Marvelous news about chemistry

Molecular Needles: Carbon nanotubes inject antimycotics into cells and increase their effectiveness
Putting pharmaceutical agents into the body isn't hard, but getting them into targeted areas can be problematic. If drugs aren't taken up by a large enough proportion of cells, a suitable "transport agent" must be used. A French and Italian research team has successfully used carbon nanotubes as transport agents for antimycotics (antifungal agents). In addition, they have developed a strategy for attaching a second agent or marker to the nanotubes in a controlled fashion. Carbon nanotubes are long, narrow nanoscale tubes made of multiple layers of carbon atoms arranged in graphite-like sheets. "They can drill through cell membranes like tiny needles," explains Alberto Bianco, "without damaging the cell." If proteins or nucleic acids are attached to the nanotubes, they come right along through the membrane. Bianco and a team of scientists from CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of Strasbourg) and the University of Trieste wanted to determine if this concept could also be extended to small pharmaceutical molecules such as antibiotics or cancer drugs. They were particularly intrigued by the idea of attaching not one, but two different "passengers". This would make it possible to carry out combination therapies with two different drugs or to trace the uptake of a drug by using a marker. ...pdf download / further info

Chemists perfect fast way to synthesize libraries of gold nanoparticles
University of Oregon chemist Jim Hutchison discovered a new way of rapidly generating libraries of tiny particles with great promise for research and development at the nanoscale. "We've discovered a method for generating a diverse library of functionalized gold particles quickly and easily," said Hutchison, who directs the university's Materials Science Institute. "Basic research of this type is the key to finding out what kinds of new electronic, optical and pharmaceutical products actually will come to market." pdf download

BP confirms for second Zhuhai PTA plant
BP is planning a second world-scale PTA (purified terephthalic acid) plant at their BP Zhuhai Chemical Company Limited (BP Zhuhai) site in Guangdong Province, China. BP Zhuhai, a joint venture between BP (85 per cent) and Fu Hua Group (15 per cent), currently operates a 350,000 tonnes a year PTA plant at the site and will also own and operate the new plant
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physical chemistry