Tag: chemistry

New Mechanism Converts Natural Gas to Energy Faster, Captures CO2

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 | Tags: , , ,

Chemical engineering researchers have identified a new mechanism to convert natural gas into energy up to 70 times faster, while effectively capturing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). “This could make power generation from natural gas both cleaner and more efficient,” says Fanxing Li, co-author of a paper on the research and an assistant professor

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Probing the Brain’s Chemistry

Monday, October 15th, 2012 | Tags: , , ,

Our brains are constantly awash in chemicals that serve as messengers, transporting signals from one neuron to another.  It’s a really nifty system, although scientists still aren’t clear on how, exactly, those chemical messages end up being converted into behaviors like kicking a ball or doing really complicated mathematical computations. If scientists could get a

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The Chemistry of Fireworks

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012 | Tags: ,

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Steve Townsend, director of communications in NC State’s College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Just in time for the 4th of July! As they have for well over 200 years, the skies over cities and towns across the country will explode in celebration this July 4. While

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The Science Of A Good Pour

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 | Tags: , , , ,

I love writing about science. I also enjoy a good beer. I’ve decided to marry these two interests and write a series of posts about the science of beer. It’s not much of a stretch, since brewing is an intensely scientific art. I requested, and received, a lot of questions about the science of beer.

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Why Does Water Freeze Before Alcohol Does?

Monday, July 11th, 2011 | Tags: , , ,

We recently explained that one reason wine’s freezing point is much lower than water’s is because of its alcohol content. But we didn’t explain why alcohol has a much lower freezing point than water. Let’s explain that now (hint: water molecules are “stickier.”) A substance freezes when its molecules become “stuck” in a fixed array

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