Nora de Leeuw: ‘Some of my best PhD students weren’t that great at passing exams’
The computational chemist on perspectives from outside academia and the importance of inquisitiveness
Al-Biruni’s pyknometer
Accuracy transmitted through the ages
Make versus buy (or steal)
How methylamine reveals a routine question for chemists
China’s drug development charge
Reforms and state support have fuelled domestic and foreign investment in pharmaceutical
Chemistry ‘deserts’ threaten to push poorer undergraduates out
Course and departmental closures in the UK are creating ‘cold spots’, leaving students high and dry
Normalising huge substrate scopes worsens wellbeing
And holds up the pace of scientific progress
Take two polls to help Iupac define molecular machines
An Iupac committee wants your input to guide its recommendations for key terms in the field
Multi-disciplinary scientists are ready to solve global chemical pollution
Are governments ready to act?
Our columnists
Philip Ball is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster who explores the history and philosophy of chemistry
The fungal source of Titian’s rich reds
Laccaic acid, thought to be produced by lac insects, is produced by a symbiont similar to the zombie ant fungus
Raychelle Burks is an associate professor in the US and an award-winning science communicator and broadcaster.
Sinister snakebites
Accidental death, or a murder carried out with venom?
Nessa Carson is a synthetic organic research chemist based in Macclesfield, UK
The value of good software extends beyond its cost
Whether third-party or built in-house, thoughtful design and implementation can improve workflows and make science more inclusive
Chemjobber is a US-based industry insider, telling tales of tank reactors and organic obstacles
Make versus buy (or steal)
How methylamine reveals a routine question for chemists
Derek Lowe is a medicinal chemist in the US, sharing wit and wisdom from a life spent in preclinical drug discovery
Getting good at human tasks
’What do you mean you had to lock the NMR with an oscilloscope and shim the magnet by hand?’
Alice Motion is an associate professor in Australia interested in citizen science, public outreach and education
Helping remote schools be in their element
The element sets now found in over half of Australian high schools
Chris Nawrat (aka BRSM) is a process chemist at a major pharmaceutical company in the US
(–)-Bipinnatin J
A stepping stone to greater things?
Vanessa Seifert explores philosophical issues from the novel perspective of chemistry
What the smell of benzene tells us about the world
A philosophical discussion about how much we can trust our senses
Andrea Sella is a professor of inorganic chemistry in the UK with a passion for unravelling the unlikely origins of scientific kit
Al-Biruni’s pyknometer
Accuracy transmitted through the ages
Research landscape
Chemistry ‘deserts’ threaten to push poorer undergraduates out
Course and departmental closures in the UK are creating ‘cold spots’, leaving students high and dry
If the UK wants growth fuelled by R&D, universities need relief now
The spending review has left universities struggling with deficits with few options but to hope for good news
Normalising huge substrate scopes worsens wellbeing
And holds up the pace of scientific progress
Can scientific curiosity and pressure to work long hours be balanced with well-being?
Younger researchers must beware the trap that sees their scientific fervour take over their lives
‘Real danger in this moment’ for America’s research enterprise
There are stark warnings for the US amid science agency cuts, terminated research grants and detained graduate students
Chemists amid coronavirus five years on: Krystle McLaughlin
An assistant chemistry professor at a small college in New York gets her career back on track, thanks to a tenure clock extension and teaching release
Chemists amid coronavirus five years on: Liang Zhang
Lockdown gave a young chemistry professor in China the space and time to consider the most worthwhile projects, and that has benefited his team
Industry landscape
Make versus buy (or steal)
How methylamine reveals a routine question for chemists
China’s drug development charge
Reforms and state support have fuelled domestic and foreign investment in pharmaceutical
Chemistry ‘deserts’ threaten to push poorer undergraduates out
Course and departmental closures in the UK are creating ‘cold spots’, leaving students high and dry
Cracking under pressure
Basic chemical plant closures highlight strain on European industry
Letters: July 2025
Readers ponder polymorphs, period products, PFAS and more
Profiles
Nora de Leeuw: ‘Some of my best PhD students weren’t that great at passing exams’
The computational chemist on perspectives from outside academia and the importance of inquisitiveness
Ponnadurai Ramasami: ‘You will learn more by going the more difficult way’
The trailblazing computational chemist on the joys of teaching, inaugurating a virtual conference, and the importance of doing things the hard way
RNA as a replacement for chemical pesticides
Argentinian start-up Apolo Biotech is teaching plants to fight infections
RNA as a replacement for chemical pesticides
Argentinian start-up Apolo Biotech is teaching plants to fight infections
Robyn Norton: ‘We needed to make sure that women were included’
The pioneering global health researcher on the importance of including women in medical research, face-to-face networking and kindness
Willie May: ‘We need to find and support the “missing millions”’
The analytical chemist on growing up Black in Alabama in the 1950s and 1960s and his journey through NIST, academia and the AAAS presidency
From professional ballet dancer to quantum chemist
Creativity has been central to James Shee’s career across both art and science
Paul Alivisatos: ‘Physical chemistry brought me back into the fold’
The nanomaterials pioneer talks about coming from a family of immigrants, wandering as an undergraduate and finding his compass
Benzene at 200
By Nazario Martín
Celebrating the molecule that changed the world
Nurturing socioeconomic inclusion for a brighter tomorrow
By Stephen Hendry
Understanding why individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are underrepresented in the chemical sciences