Current Chemistry News: Scientific Reports and Press Releases

Jupiter's 'Trojans' on an Atomic Scale

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 09:26:08 GMT

Jupiter's 'Trojans' on an Atomic Scale

The planet Jupiter keeps asteroids on stable orbits - and in a similar way, electrons can be stabilized in their orbit around the atomic nucleus; calculations carried out at the Vienna University of Technology have now been verified in an experiment.

Image: The Bohr model assumes that the electron moves around the nucleus, much like a planet around its star.

[Credit: Vienna University of Technology]

Sulfur Chemistry of Exploding Stars

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:08:51 GMT

Sulfur Chemistry of Exploding Stars

Meteorite contains evidence of formation of sulfur molecules in the ejecta of a supernova explosion.

Image: Star dust from a supernova - the electron microscopic image shows a silicon carbide grain from the meteorite Murchison. The approximately one micrometer small grains originate from a supernova as an isotopic analysis has shown. Isotopes are forms of an element with different weights.

[Credit: Peter Hoppe, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry]

The Great Gas Hydrate Escape

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:23:16 GMT

The Great Gas Hydrate Escape

Computer simulations revealing how methane and hydrogen pack into gas hydrates could enlighten alternative fuel production and carbon dioxide storage industries.

Image: A computer simulation of methane, also known as natural gas, escaping from a methane hydrate. Many of these methane hydrate subunits combine to form a chunk of ice that burns, and this simulation shows how methane can get out without collapsing the entire structure ...

[Credit: Sotiris Xantheas, PNNL]

Amphotericin B - New Studies on the Mechanism of Action

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:38:08 GMT

Amphotericin B - New Studies on the Mechanism of Action

Powerful drug's surprising, simple method could lead to better treatments.

Image: This is a model of amphotericin, the most relied-upon drug for treating fungal infections, despite its toxicity.

[Credit: Martin Burke]

Continuous-Flow Synthesis of Artemisinin

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:03:57 GMT

Continuous-Flow Synthesis of Artemisinin

Anti-malaria drug synthesised with the help of oxygen and light.

Image: A continuous-flow process that converts dihydroartemisinic acid into artemisinin is shown to be an inexpensive and scalable process that can ensure a steady, affordable supply of artemisinin.

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie International Edition]

Electrodissolution of Platinum

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:56:05 GMT

Electrodissolution of Platinum

Recycling platinum by electrochemical dissolution in an ionic liquid.

Image: A noncorrosive, basic ionic liquid has been developed as a solvent system for the electrodissolution of platinum. The metal is dissolved at an ultrahigh rate, and the facile recovery of pure platinum and platinum alloys from the same solution is achieved without any additional treatment of the solution or exchange of the medium.

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie International Edition]

2-D Networks from Boron Acids

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:40:44 GMT

2-D Networks from Boron Acids

The art of molecular carpet-weaving: Synthesis of well-ordered COF monolayers.

Image: A scanning electron microscopy image with a superimposed molecular model.

Two different straightforward synthetic approaches are presented to fabricate long-range-ordered monolayers of a covalent organic framework (COF) on an inert, catalytically inactive graphite surface.

[Credit: TU Munich]

Flerovium and Livermorium

Sat, 3 Dec 2011 12:12:42 GMT

Flerovium and Livermorium

Livermore and Russian scientists propose new names for elements 114 and 116.

Image: The IUPAC recommended new proposed names for elements 114 and 116, the latest heavy elements to be added to the periodic table.

Scienists Make Graphene Suitable for Organic Chemistry

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:07:00 GMT

Scientists Make Graphene Suitable for Organic Chemistry

Graphene lights up with new possibilities: Rice researchers' two-step technique makes graphene suitable for organic chemistry.

Image: Making a superlattice with patterns of hydrogenated graphene is the first step in making the material suitable for organic chemistry. The process was developed in the Rice University lab of chemist James Tour.

[Credit: Tour Lab/Rice University]

Supercool Liquid Water

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:57:54 GMT

Supercool Liquid Water

Utah chemists: Water doesn't have to freeze until minus 55 Fahrenheit.

Image: The box here is full of liquid water, which is not shown (white). Supercooled liquid water starts to become 'intermediate ice' (green) on the way to freezing into ice (red) well below the 32 degrees F that people normally consider water's freezing point. University of Utah chemists calculated that supercold water finally must freeze at minus 55 F.

[Credit: University of Utah]

BN-Methylcyclopentane: A Liquid-based Hydrogen Storage Material

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:23:55 GMT

BN-Methylcyclopentane: A Liquid-based Hydrogen Storage Material

New material may boost efforts to convert gasoline infrastructure into one based on hydrogen.

Image: Stored hydrogen releases in the presence of iron chloride via a storage technology created in the University of Oregon lab of Shih-Yuan Liu.

[Courtesy of Shih-Yuan Liu]

Pyrrolysine Biosynthesis

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:39:33 GMT

Pyrrolysine Biosynthesis

On the path to tailored enzymes: Enzymatic synthesis of pyrrolysine, the mysterious 22nd amino acid.

Image: On the way to the production of pyrrolysine, an exotic amino acid occurring in only a few exotic organisms, the conversion of lysine to methylornithine is the decisive step.

Scientists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen succeeded in crystallizing the enzyme PylB which is responsible for this transformation and elucidated its structure.

Top of the image: reactive center with an iron-sulfur cluster (red / yellow), the cofactor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), and in the center of the image the product: 3-methyl-ornithine (3MO).

[Credit: Felix Quitterer, TU Muenchen]

Enantiomer Separation by Flexible Rack Systems

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:21:32 GMT

Enantiomer Separation by Flexible Rack Systems

Researchers develop new process with porous molecular organic frameworks - relevant to the production of pharmaceuticals.

Image: Preferred (110) and (001) orientation of enantiopure [{Zn₂((+)cam)₂(dabco)}_n] ((+)cam=(1R,3S)-(+)-camphoric acid, dabco=1,4-diazabicyclo(2.2.2)octane) thin films can be controlled by carboxylate and pyridyl groups on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) ...

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie International Edition]

Scandium Trifluoride: An Incredible Shrinking Material

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:38:31 GMT

Scandium Trifluoride: An Incredible Shrinking Material

Caltech engineers reveal how scandium trifluoride contracts with heat.

Image: The crystal structure of ScF₃ - Scandium atoms are green while fluorine atoms are white. You can imagine the bonds connecting the atoms as springs [Credit: Copyright APS].

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Taxanes

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:04:43 GMT

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Taxanes

Scripps research team achieves critical step to opening elusive class of compounds to drug discovery.

Image: Elaboration of (+)-taxadienone to (+)-taxadiene by a three-step reduction-deoxygenation sequence.

[Credit: Nature Chemistry, DOI 10.1038/nchem.1196]

Methanol Production in Interstellar and Preplanetary Ices

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 09:56:56 GMT

Methanol Production in Interstellar and Preplanetary Ices

Astrobiologists discover 'sweet spots' for the formation of complex organic molecules in the galaxy.

Image: Methanol formation is the major chemical pathway to complex organic molecules in interstellar space.

If scientists can identify regions where conditions are right for rich methanol production, they will be better able to understand where and how the complex organic molecules needed to create life are formed.

[Photo courtesy of NASA]

New Stereoselective Ring-closing Metathesis

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 09:12:30 GMT

New Stereoselective Ring-closing Metathesis

Highly selective catalyst developed for ring-closing olefin metathesis. International team led by Boston College researchers uses new catalyst to synthesize two potent anti-cancer molecules.

Image: The total synthesis of nakadomarin A was realized through late-stage tungsten-catalysed ring-closing metathesis of the pentacyclic compound 13, and comparison with results delivered by Ruthenium catalysts.

[Credit: Nature DOI 10.1038/nature10563]

Light Vortex

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:38:18 GMT

Light Vortex

Circularly polarized luminescence from a stirred and gelled solution of dye.

Image: Hydrogels with embedded Rhodamine B dye showed stir-induced circularly polarized luminescence (CPL), the sense of which can be controlled by switching the stir direction from clockwise (CW) to counterclockwise (CCW) with slow cooling from the sol to gel states.

