September 2007
Vol 4, No 9
News and analysis

Druggy wastewater tough to crack
Drug molecules are routinely passing through wastewater treatments unscathed

Can chemistry save our libraries?
Three out of every four books in Europe's libraries are printed on acidic paper

Young scientists win million-Euro prizes
So how would you react if you were thirty-something and fortunate enough to win a cash award

UK science policy committee under threat
UK scientists are worried that the parliamentary watchdog which scrutinises government science policy will lose its powers

Gene dreams troubled by market realities
31 August 2007
Chinese gene therapy trials show five years of success against cancer 

Novartis loses landmark Indian patent law case
Swiss drug firm Novartis has lost its legal case against the Indian government

AstraZeneca doubles job cuts, R&D positions hit
Anglo-Swedish dug firm AstraZeneca has revealed a dramatic increase in its planned job cuts
News in brief
Short items
Business roundup
Industry news
New on the market
New products, September 2007
In the papers...
Short items
Note book
Short items
Chemical science

Chernobyl fallout impaired mental development of Swedish infants
16 August 2007
Study links radiation exposure with poor school performance

Azadirachtin sees first total synthesis
10 August 2007
Bounty of the Indian neem tree replicated in the lab

Counterion does the twist
26 July 2007
Chiral phosphate and catalyst work together to improve selectivity

Novel aerogels to absorb toxic heavy metals
26 July 2007
Chalcogenide gels bind mercury better than traditional oxides

A DNA light switch
25 July 2007
A light-activated molecular padlock protects DNA from cleaving enzymes and could halt gene transcription.

Sifting out cancer cells
09 August 2007
A microscopic sieve opens the way to earlier diagnosis of oral cancer, say US researchers.

Graphene sensor achieves ultimate sensitivity
30 July 2007
Carbon sheet detects single molecules of gas

Shortcut protein synthesis ditches amino acids
26 July 2007
Polymerisation route using carbon monoxide is fast and cheap

Interview: A catalytic lifetime
20 August 2007
Bob Grubbs talks to Alison Stoddart about the beginnings of organometallic chemistry and his search for the next catalyst

Polluted penguin poop
30 July 2007
Penguin guano in the Antarctic is adding to organic pollutant problems there, say Belgian scientists.

Window into nanospace could boost batteries
08 August 2007
Investigating how nickel hydroxide crystals grow in nanospace could lead to improved performance of rechargeable batteries, say scientists in Japan.

Making light work of drug release
03 August 2007
Photolabile masking agents from organic synthesis used for precision drug delivery.

Now you stick me, now you don't
01 August 2007
A new type of reversible adhesion changes stickiness at the flip of a pH switch

Cheerful news for antidepressant research
09 August 2007
Two groups independently solve inhibitor binding conundrum of neurotransmitter carrier
Space monster discovered
27 July 2007
Octatetraynyl ion is the largest negatively charged molecule ever seen in space

Chemists claim biological alchemy
15 August 2007
Neurodazine turns muscle cells from the sole of a human foot into something akin to stem cells

Dual detection
01 August 2007
Scientists at the University of Virginia, US, have developed a sensor able to detect both dopamine and serotonin simultaneously in vivo for the first time.

Instant insight: The shape of things to come
20 August 2007
Paul Midgley, Edmund Ward, Ana Hungria and John Meurig Thomas discuss using nanotomography to take a 3D glimpse at the nanoworld.
Chinese news supplement

China invests over $1bn in drug safety
In a bid to improve its food and drug safety, China has announced it will invest 8.8 billion yuan (US$1.16 billion)

UK research outpost to open in Beijing
31 August 2007
The first overseas office of the Research Councils of the United Kingdom (RCUK) opens in October 

Oil firms head overseas
31 August 2007
China's rapidly increasing thirst for oil has pushed prospectors into areas shunned by Western firms 

Coal chemical projects flourish
31 August 2007
Business booms as international oil prices hit almost US$80 per barrel 

Enzymes trigger colour shift in polymers
31 August 2007
Novel assay monitors enzyme activity in real time 
China News in brief
Short items
Features

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...
Opinion

Editorial: A new beginning
This month we're excited to announce the launch of Chemistry World: China

Comment: Global science matters
The UK's new science minister, Ian Pearson, says that an international perspective is vital for scientific growth
Regulars
Letters
Chemistry World Letters, September 2007
Reviews
Chemistry World Reviews, September 2007
Puzzles
Puzzles, September 2007

Classic Kit: Soxhlet extractor
One sure-fire way of entering the chemical pantheon is to get your name associated with a piece of kit

Careers: Accidental chemist
From unlikely beginnings as a botanist, Mark Bell became hooked on formulation chemistry. Sarah Houlton finds out how this shaped a successful business
The last retort: Hy Life
Picture the scene











