Science & Technology

September 29, 2008

Opsin's Active Conformation — Crystal structure of G-protein-coupled receptor provides new insight for how this class of proteins senses chemical and light signals.

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Recycling PET To A Higher Value Plastic — >Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the common plastic used to make drink bottles.

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Earth Shows Its Age — Jonathan O'Neil of McGill University, in Montreal, and colleagues have identified what could be the oldest rocks ever found on Earth.

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Detecting Terrorists' Explosive Of Choice — The explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP) was used in the terrorist bombings on the London subway system in 2005.

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Amino Acid Switch Turns DNA-Binding Into DNA-Cleaving — By replacing a single naturally occurring amino acid with an unnatural amino acid.

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Making Fertilizer Less Explosive — Chemical company Honeywell makes enough ammonium sulfate each day to fill 50 rail cars.

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Profoundly Hindered Aryl-Aryl Single Bond — Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) come in a range of shapes that depend on how their six-membered rings are connected.

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Plants' Aspirin SOS — Walnut trees under stress fill the air with significant quantities of methyl salicylate.

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September 22, 2008

Catalytic Electrocyclization — Researchers have developed the first Lewis acid-catalyzed 6-π electrocyclization reaction,...

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Catching Catalyst Particles In Action — Analytical methods for probing catalytic nanocrystals while they mediate chemical reactions can uncover insights that lead to better catalysts.

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Structural Insights Into Shigella Virulence Factor — In 2006, the VirA virulence factor for the pathogenic bacterium Shigella flexneri was identified via biochemical assays as a protease that degrades microtubules in cells.

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An Unusual Blue Protein Chromophore —

Ranasmurfin, a blue protein isolated from the nests of a type of Malaysian tree frog, has an unusual chromophore...

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Colloidal Dumbbells Form Chiral Chains — Silica nanoparticles joined together by iron oxide line up in a magnetic field to make chiral colloidal helices...

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Fullerene Traps Longest Metal Bond — By trapping two terbium atoms within a C₇₉N fullerene cage, chemists have created the longest metal-metal bond measured to date.

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Chemistry For Beating Down Cocaine Abuse — Two new research papers reveal biochemical details that could improve the prospects for treating cocaine overdose and addiction.

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Modified Calixarene Boosts DNA Delivery — By changing the structure of a macrocyclic compound, researchers in Italy have created a more efficient type of reagent for transfection...

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September 15, 2008

Revising C???H Oxidation — Shipping costs for natural gas limit its widespread feasibility as a fuel and are driving research toward selectively oxidizing methane...

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Software Uncovers Sample Prep Protein Modifications — A new algorithm for analyzing protein mass spectrometry data has uncovered four types of previously undescribed protein modifications...

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STM Reveals Bimetallic Nanoclusters — High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (HRSTM) has afforded researchers an atomic-scale view of a triangle-shaped bimetallic catalyst...

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Ancient Mechanism Aids Modern Enzyme —

The enzyme inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) catalyzes a critical two-part sequence.

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Gentler Distillation Yields Better Gin — A superior gin results when the liquor is produced under distillation conditions that are milder than those used for the conventional method...

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Making Borosilicate Nanoparticles Is Now Possible — A team of researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, reports the first synthesis and characterization of borosilicate nanoparticles...With Video

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Antioxidant Treatment For Chemobrain —

Battling cancer can be hellish, not only as a result of the direct effects of the malignancy but also because some patients suffer significant memory loss and attention problems.

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Photocatalysis With Visible Light — o marshal their reagents into action, chemists often turn to the energizing power of light.

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September 8, 2008

Megaenzyme Revealed — Fatty acids are the foundation of mammalian biological membranes.

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Cholesterol Reactivity Redux — A reactivity study involving cholesterol may provide an alternative explanation for earlier reports suggesting that ozone (O3) is produced in the body...

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Emulsions Double Up — Salad dressing aficionados know that it only takes a little surfactant and a good shake to coax oil and vinegar into a harmonious mix.

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Novel Method For Palladium Removal —

GlaxoSmithKline process chemists have devised a general, low-cost technique for removing residual palladium catalyst from scaled-up drug development reactions (Org. Process Res. Dev., DOI: 10.1021/op800064y).

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Subnanometer Gold Cluster Catalysts — Tiny gold clusters—just two atomic layers thick and roughly 0.5 nm in diameter—are far more active room-temperature CO oxidation catalysts than microscopic gold clusters...

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Tandem Fix For Badly Folded Proteins — Diseases associated with a loss of protein function often arise when a mutation prevents the relevant protein from folding properly and performing efficiently.

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Fungus Degrades Lignin In Bug Guts —

In the gut of a beetle lies a fungus that helps the insect digest lignin, researchers have found (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2008, 105, 12932).

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Cagey Iron Reversibly Sequesters Molecules — A novel type of metal-organic cage that traps hydrophobic guest molecules can be reversibly opened, reports a group of researchers...

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September 1, 2008

Copper Uncaged — Caged-copper complexes that release their metal cargo on cue may help scientists explore how this essential yet toxic transition metal is trafficked and utilized in cells (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja8047442).

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Keeping Tabs On Honey — Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be used to distinguish between different types of honey, as well as identify the natural sweetener's region of origin, according to Roberto Consonni and Laura R. Cagliani of Italy's National Research Council (J. Agric. Food. Chem. 2008, 56, 6873)

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Bacteria Caught Double-Dipping Pigments — Ever-industrious bacteria are using redox-active pigments to control colony morphology in addition to using the compounds in their established role as antibiotics, according to a report in Science (2008, 321, 1203).

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Drug Delivery Rule May Need Revision — Overton's rule, which pharmacologists and drug designers use to predict the transport behavior of compounds into cells, might be wrong, according to Patrick R. Unwin and colleagues at the University of Warwick, in England (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0803720105).

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Manganese Photocatalyst Splits Water — Ideally, hydrogen fuel would come from splitting water rather than from processing oil.

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Study Sizes Up Nanomaterial Toxicity — Toxicologists at Sweden's Karolinska Institute have determined that there is a high variation in cytotoxicity and DNA damage caused by carbon nanomaterials and metal oxide nanoparticles during in vitro tests.

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Camera Iris Mechanism Saves Bacteria — Bacteria experience massive pressures against their membranes when they're suddenly exposed to fresh water.

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Slower Collisions Enhance Excitation — In a study that bucks conventional wisdom, researchers have found that in collisions of molecules with metal surfaces, slow-moving molecules are more likely than speedy ones to undergo electronic excitation.

