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The future of analytical chemistry
We’re looking ahead to the future of analytical chemistry, from monitoring the planet from satellites, diagnosing cancer quickly and easily from small blood samples, to where the discipline itself is heading. And with a century and half passing since the Society of Public Analysts was founded, what does the future hold for this important role?
How satellite remote sensing is enhancing our understanding of Earth
Instruments in space have studied the planet’s atmosphere and surface, and are now being joined by powerful new ones, finds Andy Extance
Blood biopsies for cancer
Testing small amounts of blood for the presence of disease markers could revolutionise how we detect cancer. Clare Sansom reports
Analysing a chemist’s wish-list
Analytical techniques have come a long way, but what does the future hold? Rachel Brazil asks the experts what they’d like to see
Opinion
Why we need public analysts
As the Association of Public Analysts winds up, Duncan Campbell reflects on the continued importance of the profession
Opinion
Analytical chemistry is never far from the frontiers of science
New and better tools are pushing back boundaries and changing the world
ResearchAll stirred up: chemical engineers refute claims that ‘stirring doesn’t matter’
Failing to mix reactions in heterogeneous or industrial systems could cause numerous issues and might even be dangerous, preprint claims
ResearchNeural network trained to classify crystal structure errors in MOF and other databases
Study serves as a reminder that machine learning models are only as good as the data they are trained on
NewsMore than 97% of electron microscope images remain unpublished
Huge datasets that would be a valuable training aid for AI are being lost
OpinionThe lost treasure of electron microscopy
Unpublished images should be brought to light to aid science communication and speed up discovery
Opinion‘Making MOFs is the most fun I have ever had in the lab’
A personal connection to the 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry
OpinionCoblentz’s infrared spectrometer and the overlooked power of vibrations
Vibrational spectroscopy’s intuitive insight into molecular structure was initially shunned by chemists
OpinionRobert Huber: ‘I call the last century the century of vision’
The Nobel laureate on the joys of entering a developing field, and the century of vision
ResearchFake microscopy images generated by AI are indistinguishable from the real thing
Materials scientists warn that raw data and replication studies are needed to tackle the looming threat of near-undetectable AI fraud
BusinessLab Innovations 2025 returns to shape the future of laboratories
Scientists, researchers, engineers, industry leaders and innovators gather for UK’s must-attend industry event
NewsPFAS spring new surprise as some are far more acidic than thought
The acid dissociation constants for some PFAS are significantly lower than past metrics have indicated, with implications for their persistence and spread
ResearchNew electron diffraction strategy could make it easier to study solvated organic microcrystals
The approach combines carbon liquid cells and rapid data acquisition to study solvated molecules at room temperature
WebinarIon suppression correction and normalisation in metabolomics
Join us on 5 November to learn new ways to improve data consistency with mass spectrometry
WebinarLipidomics for antibiotic resistance (AMR) mechanisms
Join us on 23 October to discover how microbial antibiotic exposure triggers lipidomic changes, offering insight into how lipids contribute to resistance mechanisms
FeatureHow stable isotope analysis reveals what ancient humans and Neanderthals ate
Analytical chemistry can tell us what our ancestors ate thousands – or even millions – of years ago. Rachel Brazil gets her teeth into the evidence
NewsWhat are the top journals in chemistry right now?
Following the recent release of journal impact factors, we round up the leading journals across 10 chemistry fields
OpinionQuantum deception attempts turning water into wine
The effect lasts only a few picoseconds but demonstrates a way to manipulate the optical properties of materials
ResearchNobelium becomes heaviest element with identified compounds
Complexes containing hydroxide, water and dinitrogen ligands detected as researchers probe chemistry on the edge of the actinide series
Opinion‘Creative destruction’ in the chemistry lab
Some obsolete lab equipment is quickly replaced, while other items are stubbornly persistent. What modern tech will survive to the 2060s?
NewsUS EPA accused of skewing soil testing data after East Palestine disaster
Environmental Protection Agency will review decisions made during emergency response
ResearchClathrate material’s crystal structure finally solved, 80 years after it was first discovered
TBAB hydrate is the most widely used semiclathrate hydrate, with potential uses in heat storage and air conditioning
NewsHow the extraordinary science of everyday items is bringing chemistry to the public
Three analytical chemists explain how turning powerful techniques towards ordinary objects inspires public engagement with science
OpinionThe atomic weights of most chemical elements aren’t constant
But those values are constantly refined