Humankind is reliant on the ammonium in synthetic fertilizer for food. However, producing ammonia from nitrogen is extremely energy-intensive and requires the use of transition metals. Researchers from Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, have now achieved the conversion of nitrogen to ammonium at room temperature and low pressure without the need for transition metals. … Continue reading LabNews: Reducing Nitrogen with Boron and Beer →

Copper easily cleared the pivotal $3 a pound level on Monday as the recovery in the Chinese economy, the world’s top consumer of the metal, gains momentum. Copper for delivery in December trading on the Comex market in New York changed hands for $3.065 a pound ($6,757 a tonne) in early afternoon trade, the highest … Continue reading Copper price leaps 26-month high on strong Chinese rebound →