Safe- and sustainable-by-design: The case of Smart Nanomaterials. A perspective based on a European workshop.

The European Commission's Green Deal is a major policy initiative aiming to achieve a climate-neutral, zero-pollution, sustainable, circular and inclusive economy, driving both the New Industrial Strategy for Europe and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. Innovative materials can help to reach these policy goals, but they need to be safe and sustainable themselves. Thus, one aim is to shift the development of chemicals to Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design, and define a new systems approach and criteria for sustainability to achieve this. An online workshop was organised in September 2020 by the Joint Research Centre and the Directorate-General Research and Innovation of the European Commission, with participants from academia, non-governmental organisations, industry and regulatory bodies. The aims were to introduce the concept of Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design, to identify industrial and regulatory challenges in achieving safer and more sustainable Smart Nanomaterials as an example of innovative materials, and to deliver recommendations for directions and actions necessary to meet these challenges. The following needs were identified: (i) an agreed terminology, (ii) a common understanding of the principles of Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design, iii) criteria, assessment tools and incentives to achieve a transition from Safe-by-Design to Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design, and (iv) preparedness of regulators and legislation for innovative chemicals/nanomaterials. This paper presents the authors' view on the state of the art as well as the needs for future activities, based on discussions at the workshop and further considerations. The case of Smart Nanomaterials is used to illustrate the Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design concept and challenges for its implementation. Most of the considerations can be extended to other advanced materials and to chemicals and products in general.

The impact of penalties for wrong answers on the gender gap in test scores.

Multiple-choice examinations play a critical role in university admissions across the world. A key question is whether imposing penalties for wrong answers on these examinations deters guessing from women more than men, disadvantaging female test-takers. We consider data from a large-scale, high-stakes policy change that removed penalties for wrong answers on the national college entry examination in Chile. The policy change reduced a large gender gap in questions skipped. It also narrowed gender gaps in performance, primarily among high-performing test-takers, and in the fields of math, social science, and chemistry.

Celebrating New Zealand Chemistry.

Kia ora! This special issue of Chemistry - An Asian Journal celebrates the breadth and depth of chemistry research being carried out across the eight Universities in New Zealand as well as by some of their alumni. It also coincides with the 150th anniversary of the founding of New Zealand's first university, the University of Otago.

Two bronze medals for Switzerland at the 43rd International Chemistry Olympiad in Ankara, Turkey.

At the 2011 International Chemistry Olympiad in Ankara, with 71 participating countries, Switzerland achieved two bronze medals thanks to two outstanding students.

'Heavy metal'--time to move on from semantics to pragmatics?

Despite the repeated calls to stop, most notably in a technical publication of the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the use of the term 'heavy metal' appears not to have declined in the scientific literature and there is little evidence that the IUPAC instructions and those of other publications have had any measurable impact on this widespread usage. Indeed, the use of the term is increasing rather than declining. Four options are presented to solve this dilemma.

Resolución de casos prácticos en pequeños grupos en la enseñanza de la asignatura “química general y analítica” del grado en farmacia / Resolution of practical cases in small groups in the teaching of “general and analytical chemistry” subject of degree in pharmacy

El Proyecto realizado por el equipo docente del Departamento de Química Analítica de la Facultad deFarmacia de Sevilla, ha utilizado la técnica de enseñanza en pequeños grupos (EPG) que constituyeuna faceta esencial en la renovación de las metodologías docentes para la incorporación y adaptaciónde las enseñanzas universitarias al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior. La actividad propuesta seha llevado a cabo en la asignatura “Química General y Analítica” del Grado en Farmacia. Con elobjetivo de mejorar el aprendizaje del alumno y fomentar el trabajo en equipo del mismo, se hasubdividido en tres cada uno de los seis grupos asignados a “Clases Prácticas en el aula”, logrando unnúmero de alumnos presentes en la misma (20 alumnos) que permite la impartición de la docencia conuna dinámica distinta a la lección magistral. La actividad desarrollada ha tenido una gran acogida porparte de los alumnos donde un alto porcentaje de los mismos consigue superar sin grandes dificultadesel apartado del examen destinado a casos prácticos(AU)

The Project developed by the Educational Team of the Department of Analytical Chemistry (Facultyof Pharmacy, Seville), has used the technique of Small Groups Learning (SGL) that constitutes anessential facet in the renovation of the educational methodologies for the incorporation and adaptationof the university lessons to the European Space for Higher Education. The proposed activity has beencarried out in the “General and Analytical Chemistry” subject of the Degree in Pharmacy. With theaim of improving the learning of the student and fomenting the work in equipment of the same, it hasbeen subdivided in three each one of the six assigned groups to “Practical exercises in the classroom”,obtaining a number of present students in the same (20 students) that allows the imparting of teachingwith a dynamic different from the magisterial lesson. The developed activity has presented a greatreception by the students and a high percentage of the same is able to surpass without great difficultiesthe section of the examination destined to practical cases(AU)

Method validation across the disciplines--critical investigation of major validation criteria and associated experimental protocols.

Analytical method development should aim at delivering reliable measurements within a given application. This implies that method validation is integrated in the development process, because it enables to establish a method's performance capabilities, and to demonstrate its fitness-for-purpose. Although analytical chemists mostly are familiar with the validation guidelines within the discipline of their responsibility, we believe that they may take advantage of a better acquaintance with recommendations among disciplines. Therefore, we review the guidance given in 4 disciplines (laboratory medicine, pharmacy, environment, and food), with emphasis on the proposed experimental protocols, acceptance criteria and interpretation strategies by statistical significance testing. Last but not least, we give incentive towards a modernized validation design.