The Primordial Soup theory of the origins of life on earth has been cooling for years. Probably, by now, it's too cold to reheat. Abiogenesis, or the study of how life originated from Earth (and…

Scheikunde is Dutch for Chemistry, and literally means "Separation Science".  Now, if one has a carpet made of 85% polypropylene and 15% wool, how does one go about separating them? Have no fear…

Northwestern University researchers have developed a new material that could help with the remediation of nuclear waste that behaves much like a Venus Flytrap, permanently trapping only its desired '…

Wine. You can earn a degree for studying it (enology), earn a living being an expert at it (Sommelier) or fake wine know-how to get through a dinner party.  Wine lovers…

In the beginning, like attracts like to make a dimer. Nobel Prizes are a rich source of dimers. I counted twenty-three Nobel Lectures with dimers. The wealth…

A new study conducted by scientists in France concludes that the alluring eye makeup worn by ancient Egyptians also may have been used to help prevent or treat eye disease by doubling as an infection…

Separation science has seen glamour and growth with ever-increasing demand for analysis ranging from environmental, toxicological to forensics. The list is endless and the genre is getting narrower…

That's right, my love for the periodic table can now be extended to my phone! My sweet Palm Pre features the periodic table in its app catalog, with such data as: Oxidation Status Boiling Point…

When Dmitri Mendeleev first published his table of elements in 1869 (picture), only 60 of these were known. One group in particular was absent, namely the inert gases.  Now you may have heard…

Who does not like a mystery? The universe is mysteriously rich in hydrogen. Three-quarters of its mass is hydrogen. On the other hand, our planet is mysteriously xenon-poor…