Science & Technology

December 21, 2009

Chemical Year In Review

(December 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 51 | pp. 35-39)

A dozen stories reprise chemists' major achievements of 2009.

New Products (Member Content)

(December 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 51 | p. 40)

New and notable in the chemical industry.

Regiodivergent Reaction

(December 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 51 | p. 8)

Catalysis: Aziridine ring opening discriminates between enantiomers.

Older Is Better

(December 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 51 | p. 8)

Protein Analysis: Microarray performance is degraded with newer glass slides.

Chemicals In People

(December 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 51 | p. 9)

Toxic Substances: National biomonitoring report provides assessment of exposure to 212 substances.

Proteins In Transition

(December 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 51 | p. 10)

Chemical Biology: Conformational change proceeds along surprising path.

CO₂'s Little Helper

(December 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 51 | p. 10)

Climate Change: Satellite data show water vapor increases CO₂ warming.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(December 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 51 | pp. )

• Artificial Platelets
• Materials scientists have developed a peptide-coated nanoparticle that aids clotting to stop bleeding
• Fluorine NMR Opens A Window Into Cells
• With the help of a few ¹⁹F labels, spectroscopists improve method to study proteins inside live bacteria
• Platypus Peptides
• The strange mammal’s venom could help clarify details on evolution and possibly lead to novel medicines
• Unexpected Route To Crystallization
• Electrostatic repulsion between peptide-alkyl chain fibers in dilute solution leads to 3-D ordering
• Arsenicin A: A Unique Natural Product
• Chemists report the synthesis and structure of the first known natural product to contain multiple arsenic atoms
• Tiny Molecular Track Walker
• Mimicking biomolecular machines, chemists develop a synthetic small molecule that walks, foot over foot, down a molecular track
• Imaging A Nanoscale Electromagnetic Field
• New microscopy technique generates a snapshot of a light field created around a nanostructure
• Multitasking Micro-rings
• Arrays of tiny antibody-functionalized silicon rings could streamline detection of protein biomarkers

December 14, 2009

Your Own Personal Genome

(December 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 50 | pp. 13-15)

Advances in DNA sequencing technology are making applications of whole-genome sequencing a reality.

DNA Sequencing Forges Ahead

(December 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 50 | pp. 16-19)

Revisiting Resveratrol (Member Content)

(December 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 50 | pp. 36-37)

More results question molecular link between red wine compound and its antiaging activity.

Inside Instrumentation (Member Content)

(December 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 50 | p. 38)

Technology and Business news for the laboratory world.

Osmium Is Ancient Marker

(December 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 50 | p. 8)

Geochemistry: Rare element can be used to detect past human activities.

N₂ Cleaved, Functionalized

(December 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 50 | p. 10)

Synthesis: Hafnium complex enables reaction with carbon monoxide.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(December 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 50 | pp. 34-35)

• A Model Of Aerosol Aging
• Tool will be a boon to efforts to model aerosol effects on climate.
• Good Beer Is All In The Fold
• Partially-folded protein from barley steadies brew's tiny bubbles.
• How Thiols Photoswitch Cyanine Dyes
• Mechanism will aid design of dyes for imaging biological systems with super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.
• Nanotube-Based Sensor Detects Gamma Rays
• Carbon nanotube-polymer composite could find practical use in national security or nuclear research.
• Odd Friction Behavior Of Droplets
• Novel instrument probes components of force in sliding droplets.
• Earth's Gaseous Orgins
• Our planet’s gaseous center came from vapor-laden comets, meteorites, and dust.
• Quasicrystalline Tetrahedra
• Computer simulations predict unexpected packing for non-spherical objects.
• Fixing Function In Cystic Fibrosis
• Targeting cell’s protein-processing machinery helps get a flawed channel working

December 7, 2009

Timely Transformation

(December 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 49 | pp. 13-21)

Drug firms implement new business strategies to deflect mounting market pressures and accelerate into new geographies.

Branded Drug Firms Expand Into Generics

(December 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 49 | pp. 16-17)

Safeguarding Foreign Labs (Member Content)

(December 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 49 | pp. 44-46)

State Department program raises awareness about lab safety and security in developing countries.

Tribology All Around

(December 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 49 | pp. 47-49)

Meeting highlights how friction triggers molecular-scale changes in adhesive tape, cosmetics, and more.

Screen Nets Self-Destruction Stoppers p. 8

Chemical Biology: Strategy finds selective ligands for rogue T cells.

Metalloprotein Made To Order p. 9

Bioinorganic Chemistry: Researchers construct metalloenzyme active site in another protein.

Customized Nanoparticles p. 10

Catalysis: Method endows platinum with benefits of solid- and solution-phase catalysts.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(December 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 49 | pp. 41-42)

• Modulating Electron Transfer
• Using an infrared beam to control the flow of electrons across a H-bond bridge could lead to a new type of molecular switch.
• Catalyst Combines Nanotubes And Nickel
• A new catalytic material that mimics hydrogenase enzymes could be useful to generate H2 for fuel cells.
• Unexpected Carbene Behavior
• Chemists discover an N-heterocyclic carbene that reacts with a phosphaalkene—but leaves the carbene carbon sitting idle.
• Crystallographic Noise Characterizes Enzyme
• A new X-ray method teases out minor conformational states of enzymes that are key to catalytic activity.
• Counting CD4+ T Cells By Chemiluminescence
• A potential low-cost microfluidic device could help HIV/AIDS patients monitor their immune systems.
• Polyphosphorus Cations Proliferate
• Novel synthetic procedures add diversity to difficult-to-prepare catenated phosphorus compounds.
• Antibiotic Grooves
• A pair of previously unknown binding pockets in DNA gyrase might inspire the design of new antibiotics.
• Extra Carbon Dioxide Bulks Up Lobsters
• Rising levels of atmospheric CO₂ may lead to larger lobsters, but shrinking sea urchins.

