https://phys.org/chemistry-news/analytical-chemistry/ en-us The latest science news on analytical chemistry Penn Engineers have developed PeptiVerse, an AI-powered platform that predicts key chemical and biological properties of peptides, strings of amino acids whose medical potential has been demonstrated by the success of GLP-1 drugs, widely used weight-loss treatments. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-source-ai-key-peptide-traits.html Biochemistry Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:30:01 EDT news703867621 Bacteria have spent decades evolving resistance to virtually every antibiotic we have thrown at them. To stay ahead, new drugs must hit targets that existing antibiotics have never touched. A research team at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) has now developed a series of synthetic drug candidates that do exactly that: By blocking an essential molecular supply system, these molecules cut off the bacteria's supply of essential vitamins and starve them to death. The team published its findings in two studies in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-antibiotic-candidates-starve-resistant-bacteria.html Biochemistry Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:00:05 EDT news703858081 Rare earth elements like lanthanum, neodymium and dysprosium are used to build the electric motor in your car, the LED lights in your house and the MRI machine at your doctor's office. But first, they have to be mined and separated from each other. Historically, that purification has been a difficult, costly process, relying on huge amounts of toxic chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-atomic-channels-rare-earth-elements.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:50:03 EDT news703866242 Controlling interactions between molecules and their functions from the molecular level to the macroscopic scale is challenging in supramolecular and materials chemistry. To this end, a research team led by associate professor Yosuke Tani from WPI-ITbM at Nagoya University and Keisuke Wada from Kyoto University designed a vapor-controlled, reversible host–guest chemistry system that controls the optical and physical properties of a functional molecular liquid (FML)—nonvolatile fluids that can feature optical, electronic and catalytic properties. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-vapor-supramolecules-phase.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:00:03 EDT news703855021 From ocean waves and flowing rivers to the systems used to transport and treat water, vibrations are everywhere. But can vibrations do more than just shake water? Can they split water or drive the production of useful chemicals from water? A research team led by Professor Sai Kishore Ravi from the School of Energy and Environment (SEE) at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has successfully demonstrated how mechanical vibrations can be harnessed to drive the production of useful chemicals from water. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-vibrations-fuels-chemicals-piezosynthesis.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:20:01 EDT news703782601 Chemists use single-electron transfers to synthesize complex, ring-shaped molecular structures found in many drug candidates and advanced materials, but current techniques still have limitations. A new study, accepted for publication in Nature, describes a technique that could steer these chemical reactions in ways that were previously limited by the redox potentials of the involved molecules. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-driven-chemistry-electron-redox-limits.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:40:03 EDT news703772249 Advances in medical technology have improved health in part by bringing key aspects of care, once difficult to access, into the home. Tracking symptoms and even screening for certain types of illness outside of a laboratory or clinical setting puts more control into the hands of patients. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-airpods-sized-fluorescence-analytical-device.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 19 Jul 2026 14:00:03 EDT news703496954 In just one course, Georgia Tech student Diya Godavarti helped develop a tool that could improve workers' responses to chemical spills or open containers. Godavarti, then a second-year chemical and biomolecular engineering (ChBE) student, joined a course on chemical equity focused on reducing chemical exposure in vulnerable communities. The class, part of Georgia Tech's Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) program, embeds students in long-term research teams that span disciplines and semesters. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-students-chemical-safety-everyday-exposures.html Analytical Chemistry Sat, 18 Jul 2026 20:00:01 EDT news703346280 Chemists from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg have achieved an important research success in the fight against resistant bacteria. The team led by scientist Professor Dr. Dieter Schinzer from the Institute of Chemistry has succeeded in producing key building blocks of the naturally occurring substance Neosorangicin A in the laboratory for the first time. This means it is now possible to develop Neosorangicin A in a targeted manner as a promising reserve antibiotic candidate to combat antibiotic resistance in the future. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-relay-synthesis-key-blocks.html Biochemistry Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:00:03 EDT news703420167 When researchers screen potential tuberculosis drugs, they often end up with too many options. Some look promising but later prove to be costly dead ends. "We might get thousands of compounds from a screen and then have to decide which one are we going to work on?" said James Sacchettini, Ph.D., the Rodger J. Wolfe-Welch Foundation Chair in Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist and professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and College of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-tuberculosis-drug-discovery-smarter-ai.