Cool Pix from BASF

BASF is showing off the artistic side of chemistry. The company has released a series of 12 pictures it calls "Images from the World of Research." The images include one (shown) of zinc oxide particles of about 200 nm in diameter used in sunblocks and another of carbonyl iron powders, used in magnetic printing inks. To create the images, the company employed techniques such as scanning electron microscopy. "The images in this series allow the viewer to explore structures that would otherwise only be for the eyes of the analytical chemist," the company says. They are available at www.basf.de/research_images.