November 30, 2009

Coverstory: Making Food Safer

Recalls and public concern drive the push for greater vigilance. (p. 11)

Coverstory: Testing Life's Staples

Time, sensitivity, and broad screening for contaminants in a multitude of matrices are critical for food analysis. (pp. 12-14)

Coverstory: There's Money In Safer Food

As concern grows over food recalls, instrument makers eye a growing market for test equipment. (pp. 15-17)

From Thesis To Business

(November 30, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 48 | pp. 30-31)

Flexible, high-aspect-ratio nanowires turn researcher into entrepreneur.

For Ignition, Mix Metal And Ice (Member Content)

(November 30, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 48 | pp. 32)

Nanoscale aluminum and ice blend sends rocket aloft.

Catalytic Simplification (Member Content)

(November 30, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 48 | pp. 33)

Nonenzymatic technique for enantioselective amine acylation dispenses with a complex catalyst.

Calcite Close-Up

(November 30, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 48 | p. 7)

Composites: 3-D images reveal mineral's interactions with a biopolymer.

A Pathogen's Biochemical Mesh

(November 30, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 48 | p. 8)

Systems Biology: Study reveals that mycoplasma pneumoniae does more with less.

Freeze Protector Is Protein-free

(November 30, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 48 | p. 9)

Biochemistry: First-in-class natural antifreeze from alaskan beetle has carbohydrate and lipid components.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(November 30, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 48 | p. 29)

• Illuminating Tiny Bone Breaks
• The first luminescent lanthanide contrast agent capable of imaging microcracks in bone has been developed by chemists in Ireland...
• Amino Acids Anchor Novel C–H Olefination
• A team at Scripps Research Institute has developed a versatile way to functionalize C–H bonds on aromatic rings with olefins...
• Catalyst Combo For Cyclohexanone
• Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Chemistry, in Beijing, have found that combining two common catalysts can produce the industrially important chemical intermediate cyclohexanone...
• New Metalloprotein Cluster Discovered
• Crystallographic analysis of tetrathiomolybdate (TM) interacting with the yeast metallochaperone protein Atx1 has revealed a copper-molybdenum cluster never before seen in metalloproteins...
• Urea-RNA Disruption
• Scientists have made a fundamental advance in biochemistry by using simulations to discover a new type of interaction between urea and RNA...

November 23, 2009

Allosteric Drugs

(November 23, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 47 | pp. 12-15)

Cover Story: Agents binding at protein sites not used by natural ligands are getting renewed attention as therapeutics.

Hot Flashes: Still A Mystery (Member Content)

(November 23, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 47 | pp. 33-35)

Researchers develop new treatments without fully understanding this common symptom of menopause.

Inside Instrumentation (Member Content)

(November 23, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 47 | p. 36)

Technology and Business news for the laboratory world.

Nancy Jackson Wins ACS Presidential Race

(November 23, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 47 | p. 7)

ACS News: Her year in the society's top spot will coincide with the International Year of Chemistry.

Porous Balancing Act

(November 23, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 47 | p. 10)

Zeolites: Method forms large pores without sacrificing small ones.

Giant Leap For Obstinate Targets

(November 23, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 47 | p. 10)

Sugar Chemistry: Parallel combinatorial synthesis yields 12 hard-to-make oligosaccharides.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(November 23, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 47 | pp. 31-33)

• Prion Aggregator Discovered
• A glycosylated protein may shepherd prion protein associated with brain disorders into its infectious form
• Splashdown On The Moon Kicks Up Water
• Data from the LCROSS mission lets NASA researchers confirm that there’s water on the moon
• Black-Market Androgen
• Andarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator, is the latest in a line of drugs abused by elite athletes
• Nitrogen-Fixing For Insects
• It’s not just plants and termites that rely on symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria––ants do too
• Potential Down Syndrome Therapy Works In Mice
• A norepinephrine precursor helps reverse learning and memory difficulties in lab studies
• Detergent Dependably Busts Up Aggregates In Drug Screens
• Evidence that drugmakers can’t predict false positive hits reemphasizes the helpfulness of detergents
• Modulating MOFs
• A postsynthetic modification provides control over the flexible “breathing” behavior of pores in metal-organic frameworks
• Seeing Disulfides Via Diselenide Proxies
• Replacing cysteine with selenocysteine in proteins improves NMR observation of disulfide bridges

November 16, 2009

Prelude To A Kiss Of Death (Member Content)

(November 16, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 46 | pp. 41-43)

Targeting early steps in protein disposal could lead to drugs for cancer and more.

GFP In Motion

(November 16, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 46 | p. 6)

Photochemistry: Ultrafast method reveals how green fluorescent protein changes during proton transfer.

Reintroducing Thorium (Member Content)

(November 16, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 46 | pp. 44-46)

A largely forgotten natural resource holds vast nuclear power potential.

