Letraset’s transfers and placing precision back on the drawing board
Professional lettering with a few rubs of a ballpoint pen
I was almost robbed of my love for chemistry – but I fought my way back
An abusive lab member made my dream course a nightmare. By speaking up, I’m reclaiming my joy
Changing the rules of global chemicals trade
Chemical dumping claims reflect US and China’s focus on national interests ahead of global markets
The wide-ranging influence of the Bohr effect
While not a Nobel prize-winning discovery in itself, this challenge to the reductionist view of physiology has links to several other winners
Inhaler propellant switch is worth the effort
Memories of a year spent testing new inhaler valve designs
My arcane and curious connection to metal-organic frameworks
Fernando Gomollón-Bel uncovers a link between his hometown and the 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry
Beyond selfies with Nobel laureates
Why young scientists must lead a new era of global collaboration
How the Royal Society of Chemistry is reshaping recognition in the chemical sciences
Changes over the past five years have enabled a wider variety of team and individual excellence to be celebrated
Our columnists
Philip Ball is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster who explores the history and philosophy of chemistry
The wide-ranging influence of the Bohr effect
While not a Nobel prize-winning discovery in itself, this challenge to the reductionist view of physiology has links to several other winners
Raychelle Burks is an associate professor in the US and an award-winning science communicator and broadcaster.
When the cat’s away, the bats will play
Does Felis catus play nicely with its seasonal partners?
Nessa Carson is a synthetic organic research chemist based in Macclesfield, UK
Ask probing questions to work effectively in diverse teams
Sometimes, what you really want may not be what you say you want
Chemjobber is a US-based industry insider, telling tales of tank reactors and organic obstacles
The art of hosting successful chemical plant visits
Hosting visitors is fun and requires a lot of preparation
Derek Lowe is a medicinal chemist in the US, sharing wit and wisdom from a life spent in preclinical drug discovery
‘Making MOFs is the most fun I have ever had in the lab’
A personal connection to the 2025 Nobel prize in chemistry
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
(−)-Novofumigatonin
Oxidations abound in this satisfying synthesis, with a delicate nitrile hydrolysis to finish
Vanessa Seifert explores philosophical issues from the novel perspective of chemistry
What makes a scientific breakthrough truly chemical?
Why MOFs are a great choice for the Nobel prize in chemistry
Andrea Sella is a professor of inorganic chemistry in the UK with a passion for unravelling the unlikely origins of scientific kit
Letraset’s transfers and placing precision back on the drawing board
Professional lettering with a few rubs of a ballpoint pen
Research landscape
Drowning in a sea of fakery
Addressing rising fraud in the scientific literature is a huge issue that AI is set to exacerbate
Letters: September 2025
Readers discuss negative results, chemistry cold spots and more
What I learned from going back to university in my 30s
Advice for the young student (at heart)
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
Industry landscape
Changing the rules of global chemicals trade
Chemical dumping claims reflect US and China’s focus on national interests ahead of global markets
Changing the rules of global chemicals trade
Chemical dumping claims reflect US and China’s focus on national interests ahead of global markets
Inhaler propellant switch is worth the effort
Memories of a year spent testing new inhaler valve designs
We’ll always have Paris… won’t we?
A decade on from Cop21, the Paris agreement has delivered change, but keeping it on track is getting harder
Letters: December 2025
Readers highlight the cruelty of civet coffee, bid adieu to the Association of Public Analysts, and propose an alchemical Christmas gift
Profiles
The chemist using curry to understand indoor air pollution
Ashish Kumar’s research reveals how cooking shapes the air we breathe indoors
Traditional yoghurt recipe reveals ants’ fermentation power
Rebecca Trager meets a cross-disciplinary team investigating an ancient way to make yoghurt, which involved a trip to a tiny Bulgarian village
The chemist who commemorates lab discoveries on his body
University of Nebraska’s drug design centre director is communicating his team’s scientific breakthroughs with tattoos and now has 29 on his arm
The chemist who commemorates lab discoveries on his body
University of Nebraska’s drug design centre director is communicating his team’s scientific breakthroughs with tattoos and now has 29 on his arm
Odile Eisenstein: ‘Some of the most important advice is to be persistent’
The pioneering theoretical chemist on teaching herself programming and the importance of freedom
Van Thi Thanh Ho’s mission to build up sustainable chemistry in Vietnam
She’s driving commercialisation and inspiring new generations of scientists with her passion for green technology
Karl Mueller: ‘I realised I had matured when I started giving away my best ideas’
The director of Ames National Laboratory in the US discusses getting hooked on chemistry via parental inspiration and a benchtop NMR
Reviving organobismuth chemistry
Despite its low cost and low toxicity, bismuth has found limited applications in organic synthesis. Liam Ball is working to change that
I was almost robbed of my love for chemistry – but I fought my way back
By Anonymous chemistry student
An abusive lab member made my dream course a nightmare. By speaking up, I’m reclaiming my joy
The lost treasure of electron microscopy
By Valentine Ananikov
Unpublished images should be brought to light to aid science communication and speed up discovery