Chemistry World
@chemistryworld.com
Chemistry: Covered. The latest news, research, features and opinion from across the chemical sciences. Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
https://www.chemistryworld.com/
https://www.chemistryworld.com/
Chemicals group says chemicals from Asia, the Middle East and the United States are unfairly undercutting European producers.
Ineos asks EU to intervene over ‘unfair’ chemical imports
Group says 10 key chemicals are being dumped cheaply, harming domestic industry
www.chemistryworld.com
December 6, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Chemicals group says chemicals from Asia, the Middle East and the United States are unfairly undercutting European producers.
Government models estimate the levy will generate £445 million in its first year.
International student levy worries universities as budget contains little new for research
Levy of £925 per overseas student would fund disadvantaged students but there are concerns it could have an unpredictable effect on student numbers
www.chemistryworld.com
December 6, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Government models estimate the levy will generate £445 million in its first year.
Aerogel materials are super-light and super-insulating, but there's a catch: they're generally expensive and difficult to make at scale.
Taking aerogel insulation from spacecraft to living space
Nanoplume's bio-based materials are super-insulating but also cheap and scalable
www.chemistryworld.com
December 6, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Aerogel materials are super-light and super-insulating, but there's a catch: they're generally expensive and difficult to make at scale.
The new MOF can bind two carbon monoxide molecules at each cobalt site.
New MOF binds two gas molecules at each metal site
Rare co-operative adsorption mechanism enables metal-organic framework to bind two carbon monoxide molecules at each metal centre
www.chemistryworld.com
December 6, 2025 at 11:00 AM
The new MOF can bind two carbon monoxide molecules at each cobalt site.
Team from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan show that mechanoluminescence can occur in pure amorphous photoluminescent solids.
Mechanoluminescence goes crystal-free
Bending, twisting and contact separation cause pure amorphous solids made from heteroleptic copper(I) complexes to emit light
www.chemistryworld.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Team from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan show that mechanoluminescence can occur in pure amorphous photoluminescent solids.
Victoria Atkinson on why a PhD is no longer a prerequisite.
Choosing the perfect path to an industrial R&D career
Options abound whether or not you have a PhD
www.chemistryworld.com
December 6, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Victoria Atkinson on why a PhD is no longer a prerequisite.
The analysis looked at 90,000 research papers and identified 62 distinct topics, tracking how these developed over time in different regions of the world.
Global analysis identifies trends in platform chemical research
Ammonia and methanol lead shift towards greener technologies
www.chemistryworld.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:05 PM
The analysis looked at 90,000 research papers and identified 62 distinct topics, tracking how these developed over time in different regions of the world.
WEBINAR, 3pm UK, 9 December: with author Seamus Higgins.
Food and us: the incredible story of how food shapes humanity
Learn about the intricate interplay between our genetic and physical makeup and the food we eat - attend the webinar on 9 December
www.chemistryworld.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:34 AM
WEBINAR, 3pm UK, 9 December: with author Seamus Higgins.
Arthur C Clarke famously noted that ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'. In the lab, magic happens, becomes mundane, and is eventually replaced by … even more magic. It's always a new world.
What’s on your lab technology wish list?
Once-magical tools are now mundane. What will the next miracles be?
www.chemistryworld.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Arthur C Clarke famously noted that ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'. In the lab, magic happens, becomes mundane, and is eventually replaced by … even more magic. It's always a new world.
Chemistry labs are failing disabled scientists with inaccessible design and equipment, a Royal Society of Chemistry report is warning.
Royal Society of Chemistry calls for labs to become more inclusive for disabled chemists
Innovative thinking could address many of the problems that makes labs inaccessible
www.chemistryworld.com
December 4, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Chemistry labs are failing disabled scientists with inaccessible design and equipment, a Royal Society of Chemistry report is warning.
Did you produce your thesis using a drawing board? You might have used this neat invention from Letraset to make your labels look more professional.
Letraset’s transfers and placing precision back on the drawing board
Professional lettering with a few rubs of a ballpoint pen
www.chemistryworld.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Did you produce your thesis using a drawing board? You might have used this neat invention from Letraset to make your labels look more professional.
A Chinese group has filled in a gap in isonitriles family with the creation of germanium-based one.
Bottleable group 14 isonitrile a synthetic first
Highly bulky aryl ligand made isolation of germanium isonitrile possible
www.chemistryworld.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:32 PM
A Chinese group has filled in a gap in isonitriles family with the creation of germanium-based one.
Explore the potential of next-generation palladium catalysts with this free whitepaper from Merck. Learn about scalable, high-yield synthesis methods and how such catalysts are designed to overcome long-standing challenges in cross-coupling chemistry. #SponsoredPost
Optimise cross-coupling with ligand-free NHC–Pd precatalysts
Discover how new NHC-Pd precatalysts deliver superior performance without stabilising ligands
www.chemistryworld.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Explore the potential of next-generation palladium catalysts with this free whitepaper from Merck. Learn about scalable, high-yield synthesis methods and how such catalysts are designed to overcome long-standing challenges in cross-coupling chemistry. #SponsoredPost
UKRI has opened up its archives on grants in the hope that AI can be trained on it and, in future, help reviewers speed up the peer review process.
UKRI opens up grant proposal data to explore using AI to smooth peer review
Surging applications has led the UK's main funder to look at ways to reduce the burden on reviewers
www.chemistryworld.com
December 3, 2025 at 10:36 AM
UKRI has opened up its archives on grants in the hope that AI can be trained on it and, in future, help reviewers speed up the peer review process.