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• Hunting Phosphorylation — A straightforward method for severing large peptides precisely at phosphorylated residues may make it easier to pinpoint phosphorylation sites in proteins (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja8023719). Read more

• Heterogenous Alkene Metathesis Species Identified — Methylidene and metallacyclobutane species of a heterogeneous catalyst have been identified as key intermediates in alkene metathesis, an important reaction for the industrial production of chemicals and polymers (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0802147105). Read more

• Predicted Acid Rain Intermediate Observed —An intermediate molecule predicted to form in the atmosphere during the reaction of a hydroxyl radical with nitric acid (HONO₂) has been observed spectroscopically for the first time (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0800320105). Read more

• Tracking Zinc In The Environment — Researchers at the University of Paris Diderot, in France, have used zinc isotopes to follow zinc-bearing pollution as it travels through the environment (Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/es800725z). Read more

• Protein Interactions By Sequence Alone — A general model has been developed for predicting PDZ domain-mediated protein-protein interactions based only on the primary sequence of the domains (Nat. Biotechnol., DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1489). Read more

• Hot news about chili peppers — Two studies open windows on the function and biochemical impact of capsaicinoids, the family of compounds that give some chili peppers their kick. Read more

• Framework for delivering platinum cancer drugs — Platinum-based antitumor agents can hitch a ride into cancer cells via metal-organic framework compounds (MOFs), according to a new report (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja803383k). Read more

• Metamaterials bend light to new levels —Two breakthrough developments in the fabrication of metamaterials are reported in a pair of research papers by Xiang Zhang and coworkers at the University of California, Berkeley. Read more

• Small molecule rescues mutant hormone receptor — Chemical rescue—a procedure in which a small molecule boosts the bioactivity of an impaired protein—has been used to restore function to a mutant thyroid hormone receptor associated with two diseases (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., DOI: 10.1002/anie.200801742). Read more

• Anaerobic photosynthesis — Researchers have found two microbial species that use arsenite (AsO₃^3???) to supply electrons for photosynthesis instead of water typically used by most plants (Science 2008, 321, 967). Read more

• Water whips proteins into shape —With the aid of far-infrared spectroscopy, researchers have taken a detailed look at how water molecules choreograph the intricate process of protein folding (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 6486). Read more

• Fluorescent probe detects terrorism toxin activity — By inserting a fluorescent probe into an RNA strand, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have developed an assay method to detect potential terrorism agents such as ricin and saporin (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 6661). Read more

• Higher yielding buckyball synthesis — By capitalizing on a surface-catalyzed cyclodehydrogenation reaction, scientists in Spain have developed a synthesis that produces fullerene molecules in high yields (Nature 2008, 454, 865). Read more

• Cellulose Direct — A streamlined chemical method that permits easier, direct conversion of purified cellulose into a biofuel has been devised by researchers at the University of California, Davis (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., DOI: 10.1002/anie200801594). Read more

• Scientific Misconduct Sanctions May Not Be As Severe As Expected — When a scientist is found guilty of misconduct—categorized as falsification, fabrication, or plagiarism of research results—the imposed sanctions are generally assumed to end the scientific career of the perpetrator. Read more

• Earliest Use Of Milk Traced By Fatty Acids —By analyzing organic residues on pottery shards, an international team of organic chemists and archaeologists has linked the earliest human use of animal milk to about 9,000 years ago (Nature, DOI:10.1038/nature07180). Read more

• Vitamin C Impedes Tumor Growth In Mice — Nanoscientists have discovered a new way to grow inorganic nanopeapods—nanoscale shells that enclose a row of nanoparticles. Read more

• Mass Spec Ion Structure Controlled By Solvent Effects — By employing different solvent systems, Zhixin Tian and Steven R. Kass of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, used electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry to selectively form and analyze two ionic structures of tyrosine (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja802088u). Read more

• Multiplexed Magnetic Nanoparticle Assay — Antibody-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry have allowed chemists in Taiwan to assay multiple human serum antigens and unravel their variant glycosylated structures in one fell swoop (Anal. Chem., DOI: 10.1021/ac800354u). Read more

• Nitric Oxide Delivery Tracked By Fluorescence — A novel nitric oxide-delivering ruthenium complex can be tracked by its fluorescence as it passes through a cellular environment and drops off its NO cargo (Chem. Commun., DOI: 10.1039/b805332d). Read more

• Saliva Contains Wound Salve — Why do animals lick their wounds? And why do wounds inside the mouth get better faster than comparable wounds on the skin? Read more

• Uranium-Aluminum Bond A First — A novel complex that contains a uranium-aluminum bond adds to the growing field of metal-metal bond chemistry (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja8042382). Read more

• Magnesium Nitride Serves Up Ammonia — Magnesium nitride (Mg₃N₂) is a convenient source of ammonia for a host of reactions that produce nitrogen-containing compounds, a University of Cambridge research team reports (Org. Lett., DOI: 10.1021/ol801398z). Read more

• More Clues To Biotoxin Assembly —A newly discovered natural product is providing additional hints about how algae construct deadly toxins (Org. Lett., DOI: 10.1021/ol801243n). Read more

• New Growth in Inorganic Nanopeapods — Nanoscientists have discovered a new way to grow inorganic nanopeapods—nanoscale shells that enclose a row of nanoparticles. Read more

• Surface Patterning With Nanoprecision — By corralling self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) within the pores of a supramolecular network, chemists in Europe have developed a method for creating patterns over large surface areas with nanoscale precision (Nature 2008, 454, 618). Read more

• Gene Activators Mimic Effects Of Exercise — Couch potatoes, rejoice! A research team led by Ronald M. Evans of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in La Jolla, Calif., has identified two compounds that increase the ability of muscle cells to burn fat and that significantly improve endurance for physical activity in mice (Cell, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2008.06.051). Read more

• Structures of Neutral Gold Clusters Revealed — Gold nanoparticles are touted for their ability to oxidize carbon monoxide in applications such as cleaning up automobile exhaust. Read more

• Biomimetically Built Cancer Inhibitors — An international research team has reported the total syntheses of exiguamine A and B, which are potent inhibitors of a promising enzyme target implicated in several types of cancer (Nat. Chem. Biol., DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.107). Read more

• Light-Triggered Base — By employing a light-responsive molecular shield, Stefan Hecht and coworkers at Humboldt University, in Berlin, have developed an organic base that can be reversibly switched on and off on demand (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 5968). Read more

• Measuring Mass With A Nanotube — Physicists at the University of California, Berkeley, have devised a nanotube-based mechanical sensor with atomic resolution that has several advantages over traditional mass spectrometers (Nature Nanotech., DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2008.200.) Read more

• Hydrogenase Sites surprisingly Similar —The structure of the iron-based active site in mononuclear [Fe]-hydrogenase reveals unexpected similarities to iron centers in the binuclear [NiFe]- and [FeFe]-hydrogenases, according to a group of researchers led by Seigo Shima at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Ulrich Ermler at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, both in Germany (Science 2008, 321, 572). Read more

• What’s In A Whiff Of Whiskey? — Aficionados of American Bourbon whiskey may be interested in the results of a new study that identifies the beverage’s most odor-active compounds. Read more

• Light-Controlled Nanowires — Researchers in China have prepared hybrid organic-inorganic semiconducting nanowires where electrical conductivity can be switched on and off with light (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 9198). Read more

• Antibiotic Boosts RNA Interference — An FDA-approved antibiotic makes the gene-silencing technique known as RNA interference (RNAi) more effective in the laboratory, according to a new report (Nat. Biotechnol., DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1481). Read more

• Catalysts Under Pressure — A team of researchers has recorded atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of catalyst particles (shown) while the solids were exposed to relatively high pressures of reactive gas (1 atm H2) and heated to 500 ??C (Ultramicroscopy, DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2008.04.014). Read more

