In search of the alchemists of Prague
A city where chemistry lurks almost anywhere you look
Getting good at human tasks
’What do you mean you had to lock the NMR with an oscilloscope and shim the magnet by hand?’
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
Helping remote schools be in their element
The element sets now found in over half of Australian high schools
Chemistry's capital C
From refinery scale to a nanosecond existence, carbon is everywhere – in life as well as chemistry
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
Benzene’s 200-year legacy of transformation
As we celebrate the anniversary of benzene’s isolation, we must remember that scientific centenaries carry additional agendas
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
Are you fooling yourself?
Charles Piller’s Doctored and the reality of falsehoods in science
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
Faraday’s laboratory manual and the isolation of benzene
Instruction on how to be as much at home in the lab as was the man himself
Research landscape
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
Putting research on the chopping block risks mortgaging countries’ futures
Many countries in the global north are taking a short-sighted approach to their science budgets
Industry landscape
Getting good at human tasks
’What do you mean you had to lock the NMR with an oscilloscope and shim the magnet by hand?’
Chemistry's capital C
From refinery scale to a nanosecond existence, carbon is everywhere – in life as well as chemistry
Critical metals supply strained
Conflict - both military and political - is having profound effects on supplies of a wide range of materials
The future of oil refining in the UK
Can plants adapt to be compatible with a lower-carbon environment?
Letters: July 2025
Readers ponder polymorphs, period products, PFAS and more
Profiles
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
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
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
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
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
Hidden from view: being a scientific advisor for the emergency services
Stephen Yao’s expertise helps the emergency services deal with chemical incidents
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