A New Blue

(November 16, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 46 | p. 8)

Inorganic Chemistry: Mn-based chromophore points to more planet-friendly pigments.

ACS, RSC Address Sustainability

(November 16, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 46 | p. 8)

ACS News: Societies agree to collaborate to promote chemistry's role in a sustainable world.

Stabilized Helix Cracks Cancer Target

(November 16, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 46 | p. 9)

Chemical Biology: Stapled peptide thwarts Notch, a master cell regulator.

Ubiquitin Tagging On Demand

(November 16, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 46 | Web Exclusive)

Having the right tools is the key to understanding ubiquitination, or the tagging of proteins with ubiquitin that marks them for disposal.

Electron-Transfer Proteins Tweaked (Member Content)

(November 16, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 46 | p. 47)

Modifications for better control of redox potential and reactivity.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(November 16, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 46 | pp. 39-40)

• Copper Transport Tag Team
• Two proteins form a transient complex in order to hand off copper on a cellular transport pathway
• Solar Lithium Mystery Solved
• Our sun contains far less lithium than similar stars––because it has planets
• Light Walks Oil Drops Across Water
• Chemists use the power of light to control surface tension and drive liquid droplets across a liquid surface
• Coupling Olefins With Z-Selectivity
• Terminal olefins can be coupled to selectively produce the Z-alkene, thanks to novel metathesis catalysts
• Preventing Cell Death Halts Hearing Loss
• Antioxidants suppress a protein that initiates apoptosis in inner ear neurons, stopping hearing loss in mice
• Catnip Fuels Route To Cancer Killer
• The first enantioselective synthesis of a complex terpene anticancer prospect begins with a psychoactive ingredient
• Hydrogen From Vitamin C
• Rewired bacterial photosynthetic machinery uses electrons supplied by ascorbate to reduce hydrogen ions in a bioreactor
• Covalent Gold
• Photoelectron spectroscopy firms up knowledge on the true nature of gold’s bonding

November 9, 2009

The Last of NASA's Fuel (Member Content)

(November 9, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 45 | p. 47)

Reluctance to restart production of plutonium-238 could mean the end of deep-space exploration.

Clorox To Stop Using Chlorine

(November 9, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 45 | p. 12)

Plant Security: Bleach maker will end shipment of hazardous chemical.

Old Drugs, New Tricks

(November 9, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 45 | p. 11)

Polypharmacology: Ligand-based approach finds new targets of known drugs.

Light Commands Ion Channel

(November 9, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 45 | p. 14)

Chemical Biology: Photosensitive reaction opens or shuts potassium's flow.

Ironing Out Mercury's Makeup

(November 9, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 45 | p. 14)

Planetary Science: New results from spacecraft flyby show iron-rich surface.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(November 9, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 45 | pp. 40-41)

• Enzyme Doubles Up Its Binding
• A German research team reports the first enzyme that can simultaneously bind both enantiomers of a ligand in its active site.
• Electronic Structure Helps Define Palladium Cluster Reactivity
• A link between metal cluster size, electronic properties of the cluster, and catalytic activity could help in designing better, less expensive catalysts.
• Sunscreen Additive’s Allergenic Effects
• A toxicology study sorts out how dibenzoylmethanes used to filter out UV-A light photodegrade into compounds that irritate the skin.
• Metallofullerene Matryoshka
• Cluster atoms in a carbon-scandium-fullerene complex, C₂@Sc₄@C₈₀-Ih, fit inside one another like the famous Russian nesting dolls.
• Mercury In Fillings Turns To Sulfide
• Fresh dental amalgam is mostly metal, but over time most of the filling surface converts into mercuric sulfide, with possible toxicity effects.
• A Pinch Of Salt Softens Hydrogel
• A “saloplastic” polymer electrolyte complex can be reversibly softened up and processed as a biomaterial by simply adding table salt.
• Molecular Switches Turn On Proenzymes
• Researchers at UCSF find nonnatural small molecules that directly activate enzyme precursors––no protein middleman required.
• Solvent-Free Peptide Synthesis
• French chemists employ a ball-mill grinder to string together amino acids in the first reported solvent-free method for making a peptide bond.

November 9, 2009

Chemistry Behind The Wall

(November 6, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 45 | pp. 42-46)

Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, chemists who lived in former East Germany reflect on science then and now.

November 2, 2009

Promoter Quadruplexes

(November 2, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 44 | pp. 28-30)

Folded DNA structures in gene-activation sites may be useful cancer drug targets.

The Dawn Of Academic Chemistry

(November 2, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 44 | p. 31)

Philipps University, in Marburg, Germany, celebrates the 400th anniversary of the earliest chemistry professorship.

Inhaled Nanotubes Reach Lung Lining In Mice

(November 2, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 44 | p. 10)

Nanotoxicology: Carbon structures cause unique physiological effects, study shows.

Emergency Drug Fills Vaccine Void

(November 2, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 44 | p. 10)

Pandemic: FDA allows use of unapproved flu drug while vaccine supplies lag

Hydrogenation Without Metals

(November 2, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 44 | p. 12)

Catalysis: Fullerenes drive nitro-to-amino conversion of aromatics under mild conditions.

Cut-And-Paste GFP

(November 2, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 44 | p. 13)

Protein Engineering: Method opens green fluorescent protein to better scrutiny, design.

