https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In contrast to conventional organic synthesis, mechanochemistry does not use solvents that eventually become industrial wastes. Thus, mechanochemistry is environmentally friendly and enables us to perform organic synthesis using reactants that poorly dissolve into common solvents. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-mechanochemical-synthesis-theory-reaction.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 24 Jan 2025 11:35:03 EST news656940902 A living organism's nose is essentially a biological molecule detector that sends neurological signals to the brain, which then decodes a particular scent. Human noses, with six million olfactory receptors, can distinguish more than one trillion scents, while some canine noses possess up to 300 million receptors, which provide enhanced sensitivity in parts per trillion. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-team-small-scale-chemical-nose.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 05 Mar 2024 15:16:03 EST news628874161 A machine learning technique rapidly rediscovered rules governing catalysts that took humans years of difficult calculations to reveal—and even explained a deviation. The University of Michigan team that developed the technique believes other researchers will be able to use it to make faster progress in designing materials for a variety of purposes. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-machine-homes-catalyst-interactions-materials.html Materials Science Tue, 29 Sep 2020 12:06:54 EDT news520600000 MIT researchers have engineered a new rechargeable flow battery that doesn't rely on expensive membranes to generate and store electricity. The device, they say, may one day enable cheaper, large-scale energy storage. https://phys.org/news/2013-08-battery-enable-cheaper-efficient-energy.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 16 Aug 2013 05:00:01 EDT news295842834 Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories' Combustion Research Facility, the University of Manchester, Bristol University, University of Southampton and Hong Kong Polytechnic have successfully measured reaction rates of a second Criegee intermediate, CH3CHOO, and proven that the reactivity of the atmospheric chemical depends strongly on which way the molecule is twisted. https://phys.org/news/2013-04-scientists-reaction-key-atmospheric-component.html Materials Science Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:02:05 EDT news284907710 (Phys.org)—Be it a battery or a fuel cell, efficient electrodes are the be-all and end-all of every electrochemical cell. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a team of Korean and American scientists has now introduced a novel material for electrodes based on affordable melamine foam and carbon black. The high porosity significantly facilitates fast mass transport and a high number of catalytically active centers drastically increase the oxygen-reducing activity of cathodes for fuel cells and metal-air batteries. https://phys.org/news/2012-12-highly-efficient-electrocatalyst-reduction-oxygen.html Materials Science Tue, 18 Dec 2012 08:09:00 EST news275040533 (Phys.org)—From petroleum refining to food processing, the vast majority of commercial chemical applications involve catalysts to control the rate of chemical reactions. Anything that can increase the efficiency of catalysts could have a widespread impact in these areas. In a new study, scientists have shown that an efficiency improvement may be possible by creating "hot" electrons (those with a very high energy) from a metallic surface on which the chemical reaction occurs, and using the electrons to control the chemical reaction and make it more efficient. https://phys.org/news/2012-12-hot-electrons-impossible-catalytic-chemistry.html Nanophysics Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:40:02 EST news274957336 Oxide catalysts, typically formulated as powders, play an integral role in many chemical transformations, including cleaning wastewater, curbing tailpipe emissions, and synthesizing most consumer products. https://phys.org/news/2012-11-oxidation-catalysts.html Materials Science Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:45:58 EST news271338312 Few recently discovered chemical reactions have proven as powerful as the copper-catalysed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between azides and alkynes—a transformation better known as a 'click reaction'. The process gets its nickname from the robust, reliable way that the azide and the alkyne organic functional groups 'click' together. From materials science to biochemical applications, this dependable method for joining molecules together has been exploited widely in the decade since its discovery. Now, Yoichi Yamada, Shaheen Sarkar and Yasuhiro Uozumi at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute in Wako have developed a new form of heterogeneous copper catalyst that promises to make the click reaction more efficient than ever. https://phys.org/news/2012-10-self-assembling-polymeric-copper-catalyst-greatly.html Materials Science Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:00:04 EDT news270463379 (Phys.org)—Catalysts are substances that speed up the rates of chemical reactions without themselves being chemically changed. Industrial catalysts come in two main types - heterogeneous, in which the catalyst is in a different phase from the reactants; and homogeneous, in which catalyst and the reactants are in the same phase. Heterogeneous catalysts are valued for their sustainability because they can be recycled. Homogeneous catalysts are valued for their product selectivity as their properties can be easily tuned through relatively simple chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2012-10-technique-heterogenizing-homogenous-nano-catalysts.html Materials Science Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:38:28 EDT news269102289 (Phys.org)—Carbon dioxide could be a useful alternative source of carbon for the chemical industry. It is inexpensive, is supplied in abundance by nature, and would help to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. In addition, it would significantly improve the carbon footprint of fuels and chemical products. The largest barrier to this process is the high stability of the carbon dioxide molecule. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Spanish researchers have now introduced a new process that traps carbon dioxide in the form of silyl formates, which are silicon-containing formic acid esters. https://phys.org/news/2012-10-thin-air-fixation-co2-iridium.html Materials Science Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:16:38 EDT news268467386 (Phys.org)—Research that sheds new light on the microscopic chemical physics driving one of the most important reaction sequences in atmospheric chemistry is published in Science today by Dr David Glowacki from the University of Bristol's School of Chemistry, in collaboration with an international team including experimentalists and theoreticians based in Leeds, Cambridge, and Chicago. https://phys.org/news/2012-09-non-equilibrium-quantum-states-atmospheric-chemistry.html General Physics Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:42:29 EDT news265884134 (Phys.org) -- Fingerprints are not just important in forensics and the identification of people; they can also be used for security clearance, access control, and the authentication of documents. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Chinese researchers have now introduced a new fast method to make fingerprints visible at high resolution. https://phys.org/news/2012-08-fingerprints-latent-visible-electrochemiluminescence.html Other Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:20:04 EDT news263212711 (Phys.org) -- Fossil-based resources are declining and their use releases the greenhouse gas CO2. Both of these problems could be significantly mitigated if we could use CO2 as a carbon source for the production of fuels and chemical feedstocks. Various different approaches are currently being explored for the catalytic conversion of CO2 to methanol (CH3OH). In the journal Angewandte Chemie, German researchers have now introduced a new possibility to conduct this stepwise reaction of CO2 in solution with help of a homogeneous catalyst. https://phys.org/news/2012-07-homogeneous-catalysis-ruthenium-phosphine-complex.html Materials Science Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:41:06 EDT news262356019 (PhysOrg.com) -- When synthesizing specialized materials for energy-packed batteries, the problem is the template. The pattern for self-assembling the highly desired nanometer-sized spheres falls apart, producing irregular metal oxide clumps. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory determined how to keep the template intact. The answer is as simple as adding salt to the process. https://phys.org/news/2011-09-desirable-materials-requires-salt-space.html Nanophysics Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:27:18 EDT news236330789 A new class of catalytic material has been studied by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) display a unique three-dimensional structure that is highly selective and reactive, with performance that is up to 50 percent better than commercial materials in the tested reactions. https://phys.org/news/2010-03-class-catalyst-sports.html Materials Science Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:40:01 EST news187471811 A team of engineers from the University of Pennsylvania has transformed simple nanowires into reconfigurable materials and circuits, demonstrating a novel, self-assembling method for chemically creating nanoscale structures that are not possible to grow or obtain otherwise. https://phys.org/news/2009-10-nanowires-nano-tools-cation-exchange-reactions.html Nanophysics Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:39:20 EDT news175513114