Chemistry World December 2008

December 2008

Vol 5, No 12

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December 2008

News and analysis

04 November 2008

US agency's BPA safety analysis 'inadequate' say science advisors

23 October 2008

The EPA's new limit ten times more stringent

11 November 2008

Chemical companies worry Obama could bring over-regulation, but chemists upbeat at funding plans

10 November 2008

Just three consortia will now compete for UK government funding to build a CCS demonstration plant

Chemical companies are lobbying hard to avoid having to buy permits to emit carbon dioxide under the third phase of the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS)

New BBSRC head encourages scientists to 'get out of their silos'

18 November 2008

Why interest in algal biofuels is blooming

Car efficiency drive could benefit chemical companies

Four pharmaceutical firms have halted research into obesity drugs from a class that was once expected to generate billions of dollars in sales

US-based Wyeth has become the latest of the large pharmaceutical companies to tighten the focus of its early stage drug research

Industry news, December 2008

Short items

Short items, December 2008

New products, December 2008

Short items, December 2008

Chemical science

03 November 2008

Could synthesising natural products ever be as simple as making peptides?

28 October 2008

Polymer scaffolds hook up toxins to proteins that destroy them

24 October 2008

Cells chaperone metalloproteins to prevent them partnering with the wrong metals

07 November 2008

Patagonian fungus that converts cellulose to biodiesel could challenge theories on fossil fuel origins

31 October 2008

Healing helicase stitches up DNA bubbles

12 November 2008

New X-ray spectroscopy 'nanoreactor' watches catalysts in action

07 November 2008

Peridotite could mop up billions of tons of carbon dioxide a year, study estimates

06 November 2008

Study warns that chemicals from plasticware could be compromising biological studies

05 November 2008

New catalytic process converts waste glycerol directly into methanol fuel

10 November 2008

Glut of nanotube devices holds promise for ultra-sensitive mass detection

27 October 2008

Japanese researchers have created a permanent metal link between two nanowires

06 October 2008

Ureas that shun the double helix for four-stranded DNA could lead to new anticancer drugs, say UK scientists

11 November 2008

Miniature natural product libraries can be found in the most unexpected places

01 October 2008

Suicide-committing yeasts assist German scientists striving towards the perfect enzyme for catalysing asymmetric organic reactions

08 October 2008

UK scientists have found that quantum dots can improve optical sensors designed for detecting metal ions in water

Chinese news supplement

Financial crisis could propel China's fight against climate change

14 November 2008

China's drug regulator asked to reconsider decision to reject anti-HIV herbal drug

Hints at increase for basic research funding

19 November 2008

Scientists question country's involvement in Iter, the international fusion project

06 November 2008

Fuel-forming reactions coupled to boost their efficiency

03 October 2008

Egg whites have found a novel use as a template for making inorganic nanotubes, thanks to Chinese scientists.

Short items

Features

Is this the most chemically complicated drink in the world? Victoria Gill attempts to unlock some of the mysteries of Scotch malt whisky

Chemistry makes occasional appearances in fiction but rarely takes centre stage. Philip Ball unearths chemistry's fictional roles

Christopher Ingold's insights into mechanism and reactivity established many of the principles of organic chemistry. John Ridd reveals more about his life and work

Not every country in Europe can afford a synchrotron. So as new member states join, how is EU funding getting the best out of research across the continent? Clare Sansom reports

Opinion

Does literature snub the central science?

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) outlines the opportunities for chemists offered by its new delivery plan

Organic chemistry is a key part of the EPSRC strategy, say senior chemistry leaders in the UK pharmaceutical industry

Derek Lowe ponders the likelihood of arriving where he started

Philip Ball uncovers a pleasing symmetry surrounding the mysterious Casimir force

Pseudolaric acid B

'Twas the night before lectures.

Chemistry World Jobs

Toys aren't safe to distribute until specially trained scientists have destroyed them, reports Emma Davies