Metalworking and fire seems to go so naturally that we have taken the science behind it for granted. But there is so much more between the interactions of heat and metals than mere melting, casting and shaping. This relation goes deep into the molecular realm, of how the alignments of particles can make or break the structure.

And when the structure supports bridges, buildings, or vehicles, it's certainly worth it to know more.

One of the most epic visualisations in literature must be the moment when Dr Frankenstein reanimates a dead body that is to be his monster. More than a century after Mary Shelly, the link between electricity, chemistry and biology still enthralls us. Some of the mystery was solved since, others have yet to.

But it does not take much time for us to learn the basics of how Frankenstein gave life to his monster...

What if there is an element that is similar to the almighty carbon in almost every way, but exhibits none of its functions in nature? That's the mystery of silicon, the most abundant element on Earth, and yet seems to be the unappreciated stepchild of the organic world.

I believe there's more to it that that, no?

Is a grain of salt a single molecule, or is it just a bunch which happens to stick together? If you've been following us, you'd know that a molecule is a group of atoms which had bonded together by their respective covalent electrons. It then begs the question: how big can molecules get?

​The answer? As big as you want...

Solids are strange stuff. Although all of them consists of interlocking particles, some of them are malleable, while others are not. Some of them are naturally transparent, and others opaque. Some will readily dissolve in a liquid, while other are stubbornly stay as they are.

In this article, we explore the reasons why solids are as they are...weird.