Phys.org Chemistry

• Alternative to BPA passes toxicity and sustainability standards set by EU innovation guidelines

  Polyester and a host of other plastic products could potentially be manufactured with non-toxic and sustainable BPA alternatives identified in a multidisciplinary study published in Nature Sustainability by researchers in Sweden.

• Cleaner rayon fiber production cuts solvent use by up to 70%

  A UBC research team has developed a cleaner way to produce rayon, a popular fabric used in clothing for more than a century. The process could significantly reduce chemical use and improve sustainability in textile manufacturing.

• Common aldehydes transformed by light could accelerate drug discovery and material development

  A new chemical method that could speed up the creation of medicines, materials and products people rely on every day has been developed by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Chemistry researchers. The work, published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, shows how common ingredients called aldehydes can be transformed into more complex molecules using visible light and a specialized catalyst.

• Seeing inside smart gels: Scientists capture dynamic behavior under stress

  Advances in materials science have led to the development of "smart materials," whose properties do not remain static but change in response to external stimuli. One such material is poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), or PNIPAM, a polymer gel that alters its solubility with temperature. The polymer contains hydrophilic amide groups and hydrophobic isopropyl groups.

• Fullerenes could improve MRI clarity by enabling more efficient dynamic nuclear polarization

  Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is invaluable in the medical world. But despite all the good it does, there is room for improvement. One way to enhance the sensitivity of MRI is dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), where target molecules for imaging are modified so they form clearer images when scanned with an MRI machine. But this technique requires special crystalline materials mixed with polarizing agents that are difficult to create.

• Unraveling the hidden dynamics behind copper chalcogenides' exceptional carbon dioxide-to-formate conversion

  The origin of the elusive preference of copper chalcogenides for selectively converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into formate has long puzzled researchers. Researchers at National Taiwan University have identified a charge-redistribution mechanism that resolves this long-standing debate, providing fundamental insight into the basis of their exceptional selectivity.

• Precise catalyst design boosts hydrogen gas production efficiency and affordability

  A recent advance in the science of hydrogen fuel production could enable higher output and more sustainable production of this renewable energy source, researchers with Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology report.

• Chemists pioneer light-driven macrolactone synthesis for fast route to complex natural compound

  Macrolactones—large ring lactones—are core components of many natural products and pharmaceutical agents. Traditional synthetic routes rely on seco acids activated with condensing reagents, often requiring harsh conditions or multi-step procedures. An alternative approach using hydroxyaldehydes has remained limited, and radical-based macrolactonization of these substrates had never been reported.

• Kinetic decoupling-recoupling strategy enables 79% yield of ethylene and propylene from polyethylene

  In a study published in Nature Chemical Engineering, a team has developed a kinetic decoupling-recoupling (KDRC) strategy that enables the conversion of polyethylene (PE) to ethylene and propylene with a yield of 79%.

• Chemists synthesize a fungal compound that holds promise for treating brain cancer

  For the first time, MIT chemists have synthesized a fungal compound known as verticillin A, which was discovered more than 50 years ago and has shown potential as an anticancer agent.

• Antibiotics could trigger immune response through gut microbiome metabolites

  The microbes inside our bodies not only help break down food but also impact our health. Yet their precise influence is not always understood, especially in the presence of prescription drugs.

• Fish freshness easily monitored with a new sensor

  To see if a fish is fresh, people recommend looking at its eyes and gills or giving it a sniff. But a more accurate check for food quality and safety is to look for compounds that form when decomposition starts.

• Tailored single atom platforms hold promise for next-generation catalysis

  Catalysts play a vital role in modern society, supporting processes from metallurgy to pharmaceutical production. To reduce environmental impact and maximize efficiency, science has pushed the boundaries between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis toward single-atom catalysts. However, working with individual atoms poses enormous challenges: it is difficult to overcome their tendency to aggregate into clusters, especially at temperatures above cryogenic levels, and it is complex to arrange them precisely in specific chemical environments.

• Tracking forever chemicals across food web shows not all isomers are distributed equally

  When University at Buffalo chemists analyzed samples of water, fish, and bird eggs, they weren't surprised to find plenty of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). After all, these "forever chemicals" turn up nearly everywhere in the environment.

• Sunlight, water and air power a cleaner method for making hydrogen peroxide

  Cornell scientists have discovered a potentially transformative approach to manufacturing one of the world's most widely used chemicals—hydrogen peroxide—using nothing more than sunlight, water and air. The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.

• Chance discovery converts toxic nitric oxide into nitrogen gas at room temperature

  Nitrogen is a crucial component of proteins and nucleic acids, the fundamental building blocks of all living things, and thus is essential to life on Earth. Gaseous N2 from the atmosphere can be fixed by soil bacteria capable of converting N2 to ammonia or nitrates (NO3).

• Alcohol and ultrasonic irradiation: An effective CCl₄ decomposition tag team

  Carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) is a type of volatile organic compound (VOC) that was once widely used as a refrigerant and cleaning agent, but is now strictly regulated due to its toxic properties. However, its environmental impact remains a concern and recent reports indicate that CCl₄ emissions have been detected in some countries. Therefore, the development of CCl₄ decomposition technology is critical, and holds promise for its application in decomposing and neutralizing various VOCs.

• New palladium-gold alloy catalyst boosts methane-to-ethylene conversion with solar power

  Researchers just hit two benefits with one catalyst. They converted methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, into ethylene (C2H4), a highly demanded raw material in industrial sectors, using sunlight and a newly designed palladium–gold (PdAu) alloy cocatalyst. This process not only removed an unwanted gas from the atmosphere but also turned it into a valuable resource by harnessing solar power.

• Basic research challenges China's monopoly on rare earth elements

  Materials that are essential for the transition to a sustainable society are currently being extracted using methods that are far from sustainable or environment-friendly. Magnets based on REE are manufactured in China, which has very different legislation to Sweden, for example.

• Bird-of-paradise inspires darkest fabric ever made

  The color "ultrablack"—defined as reflecting less than 0.5% of the light that hits it—has a variety of uses, including in cameras, solar panels and telescopes, but it's difficult to produce and can appear less black when viewed at an angle. Now, a Cornell lab has devised a simple method for making the elusive color.

• From pine chips to pharmaceuticals: Lignin upcycled into amides using reusable catalyst

  An international research team from the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) has developed a novel, environmentally friendly process for producing high-quality amides from the plant substance lignin—important building blocks for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and modern materials.

• Durable plastics made from essential oil compounds offer easy recycling

  Cheap, strong, and versatile, plastic seemed like the perfect invention—until its staying power turned into a global headache. Now, Yokohama National University researchers have developed a plant-based alternative that could one day offer the same benefits with a cleaner way out.

• Silver-infused zeolite efficiently separates xenon from krypton for industrial use

  An international team of researchers have found a better way to separate two rare and important gases—xenon and krypton—that are often combined in chemical, petrochemical, metallurgical, and environmental processes.

• Sugar-coated sensor sniffs out look-alike molecules in the air

  Scientists have designed a new type of gas sensor that can tell apart "mirror image" versions of the same smell molecule, even at very low concentrations. By coating carbon nanotubes with custom-built sugar-based receptors, the sensor can spot tiny structural differences in common volatile compounds like terpenes.

• Tiny lead fragments in hunted meat exceed safe levels, study reveals

  This fall, when Adam Leontowich headed to southeast Saskatchewan to hunt whitetailed deer and ruffed grouse, he once again opted for lead-free ammunition—cartridges with copper bullets for his .308 rifle and shells with steel pellets for his 12-gauge shotgun. It's the fourth hunting season that he's done so.