Phys.org Chemistry

• Hydrogenases spill the beans: Key catalytic moves revealed

  Hydrogenases catalyze the reversible splitting and production of hydrogen gas (H2), using complex catalytic cofactors comprising Earth-abundant nickel and/or iron ions. These enzymes, especially the [NiFe]-hydrogenases (fig. 1), are remarkably efficient, making them inspiring models for clean-energy technologies. Yet despite extensive study by many groups worldwide, key steps in their catalytic cycle have remained difficult to observe.

• New membrane sets record for separating hydrogen from CO₂

  When designing membranes that separate industrial gases, scientists often incorporate structures that attract the gas they want to obtain. This attraction can enhance the membrane's permeability, and help isolate the desired gas more efficiently.

• Synthesizing stable, open-chain amines with nitrogen-based chirality

  A research team from Prof. Benjamin List's department at the Max Planck Institut für Kohlenforschung has solved a long-elusive riddle of chemistry: the synthesis of stable, open-chain amines that carry their chirality on nitrogen. This marks the first achievement of its kind, enabled by a newly developed catalytic reaction and a precisely engineered, highly confined catalyst. The work of the Mülheim scientists is fundamental in nature but also opens up new avenues for active ingredients, catalysts, and materials.

• Artificial cartilage mimics natural flexibility with adjustable structure

  A Washington State University research team is working to create an artificial cartilage that is similar to natural cartilage with a recipe that can be corrected along the way.

• Theoretical framework for electrocatalysis expands clean energy production opportunities

  An international study, involving researchers from the University of Tartu Institute of Chemistry, was recently published in Chemical Society Reviews. It provides the most comprehensive theoretical description to date of electrocatalysis and how its current limitations can be addressed. The research establishes a framework that helps design more efficient fuel cells, electrolyzers, and other clean energy conversion devices.

• Conductive hydrogel mimics brain softness for flexible bioelectronic devices

  Bioelectronics, such as implantable health monitors or devices that stimulate brain cells, are not as soft as the surrounding tissues due to their metal electronic circuits. A team of scientists from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, led by associate professor Ranjita Bose, have now developed a soft polymer hydrogel that can conduct electricity as well as metal can. As the material is both flexible and soft, it is more compatible with sensitive tissues. This finding has the potential for a large number of applications, for example, in biocompatible sensors and in wound healing.

• Understanding bacteria's role in transforming steroids to pharmaceuticals

  For decades, pharmaceutical companies have been using bacteria found in soil and water to chemically convert steroids into effective treatments for human diseases. One example is cortisol, which is used to treat asthma and skin rashes. But how bacteria convert steroids is not fully understood.

• Non-contact detection method to identify trace fentanyl

  Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), working with Florida International University's (FIU) Global Forensic and Justice Center, have demonstrated a new method for detecting trace levels of fentanyl using a silicon nanowire (SiNW) array that concentrates chemical vapors for handheld detection instruments. The breakthrough offers first responders a faster, safer way to identify fentanyl and related synthetic opioids without direct contact with the drug.

• Isotope-based method can detect unknown selenium compounds

  Although present in very small amounts, selenium (Se)-based compounds play important roles in protecting the body from oxidative stress, regulating thyroid hormones, strengthening the immune system, and even detoxifying heavy metals. As we begin to understand more about the biological functions of Se, the need to detect and identify Se-containing compounds has become increasingly important.

• Metal-phase protection enables durable acidic CO₂ electroreduction to formic acid

  The electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable chemicals and fuels typically operates under alkaline or neutral conditions, but the carbonation side reaction causes carbon loss. In addition, the main product is formate, which requires additional treatment such as acidification to obtain formic acid.

• Could the solution to the carbon problem be carbon itself?

  Can we use carbon to help decarbonize the world and transform the energy and chemical industries? Yes, it seems, but there are some key challenges to overcome first.