Climate Science

(November 2, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 44 | p. 13)

Aerosol effects could complicate air-quality and climate policy.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(November 2, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 44 | pp. 26-27)

• DNA Shape Directs Proteins
• Sensing the shape of DNA’s minor grove, not simply following DNA’s sequence, helps DNA-binding proteins find their proper place.
• Novel Fluoropolymer For Fuel Cells
• Sumitomo scientists report a new type of sulfonated fluoropolymer that is a potential breakthrough in developing polymer-electrolyte membranes.
• New Syntheses Of Galanthamine And Codeine
• A novel combination of reactions shortens the pathway to structurally similar Alzheimer’s medicine and narcotic analgesic.
• Microscopy Method Achieves Nanoscale Diffraction
• Combining convergent-beam electron diffraction and ultrafast electron microscopy creates an even faster electron microscopy technique.
• Bimetallic Base Has Proton-Pulling Power
• Zinc and sodium join up to pull protons away from C–H bonds in cyclic ethers and alkenes without destroying the molecules.
• Getting A Clue About Cortistatin’s Activity
• Crucial isoquinoline ring in natural product’s structure leads researchers to a set of potential kinase targets for cancer and vision therapies.
• Aqueous Cross-Coupling For Proteins
• Palladium aminopyrimidine catalyst sets up the right conditions for proteins to easily participate in cross-coupling reactions.
• Computational Study Scrutinizes Mixed-Valence Systems
• Researchers in Germany have devised a simple, reliable protocol for computationally evaluating model organic electron-transfer reactions.

October 26, 2009

Academic R&D Spending Trends (Member Content)

(October 26, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 43 | pp. 26-30)

Outlays rose 2.4% for chemistry and grew 3.5% for science and engineering as a whole in 2007.

Seeing Molecules With A New Light

(October 26, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 43 | p. 5)

Microscopy: Technique relies solely on light that nonfluorescent compounds absorb.

Fossil-Fuel Costs

(October 26, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 43 | p. 6)

NRC Study: Billions of dollars in health-related damages are not included in the price of energy.

Cross-Coupling Made Easier

(October 26, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 43 | p. 6)

Green Chemistry: Organozinc reagents made on the fly in water simplify alkylations.

Pollutants Boost Lead Paint Hazard

(October 26, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 43 | p. 8)

Environmental Chemistry: Auto emissions could contribute to lead exposure from household paint.

Harnessing The Sun

(October 26, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 43 | p. 8)

Solar Power: Energy Department event showcases the possibilities of advanced solar power technology.

Carbene Curiosities

(October 26, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 43 | p. 9)

Reactivity: N-heterocyclic carbenes display versatility.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(October 26, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 43 | pp. 24-25)

• Fluorescence Exposes Steel Corrosion
• Epoxy coating that can alert inspectors to the need for maintenance
• Argon And Neon Form Novel Silicon Compounds
• Noble-gas chemists have managed to snare two elusive compounds of the lighter elements argon and neon
• Millions Of Zeolite Compounds Computed
• New list of potential synthetic targets dwarfs the number of the porous aluminosilicates currently known
• Lovastin-Producing Enzyme Moved To Yeast
• Transplantation of fungal machinery for making cholesterol drug finally makes structural analysis of the enzyme possible
• Key Metal-Methane Complex Observed
• Never-before-seen complex is believed to mimic a key intermediate in the conversion of natural gas into liquid gas
• Mimicking Multiple Organs On A Chip
• Microfluidic device approximates human metabolism for drug testing studies
• Nano Bowties Pump Up Fluorescence
• Bowtie-shaped antennae boost the signal from individual dye molecules
• Illuminating Anesthetic Targets
• Light-reactive mimic could help discover proteins underlying anesthetic’s many effects

October 19, 2009

Where Art Meets Science

(October 19, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 42 | pp. 12-16)

Museum collections provide potential research opportunities for chemists.

A Museum Career: Chemist works at intersection of chemistry and art (Web Exclusive)

Tools For Protein Folding (Member Content)

(October 19, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 42 | pp. 39-40)

Techniques provide ways to manipulate and understand protein folding.

Cold Deep-Sea N₂ Fixers

(October 19, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 42 | p. 8)

Environment: Microbe consortium could help balance oceanic nitrogen budget.

New Helper For Bulky Amino Acids

(October 19, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 42 | p. 10)

Asymmetric Synthesis: Stripped-down small-molecule catalyst improves synthesis of key chiral intermediates.

Journal Of Chemical Education Joins ACS Publications

(October 19, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 42 | p. 10)

ACS News: Premiere journal for chemical education to become available on the ACS Publications website.

Homoallenylation Sans Separation

(October 19, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 42 | p. 11)

Organic Synthesis: Chiral reaction could be used to make natural products, drugs.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(October 19, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 42 | pp. 36-37)

• Molecule Controls Worms With The Flip Of A Switch
• Photoswitchable materials could inspire the design of easy-to-deliver drugs.
• A Coating That Fights Ice
• A new superhydrophobic coating prevents ice buildup on its surface.
• Sour Cells Sense Carbonation
• Carbonic anhydrase on our taste buds' sour-sensing cells produce the fizzy taste of carbonated drinks.
• Trimming Sugars Yields Better Flu Antibodies
• Truncating sugar chains on coat protein may lead to a new vaccine for the virus.
• Dynamic Changes In Iridium Catalysts
• Ratio of reactants determines whether clusters adopt tetra- or mononuclear forms.
• Herbicides, Drugs Block Taste Receptor
• Such weed killers and lipid-lowering drugs interfere energy metabolism, glucose regulation.
• Ibuprofen Goes With The Flow
• Continuous-flow synthesis shows the way to safer, cheaper, and more efficient production of common painkiller.
• DNA Structures Imaged In Live Cells
• Ruthenium complex lights up quadruplexes, a DNA structure with diverse biological function.

