The 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry - "The design and synthesis of molecular machines"

A much awaited prize announcement , the most prestigious award for Chemistry and Chemists. 


"5 October 2016

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 to

Jean-Pierre Sauvage
University of Strasbourg, France

Sir J. Fraser Stoddart
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

and

Bernard L. Feringa
University of Groningen, the Netherlands

"for the design and synthesis of molecular machines"

They developed the world's smallest machines.

A tiny lift, artificial muscles and miniscule motors. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 is awarded to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa for their design and production of molecular machines. They have developed molecules with controllable movements, which can perform a task when energy is added." from The Nobel Prize website.

READ more 

Charge carriers in rechargeable batteries: Na ions vs. Li ions - Energy & Environmental Science (RSC Publishing)

Sodium, Na not so salty, This paper is just the stuff that may provide the basis for truely large scale innovation, taking the "salt" out of the bill. If any of my readers would like to share the full paper please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Charge carriers in rechargeable batteries: Na ions vs. Li ions - Energy & Environmental Science (RSC Publishing)

Reference: RSC's feed which can be read on my blog 

2011 The International year of CHEMISTRY

This much belated post is aimed at readers, who like me, have had an extremely busy year 2011, failing miserably in my self appointed tasks of bringing subjects of importance to the attention of the specialised and general public, Science especially: Metallurgy, Materials Science,Modelling, Materials Chemistry and Thermodynamics
and the benefits of the scientific method to improve the well-being of humanKind and objective shared by the initiatives of my colleagues in chemistry and related. In order to bring information, invention into practice I blog on Innovation and Management with a distinct focus on  Materials Science (Technology) and Engineering.


 2011 The International year of CHEMISTRY

Thanks to a tweet by IYC poster designer:  Simon C. Page - Excites

Jobs in Chemistry - Chemistry Jobs

BROUGHT BY RSC's

Chemistry World

InnoCentive > Challenges > Chemistry

Check the following feed (RSS) regularly:

InnoCentive Challenges: Chemistry

You will find particularly motivating chemistry (physical-chemistry) related current problems to solve. The virtual office provides in-depth back-ground information on real-life materials chemistry and science based theoretical, technological and engineering problems to solve, many of which are cryingly urgent for many of the worlds populations. Complimentary information is provided upon solver request by InnoCentive's managing scientists who are in contact with both solution seekers (clients) and solvers (you and me).

Delays are short so check the link regularly, bookmark them and do not hesitate to contact me for any further assistance, co-operation, caring and sharing.

I have also included a rapid and permanently placed access link, RSS feed widget centred under the header block and also at the page foot, on my site-blog listings, centred block.

Whisky - Chemical up-date from the RCS-Chemistry World

Quote: "Donnez de l'eau à un Ecossais, il fera du 12 ans d'age!"

Translation.
"Give water to a Scot and he'll make a 12 year old mature malt whisky"

A materials chemist well worth knowing, especially at this time of year as the New Year 2009 approaches. Victoria "Gill" RCS, Editor at Chemistry World is well named for the article she wrote.

In "A Whisky Tour",
Victoria attempts to unlock some of the mysteries of Scotch malt whisky, and asks if whisky - Scotch to thze rest of the world, is the most chemically complicated drink in the world?

Put in a nut shell or should I say in a cask, whisky is a law in it's own right!

-The finely-tuned process of Scotch whisky production is governed by its own law -the Scotch Whisky Act
-There are 92 malt whisky distilleries in Scotland, and each one has a slightly different process with different stills, malts and casks for maturation
-Under the Act, Scotch whisky must be matured for at least three years, during which time the spirit reacts with compounds in the timber casks
-Chemists continue to study the complex effects of dilution on the sensory perception of whisky flavours.

Then some start their physical chemistry career studying bubbles in liquid steel publish in lessor known conference proceedings etc while others, more experienced, study bubbles in champagne, and publish via the ACS-American Chemical Society in no joking

SOUCE RCS Chemistry World


Bubbles in Champagne

Bubbles in Liquid Steel on Refractory surfaces
21. J. Alexander, G. S. F. Hazeldean and M. W. Davies: ‘Chemical Metallurgy of. Iron and Steel' 1973
Cited by:
(1)Smets S.; Parada S.; Weytjens J.; Heylen G.; Jones P.T.; Guo M.; Blanpain B.; Wollants P. in
Behaviour of magnesia-carbon refractories in vacuum-oxygen decarburisation ladle linings
(2) J. Alexander, G. S. F. Hazeldean, and M. W. Davies: "Chemical Metallurgy of. Iron and Steel", Iron and Steel Inst., London, 1973, p. 107. cited by
George Langford and Robert E. Cunningham in Steel casting by diffusion solidification

MELAMINE-New global slant- Materials, Substances and Poisons

This can only be considered a materials chemistry subject by some small stretch of the imagination.

