https://phys.org/chemistry-news/ en-us The latest news stories on chemistry, biochemistry, polymers, materials science from Phys.org Crystals are usually thought of as rigid and brittle. Yet some molecular crystals can bend, jump, twist or even change shape when exposed to light. Understanding how tiny molecular movements inside an ordered crystal can produce such large visible motions is an important challenge for developing responsive materials that could eventually be used in actuators, sensors and other miniature devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tiny-molecular-scissors-reveal-crystals.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:00:08 EDT news709199101 Korean researchers have developed a method to strengthen biodegradable plastics using hemp hurd, an agricultural byproduct. The approach is expected to be applicable to other large-volume agricultural residues, including soybean stalks and rice straw. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hemp-cellulose-tougher-biodegradable-plastics.html Polymers Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:00:04 EDT news708948721 A new approach that changes just one atom in plastic-degrading enzymes could help make them more efficient while maintaining their stability, according to new research from The Australian National University published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tiny-atomic-tweak-plastic-enzymes.html Biochemistry Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:40:10 EDT news708940632 A square peg doesn't fit a round hole. But what if the peg could change the shape of the hole? A newly developed drug molecule can do something surprisingly similar when binding to its target protein, according to a University at Buffalo-led study published Tuesday (Sept. 15) in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-site-drug-molecule-square-peg.html Biochemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 19:20:01 EDT news708787562 Much of organic chemistry, including the type used to create and alter medicinal drugs, relies on modifying carbon bonds. Rice University's Julian West has been developing a less expensive, faster and more environmentally friendly way to catalyze these reactions, with a breakthrough published in the journal Nature Catalysis. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-iron-sulfur-purple-greener-carbon.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 17:30:02 EDT news708789961 The development of cooking was a major milestone in the evolution of human civilization because it made food easier to digest and more energy-efficient. Heating food can also kill harmful pathogens and make certain foods taste better. Overcooking, on the other hand, can have adverse effects, particularly on proteins. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-shouldnt-overcook-proteins.html Biochemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:10:04 EDT news708788641 The biopolymer lignin—one of the most important carbon reservoirs in plants and soils—not only decays through fungi or bacteria but can also be chemically attacked by iron linked to reactive oxygen species, without the involvement of microorganisms. When this happens, lignin is converted into methanol and subsequently into formaldehyde. That is shown by a study conducted at Heidelberg University's Institute of Earth Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bacteria-chemicals-methanol-formaldehyde-abiotically.html Biochemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 15:30:01 EDT news708788041 Crystals are usually imagined as rigid objects with flat faces and straight edges. A research team led by the University of Osaka has recently created a porous crystal that grows into a spring-like helix. The team also found that the crystal can change shape as solvent molecules move in and out of its internal spaces. Their findings are published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-porous-crystals-enable-chemically-responsive.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:20:06 EDT news708769741 KAIST researchers have demonstrated the potential of using microorganisms to produce a bio-based alternative to petroleum-derived materials for hot-melt adhesives (HMAs). These heat-activated glues are widely used in packaging, furniture, electronics and automobiles. Using Escherichia coli, the team produced a new polymer from glucose and demonstrated adhesive performance and thermal properties that support its potential use as an HMA. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-microbes-adhesive-materials-glucose-petroleum.html Biochemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:40:07 EDT news708766801 Carbon dioxide (CO₂) can be harmful to the environment in large amounts but can be used in the production of fuels and other useful chemicals. Doing so isn't easy, though. Now, Yale researchers have developed a new way to combine electrocatalysis and plasma to efficiently and practically generate a number of valuable products from the gas. The results are published in Nature Catalysis. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-plasma-electricity-methanol-butane-chemicals.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 15 Sep 2026 18:40:01 EDT news708705361 Chemical separation can be energy-intensive when molecules have similar sizes and properties. Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, have now developed an interlayer adaptive crystal that changes its spacing to recognize specific molecules. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-crystal-capture-similar-molecules.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 15 Sep 2026 16:00:08 EDT news708693421 Ice is cheap, abundant and surprisingly strong. But it has one major weakness: Cracks can race through it, causing it to shatter without warning. Now, scientists have developed a new material that could overcome that problem. Called BioPykrete, the reinforced ice is about 10 times stronger than ordinary ice and can absorb roughly 70 times more energy before breaking. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-super-ice-ten-stronger.html Biochemistry Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:40:09 EDT news708689043 Chemical reactions are often written as simple equations: Starting materials go in, and a product comes out. In reality, the same substrates can follow many different pathways depending on their concentrations, temperature, catalysts and other conditions. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-robots-ai-uncover-unexpected-pathway.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:00:01 EDT news708683881 A new recycling technique could help tackle a major challenge: breaking down some of the toughest plastics without generating large amounts of waste. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tough-vehicle-plastics-dissolve-reusable.html Polymers Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:00:01 EDT news708621518 Metabotropic glutamate receptors, which are important but difficult drug targets, interact in surprisingly varied ways with their principal regulatory proteins, according to two new studies led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings represent a major step forward in understanding these receptors and how they can be targeted effectively to potentially treat conditions such as epilepsy, depression and anxiety disorders. