Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology have developed new synthetic metabolic pathways that can turn carbon dioxide into a valuable material for the biochemical industry. The process uses formic acid, which is produced through artificial photosynthesis, to create highly reactive formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can then be fed into metabolic pathways to produce other
Chemistry
Traditional medicines and folk remedies have been the source of many modern treatments. These practices are still widely used today and could provide solutions to various health conditions. A recent study published in ACS Omega details how a team of researchers has identified compounds found in the leaves of a specific medicinal Labrador tea plant
Researchers at Cornell University have developed a new method for analyzing protein crystals that could revolutionize drug discovery. The method, which was outlined in a paper published in Nature Communications, allows researchers to interpret the data from X-ray crystallography experiments that was previously discarded. This development could lead to a better understanding of a protein’s
Scripps Research chemists have developed a new and controllable method for making benzocyclobutenes (BCBs) that has been a long-standing issue in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry. BCBs are highly valued as building blocks for drug molecules but have been notoriously challenging to access. In a paper published in Science, the researchers described their new method
Researchers at Utrecht University and the University of Antwerp have discovered that a catalyst for clearing CO2 becomes more active and selective if its pretreatment is modified. Catalysts are essential for clearing CO2 or converting it into something useful in the energy and transportation sectors where large amounts of the greenhouse gas are emitted. The
Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley have developed a way to use bacteria to create new-to-nature carbon products that can be used to produce sustainable biochemicals. The team used natural enzymatic reactions along with a new-to-nature reaction called the “carbene transfer reaction.” The process could offer alternatives to chemical manufacturing processes that
A recent article in the ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering journal reported that used coffee pods’ plastic can be recycled to create filament for 3D printers. The solution was successfully tested by research groups in Brazil at the Federal University of São Carlos (USFCar) and the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and in the UK
Photosynthesis is a crucial process for sustaining life on earth, but many aspects of it remain a mystery. Scientists have been working to unlock the secrets of photosynthesis for years, and now researchers from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have succeeded in cracking a key secret of
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth, led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Scheibel, have discovered that materials made of spider silk can be modified to specifically promote the growth and proliferation of living cells of a certain type. This breakthrough in regenerative medicine comes from the ability to generate cell-specific effects of spider silk materials by
Water is known as a universal solvent that remains unchanged by its interactions. However, recent research from North Carolina State University has shown that water can change its solubility characteristics, depending on what it interacts with. This research has found that when water interacts with cellulose, it can stack in layered shells, controlling chemical reactions
A team of chemists from the Russian Academy of Sciences has found that metal atoms, not nanoparticles, play a crucial role in catalysts used in fine organic synthesis. The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, utilized various types of electron microscopy to track a catalyst’s region during a reaction to understand
Scientists from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have used two ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy techniques to capture the movement of a molecule called ferricyanide. This is the first time that the movement has been recorded in this way, and the team thinks that their approach could help map more complex chemical reactions, such as oxygen transportation in
Chemists at the University of California, Los Angeles have discovered that 1,2,3-cyclohexatriene, a benzene isomer, has the potential to be a useful reagent in organic synthesis. Although it has been considered too unstable to be of use for many years, it is substantially higher in energy than benzene, making it a promising candidate for synthesizing
The production of medication requires the isolation of active pharmaceutical ingredients from suspensions and drying them. This process relies on a human operator to monitor the industrial dryer, agitate the material, and observe the compound’s properties to ensure it is suitable for compression into medicine. However, this process is subjective and depends heavily on the
Proteins play a vital role in carrying out various biological functions through interactions, such as the formation of protein complexes. The localization and microenvironments within cells are crucial for maintaining the structure and function of these complexes. Chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry (CXMS) is a technique used for analyzing protein complexes in living cells. However, it
