As the 150th anniversary of the creation of the periodic table approaches, we should evaluate Dmitry Mendeleev as someone that transcended his legend.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2017 was awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for developing cryo-EM for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution.

It’s that time of year when outstanding advances in science are acknowledged and celebrated by awarding the Nobel prizes. Here’s all you need to know about the science behind the prizewinners. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine This year, the Nobel Prize for medicine has been awarded to Japanese cell biologist, Yoshinori Ohsumi. The 71 […]

A new rubber-like material can change shape limitlessly without physical manipulation.

Who is Lise Meitner? And how did she revolutionise physical chemistry?

Peter Atkins’ new book ‘Reactions’ turns out to be disappointing, with the target audience not being entirely obvious …

This Peter Atkins’ book tells readers they don’t have to go to a lab to see chemistry in action, chemistry is all around us …

Lucia Burgio: Senior objects analyst at the Victoria & Albert Museum Like most scientists, Lucia works in a laboratory. However, Lucia’s role at the V&A bridges the divide between art and science. Her time is spent studying the materials used on works of art. Using her chemistry background, Lucia is able to analyse, for example, […]

Mendeleev’s periodic table, a rectangle of colourful framed squares hanging on the walls of all chemistry departments in the world, is considered the “Gospel” of the chemist or, better, its portable version. Nowadays the periodic table is printed everywhere, from calendars to mouse-pads and bookmarks. We can say that it represents the essential order of […]

A big and warm welcome to you, kind and enthusiastic reader: a big and warm welcome to the realm of matter, which matters a lot, because it’s all related to what we are and what we are surrounded by. The idea started around a year ago with a charming and enthusiastic event hosted by The […]

At number twenty in Gordon’s street Where Ingold’s shelter used to be A thin, tall man with Chem degree Will show you magic, but he’s no cheat. You’ll blink at bangs, flashing lights, smoke free As hydrogen meets fire you’ll grit your teeth Iodine colours will swing and light While giant bubbles and foams will […]

Your home is your only place of sanctuary. Yet, lurking in the walls is a silent menace. It is a noxious, suffocating, toxic presence, creeping out of cracks and threatening to overwhelm you if you let your guard down. If you venture out to collect food, you face attack: your only option is to flee […]

The startling yellow chemical in this photo is the ferricyanide anion, [Fe(CN)6]3−. Ferricyanide has a colourful history, rising to prominence for its use in the dark Prussian Blue dye when combined with iron. More recently, its electroactivity has become important in a range of applications. In this experiment, the ferricyanide is being used to mediate, […]