All articles by Mike Sutton – Page 2

  • 0215CW_Chlorophyll_F1_630m
    Feature

    The green molecule

    2015-02-02T00:00:00Z

    From the observation that plants replenish oxygen in the air to artificial photosynthesis for making liquid fuel, Mike Sutton tells the story of the chemists fascinated by chlorophyll

  • rows of artillery shells
    Feature

    Chemists at war

    2014-07-24T00:00:00Z

    The first world war saw chemistry play a vital role – and in more than just poison gas. Mike Sutton looks back

  • Old Russian periodic table
    Feature

    Ordering the elements

    2013-12-20T00:00:00Z

    From the law of octaves to the periodic table as we know it, Mike Sutton traces how chemists put their house in order

  • Giulio Natta and Karl Ziegler
    Feature

    Paving the way to polythene

    2013-10-11T00:00:00Z

    It is 50 years since Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta won the Nobel prize for their work on polymers

  • Alfred Werner
    Feature

    Alfred Werner: the well-coordinated chemist

    2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

    Alfred Werner’s careful experiments led to the discovery of what came to be known as coordination bonds. Mike Sutton looks at how he pointed the way to chemistry’s complex future

  • willow bark
    Feature

    Making pain history

    2013-01-02T00:00:00Z

    From ancient folk remedy to the wonder drug of the early industrial age and beyond. Mike Sutton traces the remarkable history of aspirin

  • DNA coils
    Feature

    The golden helix

    2012-10-10T00:00:00Z

    The discovery of the importance and structure DNA was more than just Crick and Watson’s eureka moment. Mike Sutton untangles the tale of life’s molecular mysteries 

  • 0612CW_FEATURE-Grignard_pg058b-300
    Feature

    A reluctant chemist

    2012-05-30T00:00:00Z

    Mike Sutton delves into the actions and reactions of Victor Grignard

  • FEATURE_PLUTONIUM_pg056_410
    Feature

    Glenn Seaborg: plutonium and beyond

    2012-02-24T09:06:00Z

    Mike Sutton reports on Glenn Seaborg's adventures among the actinides

  • Feature

    A nutritional revolution

    2011-11-29T08:59:54Z

    Mike Sutton bites into the life of Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, the biochemist credited with discovering vitamins

  • Feature

    Blazing a trail

    2011-06-30T11:42:23Z

    Robert Bunsen's explosive career left an indelible impact - both in advancement of knowledge and the ubiquitous gas burner. Mike Sutton follows in his footsteps

  • Review

    Cavendish papers

    2011-06-30T11:18:10Z

    The scientific papers of the Honourable Henry Cavendish

  • Feature

    Doubts and paradoxes

    2011-03-30T10:28:52Z

    Robert Boyle's The sceptical chymist still holds lessons for the modern chemist - 350 years after its publication, as Mike Sutton discovers

  • Feature

    Airs and graces

    2010-09-28T12:18:49Z

    Henry Cavendish was instrumental in unveiling the components of the air that we breathe. Mike Sutton looks back at his life

  • FEATURE-Hodgkin-250
    Feature

    Dorothy Hodgkin: Cracking crystal codes

    2010-06-25T12:23:00Z

    Cholesterol, penicillin, vitamin B12...? Mike Sutton completes the list and explains the connection

  • News

    Sir James Black, OM (1924-2010)

    2010-03-30T12:45:00Z

    Sir James Black discovered the world's first blockbuster drug, was awarded a Nobel prize, and rewrote the rules of drug discovery

  • Feature

    The Perkin family legacy

    2010-02-26T14:31:27Z

    Today's colour lovers, organic chemists and university students have a lot to thank the late 19th century Perkin family for, as Mike Sutton explains

  • Feature

    Twinkle, twinkle little star

    2009-11-26T13:58:38Z

    Mike Sutton delves into the history of telescopes, spectroscopes and stellar chemistry

  • Feature

    Wealth from Greenland, honour from London

    2009-08-25T14:31:13Z

    19th century Danish chemist Julius Thomsen dedicated his professional life to a systematic search for a unifying theory of chemical reactivity. Mike Sutton finds out more

  • Feature

    A clash of symbols

    2008-10-29T10:45:06Z

    Two centuries ago, a Swedish chemist developed a system of symbols that formed the basis of the modern language of chemistry. Mike Sutton finds out more