Highlights
ACS Central Science: Pharm to Table Podcast Duo Bridges the Academia–Industry Divide
29 April 2026The Merck colleagues and cohosts advocate closer collaboration between academic and industry chemists.
New Scientist: We need more radioactive drugs. Can we make them from nuclear waste?
22 April 2026The rise of a new generation of radiotherapies means we will soon need much greater quantities of radioactive atoms. That’s why companies are scrambling to refine them from all manner of radioactive waste.
Science: Whistleblower alleges Finnish startup’s vaunted solid-state battery isn’t what it claims
22 April 2026Donut Lab’s assertions of lightning-fast charging and high energy storage have led to a criminal complaint.
Nature: Fresh claim of making elusive ‘hexagonal’ diamond is the strongest yet
04 March 2026After decades of debate, researchers say that they have found the clearest evidence yet for this rare form of carbon.
C&EN: Copper finally joins the metallocene club
17 February 2026More than 70 years after ferrocene’s discovery, cuprocene fills a long-standing gap in the sandwich menu.
TESTIMONIALS
“As an editor and reporter, Mark Peplow is fast, accurate, and versatile. He covers science policy and pure research with equal passion, and his writing combines a scientist’s precision with a journalist’s verve.” Tim Appenzeller
Former Chief Magazine Editor at Nature, now News Editor at Science
"Mark guided me through some of the most challenging stories I've written. These are pieces I might not have attempted were it not for his steady editorial hand." Linda Nordling
Freelance Journalist, South Africa
“Working with Mark is never anything other than a pleasure. He is the kind of editor that writers hope for: able to identify what needs fixing and what doesn’t, bringing to bear a wealth of knowledge, always clear, prompt and easy to talk with. Much of that comes from being a splendid writer himself.”
Philip Ball
Freelance Science Writer
Category Archives: Highlights
C&EN’s Talented 12: Julian West
This organic chemist harnesses the catalytic power of iron with light.
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Nature: Meet ‘goldene’: this gilded cousin of graphene is also one atom thick
Sheets of gold might find use as catalysts, or in light-sensing devices.
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C&EN: Mechanochemistry strips cargo molecules from a loaded rotaxane
Using polymer strands to pull a ring along an axle could release repair molecules in self-healing materials.
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C&EN: Machine learning improves beer flavor
Algorithm correlates online reviews with chemical profiles of hundreds of beers, providing a roadmap to enhance taste.
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C&EN: Scorching heat turns MOF into discerning hydrogenation catalyst
By selectively turning alkynes into alkenes, the porous material could pave the way for more efficient purification of polymer feedstocks.
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C&EN: Photochemistry unleashes a one-two radical punch for efficient ring synthesis
Iridium and nickel catalysts cooperate to install nonaromatic rings in drug molecules.
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C&EN: Water boosts light-driven coupling chemistry
A thin film of organic molecules floating on water can undergo useful photochemical reactions, without needing organic solvents or catalysts.
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C&EN: Lasers liberate hydrogen from ammonia water
Light pulses offer an alternative approach to harnessing ammonia as a carrier for green hydrogen.
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C&EN: Roll up for flexible silicon solar cells
Thin cells could wrap around corners and use less silicon without sacrificing efficiency, potentially reducing solar costs.
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C&EN: Robot assistant optimizes photochemistry
RoboChem combines flow chemistry and machine learning to improve yield of light-driven reactions.
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