RSC - Advancing the Chemical Sciences


Chemistry World

 

News December 2010


Chemical industry

A chemical regulation comes of age

23 December 2010

For the European chemical industry, 2010 was all about registration under the Reach regulation, the focus of our roundup


Ferrofluid droplet on substrate

Ferrofluids help you see better

22 December 2010

Ferrofluids could help optometrists determine prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses


Pharma industry

Fines, flu and an uncertain future

22 December 2010

Our roundup of another tough year for the pharma industry takes a closer look at the big players hit by big fines


Magnet

Cellulose catalyst rewrites rules of attraction

21 December 2010

A magnetic catalyst for the conversion of biomass into sugar that can be pulled out for reuse


Cutting edge chemistry

Cutting edge chemistry in 2010

21 December 2010

Chemistry World's pick of last year's research papers


Mo-99

South Africa sends medical isotopes to US

20 December 2010

US takes delivery of Mo-99 made without bomb-grade uranium, but urgent supply problems remain


Reaction sequence

Frozen assets in biobanks

20 December 2010

A method for DNA and RNA extraction could aid cancer research


Mercury

Atomic weights change to reflect natural variations

20 December 2010

Atomic weights for elements including hydrogen, carbon and oxygen to be stated as intervals


Catalysts

Novel route to key aromatics

19 December 2010

Iridium catalyst can induce straight-chain hydrocarbons to form aromatic rings in a more selective and chemically subtle way than conventional routes


Martyn Poliakoff

Lights, camera, action

17 December 2010

Martyn Poliakoff talks to Kathleen Too about the periodic table of videos and his passion for green chemistry


Nanorod and protein complex

Drug delivery: from needles to nanorods?

17 December 2010

Hot gold nanorods could help doctors to deliver drugs and vaccines through the skin


Garlic

Measuring the strength of garlic

16 December 2010

A sensor to gauge garlic strength for the food industry


Carbon atom bonds

New technique probes electron properties of individual atoms

15 December 2010

Electron microscopy technique discriminates between carbon atoms with one, two and three bonds


Cyanothece 51142 cyanobacteria

Biohydrogen produced in air

15 December 2010

Ocean microbe found to produce large amounts of hydrogen under aerobic conditions


Vodka

Vodka taste test tiff

15 December 2010

The idea that the perception of vodka could be influenced by molecular structures within the beverage has been challenged and defended


Solar panels

Speeding up electrons in solar cells

14 December 2010

Self assembling nanowire electrodes for dye-sensitised solar cells transport electrons faster


Lungs

Lung implant is a breath of fresh air

14 December 2010

An artificial lung device spells new hope for lung disease sufferers


Nanotube endoscope

Nanotube probe for cellular studies

13 December 2010

Carbon nanotube-based endoscope can probe the internal workings of a cell without causing damage


Precession

Images show atom 'spinning top' control

12 December 2010

Precession of quantum mechanical angular momentum in atomic oxygen can be directed and pictured, potentially allowing more detailed reaction studies


Money

Fees hike could focus the mind

10 December 2010

The UK government's vote in favour of tripling the university fees cap could force students to think harder about career potential following science degrees


Gold

Breaking news for the CO bond

10 December 2010

The strongest diatomic bond, CO, is broken by oxidation on a gold catalyst


Mouse with vitiligo

DNA vaccine induced autoimmune disease

10 December 2010

Autoimmune disease has been shown to be a side effect of DNA vaccine in mice


Lithium battery

Lithiation through the lens

09 December 2010

Scientists generate high resolution images of nanowire electrodes revealing they flex and grow when charged


Beta-carboline alkaloids in cyclodextrin cavities

Eco-friendly chromatography

09 December 2010

Cyclodextrins added to the mobile phase could green up chromatography


Surgical screw

Nanodiamond encrusted bones

08 December 2010

Tiny nanodiamonds could be used to reinforce biodegradable polymers used in surgical screws that dissolve once their purpose is served


Addition of 2-hydroxyethylhydrazinium dinitrate to the solid catalyst Shell 405

Propelling ionic liquids

08 December 2010

Combustible ionic liquids could be used as rocket fuel propellants


Nanobelt

Helping nanodevices to self-heal

07 December 2010

New research suggests a simple way to diagnose and repair damage to nanodevices using electric current


US energy funding

US urged to triple energy R&D investment

06 December 2010

Obama's science council warns that US federal spending on energy R&D is lagging and needs to jump three-fold to $16 billion


Bacteria

Arsenic sustains life

03 December 2010

A microorganism that feeds on the toxic element arsenic instead of essential nutrient phosphorus has been discovered by US researchers


Nanoparticle moving through a crack in a rock

No stone left unturned in oil hunt

03 December 2010

Unrecovered oil in mature oil fields could be found by a nanoparticle injected into rocks


Butterflies

Butterfly effect

03 December 2010

Rare and precious butterfly samples could be analysed in a non-destructive way


Biochip

Microfluidics to fight cholera

03 December 2010

A quick and economical cholera detection system


Sulfonated graphene

Graphene catalyst comes out on top

03 December 2010

Graphene-based solid acid catalysts could be a cheap alternative to sulfuric acid


Elastic carbon nanotubes

Nanotube material retains bounce at extreme temperatures

02 December 2010

Carbon nanotubes can make a rubber like material that remains usable in a temperature range of over one thousand degrees


Sugar

Using fruit flies' sweet tooth

02 December 2010

Australian researchers use fruit flies to help develop new sugar alternatives


Bioassay

Micro organ system to test cancer drugs

02 December 2010

New organ-on-a-chip system simultaneously tests how liver, intestine and breast cancer cells respond to cancer drugs


chemicals

Reach deadline passes, registrations fall short of predictions

01 December 2010

Registrations for EU chemicals legislation 28 per cent lower than forecast, but regulators insist the process was a success


Fireflies

Cancers imaged and monitored using firefly glow

01 December 2010

New probe uses a glowing pigment found in fireflies to signal the presence of hydrogen peroxide in the body, an indicator of tumours or disease


Stamp

Glasgow IP giveaway

01 December 2010

'Far-sighted' initiative from the University of Glasgow seeks to increase access to scientific knowledge generated using taxpayer money


C-C coupling of two metal-coordinated CO ligands

CO coupling up with uranium

01 December 2010

Two carbon monoxide molecules have been coupled by an uranium complex