December 2007
Vol 4, No 12
News and analysis
African chemistry network launches
21 November 2007
RSC and Syngenta partner to support African science
Deal to allow poor nations better access to cheap drugs
29 October 2007
Developing countries allowed to import generic medicines under a new protocol ratified by MEPs
New EU legislation would 'ban 90 per cent of insecticides'
25 October 2007
Safety rules backed by MEPs a threat to farmers, say agrochemical producers
EC funding brings research closer to market
The European Commission is close to agreeing ambitious plans
China to ramp up nuclear power
24 October 2007
China to generate hundreds of millions of kilowatts from nuclear in 'the near future'
Chemistry a winner in German funding boost for elite universities
23 October 2007
Top universities share 1.9 billion euros in final round of 'excellence initiative'
Smaller US plants triple toxic emissions
23 October 2007
Overall 15% drop in chemical waste due to cuts by biggest polluters
Indian R&D spin-outs boost innovation
India's largest pharmaceutical company, Ranbaxy, will spin off its R&D arm next month 
Organic chemistry on the telly
It's the ultimate in hi-tech TV, and it's arrived just in time for Christmas.
News in brief
Short items
Business roundup
Industry news
New on the market
New products, December 2007
Note book
Short items
Chemical science
Glowing future for nanotubes
30 October 2007
Fluorescent nanotube bundles could be used as chemical sensors or in optoelectronics
Shortest metal bond
07 November 2007
Chemists in the US have made a quintuply-bonded dichromium complex with the shortest metal-metal bond ever isolated
First Mg(I) complex made
08 November 2007
Scientists have created the first stable magnesium(I) compounds - a metal ruled, to date, by the +2 oxidation state
Polymer chemists see double
14 November 2007
Canadian chemists synthesise novel co-ordination polymers with remarkable birefringence
Tantalising boost for hydrogen storage
16 November 2007
First verification of predicted high-capacity storage claimed in titanium-ethylene complex
Mastering molecular memory
28 November 2007
A new molecule that switches shape when triggered by light could lead to nanoscale memory devices, say chemists in Japan.
Microbes fuel the way to better water treatment
08 November 2007
Microbial fuel cells for detecting pollutant levels in wastewater have been developed by Korean scientists.
Step change for organic synthesis
01 November 2007
Iron catalyst selectively oxidises unreactive C-H bonds, unaided
Coupled enzymes may spawn new catalysts
12 November 2007
UK researchers couple redox enzymes on a conducting graphite fragment
Interview: Relatively challenging
09 November 2007
Pekka Pyykkö talks to Caroline Moore about relativistic effects and the thrill of theoretical chemistry
Forging ahead of the counterfeiters
29 October 2007
Raman and infrared spectroscopy used to spot fake malaria tablets
Proton NMR spots shape-shifting tablets
26 October 2007
A technique that identifies drug polymorphs in pills could be a boon for pharmaceutical firms
Nanotube gives ultimate force measurement
25 October 2007
Single functional group interactions measured on carbon nanotube
LIBS detects explosives at a distance
29 November 2007
Chemistry is helping scientists in the US to detect explosives from a safer distance
Laser hits the right spot for chemical analysis
29 October 2007
Nanoantenna could lead to ultrahigh resolution microscopes.
OH to be in a position of power
25 October 2007
French scientists are unravelling the anticancer secrets of ferrocenyl phenols
Emotional enzymes
29 October 2007
Chemists in the US have created fluorescent probes that can detect enzymes affecting our emotions.
Brighter hope for breast cancer
22 October 2007
Novel contrast agent targets early signs of breast cancer
A better catalyst for fuel cells?
30 October 2007
Mixed metal nanoparticles could boost fuel cell catalyst activity sixfold
Catalysis in a cavity
08 November 2007
Chemists in the US have created a molecular vase that mimics an enzyme's catalytic activity
Water - not just a solvent
31 October 2007
Water-soluble ligands speed up coupling reaction with less catalyst
Instant insight: Mutants make more
13 November 2007
Andreas Kirschning explains how genetically modified microbes offer a short-cut to valuable derivatives of natural products
Chinese news supplement
Beijing firms reap rewards of outsourcing boom
China's contracted research organisations (CROs) could finally be set to garner a bigger slice of the research being outsourced by big pharmaceutical firms
OLED chemists have a bright idea
23 November 2007
New material makes OLEDs simpler, brighter, more colourful
Sorting droplets digitally
19 November 2007
A new lab-on-a-chip sorting technique is better, faster, cheaper than current methods
China News in brief
Short items
Features
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
Opinion
Comment: Before the taps run dry
Population growth, climate change and pollution are placing huge pressures on the global supply of clean water. Chemists can help, says Alasdair Maclean
Regulars
Classic Kit: Beckmann thermometer
There was a time, long ago, that few of us remember, when you couldn't just head down to the basement and get a quick NMR or mass spectrum of your latest compound
Careers: Studying cancer's chemistry
A unique MSc course focuses on the cross-disciplinary know-how needed for a career in anti-cancer drug development. Joe McEntee reports
