A cartoon of scientists in lab coats trying to push a giant green ball but a giant hand is stopping their progress

Scientists say barriers to sustainable chemistry lie beyond the lab

Survey sparks call to reform how chemistry research is funded, published and rewarded

An adult bee emerging from a nest cell

Bee plastic that breaks down in soil offers lessons on sustainability for scientists

North American bee’s nest lining material has similar properties to synthetic polyesters but unusual structure that enzymes can degrade

Structure

High-pressure hunt for iridide anion reveals unusual intermetallic compound instead

‘An interesting example of how chemical bonding can evolve under high pressure’

An organic molecular structure of three rings with a nitrogen joining them in the middle

Nitrogen radical cations overturn assumptions by mimicking Lewis acid catalysts

Familiar oxidant reveals a hidden talent for driving transformations usually promoted by entirely different catalysts

Highlights

Real Ice experiment

Solar geoengineering: blocking sunlight to help dial down global temperatures

Solar geoengineering experiments – thickening Arctic ice and brightening clouds – are being tested outside for the first time. But global oversight into these controversial techniques remains a key issue

Render of Stegra

The race to decarbonise iron and steelmaking

Steel production accounts for up to 11% of global carbon dioxide emissions, yet it remains indispensable to modern life. A wave of new technologies to decarbonise steelmaking is emerging – but the economics remain daunting

Chemical notation

The evolution of chemical notation

Chemical notation has come a long way since the cryptic symbols of the alchemists – but agreeing on how to represent molecules, bonds and reactions has never been straightforward, and the challenge is far from over

2026 Nobel Winners

How asymmetric autocatalysis won the Nobel prize

Mason Wakley tells the full story of how Henri Kagan and Kensō Soai’s work on non-linear effects and asymmetric autocatalysis won the 2026 Nobel prize in chemistry

Richard Ernst

NMR spectroscopy from its origins to hyperpolarisation and beyond

From Richard Ernst’s Nobel prize-winning techniques to hyperpolarisation and in-situ battery analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy continues to reinvent itself 

Topics

Painting

Is this painting of a Roman emperor a lost Leonardo da Vinci?

2026-08-11T08:34:00+01:00By

Pigment analysis sheds light on Renaissance painting mystery

Embodying polymer chemistry with a purpose by upcycling plastics and trapping PFAS

For Frank Leibfarth, focussing on reactivity and selectivity helps him bridge the gap between fundamental and applied research

Was the ‘Baghdad battery’ really two cells?

A new study suggests it had an ‘outer’ cell that reacted with air to supply a higher voltage. But was it a battery at all?

Prehistoric humans hunted with poisoned arrows thousands of years earlier than thought

Deadly plant alkaloids discovered on 60,000-year-old arrowheads

A cartoon of scientists in lab coats trying to push a giant green ball but a giant hand is stopping their progress

Scientists say barriers to sustainable chemistry lie beyond the lab

Survey sparks call to reform how chemistry research is funded, published and rewarded

How social scientists are helping our chemistry research consortium become more sustainable

Interdisciplinary collaboration gave Switzerland’s NCCR Catalysis a new perspective on what sustainable chemistry really requires

Green chemistry co-founder John Warner on tragedy, creativity and science

Warner shares how his passion for music transitioned into a love of chemistry and how life events have shaped his professional successes

Handbook of practical advice will help chemistry departments reduce environmental impact, save money

Collection of real-life examples aims to balance environmental and financial concerns

How depolymerisation could enable infinite reuse of plastics

Nina Notman discovers how a type of chemical recycling – depolymerisation – could increase recycling rates, reduce plastic waste and enable a more circular economy

Stringent regulations on dichloromethane are forcing US labs to rethink use of common solvent

As broad ban on DCM is finalised, US labs have either abandoned the chemical or readied themselves for exposure monitoring in November

A cartoon of scientists in lab coats trying to push a giant green ball but a giant hand is stopping their progress

Scientists say barriers to sustainable chemistry lie beyond the lab

Survey sparks call to reform how chemistry research is funded, published and rewarded

Workshop

How social scientists are helping our chemistry research consortium become more sustainable

Interdisciplinary collaboration gave Switzerland’s NCCR Catalysis a new perspective on what sustainable chemistry really requires

Resumption of basic chemistry research in Gaza put on indefinite hold following Israeli airstrikes

Islamic University of Gaza was attempting to rebuild during ceasefire with ‘simple extraction experiments’ in its rehabbed chemistry lab space

Serbia’s academics hope for better future after student-led movement wins election

Hopes that Student List success will restore academic freedom and funding and lead to reinstatement of researchers fired for criticising previous government

Budget offers little relief for research facilities or universities facing tighter spending

Chancellor John Healey announces no new support for higher education or the Science and Technologies Facilities Council