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August 31, 2007

Lummus Global on the Move

Purchase by CB&I gives firm greater expertise in chemicals, oil, and gas.

Red Radiance

Researchers develop the brightest far-red fluorescent protein to date.

Boom In Bottle Plastic

PET plant announcement raises question of oversupply.

August 29, 2007

OECD Issues Report On Innovation In China

Agency calls for new policies that spur market-driven R&D.

Mercury Fulminate Revealed

Researchers finally determine X-ray structure of infamous explosive.

Patent Reform Bill Hits Snag

Labor unions oppose changes amid fears they will slow job growth.

August 28, 2007

Thai Firm To Build Big U.S. PET Plant

Indorama joins Italy's M&G in announcing new U.S. facilities.

August 27, 2007

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Researchers find a new way to split dinitrogen.

Polluting China

Some big names in the chemical industry appear on a list of those cited for water pollution in China.

Selenium Doubles Up In Proteins

Diselenide bonds could play a role in redox regulation.

BASF, Dow Philanthropy

World's two largest chemical companies donate money and property to two universities.

August 24, 2007

Calcium Fluoride Goes Soluble

Organic-soluble derivatives of this fluorinated mineral open up coatings and other applications.

Plastic Plumbing Can Make Water Nasty

New research reveals which pipes give drinking water odd tastes and odors.

ACS Focuses On Biotech For Health In Boston

Many events were recorded and are available online.

Earliest Diamonds Stir Up Debate

Gems in zircon grains may revise notions of early Earth events.

Clouds Loom Over Deal Frenzy

The debt crunch may encumber chemical deals, experts say.

August 23, 2007

Unique Enzyme Could Lead To Novel Antibiotics

Promiscuous transglutaminase in andrimid biosynthesis might yield improved analogs.

Nanotube Synthesis Emits Toxic By-Products

Evaluating small-scale processes could shed light on potential large-scale environmental issues.

Lilly Seals Research Partnership In Shanghai

Deal with Hutchison MediPharma is latest advance for Chinese drug R&D firms.

August 22, 2007

FDA cancels plan to close labs

Decision to retain field labs follows congressional outcry.

Sulfate Extractor

Macrocycle excels at removing sulfate anion from nitrate-rich aqueous solutions.

Tracking Wildlife With Chromatography

Bile acid profiles might give scientists a way to identify mountain lions.

August 21, 2007

An NIH Director Steps Aside

A sweeping investigation is under way at environmental health sciences institute.

Stoddart To Move To Northwestern University

Nanotechnology pioneer says job switch is 'a dream come true'.

August 20, 2007

BASF Supports 'Green' Research At Columbia

$600,000 grant will support research into renewable energy and pollution control.

Improving Dialysis Membranes

Nanoporous alumina membrane mimics human kidneys better than current technology.

Structure Quality

Crystal structures in 'hotter' journals tend to have more errors.

Azadirachtin At Last

After more than two decades, chemists succeed at making complex natural product.

'Evolved' Enzyme Has Unique Action

Technique produced a protein that catalyzes RNA ligation.

August 17, 2007

Nanotech Survey

OECD countries are examining nanomaterials.

In Living Color

Nanoscale fluorescence imaging now in multicolor.

China's Drug Scandal

Trial of five executives from manufacturer of lethal antibiotic product is under way.

August 16, 2007

New Chemistry Journals Emerge

Nature Chemistry, ACS Nano, and ChemSusChem are unveiled.

Rohm And Haas Boosts Display Materials

U.S. company strikes deal with South Korea’s SKC.

Germanium Goes Glassy

Under pressure, molten metal is forced into a glasslike state upon cooling.

August 15, 2007

Sinopec And Partners Mull Southern China Project

Dow and Shell could be involved in refining and chemical complex.

FTC Moves To Investigate Climate-Offset Market

Federal Trade Commission may create stricter rules for companies that sell carbon offsets.

