https://phys.org/chemistry-news/analytical-chemistry/ en-us The latest science news on analytical chemistry The production of many products used in everyday life and in industry, such as pharmaceuticals, plastics, and coatings, requires chemical catalysts, often expensive noble metals with limited availability. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are now presenting the first air-stable iron compound, which enables the direct use of iron(I) for catalysis and, unlike previous methods, does not require strong reducing agents. A first test yielded active iron catalysts. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sustainable-chemistry-iron-substitutes-noble.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 15 May 2026 16:20:01 EDT news698071973 In addition to serving as biochemical weapons for offense and defense, the venoms produced by ants in the subfamily Formicinae also fulfill additional roles. For example, the ants use it to protect their nests from pathogens. It has long been assumed that the primary constituent of these venoms, formic acid, was responsible for these functions. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-discovery-antimicrobial-peptides-ant-venom.html Biochemistry Thu, 14 May 2026 12:53:32 EDT news697981981 Oxygen is a cornerstone of chemistry, largely because it is so good at building the organic molecules that make up our world. Some oxygen-based compounds called peroxides are famous for being highly reactive—they act like oxygen delivery trucks, transferring atoms to other molecules. This process is essential for everything from creating new medicines to industrial manufacturing. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-chemists-isolate-boronoxygen-molecule.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 13 May 2026 16:22:17 EDT news697908121 A research team at TU Wien has succeeded in modifying known materials in such a way that they possess new, desirable properties. These materials are expected to find application in the field of thermoelectricity. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atomic-outfittery-substitution-thermoelectric-heusler.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 13 May 2026 15:48:21 EDT news697905721 Amines are a functional group characterized by the presence of a nitrogen atom bonded to one or more alkyl or aryl (aromatic ring) groups. Derived from ammonia, amines play crucial roles in biological systems and various industrial applications. In everyday life, they can be found in common products such as medicines and cosmetics, where they act as active ingredients or stabilizers. However, the production of amines typically relies on complex chemical processes that are often based on intermediates derived from fossil fuels or involve energy-intensive steps. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sustainable-electrosynthesis-enables-production-amines.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 13 May 2026 15:35:50 EDT news697904761 An international team led by researchers at University of California San Diego and University of California, Riverside has developed a free, web-based platform designed to make public metabolomics data more accessible. By allowing users to search for chemical structures across billions of chemical spectra (the unique signatures of molecules) spanning thousands of studies, the tool has the potential to make "big-data" metabolomics as straightforward as a standard internet search. It can be used to discover new metabolites, track drug exposures and connect specific molecules to diseases or environmental sources. The study was published in Nature Biotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-molecules-chemistry-life.html Biochemistry Wed, 13 May 2026 15:28:19 EDT news697904356 When you hear the word "epoxide," what do you think? If anything, likely "glue." But epoxides are quite common in our everyday lives. You might be sitting on a foam seat cushion made from epoxides. There is a good chance the synthetic textiles in your clothing involve epoxides in their production. The same is true of the paint on your car and the printed circuit boards in your electronic devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electrified-route-epoxides-pollution-common.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 13 May 2026 11:37:32 EDT news697890970 A research team led by Hee-jung Lee, senior researcher at Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), in collaboration with Professor Sunghwan Park of Kyungpook National University and Professor Mingyu Kim of Yeungnam University, has developed a technology that enhances CO₂ adsorption performance in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) by up to 75% through precise laser-based control of their internal structure. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-laser-treatment-reshapes-mof-pores.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 13 May 2026 11:04:33 EDT news697889042 Oil and natural gas are vital constituents of our energy ecosystem that need to be transported across long distances. Although steel pipelines are the infrastructure used for this purpose, thereby serving as the lifeline for crucial energy distribution, they introduce the added challenge of corrosion. Steels typically rust when exposed to aggressive environments and are coated with various types of polymer coatings to delay, if not completely inhibit the onset of corrosion. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-technique-polymer-degradation-cathodic-overprotection.html Polymers Tue, 12 May 2026 17:40:03 EDT news697800625 The kingfisher's brilliant blue feathers were once used like paint to create works of art. The technique, known as tian-tsui, was popular during China's Qing Dynasty. And because tian-tsui uses delicate feathers, previous scientists struggled to study them using traditional analytical techniques. So, researchers reporting in ACS Omega developed new methods of investigating these featherworks without harming them. The team found that multiple bird species and layered pigments provided a one-of-a-kind palette. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-qing-featherwork-scans-reveal-multiple.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 12 May 2026 16:10:02 EDT news697819621 To what extent can self-activating catalysts enhance hydrogen production in electrolyzers? Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have investigated this question, and their findings were published in Advanced Energy Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-catalysts-boost-hydrogen-output-reshaping.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 12 May 2026 15:20:01 EDT news697808561 In 2018, an artificial intelligence (AI) program called AlphaFold achieved a major breakthrough by placing first in the critical assessment of structure prediction, a competition for predicting the three-dimensional structures of proteins. It scored close to 90 on a 100-point scale for moderately difficult targets, marking a turning point in the use of AI for understanding protein structure and highlighting its potential applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-deepafm-decodes-protein-motion-noisy.html Biochemistry Tue, 12 May 2026 15:00:03 EDT news697807741 A computational method combining generative AI with atomistic simulations can identify promising platinum alloy catalyst structures for hydrogen fuel cells, report researchers from Science Tokyo. Their approach addresses a longstanding challenge in catalyst design and consistently produces high-performing candidates from several material combinations. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-smarter-fuel-cell-catalysts-machine.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 11 May 2026 18:10:01 EDT news697738501 Understanding how protons move at the interface between polymers and electrode materials is essential for improving fuel cells and related energy devices. However, conventional impedance measurements under inert conditions have long masked these interfacial contributions, showing only a single, merged signal. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hidden-proton-pathways-emerge-ultrathin.html Polymers Mon, 11 May 2026 18:00:08 EDT news697735381 Entropy gets a bad rap. Typically associated with randomness and chaos, it can also correlate with freedom and diversity. Cornell researchers have found that, thanks to the latter qualities, entropy can help bind certain pairs of molecules faster and more robustly—an approach that could have broad applications in drug development and assembling nanoparticles to form new materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-looped-polymers-stronger-faster-molecular.html Polymers Mon, 11 May 2026 17:10:02 EDT news697737001 A joint research team from Nitto Boseki Co., Ltd. (Nittobo) and Tohoku University has revealed that polyionic liquids (PILs) can achieve high carbon dioxide (CO₂) adsorption when their counter anions are exchanged. This discovery provides a critical new design guideline for the development of high-performance CO2 recovery devices and gas separation membranes. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-anion-swap-sevenfold-capture-polyionic.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 08 May 2026 16:20:02 EDT news697458518 University of Birmingham researchers have demonstrated a new method to break down toxic pollutants in wastewater, using sunlight and molecular-thin catalysts created using an innovative "mechanical" approach. Non-degradable dyes originating from industries such as textiles, cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals, and printing, are among the most prominent sources of industrial pollution. Left untreated, they disperse in both land and water, leading to contamination that poses serious risks to human health and the environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mechanical-method-sunlight-driven-wastewater.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 07 May 2026 18:30:02 EDT news697392421 Researchers from the Universities of Bath and Leeds (UK) have made a significant advance in the fight against malaria by uncovering a promising new potential target for drug discovery. The findings, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, provide a powerful new framework for designing more effective antimalarial drugs with fewer side effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-antimalarial-drug-uncovers-enzyme-potent.html Biochemistry Wed, 06 May 2026 19:20:02 EDT news697296241 RMIT University researchers have developed a new way to coat fragile surfaces, including living plant leaves, using high‑frequency sound waves to create a fine mist that can act like a plant sunscreen. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mist-sunscreen.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 06 May 2026 19:10:02 EDT news697306261 Electroreduction offers a promising route for converting CO2 into value-added chemicals using renewable electricity. Among the possible products, formic acid is particularly attractive because it is an important chemical feedstock and a potential liquid hydrogen carrier. However, developing catalysts that convert CO2 into formic acid with both high efficiency and selectivity remains a major challenge. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dynamic-catalyst-interfaces-smarter-route.