• Flexible Circuits From Carbon Nanotubes — Random networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes can be used to construct high-performance integrated digital circuits on flexible plastic substrates, according to a new study (Nature 2008, 454, 495). Read more

• Gold Complex Changes Color Reversibly — Gentle grinding of a new Au(I) complex in solid form changes its luminescence behavior, Japanese researchers report. Read more

• ‘Sewing Machine’ Manipulates DNA Molecule — This ain't your grandmother's sewing machine. Using a single DNA molecule as thread, researchers in Japan designed microhooks and microbobbins to form a "sewing machine" to manipulate DNA. Read more

• Adding Metals To Toluene — Mixed-metal reagents can be tuned to selectively create metal-carbon bonds in toluene at 2,5 or 3,5 positions, depending on the identity of an alkyl component, says a group of researchers led by Robert E. Mulvey of the University of Strathclyde, in Scotland (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., DOI: 10.1002/anie.200801158). Read more

• Graphene Is The Strongest Material — Scientists have long suspected that graphene???chicken wire-like, two-dimensional sheets of carbon???is the strongest material ever examined. Read more

• Novel Radical Hydrogen Donors may be Less Toxic — A new class of hydrogen-atom donor reagents may be less toxic and therefore could have wider applicability than the trialkyltin reagents commonly used for radical reactions. Read more

• Vaccine Helper Targets Muscle Cells — Vaccines are formulated with additives that enhance their immune-stimulating effects. Read more

• Pressure Cooker Proteomics — Chopping collections of proteins into manageable peptide pieces is one of the most time-consuming parts of proteomics. Read more

• Spying Inside Steel — Corrosion wreaks havoc on steel, which is used in everything from kitchen sinks to nuclear reactors. Read more

• Moon Glass Contains Water — In a finding that counters the prevailing wisdom that the moon has always been dry as a bone, a new study shows that small spheres of lunar volcanic glass contain water. Read more

• Side Effects Help Teach Old Drugs New Tricks — The seemingly endless list of possible side effects that accompanies each dispensed prescription medication may now hold the clue to identifying new uses for existing drugs. Read more

• Fast Route To Radiolabeled Formaldehyde — Scientists and doctors may soon have access to a greater number of radiotracer compounds for positron emission tomography (PET). Read more

• Scans Expose Violins' Density Differences — Consistent wood density is the latest theory that researchers are floating to help explain the superior sound of Stradivarius and other classical Italian violins (PLoS ONE, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002554). Read more

• Laser-Cooled Molecules — Two teams of researchers have demonstrated that laser methods can be used to cool molecules to near absolute zero. Read more

• Detecting Fingerprints with Lawsone — The law enforcement community is constantly looking for more sensitive techniques to sleuth out fingerprint evidence for criminal investigations. Read more

• Adorning with Alkenes — Two new ways to selectively modify proteins using alkene chemistry can now be added to chemical biology's toolbox. Read more

• Structure of Ebola Virus Surface Glycoprotein — After a five-year effort, researchers have determined the structure of the Ebola virus surface glycoprotein, which enables the virus to enter cells. Read more

• Fast Photochromism — Bespectacled folks once marveled at lenses that darken in sunlight and return to their untinted state indoors, but the sluggish transition from tinted to transparent left some feeling less than enlightened. Read more

• Ionic-Liquid Solar Cells — Chemists in China and Switzerland have designed a robust and efficient dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) based on a solvent-free mixture of three imidazolium compounds (Nat. Mater., DOI: 10.1038/nmat2224). Read more

• Dunking Polymer Doughnuts Into Cells — Rather than dunking their doughnuts in coffee, researchers in Scotland have found a way to dunk polymeric doughnuts into cells (Chem. Commun., DOI: 10.1039/b805323e). Read more

• Water Makes Diamond Coatings Slippery — Crystalline diamond is prized as a durable, low-friction coating for the contacting surfaces of high-performance tools and certain machine parts. Read more

• Another Way To Form Atmospheric Chlorine — National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration scientists report a new mechanism for the formation of molecular chlorine in the atmosphere: N₂O₅ can oxidize Cl^– to Cl₂ on acidic aerosols, the researchers say (Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.1158777). Read more

• Organic Fluorophore Switches On Demand — High-resolution, single-molecule imaging methods such as PALM and STORM require fluorophores that can be switched on and off on demand. Read more

• A New Take On Vibrational Excitation — A previously unknown mechanism describing vibrational excitation of molecules undergoing collisions may play a role in all collisions between pairs of neutral species that have the potential to form chemical bonds with one another, according to a new study (Nature 2008, 454, 88). Read more

• Calcium Misregulation Contributes To Alzheimer's Disease — Two studies provide further evidence that calcium regulation in the brain is intimately involved in Alzheimer's disease. Read more

• Defeating Diarrhea — Forget chugging chalky Kaopectate when your next bout of diarrhea hits. A newly synthesized pyridopyrimidine derivative may one day be used to halt diarrhea caused by toxin-producing strains of the bacteria Escherichia coli. Read more

• Thick-Shelled Quantum Dots Blink Less — Fluctuations in the emission intensity of individual fluorophores, a phenomenon known as blinking, can be a problem when those fluorophores are used as labels in single-molecule experiments. Read more

• Designing With DNA Made Easy — DNA is more than just the basic building block of life. Read more

• strong>Mass Spec Reveals NeuroAIDS-Related Metabolites — A mass spectrometry analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of macaques that are infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and that develop neurological disorders has revealed clues about mechanisms of the nervous system diseases and could lead to new therapeutic treatments (J. Clin. Invest., DOI: 10.1172/JCI34138). Read more

• Vanadium-B-12 Bioconjugates Lower Blood Glucose — Nicola E. Brasch and Derek S. Damron of Kent State University and colleagues report the synthesis of the first vanadium-vitamin B-12 bioconjugates (Chem. Commun., DOI: 10.1039/b806598e). Read more

• Why Anesthetics Sometimes Cause Pain — General anesthetics are welcomed for their ability to banish pain during surgery, but some of these drugs increase postsurgical pain and inflammation. Read more

• Peptide Backbone's Folding Role — Modifying elements of a peptide's backbone yields nonnatural peptides that reproduce the three-dimensional structure of the original amino acid sequence, a strategy that could help in designing protein mimics (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0801135105). Read more

• Accelerated Electron Transfer Observed In Model Protein — In biological systems, electron flow often occurs very quickly between distant redox centers in electron-transfer proteins. Read more

• One Pot, Six Chiral Centers — By using an amine-based catalyst, researchers at Aarhus University, in Denmark, have sculpted six chiral centers into a molecule in one fell swoop (Chem. Commun., DOI: 10.1039/b806418k). Read more

• Gravity-purified MOFs — Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can now be quickly and easily purified via a simple solvent-based method that takes advantage of minor density differences between the porous materials and any impurities. Read more

• Chaperonin's Iris-Like 'lid' — By twirling rather than flapping is how a "lid" on the barrel-shaped eukaryotic chaperonin called TRiC closes and opens when proteins enter or depart its interior (Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol., DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1436). Read more

