December 2017 Issue
Departments
![Open for Discussion: Vitamin Supplements](/content/acs/en/education/chemmatters/past-issues/2017-2018/december2017/_jcr_content/bottomContent/articleContent/columnsbootstrap/column1/textimage/image.scale.medium.1399.jpg/1507923332144.jpg)
Open for Discussuion: Are Vitamin Supplements Necessary?
How would you choose whether you need a daily dose of a multivitamin?
Features
![Cheesy Science](/content/acs/en/education/chemmatters/past-issues/2017-2018/december2017/_jcr_content/bottomContent/articleContent/columnsbootstrap/column1/textimage_2/image.scale.medium.1399.jpg/1511300937295.jpg)
Cheesy Science
By Sarah Mullen Gilbert
It is storable milk. It can last weeks or years longer than milk and there is such a variety of cheese. But when did we start making and eating cheese? And why?
Featured Video
![low battery phone](/content/acs/en/education/chemmatters/past-issues/2017-2018/december2017/_jcr_content/bottomContent/articleContent/columnsbootstrap/column1/textimage_0/image.scale.medium.1399.jpg/1507918465267.jpg)
As a Matter of Fact
Developing Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries
![Got Vitamin D?](/content/acs/en/education/chemmatters/past-issues/2017-2018/december2017/_jcr_content/bottomContent/articleContent/columnsbootstrap/column1/textimage_1/image.scale.medium.1399.jpg/1511300995920.jpg)
Got Vitamin D?
By David Warmflash
Most of our daily requirements come from a healthy diet. But one notable exception is vitamin D, which is naturally present in only a few foods.
*Available in print issue only
![The Search for Long-Lasting Batteries](/content/acs/en/education/chemmatters/past-issues/2017-2018/december2017/_jcr_content/bottomContent/articleContent/columnsbootstrap/column1/textimage_3/image.scale.medium.1399.jpg/1511301082392.jpg)
Drained: The Search for Long-Lasting Batteries
By Fedor Kossakovski
Cell phones allow us to communicate constantly, but why can’t the batteries last a little longer? ChemMatters set out to find some answers.
*Available in print issue only
![Teens and Depression](/content/acs/en/education/chemmatters/past-issues/2017-2018/december2017/_jcr_content/bottomContent/articleContent/columnsbootstrap/column1/textimage_4/image.scale.medium.1399.jpg/1511301137972.jpg)
Teens and Depression
By Christine Scaduto
Our emotions have gotten the better of all of us at times and control how we act and feel. But what happens when we get so depressed that we can’t find a way out?
*Available in print issue only
![The Write Stuff: The Fascinating Chemistry of Pencils](/content/acs/en/education/chemmatters/past-issues/2017-2018/december2017/_jcr_content/bottomContent/articleContent/columnsbootstrap/column1/textimage_5/image.scale.medium.1399.jpg/1511301183870.jpg)
The Write Stuff: The Fascinating Chemistry of Pencils
By Brian Rohrig
Pencils were the original ‘word processors’. There is a surprising amount of history and chemistry behind this simple writing instrument.