chemistry

Earth started as a violent place, its surface churned by continuous volcanic eruptions and cloaked in an atmosphere that would have been poisonous to today's life-forms. Furthermore, the thin primeval atmosphere may have provided only scant protection from the young sun's harsh ultraviolet glare. Given these inhospitable conditions, scientists have long wondered: How did the first cells come to be nearly 4 billion years ago?

Conventional scientific wisdom holds that life arose in the sea. But a new study suggests that the first cells--or at least the ones that left descendants still extant--got their start in geothermal pools, … Read more

Google continues its growing tradition of celebrating scientific and cultural pioneers who might not be household names, but whose work is part of our daily lives. While today's citrus-filled doodle on the search engine front page first appears to indicate that Google has sold out to Tropicana, it's actually a tribute to Albert Szent-Györgyi's 118th birthday.

What, you weren't already taking the day off to celebrate? In case you're not in the know, Albert, whose full name is Albert von Szent-Györgyi de Nagyrápol, is the person credited with discovering Vitamin C and the citric acid cycle. That work earned him a Nobel Prize in 1937. He was also one of the first to look into connections between free radicals and cancer, and according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, "his discoveries about the biochemical nature of muscular contraction revolutionized the field of muscle research."… Read more

Genomatica, a company that makes chemicals from plants rather than oil, said today it plans to go public and raise $100 million.

The company today filed its S-1 document with the Securities and Exchange Commission and laid out its strategy and risks. Genomatica follows a handful of other green-tech companies that have filed to go public this year, despite the recent rocky ride of the stock markets.

San Diego-based Genomatica makes industrial chemicals used in the production of everyday products, such as plastics used in car interiors, pharmaceuticals, and apparel.

Instead of using oil or natural gas as a feedstock … Read more

Genomatica said today it has successfully produced butadiene, following the trend of many biofuel and biotech start-ups pushing into industrial chemicals.

The company said that it has made enough butadiene from renewable feedstocks, such as sugar cane, to demonstrate the viability of the process. Genomatica's first chemical process is converting sugar cane into a chemical called BDO, which is used to make automotive plastics, running shoes, and spandex fabric.

Butadiene is used as an ingredient in making latex and synthetic rubber for products such as tires. The prices of butadiene have risen over the past few months, which is … Read more

Formulas Lite is a collection of important information and tools to help students get through some of the tougher subjects in school.

The meat of the Formulas Lite app is in the Subjects tab, where you'll find a huge database of must-know formulas for mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Within each of these top-level subjects, formulas are further organized by topic. For instance, under mathematics you'll see formulas organized in branches from algebra to statistics. Under physics, you'll see formulas organized in branches from relativity to torque. Within the chemistry section, you'll also find a functional periodic … Read more

Many biofuel companies are finding the best way to make money is to stay away from biofuels, at least for a while.

A number of biofuel companies are first focusing on industrial chemicals or food supplements as they seek a route to get out of the lab and into the market. Chemicals used in everyday products, such as rubber or plastics, are also made from oil as fuels are but they can command higher prices than gasoline and diesel.

Start-up Verdezyne today will announce that BP Alternative Energy Ventures and Dutch chemicals company DSM are investing in the Carlsbad, Calif.… Read more

This may not come as a surprise, but the American Chemistry Council on a Web site called Plastics Make It Possible has released a survey that reveals fuel efficiency is often a factor when buying or leasing a new car.

Of the 2,411 U.S. adults surveyed in an online survey by Harris Interactive, 78 percent said fuel efficiency is a key factor, while 63 percent consider safety features in their choice. "However, only 10 percent of those who know what contributes significantly to vehicle safety recognize that plastics and plastic composites contribute significantly to vehicle safety," … Read more

With the increasing number of tech gadgets we carry around, even on hiking trips, having a reliable power source is a serious consideration. While solar-powered battery packs have been around for a while, the reliance on a consistent sunlight source is a big concern in some regions.

The pocket-size PowerTrekk Fuel Cell charger out of Sweden offers two solutions to the personal energy crisis. Besides an internal battery pack that can be charged from the mains, the device also utilizes disposable fuel cell packs. The device splits water to create hydrogen that goes through the fuel cell to create an … Read more

In the biggest development to rock the popular-science world since Pluto got demoted, 10 elements will see their atomic weights changed on the periodic table.

With the news, oversize posters and textbook inserts around the world (not to mention the tiny periodic table I've been carrying around in my wallet since the ninth grade) are about to become outdated.

The reason for the change is that atomic weights are not always as concrete as most general-chemistry students are taught, according to the University of Calgary, which made the announcement, and the snappily named International Union of Pure and Applied … Read more