RSC - Advancing the Chemical Sciences


Chemistry World

 

News June 2007


Lab mice

A viable alternative

24 July 2007

PREVIEW: When will chemistry replace animal toxicity testing?


John Denham

UK science moves to new government department

29 June 2007

Cabinet reshuffle creates Department for Innovations, Universities and Skills (DIUS)


Potassium niobate nanowires

Nanowire shines light on subwavelength microscopy

29 June 2007

Potassium niobate nanowire acts as a novel light source for a new type of microscope


HIV

Engineered enzyme to excise Aids

29 June 2007

Modified enzyme cuts HIV from the DNA of infected human cells


Structure of the porphyrin-polyoxometalate complex

Photofunctional hamburgers

29 June 2007

A hamburger-shaped compound could open the way to a new class of molecular architectures.


 Biofuel

To chew or to burn?

28 June 2007

Preview: Figuring out the best - and cheapest - ways of unlocking the energy stored in the cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose bound up in plant waste.


Traditional Chinese medicine

First internationally licensed Chinese herbal patent

28 June 2007

China has licensed its first herbal compound patent to an overseas pharmaceutical company


An athlete sporting an artificial leg

Instant insight: Polymers in nanobionics

28 June 2007

Gordon Wallace and Geoffrey Spinks of the University of Wollongong, Australia, take a close look at the interface between electronics and biology.


Structure of deoxymyoglobin showing the position of the heme group

Summing up how oxygen adds to heme

28 June 2007

Spanish scientists have used computational chemistry to follow oxygen's journey to the iron centre of hemes.


Aspirin

Why aspirin doesn't always stop blood clots

27 June 2007

Some people are resistant to the blood-thinning properties of aspirin


Nanoparticles

Seeing the environmental wood for the nanotech trees

27 June 2007

German environmentalists have issued a 24-page report on potential health and environmental risks of nanotechnology. But others question its value.


Droplet network

Mimicking biophysics with water droplets

26 June 2007

Drops of water have been micro-engineered into 'protocells'


An apoferritin protein

Nature's cancer treatments

26 June 2007

Chemists working in China have used a native protein to deliver anticancer medicines to tumour cells.


Mercury

Golden opportunity to halt quicksilver trade

25 June 2007

Europe moves to ban hazardous mercury exports


A selection of polymeric particles with complex geometric shapes.

The shape of things to come

25 June 2007

A microfluidic device technique called stop-flow lithography, for making custom designed polymeric particles with complex geometric shapes, has been developed by US researchers.


phenylalanyl-glycyl-glycine peptide

Density functional theory gets an upgrade

25 June 2007

It's time to stop ignoring van der Waals forces, say German theoreticians.


Male contraceptive won

Big pharma not interested in 'male pill'

22 June 2007

German drug giant Bayer has officially stopped research and development of a hormonal male contraceptive


Cars going along a highway

Modelling metallic emissions

22 June 2007

Researchers in Switzerland have developed a method of modelling heavy metal emissions from road traffic.


Crystal structure

Calculated comparisons of crystal structures

22 June 2007

A quantitative method to judge how alike molecular crystal structures are could aid crystal design and understanding.


Fingernail infection

Boron is key to antifungal agent

21 June 2007

Understanding the role of boron in a new antimicrobial compound could lead to new drugs


View from the moon

A mirror for the moon

21 June 2007

Researchers have coated an ionic liquid with a reflective surface, making it (almost) suitable for a Moon-based telescope


Syrup biorefinery

More sugary solutions for petroleum substitutes

20 June 2007

Independent research groups have arrived at different ways of converting sugars into fuels and feedstock


Some fluorescent test tubes

Chiral quantum dots

20 June 2007

Fluorescent semiconductor nanoparticles that exhibit circular dichroism have been made by scientists from Ireland.


Ben Feringa

Interview: Creating a stir

20 June 2007

Ben Feringa talks to Stephen Davey about chirality, molecular recognition and farming


Array of sensors

Sensor arrays for cations

19 June 2007

A series of hydroxyquinolines show promise as elements in sensor arrays for detecting metal ions in water.


Hands pulling rope

Stretching a molecule helps it conduct

19 June 2007

Chemists in Taiwan have shown that the conductance of a molecule fluctuates as it is stretched.


Close-up of a hair strand

Instant insight: Hair is the news

19 June 2007

Putting hair under the microscope.


Chemical plant for sale?

ICI rejects bid

18 June 2007

ICI has rejected a £7.2 billion bid from Dutch chemical firm Akzo Nobel, rival bids are expected


Cancer sensor

Electrochemical screening for anti-cancer drugs

15 June 2007

A test that predicts individual patient's response to chemotherapy


nano-Stoddart

Young-ish giants party on

14 June 2007

Chemistry's rising stars gather for Fraser Stoddart's 65th birthday


Syrup biorefinery

Sweet substitute for petroleum products

14 June 2007

New method for converting sugars to chemical feedstock, replacing petroleum products


Deborah Swackhamer

Interview: Water, water everywhere.

