Chemistry Year In Review

As 2015 draws to a close, C&EN is taking stock of the year’s biggest moments in chemistry. In the pages that follow, we single out some of the year’s most influential research developments—the discovery of the antibacterial natural product teixobactin, the creation of flexible electronics that can be injected into the brain, access to a widening variety of atomically thin two-dimensional materials, and many more. We also examine the year’s biggest chemistry headlines—including the merger mania epitomized by the stunning combination of Dow Chemical and DuPont, the clinching of a global agreement to stem global warming, and the sputtering of the oil and gas boom amid environmental concerns and falling natural gas prices.

Finally, because it often takes years for a research advance to reveal its true impact, we take a look back even further, to what’s become of some of our year-end picks from a decade ago. And we find that solar energy dominated the most-cited chemistry research papers of 2005.