Phys.org Chemistry

• 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.

• 'Stick and glue' method enables more precise biomolecule tracking in cells

  A team of researchers at IOCB Prague headed by Dr. Tomáš Slanina has developed a new method for labeling molecules with fluorescent dyes that surpasses existing approaches in both precision and stability. The new fluorescent label remains covalently bonded to its target molecule and does not fall apart even under demanding conditions inside living cells. This allows scientists to track labeled molecules over long periods with high reliability—an advantage for research in biology, chemistry, and medicine.

• New plastics designed to degrade on demand may help address global waste

  Yuwei Gu was hiking through Bear Mountain State Park in New York when inspiration struck. Plastic bottles littered the trail and more floated on a nearby lake. The jarring sight in such a pristine environment made the Rutgers chemist stop in his tracks. Nature makes plenty of long-stranded molecules called polymers, including DNA and RNA, yet those natural polymers eventually break down. Synthetic polymers such as plastics don't. Why?

• How phototherapy could reverse antibiotic resistance

  Lars Stevens-Cullinane works in a dark room. But he's not processing negatives and printing photographs on light-sensitive paper; he's testing whether brief flashes of light can make drug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics.

• Group 13 elements: The lucky number for sustainable redox agents?

  Researchers from The University of Osaka created a reagent for important building-block molecules with an abundant main-group element, gallium. These early findings show that an organic gallium compound can display transition-metal-like reactivity under light irradiation. Using common main-group elements like gallium offers a new way to make sustainable catalysts that do not need expensive transition metals, which are environmentally damaging and vulnerable to supply disruption.

• Watching metal crystals grow inside liquid metal: Imaging technique could boost hydrogen production

  If you dissolve sugar in hot water and then cool it down, you'll see pure sugar crystals form while impurities stay in the liquid. You can even watch the beautiful sugar crystals slowly grow in the water.

• Unstable protein linked to cancer reveals dynamic behavior

  Around 80% of proteins involved in diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative illnesses do not have a stable structure. These proteins, known as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) can quickly adapt to the conditions in our cells. A better understanding could aid in developing new therapeutic methods.

• Eco-friendly method detects trace illicit drugs on surfaces in just 5 minutes

  The research group FQM-215—Affordable and Sustainable Sample Preparation at the University of Córdoba has developed a method that is not only faster and easier to perform but also more environmentally sustainable. It can detect illicit drugs on surfaces and determine their exact quantity in just five minutes, using everyday items such as cotton fabric swabs for sampling.

• Non-toxic solvent enables near-perfect recycling of mixed-fiber textiles

  We are producing more textiles than ever before: worldwide, well over one hundred million tons of textiles are manufactured every year—more than twice as much as in the year 2000. This makes it increasingly important not to simply throw away old textiles, but to recover them in an environmentally friendly way.

• Enzyme discovered in cyanobacteria can add phosphate groups to therapeutic peptides

  Researchers from CIIMAR and the University of Helsinki have discovered a new biochemical modification in natural cyanobacterial products, revealing an unprecedented tool with promising applications in biotechnology and drug development.

• How carbonates influence CO₂-to-fuel conversion: New insights from gold electrocatalysts

  Researchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI) have uncovered how carbonate molecules affect the conversion of CO2 into valuable fuels on gold electrocatalysts. Their findings reveal key molecular mechanisms in CO2 electrocatalysis and hydrogen evolution, pointing to new strategies for improving energy efficiency and reaction selectivity.

• When substrates dictate the route: Deuterium source reshapes hydrogen isotope exchange pathways

  A collaboration between the groups of Professor Mónica H. Pérez-Temprano at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) and Professor Anat Milo at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has uncovered how the characteristics of specific substrates require certain reaction conditions that determine the course of a chemical reaction, in the context of C–H deuteration reactions.

• Researchers propose novel BaTiO₃-based catalyst for oxidative coupling of methane

  Perovskites—a class of compounds with a unique ABX3 structure and high temperature stability—are promising materials for energy conversion.

• Covalent organic frameworks grown through coupling reactions unlock new class of semiconducting magnets

  Chemists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a methodology to enable coupling reactions for the growth of crystalline porous covalent organic frameworks, unlocking a new class of semiconducting magnets. The work is published in the journal Nature Synthesis.

• Electrocatalyst recycles a common pollutant to make ammonia production greener

  Ammonia fuels agriculture, supports industry, and is increasingly viewed as a key player in future clean-energy systems. Yet producing it is heat and pressure intensive. A research team has developed an electrocatalyst that helps turn nitrate—a common pollutant found in groundwater and agricultural runoff—into ammonia under far milder conditions.

• Surprising twist: Chirality in polymers enhances conductivity after doping

  A new study marks a significant step forward in positioning synthetic polymers as an alternative to expensive, unsustainable minerals used in the manufacture of devices such as conductors, transistors and diodes.

• Low-cost catalyst could lower hydrogen production costs

  A study co-authored by SUNY Polytechnic Institute Associate Professor Dr. Iulian Gherasoiu looks at how a new, low-cost catalyst material behaves inside a hydrogen electrolyzer, a device that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. Producing hydrogen this way is important for building a clean-energy future, but current systems can be expensive and wear out over time.

• Can electrolysis solve one of the biggest contamination problems?

  ETH Zurich researchers have developed a process that can be used on site to render environmental toxins such as DDT and lindane harmless and convert them into valuable chemicals—a breakthrough for the remediation of contaminated sites and a sustainable circular economy.

• Scientists unveil mechanism behind greener ammonia production

  Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have revealed how a catalyst in a promising chemical reaction for industry helps make ammonia, a major ingredient in fertilizer. Copper oxide is a key catalyst in the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction, a greener alternative to the existing Haber-Bosch process. They discovered that copper particles are created mid-reaction, helping convert nitrite ions to ammonia. This insight into the underlying mechanisms promises leaps forward in developing new industrial chemistry.

• Magnetically reconfigurable ribbons let scientists 'program' liquids on demand

  Materials Science and Engineering Department professor and UConn IMS resident faculty member, Xueju "Sophie" Wang's group has unveiled a simple but powerful way to control liquids: magnetically reconfigurable, multistable ribbons that switch shape on command and then hold that shape without any power.

• New CO₂ conversion system slashes energy use and triples formic acid production

  A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled a novel electrochemical system that converts carbon dioxide (CO₂), a major contributor to climate change, into high-value chemical products, like formic acid. This new approach drastically reduces energy consumption by nearly 75% and triples the production rates compared to existing methods.

• X-ray technique captures footage of crystals growing in liquid metal

  Researchers have successfully grown platinum crystals in liquid metal, using a powerful X-ray technique giving rare insight into how these delicate crystals form and grow.

• 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.