Chemistry

Climate

Wildfire smoke may ramp up toxic ozone production in cities

A new study reveals how wildfire smoke produces toxic ozone and how urban air pollution could exacerbate the problem.

Chemistry

Here’s the chemistry behind marijuana’s skunky scent

Newly ID’d sulfur compounds in cannabis flowers give the plant its telltale odor. One, prenylthiol, is what also gives “skunked beer” its funky flavor.

Chemistry

This eco-friendly glitter gets its color from plants, not plastic

Using cellulose extracted from wood pulp, researchers have created a greener alternative to traditional glitter.

Materials Science

Lithium-ion batteries made with recycled materials can outlast newer counterparts

Batteries with recycled cathodes outperformed batteries with new cathodes, lasting for thousands more charging cycles before their capacity waned.

Chemistry

An easier, greener way to build molecules wins the chemistry Nobel Prize

Chemists Benjamin List and David MacMillan have sparked a whole new field that’s aided drug discovery and made chemistry more environmentally friendly.

Chemistry

Radiometric dating puts pieces of the past in context. Here’s how

Carbon dating and other techniques answer essential questions about human history, our planet and the solar system.

Chemistry

Ink analysis reveals Marie Antoinette’s letters’ hidden words and who censored them

Chemical analyses of letters written by Marie Antoinette solve a French Revolution mystery: Who censored the queen?

Chemistry

Luis Miramontes helped enable the sexual revolution. Why isn’t he better known?

By synthesizing norethindrone, one of the first active ingredients in birth control pills, Luis Miramontes helped usher in the sexual revolution.

Environment

50 years ago, chemical pollutants were linked to odd animal behavior

Fifty years after studies hinted that pollution interferes with how aquatic creatures communicate, scientists are still unraveling its myriad effects.

Chemistry

A pinch of saturated fat could make tempering chocolate a breeze

Adding a small amount of fatty molecules to cocoa butter could simplify the labor-intensive tempering process to create melt-in-your-mouth chocolate.

Chemistry

50 years ago, scientists developed self-destructing plastic

In the 1970s, scientists developed plastic that could quickly break down when exposed to light. But that didn’t solve the world’s pollution problems.

Chemistry

Many cosmetics contain hidden, potentially dangerous ‘forever chemicals’

Scientists found signs of long-lasting PFAS compounds in about half of tested makeup products, especially waterproof mascaras and lipsticks.