http://phys.org/chemistry-news/ en-us Phys.Org provides the latest news on chemistry, biochemistry, polymers, materials science Duke University engineers have developed a novel method for producing clean hydrogen, which could prove essential to weaning society off of fossil fuels and their environmental implications. http://phys.org/news288368169.html Chemistry Tue, 21 May 2013 15:16:16 EST news288368169 Food industries are now turning meat left-over into high-protein content ingredients for food supplements, or to be added to processed food. But a EU-wide regulation covering them is still lacking. http://phys.org/news288340636.html Chemistry Tue, 21 May 2013 07:50:01 EST news288340636 (Phys.org) —Waterproof fabrics that whisk away sweat could be the latest application of microfluidic technology developed by bioengineers at the University of California, Davis. http://phys.org/news288284578.html Chemistry Mon, 20 May 2013 16:20:06 EST news288284578 A new study of both computer-created and natural proteins suggests that the number of unique pockets – sites where small molecule pharmaceutical compounds can bind to proteins – is surprisingly small, meaning drug side effects may be impossible to avoid. The study also found that the fundamental biochemical processes needed for life could have been enabled by the simple physics of protein folding. http://phys.org/news288270799.html Chemistry Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:20 EST news288270799 A new study shows how complex biochemical transformations may have been possible under conditions that existed when life began on the early Earth. The study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth. Because electron transfer, the moving of an electron from one chemical species to another, is involved in many biological processes – including photosynthesis, respiration and the reduction of RNA to DNA – the study's findings suggest that complex biochemical transformations may have been possible when life began. http://phys.org/news288172502.html Chemistry Sun, 19 May 2013 13:00:01 EST news288172502 In the race to protect society from infectious microbes, the bugs are outrunning us. The need for new therapeutic agents is acute, given the emergence of novel pathogens as well as old foes bearing heightened antibiotic resistance. http://phys.org/news288029054.html Chemistry Fri, 17 May 2013 17:04:38 EST news288029054 Metal complexes are becoming increasingly important as the photochemical building blocks of functional molecular systems such as sensors and photoelectrochemical cells. Of particular interest are metal complexes that involve gold atoms in the +1 valence state, due to their ability to self-assemble into larger units. The assembly process, known as aurophilic interaction, is enhanced by photoexcitation—an effect recently exploited by chemists to link individual gold(I)–dicyanide complexes into phosphorescent oligomer chains through careful control of complex concentrations and light exposure. However, the fundamental structural details of this reaction have yet to be understood. http://phys.org/news288001383.html Chemistry Fri, 17 May 2013 09:24:01 EST news288001383 By simply manipulating chemical gradients in a beaker of fluid, materials scientists at Harvard have found that they can control the growth behavior of crystals to create precisely tailored structures—such as delicate, micron-scale flowers. http://phys.org/news287931436.html Chemistry Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:09 EST news287931436 Pioneering X-ray technology is making it possible to read fragile rolled-up historical documents for the first time in centuries. http://phys.org/news287919948.html Chemistry Thu, 16 May 2013 10:45:57 EST news287919948 Amid concerns over the potential health effects of existing flame retardants for home furniture, fabrics and other material, scientists are reporting development of an "exceptionally" effective new retardant that appears safer and more environmentally friendly. Their report on the first-of-its-kind coating, ideal for the polyurethane foam in couches and bedding that causes many fire deaths, appears in ACS Macro Letters. http://phys.org/news287836968.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:08 EST news287836968 New technology offers the promise of reducing billions of dollars of losses that occur each year from the silent, invisible killer of fruits, vegetables and cut flowers—a gas whose effects are familiar to everyone who has seen bananas and other fruit ripen too quickly and rot. That's the conclusion of an article in the ACS journal Chemical Reviews. http://phys.org/news287836831.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 11:41:26 EST news287836831 With the Deepwater Horizon disaster emphasizing the need for better ways of cleaning up oil spills, scientists are reporting that unprocessed, raw cotton may be an ideal, ecologically friendly answer, with an amazing ability to sop up oil. Their report, which includes some of the first scientific data on unprocessed, raw cotton's use in crude oil spills, appears in the ACS journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. http://phys.org/news287836751.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 11:39:35 EST news287836751 The omega-3 fatty acids contained in fatty salt-water fish are an important component of a healthy diet in humans. Despite being aware of this fact, Germans still do not eat enough fish. Now Fraunhofer researchers have developed a method that allows omega-3 fatty acids to be added to popular foods. They are launching the first of these products exclusively in EDEKA stores: the omega-3 sausage. http://phys.org/news287826980.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 10:00:05 EST news287826980 Researchers with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology have confirmed that a naturally occurring mineral, tetrahedrite, which mainly consists of non-toxic and earth-abundant elements, copper (Cu) and sulfur (S), exhibits high thermoelectric performance at approximately 400 ℃. They also clarified that the high performance is attributed to its extremely low lattice thermal conductivity caused by the complex crystal structure of tetrahedrite and the vibration of Cu atoms with anomalously large amplitude. These efforts will significantly contribute to realizing environmentally friendly thermoelectric power generation using materials composed of non-toxic and earth abundant elements. http://phys.org/news287827855.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 09:11:03 EST news287827855 (Phys.org) —Just a few drops of liquid or a bit more is run past specialized sensors in microfluidic devices to detect chemicals of concern to doctors and security personnel. However, these devices are now being reinvented for use in scientific instruments to answer fundamental questions, according to a review written by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and published in Microfluidics and Nanofluidics. http://phys.org/news287827012.