Category archives: Chemistry

The beginning of life, uncracked by cyanide?

The beginning of life, uncracked by cyanide?

BiochemistryBiologyChemistryEvolution

By Isabel Perez Castro

“In the beginning, there was simplicity” Richard Dawkins, “The selfish gene”, chapter 2 The question of how life began on Earth is as old as the human race and has occupied the thoughts and time of scientists and philosophers for centuries, often causing conflict throughout history. From a scientific point of view, the several possibilities […]

Darker than black quantum dots

Darker than black quantum dots

ChemistryMaterials

By DIPC

A quantum dot is a nanometric crystalline structure of semiconductor materials. In a quatum dot electrons are confined in a region of space, thus creating a well defined structure of energy levels that depends very much on the size and shape of the quantum dot. This structure resembles that of atoms, that is why sometimes […]

Polyoxometalates, the other discovery by D’Elhuyar brothers

Polyoxometalates, the other discovery by D’Elhuyar brothers

Chemistry

By Aroa Pache

Not many people know that polyoxometalates (POMs) discovery dates back to 1783 and that they were the D´Elhuyar brothers ( Juan José D´Elhuyar (Logroño, 1754 ) and Fausto D´Elhuyar (Logroño, 1755) who discovered a yellow spicy/bitter tasting salt from the reaction of ammonium molybdate with phosphoric acid which is now known as ammonium 12-phosphomolybdate, (NH […]

The true colour of chlorophylls

The true colour of chlorophylls

BiologyChemistryMaterials

By DIPC

Most leaves are various shades of green. This is due to the chlorophylls. The name chlorophyll comes from the Greek words chloros (green) and phyllon (leaf). There are six types of chlorophylls in plants. The two main chlorophylls are chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b. Chlorophyll a absorbs purple and orange light the most. Chlorophyll b […]