All articles by Tom Metcalfe
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ResearchProgrammable liquid hints at widespread applications
A ‘metafluid’ formed from collapsible elastic shells suspended in oil exhibits very different properties at different pressures
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ResearchChemical analysis reveals origins of early English silver coins
Byzantine silver plates were melted down to make many of the first Anglo-Saxon coins
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NewsArtificial intelligence could ‘revolutionise’ chemistry but researchers warn of hype
Survey of European scientists sees them stress the importance of human experts in chemical research
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NewsIs scientific fraud getting worse in chemistry papers?
A new study shows an increase in chemistry papers retracted for fraud and experts say scientific publishing is compounding the problem
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ResearchA giant leap for ‘quantum superchemistry’
Ultracold atoms can undergo chemical reactions all at once
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ResearchIngredient for life detected in icy plume from Saturn’s moon Enceladus
First discovery of phosphorus in an ocean beyond Earth reveals that the bio-essential element may be abundant on the moon
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ResearchBenin bronzes are made of German brass
Discovery casts new light on the west African artworks, which Nigeria has asked colonial countries to return
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NewsEstimates of mercury used in gold mining are so bad it’s hard to know if its use is falling
New research into the amount of mercury used to extract gold from slurry shows the national estimates are rarely any good
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ResearchChemists put the colour-changing ‘ouzo effect’ under the microscope
Greater understanding of the anise-flavoured spirit’s cloudy mix could lead to better emulsions
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ResearchAnalysing blood chemistry from a single drop
Mass spectrometry determine the levels of thousands of chemicals in a ‘microsample’ of human blood
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ResearchControversy over ancient Chinese bronze chemistry
Study suggests bronze was made from alloys rather than pure metals, but experts remain unconvinced
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NewsBotanists, chemists and historians come together to recreate ancient alchemy of making mercury
Fourth century BC alchemical methods for obtaining metallic mercury from the mineral cinnabar revisited
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NewsThe earlier a chemist wins the Nobel prize the longer they are likely to live
Study suggests chemistry laureates live longer but receive a smaller longevity benefit compared with physics and medicine laureates
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ResearchMassive Australian wildfires caused new damage to the ozone layer
Smoke particles caused a drop in chlorine-binding chemicals that set back the ozone layer’s recovery by 10 years
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ResearchEngineered enzyme speeds up sedate organic reaction
Biochemical optimisation applied to the Morita–Hillman–Baylis reaction
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ResearchPrehistoric Iberians poisoned by cinnabar almost 5000 years ago
Analyses of mercury levels in bones reveal ancient artists suffered for their craft
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ResearchMinority Report-esque AI predicts new designer drugs before they’re made
Machine learning program accurately predicts structure of unknown psychoactive substances from mass spectra alone
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ResearchWood made foldable and stronger than steel
Next-level modification sees natural material made into knives, nails and honeycomb structures that can carry the weight of a car
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ResearchFirst snapshots of ionised water’s fleeting radical–cation pair
Ultrafast electron diffraction spots hydroxyl–hydronium complex before it separates a hundred quadrillionth of a second later
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ResearchBlasts from the past – how medieval gunpowder changed over 100 years
Test-firing different gunpowders in a replica 15th century cannon on the firing range at West Point showed how recipes evolved