RSC - Advancing the Chemical Sciences


Chemistry World

 

April 2011

Vol 8, No 4

April 2011

News and analysis

Court halts EU patent progress

09 March 2011

The 'enhanced cooperation' route to an EU-level patent conflicts with EU law

Scientists in Slovakia campaign against diversion of funding

03 March 2011

Thousands of people in Slovakia sign a petition to stop €120 million of EU science money going awry

Standardising nanomaterials

17 February 2011

Europe launches a central repository offering reference samples of different types of nanomaterials

China bans whitening additives in flour

14 March 2011

Chemical whiteners that can harm the respiratory system are to be banned in China

International recognition helps Chinese vaccine industry

17 March 2011

Recognition from the World Health Organisation will help strengthen China's vaccine industry

Site chosen for long-awaited US clean coal project

08 March 2011

Following an environmental review and a public consultation, work on the retrofit could begin in 2012

Seaweed recruited in fight against malaria

24 February 2011

Natural products from Fijian red seaweed have shown remarkable anti-malarial properties

Capsules for safer and more reliable lithium ion batteries

23 February 2011

Self-healing coatings inspire improvements to the electrodes

Uncertainty for nuclear power

17 March 2011

Political fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster may have a lasting impact on nuclear power policy and research

GSK will pay off UK graduate tuition fees

08 March 2011

Drug maker backs its belief in the country by totally reimbursing top graduates' fees

UK lab admits failings in inquest over death

28 February 2011

Employees were inadequately protected by safety equipment

Sanofi to buy Genzyme in $20 billion deal

17 February 2011

Sanofi-Aventis wins over Genzyme board with $1.5 billion increase to August 2010 bid

Business roundup

Industry news, April 2011

Market Place

New products, April 2011

In the papers...

Short items

News in Brief

Short items, April 2011

Note book

Short items, April 2011


Research

Diagnosing diseases with CDs

25 February 2011

A microfluidic device has been built into a compact disc for use in a personal computer to analyse cells

Bendy batteries a step closer

25 February 2011

A flexible power source to accompany flexible batteries

Molecules that walk, hop and jump

06 March 2011

'Two legged' molecules move across a foothold-covered surface using three distinct mechanisms depending on the environment

Polymer coat helps nanoparticles penetrate mucus

23 February 2011

Coating enables efficient drug delivery directly to tissues like the lungs

Earth's missing xenon could be hiding in quartz

01 March 2011

Researchers in Canada synthesise xenon dioxide, adding weight to theory that xenon can bond within quartz

Harvesting energy from soft drinks

04 March 2011

A nanomaterial-based biofuel cell can generate electrical energy from soft drinks

Remote powered lab on a chip

16 February 2011

A wireless device to manipulate nanoparticles that's as simple to use as a microscope slide

Sensitive TB diagnosis using sugar

06 March 2011

A simple sugar can be used to label and monitor tuberculosis in the body and could form the basis of a whole body imaging agent in the future

To thicken up runny liquids, add fluid

17 February 2011

Adding a small amount of fluid to a runny liquid can thicken it, say researchers in Germany

Protein nanotubes trap viruses

28 February 2011

Nanotubes made from human proteins used to ensnare hepatitis B

Elusive form of iron captured

24 February 2011

Structural and spectroscopic evidence of a highly reactive iron(V) nitride compound

Insect antennae inspire responsive nanopores

20 February 2011

US researchers look to nature to create nanopores that can predictably capture and process nanoscale objects

Speed dating for pharmaceuticals

18 February 2011

Pairing up drugs with cocrystals could improve their properties and delivery

Chemical mystery of antifungal compound solved

09 March 2011

Researchers uncover how amphotericin B interacts with sterols in cell membranes to form ion channels that kill yeast cells

Radical dimers held together in molecular flask

07 March 2011

Tetrathiafulvalene radicals, which would normally repel each other, have been studied while in close proximity thanks to a supporting structure

First purely organic phosphor

13 February 2011

The design of a new type of phosphorescent materials from purely organic materials could open the way to a new generation of light-emitting systems

Inspirational science

16 March 2011

Seong Keun Kim talks to Jane Hordern about his latest research, how he was inspired by a comic book character and the importance of science in Korea


Features

Waste not, want not

Modern devices waste a lot of energy as heat, noise and vibration. James Mitchell Crow investigates a new breed of energy scavenging materials that could recapture some of it

Of mice and men

2009 marked the first year that more genetically modified animals were used in UK scientific procedures than animals deemed 'genetically normal'. Katrina Megget investigates

Doubts and paradoxes

Robert Boyle's The sceptical chymist still holds lessons for the modern chemist - 350 years after its publication, as Mike Sutton discovers

Forensic flow

Microfluidic technology is finally ready for forensic DNA profiling labs, as Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay reports


Opinion

Editorial: Good advice

The essential role that scientific advice has to play worldwide was brought sharply into focus

Molecular obesity is weighing down drug discovery

Medicinal chemistry's quest for potent drug candidates has resulted in molecules that are too large and too lipophilic for their own good

Column: In the pipeline

'Natural products are back!' is a headline Derek Lowe has seen several times before

Column: Totally Synthetic

Guanacastepene N

Column: The crucible

Experiments are seldom replicated by different research teams, says Philip Ball. Why is this and does it really matter?


Chemistry World Jobs

Affairs in order

Chemists are perfectly suited to jobs in Regulatory Affairs but they need to have evidence of excellent soft skills to walk straight into a job, as Emma Davies finds out

Profile: The biofuel bug

James Liao was one of the first to mix biology and engineering and he continues to break new ground in his quest for cleaner, greener biofuels, as Yfke Hager finds out

The insider: From ivory tower to global powerhouse

Investing in universities doesn't just provide us with great universities, reports Bea Perks.

Careers clinic: Purely functional

Functional CVs bring out your skills and are perfect for those looking for a career change, says Charlotte Ashley-Roberts


Regulars

Reviews

Chemistry World Reviews, April 2011



Letters

Chemistry World Letters, April 2011



Puzzles

Puzzles, April 2011

Chemistry through the lens

The mineral cacoxenite

Classic kit: Pardy apparatus

Martin Luther Kings great 1963 speech calling for racial equality and an end to discrimination

The last retort: Immiscibility

Some liquids are immiscible with others

Flashback

25 years ago in Chemistry in Britain