Chemists have devised a new way to stabilize highly reactive molecules called carbenes. (p. 392)

Researchers have discovered how the orientation of amino acid molecules can make a growing crystal take on either a right- or a left-handed form. (p. 373)

New calculations show that a basic tenet of chemistry is wrong: Ethane forms its most stable structure not due to so-called steric effects, but because of a quantum mechanical influence. (p. 340)

Researchers have made a surface coating that kills bacteria on contact in a novel way. (p. 325)

Researchers have made an array of transistors out of carbon nanotubes. (p. 335)

Researchers have created the smallest stable, freestanding inorganic nanotubes yet. (p. 285)

In a new twist to the puzzle of how life developed from only left-handed amino acids, researchers have found that the common mineral calcite can segregate the molecules into their left-handed and right-handed varieties. (p. 276)

Researchers have made nanotubes with specific sizes and traits by designing molecules that self-assemble. (p. 285)

Researchers have coaxed finicky liver cells to grow on porous silicon chips, a feat that could lead to new medical treatments. (p. 230)

Researchers have used wheat to make a biodegradable hamburger carton. (p. 237)

Researchers have used metal oxides to make microscopic ribbonlike structures that could prove useful for developing future nanoscale devices. (p. 149)