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Chemistry World
@chemistryworld.com
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Chemistry: Covered. The latest news, research, features and opinion from across the chemical sciences. Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
https://www.chemistryworld.com/
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🤖 What happens when you give AI a challenging chemistry problem?

Join El Agente: Ask Me Anything!, a live webinar showcasing an AI-powered research assistant tackling audience-submitted chemistry questions in real time. Submit your challenge: https://rsc.li/3W97l6a #ChemSky
Chemistry World - El Agente: ask me anything! A live demonstration. 24 November 3pm
October 28, 2026 at 11:14 AM
chemistryworld.com
Polymer producer Covestro plans to close three of its four polycarbonate production lines at its site in Antwerp, a decision which will affect up to 260 of the 970 staff at the site.

Read:
#ChemSky
www.chemistryworld.com/news/covestr...
Covestro cuts polycarbonate production in Europe
Decision attributed to high costs, weak demand and international competition
www.chemistryworld.com
October 28, 2026 at 12:44 PM
chemistryworld.com
Astronomers, particle physicists and other scientists signed an open letter expressing deep concern’ that proposed cuts to UK research facilities will ‘risk seriously undermining the world-leading science the UK does.’

Read on:
#ChemSky
www.chemistryworld.com/news/scienti...
Scientists oppose proposed cuts to research facilities in open letter ahead of UK’s budget announcement
Cuts risk 'irreparable damage to the UK's scientific capabilities', the letter warns
www.chemistryworld.com
October 28, 2026 at 10:26 AM
chemistryworld.com
‘The common language of structural representation allows chemists to rapidly & precisely communicate concepts that would otherwise take huge paragraphs of unwieldy & easily confused descriptive text,’ writes Phillip Broadwith.

#ChemSky @broadwithp.bsky.social
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/lear...
Learning the language of chemistry
Chemical structures embed vast amounts of information that needs translating for machines
www.chemistryworld.com
October 28, 2026 at 9:03 AM
chemistryworld.com
We’re excited for our upcoming webinar with two science communicators who bring creativity & live demonstrations to help people understand the complexities and wonder in the world around us.

Register here to join us next Wednesday 👇
#ChemSky #science @rsc.org
www.chemistryworld.com/webinars/whe...
Where art meets chemistry: the science of communicating science
Join us on 4 November to explore how creativity can change the way we share science
www.chemistryworld.com
October 27, 2026 at 5:54 PM
chemistryworld.com
Brazil’s scientific community has lauded Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for funding research in his previous presidential term & now researchers are expressing palpable relief that da Silva officially won re-election against fair-right Flávio Bolsonaro.

#ChemSky
www.chemistryworld.com/news/researc...
Researchers in Brazil welcome da Silva’s re-election
Scientists celebrate defeat of Jair Bolsonaro's son in close-run election
www.chemistryworld.com
October 27, 2026 at 3:48 PM
chemistryworld.com
‘This year, my intention was to write about catalysis, going through the history of its discovery.

But I ran into a small problem: my sources didn’t agree on what that story was,’ writes Vanessa Seifert.

Read on:
#ChemSky
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/ques...
Questions about who to credit extend beyond the Nobel prize
Conceptual, epistemic and political factors all influence who is deemed to have made a scientific discovery
www.chemistryworld.com
October 27, 2026 at 2:40 PM
chemistryworld.com
Robert Hirst – a respiratory scientist at the University of Leicester in the UK – was one of the first to spot that generative AI may have been used in the video, leading him to question its biological accuracy.

Read the full story here:
#ChemSky
www.chemistryworld.com/news/small-w...
Small World photo competition winner announced following disqualification of video winner for AI use
The organisers of the Nikon Small World in Motion contest have now honoured a new winner with its top prize of $3000
www.chemistryworld.com
October 27, 2026 at 12:50 PM
chemistryworld.com
Covalent organic frameworks could help capture and break down nitrate pollution from the waterways that cause algal blooms by rearranging water molecules.

Tim Wogan reports:
#ChemSky
www.chemistryworld.com/news/covalen...
Covalent organic frameworks could clean up water pollution and generate ‘green’ ammonia
Supramolecular structures can break down nitrates to produce ammonia and close the fertiliser loop
www.chemistryworld.com
October 27, 2026 at 11:59 AM
chemistryworld.com
Intermediate states provide insight into the synthesis process for molecules but they’re not easy to capture.

Now, chemists have revealed the fleeting intermediates involved in the synthesis of penicillin by using ultrashort x-ray pulses.

#ChemSky @ox.ac.uk
www.chemistryworld.com/news/x-ray-m...
October 27, 2026 at 9:53 AM
chemistryworld.com
There’s a moment in every chemist’s life when you realise you’ve been told fairytales. Maybe one turning point, maybe a series of small realisations throughout your education.

Guillermo Restrepo reflects on one such example: how we draw molecules.
#ChemSky
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/stop...
October 26, 2026 at 5:40 PM
chemistryworld.com
The most memorable moments often come from the places where science & creativity overlap.

Next week, join us and two science communicators approaching the overlap in different ways to ask what makes chemistry captivating & how we can better reach audiences.

www.chemistryworld.com/webinars/whe...
Where art meets chemistry: the science of communicating science
Join us on 4 November to explore how creativity can change the way we share science
www.chemistryworld.com
October 26, 2026 at 4:48 PM
chemistryworld.com
‘A generation of students feels betrayed by the establishment and the hidden inequalities embedded into this flawed system are now becoming apparent,’ writes Victoria Atkinson.