October 12, 2009

Fluorine With A Flourish (Member Content)

(October 12, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 41 | pp. 45-49)

Rocky Mountains provide a unique venue for a joint conference on a unique element.

You Smell

(October 12, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 41 | pp. 50-54)

All of us have our very own odorprint, and scientists are hot on its trail.

Insights: Chatting Up Chemistry (Member Content)

(October 12, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 41 | p. 55)

Chemists: Junk the jargon so that you can share your passion with those outside of the chemistry choir.

Nobel Prize In Chemistry

(October 12, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 41 | p. 9)

Awards: Structural biologists who revealed ribosome's structure and function get the nod.

Nobel Prize In Medicine

(October 12, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 41 | p. 10)

Awards: Three honored for unraveling the role of a chromosome protector in cell division.

Nobel Prize In Physics

(October 12, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 41 | p. 11)

Awards: Revolutionary optical technologies take this year's honor.

Reactive Dications Tamed

(October 12, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 41 | p. 12)

Main-Group Chemistry: Stabilizing positive charge with three nitrogen atoms yields stable group 16 complexes.

Redesigning Silk

(October 12, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 41 | p. 13)

Materials: Reprocessing confers spider-silk qualities on silkworm silk.

Celebrating Chemistry

(October 12, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 41 | p. 14)

National Chemistry Week: This year's theme is the periodic table of the elements.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(October 12, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 41 | pp. 43-44)

• Amide Stacking Rivals H-Bonds
• Attractive interactions between adjacent amide groups on a peptide backbone could be used as a design element for conformational control
• Microwave Chemistry’s Thermal Effect
• Clever experiment shows that microwave heating’s rate enhancement of organic reactions is due to the heat, not specific microwave interactions
• Microfluidic Assay For Estrogen
• A droplet-based digital microfluidic device measures estradiol in breast tissue with as little as 1 µL of sample––and shortens analysis time
• Tomatoes Get Nano Enhancement
• Sprinkling soil mix with carbon nanotubes boosts tomato plants’ germination and growth rates, with implications for agriculture
• Fresh Air Aromatic Hydroxylations …
• Mild palladium chemistry selectively hydroxylates inert C–H bonds on aromatic rings using O2 or air as a green oxidizing agent
• … And Golden Propene Epoxidations
• A potentially greener propylene oxide synthesis catalyzed by gold clusters uses O2 as the oxidizing agent rather than Cl₂ or peroxides
• New Compounds Shut Down Ulcer Bug
• A set of protein inhibitors with antimicrobial properties has been discovered in the fight against Helicobacter pylori
• Metallizing Hydrogen, With A Little Lithium
• Theoretical work indicates that adding an electropositive atom to hydrogen could produce a room-temperature metal superconductor

October 5, 2009

Materials For Adventure

(October 5, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 40 | pp. 15-21)

New fibers and membranes make outdoor gear lighter and more comfortable.

Cysteine Oxidation (Member Content)

(October 5, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 40 | pp. 38-40)

New chemical tools are poised to help scientists explore the roles oxidized cysteine residues might play in biology.

Caught By A Crystal

(October 5, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 40 | p. 11)

Advances in breeding and basic science confer drought tolerance to crops.

Nanosilver In The Wash

(October 5, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 40 | p. 12)

Environmental Chemistry: Fate of fabric-embedded particles depends on conditions, products.

Tolerating Hydrocarbon Fuels

(October 5, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 40 | p. 13)

Electrochemistry: Ceramic-metallic material could lead to cheaper, simpler fuel cells.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(October 5, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 40 | pp. 36-37)

• Microgel Enzyme Inhibitor
• A molecularly imprinted polymer selectively inhibits trypsin better that one of the enzyme’s known small-molecule inhibitors
• Element 114 Confirmed
• Eight-day-long atom-smashing experiment reproduces 10-year-old result
• Improved Selectivity In Making Metallic Carbon Nanotubes
• A new method to prepare single-walled carbon nanotubes allows better control over the tubes’ chirality and thus their conductivity properties
• Evaporating Polymer Produces Webby Patterns
• Controlling the evaporation of a drop of diblock copolymer under just the right conditions leads to self-assembly of weblike thin films
• Engineered Response To A Faux Dopamine
• Mutating one amino acid in a dopamine receptor makes a new tool for dissecting brain signals
• Serotonin Harnesses Small RNAs To Strengthen Synapses
• A study reveals that the neurotransmitter can regulate microRNAs and thus protein synthesis, which could shed light on long-term memory
• Structure Prediction Cautionary Tale
• Uneven analysis of crystal polymorphs suggests that extra caution is required with computational prediction of crystal structures
• Colorful Organic Nanocolloids
• Confining discreet numbers of dye molecules in liquid crystals yields a colorful array of organic-based materials

September 28, 2009

Getting By On Little Water

(September 28, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 39 | pp. 60-62)

Advances in breeding and basic science confer drought tolerance to crops.

