I bet many of you have used this ingredient of bath salts in your undergraduate chemistry labs. Discover magnesium sulfate in this week’s Chemistry in its element podcast.
Govert Flinck, Portrait of Dirck Jacobsz. Leeuw and elemental distribution images of the painting.
While X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy is a well-established technique for the investigation of paintings, the apparatus used are usually custom built and not widely available. Now, Matthias Alfeld and colleagues have developed a portable macro XRF spectrometer to look at paintings in situ.
The team used the device to look at a portrait by Govert Flinck, a Dutch painter who was a protégé of the great Rembrandt. Interestingly, they found that originally the subject was painted wearing a broad bobbin lace collar and long lace cuffs but this was toned down for the final version, possibly because it was too trendy.
The device also made it possible to visualise Flinck’s first sketches on the canvas before he got to work with the paint. The authenticity of this particular painting was never disputed but being able to see sketches is a good indication of whether a painting is an original or a copy.
Which paintings would you like to look at with the device? I wonder how many fake Van Goghs could be uncovered?
Jennifer Newton
Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to come and work for us here at Chemistry World towers? If the thought has ever crossed your mind (or not, it doesn’t offend us if it hasn’t!) this could be your lucky day. We are currently advertising a couple of vacancies not to be missed. Whether you are new to the field of science communication, want to test whether this is the right career for you or you are an experienced journalist we’ve got something for everyone… Read on.
Business editor: We’re looking for an exceptional journalist, familiar with the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, to temporarily manage the business news section and regular business features.
For more info and to apply click here.
Science writer internship: The RSC is looking for a student member to work as a science writer in our editorial office this summer. You will gain experience working for two of our publications: Chemistry World and Education in Chemistry. This eight week position is supported by the Marriott Bequest Trust and will provide a hands-on introduction to the complete editorial process.
For more info and to apply click here. I recommend you also read Patrick’s blog here.
We’re looking for bright, ambitious people who are passionate about Chemistry World and communicating science. If that’s you, get in touch. Follow the links or, if you need more information, contact us at chemistryworld@rsc.org.
Bibiana Campos Seijo
One of the stories published in the April issue of Chemistry World started a wider conversation about the value, or otherwise, of explosions in chemistry outreach. Do we over rely on flashes and bangs or do chemistry bangs beget engagement?
Copyright M-H Jeeves
The original article, titled On Ilkley Moor bar TNT, appeared on The Last Retort and started with quite a controversial opening paragraph: ’In my opinion, any chemical lecture is greatly enhanced by an explosion.’
This seemed to divide opinion among readers and you can read about the discussion that ensued on Storify or by following #chemexplosions on Twitter….
What’s your view?
Bibiana Campos Seijo
It’s funny the things that you see on Twitter. When this tweet appeared from RetractionWatch guru Ivan Oransky, it got me wondering why a Pharma company like GSK would be selling off over 350 paintings.
A quick call to GSK’s Philadelphia,US, office provided the simple explanation. According to company spokesperson Jennifer Armstrong, GSK is moving its Philadelphia operations to a brand new building, which opens this weekend. ‘The new workspace is completely open, without any individual offices, so we don’t have so many interior walls to hang artwork. The walls we do have are also used for other purposes – they’re either glass, or for writing on or tacking things to,’ she says.
— GSK’s new Philadelphia home
Vancomycin – the drug of last resort for treating resistant bacteria – was isolated from soil taken from the Borneo jungle. Find out more in this week’s Chemistry in its element podcast.
Since January you may have noticed a new, cheeky addition to the puzzles page – a geektastic, scientific comic strip for all to enjoy! Replacing our ‘Through the lens’ section, the comic strip provides a humorous outlet for topical issues facing scientists today, drawn by a different illustrator each month.
I am proud to present the very first comic strip below, which was drawn by the talented Nik Papageorgiou, whom some of you may recognise from The Upturned Microscope
— The Upturned Microscope – January issue
Of course, I’m not forgetting all those loyal ‘Through the lens’ fans out there, have no fear, this has now become a nomadic, full-page spread within the magazine – enabling the beautiful, eye-catching imagery to be displayed in all its glory! You can also view the collection of ‘Through the lens’ images online
I hope you enjoy the new look and, as always, do let us know what you think by leaving any comments below.
Emma Shiells
— One of the participating tokay geckos. Photo: Ethan Knapp and Alyssa Stark
I love a good gecko story, and I love how the cute little critters can climb up most things but would apparently struggle with my non-stick frying pan. Now I’ve found out that if my frying pan was still wet from the washing up Mr Gecko would have a better chance of holding on.
There is a serious side to this science. Hundreds of systems have been developed mimicking the adhesive power of gecko toes and all rely on creating a large surface area that can get in contact with whatever surface you want to stick to using van de Waals forces to do the rest. Understanding how different surfaces affect adhesion is obviously important and it’s been anecdotally known for a while that as well as struggling with Teflon, geckos can’t stick to wet glass despite their feet being superhydrophobic. In rainforests, things can get quite wet so how do the geckos manage?
To test this out Alyssa Stark‘s lab at the University of Akron, Ohio, placed geckos on different surfaces to investigate when the geckos slipped and when they stuck. To get more data than slip versus stick, those little geckos were fitted with harnesses and slowly pulled off surfaces using force meters to record the gecko adhesion values. If ever there’s a day you’d have liked to have been in someone’s lab, the day harnessed geckos were slid around for science has got to be up there (at least for me).
The findings are, in part, to be expected. Wetting surfaces usually makes them more slippery for geckos but it’s only wet glass that causes a real problem – hydrophobic surfaces that were wetted could still be clung on to as the lizard’s hydrophobic feet helped get rid of the water and form a contact with the dry surface beneath. So the lab work confirms that wet leaves shouldn’t be a problem. The exception, which also contradicted the Akron group’s modelling, was PTFE, or Teflon. Wet Teflon, it seems, is much easier for the geckos to hold on to. The why is not certain yet though, so I for one am looking forward to more gecko science, ideally with videos…
Laura Howes
Be careful with that drink! Brian Clegg looks at the chemistry behind chloral hydrate – the knockout drops in a ‘Mickey Finn’ – in this week’s Chemistry in its element podcast.
It’s that time of year again, when the mad March hares are making an appearance, daffodils popping up and the world seems to be waking from its long slumber. It’s spring, and this means that the Royal Society of Chemistry’s magazines Chemistry World and Education in Chemistry are looking for their next (paid!) intern to come and work with us. It’s a great opportunity to see how the magazines process works and take part in all stages of the production process.
The eight week position is supported by the Marriott Bequest, which pays out a stipend of £1750 to make sure you don’t starve! Unsurprisingly, we’re looking for someone with a proven interest in science and science journalism. The candidate will probably be part way through a chemical science degree or postgrad course too. If you think that sounds like you then take a look at the job posting and send us your CV and some examples of your writing.
Previous interns have found the experience very handy and it has helped them to move into other interesting and varied jobs. Our 2010 intern, Akshat Rathi, went on to intern at the Economist, who he still writes for, and now works in the communications department of the RSC. Josh Howgego still writes for Chemistry World and Education in Chemistry and is currently on an MSci course in science communication at Imperial College, after a brief work experience stint at the Times Higher Education. And last year’s intern, Ian Le Guillou, is currently doing some work experience at the BBC as a researcher on Dara O’Briain’s Science Club before he takes up a full time science writer job at Understanding Animal Research.
It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity! We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Patrick Walter
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