The Alchemist this week learns of a golden opportunity to make a fundamental industrial feedstock, ethylene, from natural gas, rather than oil.
In microfluidics, a droplet of acid finds its way out of a maze, while an accidental mineral could become the material of choice for magnetic tunnel junctions. In the zone between chemistry and physics, German researchers have discovered a new way to produce free electrons, which might help explain biological radiation damage, and in health PFOA emerges as a risk factor for thyroid problems.
Finally, more than half a million small molecules have found a home in Cambridge, UK thanks to a grant from the Wellcome Trust.
Find out more in this week’s Alchemist on ChemWeb.com