• Cantilever Array Weighs Single Cells — A new array of microfabricated silicon cantilevers gives researchers a way to track the growth of individual adherent cells (Lab Chip, DOI: 10.1039/b803601b). Read more

• Colorful Magnetic Resonance Imaging — Microengineered magnetic particles could bring color to traditionally gray-scale magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), U.S. government scientists report (Nature 2008, 453, 1058). Read more

• Light-Driven Pulleys Turn Plastic Motor — Tomiki Ikeda at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and colleagues have developed the first plastic motor powered only by light (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 4986). Read more

• Five-Membered Chemical Combo Gels — A novel multicomponent combination of chemicals that causes organic solvents to irreversibly gel up may allow scientists to begin tuning or designing other similar mixtures (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja8002777). Read more

• Nanotube Membranes Desalinate Water — Arrays of densely packed, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes can serve as membranes to filter ions out of water while allowing the water to flow significantly faster than through conventional filters. Read more

• Visualizing A Protein's Shape-Shifting — By using an advanced NMR technique, researchers in Germany have taken a closer look at how a protein can alter its structure to bind to different partners (Science 2008, 320, 1471). Read more

• White LED Formed From A Bulk Material — Energy-efficient light-emitting diodes that produce white light have potential as a next-generation technology for general lighting applications. Read more

• Coffee: Good To The Last Stress-Free Sniff — The invigorating aroma of coffee might be doing more than helping you wake up in the morning???it might also be helping to relieve stress, according to a new report (J. Agric. Food Chem., DOI: 10.1021/jf8001137). Read more

• Substrate-Targeting Inhibitors Hint At New Drug Discovery Tactic — Biochemists have uncovered how certain small molecules, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as the ibuprofen analog tarenflurbil, reduce production of a form of amyloid-β peptide. Read more

• New Route To α-Alkylated Ketones — A new method for asymmetrically α-alkylating ketones—adding alkyl substituents to carbons adjacent to ketone groups to give chiral products???is simpler and more amenable to scale-up than current approaches. Read more

• Replenished Ozone Could Affect Southern Hemisphere Winds — Earth's healing ozone layer may have unexpected effects on the climate of the Southern Hemisphere, researchers predict (Science 2008, 320, 1486). Read more

• SPR Imaging With White Light — A new surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor that is optimized for visible and near-infrared wavelengths could make SPR imaging cheaper and easier to use. Read more

• X-Rays Discern Crystal Enantiomers — Conventional X-ray crystallography can identify structures of enantiomers, but it can't distinguish between right- and left-handed crystals. Read more

• Nanowire Membrane Sops Up Oil — When placed on an oil spill, a thin nanowire mesh membrane material selectively absorbs the oil and leaves water behind, researchers have found. Read more

• Nanoparticles Guide Protein Folding — Coated gold nanoparticles can help denatured proteins refold properly, according to a study (Chem. Commun., DOI: 10.1039/b805242e). Read more

• Multitasking Enzyme — Enzyme-catalyzed reactions are a significant part of the toolkit chemists use to generate chiral building blocks with high purity. Read more

• Lacing Up Polycyclic Lycopodium Alkaloids — A handful of alkaloids derived from Lycopodium club mosses possess promising biological activity, including neurotrophic and anticancer properties.
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• Enzyme Structure And Mutations Reveal Disease Roles — The structure determination and mutational analysis of XPD helicase, a key DNA repair enzyme, have yielded molecular insights into its roles in cancer and aging. Read more

• Sunlight Drives Degradation Of Some Flame Retardants — Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants degrade in natural sunlight and could be producing significant amounts of toxic compounds in household dust and the environment. Read more

• Multiple Components Individually Wrapped — An electrospray method developed by Yong Zhao, Lei Jiang, and coworkers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing can trap and keep separate multiple components in a single cell-like capsule in one step (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja801803x). Read more

• Three Protein Copper Sites Interconnected — The copper sites in cupredoxins, a family of proteins that facilitate a variety of redox activities, are structurally and functionally diverse. Read more

• Glowing Polymers Detect Explosives — Three silafluorine-fluorine polymers can quickly and easily reveal the presence of minute quantities of explosives left behind on surfaces. Read more

• MRI Of Tissue pH Makes For Diagnostic Tool — Because changes in tissue pH can indicate problems such as cancer and inflammation, a clinical method for imaging pH in living systems could be a powerful diagnostic tool. Read more

• Multitasking Enzyme — Enzyme-catalyzed reactions are a significant part of the toolkit chemists use to generate chiral building blocks with high purity. Read more

• Sensor Measures Protons, Polarity — A two-for-one sensor that can simultaneously detect local proton concentration and polarity could lead to a tool that can measure the proton gradients across biological membranes involved in the production of adenosine triphosphate, the cell's energy currency.
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• Tiny Bubbles, Stabilized — Micrometer-sized bubbles favorably affect the taste, smell, and texture of foods and cosmetics, but the bubbles are unstable and don't last long. Read more

• Partially Folded Protein Is Catalytically Active — Researchers have discovered that a partially folded enzyme is catalytically active, even though its active site is not in its native-state shape. Read more

• Milder Benzyne Click Chemistry — With a safer, easier way of obtaining a reactive intermediate from an aromatic system, Richard C. Larock and colleagues at Iowa State University have improved the versatility of click chemistry. Read more

• Incense Proves Psychoactive — Frankincense, which is often burned in religious and cultural ceremonies, may offer more punch to participants than just smoke and scent. Read more

• Sodium's Many Lattice Patterns — Sodium, a paradigm of simplicity highlighted in many textbooks, actually has extremely complicated crystal structures and may not be a metal at high pressures, according to new research (Science 2008, 320, 1054). Read more

• How Aluminum Helps Vaccines — A team of immunologists at Yale University has uncovered a crucial aspect of how aluminum compounds called adjuvants make some types of vaccines more effective. Read more

• Antiangiogenic Agent Synthesized — The first chemical synthesis of the promising antiangiogenic agent cortistatin A has been achieved by Phil S. Baran and coworkers at Scripps Research Institute (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja8023466). Read more

• Iodinated Polymers Visible To X-Rays — A new class of iodinated polymers may provide a way to monitor medical implants and drug delivery devices in the body.
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• Airborne Particles Leave Lungs Susceptible To Ozone — Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that airborne particles cause lung problems, but scientists haven't known how. Read more

• Method Tags Molecules' Neighbors — A reaction catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) could help identify the molecules that come together to produce signal transduction, cell adhesion, and other biological events (Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, DOI:10.1073/pnas.0710346105). Read more

• Fellutamide Blocks Proteasome To Aid Neurons — The natural product fellutamide B aids brain cells by inhibiting the proteasome, the cell's garbage disposal for proteins, Yale researchers have found. Read more

• Crude Oil's Polar Portion Yields To MS — A new method makes it easier to analyze asphaltenes, mostly aromatic compounds that make up the heaviest and most polar fraction of crude oil. Read more

• Rotundone Imparts Peppery Aroma — The sesquiterpene rotundone gives pepper its distinctive aroma, an international group of researchers argues in a pair of papers in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry (DOI: 10.1021/jf800183k and 10.1021/jf800184t). Read more