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 06 May 2026 18:00:01 EDT news697291981 The closest-ever detailed look at a key enzyme inside the virus that causes COVID-19 could lead to more effective treatment of the disease. Nucleotide analogs are a common type of antiviral medication that mimic the genetic material viruses use to replicate, essentially duping them into inserting faulty building blocks into new copies of the virus. Many nucleotide analogs don't work as well as expected against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, because coronaviruses carry an enzyme that identifies and removes genetic errors in its RNA—a "proofreader" called exoribonuclease (ExoN). https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atomic-snapshots-enzyme-covid-drugs.html Biochemistry Wed, 06 May 2026 17:00:07 EDT news697291621 About 75 years ago, scientists accidentally synthesized a compound called ferrocene in which the iron (Fe) atom is sandwiched between two C5H5 rings—(C5H5)Fe(C5H5). This compound opened up a new era in transition metal chemistry, and became an important reagent in catalysis, materials, biology, and medicine. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-carbon-free-ferrocene-alternative-possibilities.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 06 May 2026 15:30:01 EDT news697297681 Researchers at the University of Toronto have identified a protein from the quagga mussel that can stick to surfaces underwater, even though it lacks a chemical feature long thought to be essential for this kind of adhesion. The protein, called Dbfp7, is the first freshwater mussel adhesive protein to be functionally characterized. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-freshwater-mussel-protein-source-medical.html Biochemistry Wed, 06 May 2026 09:00:02 EDT news697275901 Finding and developing new molecules is one of the great research endeavors of modern chemistry. From the development of new drugs to the creation of more sustainable materials, everything depends on finding new combinations of atoms with useful properties. Now, a research team from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has developed an artificial intelligence tool capable of generating millions of new molecules which, although still unknown to science, comply with the laws of chemistry and could therefore be realistic possibilities. The research results have been published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-chemistry-aware-ai-generate-millions.html Biochemistry Tue, 05 May 2026 16:10:01 EDT news697214102 Many properties of molecules cannot be predicted from the properties of the atoms they consist of. These properties only emerge when they are combined—a phenomenon known in science as "emergence." A publication by Goethe University Frankfurt examines, from chemical, biological, and philosophical perspectives, how emergence and complexity are connected. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hallmarks-complexity-path-molecules-life.html Biochemistry Tue, 05 May 2026 13:10:01 EDT news697204741 Using bright X-rays from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), researchers pioneered an innovative approach to designing proteins with targeted functions. Their method generated new insights that allowed the team to turn a single designed protein into two new proteins with completely different functions—one of which is the most active designed enzyme to date. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-synchrotron-rays-uncover-hidden-protein.html Biochemistry Mon, 04 May 2026 17:00:02 EDT news697125001 Drug discovery still too often relies on expensive trial and error. Researchers from ICTER show there is another way—building molecules step by step and observing their behavior at atomic resolution. This approach could significantly speed up the development of new therapies while reducing side effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-guesswork-drug-atomic-resolution-method.html Biochemistry Mon, 04 May 2026 14:00:05 EDT news697117321 Scientists have adapted a centuries-old principle of chemistry to fine-tune a new type of glass made from metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)—metal atoms connected by organic molecules—that efficiently trap gases like CO₂ and hydrogen and even capture water. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-generation-glass.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 04 May 2026 13:40:02 EDT news697117081 Researchers at European XFEL have developed a way to study liquid samples that are too dilute for many existing X-ray experiments. The method is highly sensitive, and in the first experiment a group of international scientists uncovered new details about how vitamin B12 in water changes after absorbing light. The results, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, open the possibility to investigate a much wider range of chemical and biological systems than before. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-approach-reveals-hidden-vitamin-b12.html Biochemistry Mon, 04 May 2026 11:20:08 EDT news697107661 Many plastic products are designed to be used only once, yet the material itself lasts for years. But a new strategy is addressing this problem by creating products that self-destruct on command, known as living plastics. These materials incorporate activatable, plastic-degrading microbes alongside the polymers. One team reporting in ACS Applied Polymer Materials used two bacterial strains that worked together and completely broke down the material within just six days, without making microplastics. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-plastic-destructs.html Polymers Sun, 03 May 2026 08:00:06 EDT news696766472