Phys.org Chemistry

• Underwater thermal vents may have given rise to the first molecular precursors of life

  A study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society has recreated in the laboratory chemical reactions that may have occurred on Earth about four billion years ago, producing the first molecular precursors for the emergence of life.

• New malaria drug candidate blocks protein production in resistant parasites

  It has long been known that bacterial pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. However, common medications are also becoming less effective against malaria, a tropical disease caused by a parasite.

• Green chemistry method combines light and air to build key molecules for future medicines

  A research group led by The University of Osaka has achieved a world-first in catalytic asymmetric synthesis, developing an innovative method for efficiently producing NOBIN, a valuable molecule used in pharmaceuticals.

• Rapid method recycles nylon from fishing nets and car parts

  A new study from the Department of Materials Engineering (MatE), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) describes a rapid method to recycle a commonly used plastic while preserving its desirable properties.

• Decoding how pH controls the chemistry of clean energy

  The pH, or the acidity or alkalinity of an environment, has long been known to affect how efficiently catalysts drive key electrochemical reactions. Yet despite decades of research, the atomic-scale mechanisms behind these pH effects have eluded scientists.

• Creating luminescent biomaterials from wood

  Lignin is one of the most abundant aromatic polymers on Earth and has long been recognized as a promising biomass resource. However, due to its complex and heterogeneous structure and resistance to degradation, its utilization has largely been limited to combustion for energy.

• Chemists discover clean and green way to recycle Teflon

  New research demonstrates a simple, eco-friendly method to break down Teflon—one of the world's most durable plastics—into useful chemical building blocks.

• An edible fungus could make paper and fabric liquid-proof

  As an alternative to single-use plastic wrap and paper cup coatings, researchers in Langmuir report a way to waterproof materials using edible fungus. Along with fibers made from wood, the fungus produced a layer that blocks water, oil and grease absorption. In a proof-of-concept study, the impervious film grew on common materials such as paper, denim, polyester felt and thin wood, revealing its potential to replace plastic coatings with sustainable, natural materials.

• Ultra-thin filters made from boron nitride could boost medicine and dye production

  Scientists in Australia have developed new ultra-thin filters that can separate valuable chemicals from liquid mixtures fast and efficiently to make medicines, dyes and other products, which could help industries cut waste, save energy and lower costs.

• Red light and recyclable catalysts drive sustainable photocatalysis

  Modern chemistry is increasingly focused on developing sustainable processes that reduce energy consumption and minimize waste. Photocatalysis, which uses light to promote chemical reactions, offers a promising alternative to more aggressive conventional methods. However, most existing photocatalysts are homogeneous—they dissolve in the reaction medium and cannot be easily recovered or reused—and they typically rely on blue or ultraviolet light, which is more energy-demanding and penetrates poorly into reaction mixtures, limiting their large-scale and biological applications.

• Smarter electrolysis: Pairing reactions for sustainable energy and chemistry

  For more than two centuries, fossil fuels have dominated global energy and chemical production, accounting for over 80% of consumption and driving a steep rise in CO₂ emissions. This reliance has contributed to climate change, energy insecurity, and environmental degradation. Although renewable energy investment has grown rapidly, conventional chemical processes remain carbon-intensive and economically inflexible.

• Shanghai Tower serves as inspiration for first synthetic dynamic helical polymer

  Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have developed a polymer that adopts a coiled spring configuration at low temperatures and unfolds again upon heating. Furthermore, the molecule can break down into smaller molecules under certain conditions. The Shanghai Tower, with its spiral shape, served as the inspiration for the project following a visit five years ago. A description of the resulting helical polymer was recently published in Nature Chemistry.

• Nanopore signals and machine learning unlock new molecular analysis tool

  Understanding molecular diversity is fundamental to biomedical research and diagnostics, but existing analytical tools struggle to distinguish subtle variations in the structure or composition among biomolecules, such as proteins. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a new analytical approach which helps overcome this problem. The new method, called voltage-matrix nanopore profiling, combines multivoltage solid-state nanopore recordings with machine learning for accurate classification of proteins in complex mixtures, based on the proteins' intrinsic electrical signatures.

• Magnetic interactions in new alloy catalyst enhance hydrogen fuel cell performance

  A research team led by Professor Jong Sung Yu of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST has developed a new alloy structure that can significantly enhance the performance of electrode catalysts, a key component of hydrogen fuel cells.

• New AI model for drug design brings more physics to bear in predictions

  When machine learning is used to suggest new potential scientific insights or directions, algorithms sometimes offer solutions that are not physically sound.

• Simple stabilizing solution leads to seven new ceramic materials

  Sometimes, less really is more. By removing oxygen during synthesis, a team led by materials scientists at Penn State has created seven new high-entropy oxides (HEOS), a class of ceramics composed of five or more metals with potential for applications in energy storage, electronics and protective coatings.

• Chemical networks can mimic nervous systems to power movement in soft materials

  What if a soft material could move on its own, guided not by electronics or motors, but by the kind of rudimentary chemical signaling that powers the simplest organisms? Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering have modeled just that—a synthetic system that on its own directly transforms chemical reactions into mechanical motion, without the need for the complex biochemical machinery present in our bodies.

• Sodium-ion battery breakthrough could power greener energy—and even make seawater drinkable

  Sodium-ion batteries may be the answer to the future of sustainable energy storage and could be used to make drinking water out of seawater. Scientists at the University of Surrey have discovered a simple way to boost their performance—by leaving the water inside a key component rather than removing it.

• Enzyme-based system produces versatile active ingredients for drug discovery and testing

  Natural products derived from microorganisms are a promising source of new active ingredients, but are often produced only in very small quantities. A research team from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) led by Tobias Gulder has now succeeded in establishing a chemo-enzymatic platform for the production of furanolides—a class of natural products with a broad spectrum of activity.

• Manganese's resilience is key to its use as a catalyst in the oxygen evolution reaction

  Scientists have long noted with interest that in one of nature's crucial chemical reactions—the oxygen evolution reaction—it is manganese, rather than more plentiful similar elements such as iron, that acts as the key catalyst.

• DeePFAS: AI tool advances 'forever chemical' detection

  DeePFAS, a novel deep-learning model, streamlines large-scale non-targeted screening of "forever chemicals" (PFAS) by projecting raw MS2 spectra into a latent space of chemical features, offering a rapid, AI-driven solution to replace complex traditional analysis.

• New chemical treatment turns deadly arsenic contaminant into a valuable raw material

  Arsenic is a natural component of Earth's crust and highly toxic in its inorganic form. The element is a cause of a global public health crisis, as it is present in groundwater and the drinking water consumed daily by millions of people in countries such as Bangladesh, China, India, Mexico and Pakistan.

• Injectable and self-healable glowing hydrogel achieves ultra-sensitive detection of formaldehyde

  Researchers from the Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering at National Taiwan University have developed a multifunctional hydrogel sensor for detecting formaldehyde.

• Double-shelled carbon spheres drive cleaner nitrate-to-nitrogen conversion

  Nitrate pollution in water threatens ecosystems and human health, yet removing it efficiently without producing harmful byproducts remains a challenge. A new study reports a dual single-atomic catalyst engineered on double-shelled mesoporous carbon spheres that achieves both high activity and selectivity.

• New insights into how salt gathers at common solvent surfaces

  New research led by Flinders University has shed light on one of chemistry's big mysteries by describing how simple salts exist near the surface of liquid solvents.