Feature Channels: Chemistry

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The Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice program approved eight cleaning product ingredients submitted by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) for inclusion in its Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL). The decision marks the first time Safer Choice has approved a SCIL submission by a non-manufacturer.

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A first-of-its-kind study published today in AACC’s Clinical Chemistry journal compared the performance of two COVID-19 antibody tests and found that—even though both tests are FDA authorized—one produced more incorrect results than the other. These findings could help healthcare professionals and researchers to better select antibody tests, which are essential to both treating COVID-19 patients and determining the full extent of the outbreak.

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In the First-Person Science series, scientists describe how they made significant discoveries over years of research. Christoph Benning is the director of the Michigan State University-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory.

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Igor Lednev’s innovative laser-light technology is adding another use to its forensics toolbox – being able to determine if a smoker was at the crime scene based on biological evidence.

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Dr. Xiaohong Tan, an assistant professor of chemistry at Bowling Green State University, has an idea to prevent coronaviruses from infecting humans. His idea merited the National Science Foundation’s approval for a one-year, $200,000 grant to fund his research.

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University of Texas at Austin researchers recently simulated the catalytic mechanism and atomic structure of nickel-doped graphene using Comet at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) and Stampede2 at the Texas Advanced Computing Center. The simulations showed how the catalyst converts carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, an important feedstock for chemical engineering.

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The study introduces a generic way of engineering artificial forces between photons and molecules to enable new energy transfer pathways between molecules.

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After analysing organic residues from ancient pots, a team of scientists led by the University of Bristol has uncovered new evidence of dairying by hunter-gatherers in the landlocked South African country of Lesotho in the mid-late first millennium AD.

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Scientists have discovered a new method of producing ultra-thin porous membranes. The key is growth of a polymer “corona”—an ultrathin layer of polymer surrounding highly porous metal-organic-framework (MOF) nanoparticles. The nanoparticles self-assemble into layers one particle thick and into multilayer, self-supporting porous films.

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Scientists have identified a new mechanism for the breakdown of the building blocks of cell membranes. The mechanism is based on autoxidation from the interaction of oxygen and hydroxyl free radicals and the subsequent chain reaction between hydroxyl radicals and the Criegee intermediates that form from atmospheric ozone.

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Galli elected to both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

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Most ammonia capture is done through the Haber-Bosch (HB) process, an energy-intensive technique used to produce fertilizer that accounts for 1-2% of the world’s annual energy consumption. Columbia engineers report they have recovered ammonia through a new method with a very low level of energy, approx 1/5 of the energy used by HB. And because the technique recycles ammonia in a closed loop, the ammonia can be recaptured for reuse in fertilizer, household cleaners, etc.

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Scientists have gained important insight into the mechanisms that drive stability and activity in materials during oxygen evolution reactions. This insight will guide the practical design of materials for electrochemical fuel production.

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Researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed a method to visualize variations in polymers that arise with age.

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Electrochemical reactions include the transformation of sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, and similar processes occur when the body breaks down food, drugs or other compounds. Monitoring these metabolic processes helps in testing, studying and combating disease, but they are difficult to study with normal equipment. In this week’s Review of Scientific Instruments, researchers discuss their work with a miniaturized potentiostat, which is compatible with most 3-electrode biosensors and can transmit its measurements via Bluetooth.

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Cornell University researchers studying the structure of the virus that causes COVID-19 have found a unique feature that could explain why it is so transmissible between people.

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A chemistry professor at Université de Montréal, in Canada, has developed a new test using gold nanoparticles to establish the flavour profile of maple syrup and help producers evaluate its quality.

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Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have created and tested a single-crystal electrode that promises to yield pivotal discoveries for advanced batteries under development worldwide.

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Jantana Keereetaweep, a biochemistry research associate in the biology department at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, has been awarded the Paul K. Stumpf Award for her research on plant lipids (fats and oils). The award, given every two years, recognizes the contributions of a promising early-career scientist in honor of Stumpf, who was a world leader and pioneer in the study of plant lipid biochemistry.

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The first step in many light-driven chemical reactions, like the ones that power photosynthesis and human vision, is a shift in the arrangement of a molecule’s electrons as they absorb the light’s energy. Now scientists have directly observed this first step.

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A team of researchers has developed a portable, more environmentally friendly method to produce hydrogen peroxide. It could enable hospitals to make their own supply of the disinfectant on demand and at lower cost.

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Scientists reveal new details that explain how a highly selective catalyst converts methane, the main component of natural gas, to methanol, an easy-to-transport liquid fuel and feedstock for making plastics, paints, and other commodity products. The findings could aid the design of even more efficient/selective catalysts to make methane conversion an economically viable and environmentally attractive alternative to venting or flaring "waste" gas.

