https://phys.org/chemistry-news/ en-us The latest news stories on chemistry, biochemistry, polymers, materials science from Phys.org Ammonia is one of the most important chemicals produced in the world, ranking second only to sulfuric acid in the total volume produced each year. It is used mostly to make fertilizer, which is essential to feeding the world's population. Yet its production accounts for up to 2% of the world's energy consumption and about 1.5% of greenhouse gas emissions, so the search has been underway for ways to produce ammonia more sustainably. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-catalysts-fossil-fueled-ammonia-production.html Analytical Chemistry Sat, 22 Aug 2026 17:00:04 EDT news706462942 If you want to describe a particular color, you could look to the Pantone color wheel to find its exact hue, saturation and brightness, and how it compares with other colors. But nothing like that has existed for complex odors. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-complex-odors-easier-machine.html Biochemistry Fri, 21 Aug 2026 17:00:01 EDT news706536961 Long polymer chains are everywhere: in synthetic materials, soft matter, biological systems such as chromosomes, and mathematical models of filaments and knots. When many such chains are densely packed, they form what physicists call a polymer melt. In this crowded environment, each chain is constrained by the others around it. These entanglements are central to the behavior of polymeric materials, but they also make the systems extremely difficult to simulate. As chain length increases, the time needed to obtain a new independent configuration grows very rapidly. For very large systems, conventional simulations can therefore become computationally prohibitive. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-monte-carlo-method-simulations-densely.html Polymers Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:40:04 EDT news706536061 Artificial intelligence has analyzed data scattered across hundreds of research papers to discover new lead-free dielectric materials that maintain stable performance even at high temperatures. The study presents a new approach that could transform materials discovery from a trial-and-error process into a data-driven one. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-driven-literature-discovery-stable.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 20 Aug 2026 22:40:01 EDT news706454403 Scientists have redefined how the key blood-clotting protein fibrinogen behaves when it contacts air, overturning two decades of scientific consensus on wound healing. It is the culmination of more than a decade of international collaboration by Dr. Richard Campbell of The University of Manchester, Professor Juan Ruso of the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and Dr. Natalia Hassan of the Metropolitan Technological University in Chile. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fibrinogen-discovery-reshapes-wounds.html Biochemistry Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:20:03 EDT news706445083 Rice University researchers have developed a way to stabilize diamond during high-temperature and low-pressure processing, creating a strong bulk composite and discovering that high-speed collisions can rapidly transform diamond into graphite. Their study is published in Materials Today. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hypersonic-impact-rapidly-diamond-graphite.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 20 Aug 2026 16:00:06 EDT news706448761 Researchers from the University of Osaka have developed a new class of chiral semiconducting polymers that can generate highly spin-polarized electrical currents. The team's unique molecular design allows the polymers to self-assemble into helical structures that efficiently filter electron spins, offering a promising platform for future spintronic devices and clean-energy technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-kind-polymer-electron.html Polymers Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:20:04 EDT news706446002 A paper published in the journal Science lays out a roadmap for broadening access to the process of discovering molecular tools that can benefit society, including medicines, materials and a wide range of everyday consumer products. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-blocc-chemistry-automate-molecular-discovery.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:00:09 EDT news706368781 Lithium titanate (LTO, Li4Ti5O12) is a well-established battery material that in its pristine state is a poor conductor of lithium ions. It develops high ionic conductivity only during charging, when additional lithium ions and electrons are incorporated into the material. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-oxygen-vacancies-fast-lithium-ion.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:40:01 EDT news706445461 Selenosugars are the major urinary metabolites responsible for the physiological excretion of selenium. Understanding selenium metabolism relies on accurately detecting and identifying selenosugars. However, research has been hindered by inconsistent terminology used for selenosugars, varying analytical practices and an incomplete understanding of the biological pathway for selenosugar biosynthesis. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-international-standardizes-selenosugar-nomenclature-selenium.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:00:11 EDT news706438492 The research team led by materials scientist Ralf Busch from Saarland University is preparing for its first science-in-space mission. If everything goes to plan, from 31 August the researchers will spend one week remotely studying metallic-glass alloys in experiments carried out on board the International Space Station, ISS. Working with the European Space Agency, ESA, and the German Aerospace Center, DLR, the team will investigate the properties of these alloys using hot, levitating droplets. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-levitating-molten-metal-iss-refine.html Materials Science Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:20:01 EDT news706331686 A team led by principal researcher Myungkwan Song of the Energy & Environment Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has developed an ultrasensitive ammonia gas sensor using an environmentally friendly, lead-free perovskite material. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-perovskite-based-sensor-ammonia-leaks.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:00:01 EDT news706372382 Changing the carbon source used during bacterial fermentation—essentially, what bacteria are fed—can significantly influence the properties of the sugar polymers they produce, known as bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPSs). https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bacterial-feedstock-flexible-biopolymers-stronger.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:40:03 EDT news706372261 Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and energy production remains one of the major technological challenges in addressing climate change. Membrane-based gas separation offers an energy-efficient alternative to conventional separation technologies, but identifying membranes that allow gases to pass through rapidly while also separating them effectively has long presented a major materials-design challenge. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ai-screens-membrane-combinations-carbon.