Glorious graphene
MATERIALS CHEMISTRY
The paradoxical observation “less is more” applies perfectly to carbon, for if you think coal and diamonds are valuable, just wait to get your hands on a little bit of...
Read More >>Energy solutions for the developing world
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
While the industrialized countries of the world eagerly seek ways to cut back on their energy consumption, developing nations face a different challenge — ramping up their energy output as...
Read More >>Making short work of long lignin molecules in pulp
POLYMERS
The stubborn polymer assortment of aromatic alcohols known as lignin continues to be a key factor limiting the efficiency of pulp and paper production. Although it gives physical strength to...
Read More >>A sweet antidote to cyanide may have saved Rasputin
FUNDAMENTALS
In one of many assassination attempts on Grigori Rasputin, the early 20th century Russian mystic and political adviser to the House of Romanov, sweet pastries were laced with cyanide, which he nevertheless survived eating.
Read More >>Tomorrow’s isotope wranglers get financial boost
EDUCATION
As Canadian universities and hospitals continue to outfit themselves with the technology to work with radioisotopes for research or medical activities, there will be an ongoing demand for the expertise to carry out this work.
Read More >>Geckos inspire new classes of thermoplastic elastomers
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Using a technique that University of Alberta mechanical engineering professor Dan Sameoto compares to a panini sandwich press, pellets of thermoplastic elastomers are squashed onto a substrate to form an innovative adhesive that mimics the sticky feet
Read More >>Lead isotope ratios confirm Earth’s oldest mineral
GEOCHEMISTRY
The cracks in zircon crystals can record seismic events and meteorite strikes from our planet’s ancient past. Photo credit: Carles Millan The oldest confirmed piece of our planet turns out to...
Read More >>Ancient bat guano provides historic record of changes to chemical composition of air
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
At first glance, you might regard a Jamaican cave that has been continuously inhabited by bats for thousands of years as one of the last places to learn how the chemical content of regional air and water have been changing. But for Jules Blais, a biologist with the University of Ottawa, the countless strata of guano deposited there by these animals provide an ideal record of this information. Blais specializes in gauging the influence of environmental contaminants on the metabolism...
Read More >>The curiously fluid nature of solids at cold temperatures
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Run your fingers over a smooth polystyrene surface and you would be convinced that it is hard and solid. James Forrest has news for you — that surface is still...
Read More >>Analyzing quinoa DNA for growing on Canadian farms
TECHNIQUES
Although quinoa is widely regarded by foodies as an up-and-coming superfood, this nutrition-packed grain is currently grown only in South America’s Andes Mountains. As Canadian tastes and markets for this...
Read More >>A new gold standard of healing with crystalline polymers
NANOTECHNOLOGY
How convenient it would be if we could convince a torn piece of material to return to its undamaged state. Université de Sherbrooke chemist Yue Zhao has been able to purchase just such convenience with some vanishingly small amounts of gold. The substance in question is gold nanoparticles or nanorods, which are inserted into a thin...
Read More >>Testing for banned substances in athletes ups its game
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Just as athletes commit to becoming faster and stronger than ever, so too do the authorities testing these competitors for banned substances. For just that reason, the World Anti-Doping Agency has supported the work of chemist Janusz Pawliszyn of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, who has shown how to make the organization’s testing regime more efficient than ever before.
Read More >>