By Paul Heney | January 23, 2023
What is liquid chromatography?
Chromatography is a common laboratory technique used to separate a mixture into its individual components, or fractions. This can allow the components to be identified and quantified. The first stage in chromatography is to dissolve the mixture in a fluid solvent, which may be either a liquid or a gas. The fluid solvent is known…
By Paul Heney | January 4, 2023
What is ion chromatography?
Chromatography is commonly used to separate mixtures into their individual components. Most commonly, this involves separating a mixture dissolved in a liquid solvent, by passing the solution over a solid surface, with the components moving at different rates depending on their affinity for the surface. In ion chromatography, ions and polar molecules are separated based…
By Heather Hall | October 24, 2022
DOW and CAS collaborate to accelerate R&D capabilities and efficiency
Dow, a materials science company, and CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society, have established a strategic collaboration focused on digital capabilities that accelerate research and development and identify new opportunities within key growth areas around the world. "We are committed to improving systems and processes that advance scientific progress and enhance the efficiency…
By Heather Hall | September 16, 2022
New additive technology protects paper products from food liquids and oils
AGC Chemicals Americas introduces FibraLAST non-fluorinated sizing additives that protect paper products from both water and food oils. These patent-pending grades are designed as alternatives to traditional sizing products. This new barrier technology is suitable for molded, formed fiber and cardboard products such as fast-casual bowls, plates, containers and pizza boxes. FibraLAST grades prevent the bleed-through…
By Heather Hall | June 29, 2022
R&D 100 winner of the day: Guardiant
Corning's Guardiant is an antimicrobial additive that can be dosed into paints and coatings. Testing performed at the University of Arizona's microbiology lab show that coatings containing Corning Guardiant can kill 99.9% of germs on coated surfaces, including the virus that causes COVID-19 within two hours. Guardiant uses Corning's expertise in glass ceramic technology, allowing…
By Heather Hall | May 11, 2022
R&D 100 winner of the day: PPG HI-TEMP 1027 HD
PPG HI-TEMP 1027 HD is PPG's next generation ambient cure, high temperature Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) coating for carbon steel and stainless steel, reducing the risk of unexpected shutdowns. Corrosion costs the global economy an estimated $2.2 trillion annually. Ten percent of total annual maintenance costs are dedicated to repairing damage caused by CUI. In…
By Heather Hall | May 2, 2022
R&D 100 of the day: Autonomous Self-Healing Sealant
Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Autonomous self-healing sealants self-repair microcracks and cuts, recover mechanical properties and adhere well to dusty surfaces. They are formulated by mixing a low-cost additive into commercial sealants according to a process developed at ORNL. The treatment increases sealant lifetime and energy savings by lowering air and water leaks in buildings. Even…
By Paul Heney | April 19, 2022
Why there's a neon shortage — and why it matters
By Mark Jones In a normal world, vodka, nickel, palladium, and neon would have nothing in common. In our current world, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they do. All are currently experiencing supply chain disruptions due either directly to the fighting or to sanctions. Nickel and palladium come from mines. Russian mines produced about 10%…
By Heather Hall | April 11, 2022
R&D 100 winner of the day: PPG BFP-SE Battery Fire Protection
Electric vehicles (EVs) have many advantages, including reducing the emissions that contribute to climate change and smog, improving public health and reducing ecological damage. However, electric vehicles pose a new fire risk that must be efficiently and cost effectively addressed to allow safe and widespread adoption. Electric vehicles require protection from external and internal fires.…
By Heather Hall | March 24, 2022
Yakima Chief Hops achieves patent status on Cryo Hops process
Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), an American hop supplier, has been awarded a US patent for its innovative hop processing technology used in manufacturing their Cryo Hops brand products, as they also celebrate the 5th anniversary since its launch to the brewing industry. YCH is known for its leading hop research and advanced products. With a…
By Paul Heney | March 21, 2022
Greener chemistry, better planet
By Becky Chambers Hennessy, contributing writer If you haven't heard the drumbeat from the American Chemical Society (ACS), April 17 marks the start of 2022 Chemists Celebrate Earth Week, designed to promote "the positive role that chemistry plays in the world." But as important as that role is, let's face it: "Chemistry" has an…
By Paul Heney | March 4, 2022
The chemical cost of salting our roads
By Mark Jones We are addicted. We know it is bad, but we can't stop. It rusts our cars, destroys our bridges, damages our plants, yet, when it snows, we throw the salt. Ten inches of snow debilitated the Washington area in early January, closing a section of I-95. Snow closed roads, both in the…
By Tim Studt | February 22, 2022
R&D collaborations looking to build expertise, in this week's R&D power index
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending February 18, 2022, closed at 5,075.11 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -2.18% (or 113.00 basis points) from the week ending February 11, 2022. The stock of nine RDWI members gained value from 0.96% (Novartis) to 6.14% (Cisco). The stock of…