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hidden-receptor-interactions-failures-brain.html Biochemistry Mon, 14 Sep 2026 18:20:01 EDT news708617761 Researchers at Uppsala University have analyzed the color pigments in a historical painting signed "L daVinci." Most of the pigments are consistent with materials used during the Renaissance, while a more recent pigment appears to be linked to later alterations. The study demonstrates how materials science can provide new pieces of the puzzle behind the history of a work of art. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-davinci-analysis-reveals-renaissance-pigments.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:20:10 EDT news708609613 A "mixing" phenomenon between plastic layers that had been predicted only in theory for 40 years has now been experimentally confirmed. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-year-plastics.html Polymers Mon, 14 Sep 2026 14:20:01 EDT news708607682 Researchers from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with researchers from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of CAS, have developed a coumarin-linked covalent organic framework (COF) that enables high-efficiency photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-longer-lifetime-catalyst-solar-hydrogen.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 13 Sep 2026 09:00:08 EDT news708353091 RhoBAST is a tiny RNA molecule that activates fluorescent dyes, enabling researchers to track RNA molecules in living cells with super-resolution. An international collaboration, which includes Ronald Micura and his team from the Institute of Organic Chemistry, has now shown that a small, local "nucleotide flip" within the RNA controls this fluorescence activation. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-rna-nucleotide-fluorescent-dyes.html Biochemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 20:00:04 EDT news708352516 Researchers from Aarhus University and the Danish Technological Institute have taken a new approach in the search for enzymes capable of breaking down some of the most difficult types of plastic to recycle. They collected millions of bacteria from a landfill in Kenya, Randers Regnskov Tropical Zoo, the guts of larvae and a compost heap near Aarhus—and examined their enzymes. They found 12 that work. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-compost-microbe-yields-enzyme-tackles.html Biochemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:00:05 EDT news708348662 While chemical bonds usually determine the structure and properties of a material, bonds between neighboring metal atoms can also change as temperature or other conditions change. These changes can lead to unusual electronic and magnetic behaviors. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-unusual-bonds-magnetism-vanadium-material.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:20:04 EDT news708344402 Fluorinated waste, like that found in firefighting aqueous film-forming foam, can act as a significant environmental pollutant. Recently, James Tour's lab at Rice University developed a method to capture fluoride from these waste streams and recycle it into a useful reagent, silver fluoride, that could be used in other manufacturing processes. This process is published in Nature Chemical Engineering. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-electrical-pulses-pfas-valuable-silver.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:00:07 EDT news708340878 Your favorite pair of tennies, kicks or trainers may soon become a little more sustainable. In a study published Sept. 11 in the journal Chem Catalysis, researchers developed a new kind of enzyme based on a bacterium found in compost that can degrade the polyurethane material in shoe foams. The results could one day help recycle plastic waste from shoes, mattresses, kitchen sponges and more. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-foam-genetically-tweaking-microbe-compost.html Polymers Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:00:04 EDT news708271082 For more than a century, pharmaceutical companies have relied on flat structures called aromatic rings, which can help drugs bind to target sites in the body. They include benzene rings and other flat, nitrogen-containing rings. But there are limits to their usefulness. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-blue-chemistry-3d-drug-blocks.html Biochemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 06:40:01 EDT news708267421 Life in the deep sea is under immense pressure—literally. Such extreme conditions can disrupt the delicate structures of proteins essential to life. Yet somehow, the proteins in deep-sea creatures remain functional. This raises an intriguing question: how? https://phys.org/news/2026-09-pressure-deep-sea-protein-extreme.html Biochemistry Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:40:01 EDT news708264001 Imagine this. You pick up a contact lens from its container and—yikes!—it falls on the bathroom floor. Before you know it, your cat pounces, claws out. By the time you wrestle it back, the lens looks like a tiny chew toy. And then, just like that—the scratches fade away and the ripped edge seals itself up. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-fully-recyclable-hydrogel-minutes.html Polymers Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:40:09 EDT news708263342 Researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology's (SMART) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) interdisciplinary research group, alongside collaborators from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore), and institutions in the United States, Poland and France, have discovered aminovaleramididine synthetase (AvaS), the first identified pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme responsible for producing a chemical modification linked to how bacteria respond to metabolic stress. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-plp-enzyme-bacterial-protein-production.html Biochemistry Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:20:04 EDT news708258422 Porous liquids combine permanent nanoscale cavities with fluidity, making them promising for applications like carbon dioxide capture, gas separation and other chemical processes. Their viscosity must be tailored to the intended application: Lower-viscosity liquids are easier to pump and circulate while facilitating faster heat and mass transfer, whereas higher-viscosity liquids provide greater structural stability in membrane formation. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-surface-million-tuning-porous.html Polymers Wed, 09 Sep 2026 18:00:08 EDT news708183542 From targeted cancer treatments to self-healing materials and microscopic robots, many emerging technologies depend on molecules that can be controlled with light. Researchers at Tohoku University have now developed a way to make these light-responsive molecules much more sensitive to visible light by using a molecular antenna. The breakthrough gives scientists better control over molecular photoswitches remotely and potentially expands their use in medicine and advanced materials. The findings are published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-antennae-sensitive.html Biochemistry Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:40:01 EDT news708183301 Chemists in a new study led by the University of Iowa report they have isolated and described in detail an atypical state of the rare-earth metal terbium, an advance that could expand its use in quantum technologies, including computing and advanced sensors. The study, "Structural and spectroscopic characterization of a Tb(IV) polyoxometalate," is published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-terbium-elusive-emerges-ordinary-lab.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:10:04 EDT news708191101