• Low-Cost Water-Splitting Photocatalyst — Cadmium sulfide doped with a small amount of molybdenum disulfide serves as an efficient photocatalyst for the water-splitting reaction under visible light, according to researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in China (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja8007825). Read more

• Fighting HIV With Multivalent Gold Nanoparticles — A therapeutically inactive small molecule has been transformed into a potent drug for fighting HIV simply by conjugating the compound to a gold nanoparticle (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja710321g). Read more

• Nanosizing Improves Hydrogen Storage — For hydrogen storage applications, materials composed of nanometer-sized particles outperform samples with larger particles in terms of energetics and hydrogen-release (desorption) temperature, according to researchers in the Netherlands (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja710667v). Read more

• New Asymmetric Route To α-Amino Acid Esters — Developed in 1997 by Nicos A. Petasis of the University of Southern California, the Petasis reaction. Read more

• Interface boosts MS Performance — Many popular mass spectrometry methods require an atmospheric-pressure interface to couple the ionization source to the mass analyzer. Read more

• Making Methanol From Carbon Dioxide And Sunlight — One of the sustainability challenges chemists face is finding an energy-efficient method for reducing industrial emissions of carbon dioxide. Read more

• Compound Stops DNA Replication Before It Starts — Many anticancer agents interfere with the polymerization step of DNA replication, but these drugs can be toxic to noncancerous cells. Read more

• Drug-Quadruplex Interactions Revealed — A newly obtained X-ray crystal structure shows how the anticancer agent BRACO-19 interacts with its molecular targets, which are human quadruplexes—guanine-rich DNA assemblies of highly defined structure found at chromosome ends (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja8016973). Read more

• Kelp Keeps Iodide As An Antioxidant — Iodine was first discovered in kelp two centuries ago, but its bioactive chemical form and function have remained a mystery. Read more

• Fungi Mineralize Depleted Uranium — Certain fungi can colonize surfaces of pieces of depleted uranium and transform the metal into stable minerals. Read more

• Expanded Suzuki Cross-Coupling — The Suzuki reaction has proven to be an indispensible tool for organic chemists, allowing them to build complex molecules via the palladium- or nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling of organoboron compounds with a variety of electrophiles. Read more

• Glaciers Are A Source Of Residual DDT — Glacier meltwater is a probable source of the banned pesticide DDT in Antarctic marine ecosystems, according to a new study (Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/es702919n). Read more

• Retooling The Fungal Chemical Factory — Fungi suppress biosynthetic pathways for certain natural products when those compounds aren't needed. Read more

• More Sensitive Piezoresistive Sensors — Metal-semiconductor composites exhibit a piezoresistive effect at room temperature that is 10 times greater than that of pure metals or semiconductors, according to a study by Alistair C. H. Rowe of Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France, and coworkers (Phys. Rev. Lett. 2008, 100, 145501). Read more

• An Ionic Liquid Thermometer — Most commercial liquid-in-glass thermometers are filled with mercury or an alcohol such as ethanol. Read more

• Seawater boosts tomato's antioxidants — Irrigating cherry tomatoes with diluted seawater produces tastier fruit with increased antioxidant levels, according to a new study (J. Agric. Food Chem., DOI: 10.1021/jf0733012). Read more

• Microfluidic spider silk — How a spider's spinning duct turns protein solutions into threads as strong as steel is still largely a mystery. But German scientists have now designed a microfluidic device. Read more

• Firing up the tank with nanoparticles — In an attempt to make liquid fuels more energy efficient, scientists have found that adding aluminum or aluminum oxide nanoparticles to diesel fuel improves its ignition properties (Nano Lett., DOI: 10.1021/nl080277d). Read more

• Oligogermanes start to branch out — The periodic table foretells that the chemistry of germanium should be similar to that of carbon. Indeed, a growing number of linear oligogermanes are being synthesized. Read more

• Semiconductors via combustion — Combustion synthesis is a low-cost, low-tech, and energy-efficient preparation method that can be used to synthesize nanocrystalline tungsten trioxide, an important inorganic oxide semiconductor. Read more

• Getting stuffed improves stability of boron fullerenes — Adding to the growing theoretical collection of boron analogs of fullerenes, chemists have postulated that a new family of boron clusters stuffed with a few extra boron atoms should be more stable than the previously hypothesized champion of stability, B₈₀. Read more

• Souped-up nanomotors — Drop a bimetal nanowire, composed of a segment of gold and a segment of platinum, into a solution of aqueous hydrogen peroxide and the tiny rod will chug along at about 8 µm/second. Read more

• New And Improved Covalent Atomic Radii — An updated set of atomic radii has been generated for the elements hydrogen through curium, an accomplishment that fills in gaps and resolves inconsistencies in a pool of data currently used to study chemical structure, bonding, reactivity, and periodic trends (Dalton Trans., DOI: 10.1039/b801115j). Read more

• How to dissolve your carbon nanotubes — Although carbon nanotubes are generally regarded as insoluble in all solvents, a research team led by Jonathan N. Coleman of Trinity College Dublin and James P. Hamilton of the University of Wisconsin, Platteville, has found that carbon nanotubes actually can be dissolved in _N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and other solvents with a surface energy that matches that of graphitic surfaces (Adv. Mater., DOI: 10.1002/adma.200702451). Read more

• Seawater boosts tomato's antioxidants — Irrigating cherry tomatoes with diluted seawater produces tastier fruit with increased antioxidant levels, according to a new study (J. Agric. Food Chem., DOI: 10.1021/jf0733012). Read more

• Microfluidic Aerobatics — Digital microfluidics, in which individual droplets are manipulated on an array of electrodes, is currently limited to a single horizontal plane. Read more

• Membrane Anchors May Outwit Alzheimer's — Cell-membrane-spanning protease enzymes called β-secretases play a critical role in β-amyloid peptide formation, a key step in the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Read more

• DNA Repair Job Gets Inspected — With the help of a clever cross-linking strategy, chemists at the University of Chicago have determined why one repair protein sticks to fixing up double-stranded DNA damaged by alkylation, whereas its relatives prefer mending single-stranded DNA (Nature 2008, 452, 961). Read more

• Mouse Skin Doubles as an Oxygen Sensor — Besides guarding muscle and internal organs, the skin of a mouse can sense oxygen levels in the local environment and adjust the animal's physiological response accordingly, report University of California, San Diego, biology professor Randall S. Johnson and coworkers (Cell 2008, 133, 223). Read more

• RNNNNNNR: A Tamed High-Energy Compound — Chemicals with high nitrogen content also tend to be highly energetic, so chemists must tread lightly when handling or storing them lest they explode. Read more

• Catalyst Shape Matters — When it comes to catalyzing certain reactions, new research shows that the shape of a nanoparticle catalyst may be more important than its size. Read more

• New And Improved Covalent Atomic Radii — An updated set of atomic radii has been generated for the elements hydrogen through curium, an accomplishment that fills in gaps and resolves inconsistencies in a pool of data currently used to study chemical structure, bonding, reactivity, and periodic trends (Dalton Trans., DOI: 10.1039/b801115j). Read more

