Latest Chemistry News

Researchers Develop New Technique for Heterogenizing Homogenous Nano Catalysts
Thursday, October 11, 2012 - 09:46

Catalysts are substances that speed up the rates of chemical reactions without themselves being chemically changed. Industrial catalysts come in two main types – heterogeneous, in which the catalyst is in a different phase from the reactants; and homogeneous, in which catalyst and the reactants are in the same phase. Heterogeneous catalysts are valued for their sustainability because they can be recycled. Homogeneous catalysts are valued for their product selectivity as their properties can be easily tuned through relatively simple chemistry.

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Cold cases heat up through Lawrence Livemore approach to identifying remains
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 - 12:14

In an effort to identify the thousands of John/Jane Doe cold cases in the United States, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researcher and a team of international collaborators have found a multidisciplinary approach to identifying the remains of missing persons.

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HHMI’s Robert Lefkowitz Awarded 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 - 07:29

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced today that Robert J. Lefkowitz, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at Duke University, and Brian K. Kobilka of Stanford University School of Medicine are the recipients of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for studies of G-protein coupled receptors.

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New technique reveals lithium in action
Monday, October 8, 2012 - 09:37

Fundamental reactions behind advanced battery technology, revealed in detail by advanced imaging method, could lead to improved materials.

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Freezing water droplets form sharp ice peaks
Friday, October 5, 2012 - 08:33

Researchers at the University of Twente, in the Netherlands, placed water droplets on a plate chilled to -20 degrees Celsius and captured images as a freezing front traveled up the droplet.

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Nickelblock: an element's love-hate relationship with battery electrodes
Friday, September 28, 2012 - 08:55

Anyone who owns an electronic device knows that lithium ion batteries could work better and last longer. Now, scientists examining battery materials on the nano-scale reveal how nickel forms a physical barrier that impedes the shuttling of lithium ions in the electrode, reducing how fast the materials charge and discharge. Published last week in Nano Letters, the research also suggests a way to improve the materials.

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