Chemistry and Industry

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Will it be just the fittest that survive?(Leader)
Often attributed incorrectly to Charles Darwin, the term 'survival of the fittest' was coined by British philosopher and sociological theorist Herbert Spencer after reading Darwin's On the Origin of . . .

BASF restructures Ciba businesses.(M&A)(Ciba-Geigy Corp.)
German chemical major BASF will cut 3700 jobs by 2013, in the wake of the Ciba acquisition, the majority of which will go by the end of 2010. In addition, 23 of the 55 Ciba production sites could . . .

Dow closure threatens UK chemicals industry.(Ethylene oxide production)(Dow Chemical Co.)
US chemical major Dow has announced that it will close its UK ethylene oxide (EO) plant in Teesside at the end of January 2010. The closure is already having a knock-on effect on chemical plants in . . .

Element 112, which IUPAC recently confirmed would be added to the periodic table (C&I 2009, 12, 8), has been named.(Brief articl
Element 112, which IUPAC recently confirmed would be added to the periodic table (C&I 2009, 12, 8), has been named. The researchers from the Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany, deci . . .

Scientists have found that rhesus monkeys which ate 30% less over the course of their lives lived substantially longer than cont
Scientists have found that rhesus monkeys which ate 30% less over the course of their lives lived substantially longer than controls. Caloric restriction has long been known to increase the life spa . . .

Pharma generic delays could have cost 3bn [euro].(European antitrust)
Pharmaceutical companies have been trying to delay or block the entry of competing generic drugs onto the market at significant cost to the healthcare system, according to the European Commission (E . . .

Japan's generic love affair.(Indian pharmaceuticals)
In what could be a win-win situation, Japanese drug majors are teaming up with Indian firms for their generic capability and to conduct their contract manufacturing and clinical trials. At the same . . .

Japan's chemical companies set sights on India.(News)
It is not just pharma firms that are keen on India. Chemical companies are making a beeline for it too. Mitsubishi announced plans to focus on developing its purified terephthalic acid (PTA) produ . . .

A project to develop perennial ryegrass, the UK's most common grass used for grazing and silage, for biofuel production, is unde
A project to develop perennial ryegrass, the UK's most common grass used for grazing and silage, for biofuel production, is under way at the Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences . . .

SG Biofuels, the Californian plant oil company, has identified several strains of cold tolerant jatropha suitable for growing in
SG Biofuels, the Californian plant oil company, has identified several strains of cold tolerant jatropha suitable for growing in locations outside the plant's normal subtropical environment. The com . . .

The Biomine division of Upfront Chromatography, the Danish developer of customised industrial-scale protein separation technolog
The Biomine division of Upfront Chromatography, the Danish developer of customised industrial-scale protein separation technologies, has developed a cost-effective protein isolation technology that . . .

Energy major Shell has sold the first petrol containing second generation cellulosic bioethanol.(Biofuel briefs)(Shell Petroleum
Energy major Shell has sold the first petrol containing second generation cellulosic bioethanol. The 10% blend of bioethanol, produced in a 40,000 gal/month demonstration plant from wheat straw by l . . .

SME compliance costs.(News)(small and medium sized enterprises)(Survey)(Brief article)
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK are spending 2bn [pounds sterling]/ year on health and safety compliance, a new report indicates. The UK lobby group Forum of Private Business cal . . .

Mass spectrometry tweak makes diagnosis faster.(Metabolite profiling)
A tweak to a widely used spectrometry technique could enable quick and easy analysis of the metabolites in a person's blood. The new mass spectrometry technique produces a comprehensive snapshot of . . .

Blueprint to boost UK life sciences.(Innovation)(Brief article)
UK patients could soon be treated with selected new medicines even when they have not yet been approved by the UK's drugs watchdog, NICE, under new plans announced by the government earlier this mon . . .

Weedkiller ups nutrients.(Plant science)
A new study indicates herbicides can increase the nutrients in crops, adding a new dimension to the debate on agrochemical use. The researchers applied two common herbicides, mesotrione and atrazi . . .

Ionic liquids break down plant cell walls, releasing sugars for biofuels.(News)(Brief article)
These images, which demonstrate how ionic liquids break down plant material, could pave the way to better methods of producing biofuels and, ultimately, cheaper energy. Ionic liquids--salts that a . . .

