Chemistry

New Chemical Mimics Drought Tolerance Hormone, Will Improve Yield During Dry Periods

A new drought-protecting chemical shows potential for crop protection during periods of dry weather. A research team led by Sean Cutler, a plant cell biologist at the University of California, Riverside, has found a new drought-protecting chemical that sho ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 7 2013 - 7:42pm

Fight Barnacles And Global Warming

Barnacles are a major problem for both small boats and large ships because they accumulate on the hulls and can reduce the fuel economy of a vessel by up to 40 per cent.  That means CO2 emissions rise accordingly. ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 7 2013 - 8:05pm

TAML Activators That Break Down Endocrine Disruptors In Water Pass Safety Test

A family of molecules called TAML activators provide an environmentally friendly method for breaking down toxic compounds that contaminate water, including endocrine disruptors. ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 22 2013 - 11:18am

It's Not Easy Being Flame Retardant

Synthetic materials made from organic polymers, like polyurethane foams, usually burn very well due to their high carbon content. They not only burn easily; depending on their chemical composition they can produce toxic gases such as hydrogen cyanide or c ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 23 2013 - 11:29am

Thin-Film Technology Of The Ancient World: What Chemists Can't Match Even Today

Over 2,000 years ago, gold- and silversmiths developed a variety of techniques, including using mercury like a glue to apply thin films of metals to statues and other objects. They developed thin-film coating technology that is unrivaled by today's p ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 24 2013 - 3:30pm

Pizza PLEASURE: A First World Solution To A First World Problem

Pizza may be symptomatic of many First World problems: 50% of Europe is overweight or obese and there is concern about hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke or certain cancers linked to nutrition. So what do European politicians do? They set out to fund pi ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Jul 31 2013 - 5:31pm

What Do We Really Know About BPA And Fertility?

Last week, a study published in the journal Human Reproduction reported that bisphenol-A (BPA), a compound widely used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, altered maturation of human oocytes in vitro ...

Article - Steve Hentges - Feb 28 2014 - 12:37am

Soylent Is Getting Ready To Generate Some Green

Soylent is getting ready to feed people- I will spare you a joke about the 1973 dystopian film "Soylent Green", inspired by Harry Harrison's "Make Room! Make Room!", since you already made it in your head. (1) ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Aug 8 2013 - 11:17am

Chemophobia- The Unnatural Fixation Of Activists

When it comes to what's for dinner – or breakfast and lunch for that matter- too many people suffer from chemophobia, an irrational fear of chemicals that pose no risk to our health. Chemistry Professor Gordon Gribble  argues that low doses of chemic ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 14 2013 - 2:30pm

Morphing Manganese More Prevalent In Ocean Environments Than Previously Known

Manganese, the second-most common metal in the earth's crust, rapidly changes between oxidation states while reacting with other elements in the environment. It is an element critical to many life processes and helps plants produce oxygen during phot ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 25 2013 - 8:31am