• Tagged Metals Are Ready To Star in Action Movies — A new family of fluorescent compounds may enable transition-metal-catalyzed reactions to be imaged at the single-molecule level, according to a study by Stephen M. Canham, Suzanne A. Blum, and coworkers at the University of California, Irvine (Organometallics, DOI: 10.1021/om800228v). Read more

• A Golden Crown — In what some might call a crowning achievement of metal-metal bonding, chemists in China have assembled 36 gold atoms into a crownlike ring, creating the largest member of the gold ring family reported to date (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., DOI: 10.1002/anie.200801001). Read more

• Peptide Nanostructure Kills Cancer Cells — By adding crown ether moieties to a polypeptide, chemists in Canada have created a nanoscale chemotherapeutic compound that can selectively and efficiently kill prostate cancer cells (Chem. Commun., DOI: 10.1039/b800528a). Read more

• Ocean Calcification Varies As CO₂ Rises — High levels of atmospheric CO₂ are making the ocean more acidic, and scientists have predicted that those acidic conditions could reduce all marine organisms' ability to produce calcium carbonate structures. Read more

• Nanocomposite Strategy Eliminates Matrix — The narrow spectral width and high quantum efficiency of lanthanide spectral emission make rare-earth-doped nanocrystals good candidates for optical materials. Read more

• Air Pollution Foils Pollinators — Floral fragrances waft far and wide in clean air, but polluted air is another story. Emissions from sources such as cars and power plants are disrupting the perfumed chemical trails that direct pollinators to flowers. Read more

• Patterning Through Evaporation — Researchers developing a new one-step method of lithographic patterning through evaporation of colloidal films have discovered that changing the colloid concentration in organic solution affects whether particles are deposited in exposed or covered regions of the mask (Langmuir 2008, 24, 3681). Read more

• Catalyst Shape Matters — When it comes to catalyzing certain reactions, new research shows that the shape of a nanoparticle catalyst may be more important than its size. Read more

• Patterning Through Evaporation — Researchers developing a new one-step method of lithographic patterning through evaporation of colloidal films have discovered that changing the colloid concentration in organic solution affects whether particles are deposited in exposed or covered regions of the mask (Langmuir 2008, 24, 3681). Read more

• System Grows Cells In 3-D — For mimicking the physiological context of cells, three-dimensional laboratory microenvironments are often better than flat ones. Read more

• Two Xenons In One Small Molecule — To date, most molecules involving noble gases, such as KrF₂ or HXeCl, contain just one of the inert atoms and frequently some halide atoms. Now, Leonid Khriachtchev of the University of Helsinki and colleagues have synthesized what they believe is the smallest neutral molecule with two noble-gas atoms, HXeOXeH (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja077835v). Read more

• Plant Pathogen Guides Cancer Research — The bacterium Pseudomonas syringae is infamous for the brown rot spots it leaves on apples, pears, and many other crops. Read more

• Fungal Enzyme Deconstructed — The antibiotic erythromycin and other products of a ubiquitous family of enzymes known as polyketide synthases are produced in a fundamentally different way in fungi than they are in bacteria. Read more

• Catalyst Architecture Revealed — Researchers have assembled the first three-dimensional experimental images of cobalt-based catalysts used in Fischer-Tropsch processes to convert synthesis gas to hydrocarbon fuels and feedstocks (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja710299h). Read more

• Yeast Gets A Protective Coating — Chinese researchers have devised a way to protect yeast cells with a mineral coating similar to an eggshell (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., DOI: 10.1002/anie.200704718). Read more

• Simple Synthesis Of Chiral #947;-Amino Acids —Efficient routes to chiral, monosubstituted #947;-amino acids—a long-standing synthetic challenge—have been developed independently by two groups. Read more

• Step-By-Step Tooth Enamel — Tooth enamel, made from tightly packed hydroxyapatite nanorods, is one of the hardest and most durable biomaterials known. Read more

• The Subsurface Counts In Catalysis — Catalysis is generally thought of as a surface phenomenon, yet a new study demonstrates that what happens several atomic layers below the catalyst surface can have a big impact on catalytic reactions. Read more

• Manganese Ions Do An Enzyme's Job — To guard against reactive superoxide radicals (O²???-), many organisms rely on superoxide dismutases (SODs), which are enzymes that convert superoxide into O₂ and H₂O₂. Read more

• Defluorinating Bioaccumulative PFOS — Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) has been used as an ingredient in many industrial and consumer products such as surfactants and fire-fighting foams. Read more

• Silica And Ice Template Creates Holey Microfibers — With a "brick and mortar" assembly approach, researchers have made porous, hollow carbon/metal oxide microfibers with well-controlled pore structures (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja800376t). Read more

• Oceanographers Gain A Tracer Compound — Oceanographers have traditionally injected kilogram amounts of sulfur hexafluoride gas into the ocean and followed the evolution of these spikes by gas chromatography of water samples to study mixing processes. Read more

• Graphene's Electronic Limits Revealed — Physicists at the University of Maryland have thoroughly probed the conductivity of graphene—a single-atom-thick sheet of graphite—and measured key parameters that for the first time give a complete picture of the current limitations and future promise of the recently discovered electronic material (Nat. Nanotechnol., DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2008.58). Read more

• Alternative Route To Dehydroalanine — Dehydroalanine (Dha), which can be formed by oxidative elimination of alkylated derivatives of cysteine (Cys) or selenocysteine, provides a chemical handle for selectively modifying proteins and thereby studying the process of posttranslational modifications. Read more

• A Squishy Squid And Its Tough Beak: Mystery Resolved — How the Humboldt squid avoids harming its own soft, gelatinous body when it wields its tough beak to attack and eat prey is now known. Read more

• Minimizing Halogenated Mutagens In Water — Halogenated furanones can be produced in drinking water by the reaction of naturally occurring organic matter and bromide with the disinfectant chlorine. Read more

• Novel Fenestranes Stitched Together — Using a one-pot procedure, chemists in France have developed a simple synthesis of complex [4.6.4.6]fenestradienes and [4.6.4.6]fenestrenes (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja800691c). Read more

• Humans Make Up For Vitamin C Shortfall — More than 4,000 mammals can make vitamin C from glucose, but the human version of the necessary enzyme is out of order. To make up for our species' incompetence, humans have evolved a way to efficiently utilize the vitamin C we consume. Read more

• Control System With An Enzyme PIN — A security system with a personal identification number (PIN) made of enzymes rather than numbers or letters has been devised by Evgeny Katz and coworkers at Clarkson University, Potsdam, N.Y. Read more

• Oceanographers Gain A Tracer Compound — Oceanographers have traditionally injected kilogram amounts of sulfur hexafluoride gas into the ocean and followed the evolution of these spikes by gas chromatography of water samples to study mixing processes. Read more

• Graphene's Electronic Limits Revealed — Physicists at the University of Maryland have thoroughly probed the conductivity of graphene—a single-atom-thick sheet of graphite—and measured key parameters that for the first time give a complete picture of the current limitations and future promise of the recently discovered electronic material (Nat. Nanotechnol., DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2008.58). Read more