US science scrutinised.(News)(Survey)(Brief article)
The US public's view of science has slipped over the past 10 years, with only 27% saying that science is one of the country's greatest achievements, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Resear . . .

UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is making 10m [pounds sterling] available as seed money to support the formation of a new
UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is making 10m [pounds sterling] available as seed money to support the formation of a new public private partnership approach for paediatric HIV research focuse . . .

Japanese pharma concern Astellas Pharma has formed a joint venture with US biopharma firm Maxygen to develop multiple protein ph
Japanese pharma concern Astellas Pharma has formed a joint venture with US biopharma firm Maxygen to develop multiple protein pharmaceutical programmes, including Maxygen's MAXY-4, for the treatment . . .

US healthcare major Johnson & Johnson and Irish neuroscience-based biotech firm Elan have signed an agreement whereby J&J will a
US healthcare major Johnson & Johnson and Irish neuroscience-based biotech firm Elan have signed an agreement whereby J&J will acquire all the assets and rights related to Elan's Alzheimer's disease . . .

Picking natural peptides.(Computational chemistry)
A promising class of pharmaceutically active natural products, extracted from algae and bacteria, known as non-ribosomal peptides (NRPs), could be sped through the patenting process faster thanks to . . .

Surface reactions produce pollutants.(Atmospheric chemistry)
Your walls, floors and ceilings could be factories for harmful pollutants, scientists have found. Conventional wisdom held that hydrogen chloride and nitrogen oxides, abundant byproducts of combus . . .

Speciality firms ride out storm: some producers performed as if there was no crisis in Q1 2009.(Financial analysis)
Three of our set of speciality producers (Lubrizol, Nalco and Olin) continues to perform as though there was no global economic downturn at all! Other companies, however, were not so successful. I . . .

Ranbaxy.(Movers & shakers)(appointments by Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. )(Brief article)
Malvinder Mohan Singh has stepped down as chairman, ceo and managing director of Indian pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy. Atul Sobti, currently chief operating officer, has been appointed ceo and mana . . .

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.(Movers & shakers)(appointment of Thomas Frieden)(Brief article)
Thomas Frieden, has been appointed director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He was most recently commissioner of the New York City health department. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] . . .

Biotie.(Movers & shakers)(BioTie Therapies Corp. appointed Chris Piggott)(Brief article)
Biotechnology company Biotie has appointed Chris Piggott chief business officer and a member of the management team, effective 1 June 2009. He succeeds Kai Lahdesmaki who retired from the company in . . .

Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry.(Movers & shakers)(appointment of Alison Clough)(Brief article)
The Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has appointed Alison Clough director of value, a newly created role. She was most recently operations director for the clinical research and . . .

Krzysztof Matyjaszewski.(Movers & shakers)(Brief article)
Krzysztof Matyjaszewski has won the 2009 Presidential Green Challenge Award. The awards are given by the US Environmental Protection Agency in recognition of R&D leading to alternative technologies . . .

Lubrizol.(Movers & shakers)(C Lawrence Miller has been named)(Brief article)
C Lawrence Miller has been appointed corporate vp of human resources at speciality chemical company Lubrizol, effective 1 July. He succeeds Mark Meister, who is retiring. Miller has worked at Lubriz . . .

Ian Shott.(Movers & shakers)(Commander of the Order of the British Empire)(Brief article)
Ian Shott, president and ceo of UK biotech manufacturing services company Excelsyn, and C&I editorial board member, has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services . . .

EuropaBio.(Movers & shakers)(European Associaton for Bioindustries appoints Andrea Rappagliosi )(Brief article)
EuropaBio, the European Associaton for Bioindustries, has appointed Andrea Rappagliosi chair. Rappagliosi is vp European government affairs and head of Brussels office at GlaxoSmithKline. He succeed . . .

Obituary.(Movers & shakers)(Society of Chemical Industry member George Peter Herz)(Obituary)(Brief article)
C&I regrets to report the death of long time SCI member George Peter Herz. Following his family's escape from Austria in 1938, Herz lived first in the UK before moving to the US, where, at the age o . . .

Diary.(People)(Calendar)
9-11 September, 34th World Nuclear Association Annual Symposium, London, UK. Contact: Stuart Cloke. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7451 1547, email: symposium_admin@world-nuclear.org, web: www.wna-symposium.org. . . .

