Chemical Industry News
41 stories from trusted publications
- CChemistry World1d ago
Anthony Fauci found in contempt of Congress with case sent to Department of Justice
Senate panel vote could see key scientific figure in the US efforts to combat Covid-19 sent to prison
Chemistry NewsRead - CChemistry World1d ago
Covalent drugs just got a new ‘spring-loaded’ warhead
Sulfur(IV) reagent allows late-stage installation of bicyclobutanes to drug molecules, expanding a limited tool box
Chemistry NewsRead - CChemistry World2d ago
Oral cholesterol-lowering peptide approved after a decade in development
Merck & Co’s Lipfendra (enlicitide) employs 13 enzymes in biocatalytic synthesis
Chemistry NewsRead - CChemistry World2d ago
House of Lords committee calls for ban on over-the-counter flea and tick treatments
Overuse of these treatments is potentially causing widespread damage to the environment
Chemistry NewsRead - CChemistry World3d ago
Maiden voyage for India’s first hydrogen train signals the country’s ambitions in this area
Strategy targets domestic production of 5 million tonnes of hydrogen by 2030 but concerns remain over technological bottlenecks
Chemistry NewsRead - CChemistry World4d ago
EU relaxes methane and carbon emission rules
Methane regulation fines delayed carbon trading restrictions eased amid concerns over energy supply and security
Chemistry NewsRead - CChemistry World4d ago
Chiral phenomenon previously thought impossible discovered in metal sulfide crystal
First instance of piezochiral effect where strain induces a changes in chirality
Chemistry NewsRead - CChemistry World5d ago
Re-engineered psychedelic drug retains therapeutic activity in mice, while limiting negative side effects
Rationally designed molecular structure targets a specific subset of serotonin receptors, and potentially offers a route towards safer psychedelic treatments
Chemistry NewsRead - CChemistry World5d ago
The genius narrative isn’t inspiring – science biographies for children may send a demotivating message
Analysis of over 400 children’s books finds ideas around early interest in science and innate ability could turn young readers away from science
Chemistry NewsRead - CChemistry WorldJul 31
Japan finalises joining the EU’s flagship research programme Horizon Europe
Twenty-three countries outside the EU have now affiliated to the research funding scheme with Japan being the most populous
Chemistry NewsRead - CChemistry WorldJul 31
61% of Germany’s chemistry PhD students consider quitting their degrees
Unhealthy supervisor–student relationships driving poor mental health outcomes among chemistry researchers
Chemistry NewsRead - PNewPhys.org23h ago
Silver nanocatalysts switch reaction sites between power generation and hydrogen production
For the first time, researchers have discovered that the same silver (Ag) nanocatalyst operates at different reaction sites depending on whether a solid oxide cell is generating electricity or producing hydrogen. This finding introduces a new design principle for improving the performance of next-generation solid oxide cells.
Materials ScienceRead - PPhys.org1d ago
Creating cleaner chemical reactions that run on oxygen and produce only water as waste
Oxygen provides the driving force for many vital chemical reactions. Two well-known examples include respiration, the process that allows living things to break down food to release its energy, and combustion, reactions that produce heat and light. But oxygen has an unusual electronic configuration that tends to slow reactions with organic matter, so reactions often need help to get started. In nature, specialized proteins called enzymes can activate oxygen on demand by first rearranging its electrons.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org1d ago
Photocatalytic method cleaves strong C–H bonds while preserving weaker C–Si bonds
α-Silyl alcohols are unique organosilicon compounds bearing a silyl group and a hydroxy group on the same carbon atom. Because these compounds serve as precursors to reactive species, such as carbanions and carbon radicals, they are pivotal building blocks for synthesizing pharmaceuticals and functional materials. However, their synthesis often requires multistep procedures and suffers from poor functional group tolerance. Developing simpler and more versatile synthetic methodologies has therefore become increasingly important.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org2d ago
How 'smart' hydrogel packaging tells you if your food is still fresh
The cuts of meat in a supermarket case can look perfectly fresh even as bacteria are already multiplying inside the package. Is there a way to know before you open it?
