RSC - Advancing the Chemical Sciences


Chemistry World

 

News June 2009


climate change

Climate change roadmaps announced

30 June 2009

The US and UK lay out plans to combat climate change


A zirconium oxide nanosurface

Size matters to stem cells

30 June 2009

Nanosurface topography can be more important than chemistry


globe-wick

Going green with white biotech

29 June 2009

Industrial biotech's advance into the chemicals sector could be boosted by green practices and policies


DNA box

DNA-in-the-box

29 June 2009

Scientists have made a container from DNA that could deliver drugs


Core-shell nanoparticle

Antimicrobial nanoparticles may help fight brain infections

28 June 2009

Therapeutic peptides that can cross the blood-brain barrier have been designed


STFC logo

STFC cuts funds to key facilities

26 June 2009

ISIS cut to just 120 days of operation per year as budget cuts bite


Caged white phosphorus

White phosphorus tamed

26 June 2009

Highly reactive element becomes oxygen-insensitive when caged


Drug release from a tannic acid-micelle film

Brewing a drug delivery platform

26 June 2009

A tea compound has been used to prepare a drug-releasing film with anticancer properties


huntsman

Huntsman saga draws to close

25 June 2009

US chemicals firm wins legal battle with the banks


Crops

Slow release pesticide hits resistant bugs

25 June 2009

Insecticide-resistant bugs hit with double-action crop protection capsules


isoprene structure on rainforest background

Tropic wonder

25 June 2009

The solution to keeping the atmosphere clean could lie deep in the heart of the rainforest


water dissociation

Smallest acid droplet formed

23 June 2009

Single molecules of HCl will fully dissociate in just four molecules of water


EPA logo

EPA halts its chemical review effort

23 June 2009

Industry groups urge Obama administration to continue progress made under EPA's ChAMP regulations


Solar cell

Lateral thinking for dye-sensitised solar cells

23 June 2009

A new way of anchoring dyes in organic solar cells improves their performance


Online vs. print

ACS compress print journals to favour online

22 June 2009

American Chemical Society to fit two pages on one for print versions of its journals to save money, space and trees


Self-erasing images

Nanoparticles make 'self-erasing' images

19 June 2009

Colour images that can be programmed to last from seconds to hours could be used for top-secret documents, say researchers


Nanoparticles etch single-layer graphene

Cutting graphene to ribbons

19 June 2009

Nickel nanoparticles slice up single-layer graphene sheets to make useful nanoribbons


An individual vesicle

Printing artificial cells

19 June 2009

In a step towards cell mimics, an inkjet printer is being used to make lipid-coated balls containing proteins


modified gold electrode

A golden result for TB diagnosis

19 June 2009

South African scientists have devised an electrochemical technique that could provide a quick and easy diagnosis of tuberculosis


Miniature hydrogen-powered car

Phototriggered fuel production

19 June 2009

Light significantly accelerates hydrogen generation from formic acid


Reactivity-dependent PCR

Chemical speed-dating even faster

18 June 2009

Reaction-sensitive DNA amplification method simplifies screening for novel reactions


FutureGen is to be restarted under the Obama administration

US resumes contentious FutureGen clean coal initiative

17 June 2009

Government to put over $1 billion towards reinstated clean energy project shelved under previous administration


Polymer beads containing proline

Acrylic beads promise scalable organocatalyst production

17 June 2009

A two-step approach to synthesising proline-containing beads for organocatalysis


A particle passing through diagonal ridges

Stiff resolution for cells

17 June 2009

Implications for cancer diagnosis as US researchers suggest ridged channels will separate hard and soft cells


carbon nanotube

Sorting out carbon nanotubes

17 June 2009

Mixtures of useful nanotubes can be separated without destroying either type


Nanotubes

Nanomaterials cause classification headache for Reach

16 June 2009

Lack of clear guidelines has led to companies using varying criteria to collect data on carbon nanotubes for Reach submission


broken LCD

Expanding waste to reduce waste

16 June 2009

Broken TVs transformed into biomedical materials


Porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds

Trees take on tissue engineering

16 June 2009

Italian scientists have turned wood into bone mimics that could be used to repair damaged limbs


Meteorite

Meteorite sheds light on birth of the solar system

15 June 2009

High levels of a heavy nitrogen atom found in primitive meteorite, analysis offers insight into the solar system's formation 4.6 billion years ago


Deuterated drugs

Concert arranges billion dollar GSK deal

15 June 2009

Deuterium modified drugs make a splash


Danger mines

Instant insight: Detecting danger

15 June 2009

Can science end the threat of terrorism? Michael Knapp and Meaghan Germain explain chemistry's key role


HPLC apparatus

The case for using green solvents in HPLC

15 June 2009

Greening up HPLC doesn't necessarily mean diminished performance, say US scientists


Alzheimer

New technique probes Alzheimer's aggregates

14 June 2009

Scientists probe synthetic proteins to identify key toxic species responsible for Alzheimer's plaques


Chemists must take control

UK chemists must take control

12 June 2009

EPSRC international review praises progress but highlights need for better communication


Research to bring economic benefit

Focus on economic impact the way forward, says RCUK

12 June 2009

Research councils defend the move to focus on research areas that are likely to have direct economic benefits


The US pumps out billions of kilo of toxic pollutants

Chemicals sector key contributor to US toxic pollution

12 June 2009

North America pumps out over 5 billion kilos of toxic releases a year, much of which comes from chemicals manufacturing


