Tag Archives: RSC

One-pot synthesis creates anticancer candidates

Posted by Robert Slinn on January 15, 2012 Comments Off

One-pot synthesis creates anticancer candidates – Researchers in Germany have developed a simple, rapid and high-yielding cascade synthesis of a collection of polycyclic compounds that resemble indole alkaloid natural products and which interfere with cell division. The compounds could be …

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The TNA world that came before the RNA one

Posted by Robert Slinn on January 9, 2012 Comments Off

The TNA world that came before the RNA one – The question of how non-living chemicals emerged from the so-called primordial soup to give rise to life on Earth is one of the most intriguing in science. Finding an answer …

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Forget hyperneutrinos, we’re on pseudo-atoms now

Posted by David Bradley on September 24, 2011 Comments Off

When chemists think of the neutral radical ammonium, few think of it as behaving like an alkali metal. However, in many ways, particularly its electronegativity, which can be transferred from compound to compound, it acts like a pseudo-atom akin to …

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Boost your battery with seaweed

Posted by David Bradley on September 9, 2011 Comments Off

An extract from brown algae – seaweed – could give rechargeable lithium-ion batteries a boost by allowing silicon nanopowder to be used as a high-capacity alternative to graphite electrodes. The potential improvement is almost an order of magnitude boost, the …

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Chemical spider

Posted by David Bradley on September 6, 2011 Comments Off

A chemical spider that spins a polymer thread using a simple catalyst could drive a nanomotor, according to researchers at Pennsylvania State University, US. Ayusman Sen and colleagues say that these nanomotors have potential applications in the deposition of polymers …

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Chemists are dying to uncover historic textile’s secrets

Posted by David Bradley on August 25, 2011 Comments Off

US researchers have developed a sensitive and simple technique for identifying the dyes used to colour textile artefacts. Their approach will not only help understand the composition of heritage materials for conservation purposes but could offer new insights into the …

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