Creating matter that never existed before: American Chemical Society Prized Science video

Imagine creating something completely new — something improbable and provocative that has never existed on Earth before. This kind of unconventional science that defies long-standing assumptions in chemistry is the topic of the latest episode of a popular video series from the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. The videos are available at http://www.acs.org/PrizedScience and on DVD.

Titled Prized Science: Chemical Detectives: Preparing New Matter in the Universe, the third episode of the 2013 series features the research of Gregory H. Robinson, Ph.D., winner of the 2013 F. Albert Cotton Award in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry. He is a professor at the University of Georgia and has served on the editorial boards of Organometallics and Chemical & Engineering News, and currently serves on the editorial board of Inorganic Chemistry. The Cotton Award, supported by the F. Albert Cotton Endowment Fund, recognizes Robinson's success harnessing finicky, unstable elements. In the video, Robinson explains that certain elements are normally only detectable at high temperatures. His team figured out how to work with these key substances at room temperature, and they have been finding ways to make elements bond in ways previously thought impossible.

Next in the 2013 series is an episode of Prized Science featuring Shirley Corriher, winner of the ACS 2013 James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public.

Other upcoming episodes feature:

  • Isiah Warner, Ph.D.: ACS Award in Analytical Chemistry
  • Esther Takeuchi, Ph.D.: E. V. Murphee Award in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry

Other episodes feature Tim Swager, Ph.D., winner of the 2013 ACS Award for Creative Invention; and Peter J. Stang, Ph.D., winner of the 2013 ACS Priestley Medal.

Source: American Chemical Society