Synthesis as a research area encompasses the development and optimization of methods to construct complex entities from simpler precursors, typically in chemistry, materials science, and related disciplines. It focuses on designing reaction pathways, controlling selectivity, yield, and functional group compatibility, and enabling the scalable preparation of target molecules or materials with defined structures and properties. This area includes methodological innovation (e.g., new catalytic systems, green and sustainable protocols, automated or high-throughput synthesis) and integrates analytical, mechanistic, and computational tools to refine synthetic routes. Synthesis research underpins the creation of pharmaceuticals, functional materials, and molecular probes essential for experimental science.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," goes the old adage, which Rice University professor James Chappell completely ignored in a recent Nature Communications publication. In the study, Chappell describes an innovation in plasmids, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 26, 2026
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63
Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä and Aalto University have developed a new method based on laser modification, which allows metal-organic materials to be grown locally one molecule-thick layer at a time. The method ...
Nanomaterials
Mar 25, 2026
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68
The longest chains of the conductive polymer poly(p-phenylene; PPP) produced to date are just under one micrometer (thousandth of a millimeter) long—almost an order of magnitude longer than previously possible. A research ...
Nanophysics
Mar 16, 2026
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42
Every chemical reaction faces a barrier: For substances to react with one another, it is first necessary to supply energy. In many cases, this energy barrier is low—such as when striking a match. For many key reactions in ...
Nanomaterials
Mar 4, 2026
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37
Chinese researchers have developed a photocatalytic membrane reactor that dramatically improves the synthesis of imines—a class of compounds essential to the production of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and advanced synthetic ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 2, 2026
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13
Bioengineered E. coli bacteria can now produce a group of compounds with anticancer, anti-HIV, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities. The Kobe University achievement is the result of a rational design strategy that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 17, 2026
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19
LMU researcher Professor Alexander Urban and his team have developed a tool that could revolutionize the design of new materials. Synthesizer is a platform that combines automated chemical synthesis, high-throughput characterization, ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 15, 2026
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49
Researchers at ETH Zurich recently explained the role of a molecular complex that orchestrates the production of proteins in our cells. They now show that this complex also controls the processing of proteins that compact ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 19, 2025
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383
MXenes (pronounced like the name "Maxine") are a class of two-dimensional materials, first identified just 14 years ago, with remarkable potential for energy storage, catalysts, ultrastrong lightweight composites, and a variety ...
Nanomaterials
Dec 18, 2025
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173
Carbynes, or long linear carbon chains (LLCCs), have received significant attention in recent years due to their predicted exceptional properties. However, experimentally, their properties have been hard to probe due to their ...
Nanomaterials
Oct 29, 2025
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