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Articles by Martin Boland
Spill at a nuclear facility shows potential burn risks from a household chemical
Home Chemistry Materials Science March 1, 2019 March 1, 2019 by Martin Boland, The Conversation Sodium hydroxide among a series of chemistry bottles in a typical school science lab. Credit: Shutterstock/ipmphotographers Three people were taken to hospital following a chemical spill at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation facility at Lucas Heights this morning.
Spill at a nuclear facility shows potential burn risks from a household chemical
Three people were taken to hospital following a chemical spill at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation facility at Lucas Heights this morning. Despite the Sydney site’s notoriety as home to Australia’s only nuclear reactor, the ANSTO said the spill involved “approx 250mL of sodium hydroxide”, a substance that does not contain radioactive material. Sodium hydroxide can be bought at many supermarkets or hardware stores for less than A$10 a kilogram.
It's the right time to review the world's chemical weapons convention
The chemical weapons convention (CWC) is one of the most successful arms control treaties in existence. It outlaws the production, stockpiling or research on offensive lethal chemical weapons. Yet chemical weapons have recently featured in the news – such as the recent Novichok poisonings in the UK – and the convention is facing questions.
It's the right time to review the world's chemical weapons convention
The chemical weapons convention (CWC) is one of the most successful arms control treaties in existence. It outlaws the production, stockpiling or research on offensive lethal chemical weapons. Yet chemical weapons have recently featured in the news – such as the recent Novichok poisonings in the UK – and the convention is facing questions.
Murder investigation to find the source of a second Novichok poisoning
Police in the UK are still hunting the source of a Novichok poisoning as they investigate the murder of a woman exposed to the deadly nerve agent. This is the same type of nerve agent that was used in March in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK. They both survived the attack and have since been released from hospital. But Dawn Sturgess, 44, died in hospital on Sunday evening after falling critically ill on June 30.
It's the Right Time to Review the World's Chemical Weapons Convention
The chemical weapons convention (CWC) is one of the most successful arms control treaties in existence. It outlaws the production, stockpiling or research on offensive lethal chemical weapons. Yet chemical weapons have recently featured in the news – such as the recent Novichok poisonings in the UK – and the convention is facing questions.
What We Know about Novichok, the 'Newby' Nerve Agent Linked to Russia
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. A Soviet-designed “Novichok” chemical is the nerve agent responsible for poisoning a former spy and his daughter, British Prime Minister Theresa May said today. Sergei and Julia Skripal were found collapsed on a park bench on Sunday March 4 in the English town of Salisbury, a few hours after eating lunch and spending time at a restaurant and pub nearby.
What We Know About the Soviet-Designed Nerve Agent Novichok
A Soviet-designed “Novichok” chemical is the nerve agent responsible for poisoning a former spy and his daughter, British Prime Minister Theresa May said today. Sergei and Julia Skripal were found collapsed on a park bench on Sunday March 4 in the English town of Salisbury, a few hours after eating lunch and spending time at a restaurant and pub nearby.
What we know about Novichok, the ‘newby’ nerve agents linked to Russia
A Soviet-designed “Novichok” chemical is the nerve agent responsible for poisoning a former spy and his daughter, British Prime Minister Theresa May said today. Sergei and Julia Skripal were found collapsed on a park bench on Sunday March 4 in the English town of Salisbury, a few hours after eating lunch and spending time at a restaurant and pub nearby.
What we know about Novichok, the 'newby' nerve agents linked to Russia
A Soviet-designed “Novichok” chemical is the nerve agent responsible for poisoning a former spy and his daughter, British Prime Minister Theresa May said today. Sergei and Julia Skripal were found collapsed on a park bench on Sunday March 4 in the English town of Salisbury, a few hours after eating lunch and spending time at a restaurant and pub nearby.
Explainer: VX nerve agent behind Kim Jong-un's half-brother's death
The substance that could be responsible for the death Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was the VX nerve agent, according to preliminary reports from Malaysian police. died on February 13 from a seizure on his way to hospital after complaining that a woman had sprayed chemicals on his face at airport.
Explainer: what is VX nerve agent and how does it work?
The substance that could be responsible for the death Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was the VX nerve agent, according to preliminary reports from Malaysian police. Kim Jong-nam died on February 13 from a seizure on his way to hospital after complaining that a woman had sprayed chemicals on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport.
Assassination of Kim Jong-nam: What is VX nerve agent and how does it work?
The substance that could be responsible for the death of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was the VX nerve agent, according to preliminary reports from Malaysian police. Kim Jong-nam died on February 13 from a seizure on his way to hospital after complaining that a woman had sprayed chemicals on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport.
The magic of magic: The effect of magic tricks on subsequent engagement with lecture material
Lecturers often present entertaining videos, or organize a variety of amusing demonstrations, to foster student engagement or to encourage critical analysis. Magic tricks, in particular, have been shown to activate neural circuits that underpin motivation or problem-solving and, therefore, could be beneficial during lectures.
The science of airport bomb detection: mass spectrometry
You’ve probably had your hand luggage swabbed after walking through the metal detector at the airport. Whatever molecules were picked up by the swab have been separated using gas chromatography. So how do airport staff know if those molecules are traces of explosives or simply a wayward dribble of tomato sauce? Mass spectrometry has a wide range of applications in everyday life, and the most recognised is probably airport explosive detectors.
The science of airport bomb detection: chromatography
As the holidays draw near, many of us will hop on a plane to visit friends and family – or just get away from it all. Some will be subjected to a swab at the airport to test clothes and baggage for explosives. So how does this process work? The answer is chromatography – a branch of separation chemistry – along with mass spectrometry (which I will address in a later article). The word “chromatography” is roughly translated from Greek as “the science of colours”.
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