@patdwalter.bsky.social @rsc-eic.bsky.social @rsc.org #ChemSky
www.chemistryworld.com/news/punitiv...
Punitive student loans threaten the future of UK science
Science graduates face choice of leaving science sector for higher paid careers or becoming stuck in debt trap
www.chemistryworld.com
October 26, 2026 at 4:01 PM
chemistryworld.com
A microorganism has – for millions of years – been organising supramolecular structures called metal–organic frameworks with excellent conductivity, transporting electrons over several centimetres & helping the bacteria survive harsh seafloor environments.

www.chemistryworld.com/news/bacteri...
Bacteria discovered to be synthesising metal–organic frameworks with ‘extraordinary conductivity’
Biosynthesis of MOFs observed for the first time and could inspire the design of sustainable electronic structures
www.chemistryworld.com
October 26, 2026 at 1:34 PM
chemistryworld.com
Steel is not an easy material to substitute & as one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions, there is a long way to go to reach net zero – and no time to waste.

Read on 👇
@frankbriggs.bsky.social @neilwithers.bsky.social @rsc.org #ChemSky
www.chemistryworld.com/features/the...
The race to decarbonise iron and steelmaking
Steel production accounts for up to 11% of global carbon dioxide emissions, yet it remains indispensable to modern life. A wave of new technologies to decarbonise steelmarking is emerging - but the ec...
www.chemistryworld.com
October 26, 2026 at 11:47 AM
chemistryworld.com
Was this year's Chemistry Nobel Prize overdue? Scott Denmark shares his thoughts.

Catch up on this year's Nobel reactions webinar on our website, sponsored by JMP. #sponsored

www.chemistryworld.com/webinars/nob...
October 24, 2026 at 10:45 AM
chemistryworld.com
Andrés Manuel del Rio once reportedly said: ‘I have always been of the opinion that it is of greater importance to science, that the world should concern itself more with the discoveries that are made, than with those who make them’.

www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/ques...
Questions about who to credit extend beyond the Nobel prize
Conceptual, epistemic and political factors all influence who is deemed to have made a scientific discovery
www.chemistryworld.com
October 23, 2026 at 4:03 PM
chemistryworld.com
Developing resources that highlight minoritised scientists and creating safe spaces in departments can help students to feel part of the chemistry community.

www.chemistryworld.com/careers/how-...
How to diversify a chemistry department and curriculum
Tips to help a wider range of students feel like they belong in chemistry
www.chemistryworld.com
October 23, 2026 at 3:45 PM
chemistryworld.com
The Missing Elements project began after two students approached one of their lecturers, asking: ‘How come in chemistry we only hear about white scientists?’

www.chemistryworld.com/careers/high...
Highlighting the ‘missing elements’ in chemistry curricula
How staff and students from a trio of universities in London, UK are working together to produce resources that showcase minoritised chemists
www.chemistryworld.com
October 23, 2026 at 1:23 PM
chemistryworld.com
X-ray snapshots of penicillin being made by an enzyme have been described by one scientist as the 'holy grail' in understanding how such drugs are made.

www.chemistryworld.com/news/x-ray-m...
X-ray molecular movie of penicillin reveals hidden lives of its intermediates
Snapshots of antibiotic's enzymatic synthesis are 'holy grail' in understanding formation of drug and could aid development of new medicines
www.chemistryworld.com
October 23, 2026 at 12:00 PM
chemistryworld.com
Bart Kahr describes the beauty and intricacy of the Soai reaction.

Catch up on this year's Nobel reactions webinar on our website, sponsored by JMP. #sponsored

www.chemistryworld.com/webinars/nob...
October 23, 2026 at 11:15 AM
chemistryworld.com
Scientists have identified the first ever instance of a MOF created by a living organism.

www.chemistryworld.com/news/bacteri...
Bacteria discovered to be synthesising metal–organic frameworks with ‘extraordinary conductivity’
Biosynthesis of MOFs observed for the first time and could inspire the design of sustainable electronic structures
www.chemistryworld.com
October 22, 2026 at 5:01 PM
chemistryworld.com
First place was awarded to Ole Bielfeldt, a German student who captured ink droplets inside an inkjet printer as it prints.

www.chemistryworld.com/news/small-w...
Small World photo competition winner announced following disqualification of video winner for AI use
The organisers of the Nikon Small World in Motion contest have now honoured a new winner with its top prize of $3000
www.chemistryworld.com
October 22, 2026 at 4:00 PM
chemistryworld.com
Chemists first synthesised metal carbynes over 50 years ago. In the latest advance in the field, chemists have successfully synthesised one using an f-element.

www.chemistryworld.com/news/metal-c...
Metal carbyne finally synthesised using f-block element
Bonding in uranium-carbon triple bond differs to transition metal equivalents
www.chemistryworld.com
October 22, 2026 at 3:15 PM
chemistryworld.com
Green chemistry co-architect John Warner did not grow up destined to be a chemist. Warner shares how his passion for music transitioned into a love of chemistry and how life events have shaped his professional successes

www.chemistryworld.com/news/green-c...
Green chemistry co-founder John Warner on tragedy, creativity and science
Warner shares how his passion for music transitioned into a love of chemistry and how life events have shaped his professional successes
www.chemistryworld.com
October 22, 2026 at 2:35 PM