Hold the Phone: #Chemoji Are Here

The American Chemical Society, Chemical & Engineering News, and Swyft Media have teamed up to bring you the ACS Chemoji. (Emoji? Emojis? Kids these days.)

"There stars and a moon in my hood. Damn astronomers have been at it again." #ACSchemoji pic.twitter.com/uTI04gng1e

— Raychelle Burks (@DrRubidium) August 13, 2015

Nothing captures the frustration of a terrible week in lab like a disgruntled, begoggled emote face. Or, maybe your friend texted you some details of their next experiment, and you want to give your OSHA-approved thumbs-up. No matter what your purposes are, iPhone and Android users can grab the ACS Chemoji set for free from the App Store or from Google Play.

Yep. That would sum up my week for the most part. #acschemoji pic.twitter.com/jppdMllxCr

— Lauren Wolf (@laurenkwolf) August 13, 2015

The ACS Chemoji app will set up a third-party keyboard on your device that can be accessed through most apps. The Chemoji don't work quite like normal emoji, but are rather more akin to Facebook's stickers. Chemoji can be inserted directly into texts and Facebook Messenger messages - tap once to copy, then paste into your text body. Don't worry about whether the recipient has the set installed on their phone - they'll get your sticker anyway.

For Twitter, it's a little more complicated. Tap twice to copy the Chemoji of your choice into your photo gallery, then insert the sticker into your tweet like you would any other picture.

Friends, chemists, and chemistry aficionados! Go forth, obtain the Chemoji, and share your fun on #acschemoji. Or, you know, confuse your grandparents.

"Chasing Molecules" Has a Green Message for Chemists and Consumers

I have synthesized over 2,500 compounds! I have never been taught what makes a chemical toxic! I have no idea what makes a chemical an environmental hazard! I have synthesized over 2,500 compounds! I have no idea what makes a chemical toxic!

Chasing Molecules, xxiii

Elizabeth Grossman, the author of Chasing Molecules: Poisonous Products, Human Health, and the Promise of Green Chemistry (Island Press, 2011), quotes the above from Dr. John Warner, who is the co-founder of the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry.