Highlights
C&EN: Metal complexes rip open benzene
17 July 2025Scandium and chromium compounds team up to convert iconic molecule into linear product at room temperature.
C&EN: Crystals defy their symmetry to discern chiral light
24 June 2025Centrosymmetric crystals have always absorbed equal amounts of left- and right-handed circularly polarized light—until now.
C&EN: Magnetic stirrers linked to issues with reproducing chemistry results
17 June 2025From the lab that found impurities on your stir bar—your flask’s placement on a stirrer plate can mess with your reaction too.
C&EN: ‘Perplexanes’ achieve mind-bending molecular topology
10 June 2025Zirconium helps to weave entangled nanocarbon cages in high yields.
C&EN: Atom-thin iodine film makes its debut
29 May 2025Iodinene is the first halogen analog of graphene and is expected to be unusually metallic.
TESTIMONIALS
“As an editor and reporter, Mark Peplow is fast, accurate, and versatile. He covers science policy and pure research with equal passion, and his writing combines a scientist’s precision with a journalist’s verve.” Tim Appenzeller
Former Chief Magazine Editor at Nature, now News Editor at Science
"Mark guided me through some of the most challenging stories I've written. These are pieces I might not have attempted were it not for his steady editorial hand." Linda Nordling
Freelance Journalist, South Africa
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Freelance Science Writer
Category Archives: Highlights
C&EN: Uranium nitride triple bond is surprisingly covalent
NMR spectroscopy reveals an outlier of actinide bonding and provides a convenient method to assess bonding in other metal-nitrogen complexes.
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C&EN: Aptamer-nanopore sensor detects only infectious viruses
DNA-based device might offer rapid COVID-19 test that is not fooled by dead virus.
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C&EN: Phospha-bora-Wittig reaction makes its debut
A new variant of the classic Wittig reaction offers a route to phosphaalkenes.
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C&EN: Thorium-thorium bonding marks actinide milestone
Unusual crystalline complex shows unexpected σ-aromaticity.
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New Scientist: Why the UK doesn’t need a new coal mine
Coke-based steel-making generates billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and accounts for 7 to 9 per cent of all human-made CO2 emissions.
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C&EN Talented 12: Emilie Ringe
Plasmonics pioneer is harnessing the potential of magnesium nanoparticles.
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C&EN Talented 12: Derya Baran
Solar power innovator is creating organic materials for cheaper, more efficient photovoltaics.
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C&EN: Mirror-image polymerase makes mirror gene and more
L-DNA offers new twist on information storage.
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C&EN: The structure of bleach
X-ray crystallography of sodium hypochlorite plugs long-standing gap in literature.
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C&EN: How many chemical elements does it take to build a car?
Detailed inventory shows that electric vehicles are more vulnerable to material supply challenges than gas guzzlers.
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