News & Comment

Ahead of his 80th birthday, Michele Parrinello, Principal Investigator of Atomistic Simulations at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), discussed his career in science exploring chemical fundamentals and modelling molecular dynamics.

A puzzling mismatch between a molecule's light absorptivity and its photochemical reactivity can now be explained by considering the microenvironment around the absorbing molecules and the effect this has on quantum yield, which becomes wavelength dependent.

Digital content can hinder the accessibility of chemistry to people with disabilities. Fortunately, accessible digital content can be created easily and without cost. Learning basic digital accessibility skills can help to make chemistry more welcoming for all.

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy connects isotopic mass and confinement geometry to vibrational shifts in H₂ and D₂, highlighting quantum behaviour in simple molecules and enabling atomic-scale understanding of reactivity, catalysis, and surface interactions.

Standardized tasks and data sets have enabled machine learning experts to contribute to chemistry. However, current practices tend to reward incremental improvements in benchmark performance that do not necessarily translate into meaningful advances. We propose a framework for collaboration between artificial intelligence and domain experts to genuinely accelerate discovery.

Ahead of his 82nd birthday, Helmut Schwarz, recent recipient of the Wolf Prize in Chemistry and Professor of Chemistry at Technische Universität Berlin, looks back on his career in science.

A new study highlights how interfacial design and retaining intermediate species can unlock a new performance window in electrocatalysis — transforming a reactive gas into a tethered partner for selective carbon–carbon coupling reactions.

The lithium-ion battery industry is driving the global clean energy transition but faces growing sustainability challenges. Pollution and recycling bottlenecks span the entire materials life cycle, emphasizing the urgent need for integrated chemical, environmental and policy frameworks to guide risk assessments and sustainable development.

Students with visual impairments face multiple barriers during their education, which can hinder their learning in STEM subjects. The design of the innovative tool Qarvis seeks to promote inclusion in chemistry teaching through the sense of touch and the organization of chemical elements as an accessible complement to the periodic table.

Ahead of his 60th birthday, Dek N. Woolfson, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Bristol and a recently elected Fellow of the Royal Society, spoke to us about his career in science.

Agentic workflows powered by large language models are beginning to assist chemists in literature search, summarization, and outline drafting. Though they remain unable to replace expert insight, these systems promise to reshape how reviews are prepared — shifting the human role from exhaustive curator to creative synthesizer, empowered by intelligent, always-on review-copilots.

In separation or filtration membranes, polymers can clog the active sites of porous materials. A recent adaptation of solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy allows for quantification of polymer intrusion in metal–organic frameworks.

Introducing recyclability into photovoltaic design adds complexity. Recyclability depends on parameters governing material cohesion and separability, often conflicting with traditional criteria such as efficiency, stability and cost. Achieving circularity transforms solar-cell design into the art of managing intrinsic trade-offs, harmonizing the ease of material recovery with photovoltaic performance.

Ahead of his 70th birthday, Brian Kobilka, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University, discusses his life from growing up as a baker’s son in a small town to receiving a call from Stockholm having been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, as well as his continuing work around G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).

Human bodies have complex reactions to stress and anxiety. A recent study explores the effect of fear on our sensitivity to odours.

Ring-shaped colloidal particles can be used to form Pickering emulsions, just as solid particles, but their shape means that a larger portion of the emulsion interface remains open, which is critical for application performance.

The Element Sets project created more than 1,600 sets of 37 pure elements that were sent free to schools all over Australia. This outreach project was able to target very remote and under-resourced schools, and support students and teachers indefinitely without requiring a continual pipeline of funding, consumables and planning.

Incorporating thermoelectric materials into our everyday clothing could be an clever way of keeping our smart devices powered at all times. A study now looks into the feasibility of this, noting the importance of reaction conditions on the thermoelectric properties.

Ahead of her 65th birthday, Eleanor Campbell, the Chair of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, discusses her life from a fascination with science fiction growing up to her successful research career exploring carbon nanomaterials.