In this episode of Chempod, we get caught up in catalysis, discover drawbacks to some Alzheimer's drug candidates, and bring you a round up of the best of the American Chemical Society meeting in New Orleans.

Find out how DNA is helping researches build crystals out of nanoparticles, discover a clever chemical trick for manipulating uranium, explore the controversial field of DNA conductivity and talk to chemist Bruce Gibb about re-building life and lab after hurricane Katrina.

Find out about an exciting new approach to mass spectrometry, how tiny graphite particles replace biological membranes to couple redox enzymes and we speak to Nobel prize winner Richard Schrock about metathesis.

A new enzyme working in a surprising way, why chemists make molecules that mimic nature, how to fish for drug targets with high-throughput screening, and the poetic side of the ACS meeting in Boston.

How our eyes work, taking a tour of the chemistry blogosphere, Harry Kroto on whether the British government is killing chemistry, and a famed chemist’s special birthday conference.

The firefly light, biomolecular labelling, polymeric transistors, DNA self assembly and nanotechnology, microfluidics and sulfur chemistry