Features 2007
December 2007
The chemistry set generation
Thinking about buying a chemistry set for someone this Christmas? A nostalgic look at an inspirational toy that could be on the verge of a comeback
Surfing Web2O
The rapid evolution of the world wide web is creating fresh opportunities - and challenges - for chemistry. Richard Van Noorden reports
Molecules that matter
What began as one chemistry professor's project to find the 10 most important molecules of the 20th century, has brought science and art together in a unique exhibition
The demise of a blockbuster
The name Vioxx has become synonymous with disaster in the pharmaceutical industry. What lessons have been learned?
The first scientific baron
In the month that marks the 100th anniversary of Lord Kelvin's death, Colin Russell unravels the life of a prodigious talent
November 2007
The surface detective
This year's Nobel prize in chemistry has highlighted the importance of surface chemistry in modern life. Richard Van Noorden catches up with the winner, Gerhard Ertl
Solving an ancient puzzle
Analytical chemistry is revolutionising archaeological study - as well as igniting some controversy
Courtroom chemistry
When analysing the smallest traces of evidence at a crime scene, chemistry is key. Lisa Melton finds out how chemists can play their part in the justice system
Membranes for an ancient mariner
Membrane engineers are developing ways to filter drinkable water out of polluted, salty and contaminated supplies. Jon Evans reports
October 2007
How to bury the problem
Carbon capture and storage could allow us to burn fossil fuels without climate consequences - but only with more investment in R&D, argues Stuart Haszeldine
The green fuel myth
A shortage of agricultural land and inefficient production processes have cast a doubtful shadow over the first generation of biofuels.
Designing a nuclear future
As the UK government indicates renewed support for nuclear energy, Richard Van Noorden tours the reactor designs in contention
Nuclear revival
The Dalton Institute at the University of Manchester aims to be a world leader in nuclear research, and breathe life into an industry that very nearly collapsed.
Incubating climate change solutions
The Carbon Trust's incubator programme aims to help scientists, spin-outs and small companies bring their carbon-reducing ideas to commercial fruition.
Making the cut
As restrictions are tightened on energy consumption within industry, Sean Milmo finds out how the chemical sector is fighting against its image as an energy glutton
Chemistry's special relationship
From the discovery of aniline dyes to modern biofuels, chemistry and energy have always been intractably linked.
September 2007
Fighting food fraud with science
Bea Perks meets some of the scientists subjecting our food's credentials to forensic examination
At the business end
Sir Richard Sykes has turned Imperial College, London, into a brand with an international influence. Richard Van Noorden meets him
A 60-year service
When a group of MIT professors started to design products in a garage in the 1930s, they had no idea that they were laying the foundations for a global business.
Taking a medical trip
Psychedelic drugs show promise in treating conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer's. Karen Harries-Rees uncovers the come-back of medicinal hallucinogens...
August 2007
Makeshift to Mars
The red planet has claimed many a plucky spacecraft. Richard Corfield discovers how Nasa's latest attempt hopes to overcome the odds with a different approach
At the top of the cascade
David MacMillan, a leading light in organocatalysis, takes James Mitchell Crow on a tour of the field
Polarising the debate?
Fluorochemicals are still causing concern. Emma Davies finds out how polar bears and microwaved popcorn reignited the contamination debate
The enduring image
In the commercial battle between digital and analogue photography, physics eventually prevailed. Here, Mike Ware reveals how chemistry shaped the history of photographic images
July 2007
There's more to quitting than nicotine
As England joins the growing list of nations to ban smoking in enclosed public places, Lisa Melton explores the medicinal arsenal that could help to kick the habit
The perfect host
Could artificial enzymes finally be about to shake up catalysis? James Mitchell Crow investigates
Here's the science bit
Can chemicals really help to roll back the years? Victoria Gill investigates the various treatments that come with the promise of youth
Industrial strength
There is a new driving force for the growth of the chemical industry in the north-east of England.
June 2007
The gadget scrap heap
As we constantly upgrade and replace our numerous electronic devices, the rubbish tip of forgotten, out-of-date equipment continues to grow. Maria Burke investigates
Going it alone
Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year Ian Shott started his company, Excelsyn, from nothing in 2003.
Spun from bench to boardroom
Academics are making their mark on the business world, profiting from their ideas.
The woman that inspired Faraday
Jane Marcet wrote what was to become one of history's most important chemistry books. Hazel Rossotti dips into her pioneering 'Conversations on Chemistry'
May 2007
Chinese medicine in western packaging
The past decade has seen a global awakening to the truly curative powers of many ancient medicines, from black bear bile to the Asian plant Epimedium. Lisa Melton delves deeper
Oiling the cogs of innovation
R&D outsourcing is becoming increasingly popular as companies learn to let go. Sarah Houlton reports
Battery assault
As our everyday gadgets become more advanced, the battery technology used to power them lags further behind. But help is at hand, as Simon Hadlington discovers
Molecular trees bear fruit
Polymers that grow like trees have been around for nearly three decades. Now they are on the verge of realising their potential, as Michael Gross reports
April 2007
Better, stronger, faster
Now we have bionic eyes and limbs, and chemists are creating artificial bodily tissues to rival nature's own, as Jon Evans discovers
Fuelling China's future
Min Enze helped to kickstart China's industrial boom. Fifty years on, his research focuses on tackling the environmental damage of development, reports Bea Perks
The click concept
To some, 'click chemistry' is simply a relabelling of standard organic chemistry practices. Others follow its principles almost religiously
Ready for Reach?
Reach will start to be implemented in June and companies are being urged to prepare for it. This is easier said than done, with many areas of the legislation still decidedly fuzzy
The shape shifters
A sudden change in the properties of a drug as a new polymorph appears can be highly damaging for pharma firms. The industry now appears to be in control of the situation
March 2007
Riding the RAE rollercoaster
UK academics will soon be bracing themselves for the 2008 research assessment exercise, the last of its kind before a hotly debated metrics system takes over.
The one-stop science shop
From mass spectrometers to lab reagents, the newly formed Thermo Fisher Scientific sells it all.
The terahertz gap: into the dead zone
New materials are opening up applications for terahertz radiation in the physical, biological and medical sciences. Joe McEntee reports
Chemistry for the common good
Marcellin Berthelot was a man of many talents, combining ground breaking chemical research with a busy and successful political career, as Mike Sutton finds out
February 2007
Living on credits
One way to tackle global warming is to give people a 'carbon ration' that limits their emission of greenhouse gases. Helen Pilcher reports
Fries to go?
Five years after acrylamide's discovery in foods, industry is still hard at work trying to cut levels of the potential carcinogen in convenience products. Emma Davies investigates
Solidarity in science
Jerzy Buzek helped fight communism in Poland before becoming its prime minister. Arthur Rogers meets this multi-faceted character
Chemical makeover
After the Berlin wall fell in 1989, the East German chemical industry collapsed. Victoria Gill reports
Picture perfect
Medical imaging now promises to take us to the molecular level, thanks to new, powerful MRI machines and clever contrast agents, as David Bradley finds out
January 2007
Treasures from the deep
Mining companies are exploring underwater volcanic vents, hoping to extract metals such as gold and copper. Victoria Gill looks at the technical, environmental and political hurdle...
Science across frontiers
The European Research Council officially comes to life this month, promising to fund basic research and to move away from an EU focus on multi-centre collaborations. Arthur Rogers ...
Life's cartographer
The metabolic pathways chart is one of the most enduring icons of the biochemical sciences, illustrating how all the biochemical cycles relate to each other. The chart was created ...
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