BiochemistryRead - PPhys.org2d ago
Observing key material properties atom by atom for the first time
Many material properties depend on how electrons are arranged inside a material. Their distribution determines, for example, whether a material conducts electricity or displays magnetic behavior. Understanding how electrons organize themselves at the atomic scale is therefore one of the major challenges in materials science. Now, a team led by researchers at the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) has developed a new technique that, for the first time, reveals how electrons are organized inside materials with an unprecedented level of detail.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org2d ago
Black silicon catalyst turns carbon dioxide into methane with sunlight
Carbon dioxide is often viewed as a major contributor to climate change, but it can also become a valuable raw material. If scientists can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into useful fuels using sunlight, it would provide a sustainable way to store solar energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org2d ago
Your next handbag could start with mushrooms
The search for leather alternatives has led researchers somewhere unexpected: fungi. Although traditional leather is durable, producing it requires animal agriculture, which carries negative environmental impacts. Meanwhile, vegan alternatives are typically made from petroleum-based plastics that are difficult to recycle. Researchers report in ACS Applied Bio Materials that mycelium, the underground network of fibers below mushroom caps, can be pressed into a durable yet compostable leather-like fabric. They even sewed the fabric into a purse.
BiochemistryRead - PPhys.org3d ago
Experimental drug turns cancer's favorite fuel against it
Cancer cells have a voracious appetite for sugar—using it to fuel their rapid growth. This is why many scientists have tried to develop drugs that block cancer cells' metabolism by cutting off their sugar supply.
BiochemistryRead - PPhys.org3d ago
Histone acetylation sites reshape DNA condensates, revealing a potential gene-control mechanism
A research team from AIST, the Institute of Science Tokyo, and Ritsumeikan University has demonstrated that the phase behavior of histone–DNA condensates depends on the site of histone acetylation.
BiochemistryRead - PPhys.org3d ago
Catalyst converts CO₂ into high-value industrial chemical at room temperature with record efficiency
A research team has developed a highly efficient catalyst that directly converts carbon dioxide—a major contributor to global warming—into high-value industrial 2-propanol. The research was published online in Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org3d ago
Accelerating the discovery of ceramic materials using cellulose nanofiber dispersions
Ceramic materials are used everywhere, from smartphones and computers to electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. These materials are used in a wide range of technologies because of their unique electrical, magnetic and thermal properties. However, discovering new ceramic compositions with better performance remains a significant challenge because each candidate material must typically be synthesized and tested individually, involving multiple labor-intensive steps.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org3d ago
How hydrogen can be produced from bio-based formic acid in a continuous process
With annual production of around 1 million metric tons (1.1 million tons), formic acid is one of the most important basic chemicals and is used, among other things, as an additive in the animal feed industry. It is also increasingly attracting attention as an H2 carrier. To date, its production has relied on fossil raw materials, which are to be replaced in the long term by sustainable raw materials.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org3d ago
Turning one of the world's most difficult plastics into premium lubricant
Virginia Tech chemist and chemical engineer Guoliang "Greg" Liu and his lab have developed a process that converts the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into polyalphaolefin, a key component in lubricants such as engine oil. Published Aug. 5 in the journal Nature, the research could help address two environmental challenges: recycling one of the world's most difficult plastics and producing a valuable industrial material.
PolymersRead - PPhys.org3d ago
Noisy bubbles hinder ultrasound-boosted chemical reactions, sonochemistry model shows
Ultrasound is a powerful way to drive chemical reactions. When high-frequency sound waves pass through a liquid, tiny bubbles form and then violently collapse in a process called acoustic cavitation. During this collapse, gas particles are forced together, creating temperatures inside the bubbles that can exceed 5,000 K—hotter than the surface of the sun—and driving chemical reactions.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org3d ago
A new take on interpreting chemical bond analysis in solids
Researchers from Skoltech, SberUniversity, the M.N. Mikheev Institute of Metal Physics of UB RAS and Ural Federal University have published a review of a novel approach to interpreting chemical bonding in solids. The method not only describes crystals in terms of precise calculations but also enables chemists to reclaim explanatory models that are intuitively meaningful to them. The insights that emerge span long-documented anomalies that previously lacked a theoretical account.
Materials ScienceRead - PPhys.org4d ago
Metal-free process makes plant dyes more durable for textiles
Research in the International Journal of Materials and Product Technology describes a metal-free dye-fixing process that could help make natural plant dyes more practical for high-performance textiles, addressing a longstanding obstacle to their wider use in sustainable clothing.
Materials ScienceRead - PPhys.org4d ago
New catalyst design selectively suppresses competing hydrogen reaction in ammonia synthesis
A research team led by professor Yousung Jung from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University College of Engineering has developed a new catalyst design principle that suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction, which interferes with ammonia production, while maintaining the nitrogen reduction reaction that produces ammonia.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org4d ago
Electrocatalytic method could purify wastewater by converting pollutants into recoverable polymers
Wastewater treatment is a critical issue for global environmental protection and public health. Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have recently achieved a major breakthrough with the discovery of a novel oxidant-free electrocatalytic mechanism, opening a new direction for water purification technologies. The findings are set to significantly improve pollutant identification efficiency and potentially double the economic feasibility compared with existing methods.
