Clean Chemistry, a Boulder-based chemical technology company, has spent five years developing a way to clean frack water in the oil fields that it believes will slash costs enough to make re-using water affordable, a key challenge in an industry that uses thousands of gallons of the precious resource daily. Water is a key ingredient in oil and gas production and there is growing pressure to reuse it. But it's an expensive proposition, so expensive that most Colorado companies simply inject used frack water into the ground, a practice some consider dangerous and potentially damaging to groundwater resources. Clean Chemistry CEO Damon Waters hopes to change that. "Our chemistry is enabling reuse in the oil field, instead of sourcing water out of a river to frack a well and then disposing of the waste water way down in the geology, never to be seen again." Clean Chemistry is among a handful of companies nationwide working on technologies to make fracking less environmentally damaging. This month it announced three new patents on compounds that purify industrial water. PeroxyMAX is part of a new family of chemicals known as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that work by oxidizing harmful contaminants without leaving toxic … Continue reading →

Together again: Toews, Saad expect chemistry to return quickly Brandon Saad talked to plenty of people after he was traded back to the Blackhawks. Some were now ex-teammates from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Others, soon-to-be-teammates again from the Blackhawks. One of the first people he talked to on Friday? Jonathan Toews. Hes someone I talked to shortly after it happened. Hes a guy Ive always kept in touch with, great friend, Saad said. To be reunited, getting that chance to play with him again, hes an incredible player and his resume speaks for itself. I look forward to trying to rekindle that. The two didnt lose touch the past two years. Now that theyll be reunited on the ice, they hope they didnt lose the chemistry either. Saad and Toews formed a great combination a few years ago, a steadiness thats been missing from the top line, especially at left wing, ever since. With Saads return, however, the Blackhawks are looking to get that top line consistent again. [MORE: Blackhawks trade back, select Henri Jokiharju at No. 29] Toews was at the NHL Draft on Friday night, announcing the Blackhawks first-round pick with Patrick Kane. The thought of getting Saad … Continue reading →

The U.S. team was finalized after an intensive two-week Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp, sponsored by the American Chemical Society and held at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The students are Steven Liu of Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, Calif.; Joshua Park of Lexington High School in Massachusetts; Harrison Wang of Hinsdale Central High School in Illinois; and Brendan Yap of Carmel High School in Indiana. Jeffrey Shi of Marcellus High School in New York is the first alternate. Aniket Dehadrai of Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics in Oklahoma City is the second alternate. This is one of the strongest groups we have seen, says mentor Michael Danahy, a lecturer in chemistry at Bowdoin College. They came in really well prepared in all aspects of chemistry. Liu says he has been preparing for this moment for years. Last year, I was the first alternate, and it was heartbreaking, he says. Going through the cycle twice really helped me grow and improve. I think thats what helped me make the team this year. Yap says that participation in the study camp motivated him to change his intended college major from electrical engineering to chemistry or chemical engineering. … Continue reading →

As for Wang herself, she said she genuinely enjoyed working in the sciences, but still felt her fate lay elsewhere. I like research, but I realized that someone else could be doing that research, with my writing I felt like I could be the only one doing that, she said. In addition to the books humor, reviewers have noted Wangs choice to keep her narrator nameless. Wang explained that the decision to do so was a deliberate one. When I think of a name it is very specific to the character and I didnt want that to happen, Wang said. Would I name her something Chinese or something American? I didnt want to deal with that. Juggling multiple identities is something Wang has a bit of experience in. Born in China, she and her family moved to Australia when she was 7 and later moved to Canada and then eventually to the United States. When I write characters that are not open, its because Im not necessarily that open in terms of opening up to new people, Wang said. I made her like that in that she is just very lonely. And when you are lonely, you are not used … Continue reading →