The chemical breakdown & Chemistry in its element

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Latest Episodes:

A salmon-safe alternative to 6PPD & the first known example of naturally produced MOFs | The chemical breakdown podcast Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we discuss the challenges of balancing tyre chemistry and environmental safety, along with the first known example of naturally synthesized MOFs with Phillip Broadwith and Patrick Walter.

A chemical that keeps tyres from cracking is also killing salmon when it washes into rivers. We discuss the difficulties in searching for a safer replacement for 6PPD.

And, researchers have identified a bacteria that produces and uses MOFs at the bottom of the seafloor. How is it possible, and what can we learn from it about our own design of materials?

Main stories:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/tyremakers-are-searching-for-alternatives-to-salmon-killing-additive/4024386.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/bacteria-discovered-to-be-synthesising-metal-organic-frameworks-with-extraordinary-conductivity/4024399.article

Headlines:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/punitive-student-loans-threaten-the-future-of-uk-science/4024377.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/covalent-organic-frameworks-could-clean-up-water-pollution-and-generate-green-ammonia/4024413.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/x-ray-molecular-movie-of-penicillin-reveals-hidden-lives-of-its-intermediates/4024365.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/small-world-photo-competition-winner-announced-following-disqualification-of-video-winner-for-ai-use/4024405.article

Waterproof white inspired by nature & low-stakes mistakes | The chemical breakdown podcast Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

This week we discuss a new light-controlled technique that creates structural color and water repellent properties in polymer films and discuss our low-stakes mistakes with Mason Wakley and Frankie Macpherson.

What do lotus leaves and plastic sheets have in common? We discuss how structural colour provides an alternative for pigments and chemicals and their environmental cost.

And, have you ever panicked over a broken a piece of lab equipment or a ruined experiment, only to realize it wasn't as big a deal as you thought? This week, we are discussing our low-stakes mistakes, why they feel so dire in the moment, and what we can learn from them.

Main stories:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/biomimetic-foaming-photopolymers-offer-new-waterproof-white-material/4024218.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/the-chemistry-world-team-shares-some-of-its-low-stakes-mistakes/4024104.article

Headlines:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/merck-and-cos-us-antibiotic-withdrawal-sends-the-wrong-signals-for-combating-resistance/4024343.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/lunar-samples-returned-by-chinas-change-6-mission-contain-rare-highly-magnetic-iron-allotrope/4024261.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/two-accidental-nitroalkane-reactions-reveal-complementary-photochemical-routes-to-alkenes-and-unite-their-discoverers/4024314.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/syngenta-plans-to-close-grangemouth-manufacturing-site/4024349.article

Nobel prize in chemistry 2026: predictions | The chemical breakdown podcast Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

It's Nobel season again! And we're doing something a little different here on The chemical breakdown. Instead of our usual stories, in this episode we are turning the microphone to speculation and discussing who we think will be taking home the chemistry Nobel prize this year with Jamie Durrani and Neil Withers.

Each year the Nobel prize is awarded across six categories, including physiology/medicine, physics, literature, peace, economic sciences, and chemistry. This year the announcement of the chemistry prize is set for Wednesday 7 October.

Past winners have included last year's metal organic frameworks, protein structure prediction and design, and quantum dots. Who is slated to win the prize this year? We trace trends in previous award winners, current predictions being discussed including the Clarivate citation laureates, and chat through our own Chemistry World team's predictions.

Main stories:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/who-will-win-the-2026-nobel-prize-in-chemistry/4024197.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/nobel-prize/the-data-behind-the-nobel-prizes/4010453.article

Headlines:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/hats-off-for-new-lower-temperature-route-to-unzip-plexiglass-for-recycling/4024240.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/300mw-electrolyser-construction-starts-off-spanish-hydrogen-valley/4024272.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/elemental-sulfur-found-in-mammalian-cells-for-first-time/4024258.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/simple-organic-catalyst-walks-phosphate-groups-along-sugar-backbones/4024254.article

Drugging the 'undruggable' cancer proteins & conserving the Bayeux Tapestry | The chemical breakdown podcast Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

This week, we explore how molecular glues have revolutionized how we treat previously 'undruggable' cancers and explore how modern scientific techniques are teasing apart the mysteries of one of the most iconic historical artefacts with Phillip Broadwith and Neil Withers.