• Emerald green degradation in masterpieces: Scientists identify the culprits

  An international team of researchers have found what triggers degradation in one of the most popular pigments used by renowned 19th and 20th century painters. Using a multi-method approach, including advanced synchrotron radiation techniques, they've unveiled how light and humidity affect the masterpieces over time, and have proposed a strategy for its mitigation and monitoring. The results are out now in Science Advances.

• 'Chocolate-flavored' honey created using cocoa bean shells

  A group of researchers from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, developed a product made from native bee honey and cocoa bean shells that can be consumed directly or used as an ingredient in food and cosmetics. The results were published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, which featured the study on its cover.

• A new way to look 'inside' water's microscopic structure

  Water is essential for all chemistry and life, yet understanding how it interacts with dissolved ions—such as sodium and magnesium—has long been a major scientific challenge.

• Scientists observe metabolic activity of individual lipid droplets in real time

  A research team has developed a fluorescent probe that allows scientists to visualize how individual lipid droplets break down inside living cells in real time. The probe changes its fluorescence properties depending on the chemical composition of each droplet, which allows researchers to observe not only their location within cells, but also their metabolic activity during lipid breakdown.

• Using theory and data to create new single atom catalysts for cleaner chlorine production

  Chlorine is an essential industrial chemical used in products ranging from disinfectants to plastics. Yet producing chlorine requires the chlorine evolution reaction (CER), a process that consumes a significant amount of electricity worldwide. Current industrial electrodes rely on noble metals such as ruthenium and iridium, materials that are both costly and limited.

• Extending the lifespan of electrocatalysts via continuous chromium dissolution

  Although chromium itself is not an active element, its continuous dissolution enables a reversible surface transformation that keeps the Co-Cr spinel oxide electrocatalyst active and stable. This could significantly improve the efficiency of hydrogen production.

• Subtle 'twists' control light in perovskites for improved LEDs, solar cells and quantum technologies

  Research has revealed how minute structural modifications in advanced perovskite materials critically influence their light-emission properties.

• Quantum-centric supercomputing simulates supramolecular interactions

  A team led by Cleveland Clinic's Kenneth Merz, Ph.D., and IBM's Antonio Mezzacapo, Ph.D., is developing quantum computing methods to simulate and study supramolecular processes that guide how entire molecules interact with each other.

• Researchers decode the chemistry behind a deadly genetic disorder

  Northeastern University researchers used an original machine learning tool to predict how genetic mutations cause a rare metabolic disease known as OTC deficiency, uncovering some underlying biochemical mechanisms at play and laying the groundwork for future treatments.

• New theory promises faster, more accurate predictions of chemical reaction energetics

  Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new theoretical framework that could dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of predicting chemical reaction energetics without sacrificing accuracy. Led by chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Alexander V. Mironenko, the team introduces a method that may one day replace the current computational models used in quantum chemistry.

• Mapping the future: AI deciphers alloy microstructures to enhance properties prediction and design

  In a world of 8 billion people, there's one thing that makes each of us unique: our fingerprints. A variety of genetic and environmental factors create tiny variations in the skin's ridges and whorls, such that no two prints are the same.

• New synthesis strategy for (–)-gukulenin A reveals the chemistry behind its anticancer effects

  A team of researchers from Yale University, U.S., successfully achieved the first stereoselective synthesis of the complex natural product (–)-gukulenin A (7), which exhibits notable cytotoxicity against ovarian cancer.

• Interpretable AI reveals key atomic traits for efficient hydrogen storage in metal hydrides

  Hydrogen fuels represent a clean energy option, but a major hurdle in making its use more mainstream is efficient storage. Hydrogen storage requires either extremely high-pressure tanks or extremely cold temperatures, which means that storage alone consumes a lot of energy. This is why metal hydrides, which can store hydrogen more efficiently, are such a promising option.

• From artificial organs to advanced batteries: A breakthrough 3D-printable polymer

  A new type of 3D-printable material that gets along with the body's immune system, pioneered by a University of Virginia research team, could lead to safer medical technology for organ transplants and drug delivery systems. It could also improve battery technologies.