CdSe nanocrystal

'Electronic glue' makes nanocrystals connect

11 June 2009

Using metal-based molecules to make nanocrystals electrically conductive could lead to new nanocrystal materials


DNA-like self-assembly

Enzyme-free assembly of DNA-like molecules

11 June 2009

Researchers have constructed DNA-like molecules that can self-assemble without the need for enzymes


John Lyon

Dow Corning emphasises innovation

11 June 2009

Dow Corning restructure to focus on innovations in sustainability, efficiency and alternative energy


lightning storm wormhole

Instant insight: Harnessing nano power

11 June 2009

US scientists Andrei Fedorov and Mildred Dresselhaus and their colleagues explain how nanotechnology might solve our energy crisis


Guar gum

101 uses for guar gum

10 June 2009

A gum normally used as a food thickening agent could be used to make temperature sensors


Tunable bandgap

'Bilayer' graphene shows tunable bandgap

10 June 2009

Wide, tunable bandgap could lead to lasers that change colour, or programmable electronic circuits


Unusual carbon bond cleavage

Enzyme employs unusual cleavage reaction

10 June 2009

Unusual carbon bond cleavage reaction in a naturally occurring herbicide elucidated by US scientists


Carbon nanotubes increase plant uptake of pollutants

Nanotubes boost plant pollutants

10 June 2009

Carbon nanotubes pierce plant cell walls, increasing uptake of atmospheric pollutants


Chemicals

ECHA recommends strict controls for certain chemicals

10 June 2009

European Chemicals Agency recommends seven chemicals be made subject to special authorisation to stay on market


Norepinephrine in the binding site of an NET protein

Instant insight: Recognising antidepressants

10 June 2009

Kristian Strømgaard considers why a small change in an antidepressant can dramatically change its target in the brain


US visa changes

US speeds visa process for researchers

09 June 2009

Changes to the US visa system mean foreign science and technology professionals could get approval within two weeks


Gas guzzling covalent organic framework

Super sponges soak up gas

09 June 2009

Covalent organic frameworks shown to have high gas adsorption properties for potential applications in fuel storage or carbon capture


The newly formed Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will take responsibility for science in the UK

New department takes responsibility for UK science

09 June 2009

Science and business reunite as DIUS scrapped in UK government department reshuffle


Respiratory syncytial virus

A beacon of hope for childhood infection

09 June 2009

Sensitive approach allows naked eye detection of respiratory virus


Termite

Green method to kill termites

08 June 2009

Sugar derivative that blocks insects' immune system could find application in pest control


German flag

Science wins German funding boost

08 June 2009

Three pronged package increases funding for Germany's research institutes and universities


Pd(III) complex

Pd(III) catalysis insight

07 June 2009

Discovery of a palladium(III) complex that catalyses C-H bond formation boosts understanding of the widely used metal


Emerging pharmaceutical markets set to dominate

Pharma's new world order

05 June 2009

'Pharmerging' markets are set to dominate pharmaceutical sector growth over the coming years


Electronic book

Colour e-books just over the page

05 June 2009

Coloured electronic ink has edged closer to market following the purchase of the US e-ink supplier by a Taiwanese firm


skyscrapers

Skyscraper approach to nanoelectronics

05 June 2009

Scientists brush up on biofuel cells for powering medical implants


Rock sample containing natural quasicrystals

Natural quasicrystals discovered

04 June 2009

Russian mountain rocks have been found to contain naturally occurring quasicrystals thought only to be possible synthetically


Growing nanocrystals

Nanocrystal growth process revealed

04 June 2009

US scientists have shed light on how nanocrystals grow, providing information that could help improve fuel cells of the future


Baby bottle chemical

US regulator rethink on BPA

04 June 2009

The US FDA is reconsidering its stance on the safety of controversial chemical, bisphenol A


Crops

Agrochemical firms in patent battle

04 June 2009

Agrochemical giants are locking horns over biotech patents for genetic technologies


Wilfred van der Donk

Interview: The frontiers of medicine

04 June 2009

Wilfred van der Donk tells Rachel Cooper about investigating enzymes and the choice between history and science


Hisashi Yamamoto

Interview: Tactical thinking

04 June 2009

Hisashi Yamamoto is inspired by chess, Buddhism and food. Joanne Thomson finds out more


Carbon capture

UK's first CCS pilot plant switched on

02 June 2009

The first UK pilot of carbon capture technology on a working coal-fired power plant has started up in Scotland


Clostridium botulinium neurotoxin

Wider therapeutic possibilities for botulinum toxin

01 June 2009

Researchers have modified the botulinum neurotoxin to create potential treatments for diseases such as asthma and COPD


Twisted ribbon nano-structures

Bile acid helps form 'twisted ribbon' nano-structures

01 June 2009

Unusually shaped nano-structures self-assemble with the help of chiral bile acids


A culture of rare bacterium Paenibacillus curdlanolyticus

Culturing rare microbes

01 June 2009

Getting Escherichia coli to grow may be easy enough, but how do you encourage less common species in a microbe mixture?


A bulky DNA synthesiser

Instant insight: Rewriting the genetic code

01 June 2009

Researchers' dreams of automated gene synthesis could soon become a reality, predict Jingdong Tian and colleagues


George Malliaras

Interview: Linking electronics

01 June 2009

George Malliaras discusses the interplay between organic electronics and biology with Fay Riordan