Targeting RNA (Member Content)

(September 28, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 39 | pp. 63-66)

Unique challenges face developers of drugs that hit disease-related RNAs rather than disease-related proteins.

Inside Instrumentation (Member Content)

(September 28, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 39 | p. 68)

Technology And Business News For The Laboratory World.

Moon's Surface Holds Water

(September 28, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 39 | p. 9)

Planetary Science: Spectral results from three different spacecraft confirm presence of H₂O or HO^•.

Solar Cells Get Chemistry Help

(September 28, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 39 | p. 10)

Photovoltaics: Chemical makers see efficiency opportunity.

Unusual Aluminum Bonding Geometry

(September 28, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 39 | p. 12)

Catalysis: Pentacoordinated Al joins Pt in supported catalysts.

Unearthing Nature's Bounty

(September 28, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 39 | p. 13)

Chemical Biology: Mass spectrometry anchors tactic for finding new natural products from microbes.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(September 28, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 39 | pp. 58-59)

• Chirality’s Atmospheric Role
• Oxidation reactions of chiral organic molecules with ozone on aerosol particles in the atmosphere depend on the molecules’ stereochemistry.
• Direct RNA Sequencing
• Helicos BioSciences reports a method for direct RNA sequencing that avoids first converting RNA to complementary DNA.
• Listerias Soften Up Cells For Infection
• Scientists unravel a new mechanism by which pathogenic bacteria spread from cell to cell within an infected mammalian host.
• Tin Alkyne Analog’s On-Off Cycloaddition
• A tin analog of acetylene, a compound with a rare Sn≡Sn bond, reversibly adds ethylene across the triple bond under ambient conditions.
• Mass Spectrometry As A Surgical Tool
• An ambient ionization technique enables collection of mass spectra of tissue samples in real time during cancer surgery.
• Seek-And-Detox For Nerve Agents
• Small-molecule sensors not only detect organophosphorus chemical warfare agents but also disarm them in the process.
• Lattice Mismatches Limit Zeolites
• Chemists apply microscopy and spectroscopy methods to probe crystal defects that obstruct the diffusion of molecules through catalyst pores.
• Cod Fillets Keep Bad Proteins Away
• Proteins extracted from Atlantic cod have remarkable antifouling properties that keep metal and plastic surfaces free from gunk.

September 21, 2009

Asphaltene Chemistry

(September 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 38 | pp. 12-17)

Mass spectrometry unravels the chemical makeup of the least understood and heaviest crude oil fraction.

Top Raman (Member Content)

(September 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 38 | pp. 36-38)

ACS Meeting News: Surface-enhanced spectroscopic tool could yield health care, global security applications.

Halogen Bonding Begins To Fly (Member Content)

(September 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 38 | pp. 39-42)

ACS Meeting News: Noncovalent interaction akin to hydrogen bonding is becoming an important tool for chemists.

New Tuberculosis Drug Target

(September 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 38 | p. 8)

Microbiology: Inhibitors affect mycobacterial, not human, proteasome.

Runaway Reaction Led To Four Deaths

(September 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 38 | p. 8)

Report: Inexperience with highly reactive chemicals turned fatal in 2007; chemical board urges education.

Delving Into D-Amino Acids

(September 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 38 | p. 10)

Biochemistry: Bacteria use right-handed amino acids to build and regulate part of their cell wall.

Precursors To Titan's Smog

(September 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 38 | p. 10)

Planetary Science: Scientists begin to unravel the chemistry behind the orange haze cloaking Saturn's moon.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(September 21, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 38 | pp. 34-35)

• Cations Cling To Cartilage
• A new class of contrast agents promises to generate clearer pictures of the state of cartilage in joints
• Oxygen’s Turbulent History
• Isotope studies reveal new details about the rise of oxygen in Earth’s ancient atmosphere and oceans
• Catch-And-Release Method For Microbots
• Scientists devise a pH-controlled system for reversing electrostatic forces between two surfaces, allowing microscale objects to be moved around
• Polymer-N-Paper Recyclable Batteries
• An all-polymer battery has the power storage and rechargeable qualities needed to succeed, plus it’s environmentally friendly
• New Tool Quantifies Costumed Nucleosides
• A proteomics-based approach provides the means to quantify the number of individual modified bases in a cell
• Spotlight On Cement
• A molecular model for evaluating the CaO-SiO₂-H₂O mineral phase in cement promises ever better use of the ubiquitous building material
• Isoprene Inhibits Cloud Formation
• The C₅ compound emitted by trees prevents formation of particulate aerosols caused by C₁₀ monoterpenes, also emitted from plants
• Ligating Peptides Through Lysine
• Lysine modified to contain a thiol group can be used instead of cysteine to perform native chemical ligation en route to synthesizing peptides

September 14, 2009

Mapping The Epigenome

(September 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 37 | pp. 11-16)

New techniques reveal how small chemical changes to DNA and DNA-packaging proteins can alter gene expression in a big way.

Emulating Nature's Silicon Skills (Member Content)

(September 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 37 | pp. 30-33)

ACS Meeting News: Diatoms have a knack for working with silicon that chemists hope to reproduce in the lab.

