Nitroglycerin destroys lives by exploding, and saves them by stopping heart problems. How can it do both? Most moviegoers have watched a scene or two where nitroglycerin has been used to blow the ...

Nitrate medications are notorious for being able to trigger airport bomb detection scanners and to alert explosive-sniffing dogs, a reminder of the origins of this extremely useful medication. Let's ...

Ascanio Sobrero, born on this day in 1812, invented nitroglycerin. He just didn’t see any use for it—even though it became, in the hands of Alfred Nobel—yes, that Nobel—the active ingredient in ...