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C&EN Medicinal Chemistry

A brief history of anaesthetics and how they work – in C&EN

Surgery has become a lot more comfortable since the first demonstrations of ether anaesthesia in the 1840s. In October’s edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News, we looked at the different types of anaesthesia, the compounds involved, and what we know about how they work. Click through to the C&EN site to view […]

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Biochemistry Chemistry in the News

What is folic acid, and why is it important during pregnancy?

This week, the UK has confirmed it plans to fortify non-wholemeal flour with folic acid. It’s not the first country to do so: the United States has been fortifying flour with folic acid since 1998. Most countries in South America and a number in Asia also have mandatory fortification programs. This graphic looks at the […]

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Biochemistry

Dahlia colour chemistry: Why don’t we see blue dahlias?

Dahlias: the jewels of the late summer garden. Shades of red, yellow, orange, pink, with their petals forming intricate geometric structures. But, like roses and many other flowers, the dahlia spectrum is missing one colour: blue. So why are blue blooms so rare in nature?

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Biochemistry C&EN

The chemistry of plant flowering – in C&EN

What causes plants to flower in the springtime, and what is responsible for the range of colours and aromas their bloom produce? In the latest edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News, we look at the chemicals in play. Visit the C&EN site to view the full graphic.

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ChemVsCOVID Coronavirus

#ChemVsCOVID: How did past research help COVID-19 vaccine efforts?

On this day in 2020, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine entered phase 1 trials, making it the first COVID vaccine to do so. This came less than a week after the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. How was it possible for this to happen so quickly? The third part of the #ChemVsCOVID series, […]

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Biochemistry ChemVsCOVID Coronavirus

#ChemVsCOVID: How was the spike protein structure identified?

The second part of the #ChemVsCOVID series, produced with the Royal Society of Chemistry, looks at how the structure of the spike protein was determined and how it helped our efforts against the virus.