• Alternative Route To Dehydroalanine — Dehydroalanine (Dha), which can be formed by oxidative elimination of alkylated derivatives of cysteine (Cys) or selenocysteine, provides a chemical handle for selectively modifying proteins and thereby studying the process of posttranslational modifications. Read more

• Core-Shell Catalyst Clears CO — A catalyst composed of a 3-nm-diameter ruthenium core coated with a platinum shell just one or two atomic layers thick converts CO to CO₂ in the presence of hydrogen more selectively and at more than 50 °C lower than other common catalysts that mediate the same oxidation (Nat. Mat., DOI: 10.1038/nmat2156). Read more

• Depression Biomarker Identified — Imagine a blood test that could diagnose depression and also indicate whether a particular antidepressant therapy is working. That could be the eventual outcome of a recent study by Mark M. Rasenick of the University of Illinois, Chicago, and colleagues (J. Neurosci. 2008, 28, 3042). Read more

• Mercury Down The Dental Drain — A team led by Karl J. Rockne and James L. Drummond of the University of Illinois, Chicago, has investigated how much mercury and methylmercury, a bioaccumlative neurotoxin, is released from dentists' offices (Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/es7027058). Read more

• Cyclization In Close Quarters — The Diels-Alder reaction, a widely used transformation in organic synthesis, forms six-membered rings from a conjugated diene and a dienophile-frequently an alkene. Read more

• A Spring-Loaded Monomer — By incorporating a trans double bond into an eight-carbon annulene, chemists have made a strained ring structure that snaps open, paving the way for a ring-opening metathesis polymerization reaction that produces a new type of polymer (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., DOI: 10.1002/anie.200704355). Read more

• Analyzing Batteries One Slice At A Time — Researchers in France and Japan have demonstrated a procedure for preparing nanometer-thick cross sections of solid-state lithium-ion batteries and analyzing the thin slices in a transmission electron microscope (Chem. Mater., DOI: 10.1021/cm7033933). Read more

• Chloride Deposits Found On Mars — NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has detected fields of chloride deposits, an elusive mineral formation associated with water evaporation, on the red planet. Read more

• Double Duty For Eggshell Protein — Eggshells are chemical fortresses for developing animals—they protect against mechanical stress and bacterial invaders. Now, an international team led by Suresh Valiyaveettil of the National University of Singapore demonstrates how a key protein in turtle eggshells helps perform those tasks (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja075659k). Read more

• Molecular Target Discovered For Deet Bug Repellent — Since World War II, people worldwide have liberally applied N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide, better known as DEET, to ward off blood-feeding insects that can transmit malaria and other diseases. Read more

• Methane Activation Site Revealed For Zeolite Catalyst — By coupling materials synthesis and catalytic activity studies with a powerful NMR spectroscopy method, a team of researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and China's Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics has identified the active species in a molybdenum-based zeolite (aluminosilicate) catalyst that converts methane to benzene: It's an Al-O-Mo linkage (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 3722). Read more

• Revised Amination Skips Olefin Tether — Last year, M. Christina White's group at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, developed the first catalytic amination method for transforming an allylic C–H bond to a C–N bond, bypassing an oxygenation step formerly needed for such conversions. Read more

• New Worm Weapons For Grazing Livestock — When sheep and cattle graze, they sometimes devour far more than a square meal. Increasingly, the grazers are becoming infected with drug-resistant parasitic worms that cause life-threatening anemia. Read more

• Sugar Arrays Gauge Malaria Response — Arrays of synthetic glycan toxins derived from the malaria parasite may aid the design of an efficient carbohydrate-based vaccine for the disease (Nat. Chem. Biol., DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.75). Read more

• Organics Observed Around Sunlike Star — Comets and meteorites carry traces of water and organic molecules originating from the earliest days of our solar system. Read more

• Chemical Abstracts To Check on Wikipedia — The American Chemical Society's Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) has agreed to help Wikipedia, the online user-generated encyclopedia, make sure that entries on chemical substances of widespread general public interest include complete and accurate CAS Registry Numbers. Read more

• Frustration Begets Dihydrogen Cleavage — Phosphines and boranes very much like to form Lewis acid-base adducts, but bulky substituent groups can sometimes get in the way and prevent close encounters. Read more

• Frustration Begets Dihydrogen Cleavage — Phosphines and boranes very much like to form Lewis acid-base adducts, but bulky substituent groups can sometimes get in the way and prevent close encounters. Read more

• Aromatic Chloride Catcher — To grab hold of an anion, an organic host molecule usually uses strong hydrogen-bond donors, such as N–H bonds or C–H bonds adjacent to a cationic center. Read more

• Onionlike hydrogels — Interruptions in a gelation process have yielded the first hydrogel with a membrane architecture that resembles the distinct layers of an onion (Nature 2008, 452, 76). Read more

• Treating Nuclear Waste With Sulfides — Metal sulfides may make it easier to remove radioactive strontium-90 from nuclear waste (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0711528105). Read more

• Rocks Conduct Chemically — To determine the efficiency of treatments that remove iron(III) oxide rust, researchers typically measure the amount of water-soluble iron(II) that the treatments release. Read more

• Chlorine Binds Gold Covalently — Although all halogens are thought to bind to metal surfaces through ionic interactions, new theoretical evidence indicates that chlorine breaks this rule when interacting with a gold surface (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja7109234). Read more

• Water Leaves Trail In Hair — Be careful where you drink. A University of Utah team led by geochemist Thure E. Cerling and ecologist James R. Ehleringer reports that the isotope ratios of human hair correlate with the isotope ratios of local tap water and can be used to track where people have been (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2008, 105, 2788). Read more

• Trap for Sugar-Protein Partners — Carbohydrate-protein interactions occur in the immune system and throughout biology, but details about these contacts are poorly understood. Read more

• Antibody-Stilbene Interactions Illuminated — When the antibody EP2-19G2 hooks up with the molecule trans-stilbene, the resulting complex produces a bright blue luminescence, a feature that has been exploited to create biosensors. Read more

• Drug Design Strategy Aims For Disorder — Drug designers should set their sights on small molecules that induce conformational disorder in their protein targets, according to Ariel Fernández and Alejandro Crespo of Rice University (Mol. Pharmaceutics, DOI: 10.1021/mp700148h). Read more

• Peroxides Facilitate Direct Methylations — By using peroxides to deliver methyl groups, a team led by Chao-Jun Li of McGill University, in Montreal, has devised an alternative strategy for the palladium-catalyzed methylation of aryl C???H bonds (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 2900). Read more

• Gecko Feet Inspire Medical Adhesive — Geckos can stick to walls and zip across ceilings thanks to the adhesive properties of tiny nanoscale projections on their feet. Read more

• Superslippery Surfaces — Repulsive van der Waals forces are one of the keys to sliding without friction, according to researchers at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology, in Stockholm (Langmuir, DOI: 10.1021/la7036907). Read more

• Acetyl On Demand — Covalent addition of acetyl groups to lysine's side-chain nitrogen is a reversible process that regulates essential events such as DNA replication and repair. Read more

• New Pain Process Revealed — Chronic pain caused by nerve damage is tough to treat because its underlying mechanisms aren't well-understood.
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• Visual DNA test — A new method could make it easier to test for the DNA base changes known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, in a point-of-care setting without the instrumentation that is currently required. Read more