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie International Edition]

Electron-Transfer Reactions Controlled With a Plasma Electrode

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:15:59 GMT

Electron-Transfer Reactions Controlled With a Plasma Electrode

Engineers at Case Western Reserve University have made an electrochemical cell that uses a plasma for an electrode, instead of solid pieces of metal.

Image: Electrochemical reactions are normally initiated in solution by metal electrodes such as Pt, which are expensive and limited in supply. In this Communication, the authors demonstrate that an atmospheric-pressure microplasma can act as a gaseous, metal-free electrode to mediate electron-transfer reactions in aqueous solutions.

[Credit: Journal of the American Chemical Society]

Chemists Modify Polanyi Rules for Reaction Rates

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:22:58 GMT

Chemists Modify Polanyi Rules for Reaction Rates

Theoretical chemists at Emory University have solved an important mystery about the rates of chemical reactions and the so-called Polanyi rules.

Image: The reactive properties of methane are of particular interest, since it is an important fuel: Understanding the dynamics of chemical reactions is key to driving reactions efficiently, whether in a laboratory experiment or in an industrial application.

[Photo by Carol Clark]

Molecular Forces in Hydrophobic Interactions

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:30:02 GMT

Molecular Forces in Hydrophobic Interactions

New equation developed by UCSB chemical engineers solves the mystery of forces between water-repelling and water-attracting molecules that are critical to industrial and medical applications.

Image: One example of how hydrophobic interactions are critical to biomedical applications can be found in how DNA base pairs on the two strands are drawn together to form a double helix. The basic structure of a DNA molecule is a hydrophilic backbone and a hydrophobic inner region of nitrogenous bases. These molecular hydrophobic forces repel the water between them which drives the bases towards each other [Credit: UCSB].

Bikunin: Scientists Sequence the First Carbohydrate Biopolymer

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:52:16 GMT

Bikunin: Scientists Sequence the First Carbohydrate Biopolymer

Robert Linhardt of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute sequences bikunin - a proteoglycan.

Image: The portion on the left corresponds to the sugar part of the molecule, the sequence of which was determined in the current study.

The portion on the right corresponds to the protein part of the proteoglycan bikunin.

[Credit: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]

Verticillin A Appears to Improve Effectiveness of Cancer Drugs

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:37:56 GMT

A natural compound isolated from a wild, poisonous mushroom growing in a Southwest China forest appears to help a cancer killing drug fulfill its promise, researchers report.

Organic Optical Transistors

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:54:39 GMT

Organic Optical Transistors

Light driving light: how an optical transistor operates.

Image: The key functionalities of an optical transistor, gating and amplification, are demonstrated exploiting the photophysical properties of a molecular triad (see picture).

Two building blocks of the triad are highly efficient fluorophores, whereas the third building block is a photochromic molecule that can be reversibly interconverted between two bistable forms by light.

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie International Edition]

Dioxobilane: A Colorless Chlorophyll Catabolite

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:50:42 GMT

Dioxobilane: A Colorless Chlorophyll Catabolite

Colorful leaves: New chlorophyll decomposition product found in Norway maple.

Image: A colorless chlorophyll catabolite was found in senescent leaves of Norway maple, a widespread deciduous tree.

This compound is a dioxobilane, a �linear� tetrapyrrole, in which one meso carbon of the macrocycle of the hypothetical chlorophyll precursor has been lost.

The configuration of this catabolite suggests a path of chlorophyll breakdown in Norway maple that diverges from that found in senescent leaves of other higher plants.

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie International Edition]

Synthetic Inorganic Cells: iCHELLs

Wed, 5 Oct 2011 15:29:04 GMT

Synthetic Inorganic Cells: iCHELLs

Synthetic cells: Ion exchange leads to complex cell systems with inorganic membranes.

Image: Interfacial membrane formation by cation exchange of polyoxometalates produces modular inorganic chemical cells with tunable morphology, properties, and composition.

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie, Wiley-VCH]

A New Solid State Energy Scale

Tue, 4 Oct 2011 21:57:12 GMT

A New Solid State Energy Scale

Advance offers new opportunities in chemistry education, research.