By Heather Hall | February 15, 2022
DuPont invests in bioprocessing supply chain to enhance drug development purchases
DuPont has launched a new online sales portal tailored to the needs of bioprocessing industry purchasers. The portal handles online sales transactions, with target lead times of less than one week. DuPont's bioprocessing solutions enable sophisticated purifications and separations for therapeutics and diagnostics, with brands such as DuPont AMBERCHROM and DuPont AMBERLITE being well established…
By Heather Hall | February 7, 2022
R&D 100 winner of the day: Multi-functional Sorbent Technology (MUST)
Multi-functional Sorbent Technology (MUST), from Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Somerset International and The Dow Chemical Company, is a game-changing suite of sorbents that remove cationic (positively charged) and oxygen-containing anionic (negatively charged) heavy metals from aqueous and nonaqueous sources. Such versatility and low cost make MUST highly effective to clean contaminated…
By Heather Hall | January 28, 2022
R&D 100 winner of the day: Ubiquitous Water Wand (UWAW)
Ubiquitous Water Wand (UWAW), developed by Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Chyi Ding Technologies, is an ultrahigh efficiency vapor/air separation equipment which extracts clean water from the air we breathe. It provides ultra clean drinking water without water sources, cooling media or water filters. In conjunction with an air-conditioner, UWAW can also provide buildings…
By Heather Hall | December 29, 2021
Top-10 areas of amazing science at Brookhaven Lab in 2021
By Karen McNulty Walsh and Stephanie Kossman, Brookhaven National Laboratory Research at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory spans scales from the cosmic to subatomic, advancing our understanding of the world around and within us. Looking for discoveries that spark transformational technologies? Brookhaven has those, too! Here's the 2021 recap of important…
R&D 100 winner of the day: PhotoCube
The PhotoCube, from ThalesNano and ComInnex, is a multi-wavelength benchtop photoreactor designed for advanced photochemical reactions. Various configurations can be applied to a diverse set of batch, flow and stop-flow photochemical reactions. Options for multicolor and UV LEDs enable you to apply up to 7 wavelengths, in addition to white, even simultaneously. The combination of…
By Paul Heney | December 1, 2021
A cool game for one hot competitor — the 2021 Freezer Challenge
International Freezer Challenge honors Univ. of Illinois with 2021 "Winning Streak Award." By Becky Chambers Hennessy, contributing writer (This is part two of a two-part series. Read part one, Facing sustainability in the lab, here.) The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is continuing a hot streak in arguably the coolest competition around. The university was recognized…
By Paul Heney | November 30, 2021
Facing sustainability in the lab
By Becky Chambers Hennessy, contributing writer Scientific research leaders are taking a long look in the mirror. They see their laboratories as home to beneficial scientific breakthroughs, in areas from epidemiology and the coronavirus to climate change and greenhouse gases. They're also recognizing them as resource-intensive spaces with enormous carbon footprints. It's an irony that's…
By Paul Heney | November 1, 2021
Can we ever get the lead out?
By Mark Jones A century is how long it took for one bad chemistry choice to run its course. The end of August 2021 was the end of what can only be described as a sad century in the history of chemistry. At the end of August, headlines proclaimed the world finally stopped using leaded…
By Heather Hall | August 26, 2021
Eco-friendly SOLESPHERE silica gels improve tactile aesthetics in skincare formulations
To help formulators develop high-performance, safer cosmetics and skin care products, AGC Chemicals Americas offers SOLESPHERE microsphere silica gels. When used in sunscreens, cosmetics and skincare formulations, the silica gels boost sun protection factor (SPF) and add performance properties. The silica gels can improve application smoothness, absorb oil and perspiration, give a matte appearance, minimize…
Howard University and Amgen create Academia-Biotech Educational Fellowship
Howard University's Chemical Engineering Department and Amgen, an independent biotechnology company, have designed an innovative academic-industry partnership meant to greatly expand opportunities for underrepresented minorities in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The partnership takes the form of a fellowship for master's level graduate students and includes training in Amgen's laboratories. The Chemical Engineering Department, in…
Department of Energy to invest $25M in polymer upcyling, plastic waste reuse research
From the office of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week announced plans to invest $25 mil in fundamental science to lay the groundwork for technology that finds reuses for plastic waste, makes strides toward addressing the global plastic waste crisis and reduces the climate impacts of plastic…
Study reveals platinum's role in clean fuel conversion
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University (SBU) and other collaborating institutions have uncovered dynamic, atomic-level details of how an important platinum-based catalyst works in the water gas shift reaction. This reaction transforms carbon monoxide (CO) and water (H2O) into carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen gas (H2) — an…