Latest
Podcast
Atomic radii & synthetic food dyes
In this episode, we discuss the where the true limits of an atom lie, the US’s plan to eliminate synthetic food dyes, and hear the latest headlines
Feature
Cone snail venom peptides offer new hope for pain relief
Cone snails deploy sophisticated venom cocktails to paralyse prey. Anthony King talks to the researchers harnessing these peptides to develop new pain medications
Feature
Unravelling the chemistry behind the sea’s bioluminescent sparkle
Researchers are piecing together the unusual chemical reactions that enable dinoflagellates to create spectacular light displays in tropical bays. But the mechanism behind their bioluminescence remains one of nature’s most puzzling chemical mysteries
Research
The quest to understand where atoms end
Atomic size measurements like van der Waals and covalent radii are central to chemistry, but are they grounded in reality?
Opinion
How to grow an enormous single crystal
Top tips from David Boyce and his class, who have cultivated a 3kg single copper sulfate crystal
Research
Lithium-free battery breaks voltage barrier for ultra-cheap energy storage
New chemistry overcomes drawbacks that have hampered this promising class of battery
Polytope formalism offers a new way to chart chemical space
Framework can investigate regions of chemical space that are normally inaccessible, painting a clearer picture of how molecules can form, transform and interconvert
First half-Möbius molecule made
Twisted structure is an unprecedented case of a compound that becomes aromatic by breaking its own symmetry
Unconventional catalyst support promotes record green methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide
New computer file could standardise how chemists report MOF syntheses
Quantum tunnelling harnessed to radically improve efficiency of separation of deuterium from water
Stable copper sandwich complexes complete the 3d transition-metal metallocene series
Citric acid cycle a ‘garbage compactor’ as well as an energy powerhouse
Radical chemistry pioneer Moses Gomberg probably made a trivalent carbon years before he realised
The quest to understand where atoms end
Atomic radii & synthetic food dyes
In this episode, we discuss the where the true limits of an atom lie, the US’s plan to eliminate synthetic food dyes, and hear the latest headlines
Syngenta to close UK paraquat herbicide factory
90 jobs will be cut when Huddersfield plant stops making chemical that is banned in EU
Hydrogen bubble’s squeaky pop
In conversation with Clare Grey
Closing the loop: sustainable battery recycling from research to reality
Pushing the limits of capacity: the future of battery performance and design
Iran conflict cuts off gulf oil and chemicals trade
At least 41 dead in two industrial explosions in India
Clean hydrogen project cancellations point to narrower future
Hydrogen bubble’s squeaky pop
Were cancelled hydrogen production projects overly optimistic or commitments of convenience?
How sketching and painting have enhanced my scientific practice
A visual approach to chemistry aids discovery and communication
Maxwell’s demon might lurk in enzyme behaviour
The controversial process of enhanced enzyme diffusion could enable living systems to resist local equilibrium
Are food colour clashes worth the worry?
Calling artificial colours ‘petroleum-based poisons’ plays to popular fears, not necessarily evidence
Experimenting with murder
A criminal mastermind made sure their unusual poison attack would be fatal
Letters: March 2026
Readers discuss the long-lasting effects of sabotage, a mix-up of Maxes, and how PFAS regulations might affect inhalers
Harrison’s bimetallic strip and the problems with temperature control
Making thermostats possible – now we need to learn how to use them correctly
Is that a fact, or your opinion?
When experts are sidelined or undermined, the truth needs all the allies it can get
In conversation with Clare Grey
Hear from the pioneering British chemist redefining how we think of battery science – live on 15 May
Closing the loop: sustainable battery recycling from research to reality
Join us on 13 May to discover the latest advances in battery recycling for cleaner sustainable energy
Pushing the limits of capacity: the future of battery performance and design
Join us on 11 May to learn about the most promising up-and-coming technologies in battery design
Taking the sting out of pain: how marine venoms can be used to heal
Join us on 24 April to learn how marine venoms are being used to treat chronic pain
Atomic radii & synthetic food dyes
In this episode, we discuss the where the true limits of an atom lie, the US’s plan to eliminate synthetic food dyes, and hear the latest headlines
AAAS annual meeting & plasma chemistry
In this episode, we discuss reflections from this year’s AAAS annual meeting, the latest advances in plasma chemistry, and hear the latest headlines.
AlphaGenome & the RNA world hypothesis
In this episode, we discuss Google DeepMind’s latest deep learning model AlphaGenome, dissect the origins of life from chemicals to complex lifeforms, and hear the latest headlines.
Bench-stable butyllithium & secrets of Pompeii’s limescale
In this episode, we discuss the latest formulations designed to make a set of fiery reagents safer, explore what limescale can tell us about ancient civilizations and hear the latest headlines.
News
Ig Nobel prize ceremony set to move from ‘unsafe’ US to Europe indefinitely
Issues with visas for attendees has led to the satirical award moving from its home at Harvard University
Opinion
How sketching and painting have enhanced my scientific practice
A visual approach to chemistry aids discovery and communication
Careers
How Thuc-Quyen Nguyen’s dreams of capturing the sun led her to organic electronics
Organic solar cell windows will enable the buildings of the future to be energy-neutral, she says
Opinion
Letters: March 2026
Readers discuss the long-lasting effects of sabotage, a mix-up of Maxes, and how PFAS regulations might affect inhalers
News
Record-breaking chemistry experiments: from giant crystals to lemon batteries
School science staples that have set Guinness World Records
Sponsored
Biphenyl: 20 years of Restek innovation
How Restek’s Biphenyl column changed chromatography
Explainer: the Welch Award in Chemistry
Many people have never heard about one of the biggest awards in chemistry. Chemistry World sets the record straight.
Optimising method transfer in regulated environments
Learn how to minimise risk and promote data quality with data-driven approaches and digital tools
SYNTHIA for chemists: faster route design
Discover how SYNTHIA accelerates retrosynthesis by helping chemists design, compare and refine routes with customisable filters and commercial building blocks
Developing a CITK protein degrader using the QuicTPD™ platform
Learn about the latest technology to accelerate the design of cancer treatments
Lab Innovations 2025 returns to shape the future of laboratories
Scientists, researchers, engineers, industry leaders and innovators gather for UK’s must-attend industry event
X-Pulse 90: expanding the capabilities of benchtop NMR spectroscopy
Learn how X-Pulse 90 is delivering a step change in benchtop NMR by providing flexibility without compromising performance
Why understanding our foraging instinct is the key to using statistical tools
Your inner hunter-gatherer is stopping you solving problems
‘A philosophical attack on the nature of science’
Norine Noonan and Susan Coady Kemnitzer, who have retired from decades-long senior leadership roles at key science agencies and the White House, talk about the importance of collecting data at this historic moment
How sketching and painting have enhanced my scientific practice
A visual approach to chemistry aids discovery and communication
How Thuc-Quyen Nguyen’s dreams of capturing the sun led her to organic electronics
Organic solar cell windows will enable the buildings of the future to be energy-neutral, she says
Finding a home in the workshop
Departmental workshops provide support for researchers in more ways than one
National scientific organisations consistently underrepresent women within their membership
As a first-generation student, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing
The need for science diplomacy in a fragmenting world
Veronica Vaida: ‘Some Harvard faculty expressed puzzlement at having a woman colleague’
Is work polygamy a new trend or the daily norm for researchers?
How bird photography made me a better chemist