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• Microplastics could make other pollutants more harmful
  

  Microplastics — small plastic pieces less than five millimeters in length — are becoming a ubiquitous ecological contaminant. Studies suggest that on their own, these tiny bits are potentially harmful, and it’s unclear what effect they could have on pollutants that latch onto them. Now, researchers more

• A novel path for sustainable photon upconversion with non-precious metals
  

  Sustainable chemical applications need to be able to employ renewable energy sources, renewable raw materials, and earth-abundant elements. However, to date many techniques have only been possible with the use of expensive precious metals or rare earth metals, the extraction of which can have seriou more

• Infrared in the heel
  

  Substances that emit light in the near infrared (NIR) range are needed for a wide variety of applications, from fibre-optic telecommunications to imaging techniques for biomedicine. A Swiss research team has now for the first time developed a chromium complex that emits light in the coveted longer-w more

Infographics Chromium

The Chemistry of an Electric Guitar

Electric guitars, on the face of it, might not seem to have much to do with chemistry. However, the materials that make them up are carefully chosen for their chemical properties, without which they simply wouldn’t function. In this graphic, we take a look at some of these materials, and their typic more

The Dark Side of Fireworks

Many of us enjoyed watching spectacular fireworks displays to usher in the new year. However, the vibrant colours of fireworks belie the effects that they can have on the environment. With this graphic, we take a look at some of the issues that they can cause. more

Colours of Transition Metal Ions in Aqueous Solution

This graphic looks at the colours of transition metal ions when they are in aqueous solution (in water), and also looks at the reason why we see coloured compounds and complexes for transition metals. This helps explain, for example, why rust (iron oxide) is an orange colour, and why the Statue of L more