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December 30, 2005

Chiral Sex Cues

Male elephants' mix of pheromone enantiomers stirs up animal passions.

DSM Scales Back

Dutch firm will close fine chemicals and biologics plants in North America.

December 29, 2005

Fatal Shots Fired At Indian Institute of Science

Attack by gunman included grenades; a professor of mathematics is dead.

December 28, 2005

Synthetic Sodium Transporter

Covalently modified G-quadruplex moves sodium across lipid bilayer.

December 23, 2005

Senate Rejects Arctic Drilling Bid

Supporters vow to press ahead with efforts to unlock oil and gas reserves in Alaskan refuge.

December 22, 2005

UC, Bechtel To Manage Los Alamos Lab

UC awarded new contract to operate laboratory that built the atom bomb.

Particulates Dispute

Industry claims new standards are premature; health advocates argue EPA proposal is too weak.

December 21, 2005

Chemical Plant Security Bill Proposed

Senate measure would authorize the government to shut down facilities that fail to close gaps in security.

RAG To Take Full Control Of Degussa

German specialties producer will disappear as an independent company following buyout.

Cleaning Up Wastewater Magnetically

New process, now in pilot-scale experiments, could cut wastewater treatment costs.

December 20, 2005

New Reporting Cycle

Chemical makers must supply production data to EPA every five years, rather than every four years.

Siloles Display Surprising Chemistry

Silicon-containing rings prove to be highly aromatic and strong reducing agents.

December 19, 2005

House Approves ANWR Drilling

Debate over energy development in Alaskan refuge nears conclusion as key vote looms in Senate.

BASF Readies Offer For Degussa Unit

German chemicals giant proposes exclusive negotiations to buy construction chemicals business.

Rohm And Haas Restructures In Europe

Firm to realign manufacturing, restructure electronic materials, and shed 400 positions.

A Modeling Coup

With supercomputers, first exact model of a molecular breakup is achieved.

New Perspective On Reactions

Molecule's point of view reveals much about evolution of molecular dynamics.

Drug Majors Talk To Wall Street

Three firms weigh pipelines, patents, and research in forecasts for growth.

PET Project

Microfluidic device synthesizes medical imaging probe in multistep process.

December 16, 2005

Crypteins: Hidden Gems

Proteolytic peptide fragments from human tissues are being mined for potential therapeutics.

Hawaii Meeting Draws Chemists From 70 Countries

Conference opening combines ceremony, music, and a scientific lecture.

Flexible Silicon

Processing mistake leads researchers to fabricate ribbons of stretchable silicon.

Degussa Readies A Streamlining

Company to reorganize top management, weighs sale of construction chemicals.

December 15, 2005

DuPont, EPA Settle

Company to pay $16.5 million to settle PFOA allegations.

Down With Metals

Light and shape change are combined in a new approach to metal scavenging by precipitation.

Roche grants first Tamiflu license

Drugmaker also identifies 12 firms that may aid in production.

Higher Oil Prices Forecast

World petroleum supplies will remain tight, but natural gas prices are expected to decline.

REACH Is Adopted By European Union Arm

Approval puts chemical regulation policy on track to go into operation in 2008.

December 14, 2005

Hovione In Macau

Pharmaceutical ingredient plant is an important part of firm's global network.

Catalytic Converters Disperse Their Metals

Extensive air sampling of potentially toxic metals conducted in U.S. for first time.

December 13, 2005

UN Climate-Change Meeting Wraps Up

Delegates agree to extend Kyoto protocol beyond 2012.

Panel Deadlocks In Vioxx Trial

Mistrial declared in first federal case involving Merck painkiller.

December 12, 2005

Super Sponges Soak Up CO₂

Custom-designed porous compounds exhibit unprecedented gas uptake.

U.S., Industry Plan Clean-Coal Plant

Zero-emissions power plant will produce hydrogen as well as electricity.

German Industry

Wacker sells a stake to Morgan Stanley; Degussa may be considering restructuring.

December 9, 2005

BP Admits Safety Lapses

Company will spend $1 billion to improve safety at Texas City refinery after fatal explosion.

Mapping The Air

Satellite generates global maps for unprecedented tracking of pollutants.

December 8, 2005

Action Urged On Science Education

Science board gathers input to direct newly formed education commission.

Ozone Hole Recovery May Be Delayed

Scientists predict that 15 extra years may be needed for CFCs' effects to disappear.

The Toucan Beak, Inside And Out

Tough exterior and rigid foam interior make toucan beak both strong and light.

European industry sets an agenda

Trade groups back plans for sustainable chemistry over next 20 years.

NIH Streamlines Peer Review

Pilot program is designed to speed review times and application revisions.

Lanxess told to stop pollution

Firm says it is taking steps to lower volatile organic compound emissions.

December 7, 2005

Shifting Light Into Reverse

A new material with a negative index of refraction could lead to new optical technologies.

Aiming For Number One

Planned cracker will place SABIC's European arm among region's top polyolefin makers

December 6, 2005

EPA Analysis Called Faulty

Congressional researchers say agency's methods skewed toward Bush emission plan.

Biocompatible Polymer Vesicles

Vesicles formed from copolymer precursors could have potential biomedical applications.

December 5, 2005

Industry Association Launches Restructuring

American Chemistry Council to eliminate 41 jobs and focus on selected issues.

Carbon Emissions Trading Picks Up

As UN conference gets under way, firms eye emissions profit potential.

Tracking Cellular Machine Assembly

Technique observes how parts of a macromolecular complex bind in real time.

Protein's Lipid Coat Revealed

High-resolution structure of membrane protein captures its lipid environment.

Mammalian Amyloid Has Useful Role

Fibers that have amyloid structure serve as templates for melanin biosynthesis.

Merck Schedules Big Shake-up

Job cuts and plant closings are part of restructuring for New Jersey-based company

December 2, 2005

Oceanic Heat Conveyor Slows

Atlantic current that transports heat from tropics to higher latitudes weakens.

Modifying DNA

Chemical strategy provides new way to derivatize DNA sequence specifically.

Climate Conference

Canada hosts large UN meeting on global climate change.

Open Access

Britain's Royal Society says hasty moves to open-access publishing could be harmful.

Plant Security

New Jersey’s acting governor signs off on the nation’s first set of chemical plant security standards.

December 1, 2005

Taiwan Gears Up To Make Flu Drug

But Roche claims that it can supply the nation's Tamiflu needs

Nanotech Database Unveiled

Inventory of nanotechnology health and safety research shows gaps in funding.

Tiling surfaces with self-assembling DNA

Planar DNA structures could serve as scaffoldings for electrical, quantum devices.

Change At Helm For Ferro Corp.

CEO Ortino dies of natural causes; Kirsch is named new CEO.