How do you destroy a forever chemical?
3M offers $10.3 billion settlement over PFAS contamination in water systems. What's next? Enlarge (credit: Andrew Brookes) PFAS chemicals seemed like a good idea at first. As Teflon, they made pots easier to clean starti.....»»
Engineers "symphonize" cleaner ammonia production
Among the many chemicals we use every day, ammonia is one of the worst for the atmosphere. The nitrogen-based chemical used in fertilizer, dyes, explosives and many other products ranks second only to cement in terms of carbon emissions, due to the h.....»»
Stellar murder: When stars destroy and eat their own planets
Our sun is both our best friend and our worst enemy. On the one hand, we owe our very existence to our star. Earth and the other planets in the solar system formed out of the same cloud of gas and dust as the sun......»»
Researchers find WWI and WWII bombs in the ground are becoming more volatile
Two ordnance specialists, one with the University of Stavanger's Department of Safety and the other with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, have found that due to their chemical makeup, bombs and other ordnances still in the ground from Wo.....»»
Researchers look to rice for "clean label" ingredients
Naturally occurring polyphenols and proteins from pigmented waxy rice may help starch ingredients improve texture without any chemical modification—a change some consumers may welcome, said Ya-Jane Wang, professor of carbohydrate chemistry......»»
Promising advances in organosilica membranes for separating organic liquid mixtures
In many chemical-related industries, such as pharmaceuticals, oil refineries, and food and beverage factories, separating organic liquid mixtures is an essential step. A staple method to achieve this is distillation, which involves heating a mixture.....»»
Researchers discover key gene for toxic alkaloid in barley
All plants mediate their environmental interactions via chemical signals. An example is the alkaloid gramine produced by barley, one of the world's most widely-grown cereals. Gramine provides protection against herbivorous insects and grazing animals.....»»
Extreme heat and ozone pollution: A call for targeted control strategies in China
Elevated surface ozone concentrations in China are posing a significant threat to both human health and crop yields. Extreme heat can greatly exacerbate ozone pollution through both complex chemical and physical processes. For example, extreme heat i.....»»
Scientists discover how caterpillars can stop their bleeding in seconds
Blood is a remarkable material: it must remain fluid inside blood vessels, yet clot as quickly as possible outside them, to stop bleeding. The chemical cascade that makes this possible is well understood for vertebrate blood. But hemolymph, the equiv.....»»
Enhancing safety in green adipic acid synthesis: The role of EDTA stabilizer and microchannel flow technology
Adipic acid, a fundamental component in the manufacture of chemical fibers, nylon 66, engineering plastics, and various pharmaceutical, food, and chemical products, is commonly synthesized through a green process involving the oxidation of cyclohexen.....»»
Researchers develop numerical models to better understand long-term effects on lake ecosystems
Although numerous lakes around the world have been showing an increase in annual mean temperature over the last few decades, it still remains difficult to assess long-term warming-related impacts in water bodies with various physical and chemical pro.....»»
Maple syrup from New Jersey: You got a problem with that?
Welcome to New Jersey, known around the world for Tony Soprano, Turnpike tolls, chemical plants, and ... maple syrup?.....»»
A reliable and efficient computational method for finding transition states in chemical reactions
A computational method for finding transition states in chemical reactions, greatly reducing computational costs with high reliability, has been devised. Compared to the most widely used existing method, the present method reduces the total computati.....»»
"How long before climate change will destroy the Earth?": Research reveals what Australian kids want to know
Every day, more children discover they are living in a climate crisis. This makes many children feel sad, anxious, angry, powerless, confused and frightened about what the future holds......»»
Study suggests major chemical corporations hide most polluting activities in subsidiaries
According to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), chemical manufacturing is one of the U.S.'s three largest polluters, along with metal mining and electric utilities, which together account for two-thirds of the country's toxic releases......»»
Carbon-based supports for electrocatalysis under industrially relevant conditions
Carbon materials, due to their appropriate physicochemical characteristics such as high surface area, adjustable pore structure, variable morphology, and multifunctional surface properties based on chemical modifications, low cost, and ease of prepar.....»»
Innovative chemical strategy targets mosquito larvae gut to combat spread of deadly diseases
Mosquito-borne illnesses remain a formidable challenge threatening millions of people each year with diseases such as malaria, dengue, zika and chikungunya......»»
A holistic look at Earth"s chemical cycling sheds light on how the planet stays habitable
We all know Earth is special, but we may not fully appreciate how good we have it on this planet. Unlike its planetary neighbors, Earth has remained habitable for billions of years thanks to a complicated, ever-changing dance of elements......»»
Using light to produce medication and plastics more efficiently
Anyone who wants to produce medication, plastics or fertilizer using conventional methods needs heat for chemical reactions—but not so with photochemistry, where light provides the energy. The process to achieve the desired product also often takes.....»»
Engineers manage a first: Measuring pH in cell condensates
Scientists trying to understand the physical and chemical properties that govern biomolecular condensates now have a crucial way to measure pH and other emergent properties of these enigmatic, albeit important, cellular compartments......»»
Breakthrough in melting point prediction: 100-year-old physics problem solved
A longstanding problem in physics has finally been cracked by Professor Kostya Trachenko of Queen Mary University of London's School of Physical and Chemical Sciences. His research, published in Physical Review E, unveils a general theory for predict.....»»