Showing 20 articles starting at article 1
Categories: Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry, Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published A leaky sink: Carbon emissions from forest soil will likely grow with rising temperatures
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The soils of northern forests are key reservoirs that help keep the carbon dioxide that trees inhale and use for photosynthesis from making it back into the atmosphere.
Published Kagome superconductor makes waves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Superconductivity theory proposed by physics team validated in international experiment: Cooper pairs display wave-like distribution in Kagome metals, enabling new technological applications like superconducting diodes.
Published AI tackles one of the most difficult challenges in quantum chemistry
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research using neural networks, a form of brain-inspired AI, proposes a solution to the tough challenge of modelling the states of molecules.
Published Physicists shine new light on ultra-fast atomic processes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists report incredibly small time delays in a molecule's electron activity when the particles are exposed to X-rays. To measure these tiny high-speed events, known as attoseconds, researchers used a laser to generate intense X-ray flashes that allowed them to map the inner workings of an atom.
Published Engineers design lookalike drug carrier to evade lung's lines of defense
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Managing hard-to-treat respiratory illnesses like asthma and pulmonary fibrosis just got easier if a new drug-carrying molecule is as sneaky as its inventors think.
Published Fighting coastal erosion with electricity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has systematically demonstrated that a mild zap of electricity can strengthen a marine coastline for generations -- greatly reducing the threat of erosion in the face of climate change and rising sea levels. The new process forms natural cement between grains of sand, transforming it into solid, immoveable rock. Mollusks use a similar process to turn naturally occurring minerals into shells.
Published Catalyst for 'one-step' conversion of methane to methanol
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have engineered a highly selective catalyst that can convert methane, a major component of natural gas, into methanol, an easily transportable liquid fuel, in a single, one-step reaction. This direct process for methane-to-methanol conversion runs at a temperature lower than required to make tea and exclusively produces methanol without additional byproducts.
Published Pollution drives families to relocate -- but only the rich can afford to live in healthier areas
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Pollution levels factor in households' decision to relocate within the United States, but only richer households can afford areas with improved air quality, a new study finds. Researchers analyse detailed origin and destination information of relocating households, rather than just aggregate migration flows, and uncover a direct link between a household's income and their new chosen county of residence. They find inequalities exist when it comes to who is exposed to the worst areas of pollution -- with poorer families hit hardest. Richer households opt to move into cleaner, healthier areas that tend to be more expensive. However poorer families are priced out of these counties and are the ones who move into areas with higher levels of toxic releases.
Published Life from a drop of rain: New research suggests rainwater helped form the first protocell walls
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research shows that rainwater could have helped create a meshy wall around protocells 3.8 billion years ago, a critical step in the transition from tiny beads of RNA to every bacterium, plant, animal, and human that ever lived.
Published Extraterrestrial chemistry with earthbound possibilities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Who are we? Why are we here? We are stardust, the result of chemistry occurring throughout vast clouds of interstellar gas and dust. To better understand how that chemistry could create prebiotic molecules, researchers investigated the role of low-energy electrons created as cosmic radiation traverses through ice particles. Their findings may also inform medical and environmental applications on our home planet.
Published A deep dive for environmental data on coastal oceans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study addresses the lack of data on how much human-generated carbon dioxide is present in coastal oceans -- the saltwater ecosystems that link the land and sea. Capturing this data is crucial to calculating how much emissions must be cut in the future.
Published Chalk-based coating creates a cooling fabric
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In the scorching heat of summer, anyone who spends time outside could benefit from a cooling fabric. While there are some textiles that reflect the sun's rays or wick heat away, current options require boutique fibers or complex manufacturing processes. But now, demonstrations of a durable chalk-based coating show it can cool the air underneath treated fabric by up to 8 degrees Fahrenheit.
Published Pilot study uses recycled glass to grow plants for salsa ingredients
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tortilla chips and fresh salsa are tasty, but they could be even more appealing if you grow the ingredients yourself. Now, researchers report that some salsa ingredients -- cilantro, bell pepper and jalapeno -- can be more sustainably cultivated with recycled glass. Their pilot study found that partially substituting soil in a planter with recycled glass fragments speeds up plant development and reduces unwanted fungal growth.
Published First visualization of valence electrons reveals fundamental nature of chemical bonding
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The distribution of outermost shell electrons, known as valence electrons, of organic molecules was observed for the first time. As the interactions between atoms are governed by the valence electrons, the findings shine light on the fundamental nature of chemical bonds, with implications for pharmacy and chemical engineering.
Published Quality control: Neatly arranging crystal growth to make fine thin films
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have succeeded in forming metal-organic framework thin films on a substrate while controlling the growth direction of crystals so that they are arranged neatly without gaps. The resulting thin films of unprecedented high quality can be expected for use as optical sensors, optical elements, and transparent gas adsorption sheets.
Published Unlocking the last lanthanide
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of scientists was recently able to observe how promethium forms chemical bonds when placed in an aqueous solution.
Published Engineered Bacteria make thermally stable plastics similar to polystyrene and PET
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Bioengineers around the world have been working to create plastic-producing microbes that could replace the petroleum-based plastics industry. Now, researchers have overcome a major hurdle: getting bacteria to produce polymers that contain ring-like structures, which make the plastics more rigid and thermally stable. Because these molecules are usually toxic to microorganisms, the researchers had to construct a novel metabolic pathway that would enable the E. coli bacteria to both produce and tolerate the accumulation of the polymer and the building blocks it is composed of. The resulting polymer is biodegradable and has physical properties that could lend it to biomedical applications such as drug delivery, though more research is needed.
Published Molecular wires with a twist
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed molecular wires with periodic twists. By controlling the lengths of regions between twists, the electrical conductivity of individual polymer chains can be enhanced. This work may lead to novel organic electronics or single-molecule wires.
Published A new reaction to enhance aromatic ketone use in chemical synthesis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers develop a one pot process to transform aromatic ketones to esters, offering advancements in pharmaceutical synthesis and materials science.
Published Investigating the interplay of folding and aggregation in supramolecular polymer systems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed photoresponsive supramolecular polymers that can undergo both intrachain folding and interchain aggregation.