Nanoplastics in Water: Artificial Intelligence-Assisted 4D Physicochemical Characterization and Rapid In Situ Detection

For the first time, The Ariya lab present a much-needed technology for the in situ and real-time detection of nanoplastics in aquatic systems. We show an artificial intelligence-assisted nanodigital in-line holographic microscopy (AI-assisted nano-DIHM) that automatically classifies nano- and microplastics simultaneously from nonplastic particles within milliseconds in stationary and dynamic natural waters, without sample preparation. AI-assisted nano-DIHM identifie

A para- to meta-isomerization of phenols

Phenols are a common functional group of many naturally occurring and biologically active molecules, including many that are part of the human diet. In 2020 alone, ~60% of small molecule drugs approved by the FDA contained a phenol or a closely related phenolic ether, underscoring their importance to the pharmaceutical industry.

Night Lights and Scientific Delights: Nuit blanche at McGill

by Phuong Hoang, Faculty of Science Communications Assistant 

True to its name, Montréal’s Nuit blanche is an annual celebration of the vibrant culture of the city, with thematic itineraries and extended business hours that ensure festival-goers a night of endless excitement.

Hanadi Sleiman awarded 2024 E. W. R. Steacie Award

Chemistry Professor and Canada Research Chair in DNA Nanoscience Hanadi Sleiman has received the 2024 E. W. R. Steacie Award from the Chemical Institute of Canada. This award is presented annually to a scientist who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of chemistry while working in Canada.

Global Undergraduate Awards- Glen Loo

Recently, Glen Loo from the Lumb Group received an award from the Global Undergraduate Awards (GUA) for the work he did during a 5-month research internship. Glen had come to McGill from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and worked with graduate mentor Carlos Azpilcueta-Nicolas on the photoinduced dearomatization of biaryl compounds.

Pallavi Sirjoosingh: Winner, Principal’s Prize for Teaching Excellence (Faculty Lecturer)

A packed Leacock 132 can be an intimidating place when you’re down in front and looking back up at more than 600 undergrads about to study university-level chemistry for the first time.

It’s exactly where Pallavi Sirjoosingh wants to be.

A first look inside Li-ion batteries

What if you could charge your electric vehicle in the same amount of time it takes to fill a tank of gas?  

In a new paper published today in Joule, researchers from McGill University and the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) announced the development of a novel method that enables researchers to peer inside Li-ion batteries and, for the first time, track the physical processes that take place in both the liquid and solid parts of the battery cells as they happen.  

McGill Magnetic Resonance Facilities (MMRF) are now recycling helium

In late April 2021, a helium recovery system was installed for the Chemistry NMR/EPR Facility in Otto Maass and the QANUC high-field NMR facility in Pulp and Paper.  This technology, one of only a few in Canada, allows for up to 90% of the helium used in the facilities to be recycled, thus protecting a valuable, and limited, natural resources, and limited greenhouse gas emissions.  Funding was obtained fr

NMR facilities managers trying to solve helium problem

Department members Tara Sprules, manager of the national high-field NMR facility QANUC, and Robin Stein, chemistry department (MC2) NMR/EPR manager, have just had an article published in the CIC newsletter about helium. Together, they use about 2900 L of helium annually to make their eight NMR spectrometers function, and recent cost increases have left them feeling nervous about the future.