The science behind Breaking Bad

From 2011–2012 we published a number of articles looking at the science behind Breaking Bad.

These articles were part of the On-Screen Chemistry series originally published in InfoChem and later in The Mole.

• In the first article, Jonathan Hare examines whether it’s possible to poison gangsters with phosphine gas.
• The second article looks at the famous acid bath scenes.
• Thermite break-in explains the chemistry of melting a lock with iron oxide and aluminium powder.
• The final article asks if a crystal of mercury fulminate can blow up a room.

Find out about one of the advisors on later series of the show, Donna Nelson, in this 2025 interview from Chemistry World.