14 June 2007

Deborah Swackhamer talks to Kathryn Lees and Neil Withers about water pollution and her dream to sing jazz in piano bars


Chickens

Fresh approach to Tamiflu production

14 June 2007

An alternative way to make Tamiflu avoids the usual scarce starting material.


Imaged cells

Snapshots of specialising cells

14 June 2007

Researchers in Germany have used infrared spectroscopy to spot stem cells as they change into new cell types.


Soybean root nodules

Why cold is such a pain

13 June 2007

A unique cold-tolerant ion channel keeps us smarting in the frost


MRI

Europe running out of time to address 'threat' to MRI

13 June 2007

Commissioners tell scientists they need more evidence before reviewing legislation that could make medical MRI scans 'impractical'


Inflamed joints

Renewed therapeutic promise for arthritis patients

13 June 2007

News treatments for rheumatoid arthritis offer hope to patients where existing drugs have failed


Laser-induced froth

Imploding bubbles mix fluids on a chip

12 June 2007

Fluids confined to micro channels can be whipped into a laser-induced froth to get them to mix and flow


MRI-Pet

A new way to look at the brain

12 June 2007

Simultaneous Pet and MRI scans provide hitherto unavailable information on human tissues


Barrels of radioactive material

Making sense of solvent extraction

12 June 2007

Computational chemists in France are closer to understanding a process that enhances the extraction of nuclear waste.


SPME probe

Designer drugs probe

12 June 2007

A simple method for measuring drug concentrations in vivo could be used in medical and drug tests, claim Canadian chemists.


Tumour blood vessels

Cancer therapy targets bad blood

11 June 2007

Biological tags on tumour blood vessels could provide new therapeutic targets


Self-healing polymer

Polymer, heal thyself

11 June 2007

New system allows polymers to 'self-heal' repeatedly


Synchrotron

Ten year plan for Australasian science

11 June 2007

Australia's synchrotron, due to open this year, set to be a jewel in Australian and New Zealand science


Multilayered films of inorganic nanoparticles

Two-faced fluids aid nanolayer synthesis

11 June 2007

Scientists have made multilayered films of inorganic nanoparticles with the help of DNA bases.


One for the road?

A good year for mouth wash

08 June 2007

Antibacterial compounds in wine shown to inhibit tooth-rotting microbes


What

National survey finds fewer toxic chemicals in soil

08 June 2007

Restrictions on industrial emissions have cut down persistent organic pollutants in soil and vegetation


Ball-milling

Instant insight: Grinding is the new green

08 June 2007

Anne Pichon and Stuart James reveal some of the intriguing reactions that can be carried out without solvents.


Pseudofluorescence

Sensitive sequencing technique for early diagnosis

07 June 2007

Inexpensive, sensitive technique for detecting distribution of mRNA transcripts in cells or tissue


Wireless electronics

Resonance boost for truly wireless electronics

07 June 2007

Welcome to the world of WiTricity - wireless electricity


Crossed-slit diffraction pattern

German x-ray laser tunnel gets the go ahead

07 June 2007

Proposed billion-euro, 3.4-km long laser tunnel will let researchers watch chemical reactions take place at atomic resolution


Car exhaust pipe

Molecular sensor for harmful organics

07 June 2007

Supramolecular sensor detects low concentrations of airborne benzene in traffic fumes


DNA

Large-scale gene scanning for common diseases

06 June 2007

'Genome-wide association' throws up new genetic markers - but drug development remains some way off


Ion gels offer strength and conduction

Ion gels offer strength and conduction

06 June 2007

Polymer gels combine with ionic liquids to provide an alternative to liquid electrolytes


Structure of dendrimer

Dendrimer synthesis branches out

06 June 2007

Swedish researchers have devised an efficient and practical way to make dendrimers.


Cutting out the carbs

'Atkins hormone' discovered

05 June 2007

US researchers have uncovered a vital metabolic role for a hormone that is stimulated by 'low carb' diets


Soil cross-section

Possible pollutants assessed in minutes

05 June 2007

Computer system that predicts how chemicals biodegrade - or not - could help regulators spot persistent polluters


PLGA nanoparticle

Search and destroy

05 June 2007

Korean scientists have developed a proof-of-concept method for cancer detection and treatment.


Soybean root nodules

Some pesticides can reduce soil fertility

04 June 2007

Pesticides developed to boost crop yields could be doing the opposite


Schematic illustration of a multicomponent indicator displacement assay

Simple sensor identifies complex mixtures

04 June 2007

A simple mixture of four commercially available compounds can be used to detect several biomolecules at the same time, say Swiss scientists.


Reach

EU chemicals legislation comes into force

01 June 2007

Reach gets underway, as the new European Chemicals Agency starts operations in Helsinki


Spinach leaves superimposed on the pupil of an eye.

Chlorophylls help eyes see red

31 May 2007

Eating your greens rather than carrots could be the key to good night-time vision.