Photochemistry frees arene functionalisation from metals

A new metal-free strategy offers a site-selective and general way to functionalise arenes. This photochemical method works on starting materials that feature many other functional groups, meaning it can be used for the late-stage modification of complex compounds like pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Researchers from the University of Manchester, UK, developed a donor–acceptor complex that generates […]

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New allotrope of carbon synthesised

A new allotrope of carbon has been created that is being described as graphene’s ‘superatomic’ cousin by the team of US researchers behind it. Dubbed graphullerene, this atom-thin material is made of linked fullerene subunits. This novel form of carbon combines elements of two-dimensional carbon sheets and zero-dimensional carbon superatoms, and it could facilitate the […]

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Renaissance Science – XLVIII

Using the simplest and widest definition as to what constitutes a scientific instrument, it is literally impossible to say who first created, devised, used a scientific instrument or when and where they did it. My conjecture would be that the first scientific instrument was some sort of measuring device, a rod, or a cord to […]

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ExxonMobil scientists’ climate models were accurate, but hidden

The first systematic analysis of data from over a hundred ExxonMobil documents has shown that the company’s scientists have accurately modelled global warming caused by fossil fuels since the late 1970s. However, company executives chose to publicly denigrate climate models, insist there was no scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change, and claim the science was […]

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Second Alzheimer’s antibody approved in the US

A second anti-amyloid antibody treatment for Alzheimer’s disease has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Biogen and Eisai’s Leqembi (lecanemab) has been granted accelerated approval, and clinical trial data show it can slow progression of the disease, but clinicians have made it clear that the drug is not a cure. Trial […]

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Institution of Chemical Engineers gets new chief executive

The next chief executive of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) – a professional engineering association with more than 33,000 members worldwide – will be Yvonne Baker, the current chief executive of Stem Learning, the largest provider of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) education and careers support to UK schools, colleges and community groups. […]

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Ionic cooling offers way to end greenhouse gas use in refrigeration

A heat transfer protocol that could halt the use of greenhouse gases in refrigeration has been demonstrated by US researchers. The technique, which harnesses the decrease in a liquid’s melting point when a salt is dissolved in it, shows notable advantages over some other proposed alternative refrigeration technologies. Heat naturally flows from hot to cold. […]

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Molecular motor running on electricity mimics biological motors

A molecular motor that can be powered by electricity has been created.1 In contrast to existing single-molecule electric motors,2,3 the new [3]catenane motor can be operated without a scanning tunnelling microscopy tip. ‘Previous electrically driven motors required high vacuum and elaborated setups to operate,’ comments Giulio Ragazzon from the University of Strasbourg in France, who […]

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Obsolete Oxford labs once used by Dorothy Hodgkin may become student bar

The University of Oxford has lodged plans to convert a historic chemistry laboratory into a student bar and music lounge. The 150-year-old west wing of Oxford’s Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory (ICL) hasn’t been used for experimental work since 2018, but will get a new lease of life if plans to create new social space for students […]

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NIH’s new data sharing policy is coming, and it’s a ‘big cultural shift’

Biochemists and other researchers who apply for funding from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) will have to include comprehensive data management and sharing plans in grants from 25 January. These will be formal strategies for managing, preserving and sharing scientific data, as well as the accompanying metadata. The new rule, which is generating […]

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