248 results found for chemistry

The world faces the fundamental problems of increasing waste and decreasing resources as it tries to cope with the increasing consumption of a growing population.  It is clear that these challenges can only be met through a fundamentally different a....

Eighteenth-century chemists could gain useful income and patronage as advisors to industry – and some of the wealthiest and most influential industrialists were brewers. Making chemical knowledge credible to this audience, however, was not always e....

A laboratory demonstration of Carbon Dioxide's effect of global warming.

Professor Monique Simmonds talks about the use of plants and fungi as sources of sustainably harvested medicines

A short Introduction to the Nano2Hybrid European Research Project. A video profiling a nanotechnology research project supported by a European Materials Research grant aims to produce a tiny gas sensor using nanotubes that have been developed to be s....

The Namur group are heading up the nano2hybrids project. They are the specialists in plasma treatment of the carbon nanotubes to activate their surfaces, followed by putting down metal nanoparticles under vacuum. These are then sent to Spain to be ma....

The Louvain-la-Neuve group are specialised in theoretical modelling at the atomic scale of the metal nanoparticles on the carbon nanotube surfaces, and in particular how electronic charge passes through the tubes in this case.

The ULB partner in the project are specialised in plasma surface treatment under air, rather than vacuum - it's the next step up in scaling up the plasma treatment of the nanotubes after the Namur group. In the earlier stages of the project they are ....

The CRPGL group is a newly formed lab in Luxembourg. Within the project their role is to start looking at 'scale up', plasma treatment at larger scales than is possible in the other labs, coupled with a battery of different sample testing techniques.

Institut des Materiaux, Nantes, France. The IMN group are specialists in computer modelling - in this case, of atomic defects and damage in the surface of the carbon nanotubes caused by the plasma treatment. What is the plasma doing to the nanotube s....

The Tarragona Group at University Rovira i Virgili are the experts in producing new prototype gas sensors. All the new metal particle treated nanotube samples from Belgium and Luxembourg make their way down to this beautiful corner of Spain, where th....

Sensotran are the industrial partner in the nano2hybrids project. A small family firm based just outside Barcelona in Spain, they are experts in commercial production of gas sensors for a range of industries, notably for detecting dangerous gases pro....

Dan gives a brief introduction into his group's discovery of a new and efficient catalyst which could be of vital importance in our search for better ways of capturing solar energy.

Hydrogen - the fuel of the future?

A moving address by Harry to the ACS meeting in San Francisco about his colleague and fellow Nobel Prize winner, Richard Smalley.

Brahatheeswaran describes how tissue scaffolds can be made in novel ways.  This lecture is his PhD thesis defence.

Etherification and olefination reactions play an important role in synthetic organic chemistry on a daily basis. As organic chemists we apply these methods to tackle synthetic targets of ever increasing complexity. As a graduate student in the Dudley....

Olefin metathesis is an irresistible way to make C=C bonds catalytically in organic molecules and polymers, both as a consequence of its very nature, i.e. the synthesis of C=C bonds from C=C bonds, and because of the control that can be exercised thr....

Fundamental aspects of Alkaline Fuel Cells

Philip Shlenoff, recent high school graduate, gives a presentation of his work and opportunity at the Florida State University Dept. of Chemistry. Under the supervision of Zaki Estephan, Philip has actively participated in research that targets canc....

Most important applications in the field of fuel cells

Aquaporin channels allow water to rapidly cross cell membranes in all living organisms. AQP1 confers red cells and proximal renal tubules with high water permeability. Present in renal collecting duct, AQP2 is regulated by vasopressin, and human muta....

Peter Agre shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Roderick MacKinnon “for discoveries concerning channels in cell membranes.” Here he gives a lecture in Russia as part of the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative

In thistalk Harry Kroto explains that molecules have structures that are every bit as real in the mind of the chemists who create them, as are the edifices of brick, steel and concrete designed by architects and built by engineers.

A brief history of carbon-60 and its developments into useful materials. How can chemistry help move us towards a more sustainable existence.

In this interview Sherwood Rowland talks about Ozone depletion and the effect of CFCs on Ozone and Global Warming (Greenhouse Warming where infrared radiation is trapped). He explains the chemistry of Ozone depletion and the history of what led to th....

Despite their relatively small mass, 10% of the earth biosphere as a whole, generations of ambitious ‘homo sapiens’ have already played a major and increasing role in changing basic properties of the atmosphere and the earth’s surface.  Human ....

