https://phys.org/chemistry-news/analytical-chemistry/ en-us The latest science news on analytical chemistry Gold has been prized for thousands of years for its enduring shine, but Tulane University researchers have discovered that gold's resistance to tarnishing depends on more than its chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-gold-glitter-uncover-resists-tarnish.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 21 May 2026 10:40:01 EDT news698576306 Since their discovery in the 1950s, metallocenes—chemical compounds where a metal atom sits "sandwiched" between two carbon rings—have been at the heart of organometallic chemistry research, finding applications in catalysis, materials design, energy, sensing, drug delivery and more. Yet knowledge of their formation has been limited, due to the transient nature of their unstable intermediates. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-capturing-elusive-molecular-sandwich.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:03 EDT news698512321 NIMS discovered a phenomenon in which droplets on a single solid surface exhibit both a "sticky" and "repellent" state simultaneously. Namely, the wetting behavior branches into two states. This is a discovery that overturns interface chemistry scientists' belief held for over 200 years that, on a non-textured surface, the wetting state is uniquely determined by solid/liquid combinations. Furthermore, the research team also clarified a universal surface design principle that causes this phenomenon. This research result was published in Advanced Materials Interfaces on April 2, 2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-overturning-year-belief-surface-enables.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 20 May 2026 13:20:03 EDT news698496901 In a new discovery, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science have found that something in the direction of a magnetic field can influence how molecules of life behave at the most fundamental level and how early chemical processes linked to life may have unfolded. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-magnet-blocks-life.html Biochemistry Wed, 20 May 2026 09:40:03 EDT news698485141 A team at the University of Vienna, led by chemist Nuno Maulide, has developed a new method for controlling chemical reactions in a more targeted and efficient manner. At the heart of this is the concept of "cation sampling": specially selected groups (ketones), in a sense, function as molecular signposts for randomly migrating positive charges, enabling reactions to take place at sites on a molecule that were previously difficult to access. The method allows carbon-hydrogen bonds (C–H bonds) to be specifically modified. The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-migrating-hard-bond-molecules.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 May 2026 16:50:02 EDT news698427061 Florida State University chemists have synthesized new molecules derived from bacteria found in a Pacific Ocean sea sponge, a breakthrough for the future of drug development, particularly for rare forms of cancer. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-chemists-sea-sponge-bacteria-molecules.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 May 2026 16:20:05 EDT news698420435 Scientists have uncovered how tobacco plants naturally make nicotine, solving a mystery that has puzzled researchers for nearly two centuries. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, could lead to safer production of medicines and vaccines using tobacco plants, without the unwanted nicotine. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-year-puzzle-tobacco-nicotine.html Biochemistry Tue, 19 May 2026 10:20:01 EDT news698404003 Perovskites are a class of materials with a unique crystal structure that suits applications such as fabricating solar cells, light-emitting diodes and transistors. However, molecules in thin layers often cannot arrange themselves properly because the process proceeds too quickly. Now, an international research team led by Tomasz Marszalek from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research has developed a new approach to controlling low-cost solution processing, thereby improving the formation of well-ordered perovskite layers and enabling their broader application in optoelectronic devices. Their paper is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-crystallization-perovskite-layers-transistors.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 18 May 2026 19:20:01 EDT news698340781 From writing emails to generating computer code, much of the artificial intelligence prevalent in our daily lives has succeeded by mastering one domain: text. However, this leaves a major blind spot in the physical sciences, where models depend on the high-resolution, three-dimensional data of the physical world, like the intricate lattice of atoms in a crystal. Delivering on the promise of using AI for science requires teaching these data-driven text models to seamlessly "talk to" physics-based models. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-matterchat-ai-language-atom-scale.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 18 May 2026 18:40:01 EDT news698339724 A new study has revealed that a core idea taught in chemistry classrooms around the world may be wrong. Dr. Edwin Johnson, Lecturer at the University of Newcastle, co-authored the paper published in the Journal of Chemical Education with academics from University of Cardiff and University of New England. "Our Australian–U.K. study has revisited how chemistry textbooks explain the behavior of electrons inside molecules, a concept used to understand why chemicals react the way they do," Dr. Edwin said. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-debunking-core-chemistry-concept-taught.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 18 May 2026 13:40:09 EDT news698322099 Using the second-nearest neighboring atoms to predict metallic glass stability can help researchers more accurately model the disordered solid with strong, elastic properties, according to a recent study led by University of Michigan Engineering researchers. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-machine-reveals-angstrom-sweet-metallic.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 18 May 2026 10:20:01 EDT news698315041 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