Bits of Chemistry

Graphene wins Nobel Prize

We recently reported on Andre Geim, the Dutch physicist (positions at Manchester, Nijmegen, Delft) of Russian descent, who discovered the one-atom-thick carbon-based material graphene – together with his colleague Konstantin Novoselov. Today the Nobel Prize Committee awarded the Nobel Prize … Continue reading →

Shellfish malformed by ocean acidification

A publication in next week’s edition of PNAS magazine elaborates on the effects of continued acidification of ocean waters on shellfish. Larvae of two species of shellfish commonly found along the American East Coast (Northern quahog and Atlantic bay scallop) … Continue reading →

Rare earth getting rarer

State-backed holding company Chinalco – China, Aluminum, Corporation – yesterday announced it will invest 1.5 billion dollars in ‘rare earth’, the collection of 17 trace elements like scandium, yttrium and the lanthanides, which include the densest of metals: iridium – … Continue reading →

Graphene: researchers jump chemical prodigy

Improved battery technology may be an important step towards increased electrification of road transport, and may one day, through a network of on-grid EVs, help create the dreamed global storage facility for green electricity – alleviating the problems the straggling … Continue reading →