Chemistry goes tubular

In 2006 a team based in Germany developed a method to use the tiny particles of iron oxide found in igneous rocks from volcanoes as templates for carbon nanotubes and fibres. Now, the same team has used these carbon nanotubes to activate an important industrial chemical, butane, without the need for an expensive metal catalyst.¹ Their approach offers a much cheaper and greener alternative to the current industrial process for butane activation.