• Cause Of Muscle Fatigue Identified — New evidence indicates that calcium contributes to muscle fatigue (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2008, 105, 2198). Read more

• Instrument-Based Coffee Taster Developed — Coffee scientists have long wanted to develop an instrument as good as trained panelists at evaluating sensory characteristics of coffee. Read more

• Stripping Staph Of its 'Golden Armor' — More people die from drug-resistant staph infections in the U.S. than from HIV/AIDS, so finding new antistaph strategies is an important research goal. Read more

• Extra Electron Key To Forming Ammonium Salt — Students in freshman chemistry learn that NH₃ and HCl react in solution to form NH₄⁺Cl^-.
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• Oxygen Dissociates Unevenly On Surface — Titanium dioxide catalyzes a range of reactions involving O2, including organic pollutant degradation and hydrogen production. Read more

• Patterning With Fluorophores — In a new approach to patterning surfaces on micrometer scales, researchers have linked inert fluorescent molecules to an insulating surface by using copper-catalyzed "click" chemistry (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja078183d). Read more

• Protein-Dependent Memory Modification — Protein synthesis in neurons in the brain is critical for stabilizing a recalled memory and storing it away again. Read more

• Expanding C–P Bond Chemistry — The first lanthanide-metal complex featuring a phosphinidene functional group has been reported by a team led by Jaqueline L. Kiplinger of Los Alamos National Laboratory (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja7105306). Read more

• Hypertension Drugs Unexpectedly Fight Lysosomal Disorders — In studies on patient-derived cells, two FDA-approved hypertension drugs have proven to be effective at ameliorating multiple characteristics of lysosomal storage diseases.
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• Crowding Improves Protein Factories — Modular enzymes called nonribosomal peptide synthetases manufacture many antibiotics and immune suppressants in the biomolecule-packed environment of cells. Read more

• Two-For-One Bioimaging Agent — A novel bimetallic complex could be used as a contrast agent for both luminescence microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Read more

• Tailoring More Active Titania Photocatalysts — By customizing the surface structure of titanium dioxide particles, researchers at Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, in China, have significantly boosted the semiconductor's catalytic activity in photochemical water-splitting reactions (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., DOI: 10.1002/anie.200704788). Read more

• Scientists Plumb Veggies' Secrets — If you're preparing broth to make chicken soup, be sure to toss in some celery. Its phthalides add pleasing complexity to the soup's flavor, according to Japanese researchers. Read more

• Abiogenic Hydrocarbons Born Under The Sea — Low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons found in fluid that gushes from undersea hydrothermal vents are thought to have abiogenic origins.
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• New Motions For Molecular Machinery — Macromolecules that can undergo a range of motions when stimulated by light or heat have been touted as potential components of tiny machines in nanoscale devices. Read more

• Antibiotics From The Deep — A veritable treasure trove of medicinally relevant compounds has once again been found by plumbing the oceans' depths. Read more

• STM Image Analysis Of Polymers Simplified — Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory have developed a simple procedure by which scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) can be used to record atomic-resolution images of polymers and other large molecules (Surf. Sci. 2008, 602, 3). Read more

• Little-Ring Metathesis — Ring-closing metathesis has been used to establish a new route to functionalized cyclobutenes, a surprising result given the generally accepted idea that ring strain precludes formation of small cyclic rings using this approach (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 1562). Read more

• Drying Paint Delivers A Silver Bullet — About the simplest method one could imagine for endowing oil-based house paint with antibacterial properties-adding some reagents and watching the paint dry-has been developed by researchers at the City College of New York and Rice University (Nat. Mater., DOI: 10.1038/nmat2099).
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• Cautionary Tale On Amyloid Inhibitors — Amyloid inhibitors' tendency to aggregate may be the key to their ability to block amyloid polymerization, according to a new study (Nat. Chem. Biol., DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.65). Read more

• Boosting Prodrug Stability — To increase the oral availability of certain therapeutic compounds, chemists will sometimes tack an ester group onto the molecule. Read more

• First Four-Coordinate Iron(III) Porphyrin — Chemistry professor Kenneth S. Suslick, graduate student Ming Fang, and crystallographer Scott R. Wilson of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, report the first four-coordinate Fe(III) porphyrin complex, a rare example of isolating an extremely reactive electrophilic metal cation (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 1134). Read more

• Huntington's Excess Neurotransmission — Huntington's disease is caused by an abnormal version of huntingtin protein. Read more

• Glycoconjugates Pinpoint Shiga Toxins — If the food-borne bacterium Escherichia coli O157:H7 introduces Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2) into a person's gut, that individual has a significant risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, a cause of renal failure and death.
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• Nanotubes Create Darkest Dark Material — Materials science has a dark side. Researchers report that they have made the world's darkest material from a low-density, vertically aligned array of carbon nanotubes (Nano Lett., DOI: 10.1021/nl072369t). Read more

• Long Ago, Paris was a Jungle — Modern-day Paris may have a reputation as being something of an urban jungle, but according to some new chemical evidence, tens of millions of years ago Paris was quite literally a jungle. Read more

• Immunoassay Based on Optical Diffraction — Purdue University scientists have developed a rapid and sensitive immunoassay method based on the spontaneous assembly of analyte molecules into an optical diffraction grating (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., DOI: 10.1002/anie.200703222). Read more

• Conflicting Inorganic Aromaticity — Aromaticity and antiaromaticity, once purely the domain of organic chemistry, has expanded in recent years to include organometallic complexes, all-metal clusters, and main-group compounds. Read more

• Organic Red Goo Found Outside Solar System — Collections of large organic molecules that form a reddish goo, seen in our solar system in places such as the surface of Titan, have now been spotted in a planet-forming disk of dust surrounding a star 220 light-years away (Astrophys. J. Lett., DOI: 10.1086/527546).
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• New Chorismate Metabolic Pathway — At least six bacterial biosynthetic routes to key biomolecules—including several amino acids, the vitamin folate, and the coenzyme ubiquinone—begin with the key metabolic intermediate chorismate. Read more

• Shortcut to Natural Products — A widespread strategy for synthesizing natural product molecules involves dearomatization of substituted phenols followed by a desymmetrization reaction. Read more

• Groping Your Way Out Of An Anesthetic Fog — One popular hypothesis holds that a patient emerges from an anesthetized state simply because the anesthetic drug is eliminated from the neurological site of action. Read more

• Value-added Methyl Esters From Biomass — As global demand and prices for petroleum-based feedstocks continue to rise, chemists are being challenged to devise processes that utilize biomass-derived feedstocks. Read more

• Alternative Pathway For Alcohol Biofuels — In an effort to advance biofuels, UCLA chemical engineers James C. Liao, Shota Atsumi, and Taizo Hanai have engineered Escherichia coli to produce C₃–C₅ alcohols from glucose using the bacteria's amino acid biosynthetic pathway (Nature 2008, 451, 86).
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• Microfluidic Chip Snags Cancer Cells — In cancer patients, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood are the hallmark of the spread of the disease. But these cells are rare and difficult to isolate. Read more