news 2023

Carbon is the building block of biological life on Earth. The element is present in many compounds, such as the sugars, proteins, and carbohydrate molecules that make up everything from animals to plants to bacteria. One particular carbon-based molecule, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is both ubiquitous on Earth and abundant in space.

Novel Catalyst System for CO2 Conversion Researchers are constantly pushing the limits of technology by breaking new ground in CO2 conversion. Their goal is to turn the harmful greenhouse gas into a valuable resource. Research groups around the world are developing technologies to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into raw materials for industrial applications.

Researchers have charted vast areas of the dense, cold gas of star nurseries in a neighboring galaxy for the first time. An international research team led by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) and involving the University of Bonn has mapped the cold, dense gas of future star nurseries in one of our neighboring galaxies with an unprecedented degree of detail.

Publication of the Physics Laboratory and Chemistry Laboratory in the journal Langmuir on November 16, 2023. News by CNRS Chemistry on December 19, 2023. Water flowing over soluble rocks can create patterns of multiple troughs bordered by sharp ridges. By combining field measurements, a numerical model and laboratory experiments, a team led by the MSC laboratory (CNRS/Université Paris Cité), in collaboration with the LPG (CNRS/Nantes Université/Université d'Angers) and the RDP (CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Inrae) has shown that the appearance of these shapes results from a geometric mechanism.

A non-organic intelligent system has for the first time designed, planned and executed a chemistry experiment, Carnegie Mellon researchers report in the Dec. 21 issue of the journal Nature (doi:10.1038/s41586'023 -06792-0). "We anticipate that intelligent agent systems for autonomous scientific experimentation will bring tremendous discoveries, unforeseen therapies and new materials.

Scientists have discovered how to make thermosets like gels, rubbers and elastomers so they can be degraded and be re-formed without loss of function. Published on Tuesday 19 December 2023 Last updated on Thursday 21 December 2023 A team of UK scientists has got a step closer to making several different types of plastic much easier to recycle, using a method that could be applied to a whole range of difficult-to-recycle polymers, including rubbers, gels and adhesives.

Utrecht scientists, under the supervision of Marc-Etienne Moret, have discovered a new mechanism to build molecular catalysts. The new mechanism involves the earth-abundant metal nickel instead of precious metals that are often used as part of molecular catalysts. Moret: "This discovery initiates a new area of research that brings about a whole new concept for the design of more sustainable catalysts." In 2017, chemistry researcher Marc-Etienne Moret received an ERC Starting Grant  to study new catalysts with better properties.

The investigation of the biosynthesis of panepoxydone, an important substance for biomedical research, in basidiomycetes has revealed a new enzyme as an important catalyst. The results of the researchers from the Leibniz-HKI, the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse have now been published in the journal "Angewandte Chemie International Edition".

Using generative AI, MIT chemists created a model that can predict the structures formed when a chemical reaction reaches its point of no return. During a chemical reaction, molecules gain energy until they reach what's known as the transition state - a point of no return from which the reaction must proceed.

Converting the climate-damaging CO2 into usable substances could offer an important approach to tackling the climate crisis. Promising methods have already been developed at the Johannes Kepler University Linz. A new discovery now brings industrial use within reach. Using special catalysts, Assoc. Prof. Wolfgang Schöfberger (JKU Institute of Organic Chemistry) developed a method years ago on a laboratory scale to convert CO2 into industrial alcohol.

Water from the subsurface ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus sprays from huge fissures out into space. NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which captured this image in 2010, sampled icy particles and scientists are continuing to make new discoveries from the dat. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute" A study zooms in on data that NASA's Cassini gathered at Saturn's icy moon and finds evidence of a key ingredient for life and a supercharged source of energy to fuel it.

For hydrogen to be sustainably produced using sunlight, it's not just an efficient catalyst system that's needed - it must also be economical, readily available, and resource-efficient. A team led by chemist Kalina Peneva from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry at the University of Jena has made a step in this direction.

While the lithium-ion batteries in disposable electronic cigarettes are discarded after a single use, they can continue to perform at high capacity for hundreds of cycles, according to new research from UCL and the University of Oxford, supported by The Faraday Institution. The study, published in Joule , highlights a growing environmental threat from these increasingly popular vape pens, which are not designed to be recharged.

While the lithium-ion batteries in disposable electronic cigarettes are discarded after a single use, they can continue to perform at high capacity for hundreds of cycles, according to new research from the University of Oxford and UCL, supported by The Faraday Institution. The study, published today in Joule , highlights a growing environmental threat from these increasingly popular vape pens, which are not designed to be recharged.

Heidelberg University and BASF continue research cooperation - One main area of research is the chemical recycling plastic waste BASF and Heidelberg University will do research together for another five years in the Catalysis Research Laboratory (CaRLa) founded in 2006. The two partners have signed an agreement to this effect, extending their successful research cooperation until 2028.

Fluctuating sunlight poses a challenge for plants and green algae, which must quickly adjust their photosynthetic systems to remain efficient in changing conditions. Aiding in that response is a kind of rudimentary memory that allows these organisms to respond more rapidly to changes in light following previous fluctuations.

Using machine learning, the computational method can provide details of how materials work as catalysts, semiconductors, or battery components. Designing new compounds or alloys whose surfaces can be used as catalysts in chemical reactions can be a complex process relying heavily on the intuition of experienced chemists.

Researchers serve up an improved model of indoor pollution produced by cooking S tir-frying yields more than just tasty dishes like Kung Pao chicken and Hunan beef. It also emits an invisible mixture of gases and particles that pollute indoor air and can be detrimental to human health. Correctly estimating such cooking emissions in a variety of settings is critical for simulating exposure and informing health guidelines aimed at keeping people safe.

A Yale co-led study offers insights into the interactions between tumors and their cellular surroundings, findings that might help inform treatment. The advance of any cancer is determined not only by the molecular characteristics of the tumor itself but also by its interaction with the cells that surround it.

"Chemistry is when it smokes and stinks" is an old saying. But green chemistry shows that things can be done differently . Green chemistry has been firmly established in research at TU Wien for more than a decade. With the inter-university Master's in Green Chemistry, it is now also gaining visibility in teaching.