August 14, 2007

Wiley-VCH To Launch Sustainable Chemistry Journal

ChemSusChem will feature research that promotes global sustainable development with respect to chemicals, energy, and materials.

August 13, 2007

ICI Accepts Sweetened Offer From Akzo Nobel

Takeover deal will mark the end of an icon of British industry.

Easier, Cleaner Route To Amides

Simple coupling reaction involves alcohols and amines.

Spotlight On Drug Research

Meeting attendees ponder routes to better quality drug candidates.

Antidepressant Gatekeeper

Structural and functional studies point to tricyclics' mechanism of action.

August 10, 2007

Symyx To Acquire MDL Information Systems

Laboratory tools provider will expand software capabilities via acquisition.

Competitiveness Legislation

Lawmakers boost spending in a bid to strengthen math and science education.

India Patent Law Decision

Court upholds stipulation that new forms of a drug cannot be patented unless they improve efficacy.

House Passes Energy Bills

Renewable energy would get boost through House bills.

August 9, 2007

Insect's Venom Eyed For Cancer Defense

Walkingstick's novel monoterpene shows activity against tumor cells.

More Propionic Acid For BASF

Firm will expand capacity in Ludwigshafen and Nanjing.

Lonza Beefs Up

Firm adds products to support biotech research.

Bent DNAs Help Probe DNA-Protein Binding

New class of artificial DNAs could help assess structure-specific DNA recognition.

VX Hydrolysate Shipments Resume

Judge's ruling allows transport of the wastewater from nerve agent destruction.

August 8, 2007

Mechanism Of Unusual Antibiotic

Picture of lactivicin bound to its target protein may aid fight against drug-resistant bacteria.

Quick Chemical Screening

EPA taps pesticides for its first round of high-throughput testing.

August 7, 2007

Labs Implicated In Foot-And-Mouth Outbreak

A leak from the site shared by Merial and a U.K. institute may have caused virus spread.

Consolidation In Brazil

National oil company Petrobras is buying midsized petrochemical maker Suzano.

August 6, 2007

Akzo Nobel Ups Bid Again For ICI

Second increase to $16 billion pushes Akzo near success.

Congress Passes Competitiveness Legislation

Lawmakers boost federal spending in a bid to strengthen U.S. math and science education.

Bacterial Wall Component Made

Synthesis of arabinan domain could aid tuberculosis drug discovery.

More Concerns Over Bisphenol A

Human exposures are usually as high as those causing profound effects in rodents.

Aerosols Warm Up Atmosphere

Study of 'brown clouds' over Asia contradicts cooling hypothesis.

Tailor-Made Nanostructures

New methods offer precise control of polymeric micelles.

August 3, 2007

Akzo Nobel Tries Again For ICI

Dutch company and Henkel will split ICI units if improved takeover bid goes through.

Eastman Pushes Gasification

Company says multi-billion-dollar projects are an end run around energy prices.

Homeland Security

Like House, Senate bill would let states enact chemical plant security laws that are tougher than federal standards.

Johnson & Johnson Tightens Belt

Firm will cut jobs and consolidate facilities to offset decline in product revenue.

August 2, 2007

Brian Crawford Will Head ACS Publications

Journals executive plans to leverage Web, other technologies.

BASF Will Leave New York Stock Exchange

German company joins other European chemical makers in cost-cutting move.

Sumitomo Chemical Will Acquire Cambridge Display Technology

Deal increases Japanese firm’s stake in organic display materials.

Urine Test Tracks Exposure To Diesel Exhaust

Quantitative analysis of 1-nitropyrene metabolites in urine could aid cancer risk studies.

August 1, 2007

Trapping A Transient Intermediate

Synthetic receptor stabilizes labile compound.

Senate Panel Adopts Bill To Ban Asbestos

Chemical makers get exemption for some chlor-alkali facilities.

Office Printers Emit Ultrafine Particulates

Toner particles from laser printers found in air.