Peering Into Water Photolysis (Member Content)

(September 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 37 | pp. 34-35)

ACS Meeting News: Physical chemists probe the inner workings of redox processes at the interfaces of water and electrodes.

Thin As Thin Can Be

(September 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 37 | p. 5)

Catalysis: Synthesis yields zeolite crystals one unit cell thick.

Tunneling From A Deeper Source

(September 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 37 | p. 5)

Catalysis: Synthesis yields zeolite crystals one unit cell thick.

Bacteria Say NO To Drugs

(September 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 37 | p. 8)

Biochemistry: Nitric oxide synthesis neutralizes antibiotics.

Digital Briefs (Member Content)

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(September 14, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 37 | pp. 28-29)

• Killing TB In Its Sleep
• An antiparasitic drug can kill tuberculosis bacteria, whether they’re actively replicating or not, hinting at a possible new treatment
• Spectrum Links Hydrocarbon To Space
• The first high-resolution infrared spectrum of protonated naphthalene helps clear up a tangled forest of spectral lines seen in space
• Dopamine Triggers Drug-Abuse Memories
• In a newly discovered role, neurotransmitter signaling in the brain sparks memories that reinforce the allure of addictive drugs
• Why Spider Webs Stick
• Chemists identify two adhesive proteins that give web fibers a sticky coating, increasing the yuck factor.
• Protein Boots Toxic Arsenic From Cells
• Scientists identify a transport protein that can kick arsenic compounds out of liver cells, suggesting a novel therapeutic application
• Revealing Pictures Of Molecular Orbitals
• In a new use, photoelectron spectroscopy provides distribution maps of electrons in molecular orbitals
• One-Pot Route To Brushy, Peptide-Bearing Polymers
• Synthesis yields peptidic polymers with predictable and highly uniform molecular weights
• Heavy-Water Data Aid Climate Models
• Measurements of isotopic ratios of H₂O and HDO in the atmosphere provide new data that should improve climate predictions

September 7, 2009

RNA Interference

(September 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 36 | pp. 18-27)

Drug delivery has become a key factor in the competition to make drugs based on nature's gene-silencing pathway.

New Approach To A Classic Structure

(September 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 36 | p. 12)

Organic Chemistry: Oxidative ring-closing reaction boosts yield of key erythromycin precursor.

New Bond In Biology

(September 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 36 | p. 13)

Biochemistry: Sulfilimine connection toughens tissue.

Crystalline Wiggle Room

(September 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 36 | p. 14)

Host-Guest Mystery: Trapped molecules hint that crystals may not be as rigid as presumed.

DNA Nanostructures

(September 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 36 | p. 14)

DNA Scaffolds: Scientists attain long-sought goal of 3-D DNA crystals.

Big Hopes Ride On Big Rings (Member Content)

(September 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 36 | pp. 54-57)

ACS Meeting News: Constraining molecules in macrocyclic rings could help address challenges in drug discovery.

Nuclear Medicine's Conundrum (Member Content)

(September 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 36 | pp. 58-64)

Another sudden shortage of technetium-99m calls for long-term solutions.

RNA's Outfits (Member Content)

(September 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 36 | pp. 65-68)

The nucleic acid has dozens of chemical costumes.

Superresolution Imaging Goes 3-D

(September 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 36 | pp. 69-71)

ACS Meeting News: New microscopy techniques break the diffraction limit in three dimensions.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(September 7, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 36 | pp. 52-53)

• Ribozyme's Kick Is In Its Fold
• Raman spectroscopy reveals that a folded catalytic RNA can boost reactivity by shifting the acid dissociation constant of its nucleotides.
• Neurochemical Net Traps Bad Memories
• As rats mature, formation of a sugar-based matrix around nerve cells in the brain makes traumatic memories impossible to forget.
• Quasi-intercalation Compounds Boost Battery Performance
• Inserting lithium ions between the atomic layers in ZnSb leads to an improved anode material for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
• Nanoparticle Array Smells Cancer
• An instrument with a gold nanoparticle sensor can detect volatile organic compounds in the breath that are associated with lung cancer.
• Organic Bioprocess Dominates Oceanic Nitrogen Loss
• Organic material, rather than inorganic, is the primary nitrogen source for a major microbial denitrification process in the Arabian Sea.
• Bronze Sculptures Mix Chemistry And Art
• Scientists and art curators use elemental analysis to study bronze sculptures, helping to establish art origins and casting techniques.
• Recycling Wittig Phosphine Waste
• A cyclic catalyst precursor facilitates reuse of a by-product in olefination reactions, which could lead to greener industrial processing.
• Protein Dimer Hints At Anticancer Target
• Side-to-side RAF protein dimer's physical contacts, as opposed to phosphorylation, appears to be a causative effect for some cancers.

August 31, 2009

Leachates From Packaging

(August 31, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 35 | pp. 11-15)

Scientists track down chemicals migrating into food and drugs, define levels harmful to human health.

Troublesome Drug Metabolites (Member Content)

(August 31, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 35 | pp. 27-28)

ACS Meeting News: Toxicologists pool their knowledge to advance safety testing of drug candidates.

Heat-And-Serve Polymer Composites

(August 31, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 35 | p. 9)

Latent acid catalyst simplifies premixing and curing phenolic resins.

