Iridium-catalyzed Z-retentive asymmetric allylic substitution reactions
In synthetic organic chemistry, Z-olefins are a challenging synthetic target to produce in the lab due to their relative thermodynamic instability. The Z-olefins form an unsaturated compound with a CnH2n formula that can be readily isomerized. Analog.....»»
This light-powered catalyst mimics photosynthesis
By mimicking photosynthesis, the light-driven process that plants use to produce sugars, MIT researchers have designed a new type of photocatalyst that can absorb light and use it to drive a variety of chemical reactions......»»
Simple silicon coating solves long-standing optical challenge
Quick bursts of laser light, lasting less than a trillionth of a second, are used in a range of applications today. These ultrashort laser pulses have allowed scientists to observe chemical reactions in real-time, image delicate biological samples, b.....»»
Researchers at the brink of fusion ignition at National Ignition Facility
After decades of inertial confinement fusion research, a record yield of more than 1.3 megajoules (MJ) from fusion reactions was achieved in the laboratory for the first time during an experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Nat.....»»
Lighting up chemical reactions for sustainable drug production
Researchers have discovered a new approach for using visible-light to structurally modify bioactive molecules in chemical reactions, providing a possible sustainable alternative to traditional methods that could be used in the design and production o.....»»
Scientists discover how mitochondria import antioxidants
Many of the processes that keep us alive also put us at risk. The energy-producing chemical reactions in our cells, for example, also produce free radicals—unstable molecules that steal electrons from other molecules. When generated in surplus, fre.....»»
Researchers invent chemical reaction that could accelerate drug discovery
Medicines come from chemical reactions, and better chemical reactions lead to better medicines......»»
A big leap forward in using iron catalysts for pharmaceuticals
If there were a classroom full of all the transition metals that could be used as catalysts for complex pharmaceutical reactions, iron would be the most promising but most unruly member......»»
Chemists discover mechanism in controlled growth of tetrahedron-shaped nanoparticles
Nature clearly likes symmetry. Look at your own hands, for example. But sometimes nature produces asymmetric things, and the reasons aren't always clear......»»
New technique gets the drop on enzyme reactions
As part of an international collaboration, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), the Diamond Light Source synchrotron facility, and Oxford and Bristol Universities in England have developed a novel sample delivery syste.....»»
Supernova: A glowing DNA enzyme
Once thought to function primarily as a storage molecule for genetic information, it is now known that DNA can also catalyze chemical reactions. Although such DNA enzymes (deoxyribozymes) have not been identified in nature, they can be isolated in th.....»»
AI is helping to quantify enzyme activity
Without enzymes, an organism would not be able to survive. It is these biocatalysts that facilitate a whole range of chemical reactions, producing the building blocks of the cells. Enzymes are also used widely in biotechnology and in our households,.....»»
Cross-coupling reactions: Semiheterogeneous PCN-Cu based metallaphotocatalysis
Recently, photoredox catalysis has emerged as an appealing coupling partner for transition metal catalysis, termed metallaphotocatalysis, to develop new synthetic methodologies as well as improve the efficiency of established transformations. Convers.....»»
Rule-following molecules provide the first direct confirmation of a half-century-old theory
In 1965, scientists Robert Burns Woodward and Roald Hoffmann devised a set of rules to predict the outcome of electrocyclic reactions, an important class of reactions in organic chemistry. The Woodward-Hoffmann rules explain why certain compounds fai.....»»
Professor uncovers surprising results from nuclear reactions inside stars
Where do our elements come from? And how are they made? Michael Famiano's new research is flipping the script on those age-old nuclear astrophysics questions. The truth is out there—several light years away among the stars, to be exact......»»
Earth"s natural carbon sinks hold vital power in climate fight
Earth's vast habitats from the poles to the equator have robust capacity to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere due to previously undiscovered rock nitrogen weathering reactions that distribute natural fertilizers around the world. .....»»
New rotating liquid reactor design solves issues with current reactors
Intensified reactors are used in a variety of chemical processes. One such reactor is the rotating packed bed (RPB) reactor which uses high centrifugal forces to accelerate chemical reactions between constituents. However, the RPB reactor has a numbe.....»»
Eco-friendly drug production Nobel winner"s proudest achievement
Princeton professor David MacMillan on Wednesday won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for his work developing a new tool to scale up chemical reactions in an environmentally friendly way, known as "organocatalysis.".....»»
Tuning chemical reactions with light
The chemical industry consumes a lot of energy, not only to initiate reactions but also to separate products from by-products. In a promising emerging field of research, scientists worldwide are trying to use nanoscale antennas to capture and concent.....»»
Scientists recreate cosmic reactions to unlock astronomical mysteries
How do the chemical elements, the building blocks of our universe, get built? This question has been at the core of nuclear physics for the better part of a century......»»
An experimental loop for simulating nuclear reactors in space
Nuclear thermal propulsion, which uses heat from nuclear reactions as fuel, could be used one day in human spaceflight, possibly even for missions to Mars. Its development, however, poses a challenge. The materials used must be able to withstand high.....»»