We can only imagine how intrigued and tantalized ancient observers became when they discovered the properties of magnetite (Fe3O4) more than 2,000 years ago. This material has since become a common source of
Read More >>University of Waterloo chemistry professor Linda Nazar has found herself mining some 19th century science in order to understand the basis for the next generation of 21st century batteries. Since 2009, Nazar’s research group has...
Read More >>Living cells can get a lot of chemistry done in some very tight quarters. In fact, if you take the chemical constituents of a cell and try to get them to interact outside of those confines, you will get nothing like the same level of activity.
Read More >>Wherever arsenic goes, its sinister reputation precedes it. And arsenic really gets around. While other elements may be found far more abundantly in the Earth’s crust, oceans or atmosphere, at...
Read More >>Considering boron’s prominent place near the top of the periodic table, along with the fact we have known about its existence for more than 200 years, it is remarkable how much we continue to learn about this element...
Read More >>Although the famous double helix of DNA is widely recognized as the biochemical lynchpin of organic growth and development, it also turns out to be a handy tool for managing enzymatic activities...
Read More >>As chemically intricate as proteins may be, understanding how they work may be a matter of listening very closely. “Proteins are like little machines in your body,” says Reuven Gordon, an electrical and computer engineering professor at the University of Victoria. “They go around doing these jobs and it’s amazing what they can accomplish. But most of their functioning...
Read More >>Vancouver-based TRIUMF, already an international focal point for accelerator-based science, is poised to help researchers take stock of radioactive isotopes that have been too rare to examine in any kind of practical way. This capability comes with the recent launch of a new facility, the Advanced Rare Isotope Laboratory (ARIEL).
Read More >>According to Vikramaditya Yadav, biological systems have a considerable head start on us when it comes to solving sophisticated problems in chemistry and chemical engineering. While we struggle to sort out the behaviour of molecules that might generate new drug compounds or be the source of hydrocarbon fuels, humble microorganisms may have long since mastered the very processes we seek.
Read More >>One of the chemical agents responsible for smog has a sleeping spot — and it is right beneath your feet. Nitrous acid (HNO2), which quickly degrades in sunlight to form the hydroxyl radical OH, appears to spend the night tucked in the ground so that it can be steadily released under the right atmospheric conditions. “Oxidation of volatile organic compounds initiated by the hydroxyl radical..
Read More >>With a population almost three times that of Canada’s, Vietnam has just two hospitals capable of confirming the presence of measles or rubella in a patient’s body. In places where that diagnosis cannot be made, doctors often present hard choices to patients suspected of having these diseases, which can wreak havoc on the health of unborn children. Expectant mothers can be forced...
Read More >>You might think it best to get algae out of your water supply, but an entrepreneurial effort based in the lake-dotted Peterborough region of Ontario is working hard to enlist algae in the effort to make your water as clean as possible.
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