The 1996 Nobel prize in chemistry medal, awarded to Robert ‘Bob’ Curl for the joint discovery of fullerenes, is to be auctioned off at the end of March. Curl, who died aged 88 on 3 July 2022, shared the 1996 prize with Harry Kroto and Richard Smalley. Together with graduate students James Heath, Yuan Liu […]

Scientists in the UK have tackled optimisation problems currently targeted by quantum computers using the pulsating Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. Lee Cronin’s University of Glasgow team uses colour oscillations in interconnected wells to encode data. ‘If a chemical computer can beat a quantum computer in message decryption, that would be hilarious,’ Cronin tells Chemistry World. However, […]

Chemical giant Chemours has sacked its chief executive and chief financial officer after an internal review revealed suspicious accounting and compensation practices. The DuPont spin-off had previously postponed reporting its 2023 financial results and placed chief executive Mark Newman, chief financial officer Jonathan Lock, and principal accounting officer Camela Wisel on administrative leave for the duration […]

After working together for over two decades on photomechanical crystals, chemists in the US and Saudi Arabia have built molecular crystal motors that are completely powered by light. When exposed to light, these tiny machines perform coordinated movements and exhibit the unique ability to sustain continuous motion through a feedback loop. With further development, the […]

Micro- and nanoplastics taken up by gastric cancer cells are passed on during cell division, according to new research by researchers in Austria and Germany. Particles around 0.25μm in size also increased the rate of migration in these cells and are thought to have pro-metastatic effects. ‘It was very surprising that cells are not only […]

Many drugs that are normally used to treat non-infectious diseases like cancer, diabetes and depression can kill bacteria through modes of action that are different from those of standard antibiotics. The US-based researchers behind this finding say that it opens up new possibilities in the battle against antibiotic resistance. ‘Our findings uncover molecules that can […]

Women working in higher education continued to earn, on average, 11.9% less than men across all roles in 2022, a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) has revealed. Although this is smaller than the national median gender pay gap of 14.4%, the data, which covers 2017 to 2022, shows significant variation between institutions […]

Two researchers in the US have developed a simple, cheap and effective method for recycling catalytic organoiridium waste into a synthetically important iridium precursor. This is the first lab-scale example of such a recycling process, which could be a practical and cost-effective option for many of the academic research groups working with this rare element. […]

Swiss researchers can once again apply for European Research Council (ERC) grants. The European Commission opened up ERC funding calls to Swiss applicants this week as European and Swiss negotiators sat down to discuss measures that would deepen the EU–Swiss relationship. The talks cover a broad range of measures on trade, energy and related issues, […]

Some of you will remember that back in November I announced that I would be taking a break from writing my blog in order  to get some medical rehabilitation for my fucked spine (official medical terminology). You might also remember that this turned into a farce when on entering the clinic I almost immediately acquired a […]