Danish pharma concern H Lundbeck has acquired Aarhus-based biotech firm Neuronicon, which specialises in the treatment of brain
Danish pharma concern H Lundbeck has acquired Aarhus-based biotech firm Neuronicon, which specialises in the treatment of brain damage following strokes and skull fractures. Lundbeck has also signed . . .

Privately held Indian pharma company Cadila Pharmaceuticals has formed an Indian joint venture.(Companies, technology & environm
Privately held Indian pharma company Cadila Pharmaceuticals has formed an Indian joint venture, CPL Biologicals, with US clinical stage biotech firm Novavax to develop and manufacture vaccines, biol . . .

US healthcare major Johnson & Johnson has completed its acquisition of Cougar Technology.(Companies, technology & environment)
US healthcare major Johnson & Johnson has completed its acquisition of Cougar Technology, the development stage biopharma company specialising in oncology (C&I 2009, 12, 13). . . .

German automotive group Volkswagen has transferred its shareholding in Dead Sea Magnesium to ICL.(Companies, technology & enviro
German automotive group Volkswagen has transferred its shareholding in Dead Sea Magnesium to ICL, the Israeli fertiliser and speciality chemical company that owns and operates the magnesium producti . . .

Sanofi-aventis.(Companies, technology & environment)
French pharma concern sanofi-aventis has put its UK RSD base in Alnwick, Northumberland, up for sale. . . .

UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline has acquired the branded generics business of US pharma major BristolMyers Squibb.(Companies, te
UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline has acquired the branded generics business of US pharma major BristolMyers Squibb in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Libya and Yemen for $23.2m. . . .

French active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) producer Novasep has acquired Belgian contract research organisation Henogen, wh
French active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) producer Novasep has acquired Belgian contract research organisation Henogen, which specialises in bioprocess development and manufacturing services f . . .

Eyeful.(Companies, technology & environment)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Eyeful: Lanxess supplied the Bayferrox iron oxide pigments used for the 4m [euro] repainting of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, to celebrate its 120th birthday. . . .

The Chinese government has approved the $1.4bn expansion planned by BASF-YPC, the joint venture between BASF and China Petroleum
The Chinese government has approved the $1.4bn expansion planned by BASF-YPC, the joint venture between BASF and China Petroleum & Chemical (Sinopec), in Nanjing. The plan includes the expansion of . . .

Official Chinese approval has also been received for Saudi Basic Industries (Sabic) to participate with Sinopec in a 50/50 joint
Official Chinese approval has also been received for Saudi Basic Industries (Sabic) to participate with Sinopec in a 50/50 joint venture at the petrochemical complex under construction in Tianjin, C . . .

Borouge, the petrochemical joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Austria's Borealis, has awarded three fronte
Borouge, the petrochemical joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Austria's Borealis, has awarded three frontend engineering and design contracts to Tecnimont for multiple polyolef . . .

German speciality chemical company Lanxess is delaying construction of the 400m [euro], 100,000 t/year butyl rubber facility pla
German speciality chemical company Lanxess is delaying construction of the 400m [euro], 100,000 t/year butyl rubber facility planned for Singapore in order to complete the development of a new proce . . .

The Nunhems subsidiary of German life science major Bayer CropScience has formally opened a new 2m [euro] experimental station i
The Nunhems subsidiary of German life science major Bayer CropScience has formally opened a new 2m [euro] experimental station in Cartagena, Spain, for the development of vegetable seed varieties fo . . .

Dow Basic Plastics Licensing & Catalyst.(Projects & Technology)(Brief article)
US-based Dow Basic Plastics Licensing & Catalyst has increased the capacity at its SHAC catalyst plant in Norco, Louisiana, by 20%. SHAC catalysts are used in polypropylene production, being the pre . . .

University of Leeds.(Projects & Technology)(research on energy efficient hydrogen production technology)(Brief article)
Researchers at the University of Leeds, UK, are developing energy efficient hydrogen production technology, Unmixed and Sorption-Enhanced Reforming, based on steam and waste materials such as vegeta . . .

BASF PlantScience and the Botanical Institute of the University of Koln have signed a collaborative licence and R&D agreement co
BASF PlantScience and the Botanical Institute of the University of Koln have signed a collaborative licence and R&D agreement covering plant biotechnology. The work will focus on plant traits that i . . .