The fact that a young blogger from the Philippines posted on melamine "in eggs" and the reported efforts by the Chinese officials to "erradicate all use of Melamine in the foodstock chain? " motivated me as a concerned scientist to speak-up on such themes. I found the global repercussions of this encouraging in terms of global health and safety.

Hopefully the "Melamine Case" may encourage all concerned chemists, scientists, experts in general, to take-up such worthy causes as fighting commercial abuse of science and chemistry, where ever they occur and so up-hold the values many of us share in choosing scientifically based careers.

I shall try not bore readers too much with the subject, which by now must have almost as many links on the web as Barack Obama, but not quite, perhaps unfortunately for this concerns human life right now?

As a chemist I ran my rapid Google search key words: Melamine Chemical Formula.

This turned up two noteworthy sites. 

The first in the list was Wikipedia which gives a very good encyclopedic rendering of the many melimine based materials, chemical compounds or substances and the poisonous effects with many excellent references to check and substantiate for the most sceptical.

images from Wikipedia

The question I asked myself was "Why in hell would anyone wish to use melamine - better known as a composant of glue - in food" The answer is fairly simple quoting from Wikipedia:

"Surplus melamine has been a popular adulterant for feedstock and baby formula in mainland China for several years now, because it can make diluted or poor quality material appear to be higher in protein content by elevating the total nitrogen content detected by some simple protein tests."

I shall not delve into this in any depth but one may pursue the questioning as to what National actions are taken following well published recommendations from say the USA's FDA-Food & Drug Administration, the European Union and of course from The WHO-World Health Organisation?

A well documented and popular account of melanine, the melamine scandal and follow-up measures is a cause which has being taken under the wing by D. Bradley in his well ranked blog Sciencebase.

Good luck David, I trust all the chemistry community will take heed and time for action in their daily duties and concerns.

It could well be that bloggers may have an ever increasing useful role to play in global affairs.

Bloggers can perhaps be more out-spoken than International Organisations who must respect rules of diplomacy and perhaps are major targets for powerful lobbying.

Sources:

-Young concerned blogger from the Philippines posts on Melamine

-Melamine - Wikipedia

-Melamine - Sciencebase

-More concerns from the same Young blogger from the Philippines

NOBEL PRIZE AWARDS -2008 Fathers of Invention II -

Biochemistry and Nanotechnology are two areas tipped for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The Nobel prize Winners, the elected few in the heady rarefied atmosphere of the highest summits of scientific endeavour reached and the national flag firmly planted. The "Nobel Class" all surely highly eminent, deserving candidates. "Losers?" often applied undeservedly in the world of sport etc (note the order - not "the sporting world-or sports world") The word "looser is obviously hardly applicable. I logged a post in my "conversations" blog_link html on the "human angle" with one recent and currently open wound example-in the medical field. A day latter I had news that a support committee will be formed to tell as best as possible the full story to this great research break-through. Great, all have certainly made remarkable contributions.

Better I hope to improve my own approach to honouring science. In fact an excellent way is to have the full list of candidates and their main contribution - the detail will drown the ordinary even the most highly educated reader.

Here is one prognostic "Biochem. or Nanotech-em"? -Other?:

If the vote sway in favour of Biochemistry, Americans Stuart Schreiber and Gerald Crabtree are among potential candidates for pioneering work in chemical biology, shedding light on how tiny molecules can be used on cell circuits and signaling pathways.

On the other hand if the prize honours nanotechnology, sways towards the European continent, possible winners could include British (Scottish) chemist James Fraser Stoddart or again to Asia-Pacific, Japan's Sumio Iijima, who discovered carbon nanotubes in 1991. who needs no introduction to the materials chemistry and materials science, technology & engineering communities.

Good luck all whatever the outcome.

Comments welcome, "No-Holds-Bard".


Source:

Yahoo News

Wikipedia: James Fraser Stoddart

Wikipedia: Stuart Schreiber and Gerald Crabtree

Wikipedia Sumio Iijima