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:40:03 EDT news703497108 Medicinal plants have long been a cornerstone of Philippine traditional medicine, dating back generations. Tawa-tawa, a low-growing herb that thrives in open grasslands, is a valued supplementary treatment for dengue; the gel of the succulent aloe vera can help soothe a scraped knee; boiled guava leaves help disinfect wounds; tea from yerba buena helps relieve minor aches and pains; and ampalaya helps manage diabetes. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-herbularyo-card-game-blends-filipino.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 17 Jul 2026 16:40:03 EDT news703497139 A novel measurement cell allows, for the first time, soft and hard X-ray investigations under pressures of up to 20 bar and temperatures of up to 400°C. This provides new insights into thermocatalytic processes, such as Fischer–Tropsch synthesis for producing synthetic fuels. The development of the measurement cell is considered a significant achievement within the Care-O-Sene project. The findings are published in the journal Photon Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-bessy-ii-sample-environment-glimpse.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:20:07 EDT news703340361 As interest in clean hydrogen power grows, so does the need for safe storage and transportation materials. One such material, vanadium, is a leading candidate because it readily absorbs hydrogen and allows it to move through its crystal structure. However, hydrogen displays varying behavior in the presence of vanadium, with the underlying cause remaining unclear. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-secret-hydrogen-quantum-behavior-symmetry.html Biochemistry Wed, 15 Jul 2026 05:00:03 EDT news703173465 New research is shedding light on longstanding debates over the behavior of ferroelectric materials when those materials are exposed to electric fields. The findings stem from the use of a novel technique that allows researchers to observe the real-time behavior of domain walls in ferroelectric materials as they are "poled" and "depoled." https://phys.org/news/2026-07-imaging-method-reveals-electric-fields.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:20:03 EDT news703167073 The growing presence of nanoplastics in the environment has highlighted the need for simpler detection methods, leading researchers at Science Tokyo to develop a rapid biosensor for detecting polystyrene nanoparticles in water. Tested in both model water samples and real water samples spiked with polystyrene nanoparticles, the device detected 50 nm particles within 20 minutes without labeling or extensive sample preparation. The technology could support efforts to understand and address nanoplastic accumulation in the environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-biosensor-nanoplastics-minutes.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:40:01 EDT news703156071 Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are used in everything from household lighting and mobile phones to large display screens. Improving their efficiency could reduce energy use and enhance performance across a wide range of technologies. A new study involving researchers from the University of Liverpool and the University of Strathclyde has demonstrated a powerful way to identify tiny crystal defects that can reduce the efficiency of LED materials. The advance could help scientists better understand how these defects form and ultimately support the development of more efficient electronic and optoelectronic devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-imaging-method-fresh-insight-materials.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news702896148 The molecular machinery that normally builds proteins inside cells has now taken on a new role as a "switch." A research team at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has developed a new 'RNA-based smart gene circuit' platform that can simultaneously read multiple signals inside a cell, make its own decisions and autonomously generate programmed responses. This represents a step beyond simple genetic manipulation toward an era in which cells themselves function as "living computers." https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ribosome-based-gene-circuit-cells.html Biochemistry Sat, 11 Jul 2026 15:00:06 EDT news702647029 Ready meals containing fish and seafood can expose consumers to chemical contaminants that are present in the environment or introduced during processing and packaging. A study by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has, for the first time, analyzed the presence of a wide range of high-volume chemical substances in ready-made fish and seafood dishes sold in Tarragona, Spain. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-pre-cooked-seafood-based-meals.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:40:04 EDT news702833827 The construction sector faces two problems at once: it emits large amounts of CO₂ and produces vast quantities of concrete waste. But what if part of that waste could be used to trap carbon instead of ending up as rubble? https://phys.org/news/2026-07-neutron-imaging-reveals-limits-storage.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:20:01 EDT news702823646 Solid-state batteries are often viewed as a promising path toward safer and more powerful energy storage. However, one key question has remained difficult to answer: How does lithium actually move inside the solid materials during charging and discharging? Unlike liquid batteries, where ions can move more freely, solid-state batteries depend on lithium passing through dense solid particles and across complex interfaces. This makes their internal behavior hard to observe and even harder to control. