While electronics and metal are out, molecules are in…at least when it comes to the latest chemistry gadgets. Mini in size but mega in power, Chemistry Nobel laureates Jean-Pierre Sauvage (Strasbourg University), Bernard Feringa (University of Groningen) and Fraser Stoddart (Northwestern University) received the prize for their “design and synthesis of molecular machines.”
Thanks to the recent development of chemical strategies to build interlocking ring molecules, and the discovery of a way of converting energy into work (the basis for a molecular motor), this miniature (the size of a thousandth of a human hair) has now arrived at the gadget ad gizmo table.
And talking of mini gadgets, students and frequent travelers might be happy to hear about the mini travel steam iron could be just what they need when they have to get their shirts wrinkle-free for their important meeting.