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Public values scientists but fewer feel informed about science, UK survey finds
Survey will provide government with insights on how the public perception of science could be improved
Feature
The toxic chemistry behind skin bleaching products
The global skin-lightening market is worth over $10 billion and growing, but the unregulated products driving it contain dangerous chemicals linked to serious health risks. Zahra Khan speaks to the scientists and advocates trying to fix the problem
Feature
The future of total synthesis
From structure confirmation to methodology improvements, making complex natural products has driven innovation in organic synthesis for decades. Nina Notman looks at its current state, with threats from funding to academic pressures
Research
How chemists are harnessing halogen bonds for asymmetric synthesis
Chiral control through halogen bonding could be the next frontier for organocatalysis
Research
AI agents set to democratise computational chemistry
Large language models are powering a new generation of AI agents that could transform computational chemistry from a specialist discipline into one any researcher can use, reports Julia Robinson
Opinion
Democratising science, one step at a time
Artifical intelligence is just the latest method to open up chemistry to more people
Atomic physics gets its own ‘periodic table’ that covers highly charged ions
New table could help with the redefinition of the second and creation of the next generation of atomic clocks
New material demonstrates ionic conductivity across three states
‘State-independent’ ionic conductivity could create safer solid-state batteries and faster electronics
Prehistoric humans hunted with poisoned arrows thousands of years earlier than thought
AI tool dramatically reduces computing power needed to find protein-binding molecules
Purer silicon lets robust quantum computing get started on a new medium
Anomeric effect cannot be explained by hyperconjugation alone
Wolffish teeth contain a rare material that shrinks when squeezed rather than expanding
Ball-milled sodium provides easy access to organometallic reagent
How chemists are harnessing halogen bonds for asymmetric synthesis
Trump’s attack on science is shaking industry’s foundations
By dismantling scientific enterprise, the US risks ‘taking a hammer to our miracle machine’
New reagents take the burn out of butyllithium
Merck KGaA’s non-pyrophoric butyllithium in poly(α-olefin) oil make BuLi stable to air and water
Funding boost for Grangemouth whisky waste-to-chemicals firms
Plastic recycling’s perfect storm
EPA delivers mixed finding on carcinogenic rubber ingredient
Plastic recycling is contracting when it needs to grow
Reprieve for Grangemouth ethylene
Pharmaceuticals roundup 2025
Chemicals industry roundup 2025
To PhD or not to PhD? That is the question
Undergraduate student Umaymah Ahmad finds out what it’s like to go into academic research
Trump’s attack on science is shaking industry’s foundations
By dismantling scientific enterprise, the US risks ‘taking a hammer to our miracle machine’
Three centuries of Roman limescale reveals a dirty secret about Pompeii’s public baths
Carbon isotope ratios suggest that pre-aqueduct, the water was often contaminated with human waste
Alexandra Navrotsky: ‘I don’t think you attract people to science by big initiatives’
The nanogeoscientist on the importance of people to good science, the recent turnaround on diversity, equity and inclusion and why she will never be a professional artist
Plastic recycling’s perfect storm
Pending policies that demand more recycling cannot offset problems of high costs and competition from cheap virgin polymers
Archaeon’s lack of metabolism challenges definitions of life
A question that is not the same as asking whether something is alive
Why failing my first chemistry test was the best thing that ever happened to me
Lost in reactions, but driven by curiosity – how a supportive teacher enabled me to find my way to a career in science
Some voices conspicuously silent when it comes to Trump’s science policies
Research-intensive universities have been targeted in an unprecedented and unrelenting manner since Donald Trump retook the White House on 20 January. In April, nearly a third of the 6000-plus members of the US National Academies of Sciences, which is a nonpartisan organisation charged with providing evidence-based science and technology advice ...
From bean to brew: the chemistry behind the perfect cup of coffee
Join us on 26 February to discover the chemistry behind the aromas and flavours of one of the world’s favourite beverages
Walter Kohn: from kindertransport and internment to DFT and the Nobel prize
Explore the legacy of Walter Kohn, the 1998 joint winner of the Nobel prize in chemistry
Restoring integrity: tackling fraud and data manipulation in scientific research
Learn how you can fight back against fraudulent research and paper mills
Optimising method transfer in regulated environments
Learn how to minimise risk and promote data quality with data-driven approaches and digital tools
News
Public values scientists but fewer feel informed about science, UK survey finds
Survey will provide government with insights on how the public perception of science could be improved
Opinion
To PhD or not to PhD? That is the question
Undergraduate student Umaymah Ahmad finds out what it’s like to go into academic research
Opinion
Three centuries of Roman limescale reveals a dirty secret about Pompeii’s public baths
Carbon isotope ratios suggest that pre-aqueduct, the water was often contaminated with human waste
Feature
The toxic chemistry behind skin bleaching products
The global skin-lightening market is worth over $10 billion and growing, but the unregulated products driving it contain dangerous chemicals linked to serious health risks. Zahra Khan speaks to the scientists and advocates trying to fix the problem
News
Quantum dot pioneer and Nobel prize winner Louis Brus dies at 82
Brus shared the 2023 chemistry Nobel prize with Alexei Ekimov and Moungi Bawendi
Sponsored
Biphenyl: 20 years of Restek innovation
How Restek’s Biphenyl column changed chromatography
Explainer: the Welch Award in Chemistry
Many people have never heard about one of the biggest awards in chemistry. Chemistry World sets the record straight.
Optimising method transfer in regulated environments
Learn how to minimise risk and promote data quality with data-driven approaches and digital tools
SYNTHIA for chemists: faster route design
Discover how SYNTHIA accelerates retrosynthesis by helping chemists design, compare and refine routes with customisable filters and commercial building blocks
Developing a CITK protein degrader using the QuicTPD™ platform
Learn about the latest technology to accelerate the design of cancer treatments
Lab Innovations 2025 returns to shape the future of laboratories
Scientists, researchers, engineers, industry leaders and innovators gather for UK’s must-attend industry event
X-Pulse 90: expanding the capabilities of benchtop NMR spectroscopy
Learn how X-Pulse 90 is delivering a step change in benchtop NMR by providing flexibility without compromising performance
Why understanding our foraging instinct is the key to using statistical tools
Your inner hunter-gatherer is stopping you solving problems
To PhD or not to PhD? That is the question
Undergraduate student Umaymah Ahmad finds out what it’s like to go into academic research
Alexandra Navrotsky: ‘I don’t think you attract people to science by big initiatives’
The nanogeoscientist on the importance of people to good science, the recent turnaround on diversity, equity and inclusion and why she will never be a professional artist
How to make academic service activities count
Five tips for tackling commitments effectively
Deaths of municipal technicians in Zimbabwe from noxious gases linked to lack of chemistry expertise
An inability to pay good wages has seen technical talent leave the country with poorly-trained employees put at risk
Building the future of separation science
One year on, Trump’s second term has upended US science
In times of strife, should you hold a work Christmas party?
Learning computational chemistry in a new role
Statements alone don’t make labs inclusive for disabled chemists
A love story: a polymer chemist accidentally falls for rubber