by Andy Bei edited by Alicia McGeachy When talking about chemists, what image comes to your mind? Labs, tubes, beakers, colorful solutions, turning dirt into gold… Yes, yes, those images represent some parts of chemistry …
water
Engineered Nanoparticles Change Shape in Soil and Groundwater
by Sam Lohse edited by Arielle Mensch Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are now components of thousands of consumer products, including personal care products, sporting goods, solar panels, and next-generation batteries. In fact, demand for electric car …
Carbon Nanotubes: the Next Generation of Global Water Purification?
by Emily Caudill edited by Arielle Mensch My typical day (maybe like yours) involves waking up, taking a 10 minute shower, cooking breakfast, running the dishwasher if it’s full, going to work, eating dinner with …
Invisible Remnants of Dead Stuff Hiding in Water
by Arielle Mensch Ready for a little test? Try to list all of the things you can think of that are found in a river or lake… I’m sure you came up with things like …
Nano Contaminants: How Nanoparticles Get Into the Environment
by Sam Lohse Nanoparticles and the Environment Series, Part I (click here for part II) More than a year ago on this site, I talked to you about how nanoparticles were already all around us, …
Hidden Life in Pond Water
by Lee Bishop While a tablespoon of pond water might look quite devoid of life, a closer look reveals quite the opposite. Though they may be difficult to spot with the naked eye, that doesn’t …
Fungus Amongus – the Nanoparticle Producers
by Jared Bozich Recent discoveries continue to highlight the many uses of that wonderful kingdom of life, fungus. Penicillin, a group of antibiotics that changed medicine forever, is derived from the Penicillium fungi (taken from …
Exhortations for Responsible Action*
by Bassam Z. Shakhashiri Professor of Chemistry The William T. Evjue Distinguished Chair for the Wisconsin Idea Director, Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy Department of Chemistry University of Wisconsin-Madison It was a privilege and a …
Cleaning without chemicals? Part I – The use and hazards of traditional cleaning chemicals
by Eric Melby This is part one of a two (maybe three…definitely four at the most) part series What motivated me to explore the chemical world of cleaning? Is it possible to have nice smelling …
New Filter Gives Drinking Water a Silver Lining
by Adam Nikolaus The next time that you go to your sink and pour a glass of water, take a second to think about what’s in it. It likely has a little bit of chlorine, …