
ELEMENT OF THE MONTH - AUGUST 2015: EINSTENIUM
The element of August 2015 was EINSTENIUM. This element was discovered by Albert Ghiorso and collegues in 1952 as a component of the debris of the first hydrogen bomb explosion. The finding took place in the fallout from the Ivy Mike nuclear test and this element was named after Albert Einsten. Click on this link to read more about Einstenium.

FIFTY SHADES OF CHEMISTRY AND THEIR APPLICATION IN ART
There has always been a very strong link between chemistry and art. The grinding of the pigments, the use of dispersants and the appropriate choice of the surfaces on which the color lays, are a clear example of this tight relationship. Chemistry, in fact, has always been very important not only to promote the evolution of art, but also for the maintenance of cultural heritage, allowing to protect it from the action of chemical and physical agents and to restore it when damag

100 YEARS FROM PAUL EHRLICH'S DEATH
Paul Ehrlich was a german scientist who became famous for his numerous discoveries in hematology, immunology and chemotherapy. In 1908 he was awarded with the Nobel Prize for his contribution to immunology and he also was the first to introduce the concept of the "magic bullet". Learn more about his life and discoveries clicking here: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1908/ehrlich-bio.html

ADDING SUGAR TO YOUR COFFEE CHANGES THE PROPERTIES OF CAFFEINE
If you like to add sugar in your coffee, this will influence caffeine dimerization, which is related to the bitter taste of this drink. This has been studied and recently published by researchers at the University of York. To find out more about the chemical interactions between sugar, caffeine, additives and water read this interesting article: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2015/FO/C5FO00610D#!divAbstract

GREEN CHEMISTRY TO EVALUATE COSMETICS
Cosmetics is a huge industry with a massive amount of chemical components that can be used to produce the products. The researcher Josu lopez developed a new green method to analyze all the chemicals used to make cosmetics. Read more about this analytical methos and its advantages here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150529101016.htm

NANOMATERIALS: APPLICATIONS AND CHEMISTRY
Nanomaterials are produced from particles whose size is smaller than 100 nanometers. Nanotechnology involves the design and production of new nanomaterials for biological, chemical and many other different applications. Read more about the properties of these materials, their characterization and their effects on health here.

CHEMISTRY ON THE CRIME SCENE
One of my favourite TV series is Criminal Minds, an American police series set primarily at the FBI’s Behavioural Analysis Unit, Quantico (Virginia). It focuses on a skilled team of FBI profilers who catch serial killers through behavioural profiling. Besides Criminal Minds, also other series recently captured the interest of the audience, such as CSI, Law and Order and Cold Case. In all these TV programs the police solves the cases quickly and efficiently thanks to the talen