May 2006
Vol 3, no. 5
News and analysis

Nuclear power to save the planet
12 April 2006
The UK's chief scientific adviser, David King, has reiterated his support for nuclear power

Brain scans under pressure
10 April 2006
A fledgling project involving chemists and neuroscientists aims to uncover how high pressures affect the brain

EU-wide carbon capture project
04 April 2006
A four-year carbon sequestration project backed by 30 European universities and energy companies will test the viability of CO2 capture.

Good news for the chemical industry
22 March 2006
Training programme launched to persuade journos to drop the 'dirty and dangerous' tag often linked to chemicals stories.

Funding council powerless to intervene in department closures
29 March 2006
Investigations into chemistry cuts at Sussex University have highlighted weaknesses in Hefce's strategic powers, say politicians.

Europe strives to allay GM fears
19 April 2006
European plans for 'improving scientific consistency and transparency' on GM crops has prompted a guarded response.

Australian chemistry dept under threat
23 March 2006
The school of chemistry at the University of New South Wales, Australia, is facing cost-saving job losses.

Blast in French university kills professor
28 March 2006
An explosion in a French university chemistry department has killed one person and seriously injured another.

Digital immigrants seek asylum
29 March 2006
The ACS division of chemical information has come a step closer to joining the digital nation by preparing a podcast of one of its sessions at its national meeting in Atlanta

Archaeological chemists settle trophy-head debate
27 March 2006
Strontium isotope analysis and modern day guinea pigs point to violent past for ancient disfigured skulls discovered in Peru

Nanoparticle drug delivery
31 March 2006
Biodegradable polymers being developed in Atlanta, US, offer numerous advantages over current drug delivery systems, say researchers.

Teamwork the overall winner
07 April 2006
Matthew Baker, founder of DNA Research Innovations, is winner of the 2006 Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Church music silenced by EU's waste directive
27 March 2006
Church organs have come under threat from EU directives aimed at reducing the amount of lead that reaches landfill sites

Knowledge transfer partnership awards
30 March 2006
Analytical chemists, counterfeit checkers, and a pharmaceutical scientist form an award-winning partnership.
News briefs
Short items
Business roundup
Industry news
Funding briefs
Short items
New on the market
New products - May 2006
In the papers...
Short items
Chemical Science

Nanotechnology tackles chemotherapy
11 April 2006
US researchers have developed nanoparticles that target chemotherapy drugs directly at tumours.

Detection on the nanoscale
06 April 2006
Don't throw away that old ink-jet printer just yet, it might be needed to print the transistors for your flat-screen TV.

Plant virus fixed with antennae
16 March 2006
Researchers in the UK have coupled a virus with redox-active molecules, creating particles they say could be useful in nanoelectronics.

New way to produce heavy rare earth metals
13 March 2006
Chemists in China have demonstrated an electrochemical method to produce heavy rare earth metals from their oxides.

Fluorescent sensor detects dying cells
19 April 2006
A series of molecular probes that could allow doctors to tailor treatments to individual cancer patients has been developed.

Locating DNA modifications
03 April 2006
Researchers could be closer to understanding how normal cells turn into cancer cells, thanks to a discovery by Japanese scientists.

Buckyballs enter the fast lane
29 March 2006
A team of US chemists has developed a practical use for buckyballs: as wheels on a nanoscale car

Organic chemists develop molecular calculator
24 March 2006
Israeli organic chemists have created a calculator the size of a single molecule.

Gene therapists swarm round honeycomb lipid
30 March 2006
US researchers have synthesised a lipid molecule they say shows real promise in gene therapy.

Explosives go unleaded
28 March 2006
Explosives could become safer following the synthesis of lead-free environmentally-friendly primary explosives, by US researchers

FRET detects DNA hybridisation
18 April 2006
South Korean scientists have used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to detect DNA hybridisation in a microfluidic channel.

Phased out: extracting homogeneous catalysts from solution
21 April 2006
US researchers have demonstrated a polymeric catalyst that is easily removed from solution.

Polymer matches silicon in semi-conductor stakes
20 March 2006
Semi-conducting polymer conducts electricity similarly to conventional silicon-based semi-conductors.

Variable focus at the flick of a switch
05 April 2006
Liquid crystal spectacle lenses focus on near or distant objects at the flick of a switch.

Nature's sunscreen
28 March 2006
Aquatic bacteria are a potential source of natural UVA protective sunscreens, say researchers in Israel.

New tools for biomedicine just a click away
04 April 2006
US chemists have used click chemistry to make molecules that mimic peptides.

How many OLEDs does it take to replace a light bulb?
13 April 2006
US scientists have combined fluorescence and phosphorescence to create the most efficient white OLED yet

Arrays learn to multitask
27 April 2006
US researchers have increased the information density of microarrays without further shrinking the dimensions of the spots.

An acoustic biosensor
25 April 2006
Chemists in Canada have demonstrated the potential of acoustic waves in the study of protein activity.

Deoxyribose is the weakest link in tumour therapy
21 April 2006
Disintegrating sugars are bringing researchers a step closer to understanding how tumours are destroyed by radiation therapy.

Exploring the mechanism of a thymidylate synthase
24 April 2006
An unexpected discovery could lead to new antibiotics, claim researchers in the US.

New twist for switchable polymers
28 April 2006
Controlling the twist of a polymer backbone has enabled US chemists to tune the polymer's optical and electronic properties.

Four materials for the price of one
03 April 2006
Materials scientists in China have developed a way to make four kinds of porous silica, by tuning the reaction conditions.

Photonic crystal fibres for sensing
24 April 2006
Chemists have developed optical sensors by filling the channels of photonic crystal fibres with luminescent materials.

Solvent-sensitive switch
26 April 2006
Canadian chemists have used interlocked molecules to create a mechanical switch that is sensitive to its solvent.
Features

Mission to Marzzz.
Two years in a spacecraft is a long time. Human hibernation is being explored as one way to get astronauts to Mars. Andrew West examines the possibilities.

NMR and the 3D world of proteins
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is solving the 3D structure of previously inaccessible protein structures, thanks to recent advances in the field. David Bradley reports.

Tapping the chemical sciences
Throwing lab equipment down the stairs, managing North Sea oil platforms and advising the Kazakhstani government all prepared Richard Pike for the role of chief executive of the RS...

Transmutations and isotopes
Frederick Soddy's work with Ernest Rutherford on radioactivity shook the foundations of chemistry. Mike Sutton looks at Soddy's remarkable career.

A Smart move for holograms
Smart Holograms' novel sensors can monitor almost anything, from glucose to bacteria, as Emma Davies finds out.
Regulars
Your views...
How should new generations be encouraged into chemistry?

Careers: From forestry to renewables
David Preskett tells Helen Carmichael how an early career in forestry led him quite naturally to a PhD in chemistry.
Crossword and Su Doku
Prize crossword and Su Doku, May 2006
Last retort: Patently obvious
As the world wide web continues to grow apace, the number of immensely useful sites also increases.
Flashback
May - 25 years ago; 90 years ago; 105 years ago; 135 years ago; 195 years ago; 225 years ago
Chemistry World Letters, May 2006
Chemistry World Reviews, May 2006