Mitchell Herring presents on battery technology from Volta to the 21st century.

A comparison of bio-fuels and solar energy. Examples include algae-based oil and solar panels.

Miles Bradshaw presents on the current status and future of biofuel technology.

Toyo University Bio-Nanotechnology Symposium Lectures; Dr Woolfson talks on the self-assembly of peptides.

The development of reliable molecular scale building blocks for the construction of nanoscale devices is one of the greatest challenges for the development of numerous applications of these exciting materials. This research describes our efforts in t....

The Buckyball, or C-60 molecule was discovered by accident (in the lab) while trying to understand the chemistry between the stars in the Interstellar Medium ISM. The discovery led to the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1996. Here we look at the structur....

In 1985 an experiment, designed to unravel the carbon chemistry in Red Giant Stars, revealed the existence of C-60 Buckminsterfullerene (the third allotropic form of carbon). The story of the discovery and the way its symmetry relates to the natural ....

A brief description of the C28 molecule and its relationship to Uranium

Dr. Kroto explains his Isolated Pentagon Rule and how it contributes to fullerene stability

Jonathan shows how a sheet of graphite (hexagons) can be modified to make closed cages and tubes.  In real life the smallest of these tubes are only 1/100,000,000 meter in diameter - a nanometer (nm) - hence they are called nanotubes.  Depending on....

Amongst the Nobel Laureates lecturing in Lindau, Sir Harold Kroto would probably earn the award for the most unusual and characteristic way of presenting. This lecture, which is the first he ever gave in Lindau, is no exception. Kroto`s way of presen....

We see smaller and smaller objects through naked eye and microscopes, from hair to atoms.

Some of the subtleties of the structures found in carbon nanotubes.

The science of carbon nanotubes and related materials. How can we use them to make novel hybrid structures?

Why is carbon sequestration so important?

Catalysis by solid surfaces is, among others, of importance for the chemical industry (e.g. the Haber-Bosch process) as well as for environmental chemistry (car exhaust catalyst).  Surface physical techniques enable investigation of the underlying e....

This lecture addresses the question if spatio-temporal self-organisation of matter which is so characteristic for living systems can also be verified with a simple inorganic reaction in which the observed phenomena of complexity can be traced back to....

Catalysts facilitate almost every reaction in the human body. They also enable us to make all kinds of molecules in the lab, and few people have contributed more to this field than Richard Schrock. Can he help Norweigan student Christer pstad to cata....

When science meets fashion exciting things happen. Unlikely collaborators designer Helen Storey MBE and scientist Tony Ryan OBE have teamed up for Catalytic Clothing - a radical project that endeavours to clean the air we breathe through the clothes ....

Chemiluminescence and bioluminescence. General chemistry explained and examples such as fireflies, Wintergreen mints, etc. are introduced

An introduction into the writing down of fully balanced chemical equations. The process is explained starting with word equations, finding all the relevant formulas and then working with some useful rules for finding the correct coefficients in the b....

Takeshi Oka, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Chicago and discoverer of H3(+), positively ionised molecule of three protons, talks about the ways in which the various aspects of science are are all interlocked. In particular he shows the ....

Dr Derek Craston, the UK Government Chemist, reveals how Captain Scott's preparations for his 1901 Discovery Expedition to the Antarctic included a personal request to the Government Chemist to analyse his planned food supplies. Tellingly, the resea....

Jonathan Hare describes the novel chemistry of the C60 molecule.

Basic research in science has greatly increased our understanding of nature, expanded frontiers of inquiry, shown us how little we know, triggered creative waves of invention and innovation, and prompted technological breakthroughs that were inconcei....

Chemistry is not merely a science of making observations in order to better understand Nature. Our science is creative and productive, generating substances of very high value from almost nothing. Chemists already have made enormous contribution to....

Know the most important criteria for the classification of the fuel cells

This presentation gives Rowland's current (2006) opinion/impression of Global Warming. He says that the first legislated discussion that he remembers in the US senate on the Global Warming was in 1986 and the looming problem and whether governments s....

Start at 15:00 minutes.  Dr Jeremy Spencer examines the role of flavonoid-rich foods which have been shown to promote a healthy heart and improve our mind and mood.

