Quantum understanding
The year 2025 was the International Year of Quantum Science, proclaimed by the UN in celebration of the 100th anniversary of several key achievements that became the foundations of quantum mechanics, including Erwin Schrödinger’s wave function and the matrix mechanics of Werner Heisenberg, Max Born and Pascual Jordan.
Proof reading
Starting from a crucial contribution made in ancient Greece, a broad assortment of techniques has been elaborated to guarantee that all scientific statements are deserving of our trust. Each of these techniques is explored here in some depth and assessed for its degree of usefulness and reliability.
US specialities see continued volume growth
US volumes of speciality and fine chemicals fell 0.1% in December 2025 to 3.56m t. This follows a 0.8% gain in November and a 0.7% drop in October, according to consultancy Swift Economics. Despite the fall, volumes were up 2.3% year-on-year, compared with December 2024, and 110.8%, compared with the 2017 average. By comparison, overall US production gained 0.4% in December 2025, a better-than-expected gain, representing 2.0% rise year-on-year and 102.3% of the 2017 average.
Communication breakdown: Why soft skills are more important than ever in life sciences
We all know or work with people who can be difficult to deal with and even talk to, and we all know or work with other people who are a joy to be around and who make the working day a little brighter. Some of those difficult people will be highly competent in their field; their technical knowledge will be deeper than most - and they will know it.
Business digest: Chemistry industry updates
The latest business digest for C&I Issue 2 2026 with all the latest mergers and acquisitions in the chemical industry.
Bigger role for ECHA
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is taking on new responsibilities reinforcing its role in delivering coherent, predictable, and transparent chemical assessments under the EU’s One Substance, One Assessment (OSOA) package. Under OSOA, ECHA is entrusted with significant new tasks, reinforcing its role in delivering coherent, predictable, and transparent chemical assessments. These changes will enhance efficiency and improve consistency across EU chemical legislation.
Applied chemistry highlights: PTFE waste transformed, bird-inspired 'ultrablack' and more
Nigel P. Freestone from the University of Northampton discusses selected research papers from recent journal issues for Issue 2 2026 of C&I magazine.
Surface disinfection
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains one of the greatest global health threats of our time. According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic-resistant infections are directly responsible for an estimated 1.27m deaths globally every year, and data from the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project forecasts 39m deaths between 2025 and 2050, if decisive action isn’t taken.
EU pharma investment boost
A provisional agreement has been reached on revamping the European Union’s pharmaceutical policy framework in a bid to boost competitiveness, innovation and security of supply. The reform package revises the current EU rules, which are over 20 years old.
Research finds that human heart muscle cells regrow
Heart muscle cells can regrow after a heart attack, opening up the possibility of new regenerative treatments for cardiovascular disease, claim Australian researchers.