RSC - Advancing the Chemical Sciences


Chemistry World

 

News February 2005


Virtual chemistry course made real

Online chemistry course takes over from day-release predecessor


Linking gene differences to disease

Now that the human genome is safely stored in databases and we can look up our shared genetic heritage


UN flag

UN advisor calls for investment in science

Developing countries will never see improvements in human welfare or economic stability without scientific and technological innovation


Too many forensic scientists?

FSS chief questions the intake on forensic science courses


Food supplements pass health check

Despite continued reports of DNA damage associated with chromium picolinate intake, the UK Food Standards Association (FSA) has stopped advising people against this supplement.


Wave power in the UK

Engineers at the University of Durham say they have built the UK's largest linear electrical generator to harness wave power.


FameLab

The hunt for a new face of science communication is on.


Herbert C Brown

Herbert C Brown (1912-2004)

Herbert Brown, winner of the 1979 Nobel prize in chemistry, died in December 2004 at the age of 92.


Improvements to target-guided synthesis herald novel enzyme inhibitors

Improvements to target-guided synthesis herald novel enzyme inhibitors


Microbial fuel cells

Generating electricity from domestic wastewater dosed with acetate


Indigoid dyes in artworks

Analysing organic dyes should improve the restoration of historic paintings


Improvements to target-guided synthesis herald novel enzyme inhibitors

Improvements to target-guided synthesis herald novel enzyme inhibitors


Molecular Lego

Simple metal complexes as building bricks for luminescent systems


Olive extraction

Wastewater from olive mills could prove a useful antioxidant source


Polymers without the bonds

Complex nanoscale structures could be snapped together with a microscope


It's half time, bring on the hydrogel

Damage to cartilage could be fixed with a gel based on hyaluronic acid


Self propelled nanorotors

Synthetic nanorotors provide the first step in creating complex nanomachines


Silicate mystery cleared up

Silicon in nanocrystalline materials could play a role in the nuclear industry


Mosses use chemical mimicry

Moss makes metabolites associated with fungi and animals


A lock for a nanoscopic bicycle

Korean team makes a versatile addition to the nano toolbox


Tadpoles stick to protein analysis

Proteins work their way into the middle of a polymerase chain reaction


Making 21 genes in one go

Synthesising specific DNA sequences is becoming a possibility


Going with the flow

Microreactors allow direct fluorination of organic compounds


Bright future for LCD-TVs

New materials with better properties could soon be coming to a LCD-TV near you


Markers for irradiated food

Gamma-ray treated food can be distinguished from untreated equivalent


Technologists shed light on biomolecules

Raman spectral signatures underlie new technique for sensitive immunoassay


Decontaminating abandoned mines

Spanish chemists are helping to clean up disused industrial sites.


Injecting powdered drugs

European researchers have developed two methods for separating and transporting tiny amounts of dry powders in microfluidic chips


Nanosensor for toxic anions

In a useful application of nanotechnology Spanish researchers have developed a sensitive toxic-cyanide sensor.


Fluorescent magnesium paddle wheels

The first luminescent complex to contain magnesium has been made by chemists in India and the UK


Measuring with sensitivity

Biological samples can be tested for ultra trace levels of uranium and plutonium with higher sensitivity than has been possible in the past.


Probing pyrene

Canadian researchers have been shedding light on the nature of the underlying photophysical processes in fluorescent probes.


Rotational rigidity at room temperature

Metal arylphosphine complexes that are rigid above room temperature have been studied for the first time.


Enzyme through the looking glass

Researchers at Keio University, Japan, have inverted an enzyme's enantioselectivity despite not knowing its structure or reaction mechanism.


Zipping up the strands

In their search for new anticancer drugs medicinal chemists are developing compounds that inhibit DNA replication and cell proliferation.


Double laser hit to probe vibrations

Lasers can both initiate and investigate a molecular change to shed light on how molecules vibrate.