Image: A new "solid state energy scale" developed by researchers at Oregon State University provides a new way to understand electronegativity, a fundamental but very important concept in chemistry.

[Graphic courtesy of Oregon State University]

Unified Molecular View of the Air/Water Interface

Tue, 4 Oct 2011 16:27:38 GMT

Unified Molecular View of the Air/Water Interface

When water and air meet: New study sheds light on the mysterious structure of the world's most common liquid interface.

Image: This is a snapshot in the MD simulation trajectory of the HOD / D₂O mixture that shows the water pair at the surface. White, green and red represent H, D and O atoms, respectively.

[Credit: RIKEN]

Chemophobia

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:11:32 GMT

Breaking chemistry's bad rap: How communication can help catalyze public engagement and improve chemistry's image.

Magnesium Borohydride as Hydrogen Storage

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:20:13 GMT

Full to the brim with hydrogen: Porous form of magnesium borohydride can store hydrogen.

Hydrogen from Bioethanol

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:22:01 GMT

Hydrogen from Bioethanol

Mild but very efficient: new catalytic process extracts hydrogen from bioalcohols.

Image: A protocol for the title transformation under mild reaction conditions has been developed. Highest activities are found with an in situ catalyst system consisting of a 1:1 mixture of an HPNP^iPr ligand and [RuH₂(PPh₃)₃CO]. A turnover frequency of up to 14145 h^-1 and turnover number of more than 40000 have been achieved for production of hydrogen gas from isopropyl alcohol.

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie International Edition]

Solar Energy: Lessons from Nature

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:47:53 GMT

Solar Energy: Lessons from Nature

Lessons to be learned from nature in photosynthesis - International panel of scientists point the way forward.

Image: Through the miracle of photosynthesis, plants absorb sunlight in their leaves and convert the photonic energy into chemical energy that is stored as sugars in the plants' biomass.

[Photo by Roy Kaltschmidt, Berkeley Lab]

Analysis of Modified tRNA Bases

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:22:04 GMT

A code beyond DNA: Modified tRNA bases are characteristic of species.

A New Tool for Radiation Detection Materials

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:18:21 GMT

Dimensional Reduction: New materials hold promise for better detection of nuclear weapons.

Rare Earth Boryl Complexes

Fri, 9 Sep 2011 16:13:33 GMT

A rare partnership pays off: The first chemical complex consisting of rare earth metals and boron atoms produces unexpected results heralding new synthetic chemistry techniques.

Single-Molecule Electric Motor

Fri, 9 Sep 2011 15:36:00 GMT

Single-Molecule Electric Motor

World's smallest electric motor made from a single molecule.

Image: Chemists at Tufts University have developed the world's first single molecule electric motor, which may potentially create a new class of devices that could be used in applications ranging from medicine to engineering. The molecular motor was powered by electricity from a state of the art, low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope.

[Credit: Heather L. Tierney, Colin J. Murphy, April D. Jewell, Ashleigh E. Baber, Erin V. Iski, Harout Y. Khodaverdian, Allister F. McGuire, Nikolai Klebanov and E. Charles H. Sykes]

Polymerization Reaction Drives Nanomotors

Fri, 9 Sep 2011 15:22:43 GMT

Polymerization Reaction Drives Nanomotors

Researchers describe a new type of micromotor that is powered by a polymerization reaction and deposits tiny threads along its trail like a microspider.

Image: A polymerization reaction is used to power the first micromotor outside biological systems.

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie International Edition]

Iron Translocation by a Dps Protein

Fri, 9 Sep 2011 13:11:37 GMT

Iron Translocation by a Dps Protein

Insect gut microbe with a molecular iron reservoir - Max Planck researchers analyze the structure of an iron storage protein.

Image: Molecular structure of the enzyme N-acyl amino acid hydrolase (AAH) from Microbacterium arborescens: Longitudinal section through the pore along with a representation of the iron uptake mechanism.

[Credit: Kornelius Zeth, MPI Tuebingen]

Total Synthesis of Synechoxanthin

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:38:18 GMT

A new set of building blocks for simple synthesis of complex molecules.