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 09:10:01 EST news287827012 (Phys.org) —Using a powerful combination of microanalytic techniques that simultaneously image photoelectric current and chemical reaction rates across a surface on a micrometer scale, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have shed new light on what may become a cost-effective way to generate hydrogen gas directly from water and sunlight. http://phys.org/news287827698.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 09:08:25 EST news287827698 (Phys.org) —Engineers combine layers of flexible materials into pressure sensors to create a wearable heart monitor thinner than a dollar bill. The skin-like device could one day provide doctors with a safer way to check the condition of a patient's heart. http://phys.org/news287827126.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 08:58:55 EST news287827126 Purple bacteria are among Earth's oldest organisms, and among its most efficient in turning sunlight into usable chemical energy. Now, a key to their light-harvesting prowess has been explained through a detailed structural analysis by scientists at MIT. http://phys.org/news287822654.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 07:44:24 EST news287822654 (Phys.org) —Paper is becoming a high-tech material. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam-Golm have created targeted conductive structures on paper using a method that is quite simple: with a conventional inkjet printer, they printed a catalyst on a sheet of paper and then heated it. The printed areas on the paper were thereby converted into conductive graphite. Being an inexpensive, light and flexible raw material, paper is therefore highly suitable for electronic components in everyday objects. http://phys.org/news287821826.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 07:30:38 EST news287821826 (Phys.org) —A new process for generating nanometer-scale oil droplets in water has been reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie by Japanese researchers, who have developed a technique they named MAGIQ (monodisperse nanodroplet generation in quenched hydrothermal solution). Under standard conditions, hydrocarbons and water do not mix; however, at high temperatures and high pressures near the critical point of water, they freely mix. Quenching homogeneous solutions of dodecane and water under these conditions in the presence of a detergent produces nanoemulsions in just ten seconds. http://phys.org/news287821647.html Chemistry Wed, 15 May 2013 07:27:36 EST news287821647 In new research published online May 13, 2013 in Advanced Materials, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are the first to report that synthetic silicate nanoplatelets (also known as layered clay) can induce stem cells to become bone cells without the need of additional bone-inducing factors. Synthetic silicates are made up of simple or complex salts of silicic acids, and have been used extensively for various commercial and industrial applications, such as food additives, glass and ceramic filler materials, and anti-caking agents. http://phys.org/news287757506.html Chemistry Tue, 14 May 2013 13:38:35 EST news287757506 Northwestern University scientists have struck gold in the laboratory. They have discovered an inexpensive and environmentally benign method that uses simple cornstarch—instead of cyanide—to isolate gold from raw materials in a selective manner. http://phys.org/news287688981.html Chemistry Tue, 14 May 2013 11:00:04 EST news287688981 Ever notice how a dried coffee stain has a thicker outer rim, while the middle of the stain remains almost unsoiled? This 'coffee ring effect' also occurs in other materials. Researchers from the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at KU Leuven have now discovered how to counteract coffee rings with 'surfactants', i.e. soap. The key to the discovery was not a kitchen towel, but a bacterium that counteracts the coffee ring effect at the microscopic level. http://phys.org/news287744927.html Chemistry Tue, 14 May 2013 10:09:01 EST news287744927 For 37 years, Queen's University Biochemistry professor Peter Davies has been unraveling the mystery of why some organisms including insects and fish don't freeze in the winter. His research into insect antifreeze protein (AFP) has shed new light in several areas, including a new paper on longhorn beetles native to Siberia. http://phys.org/news287731672.html Chemistry Tue, 14 May 2013 06:28:13 EST news287731672 You know that summer is here when juicy red strawberries start to appear on the shelves. In Germany, this seasonal fruit has never been more popular: on average 3.5 kilos per head were consumed in 2012—a full kilogram more than ten years ago. Scientists from the Technische Universität München decided to find out what gives strawberries their characteristic flavor. http://phys.org/news287661169.html Chemistry Mon, 13 May 2013 10:53:16 EST news287661169 How active a living cell is can be seen by its oxygen consumption. The method for determining this consumption has now been significantly improved by chemists in Bochum. The problem up to now was that the measuring electrode altered the oxygen consumption in the cell's environment much more than the cell itself. "We already found that out twelve years ago," says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schuhmann from the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the Ruhr-Universität. "Now we have finally managed to make the measuring electrode an spectator." Together with his team, he reports in the "International Edition" of the journal Angewandte Chemie. http://phys.org/news287649543.html Chemistry Mon, 13 May 2013 08:00:01 EST news287649543 At seven times the toughness of Kevlar, a silk produced by the Caerostris darwini spider of Madagascar is more robust than any other material—synthetic or natural. Most spider silks are about two times tougher than Kevlar, and have long been considered an intriguing alternative for bulletproof vests and other protective gear. There's only one problem: producing spider silk on demand is a tricky task. http://phys.org/news287649960.html Chemistry Mon, 13 May 2013 07:46:11 EST news287649960 (Phys.org) —Ripening fruit, vegetables, and flowers release ethylene, which works as a plant hormone. Ethylene accelerates ripening, so other unripened fruit also begins to ripen—fruit and vegetables quickly spoil and flowers wilt. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Japanese researchers have now introduced a new catalytic system for the fast and complete degradation of ethylene. This system could keep the air in warehouses ethylene-free, keeping perishable products fresh longer. http://phys.org/news287648547.html Chemistry Mon, 13 May 2013 07:23:02 EST news287648547 (Phys.org) —3D structures of biological molecules like proteins directly affect the way they behave in our bodies. EPFL scientists have developed a new infrared-UV laser method to more accurately determine the structure of proteins containing thousands of atoms. http://phys.org/news287642915.html Chemistry Mon, 13 May 2013 05:50:07 EST news287642915 Experiments at Johns Hopkins have unearthed clues about which protein signaling molecules are allowed into hollow, hair-like "antennae," called cilia, that alert cells to critical changes in their environments. http://phys.org/news287575226.html Chemistry Sun, 12 May 2013 13:00:22 EST news287575226