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Category: Research Bites
Shining Light on Aldehyde Synthesis
Photoredox catalysis is at it again! This time it is used to synthesize polysubstituted aldehydes – highly useful building blocks – from readily available styrenes and vinyl ethers.
Hitting the Jackpot – Evolving Artificial Biocatalysts Through Randomization
Random change has been powering life’s evolution for billions of years. Can it also power the evolution of artificial biomolecules?
The Thousand Wonders of Graphene: from 2D to 3D Photodrugs!
The authors of this paper can make a photodrug from a special type of graphene.
How do you stick hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules to each other?
We know that complementary functional groups are needed for strong intermolecular interactions, and that thermodynamics favours hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups each keeping themselves to themselves. So, problems can arise when trying to react very hydrophilic and very hydrophobic molecules together. This group of scientists has devised a way around the problem using a technique called solid-phase synthesis.
How to Prevent Cannibalism in Catalysts
This work describes an approach to prevent self assimilation of catalysts to increase their lifetime. It also finds a Hammett correlation between different substituents present on the catalysts and the rate of catalysis in both homogeneous and heterogeneous phase.
Energy Flow in Quantum Dot – Organic semiconductors
Quantum dots are fascinating super small solids. Highly conjugated tetracene is an electronically active organic molecule. When these two are mixed, electrons bounce around in amazing ways and these researchers found out how.
Flexible iPhones and Wearable Touch Screens: Transparent Conductors with Silver Nanowires
Flexible touch screens and see-through electronics could be closer than you think! Let’s learn about a new way to make transparent conductors with silver nanowires!
Lessons from Nature –New Glue Clues from Slugs
Feeling disgusted by slugs? It’s ugly, wet, and giving us an unpleasant slippery sensation. Yet it is the inspiration of new chemistry innovation!
Read this article and say thanks to slugs, which have inspired scientists to invent a new glue for medical therapies!
How Crabs Feel the Pinch: Chemicals Involved in Crab Risk Perception
Researchers dive into the problem of analyzing marine predator-prey interactions on a molecular level. Through a combination of NMR and MS, these scientists identify two chemicals that alert mud crabs to the threat of a mighty adversary: the blue crab.
Nanoparticles and Mirrors: A “Bright” Future for Nanocrystal Blinking
You probably look in a mirror every morning: fix your hair, maybe even take a selfie. But the idea of using mirrors to look at molecules – that just sounds crazy, right? Maybe not – but you’ll have to read this Chembite to find out!
What causes the opening and closing of our cells’ communication pathways?
Learn how your cells use ions to communicate and how researchers can detect whether these gates are open or closed.
Wine or Wine Not? An Examination of What Makes a Wine Smell
Have you ever wondered what you’re smelling when you stick your nose into a glass of wine? Read this chembite to find out!
Chemistry by Computers is Better Than Harry Potter Fanfiction
Neural networks have been used to write fanfiction, generate pictures of fake celebrities, and draw dream-like psychedelic images from photographs. But did you know they can make chemistry easier, too?
A Radical Way to Label Proteins
Read about this new approach to selectively install fluorines into proteins using a mild radical source.
Set phasers to stun: Accelerating chemical reactions with precise IR laser pulses
Heating a chemical reaction to accelerate the reaction rate is like setting phasers to kill, it may get the job done but it’s certainly not the most elegant or effective method. What if you could provide just enough energy to break the appropriate bonds and control exact product outcomes without wasting energy?
Always Use Protection: Preventing Catalyst Degradation with Coatings
Catalysts are critical components of many industrial processes. Unfortunately, many promising catalysts degrade over time. Here, researchers show that some catalysts can be protected by coating them with another material.
Green 3D printing: from cellulose to plastic objects!
3D-printing at its greenest!
A resistant material for 3D-printing is synthesized from plant components!
Structure-Function Relationship in a Highly Efficient CO2 Reducing MOF
A structure-function relationship has been established for a cobalt containing Metal Organic Framework (MOF) that catalyzes carbon dioxide reduction very efficiently. It has been established that the hydroxyl groups coordinated to the metal co-operates to enhance the catalysis by forming H-bond network with CO2. Let’s learn how the authors performed a systematic and thorough investigation on these MOFs.
Trap and Release the acetone in your breath: Portable Spectroscopy for Diabetes Diagnosis?
Ask someone what gases they would expect to find in our breath and oxygen, carbon dioxide and water may well be high on the list. But did you realize that acetone could be in there too? A npvel portable device for detecting acetone in breath has been reported.
Finding a New Way to Cook Using Every Part of the…Seaweed?
Ever taken a bite of ice cream and wondered why it’s so smooth? In this paper, the chemical responsible for that is extracted from seaweed and nothing is wasted!
Designing and Understanding New Semiconductor Crystals
Solar panels are expensive because of the high-purity silicon present in them. A new material called perovskite rivals the solar conversion efficiency of silicon, but at a fraction of the cost. There is however still a lot of fundamental understanding to be done on perovskites, which these researchers do by studying analogous structures.
Circular Permutation for Protein Parceling
Altering the sequence of protein cages allows diversification of function and could make these protein delivery “capsules” customizable for different cargo types.
Looking inside your TV
Ever wondered how the images on your TV or computer screen are formed? Today let’s look inside your TV and learn about the nanoparticles forming the high definition display! (Obviously without slicing it open!)
Popcorn supercapacitors – future batteries for electric cars?
Most people prefer their popcorn popped to perfection, but scientist Jianhua Hou prefers his burnt. How could the smell of burnt popcorn possibly be a good thing? Chembites investigates!