Archives Chemical News
November/Dec 2012
Chocolate ingredient improves memory in snails
How good is a snail’s memory? It may depend on what it has eaten...
Naturally deposited hydrocarbons dominate in Athabasca
sediment
The load of organic contaminants introduced into the ecosystem via natural erosion of exposed bitumen from
the banks of Alberta’s Athabasca River far exceeds that from oil sands development, a new study of sediments
suggests...
Canada’s biodiesel production to double this fall
The largest biodiesel plant built in Canada to date is set to open this month in Welland, Ont...
October 2012
Asymmetric micelle growth could improve computer
circuits
Imagine being able to ‘grow’ ultra-tiny computer circuits from electrically- conductive, self-assembling
polymers...
Molecules show promising anti-prion activity
A new set of molecules developed at the University of Alberta has been shown to affect prions, the misfolded
proteins that cause neurodegenerative conditions such as mad cow disease and scrapie...
Flame retardant impacts bird behaviour
A new study has provided the first evidence that hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) has an impact on the
reproductive behaviours of predatory birds...
September 2012
Neutralizer assay improves biological sensing
Imagine a portable electronic device that could analyse blood for up to 180 different components at once:
sequences of DNA and RNA, proteins and even small molecules like adenosine triphosphate (ATP)...
Canadian research disproves arsenic-based DNA
The discovery of a bacterium that can use arsenic instead of phosphorus to construct its DNA is
‘flim-flam.’...
Indium catalysts improve biopolymer synthesis
For years, starch-derived, biodegradable poly(lactic acid) has been a popular bioplastic, but its market
penetration has been limited by undesirable mechanical properties and low heat tolerance. A series of indium
catalysts developed at the University of British Columbia could provide a solution...
July | August 2012
Diblock copolymer creates stain-resistant fabrics
Imagine a fabric that could simply shrug off even the worst stains, from red wine to ketchup...
Wheels on the MOF go round and round
To ‘spin one’s wheels’ usually means a failure to make progress, but last month a group of researchers from
the University of Windsor spun themselves onto the cover of Nature Chemistry...
Organic carbon on Mars is abiotic
Curiosity, NASA’s latest Mars rover, will begin its search for chemical evidence of past life on the
red planet in early August...
June 2012
Egg-based supercapacitor electrodes improve
performance
A team from the University of Alberta has made a dramatic improvement in supercapacitor performance using an
unlikely material: eggshell membranes. ...
Breadfruit flowers contain mosquito repellent
For centuries, Pacific islanders have burned breadfruit flowers to create a mosquito-repellent smoke. New
research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has identified the chemical
substances responsible. ...
Draft assessment on triclosan released
The federal government released its preliminary assessment report for triclosan on March 31, 2012. The report
concludes that although the chemical poses no danger to human health, its possible risks to the environment,
including its potential to accumulate in aquatic organisms, may require additional management measures.
...
May 2012
New data shed light on bromine explosions
Frost flowers and bromine explosions sound almost extraterrestrial but they occur regularly in Canada’s
Arctic. According to a recent study conducted as part of the 2007–2009 International Polar Year, these
phenomena may be linked to changes in sea ice formation and could increase in the future. ...
Chemical biology program gets an 'A'
Last month, the second cohort of Canada’s first undergraduate program in chemical biology received their
degrees. First offered in 2008 by the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at McMaster University,
the program is now straining against its enrolment limit, a testament to its success and to growing interest
in this emerging field. ...
No regulation required for D5
This past February, a three-year debate over the need to regulate decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, also known
as D5, ended when federal Environment Minister Peter Kent concluded that it does not harm the environment.
...
April 2012
Sugar molecule may be key to Alzheimer's treatment
One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is the aggregation of a protein called tau, which in turn gives
rise to neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) and impairs brain function. A team of researchers from Simon Fraser
University has shown that a specific sugar molecule attached to tau might control its aggregation and could
lead to new therapeutics for Alzheimer’s. ...
First satellite study of oil sands air pollution
An international team of researchers led by Environment Canada has published the first satellite-based study
of air quality over Alberta’s oil sands operation. ...
Solid oxygen semiconducts at high pressures
Many undergraduates are surprised to learn that oxygen, which they think of as a colourless gas, is blue and
magnetic when condensed into a liquid. Now, a group of researchers studying solid oxygen have learned that
its properties at extremely high pressures are just as surprising. ...
March 2012
World's first nanocrystalline cellulose plant opens
In late January, CelluForce, a joint venture between Domtar Coporation and FPInnovations, officially opened
the world's first demonstration-scale plant to produce nanocrystalline cellulose(NCC) in Windsor, Que.
...
Report calls for new approach for chemical
regulators
Integrating Emerging Technologies into Chemical Safety Assessment, a report recently released by the
Council of Canadian Academies, urges chemical regulators to modernize the tests and protocols they use.
...
Diabetes drug may help prevent cancer
Metformin is one of the world’s most widely prescribed antidiabetic drugs. Now, Canadian research has shed
light on how it may also act to combat cancer. ...
February 2012
New antifreeze for natural gas pipelines
Inspired by nature, which has a head start on humans when it comes to creating antifreeze, a team at the
University of Ottawa has created a new molecule that prevents the formation of a special kind of ice —
clathrate hydrates. ...
Antibiotic treatment for leukemia
Even with chemotherapy, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) kills more than half of those afflicted. Now,
researchers from the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI) have identified an antibiotic molecule that could also
work as an AML therapeutic. ...
Weyburn CO2 leak a false
alarm
In January 2011, Cameron and Jane Kerr alleged that CO2 from a nearby
experimental carbon storage project was leaking onto their farm near Weyburn, Sask. A year later, two
independent investigations have concluded that this is not the case. ...
January 2012
Amide Hydrogenation Catalyst Discovered
The hydrogenation of amides to form amines and alcohols is a notoriously difficult chemical transformation.
So the recent discovery at the University of Alberta of a new, highly active catalyst for this kind of
reaction could mean big changes for hundreds of synthetic chemical processes.. ...
New copper coating technique could lead to smaller
microchips
If a microchip is a city, copper interconnects are like the streets between different buildings. As those
chips continue to shrink, scientists must find ways of laying down ever-thinner layers of copper. A new
technique developed at Carleton University could hold the answer. ...
Chromium provides evidence of the Great Oxidation
Event
The point at which Earth’s atmosphere first became oxygenated - known as the Great Oxidation Event - has been
a matter of some debate. A new study of chromium levels in ancient rocks by researchers at the University of
Alberta has provided evidence that this event may have begun 100 million years earlier than previously
thought. ...