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Using an ultra-thin and sharp needle tipped with a single carbon monoxide molecule frozen to minus 266 degrees centigrade, researchers from the University of Warwick and Cardiff identified and mapped the location of every molecular bond on the surface of a material

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To address some of the confusion surrounding COVID-19 testing, AACC today launched a video series in which leading laboratory experts answer common questions about tests for the pandemic. From persistent supply shortages to the emergence of antibody tests, these videos quickly answer the questions that patients and the general public have been asking.

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Researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed a process to dye hair with synthetic melanin under milder conditions than traditional hair dyes.

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Researchers report in ACS Central Science a way to recycle used polyurethanes into equivalent or even higher-value items.

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Now that diagnostic companies can sell COVID-19 antibody tests without FDA authorization, healthcare teams should work closely with clinical laboratory experts to ensure that these tests are thoroughly validated and used appropriately. A new opinion piece in AACC’s Clinical Chemistry journal emphasizes that this is critical to minimizing the risk of inaccurate results from these tests, which could have potentially life-threatening consequences.

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A new technique developed by a team including researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Argonne National Laboratory makes atomic layer deposition possible on nearly any membrane.

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Scientists have come up with a novel way to use silicon as an energy storage ingredient. They’ve developed a nanostructure incorporating carbon nanotubes to strengthen the material and modify the way silicon interacts with lithium, a key component in batteries used in electric cars and other devices.

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The Stowers Institute for Medical Research is pleased to announce that Joan Weliky Conaway, PhD, a Stowers Investigator since 2001, has been elected a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for her distinguished and continuing achievements in original scientific research. The recognition reflects the exceptional productivity and impact of the research program co-led by Conaway and her lifelong collaborator and husband Ron Conaway, PhD.

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Eric O. Potma is a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). He holds adjunct positions in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, and in the Beckman Laser Institute at UCI.

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HCPA reminds consumers to use disinfecting products as they're intended and according to the directions on the label, following speculation that injecting disinfectants can be used to cure COVID-19.

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The researchers discovered that encapsulating ellagic acid in chitosan, a sugar, reduces its inherent cytotoxicity while enhancing its anti-oxidant properties. The chitosan shell, which makes up the hard outer skeleton of shellfish, also permits EA delivery via a rapid burst phase and a relatively slow phase.

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Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago recently published a study in the journal ACS Nano that details findings from computer simulations seeking to identify inhibitors, which eventually could assist chemists to develop new medicines to combat the coronavirus.

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After spotting a curious pattern in scientific papers – they described exoplanets as being cooler than expected – Cornell University astronomers have improved a mathematical model to accurately gauge the temperatures of planets from solar systems hundreds of light-years away.

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Aromaticity and antiaromaticity are important concepts in organic chemistry, helping to define and explain how molecules vary in their stability and reactivity. Researchers previously identified these concepts together in organic biphenylenes. Now, new research has created metallic biphenylenes that incorporate uranium and thorium.

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Researchers at MIT; the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard; and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; along with colleagues from around the world have identified specific types of cells that appear to be targets of the coronavirus that is causing the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Using just electrostatic charge, common microparticles can spontaneously organize themselves into highly ordered crystalline materials—the equivalent of table salt or opals, according to a new study led by New York University chemists and published in Nature.

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Using electronic devices for too long can cause them to overheat. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters have developed a hydrogel that can both cool down electronics, such as cell phone batteries, and convert their waste heat into electricity.

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A new, free-to-use database of 14,000 known macrolactones fills a knowledge gap concerning these molecules and could serve as a useful tool for future drug discovery.

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The flavor of a fine chocolate emerge from its ecology, in addition to its processing. But can you be certain that the bar you bought is from the exotic locale on the wrapper? Researchers developed a method for determining where a chocolate was produced by looking at its chemical “fingerprint.”

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With shortages of test components and swabs, labs still face huge obstacles to COVID-19 testing. With new White House guidelines reliant on more testing, AACC is urging the administration to find and coordinate resources so lab experts can do their jobs.

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From setting up fuel stations for the U.S. Army in Iraq to monitoring complex gas-delivery systems at Brookhaven National Laboratory's National Synchrotron Light Source II, Christine Ali brings a wealth of experience and passion to science. Here's her story.

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Psilocybin mushrooms have been found to have minimal harmful effects and could potentially benefit those with depression. But they remain illegal even though they offer a groundbreaking alternative to several under-treated psychological conditions.

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Scientists across the globe are rushing to find inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic. Some are using computer simulations to identify promising compounds before conducting actual experiments in the lab.

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Understanding droplet formation in pure water in a controlled lab setting is challenging enough, but in the atmosphere, droplets form in the presence of many other substances.

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A high-sensitivity X-ray technique at Berkeley Lab is attracting a growing group of scientists because it provides a deep, precise dive into battery chemistry.