Author: David Bradley

Elemental Celebrities

I just wonder how many British tabloid readers are going to be turned on to chemistry with the news this week that the Royal Society of Chemistry has decided to associate various celebrities with an appropriate element from the periodic table. They kick off by labelling Rebekah Wade Editor of infamous red-top The Sun with bromine and her partner soap star Ross Kemp with caesium. An RSC “scientist” is reported as saying that life is all about chemistry and recent violent reactions between Wade and Kemp could be down to the explosive chemistry between them.

Other “stars” elementalised by the RSC press office at the beginning of Chemistry Week include:

Jordan � Silicon, Mick Jagger� Neon, Wayne Rooney � Sulfur, Tim Henman � Boron, Anne Robinson � Chlorine, George Galloway � Mercury, Colin Montgomery � Beryllium, Steve Redgrave � Gold, Bruce Forsyth � Helium, Ken Livingston � Palladium, Russell Crowe- Iron, Jose Mourinho � Arsenic, Jane Goody � Lead, Thierry Henry � Silver, Anne Robinson – Promethium, Andrew Flintoff � Iridium, Roy Keane � Krypton

For some reason quizmistress Anne Robinson gets two mentions and they spell sulfur incorrectly using the old “ph” version despite a ten-year RSC/IUPAC ruling that it should be spelled with an “f” these days.

Drop me a line or leave a comment, if you cannot work out why a particular celeb gets assigned a certain element, although most are “obvious” (to tabloid readers, at least).

Arsenic Problem

On the day I publish an item on a new arsenic assay , I received an email from an old contact of mine Dipankar Chakraborti of Jadavpur University who is at the forefront of As science and finding a solution to this insidious problem facing the Indian subcontinent and beyond.

Here’s what he had to say:

“To understand the exact magnitude of groundwater arsenic contamination and its health effect in West Bengal, India we have studied one of the arsenic affected district Murshidabad out of nine affected districts in West Bengal in details for last seven years with twenty people in our group including a dermatologist, neurologist, gynaecologist, pathologist, analytical chemist, biochemist, geologist, civil engineer, etc.

We have analyzed about 30,000 water samples from this district alone and screened 25,274 people with our medical group for arsenical skin lesions and other related arsenic toxicity. We have also analyzed 3843 biological samples (hair, nail urine and skin scales).

We have studied in details the district Murshidabad as a whole and semi micro and micro level studies in one block, one Gram Panchayet (cluster of villages), one village and published five papers in peer-reviewed international journals.”

Email me if you’d like to receive a PDF file carrying the complete citations from Dipankar.

For more information on the arsenic problem, read my Guardian article on the subject.

Atomic Arsenic Assessment

Researchers in Vietnam and Switzerland have developed the first large-scale method for validating the microbial reporter-based test for measuring arsenic concentrations in natural water resources. Their test is based on a modified bacterium (Escherichia coli), engineered to bioluminesce on induction by arsenic ions. The team has developed specific protocols for overcoming interference from iron and has now confirmed the viability of the test against results obtained using atomic absorption spectroscopy.

Buckyball co-discoverer dead at 62

It is with sadness that we report the death of nanotech pioneer, Richard Smalley at 62. Smalley, along with Harry Kroto and colleagues discovered the all-carbon fullerene molecule in the early 1990s at a time when I was just beginning my career as a science writer. Their fascinating research into the soccerball shaped molecules, which were nicknamed buckyballs by the popular science press, provided many of us with some of the greatest punning opportunities ever in science. More seriously, they and their tubular offspring are after many years of detailed and fundamental research beginning to reach new goals in the field of nanotechnology.

Smalley undertook pathbreaking research, showed an incredible commitment to teaching, and was dedicated to the idea of betterment of our world.

He died in Houston on 28th October after a long battle with cancer.

A pearl necklace for the lady?

Although recognized for its beauty for centuries, mother of pearl (aka nacre), has only recently been recognized as having technological applications. Scientists around the world have spent decades and millions of dollars studying nacre because it is such a tough and strong material. Abalone shells are the real estate of choice for the oysters, mussels and other mollusks that live inside them, explain Kalpana Katti and Dinesh Katti of North Dakota U.

“Nature has made this as the best armor material,” explains Kalpana, tapping on the outside of a red abalone shell. “The outside layer is very hard. The inside layer is very tough. That means the outside layer will take impact. The inside layer will absorb energy if the outside layer breaks. That’s exactly how armor works.” The strong, tough structure can be captivating for those who like to solve mysteries. “Strong means it can take a lot of load before it breaks. Tough means it will give a little. This is very unique,� explains Kalpana. “Most engineered composites are one or the other.” Military and aerospace applications are envisaged.

No Periodic Tables at CERN

According to the Scientific American Blog, CERN’s Andre Martin has worked out that there is no need for any of us to suffer wobbly tables ever again, apparently the periodic motion of a four-legged table standing on an uneven surface can be corrected by simple trial and error without resorting to folded up chunks of lab-book paper or beermats. All you have to do is rotate the table until you hit an orientation in which the table no longer wobbles.

Brilliant!

Such fundamental science is surely why CERN exists, never mind particle physics and the Web.

However, one aspect of periodic tables that Martin doesn’t address in his thesis is how to arrange the seating so that noone ends up with a chair leg jammed up against their knee. Maybe he should seek funding for that important piece of research…

Google Search: chemistry

Try searching Google News for “chemistry” and you’ll be very lucky to find a report on the latest developments in molecular architecture. Chemistry, it seems is US college sports journalists’ favourite subject and they’ll swing us science writers a curve at every opportunity, chucking in a mention at every tee off:

“…Head coach Greg Shamburg will be looking for the right chemistry…”

“…Penn State builds better chemistry this season…”

“…Carolina building chemistry on and off the ice during fast start…”

the list goes on…

Climate Change Contradictions

We all have so-called climate change targets to meet. So, you’d think we would be doing everything we can to cut carbon emissions, conserve energy etc.

It sometimes looks like we’re heading in the “right” direction – wind farms are sprouting up all over the place and forests are being harvested for biomass fuel rather than our digging away at ancient fossil hydrocarbons…but it doesn’t really add up really does it?

How much energy does it take to build one of those turbines and how long do they last? Ditto plant and managing supposedly “sustainable” forests for biomass?

Couple that announcements about new airports and runways that will multiply passenger capacity and one has to wonder…

The BBC today reports that Prince Charless sees climate change as the “greatest challenge to face man”…he’s such an expert, of course. Oh, and he’s worried about bird flu.

How safe are safe insecticides?

Researchers have detected high concentrations of the popular insecticide class known as pyrethroids in suburban stream sediments, raising concerns about its effects on aquatic life. Pyrethroids are the common active ingredient in most domestic insecticides and have been marketed for many years as a more environmentally benign alternative. However, little information has been gathered until now about their effects on wildlife. A study published in Environmental Science & Technology could help clarify their status.

Search PubChem for Molecular Structures

Steve Heller just posted an update on on the PubChem system to the CHMINF-L discussion group.

PubChem now has additional bioassay and related information and the number of depositing/cooperating organizations now numbers 25, he told the group.

With 5,269,228 unique substances listed, now is a good time to track down that elusive molecular structure you’ve been searching for. ChemSpy.com offers quick and easy access to the PubChem search system