Craig Bettenhausen

Insights from a visit to PPG's R&D site outside of #Pittsburgh. Photos and videos used with their permission. For more, check out the written article in C&EN. cenm.ag/ppgtour

a screenshot that says "you could place your finer into a primary x-ray beam for minutes without any effect" and the false button is highlighted

<whispers> don't

I can't show you much of PPG's coatings R&D site; the place is deep in partner prototypes and confidentiality pacts. But I can tell you what the day revealed about the Pittsburgh-based firm's view on a high-growth, high-margin future. @cenmag.bsky.social
cen.acs.org/materials/co...

Nah, these days I fly in a pink velour tracksuit with "juicy" embroidered on the rump.

I would just like to offer a small blessing to every scientist who has gamely read a paper and fielded desperate last minute questions from a science journalist.

You are a blessing to science. May you always be exactly on time and never get a paper cut.

Congrats to Qube, a chemistry startup that just won the pitch contest at JHU's Pava Center. They're developing an edible molecular hydrogen carrier to use in sports drinks. I honestly didn't know H₂ had performance benefits, but I'm going to read up on it now.

Come to the dark side...

I had a similar moment between my art and chemistry classes

Nov. 25 Business Watch: Flexsys readies safer tire additive; Moderna halts trials of 3 mRNA drugs Here’s what we’re watching in chemistry business news this week

Two firms I wrote about this week for C&EN's business watch were connecting direct air capture, #DAC, to boosting freshwater supplies. https://cen.acs.org/business/Nov-25-Business-Watch-Flexsys/103/web/2025/11 @cenmag.bsky.social #chemsky #news

For some reason, this called out for more dramatic editing.

I captured this so it could bother other #science people as much as it bothered me. #chemsky

I know #chemsky was dabbling in the #mincup @mineralcup.bsky.social . Now we have our own bracket. Vote for your favorite chempics!

Why synthetic cannabinoids appear in the US funding bill The law that ended the federal government shutdown also closes a loophole in cannabis regulation

Personal opinion that I am proud to have managed to get through as the lede of this story: differentiating between diastereomers is better left to chemists than Congress.

cen.acs.org/biological-c...

#AI: I literally cannot sarcasm hard enough to keep up. This is a 100% real screenshot from my workday

Topsoe plant promises 30% efficiency boost for green hydrogen Facility that makes solid oxide electrolysis cells is a new entry in a challenged market

Green hydrogen: Topsoe cut the ribbon on a major factory making solid oxide electrolysis cells. It's a step up in scale for a tech type that may challenge the dominance of PEM and alkaline H₂ generators.

Read more in @cenmag.bsky.social

cen.acs.org/business/inv...
#hydrogen #H2 #chemsky #news

Recently I had a store round the price up to the nearest full dollar when I wanted to use cash because they had stopped dealing with coins at all. Irksome, if understandable, because I was using cash to save them the credit card fees

This stress ball is hilarious as a piece of conference swag, but only if you're read up on #nuclear fuel types.

I mostly came here to make sure someone did

SNAP disruptions weigh on science and engineering students Lapse in federal food aid strains some researchers and undergraduates

Shutdown impacts on food aid are hurting people in real time. I spoke with directly affected #science and #engineering students at JHU. Remember, SNAP dollars are currently NOT flowing to those in need, despite progress on a deal in DC. @cenmag.bsky.social #chemsky

cen.acs.org/policy/SNAP-...

Go to a Penguins game with a bunch of PPG people and you'll learn some hockey #science trivia. Or, at least, I will. @cenmag.bsky.social #video

Chemistry in Pictures: Unleashing the power of thermite Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN): Keeping you up to date with the chemistry news that matters most. Published by the American Chemical Society.

Thermite is rad. There's also a start-up called Found Energy that's exploiting the reductive power of elemental aluminum. Been looking for an excuse to mention them cen.acs.org/education/un...

Learned tonight that a #chempics participant who used their publication in @cenmag.bsky.social's photo feature in their skilled visa application got accepted. Humbled and thrilled that this thing we production editors at the magazine made is having such a positive impact in the lives of chemists!

US Army wants to deploy small nuclear power plants The Janus Program aims to put commercial reactors into military service by 2028

The interesting question now being posed by the US Army is, can the strange and singular economics of the US military push new #nuclear power (and maybe also #DAC and e-fuels) from chemical possibility to economic feasibility?

cen.acs.org/energy/nucle...

Cosmetics are getting safer, report says But problematic ingredients are still in many personal care and makeup products

ChemFORWARD's latest report on safer chemistry in cosmetics and personal care is out and interesting patterns are emerging, like that lipstick is a problem area.

read more in C&EN

cen.acs.org/business/spe...

@cenmag.bsky.social
#chemistry #consumerProducts #safety

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Business briefing for October 14 BASF finds buyer for coatings business; Ineos makes further cuts in Europe; biotechs Soufflé, Nilo, and Expedition launch, and more

Coatings, cryogenics, black soldier fly larvae, and more in this week's C&EN business briefing.
cen.acs.org/business/Bus...
#chemistry

Stressful day at the office, so I'm treating myself to an oat milk tumeric and black pepper latte made with scientifically enhanced #coffee beans (which i wrote about here: cen.acs.org/business/con...). Because some days I own my #millennial identity #science

The cans get hot, but a lot of gloves thicker than a millimeter or made specifically for heat would offer enough insulation for 1-3 seconds. Re-tossing is a risky maneuver tho, no two ways about it.

If you're around irritants, be careful of chemicals trapped in your clothing, especially gloves.

Thank you to the folks who responded to my requests for comment, including the folks that preferred to be anonymous or off the record entirely. Even when I can't print it, understanding your perspective makes the reporting more informed.

US energy projects in limbo after Trump administration revokes $7.5 billion in funding The Department of Energy wants to terminate 321 funding awards mostly related to clean energy and grid stabilization

#Cleantech firms are reeling from the recent round of funding cancelations at the US Dept of Energy. Sec. Chris Wright says more are coming.

read more in C&EN cen.acs.org/business/inv...
#energy #chemsky #funding #startups

This is off topic, but it seems like mopping with a single bucket should, at best, flatten the distribution of grime on the floor. What am I missing?