Grails index on white social

Holy grails

A quarter of a century of progress in the 'grand challenges for chemistry' – observing the transition state, artificial photosynthesis, room-temperature superconductors, manipulating atomic matter, artificial enzymes, C–H bond activation, quantum control of reactions and unnatural selection of replicating molecules

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Covid-19 vaccine deals risk skewing supply

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International accords including Covax aiming to ensure equitable distribution to poorer countries

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Human chemical communication

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Nina Notman sniffs out the evidence for human pheromones and chemical cues

News

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Environmental groups propose tax on basic chemical manufacturing

2020-09-29T14:28:00+01:00

A coordinated 0.5% fee on chemical feedstocks could generate $11.5bn to fund chemicals and waste management globally

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Ig Nobels feature knives created from human poo and vibrating worms

2020-09-21T13:21:00+01:00

2020 Ig Nobel prizes went to teams that proved knives made of faeces fail, vibrating worms are interesting and hating chewing noises is a disorder

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US revokes over 1000 visas of Chinese students and researchers

2020-09-18T13:30:00+01:00

Academic and science groups concerned by cancellations

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Drastic cuts to Europe’s research programme prompts outcry from scientists

2020-09-17T13:30:00+01:00

Open letter from leading scientists warns of declining innovation and a brain drain

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Protein-based Covid-19 vaccines could overshadow rivals

2020-09-17T13:27:00+01:00

Although slower to develop, protein-based vaccines are well understood with a strong record of safety and effectiveness

Research

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Chemistry Nobel predictions range from organometallic chemistry to DNA synthesis

2020-09-29T09:37:00+01:00

Crispr is favoured by chemists while publication analysis forecasts winners working on nanocrystals, organometallic chemistry and supramolecular self-assembly 

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Searching for superconductors with supercomputers

2020-09-28T13:45:00+01:00

What if most materials are superconductors under the right conditions, wonders José Flores-Livas

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Solar cell concept used to enhance nuclear battery

2020-09-25T09:49:00+01:00

New device uses a ruthenium dye to absorb beta radiation

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Carbon bond formation reproducibility runs into reagent stability problem

2020-09-24T08:30:00+01:00

Solid sodium alkoxides react with carbon dioxide and can hamper performance – but sometimes improve it

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Baird’s rule of aromaticity extended to all-metal systems

2020-09-23T09:18:00+01:00

Aromaticity concept can help scientists understand the properties of metal clusters

Voice of the Royal Society of Chemistry

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Trust in peer review

Voice of

Lost in a maze

Change, uncertainty and resilience – Building a better chemistry culture

Voice of

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Tackling bullying and harassment – Building a better chemistry culture

Voice of

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Welcoming a new era: A time for digital scientific discovery

Voice of

  • Trust in peer review

  • Change, uncertainty and resilience – Building a better chemistry culture

  • Tackling bullying and harassment – Building a better chemistry culture

  • Welcoming a new era: A time for digital scientific discovery

Significant figures

Celebrating science's forgotten heroes

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Stefanie Horovitz – the woman behind the isotope

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Marguerite Perey and the last element in nature

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Ghanaian biochemistry TV star Marian Addy

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Barbara Low, penicillin and the protein pi helix

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Alice Ball’s treatment for leprosy

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Eunice Foote: the mother of climate change

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Jimmy Robinson and the atom bomb elements

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The indomitable Toshiko Mayeda

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Theodora Greene’s protecting groups

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Ellie Knaggs and tetrahedral carbon

  • Stefanie Horovitz – the woman behind the isotope

  • Marguerite Perey and the last element in nature

  • Ghanaian biochemistry TV star Marian Addy

  • Barbara Low, penicillin and the protein pi helix

  • Alice Ball’s treatment for leprosy

  • Eunice Foote: the mother of climate change

  • Jimmy Robinson and the atom bomb elements

  • The indomitable Toshiko Mayeda

  • Theodora Greene’s protecting groups

  • Ellie Knaggs and tetrahedral carbon

Features

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Quantum control

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The revolutionary idea of using light as a reagent in reactions has arrived

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Unnatural selection in chemical systems

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Great strides have been made in the lab with chemical systems that ape life’s behaviour

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Homogeneous C–H activation

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In the final instalment of our grails series we look at how picking and choosing which bond to target holds the promise of transforming organic molecules at will

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Artificial photosynthesis: solar water splitting

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The chemistry to mimic ones of nature’s greatest feats still has some hurdles to overcome

Upcoming webinars

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  • Developing small-molecule degraders using chemoproteomics

  • Turn chemical drawings into knowledge with ChemDraw & ChemOffice+ Cloud v20