Thesis in 2013

Michelle Francl takes a serious look at whether we should indulge in scientific humour.

A century ago this month, Frederick Soddy described and named isotopes in the pages of Nature. Brett F. Thornton and Shawn C. Burdette discuss how chemists have viewed and used isotopes since then — either as chemically identical or chemically distinct species as the need required and technology allowed.

When it comes to practical chemistry demonstrations designed to provoke the senses, Bruce Gibb suggests that we should follow our noses rather than it all being about bangs and flashes.

Back-of-the-envelope calculations are an important part of chemistry argues Michelle Francl.

Thomas Tidwell reflects on the overlooked — but prescient — proposal by the British chemists Arthur Downes and Thomas Blunt for photochemical free-radical formation, decades before Moses Gomberg launched the field of radical chemistry by preparing triphenylmethyl, the first stable organic radical.

Chemical compounds are often taken for granted, argues Bruce Gibb, and the most underappreciated is one that we're all very familiar with.

Michelle Francl ponders ways in which we can talk about chemistry without triggering chemophobia.

When elements 117 and 118 are finally named, should these new members of the halogen and noble gas families receive names ending in -ium as IUPAC has suggested? Brett F. Thornton and Shawn C. Burdette look at the history of element suffixes and make the case for not following this recommendation.

Bruce Gibb ponders what the future of chemistry research might look like if we take a more data-driven approach.

Michelle Francl argues we should embrace molecular models, not tuck them away in the closet.