Hmm, my dire lack of chemistry knowledge appears to have counted against me here.
I am afraid that 1. has me stumped too, although I believe that I have the Password.
Since it is bad form to give the Password (and thereby claim the thread) before the puzzle is complete, I do not propose stating it here. However, in case it helps anyone else to solve the clue, I would note that (if I am right) finding the Password will provide an additional clue to the answer to 1.