A New Material With Outstanding Supercapacitor Properties

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:34:20 GMT

A New Material With Outstanding Supercapacitor Properties

New rechargeable batteries needed: A microporous polymer is an unusually powerful supercapacitor.

Image: Supercapacitor - A π conjugated microporous polymer with aza-fused framework is reported.

The porous framework is conductive and allows electrolyte ions to move into the pores because of structural features (see picture). The material becomes highly co-operative in the formation of electrostatic charge-separation layers, shows exceptional capacitance in supercapacitive energy storage, provides high energy densities, and offers an excellent cycle life.

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie International Edition]

Nitrous Oxide Decomposition Mechanism

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:26:02 GMT

Nitrous Oxide Decomposition Mechanism

How the N₂O greenhouse gas is decomposed.

Image: The N₂O-reductase enzyme possesses four reactive centers for the decomposition of nitrous oxide into elemental nitrogen.

[Source: BIOSS/ University of Freiburg]

Soil Nitrite Cleans the Air

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:19:26 GMT

Soil Nitrite Cleans the Air

Nitrogen-containing soil is a source of hydroxyl radicals that remove pollutants from the atmosphere.

Image: What is the source of nitrous acid in the atmosphere?

Mainz scientists study the exchange of gases between soil samples and the air in this reaction chamber.

[Credit: Su, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry]

Sesquiterpene Diversity

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:30:53 GMT

Researchers have used tools of paleontology to gain new insights into the diversity of natural plant chemicals.

Trifluoromethylation of Heteroatomic Systems

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:13:21 GMT

Scientists find easier, cheaper way to make a sought-after chemical modification to drugs.

Synbodies - A New Way of Producing Antibody-like Binding Agents

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:15:16 GMT

Synbodies - A New Way of Producing Antibody-like Binding Agents

Improved method for capturing proteins holds promise for biomedical research:

Researchers have developed a new way of producing antibody-like binding agents and rapidly optimizing their affinity for their target proteins.

Image: Two peptide chains are attached to a segment of double-stranded DNA, displaced by a distance which can be modified to improve binding affinity with a target protein (seen in blue).

[Credit: The Biodesign Institute Arizona State University]

Oxygen's watery past

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:59:25 GMT

New research shows evidence of early oxygen on our planet.

Extraterrestrial Nucleobases: DNA Building Blocks Can be Made in Space

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:14:56 GMT

Extraterrestrial Nucleobases: DNA Building Blocks Can be Made in Space

NASA-funded researchers have evidence that some building blocks of DNA, the molecule that carries the genetic instructions for life, found in meteorites were likely created in space. The research gives support to the theory that a "kit" of ready-made parts created in space and delivered to Earth by meteorite and comet impacts assisted the origin of life.

Image: Meteorites contain a large variety of nucleobases, an essential building block of DNA.

[Artist concept credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith]

Tricolor Liquid Crystals

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:09:38 GMT

Tricolor Liquid Crystals

Thermal and mechanical stimuli switch the luminescence of a liquid-crystal mixture between three different colors.

A glowing image: The photoluminescent colors reddish-orange, yellow, and green, are generated from a single liquid-crystalline mixture containing one luminophore (see picture). The colors are easily distinguished by the naked eye and can be reversibly written and erased. Moreover, these luminescent colors can be switched by mechanical and thermal stimuli.

[Credit: Angewandte Chemie]

Flowing Structures in Colloidial Crystals

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:08:01 GMT

Flowing Structures in Colloidial Crystals

A liquid does not have to be a disordered bunch of particles: A team of researchers has discovered intriguing structures formed by tiny particles floating in liquids. Under mechanical strain, particle clusters in liquids can spontaneously form strings and dramatically alter the properties of the liquid.

Image: Intriguing structures are formed by tiny particles floating in liquids.

[Credit: Vienna University of Technology]

One-stop Shop for the Suzuki reaction

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:40:20 GMT

A crucial type of intermediate in the so-called Suzuki reaction can now be synthesized using an economical 'one-pot' strategy. These compounds are used on an industrial scale to make the carbon scaffolds that form the basis of useful drugs and innovative materials.