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September 28, 2007

Tagging Natural Products

New approach yields target information.

Nations Speed Up HCFC Elimination

Ten-year acceleration comes on 20th anniversary of Montreal protocol.

Outrage Over Railroad Fuel Fees

Chemical industry study says freight railroads are overcharging customers.

September 27, 2007

S&P Sees European Growth Slowing In 2009

Slowdown could worsen if financial market turmoil spreads to broader economy.

House Pushes 'Popcorn Lung' Bill

Legislation requires OSHA to set standard for diacetyl within 90 days.

Cleaved Ether Shines To ID Trace Palladium

Metal gives itself away by snipping a C–O bond in a sensor molecule, causing the sensor to fluoresce.

September 26, 2007

Neutral Diborene Is A First

Unexpected compound's boron-boron double bond confirmed by calculations.

MacArthur Fellows Named

A chemist is among this year's recipients of the $500,000 'genius grants'.

September 25, 2007

Congress Passes Pesticide Bill

Act reauthorizes legislation that sets pesticide fees, provides worker protections.

September 24, 2007

Bristol-Myers Squibb To Buy Biotech Firm Adnexus

Purchase for $430 million is big drug company's latest foray into large-molecule pharmaceuticals.

Gates Funds More TB R&D

Gates Foundation's cash infusion targets new medical and diagnostic tools.

PPG To Sell Two Operations

Divestitures to focus firm on coatings, specialty products, and services.

U.S. Out Of Safety Forum

Focus is shifting to a 2006 chemicals management accord.

Catalysis Across A Ring

Catalytic transannular Diels-Alder reaction is highly selective.

Ineos Nova Styrenics Deal

Ineos Nova to get rights to Sterling's styrene operations.

Eastman Selling Polymer Plants

Competitors want company's non-U.S. PET business.

September 21, 2007

Merck/Harvard Partnership

Merck Joins Forces With Harvard Researchers For Drug Discovery.

Mars Is Drier Than Expected

New images show lava, landslides instead of watery residues.

September 20, 2007

Rhode Island Seeks Lead Paint Cleanup

Three paint manufacturers would pay $2.4 billion under state abatement plan.

NIH Issues New Awards

Agency announces the first round of the Director’s New Innovator Awards recipients and fourth round of Director’s Pioneer Awards.

September 19, 2007

How Nature Makes Earth Aroma

Unusual biosynthesis of geosmin, a terpene responsible for the pleasant scent of moist soil, is deciphered.

U.S. Withdraws From Chemical Safety Forum

Bush Administration is shifting focus to a 2006 chemicals management accord.

The Smell Of Sweaty Guys

Whether a man smells sweet or stinky is in the odorant receptor of the beholder.

September 18, 2007

Eastman Is Selling Two PET Plants

Mexican buyer moves downstream with its second purchase of a PET business from a major producer.

September 17, 2007

PPG To Sell Fine Chemicals, Auto Glass Businesses

Divestitures intended to focus firm on coatings, specialty products, and services.

Sugary Site Of Malarial Invasion

Glycosaminoglycans are critical for transmission of disease through mosquitoes.

UN Chemicals Mystery

Experts will determine how chemicals unexpectedly turned up in a UN office.

Evolved Enzyme Adds Sugars

Mutant glycosyltransferase makes range of aryl glycosides for drug discovery.

Chemical Hazard Information

Data for 101 high-production-volume chemicals are on EPA's website.

Exotic Molecule

Dipositronium molecule contains only electrons and positrons.

Viewing Microbial Metabolism

Mass spec paints a picture of nitrogen fixation by individual bacteria in animal cells.

September 14, 2007

RNA Therapeutics

Joint venture Regulus Therapeutics combines microRNA expertise from Isis and Alnylam.

September 13, 2007

Four Reactants + One Pot = γ-Lactams

Four-component reaction streamlines stereoselective synthesis of important drug discovery intermediates.

Europe Tackles Competitiveness

New group to focus on future of chemical industry in face of new challenges.

Aptuit Will Acquire Evotec Chemical Business

Purchase is latest step in the creation of a pharmaceutical services firm.

September 12, 2007

New Strategy For Food Import Safety

Interagency panel wants risk-based approach to keep tainted food out of U.S..

Fullerene Bilayer Membrane Is Watertight

Discovery could lead to new prospects in separations, sensing, catalysis.

September 11, 2007

House Advances Patent Reform Legislation

Proposed changes to U.S. system threaten biotech innovation, industry warns.

Blackstone To Buy 20% Stake In China National BlueStar

Blackstone executives will join BlueStar's board of directors to assist in firm's growth.

September 10, 2007

U.K. Government Lab Blamed For Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak

Poorly maintained drainage system is probable cause of release of cattle disease.

All Roads Lead To Hydroxyl Radicals

Compounds with different targets trigger common killing mechanism.

Silicon Dopants

3-D maps reveal clumping of desirable impurities.

Delivering Gene Therapy

Synthetic system uses hydrogen bonding to secure nucleic acids while in transit.

Popcorn Minus Diacetyl

Microwave popcorn makers are removing additive because of concern for workers' and now consumers' health.

September 7, 2007

Virus May Be Cause of Honeybee Loss

Chemical stressors may weaken bees' immunity, researchers suggest.

Valuing Flared Natural Gas

World Bank urges an end to burning the resource as waste.

China Raises Heat On Polluters

Agencies act to halt pollution, which is worsening despite repeated attempts to control it.

September 6, 2007

House Supports Green Chemistry

Bill aims to eliminate hazardous effects of chemical manufacturing.

Metal-Free Catalytic Hydrogenations

Phosphonium borate organocatalysts are a first for direct hydrogenation of unsaturated nitrogen compounds.

September 5, 2007

Exxon Commits To Singapore Cracker

Petrochemical facility will be oil company’s second on the island.

Companies Invest In Nanotubes

Start-up Nanotailor targets single-walled tubes, while Bayer expands multiwalled tubes.

Health Effects Of NO₂ Reviewed

EPA study finds that current standard may not prevent respiratory problems.

September 4, 2007

Germany To Launch Drug Discovery Hub

New facility in Hamburg aims to serve as focal point of European research network.

September 3, 2007

When Organics Fail, Try Water

Ladder polyethers form readily from epoxides in water.

Probe Of NIEHS Head Broadens

Several internal inquiries and congressional probes have begun on ethics issues.

Changing Partners

Ahead of its sale to SABIC, GE Plastics is buying out its polycarbonate joint-venture partners.

Gold Nanoparticles Carry Paclitaxel

One day, nanoparticles studded with a powerful therapeutic drug might be used to deliver that drug to disease sites in the body.