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fast-irreversible-lithium-migration-solid.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:40:07 EDT news702816083 Catalysts are the hidden engines of modern manufacturing, directly involved in more than 80% of chemical processes. However, catalyst development is highly complex because performance is governed by the interplay of the catalyst, local operating conditions, reactant composition and product formation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-high-throughput-catalysts-revealing-hidden.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:20:09 EDT news702814730 Cells sitting side by side in the same tissues are not identical. Each cell carries its own subtly different chemical signature—a hidden individuality that can reveal how diseases take root and spread. Now, researchers from the University of Osaka have developed a technique sensitive enough to capture this cell-by-cell diversity within tissues with unprecedented precision and stability. Their study is published in the journal Analytical Chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-probe-alzheimer-linked-lipids-cell.html Biochemistry Wed, 08 Jul 2026 21:20:02 EDT news702724793 Cupping therapy is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) technique used to treat chronic pain, expedite muscle recovery and other conditions. It increases blood flow by creating suction on the skin. But what is released from the skin during treatment? Researchers reporting in ACS' Analytical Chemistry developed a noninvasive approach to analyze compounds pulled into the cup. In a pilot study with healthy volunteers, they detected changes in 13 volatile compounds before and after treatment. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-cupping-therapy-skin.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:00:09 EDT news702729427 Designing high-performance catalysts is essential for cleaner energy technologies, but the behavior of multi-element modern catalyst materials is difficult to predict. In a new study, researchers at Tohoku University with international collaborators developed a collaborative framework that combines large language models with lab experiments to accelerate the discovery of high-entropy alloy catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction, a key process in fuel cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-large-language-discovery-catalysts-energy.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:20:05 EDT news702724057 Computers have made it easier than ever before to design the perfect material for a given problem: Scientists can create a virtual version and simulate how that material will behave. Building these atomically precise simulations, however, typically requires deep expertise in computational chemistry. At the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, researchers have developed a kind of shortcut, streamlining scientific workflows using artificial intelligence (AI). https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-framework-battery-combustion-materials.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news702654727 Quantum states can be precisely controlled with the help of tiny carbon rings measuring only a few nanometers in size. This is made possible by a class of rarely used electromagnetic dipoles called toroidal moments. Using computer simulations, physicists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have now found a way to generate and control these nanostructures without any loss. The findings are published in npj Computational Materials and create new opportunities for quantum computer technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-tiny-carbon-enable-quantum.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:00:08 EDT news702638994 Many important medicines and agricultural compounds have origins in natural products made by microorganisms. One such compound is prodigiosin, a vivid red pigment produced by certain bacteria. Beyond its color, prodigiosin and related compounds known as prodiginines have attracted scientific interest because they have shown antibacterial, anticancer, immunosuppressive, antifungal and plant-protection activities. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-newly-marine-bacterial-enzyme-route.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 06 Jul 2026 21:20:02 EDT news702563459 Brown University researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence method for predicting the rate at which materials used in controlled drug-release systems release therapeutic agents. The new method could slash the development time for new therapeutic patches, bandages and implants. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-physics-ai-drug-patches-bandages.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:00:13 EDT news702556261 Nitrenes are the ghosts of synthetic chemistry, formed in an instant and gone just as quickly, rearranging into something entirely different. These highly reactive intermediates are widely used in synthesis, yet remain notoriously difficult to study because they rapidly transform into more stable structures through a process called 1,2-migration. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-chemists-capture-elusive-borylnitrene-crystal.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 06 Jul 2026 09:00:10 EDT news702543159 Water is the most abundant liquid on Earth's surface, and it is highly anomalous compared with other liquids because it expands upon freezing. The anomalies in water have been linked to how its microscopic structure changes with temperature and pressure. However, there is no systematic scheme for characterizing these structural changes. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-systematic-framework-molecular-liquid.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 06 Jul 2026 05:00:07 EDT news702287022