Catalytic synthesis of phenols with nitrous oxide
The emission of greenhouse gases threatens the global environment, and scientists around the world are increasingly committed to addressing this issue. While many research groups focus on carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane (CH4) revalorization strategie.....»»
Bringing together the powers of electrochemistry and flow technology
The combination of electrochemistry and flow technology holds much promise for the sustainable production of valuable chemicals, such as biobased feedstocks. Researcher Yiran Cao has explored electrochemical organic synthesis in flow, and especially.....»»
To reduce vehicle pollution, a single atom can do the work of several
Your ride might be a modest one—but if it burns gasoline, you have precious metals on board. To reduce pollution at the tailpipe, gasoline cars and trucks today come equipped with catalytic converters that contain platinum-group metals such as rhod.....»»
New strategy designed for sustainable production of benzylamines from lignin
Benzylamines, one type of N-functionalized aromatics, are widely used as precursors of pharmaceuticals and synthetic dyes. Catalytic conversion of lignin into value-added N-containing chemicals such as benzylamines is significant to bring the biorefi.....»»
"Reduction" allows for cleaner and more efficient catalytic reactions
In an ongoing effort to accelerate catalytic reactions, oxidation of metal complexes using light has emerged as a standard method to synthesize aromatic compounds. Now, researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology have demonstrated a high-yield synth.....»»
A pathway to stable, high-activity catalysts from gold nanoclusters
Catalysts are ubiquitous, whether in the form of an enzyme in the body that digests food or the catalytic converter in the car that breaks down pollutants. Catalysts play an important role in making chemical reactions more efficient. Recently, atomic.....»»
A winning combination for glycoprotein synthesis
Many processes in the body are regulated by the functions of proteins. For example, almost all molecules—such as DNA, proteins, oligosaccharides, and small bioactive molecules—are generated by enzymes. However, changes in protein functions in res.....»»
Stereoselective alkene synthesis with non-precious nickel catalysis
NUS chemists have developed a new way to access prized tri- and tetrasubstituted alkenes through a nickel-catalyzed tandem process involving a Heck reaction followed by carbon-carbon double bond (C=C) migration......»»
Invisible barrier breakthrough a boon for electronics, artwork and more
Curtin University researchers have found applying a thin invisible layer of graphene oxide to silicon forms an impermeable barrier, which could be used to protect artwork, prevent corrosion of metals, and produce higher efficiency solar cells......»»
Green hydrogen: Why do certain catalysts improve in operation?
As a rule, most catalyst materials deteriorate during repeated catalytic cycles—they age. But there are also compounds that increase their performance over the course of catalysis. One example is the mineral erythrite, a mineral compound comprising.....»»
Team presents brain-inspired, highly scalable neuromorphic hardware
KAIST researchers fabricated a brain-inspired highly scalable neuromorphic hardware by co-integrating single transistor neurons and synapses. Using standard silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, the neuromorphic hardware.....»»
When vibrations increase on cooling: Anti-freezing observed
An international team has observed an amazing phenomenon in a nickel oxide material during cooling: Instead of freezing, certain fluctuations actually increase as the temperature drops. Nickel oxide is a model system that is structurally similar to h.....»»
Chemists discover a key to greener food production
Arguably the most important (if least well known) industrial advancement of the 20th century, the Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis process essentially conquered food scarcity by creating the means to mass produce fertilizer—fertilizer then used to for.....»»
World"s first "green" synthesis of plastics from CO2
By combining a CeO2 catalyst with atmospheric carbon dioxide, researchers from Osaka City University, Tohoku University, and Nippon Steel Corporation have developed an effective catalytic process for the direct synthesis of polycarbonate diols withou.....»»
Automatically steering experiments toward scientific discovery
In the popular view of traditional science, scientists are in the lab hovering over their experiments, micromanaging every little detail. For example, they may iteratively test a wide variety of material compositions, synthesis and processing protoco.....»»
Superconductivity in high-Tc cuprates: "From maximal to minimal dissipation"—a new paradigm?
Researchers from the University of Bristol's School of Physics used some of Europe's strongest continuous magnetic fields to uncover evidence of exotic charge carriers in the metallic state of copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors (high-Tc cu.....»»
Iridium-catalyzed hydrogen addition, giving plant- and insect-based natural substances
The cost-effectiveness of drug synthesis depends on a number of factors, including the amount of waste produced. A team of researchers have now discovered a catalyst that achieves exceptionally high-precision addition of hydrogen to carbon-carbon bon.....»»
Hydrogenation regulation of nitrobenzene in electrocatalytic processes realized
Selective catalytic hydrogenation of nitrobenzene (Ph-NO2) to high value-added azoxy-, azo- and aminobenzene compounds are considerably important in the organic synthesis industry......»»
Scientists unveil potential dependence in nitric oxide electroreduction to ammonia
Nitrogen oxide (NOx), such as nitric oxide (NO), are environmental pollutants. They are often removed via selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology......»»
The advantage of 2D metal-organic framework nanosheets in sensing applications
In recent years, fluorescent metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been demonstrated as a promising strategy for constructing sensors. However, most of the research studies on fluorescent MOF sensors have focused on the design and synthesis of three-d.....»»
Silicon with a two-dimensional structure
Silicon, a semi-metal, bonds in its natural form with four other elements and its three-dimensional structure takes the form of a tetrahedron. For a long time, it seemed impossible to achieve the synthesis and characterisation of a two-dimensional eq.....»»