What happens next after the plastic treaty negotiations fail once again?
Bold action may now be needed to secure agreement on plastic pollution
Exploring the potential uses of usnic acid
As well as protecting lichen, this compound could have medical and cosmetic applications – if toxicity concerns can be overcome
A reality check on Chemist v2.0
Is the new version full of bugs or worth using?
Cheap virgin plastic limits recycling potential
Global plastic treaty negotiations risk being derailed by minority opposed to production caps
Quantum deception attempts turning water into wine
The effect lasts only a few picoseconds but demonstrates a way to manipulate the optical properties of materials
Benzene at 200
Celebrating the molecule that changed the world
Nurturing socioeconomic inclusion for a brighter tomorrow
Understanding why individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are underrepresented in the chemical sciences
Normalising huge substrate scopes worsens wellbeing
And holds up the pace of scientific progress
Our columnists
Philip Ball is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster who explores the history and philosophy of chemistry
Quantum deception attempts turning water into wine
The effect lasts only a few picoseconds but demonstrates a way to manipulate the optical properties of materials
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
‘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?
Alice Motion is an associate professor in Australia interested in citizen science, public outreach and education
Learning about chemistry in prenatal class
Opportunities for infographics to contribute to health literacy
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
Cheap virgin plastic limits recycling potential
Global plastic treaty negotiations risk being derailed by minority opposed to production caps
Will oral weight loss drugs challenge injectables?
Pills may offer convenience for manufacturers, but it’s not clear they will overtake existing drugs
Cheap virgin plastic limits recycling potential
Global plastic treaty negotiations risk being derailed by minority opposed to production caps
Intergovernmental panel on chemicals, waste and pollution needs diverse input
Balancing industrial expertise against unwanted commercial influence is not easy but shouldn’t be discounted
Letters: August 2025
Readers continue celebrating benzene and debating the use of glyphosate
Profiles
How I became the crossword compiler for Chemistry World
Paul Board has been setting Chemistry World’s crosswords for over 15 years. To celebrate the centenary of the (fully) cryptic crossword, he explains his crossword setting process and dissects some of his favourite science-based clues
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
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
How Bathabile Ramalapa is making a place for chemistry in health innovation
The award-winning scientist is solving health problems in the global south and inspiring other girls to follow suit
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
Exploring the potential uses of usnic acid
By Charlotte Sterland
As well as protecting lichen, this compound could have medical and cosmetic applications – if toxicity concerns can be overcome
I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten the words
By Edward Neal
The challenges of learning chemistry in your non-native language