The chemistry of decent vodka
15 June, 2010Although vodka is a reasonably pure mixture of alcohol and water, beverage drinks typically show differences in appeal among brands. The question immediately arises as to the molecular basis, if any, of vodka taste perception.
Taking a close look at unique diamonds
06 May, 2010The song says "diamonds are a girl's best friend", but scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) are finding that diamonds are a researcher's best friend too. The NRL, which has been involved in pioneering work involving chemical vapour deposition of diamonds and the use of diamond materials in advanced technologies relevant to the Department of Defence since 1987, has undertaken some new projects in diamond research.
Terahertz radiation reveals ‘lost’ works of art
04 May, 2010Research scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS are revealing the secrets of 'lost' paintings non-destructively using terahertz beams.
Diamond to become the blind’s best friend
04 May, 2010A Melbourne Materials Institute team is developing a diamond electrode array that will be part of a chip embedded in the retina for use in the bionic eye. This device is designed to have sufficient resolution to allow the blind to recognise faces and read large print.
Element 117 - the latest of the superheavies
12 April, 2010The last hole in row seven of the periodic table has been filled with the latest superheavy element to be discovered - element 117.
Gold nanoparticles used to detect melamine in milk
07 April, 2010The interaction between gold nanoparticles and melamine has been found to cause a dramatic colour change indicating the presence of melamine in milk.
Thieves need to beware as bacterial ‘signatures’ linger
17 March, 2010Skin bacteria left behind on keyboards and computer mice can be used to identify who was using the object. Human microbiome researchers are testing if such leftovers can be used forensically or by law enforcement agencies.
New quantum cascade lasers emit more light than heat
12 January, 2010Mid-infrared laser diodes that generate more light than heat, developed by researchers at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, are an important step towards the use of quantum cascade lasers in a variety of applications.
Water in orbit
01 December, 2009 by University of UtahSpace is not a fun place to get a stomach bug. To ensure drinking water is adequately disinfected, University of Utah chemists have developed a two-minute water quality monitoring method that just started six months of tests aboard the International Space Station.
Science and the global food crime fight
01 December, 2009Australian Earth Scientists have joined forces with food scientists and chemists in an international effort to fight global food crime using new tamper-proof technology that pinpoints exactly where in the world particular foods have been produced.
Freeze-drying for foam fabrication
01 December, 2009Chemists and engineers at the University of Warwick have found that exposing particular mixtures of polymer particles and other materials to sudden freeze-drying can create a high-tech armoured foam that could be used for a number of purposes, including a new range of room-temperature, low-power gas sensors.
Pilot-scale tablet press
10 August, 2009 byGEA Pharma Systems has introduced the Courtoy ModuL P Tablet Press (P for pilot scale) to meet the demand for increased flexibility and product containment when working with potent compounds, especially with regards to small-scale tablet presses.
Bottling light
10 August, 2009Light can be 'bottled' or confined to a very small space by controllably inserting light into a microscopic container surrounded by reflective walls.
'Copernicium' proposed as name for element 112
16 July, 2009Element 112's existence has been officially confirmed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and now the name 'copernicium' (Cp) has been proposed as its name.
A quicker, cheaper way to sort isotopes
01 July, 2009Stanford chemists have developed a new method of isotopic analysis that does not use mass spectroscopy so it is much less expensive.
