Adam Clancy

Three AI-powered steps to faster, smarter peer review Tired of spending countless hours on peer reviews? An AI-assisted workflow could help.

Let's talk about this Nature piece in more detail.

I've rarely read something so anti-scientific anywhere short of the National Review.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Funny how a year after this post, so many of the coursework answers I have for a new question start with"Polyethylene is a linear hydrocarbon polymer, made from the polymerization of ethylene (or ethene) monomer –(CH2-CH2)-".

Probably just a coincidence...

Nano onions based on an amphiphilic Au3(pyrazolate)3 complex Multilayer vesicles with an onion-like architecture can form by self-assembly of organic amphiphiles such as dendrimers, small-molecule surfactants, and block copolymers. Thus far, there are limited r...

🎉 Paper of the Year 2025 from the RSC CNN

🏆 Nano-onions based on an amphiphilic Au₃(pyrazolate)₃ complex

👏 Congratulations to Atena B. Solea, Davide Dermutas, Farzaneh Fadaei-Tirani, Luigi Leanza, Massimo Delle Piane, Giovanni M. Pavan, and Kay Severin.

#chemsky #nanosky

👏 👏 👏 to the authors

Individual phosphorene nanoribbons

On Day 16 of #MAPSAdvent2025 we highlight the discovery of #phosphorene #nanoribbons and their potential for next-generation #electronics (a study involving Professor Chris Howard of UCL Physics & Astronomy and Dr @clancylab.bsky.social of @uclchemistry.bsky.social): www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/ma...

The reply was swift. At 52 seconds, it was the quickest of the day.

"Good question — and you were right to be puzzled. Short answer, my first reply used a wrong assumption"

Thanks ChatGPT. That was basic trig. Cant wait till you do that wrong for someone trusting who cant see you screwed up

"The two solutions are
1. Physically reasonable: C-H = 1.045A and Br-C-H = 111.326
2. Mathematical (large, probably non-physical) root:
C-H = 3.023A and Br-C-H = 56.553"

That looked better, and could even be true, but that wasnt what it had said before. "Why is the answer now different?" he typed

72s later, the black box spoke back "No" it claimed, "There are two mathematical solutions. One is chemically reasonable, the other is an extraneous (very long bond) solution."

Maybe the experiment or my initial analysis was wrong, thought the scientist, before reading on...

"Nice little geometry puzzle — done" said chatGPT after thinking for 1m54s, "Your bond distance is 0.8065A and the angle is 127.626" it claimed.

"Not bloody likely" thought the scientist who knew that a 0.8A C-H bond was way too short. "Is this the only solution?" he asked ChatGPT

He had the C-Br bond length and the Br...Br and H...H bond distances and he knew he could just do trig to work out the rest. "But trig is boring" he sighed, and turned to the magic black box of chatGPT to save him having to dig out pen and paper. "Gimmi the C-H length and H-C-Br angle" he demanded

Let me tell you a little story called "ChatGPT cant do trig"

Once upon a time a lazy scientist wanted to know the bond lengths/angles of a bromoform - a tetrahedral, carbon centric Cv2 molecule he had measured by neutron scattering.

Want a PhD next year? Are you interested in phosphorous nanomaterials? Want to learn how to make solar cells? Always wanted to deal with London's rental market? Then oh boy do I have news for you!

Details below, and you can email me if you have questions

#Chemsky #nanosky #PhD

2 days left!

Poster abstracts deadline is 31 October 2025

www.rsc.org/events/detai...

Co2+-mediated adsorption facilitates atomic force microscopy of DNA molecules at double-helix resolution Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has demonstrated the ability to resolve single DNA molecules in liquid at a spatial resolution that is sufficient to visualize the double helix structure and variations t...

💥RSC CNN Paper of the Week💥

Co2+-mediated adsorption facilitates atomic force microscopy of DNA molecules at double-helix resolution

Hoogenboom* (University College London)

Pailing, Nanoscale, 10.1039/D5NR02314A
@nanoscale-journals.rsc.org

#chemsky #nanosky

🗣️ Last chance to submit your oral abstract for the RSC CNN Annual Symposium 2026!

📅 Deadline: 30 Sept 2025
📍 12–13 Jan, Burlington House, London
🔗 rsc.org/events/detail/81692

#chemsky #nanosky

Bruce Springsteen is going to feel silly when he learns about autoignition temperatures

Would anyone who does neutron scattering be interested in corrosion-proof sample cans (Al and TiZr)? If so, please drop me an email at a.clancy[at]ucl.ac.uk and let me help you ... by first helping me.