A ground-breaking new drug has become the first of its kind to win FDA approval for metastatic pancreatic cancer. Could it mark the beginning of a new era for cancers that have long been considered impossible to target?

We'll also uncover the chemistry behind the investigation and conservation of the Bayeux Tapestry. What secrets have scientists already revealed, and what questions about this iconic artefact remain unanswered?

Main stories:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/us-approves-pancreatic-cancer-treatment-that-targets-undruggable-proteins/4024110.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/the-chemistry-helping-to-unravel-the-bayeux-tapestrys-secrets/4024093.article

Headlines:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/does-the-discovery-of-a-new-coronavirus-upend-the-covid-19-lab-leak-hypothesis/4024170.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/uk-funding-agency-to-spend-66-million-on-new-methods-for-engineering-the-mitochondrial-genome/4024165.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/chinas-scientific-rise-is-being-driven-by-returning-expertise-especially-chemists/4024149.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/growing-confidence-of-africas-chemical-societies-brings-chemistrys-benefits-to-continent/4024137.article

Advances in CAR-T cancer therapy & carbon materials' hidden defects | The chemical breakdown podcast Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

This week, we discuss a study showing promise in applying CAR-T immunotherapy in bladder cancer tumours and breakdown how scientists have uncovered spectral signatures previously misassigned in carbon materials – with Frankie Macpherson and Mason Wakley.

CAR-T therapy has been a game changer for blood cancers, yet solid tumours have been largely resistant to this treatment. We discuss a new study that shows promise in applying this immunotherapy in bladder cancer tumours.

And, we discuss why scientists are rethinking how they assign peaks in spectra of carbon-based materials. What does this mean for the technologies that rely on them, and do we need to rethink some long-held assumptions?

Main stories:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/step-forward-for-car-t-therapy-as-it-shows-promise-in-solid-bladder-tumours/4024034.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/chemists-may-be-misassigning-defects-in-carbon-materials-study-suggests/4024018.article

Headlines:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/copper-chains-more-than-4000-atoms-long-are-the-longest-ever-produced/4024095.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/hokkaido-university-graduate-student-dies-after-exposure-to-hydrofluoric-acid/4024098.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/sodium-batteries-durability-and-performance-boosted-by-scandium-additive/4024088.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/molecular-dyes-outside-of-the-srgb-colour-gamut-present-a-challenge-for-digital-chemistry/4024094.article

UK science department abolished & Ireland's crumbling concrete | The chemical breakdown podcast Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we discuss the changes to science policy made by the new UK prime minister and breakdown the chemistry behind crumbling concrete in Ireland.

On July 21, new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham abolished the government's department of science and absorbing its functions into the business department. What does this mean for UK research?

And, thousands of Irish buildings are cracking apart, but the culprit may not be what scientists first thought. We discuss the mica crisis and the chemistry behind it.

Main stories:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/science-department-abolished-as-uks-new-prime-minister-andy-burnham-appoints-first-cabinet/4023895.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/why-are-buildings-cracking-up-in-ireland/4023916.article

Headlines:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/chemistry-can-feel-inaccessible-to-british-asian-students-survey-finds/4024036.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/step-forward-for-car-t-therapy-as-it-shows-promise-in-solid-bladder-tumours/4024034.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/uranium-complex-smashes-record-for-consecutive-bonds-between-atoms/4024012.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/organisations-cant-solve-a-problem-they-cant-measure-industry-framework-aims-to-improve-chemical-hazard-monitoring/4024049.article

Thermo Fisher antibody data manipulation & the shrinking chemical recycling industry | The chemical breakdown podcast Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we breakdown the controversy behind a collection of altered images in the online catalogue of one of the largest laboratory suppliers, and discuss the complexity behind chemical recycling of plastics with Frankie Macpherson and Phillip Broadwith.

