Feature Channels: Chemistry

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Gut microbiota by-products circulate in the bloodstream, regulating host physiological processes including immunity, metabolism and brain functions.

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Chemical syntheses in liquids and gases take place in three-dimensional space. Random collisions between molecules have to result in something new in an extremely short time. But there is another way: on a gold surface under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, molecules lying still next to each other can be made to combine - even those that would never want to react with each other in a liquid. Researchers at Empa have now discovered such a reaction. Best of all, the experts can "take pictures" and watch every step of the reaction.

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Researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have created edible tags with fluorescent silk proteins, which could be placed directly on pills or in liquid medicines. The codes within the tags can be read by a smartphone app to verify the source and quality of these pharmaceuticals.

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Researchers reporting in ACS Infectious Diseases have characterized the binding of proteins from several animal and human coronaviruses to glycans called sialic acids, revealing host-specific patterns of binding.

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Researchers reporting in ACS Sensors have developed a rapid COVID-19 test that uses molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles, rather than antibodies, to detect SARS-CoV-2. The new test is more sensitive and works under more extreme conditions than antibody-based tests.

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The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has chosen Joshua Silverstein, Noureen Siraj, and John Kirk as the 2022 winners of the Faculty Excellence Awards.

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Chemists at Cornell University have discovered a way to use light and oxygen to upcycle polystyrene – a type of plastic found in many common items – into benzoic acid, a product stocked in undergraduate and high school chemistry labs and also used in fragrances, food preservatives, and other ubiquitous products.

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Yongqin Jiao is a Group Leader in the Biosciences and Biotechnology Division at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. With her Early Career Research Program award, she investigated how the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus survives in high levels of uranium and its potential use for bioremediation.

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As part of Hong Kong Tech Forum, this conference will bring together leading experts from all over the world to exchange views on the recent trends in a variety of topics concerning the chemistry of 2D materials.

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A University of Georgia nanotechnology research group entered the race to develop a rapid test for COVID-19 in August 2020, running experiments on a new sensor for an American manufacturing company. The group, led by Yiping Zhao and Ralph Tripp, tested nanotechnology-based optical sensors designed for COVID-19 detection and saw the potential for their home-grown technology.

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Argonne scientists have used artificial intelligence to enhance hypersonic combustion.

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Cleaner hydrogen production has always been possible, but it’s expensive. A research team using the APS has found more cost-effective ways to catalyze hydrogen production in a cleaner, more efficient way.

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PNNL researchers have uncovered a plant-derived process that leads to the formation of aerosol particles over the Amazon rainforest and potentially other forested parts of the world. 

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Materials scientist Arun Devaraj is committed to improving the quality and performance of metals with a big assist from atom probe tomography.

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The next generation of catalytic converters could have longer lifetimes and need fewer rare materials to operate, a new study suggests.

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Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have observed that earthworms actually prefer soil with some types of microplastics but digest the polymers differently, which the team suggests could impact the animals’ health and the ecosystem.

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An appetite-suppressing stomach implant can be an alternative to weight-loss surgery to treat obesity. Researchers report in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces that they have augmented this procedure in laboratory animals by coating an implant with a laser-activated dye that kills cells producing the “hunger hormone.”

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Astatine-211 (At-211) shows promise for targeted alpha therapy, which may do more damage to cancer cells and cause less harm to the rest of the body than current cancer therapies. Researchers have developed a novel method of separating At-211 and shipping it in a safe, secure resin column. The approach will allow isotope producers to ship larger quantities of At-211 with less risk and loss to decay.

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Here are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Clinical Trials channel on Newswise.

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With the help of the CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors, genetic information in a plant can be modified to make the latter more robust to pests, diseases, or extreme climatic conditions. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed this method further to eliminate the complete DNA of specific cell types and, thus, prevent their formation during plant development. This will also help to better understand development mechanisms in plants. The findings are presented in Nature Communications. (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29130-w)

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Dr. George Shields, professor of Chemistry at Furman University, has been selected as the 2022 Council on Undergraduate Research – Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Awardee. The award consists of a plaque and $5,000 for the awardee’s research program.

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They’re the driving force behind electric vehicles and crucial to the manufacture of many high-tech products, but while rare earth elements are highly valued across many sectors, they’re extremely hazardous to extract, posing significant issues for the environment.

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A bioinspired molecule can direct gold atoms to form perfect five-pointed nanoscale stars. The feat is the product of a collaborative team from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Washington.

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A new heat storage material could help to significantly improve the energy efficiency of buildings.

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One current and two former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have been inducted into the Laboratory’s Entrepreneurs’ Hall of Fame (EHF).

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Irvine, Calif., March 29, 2022 — The University of California, Irvine’s graduate programs in education and chemistry place in the nation’s top 10 among public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s annual graduate school rankings, published online today. Nine other fields of advanced study are in the top 20 among public universities, marking UCI as one of the leading locations in the country for students to pursue graduate degrees.

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A bandage that releases medication as soon as an infection starts in a wound could treat injuries more efficiently. Empa researchers are currently working on polymer fibers that soften as soon as the environment heats up due to an infection, thereby releasing antimicrobial drugs.

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Capitalizing on the diagonal relationship between phosphorus and carbon, researchers at the University of California San Diego report binding diphosphorus to a single metal ion center through coordination chemistry, something that had historically remained elusive.

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A nitrogen doped carbon-coated nickel anode can catalyze an essential reaction in hydrogen fuel cells at a fraction of the cost of the precious metals currently used, Cornell University researchers have found.

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Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) were very successful in the 2021 competition for the renowned Consolidator Grants of the European Research Council. For their projects on hydrogen embrittlement, ion dynamics, and digital art, materials researcher Christoph Kirchlechner, physical chemist Lars Heinke, and art historian Inge Hinterwaldner, respectively, will receive up to EUR 2 million each for the next five years.

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Research by the University of Delaware has shown that humans can feel tiny differences in a surface, down to the substitution of a single atom.

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Media Briefing Schedule for ACS Spring 2022

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The goo from okra is known to thicken stews, but it can also clean water of some types of pollutants. Now, researchers report that combinations of okra and other food-grade plant extracts can remove microplastics from wastewater. They will present their results at ACS Spring 2022.

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Today, scientists report data from a phase 3 trial of a psychedelic drug, MDMA, or “ecstasy,” combined with psychotherapy for PTSD treatment. Preliminary data suggest that the therapy works even in patients with drug or alcohol use disorders. They will present their results at ACS Spring 2022.

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Scientists who helped to pioneer the use of enzymes to eat plastic have taken an important next step in developing nature-based solutions to the global plastics crisis.

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Research goals include increasing fundamental understanding of physical processes that could be used to evaluate chip performance and security, and creating new, ultra-sensitive testing strategies that build on this knowledge.

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There’s nothing like a cuppa to give your morning a boost. Researchers report the first use of waste coffee grounds as electrode coatings for sensitive neurochemistry measurements, which could help scientists get a better handle on brain activity. They will present their results at ACS Spring 2022.

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.Postdoctoral researchers who are designated Truman and Hruby fellows experience Sandia National Laboratories differently from their peers.