The ultrahigh mass resolving power and sub-ppm mass accuracy of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) allow the assignment of a unique molecular formula to each peak in the mass spectrum. Ionization methods for petro....

Heeger says that he started as a physicist and thinks like a physicist but got interested in the late 70's in the study of materials. For him it was a natural evolution to move to polymers and in 1975 he began working with Alan MacDiarmid and became ....

An introduction to constructing and recognising chemical formulas. Using 20 well-known elements, the valency-rules which govern the atomic ratios are explained and used with several examples.

Dr. Kroto talks about his favorite synthesis reaction in chemistry

The palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between different types of organoboron compounds and various organic halides in the presence of base provides a powerful and general methodology for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds.  The (sp3)C-B ....

Born in Lithuania, Aaron Klug, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1982, tells us about his early life and education growing up in Durban, South Africa. He developed an early interest in physiology and anatomy but did not find his teacher very inspiring and ga....

After a short reminder of the historical development of evolutionary biology, elements to a molecular theory of Darwinian evolution will be presented. Biological evolution is driven by the availability of genetic variants in populations. The occasi....

Molecules to observe and manipulate biological systems can be devised by a variety of strategies, ranging from pure chemical design and total synthesis to genome mining and high-throughput directed evolution. Examples of both successes and failures a....

Darryl Ventura presents his research into developing functional carbon nanotube based materials.

Understanding the phenomena that cause the reduction in efficiency that occurs in the fuel cell operation

Methanol fuel cells (DMFC), its rationale and the advantages and limitations of their use over other fuel cells

Alan MacDiarmid was the first New Zealand born and educated Nobel Prize (Chemistry, 2000) winner since Maurice Wilkins in 1962. In this interview MacDiarmid talks about the science that he was awarded the Nobel Prize for, the discovery of the first c....

The use of computer simulation continues to advance bringing scientists and engineers the insight of graphical simulations at the molecular level

Every macroscopic chemical transformation, whether it is atmospheric ozone depletion or the burning of a candle, consists of millions of microscopic chemical events, which involve collisions between molecules.  It has been the dream of scientists fo....

Brief review of electrochemical basis of fuel cells

Know the basics of electrochemical fuel cells and batteries

Intermittently fluorescing single molecule systems are found in many materials, including semiconductor quantum dots (QD), dyes on crystalline or nanoparticle film surfaces, and biological systems. The QD's show a ~ -3/2 power law for the distributio....

BC3 is a honeycomb lattice which has some novel electronic properties.

We are faced with energy challenges and the promise of power with hydrogen. The fuel cell and solid state hydrogen storage methodologies are currently limited by materials and represent the cutting edge of energy technology. Implementation to a real ....

During his PhD thesis defence, Ankur looks at the ways in which various techniques are used for the creation of the desired structural characteristics of carbon nanotubes  

John Cornforth, (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1975), is a member of the Royal Society and is still very active in chemistry research at Sussex University. This section from longer archive recordings shows his warmth and personality, and gives an insight....

Kristen Pace presenting her research at the FSU Research Remix

This interview starts with Eigen (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1967) talking about his early work for his PhD thesis on fast reactions and measuring the specific heat of heavy water. He says that light water had already been measured in classical chemis....

Sussex University has always supported unusual, interdisciplinary and innovative faculties. A good example of this was the Nitrogen Fixation Centre. Jeff Leigh was part of this exceptional work who's aim was to discover how nature uses nitrogen to cr....

With the aid of Prof. Sir Harry Kroto, Dr Peter Wothers demonstrates that both Diamond and Graphite are indeed made of Carbon.

Much of theoretical chemistry has involved equations and their application to experiments, Debye, Debye-Hueckel, Transition State Theory, Kramers, LCAO, RRKM, among others. In fortunate circumstances one can, as in a theory of electron transfer reac....

The interaction of molecules with the surfaces of solids forms the basis of heterogeneous catalysis and can now be investigated in atomic detail. Systems of this kind may, on the other hand, serve as models for studying self-organisation of matter le....

Our experience suggests that a system will usually show the tendency to undergo spontaneously a transition from the state of order into disorder.  Quite in contrast, our world developed from an initial state of great disorder into another one where ....

Alan G. Marshall, Florida State University's 2006-2007 Lawton Professor, will speak on 'Reading Chemical 'Fine Print': The Key to Unlocking Nature's Isotopic Zoo' as he delivers the Tenth Annual Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Lecture.'Natur....