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:20:04 EDT news706359481 Light-driven membrane proteins are key components in biohybrid systems because they can convert light energy into ion gradients, enabling energy conversion or sensory applications. While their integration into natural lipid membranes is well studied, embedding them in artificial polymer membranes has proven challenging. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-driven-proteins-artificial-membranes-method.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:40:04 EDT news706356661 Polymers used for light-based 3D printing are very stable because of their chemical structure, but they are typically hard to recycle. A research team led by Professor Dr. Eva Blasco, a researcher at the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM) at Heidelberg University, has designed a polymer material that can be disassembled into its individual components when needed. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-metastable-3d-ink-enables-loop.html Polymers Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:00:08 EDT news706357321 Proteins form complex three-dimensional shapes and can join together to create larger structures. Researchers want to use these properties to make artificial materials. However, arranging proteins and synthetic molecules together with a high level of structural precision is no easy task. This is partly because of the lack of large, clearly defined contact surfaces between the two components. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-foldamerprotein-pair-precise-blocks-artificial.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:40:01 EDT news706354444 Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a method to turn waste from the tough, lightweight composites used in aircraft and other high-performance structures into aerogels that could be used for thermal insulation, sound absorption and oil spill cleanup. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-aircraft-composite-life.html Materials Science Wed, 19 Aug 2026 10:00:08 EDT news706341301 Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are omega-3 fatty acids known to have beneficial effects and are popular as functional foods and dietary supplements. They are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); the primary source of these PUFAs for humans is fish oil. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-reusing-liquid-pickle-omega-fatty.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:52:25 EDT news706351922 Decommissioning pipelines used by the oil and gas industry could result in substantial quantities of microplastics being released into the UK's marine environment annually, a new study suggests. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-subsea-oil-gas-pipelines-previously.html Materials Science Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:00:01 EDT news706338481 University of Birmingham scientists have developed a new material that changes from a gel to a liquid-like state under ultraviolet light and can be rebuilt using heat or dismantled by acid. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-switchable-smart-gel-pave-gen.html Polymers Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:50:04 EDT news706286522 In the living world, roughly a third of all proteins we know rely on metals to function. Zinc helps enzymes break down molecules, iron helps carry oxygen in the blood, calcium helps relay signals in cells and potassium flows through channels that help keep our hearts beating. But despite the important role they play, scientists have long struggled to pinpoint exactly where metal ions bind in a protein to get the job done. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-deep-approach-rapidly-metals-proteins.html Biochemistry Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:40:05 EDT news706272722 A research team has developed a new molecular editing strategy that can directly convert pyridine compounds into their positional isomers. Instead of moving individual substituents around the molecule, the method relocates the nitrogen atom within the pyridine ring itself, allowing existing molecular structures to be reorganized while preserving their substituents. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nitrogen-pyridine-path-molecular.html Biochemistry Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:00:08 EDT news706272901 Developing new materials to tackle pressing global issues is a gap-filled process that can leave potential climate solutions lost in unread academic papers and forgotten dissertations. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-materials-capture-methane.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:20:04 EDT news706270381 In a study published in Macromolecules, researchers introduce a novel polymer that could simplify how materials are applied, removed and recycled by eliminating several complex processing steps used today. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-plastic-gas-reforms-cooled.html Polymers Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:40:06 EDT news706270321 Copper sulfide (CuS) catalysts continuously reconstruct their surface during electrochemical CO2 reduction, reports a study from the Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan. By uncovering the mechanism behind the dynamic surface changes that occur during potential-step electrolysis, the researchers revealed how sulfur and oxygen play distinct roles in catalyst activity and product selectivity, paving the way for improved CO2 conversion technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dynamic-surface-reconstruction-copper-sulfide.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:20:08 EDT news706266721 For the first time, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have demonstrated that the low-purity iron ore prevalent in Minnesota can be used to create semiconductor-quality iron sulfide, also known as "fool's gold" or pyrite. This discovery could have cost-effective and sustainable applications in future electronic devices and other technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-minnesota-iron-ore-key-sustainable.html Materials Science Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news705929196 Sugars, or glycans, play a crucial role in biology—from cell signaling and recognition to interactions with pathogens. Changes in glycosylation are also associated with diseases including cancer. But studying glycans poses a major challenge: because many glycans are highly water-soluble, or hydrophilic, they cannot easily cross the cell membrane and must be modified with a hydrophobic moiety—a water-repelling chemical group—and prepared and delivered using potentially harmful solvents. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-method-sugars-cells.html Biochemistry Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:40:04 EDT news705931261 Inspired by pumped-storage hydropower, a nickel-based redox reservoir enables spontaneous nitrile synthesis in organic solvents, while hydrogen gas is produced separately. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rechargeable-nickel-reservoir-enables-nitrile.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:20:06 EDT news705851941 Scientists from the University of Manchester's Department of Chemistry, Centre for Radiochemistry Research and Photon Science Institute, led by Professor Steve Liddle, have uncovered why a rare class of metal clusters appears to behave differently in experiments and theoretical calculations, resolving a debate about the nature of chemical aromaticity and revealing a previously overlooked type of magnetic response. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-magnetic-mystery-thorium-clusters.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:40:05 EDT news705843396