Tag Archives: raman

Porous boron absorbing

Posted by David Bradley on October 3, 2020 Comments Off

Researchers in Europe have developed a hydrogen storage material based on porous magnesium borohydride that can safely adsorb large quantities of the gas via both a physical and a chemical mechanism. They used X-ray diffraction, infra-red and Raman spectroscopy to …

Read more »

Rocky road to confusion

Posted by David Bradley on September 1, 2020 Comments Off

Raman spectroscopy has become an increasingly useful tool in the geosciences partly because it is non-destructive and requires minimal sample preparation, but also because it can be carried out on site with various irreplaceable geological samples. Unfortunately, Raman can confuse, …

Read more »

Chemical hits from Slinn Pickings

Posted by Robert Slinn on February 11, 2020 Comments Off

Space ice goes against the grain – Space ice made from a mixture of methanol and water expands under pressure, and shrinks when heated – the opposite behaviour to most solids. Dominic Fortes at University College London, UK, is interested …

Read more »

Hydrogen storage, red wine, forensics

Posted by David Bradley on December 1, 2010 Comments Off

Crystal clear hydrogen storage – Solid materials rich in hydrogen, such as ammonia borane could help solve the gas storage problem for vehicle fuel cells. Now, a crystal structure of an alternative material, DADB, offers new hope of a stable …

Read more »

A New Look at Neopentane's Chirality

Posted by spinneret on April 2, 2007 Comments Off

The absolute configuration of a subtly chiral molecule has been determined using Raman optical activity and quantum mechanics. Werner Hug and his colleagues at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, obtained the configuration of (R)-[2H1, 2H2, 2H3]-neopentane a molecule in which …

Read more »

MEMS and implantable chips

Posted by David Bradley on October 1, 2004 Comments Off

Silicon chips and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) that can be implanted in the human body will only be possible with a clearer understanding of the interactions between single-crystal silicon and human tissues and fluids, for example, formation of mineral apatite. This …

Read more »