February 2012

This Month's Features:

Quasicrystals or quasiscience? 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

On 8 April 1982, Daniel Shechtman looked into his microscope, and what he saw defied the laws of science. His discovery of a new physical state of matter culminated in his receipt of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Really easy access to university intellectual property

Technology transfer offices in Australian universities seem to have fallen into the trap of treating all intellectual property as valuable. What happens when third parties can access some academic intellectual property for free?

Chemistry of staining in histology: haematoxylin and eosin

Thanks to a duo of dyes, a wide range of tissue pathologies can be identified under the microscope as part of the science known as histology.

Starting small-scale Grignard reactions

More teaching of chemical analysis by modern methods used in industry is overdue – with some innovative thinking, this is possible and inexpensive. Ray Hodges recommends looking outside the box to propose better solutions and being willing to let go of fixed ideas when better alternatives arrive.

Click on the magazine cover below to access the full online version of Chemistry in Australia

February's Crossword Solution: