a reactor core exploded not due to a bomb, but due to unstable physics and chemistry. This show breaks down complex concepts like Xenon poisoning and the reactivity of graphite tips in a nuclear core. It portrays the horrifying effects of ionizing radiation on the human body, showing us exactly what happens when high-energy particles tear apart chemical bonds in our cells. It is a terrifying lesson on the cost of lies and the immutability of scientific facts, and the show is an absolute must watch.