Chemistry

Danish artists in the 19th century might have used leftover brewing byproducts to prepare their canvases, according to a new study. Researchers who examined paintings from the Danish Golden Age discovered traces of yeast and grains. The study, which was published in the journal Science Advances, suggests that artists used byproducts from local breweries to

Efficient energy conversion devices for powering electronic devices and heating homes necessitate a detailed understanding of how molecules move and vibrate when undergoing light-induced chemical reactions. Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have successfully visualized the distortions of chemical bonds in a methane molecule after it absorbs light, loses

As the world moves towards renewable energy, there is a need for new technologies for storing and distributing energy to homes and electric vehicles. The current standard for energy storage has been the lithium-ion battery containing liquid electrolytes. However, this solution is far from ideal due to its low efficiency and the liquid electrolyte’s propensity

Chemistry researchers at Flinders University have discovered a new way to produce ‘green’ polymers using low-cost building blocks and a small amount of electricity. The reaction occurs quickly and at room temperature, without the need for hazardous chemical initiators. The research team has published an article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society detailing

Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals on the planet, causing millions of deaths each year due to the diseases they transmit. We know that mosquitoes are attracted to human body odor, but how do they find us from such long distances? In a recent study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers used an

The use of high-quality materials, such as metal halide phosphors, is essential in advanced electronic devices to efficiently convert light into measurable signals. One of the most promising materials is cesium copper iodide (Cs3Cu2I5: CCI), a toxic element-free copper-based iodide that is an efficient blue light-emitting material that can convert almost all the absorbed energy

Researchers from the University of Alicante Applied Biochemistry research group, in collaboration with researchers from the Alicante University Hospital Dr. Balmis and the Alicante Health and Biomedical Research Institute, have discovered the anti-cancer potential of a pigment found in the Santa Pola salt flats. The pigment is produced by certain microorganisms called “halophilic archaea” to

Chemists at the Max Planck Institut für Kohlenforschung are working towards creating more efficient and sustainable chemical processes for academia and industry. In order to achieve this goal, it is essential to have a fundamental understanding of the properties of elements and their molecular compounds. Bismuth is a metal that has potential for catalysis but

Researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Dalian, China, have reported a new strategy for the direct conversion of syngas to light olefins. Syngas is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and light olefins are the most commonly used building blocks for plastics. The two primary

Inflammatory disorders such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis can be diagnosed or monitored by measuring the protein calprotectin in stool samples or serum levels. Antibody-based calprotectin assays are commonly used for this purpose, but they can produce inconsistent results due to variations in antibodies. Peptides have emerged as a potential alternative to

Researchers have discovered that a medical dye currently in use reduces the toxic effects of death cap mushrooms in mice. While it has yet to be tested on humans, the dye has already been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for other purposes. The discovery of the dye offers hope of

Researchers from Osaka University in Japan have discovered a new class of photo-responsive crystal compounds that can melt when exposed to ultraviolet light, a phenomenon known as photo-induced crystal-to-liquid transition (PCLT). This is the first organic crystalline material found to exhibit changes in luminescent color and intensity during the melting process induced by ultraviolet light.

Understanding the behavior of battery materials during charging and discharging is essential for improving the performance of existing batteries and developing new materials for future batteries. One such material that has become increasingly significant for future batteries is LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2, also known as NMC811. However, this material often experiences an irreversible capacity loss between the first

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a popular plastic used to manufacture single-use products such as plastic bottles and packaging due to its rigidity, transparency, and hardness. However, PET’s durability also makes it highly persistent in the environment, potentially taking several hundred years to degrade in the ocean. The biodegradation of PET by polyester hydrolases (or PETases)

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