Multinational laboratory supplier Thermo Fisher Scientific has been criticized after hundreds of doctored images of validation Western blots were found on their online antibody reagent catalogue. We discuss the latest reactions from the scientific community.

And, why hasn't chemical recycling been as successful with plastics? We explain some of the reasons behind the industry's contraction and what it means for the future of plastic recycling.

Main stories:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/thermo-fisher-antibody-data-manipulation-is-a-breach-of-trust-say-researchers/4023854.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/chemical-recycling-plants-closing-in-eu-and-us/4023904.article

Headlines:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/the-genius-narrative-isnt-inspiring-science-biographies-for-children-may-send-a-demotivating-message/4023970.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/re-engineered-psychedelic-drug-retains-therapeutic-activity-in-mice-while-limiting-negative-side-effects/4023982.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/japan-finalises-joining-the-eus-flagship-research-programme-horizon-europe/4023981.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/oral-cholesterol-lowering-peptide-approved-after-a-decade-in-development/4023991.article

50 years after Seveso & changing the way we separate hydrocarbons | The chemical breakdown podcast Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we reflect on the lessons learned and the impacts of the Seveso chemical disaster of 1976, and discuss the latest membrane materials that could slash the energy required to refine crude oil with Jamie Durrani and Mason Wakley.

Fifty years ago, a major accident at an Italian chemical plant released a cloud of dioxin that spread across 18 square kilometres, exposing 35,000 residents to the toxin. We discuss the legacy of Seveso and its impact on chemical regulation.

And, a new method of separating hydrocarbons using membranes could replace fractional distillation in crude oil refineries, slashing energy costs. But what does this mean for a world trying to move beyond fossil fuels altogether?

Main stories:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/seveso-disaster-at-50-how-italys-dioxin-catastrophe-transformed-chemical-safety/4023734.articledisaster

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/a-materials-breakthrough-membranes-to-separate-crude-oil-could-slash-energy-costs/4023811.article

Headlines:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/losing-an-entire-generation-of-scientific-talent-top-us-universities-accepted-15-fewer-phds/4023877.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/stfcs-160-million-cost-cutting-plan-prompts-concern-over-future-access-to-key-uk-research-facilities/4023862.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/german-research-funder-issues-warning-over-threats-to-academic-freedom/4023880.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/thermo-fisher-antibody-data-manipulation-is-a-breach-of-trust-say-researchers/4023854.article

An update on the Strait of Hormuz & potential explosives at an Antarctic base | The chemical breakdown podcast Jul 08, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we bring the latest from the recent temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and discuss the presence of potential explosives at the historic Antarctic bases of explorers Ernest Shackleton and Robert Scott with Phillip Broadwith and Frances Briggs.

The US and Iran have recently signed a form of agreement to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz for shipping. But will this be enough to ease costs of resources, or has too much damage already been done?

And, representatives from New Zealand have warned about the possible presence of explosive materials inside the Antarctic Laboratories left behind by explorers Robert Scott and Ernest Shakleton. We explain the chemistry underpinning the substances.

A warning for US science & wool's chemical versatility | The chemical breakdown podcast Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

This week, we discuss the latest challenges facing US science outlined by president of the US National Academy of Sciences Marcia McNutt in her outgoing address as well as the unique chemistry underpinning wool's incredible properties with Neil Withers and Rebecca Trager.

Marcia McNutt gave her final address as president of the US National Academy of Sciences earlier this month, warning of turmoil for science in the wake of further proposals by the White House to restrict funding. We discuss highlights from the event.

And, how does the chemical composition of wool contribute to its material properties? We explore this staple fabric and its uses beyond clothing.

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