Jean-Claude Volta, Institut de Recherches sur la Catalyse IRC, Villeurbanne, France, passed away last week

Jean-Claude Volta (1946 – 2011)

Classics in Total Synthesis III
Classics in Total Synthesis III by K. C. Nicolaou and Jason Chen, reviewed by Dirk Menche and Sebastian Essig

Television for the Nose
Progress toward smell television: targeted release of various scents from individually addressable chambers

Recycled Cardboard in Packaging Risks Contamination
New study shows that using recycled cardboard in food packaging risks contaminating food with mineral oils

Baking Powder for Environmentally Friendly Hydrogen Storage
A new, CO2 neutral approach to hydrogen storage is based on simple salts of formic acid and carbonic acid

Winner of the Third iPad
Professor Frieda Texter, Albright College, Pennsylvania, USA, is the February winner of the Win an iPad campaign

Periodic Debate
Mendeleev's Periodic Table is, for many, the symbol of chemistry but is the current layout the best one?

Molecular Visual Illusion
An aromatic ring system reminiscent of M.C. Escher’s Penrose stairs has been created by Japanese researchers

Chemistry of a Hangover — Alcohol and its Consequences Part 2
How can a tiny molecule like ethanol be at the root of so much human misery? Klaus Roth looks at how ethanol is metabolized

Nano Safety
The safety of nanoparticles is under constant examination and recent research suggests their toxicity does not depend on size