Magic mushrooms light up the brain
February 3, 2012 – 8:30 am
Chemistry students buck university trend
February 2, 2012 – 4:26 pm
The Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemistry World magazine reports that UK university chemistry departments are relieved to discover that applications for chemistry degrees have held steady despite the increase in tuition fees for degree courses in England and Wales and the almost 10% decline in overall applications. Good news for chemistry, although the news that AstraZeneca is laying off thousands of staff in the wake of Pfizer lab closures makes you wonder where all the bright young chemists are going to work. Accountancy, perhaps? Plus ca change.
Renewable hype
February 1, 2012 – 1:19 pm
Corporate strategist William Banholzer of The Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan, USA, believes it is time to cut through the clean and renewable energy hype. He suggests that too many members of the general public do not have a clear understanding of energy issues and are being duped into accepting plausible-sounding but ultimately impractical solutions to mitigating energy and environmental concerns regarding fuel supply and climate change.
via Renewable Hype.
The world’s first magnetic soap
February 1, 2012 – 12:00 pm
The world's first magnetic soap - Researchers have created a liquid surfactant that can be moved by a magnet. The discovery opens the way to soaps and detergents which could be directed to a specific point or removed from a mixture by applying an external magnetic field.
Studying chemistry as it happens in catalytic reactions
January 31, 2012 – 9:12 pm
Studying the chemistry as it happens in catalytic reactions - While retaining their speed, catalysts have lost some of their secrets, thanks to a new probe built by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to help clarify the steps catalysts take in promoting reactions. The new device is called a large-sample-volume constant-flow magic angle spinning probe for use in a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. With it, scientists can flow a gaseous reaction mixture through a solid catalyst and collect NMR data on the intermediates and products generated during the reaction. In addition, using NMR can provide structural information about the catalyst itself during the reaction.
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