PolymersRead - PPhys.org4d ago
AI tool may fix chemical plants' blueprints
When Northeastern University industrial engineering student Sierre Ternoey started her research position in Aachen, Germany, she was challenged to fix an issue that frustrates chemical engineers worldwide.
BiochemistryRead - PPhys.org4d ago
Seaweed-derived coating keeps strawberries fresher than a fridge
University of British Columbia researchers have developed an edible, seaweed-derived coating that can keep strawberries fresh for at least four days at room temperature, outperforming uncoated berries stored in the refrigerator.
BiochemistryRead - PPhys.org4d ago
Key photocatalyst technology for converting greenhouse gases into future fuels
A joint research team led by Professor Su-Il In of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST and Professor William A. Goddard III of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has significantly improved the performance of a sunlight-driven photocatalyst for converting carbon dioxide into methane by integrating two distinct cocatalysts and elucidating the underlying mechanism. The paper is published in the journal Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy.
Materials ScienceRead - PPhys.org4d ago
Critical minerals and Queensland know-how combine to create 'rare' opportunity
A multidisciplinary team of JCU scientists published research in the journal Minerals Engineering, describing the extent of Queensland's rare earth element resources and exploring more sustainable methods of rare earth element (REE) extraction.
Materials ScienceRead - PPhys.org4d ago
Unexpected bond-breaking order reveals a new path to bioluminescence
The dancing lights of fireflies and the eerie blue sparkle in crashing waves get their glow when a molecular square of carbon and oxygen atoms breaks. New research from Stanford University has shown that mechanical force can cause that break to happen in a way different from what was previously known. The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, has implications for developing light sensors and understanding luminescence in nature.
BiochemistryRead - PPhys.org4d ago
Iron and cobalt both curb stainless invar expansion, but iron leads
Invar alloys resist expanding or contracting with temperature, a property valuable for precision instruments, but it has been unclear how this "invar effect" plays out separately in each element of complex, multimetal stainless invar alloys.
Materials ScienceRead - PPhys.org4d ago
New membrane accelerates purification of industrial solvents
Researchers from the Department of Chemical Engineering, working with an international team led by KU Leuven, have developed a membrane technology to improve the efficiency of purifying widely used solvents.
Materials ScienceRead - PPhys.org5d ago
Four labs find experimental differences can undermine AI catalyst predictions
To turn abundant carbon dioxide into valuable fuel, we need a fast and efficient way to determine which catalysts work best over the longest time. AI models have the potential to help guide catalyst selection, but as with internet chatbots, AI models are only as good as the data you put into them.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org5d ago
Discarded rice husks capture toxic dyes, offering a reusable water filter
Rice is the most-eaten food on the planet, and its discarded outer husk results in some 300 billion pounds of waste per year. FIU chemistry researcher Islam Ibrahim Hussein says the inedible castoffs could be the key to cleaner water.
BiochemistryRead - PPhys.org5d ago
AI models atom movement to predict solid-state reaction pathways, including impurities, in minutes
A research team at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has successfully demonstrated an AI modeling approach that accurately and rapidly predicts how reactions between solid materials unfold over time. It is the first predictive model that accounts for how atoms travel through materials during solid-state reactions. Importantly, its predictions provide practical insights into the best recipes for making advanced materials.
Analytical ChemistryRead - PPhys.org5d ago
Smart bioink shields delicate neural cells during precision 3D printing
3D bioprinting allows scientists to build custom tissue structures for medicine, but printing soft tissues like the human brain remains a major challenge. The strong pushing forces required to squeeze biological materials through tiny printer nozzles often crush and damage sensitive cells, leading to low survival rates and weak printed structures.
BiochemistryRead - PPhys.org5d ago
Researchers develop a new catalyst to convert CO₂ into ethanol using electricity
A research team led by Professor Hyoyoung Lee of the Department of Chemistry at Sungkyunkwan University has developed a new catalyst that converts carbon dioxide into ethanol with high selectivity. The study, titled "Atomic-scale Cu–Zn synergy directs asymmetric C–C coupling for ethanol-selective CO2 electroreduction," was published in Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy.
Analytical ChemistryRead