Join us on 9 December – next tuesday, 3m UK time – as we take a journey through the history of food guided by Seamus Higgins, author of the new book Food and Us: The incredible story of how food shapes humanity.
Food and us: the incredible story of how food shapes humanity
Learn about the intricate interplay between our genetic and physical makeup and the food we eat - attend the webinar on 9 December
www.chemistryworld.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Join us on 9 December – next tuesday, 3m UK time – as we take a journey through the history of food guided by Seamus Higgins, author of the new book Food and Us: The incredible story of how food shapes humanity.
Production of millions of novel polymers has been opened up by a new technique inspired by DNA synthesis.
Exquisite stereochemical control will allow creation of millions of unique polymers
New method take inspiration from established techniques like those used to synthesise DNA
www.chemistryworld.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Production of millions of novel polymers has been opened up by a new technique inspired by DNA synthesis.
In the paint and coatings sector, scale really matters and this is part of a general consolidation. The new company would have a global footprint of 173 manufacturing sites and 91 R&D facilities, with $400 million annual R&D spend.
AkzoNobel-Axalta merger gives coatings firm extra layers
Pursuit of scale drives continued consolidation across coatings sector
www.chemistryworld.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:32 PM
In the paint and coatings sector, scale really matters and this is part of a general consolidation. The new company would have a global footprint of 173 manufacturing sites and 91 R&D facilities, with $400 million annual R&D spend.
One researcher writing up a paper discovered something curious – one of his own references was wrong. This led to an investigation that points to a problem with the way citations are handled.
Why are the first papers of some online-only journals cited significantly more?
Issue may originate from an algorithm of the DOI registry Crossref, leading to 150,000 faulty citation links
www.chemistryworld.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:44 PM
One researcher writing up a paper discovered something curious – one of his own references was wrong. This led to an investigation that points to a problem with the way citations are handled.
Join us on 11 December to discover how SYNTHIA Retrosynthesis Software is changing the way chemists approach drug development and discovery. Sign up for free and ask your questions to the speakers live! #SponsoredPost
SYNTHIA for chemists: faster route design
Join us on 11 December to discover how SYNTHIA accelerates retrosynthesis by helping chemists design, compare and refine routes with customisable filters and commercial building blocks
www.chemistryworld.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Join us on 11 December to discover how SYNTHIA Retrosynthesis Software is changing the way chemists approach drug development and discovery. Sign up for free and ask your questions to the speakers live! #SponsoredPost
Writing anonymously for Chemistry World, a chemistry student relates the harm done to them by an academic bully – and how speaking up about it is rebuilding their confidence and desire to be the kind of mentor they never had.
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
www.chemistryworld.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Writing anonymously for Chemistry World, a chemistry student relates the harm done to them by an academic bully – and how speaking up about it is rebuilding their confidence and desire to be the kind of mentor they never had.
Reposted by Chemistry World
‘The US is no longer playing by the rules [and] China has not been playing by the rules for some time.’ If large chunks of the global chemicals market start playing by different rules, European governments and industry need to respond quickly.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/chan...
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/chan...
Changing the rules of global chemicals trade
Chemical dumping claims reflect US and China's focus on national interests ahead of global markets
www.chemistryworld.com
December 2, 2025 at 9:59 AM
‘The US is no longer playing by the rules [and] China has not been playing by the rules for some time.’ If large chunks of the global chemicals market start playing by different rules, European governments and industry need to respond quickly.
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/chan...
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/chan...
Chemical analysis of brass inkwell found at Roman site in Portugal reveals ink popular in the middle ages was invented hundreds of years earlier than thought.
Roman-era ink reveals surprising chemical complexity
2000-year-old residue indicates the Romans wrote with iron-gall inks hundreds of years earlier than expected
www.chemistryworld.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Chemical analysis of brass inkwell found at Roman site in Portugal reveals ink popular in the middle ages was invented hundreds of years earlier than thought.
Chemical analysis and AI working together have detected signs of life in rocks from 3.3 billion years ago, and pushed back the earliest chemical evidence for photosynthesis by 800 million years.
Chemistry and AI pushes biosignature detection for life back billions of years
Combining analytical chemistry with machine learning doubled the age of ancient rocks that can be examined for signs of primordial life
www.chemistryworld.com
December 1, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Chemical analysis and AI working together have detected signs of life in rocks from 3.3 billion years ago, and pushed back the earliest chemical evidence for photosynthesis by 800 million years.
The budget held little surprises for science. The mooted levy on fees from international students has come to pass and this has universities worried.
International student levy worries universities as budget contains little new for research
Levy of £925 per overseas student would fund disadvantaged students but there are concerns it could have an unpredictable effect on student numbers
www.chemistryworld.com
December 1, 2025 at 12:33 PM
The budget held little surprises for science. The mooted levy on fees from international students has come to pass and this has universities worried.
Co-founder Theresa Hoffmann wanted to be an astronaut, and Nanoplume is now aiming to use circular materials to help make ‘space-age insulation accessible to all’.
Taking aerogel insulation from spacecraft to living space
Nanoplume's bio-based materials are super-insulating but also cheap and scalable
www.chemistryworld.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Co-founder Theresa Hoffmann wanted to be an astronaut, and Nanoplume is now aiming to use circular materials to help make ‘space-age insulation accessible to all’.