1 week left to apply for a PhD position, 4 y. with 2/3 of E 13 TV-L salary, assigned broadly to the design and synthesis of coordination compds for the activation of small molecules (www.chemie.hu-berlin.de/aglimberg/st...). Pls apply directly to christian.limberg@chemie.hu-berlin.de. Pls retweet!

Calling all chemists and polymer scientists! We are seeking your feedback on new recommendations for classifying and defining polymerization reactions—a chance to help shape the language of our field. Read the provisional recommendation here: iupac.org/recommendati...
#chemsky #polymers @iupac.org

Conductometric evidence for accurate dissociation behaviour of surface groups on nanorods The surface charge of nanoparticles is usually quantified under the assumption that strong electrolytes fully dissociate in aqueous systems. Here, we demonstrate the effect of counterion condensation ...

💥RSC CNN Paper of the Week💥

Conductometric evidence for accurate dissociation behaviour of surface groups on nanorods

Kröger*, Kontturi* (Aalto University)

Kröger, PCCP, 10.1039/D5CP01616A
@pccp.rsc.org

#chemsky #nanosky

Microtomy-fabricated two-dimensional nano-slits enable single molecule biosensing Nanofluidic devices have emerged as a powerful sensor for single-molecule studies. Among these, biological nanopores have demonstrated remarkable capabilities, ranging from detecting epigenetic modifi...

💥RSC CNN Paper of the Week💥

Microtomy-fabricated two-dimensional nano-slits enable single molecule biosensing

Radha, Varma, Keerthi* (Indian Institute of Science, University of Manchester)

Sajeer P, Nanoscale, 10.1039/D5NR01832C
@nanoscale-journals.rsc.org

#chemsky #nanosky

Go home Winviz, you're drunk

UV-Vis Absorption up to a wavelength of 0 nm = infinite energy!!
👉 Nobel Prize or Retraction due to an 'experiment' hand-drawn by 'scientists' working in theoretical chemistry? Elsevier: please decide!

doi.org/10.1016/j.jm...

#researchintegrity #ChemSky #PiSky #CompChemSky

Do love nanomaterials? Do you tolerate LinkedIn? Consider following the RSC Nanoscience Group (link below) to stay up to date with events, awards!

#Chemsky #Nanosky

A new MIL-101-type chromium-based metal–organic framework with densely packed sulfonic groups: an ultra-high uptake of toxic Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions from an aqueous medium Metal–organic frameworks have been demonstrated to be effective adsorbents of heavy metal ions in recent decades. Nevertheless, their practical applications remain limited because of their slow uptake...

💥RSC CNN Paper of the Week💥

A new MIL-101-type chromium-based metal–organic framework with densely packed sulfonic groups: an ultra-high uptake of toxic Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions from an aqueous medium

Nguyen*

Nguyen, Nanoscale Adv, 10.1039/D5NA00442J
@nanoscale-journals.rsc.org
#chemsky #nanosky

I know a guy who
alloys steel
He makes it stronger
a harder feel
He don't use carbon
or molyb'
He don't use nickel
or any of these

He uses manganese

‪
📣 Join us for two days of inspiring talks, and networking with leaders in the field of nanoscience at the RSC Chemical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Annual Symposium 🧪✨

📍 London, UK
📅 12–13 January 2026
📝 Abstract deadlines:
— Oral: 30 Sept 2025
— Poster: 31 Oct 2025

@rsc.org
#chemsky #nanosky

A reminder that we have a fully-funded 4-year PhD project available! #PhD #ChemSky

While the aim of science technically isn't to see how much of a grant you can spend without going over on the last day, I'm still feeling pretty cheery after hitting £0.18 under the limit. Built up a little stockpile of solvent-resistant syringes to hide in my office too #chemsky

A one-step route to solubilised, purified or functionalised single-walled carbon nanotubes Reductive dissolution is a promising processing route for single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) that avoids the damage caused by ultrasonication and aggressive oxidation whilst simultaneously allowi...

Happy 10th birthday to my first paper - a simple way to dissolve individualised nanotubes by stirring in dimethylacetamide alongside sodium and naphthalene. Somehow it feels both a lifetime ago, and yesterday.
#Chemsky

Is this 現實生活 ? Is this just fántǐ zì?