Molecule's Atoms, Bonds Visualized

(August 31, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 35 | p. 6)

High-resolution AFM technique makes even hydrogen atom positions visible.

Turning Methane Into Methanol

(August 31, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 35 | p. 7)

Recyclable platinum compound mediates oxidation at low temperature.

Nitrous Oxide Threat To Ozone

(August 31, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 35 | p. 8)

As halocarbons decline, N₂O emerges as a chemical of concern.

Carbon Costs

(August 31, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 35 | p. 10)

New study measures impact on industry.

Seeing Inside Cells (Member Content)

(August 31, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 35 | p. 29)

ACS Meeting News: Chemists use small molecules to fluorescently label proteins, RNAs, and glycans.

Inside Instrumentation (Member Content)

(August 31, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 35 | p. 30)

Technology and Business news for the laboratory world.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | pp. 37-38)

• Nanomaterials Bug Fruit Flies
• Carbon nanomaterials don't seem to harm larvae, but glom onto adults and impair their mobility, leading to early mortality.
• Tracking Toxicity In Honeybee Food
• Traces of hydroxymethylfurfural that form in high-fructose corn syrup used as a food supplement imperils honeybees.
• Orchid's Deception Lures Pollinators
• Flowers trick hornets into becoming pollinators by emitting an eicosenol, which mimics the scent of the insects' honeybee prey.
• Peering At Polyolefins
• A new data-collection probe improves the sensitivity and speed for characterizing polyolefins by ¹³C NMR.
• Nacre's Trade Secrets Revealed
• Two proteins aid the orderly formation of calcium carbonate crystals that gives pearls and oyster shells their iridescent luster.
• Closing In On Personal Genome Sequencing
• Using commercially available instruments and reagents, Stanford University researchers quickly sequence a group member's genome.
• Clathrin Smuggles Quantum Dots Into Living Cells
• A neuropeptide helps slip CdSe-ZnS quantum dots through cell membranes by recruiting clathrin, a protein that facilitates endocytosis.
• New Trick For MOFs
• Incorporating cyclic polyethers into metal-organic frameworks permits specific binding of organic molecules in the porous materials.

August 24, 2009

Coming Back To Nuclear Energy

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | pp. 14-18)

A resurgence of interest in new power plants is driving discovery of advanced materials.

Faculty Furloughs (Member Content)

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | pp. 34-35)

Public universities combat budget cuts by forcing employees to take unpaid time off.

Certified Green

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | p. 7)

ACS Meeting News: A chemical industry standard could clarify the meaning of going green.

Fighting Back Against H1N1

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | p. 8)

Producers advance vaccines, but not as fast as hoped.

Chemists Meet in Washington, D.C.

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | p. 9)

ACS Meeting News: Global security is the theme of well-attended meeting in the nation's capital.

Stretchy Insights

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | p. 10)

ACS Meeting News: Molecular force probe reveals how strain affects reactivity.

Cobalt Generates A Magnetic Polymer

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | p. 10)

ACS Meeting News: Organized nanostructure is crucial for the block copolymer's magnetic properties.

Launching A New MS Drug

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | p. 11)

Novartis takes an unusual path to market its new drug to treat multiple sclerosis.

Room-Temperature Quantum Magnets

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | p. 12)

Colloidal semiconducting quantum dots become magnetized by light.

Inorganic Lighting Circuitry

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | p. 12)

New fabrication method paves the way to unconventional displays.

What's That Stuff? Sports Drinks

(August 24, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 34 | p. 36)

Balanced mixture of sugar, salt, and other additives keeps athletes going strong.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | pp. 37-38)

• Nanomaterials Bug Fruit Flies
• Carbon nanomaterials don't seem to harm larvae, but glom onto adults and impair their mobility, leading to early mortality.
• Tracking Toxicity In Honeybee Food
• Traces of hydroxymethylfurfural that form in high-fructose corn syrup used as a food supplement imperils honeybees.
• Orchid's Deception Lures Pollinators
• Flowers trick hornets into becoming pollinators by emitting an eicosenol, which mimics the scent of the insects' honeybee prey.
• Peering At Polyolefins
• A new data-collection probe improves the sensitivity and speed for characterizing polyolefins by ¹³C NMR.
• Nacre's Trade Secrets Revealed
• Two proteins aid the orderly formation of calcium carbonate crystals that gives pearls and oyster shells their iridescent luster.
• Closing In On Personal Genome Sequencing
• Using commercially available instruments and reagents, Stanford University researchers quickly sequence a group member's genome.
• Clathrin Smuggles Quantum Dots Into Living Cells
• A neuropeptide helps slip CdSe-ZnS quantum dots through cell membranes by recruiting clathrin, a protein that facilitates endocytosis.
• New Trick For MOFs
• Incorporating cyclic polyethers into metal-organic frameworks permits specific binding of organic molecules in the porous materials.

August 17, 2009

Trouble In The Tundra

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | pp. 39-43)

Features formed by melting permafrost provide clues to a changing Arctic landscape and climate.

Flexible Fluorination

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | p. 7)

Pd-catalyzed reaction adds fluorine to a wide variety of substrates.

Bacteria Interfere With Painkillers

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | p. 8)

Gut microbes manipulate acetaminophen metabolism.

Broad-Spectrum Photosensor

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | p. 10)

Polymer plus fullerene yields photodetector that covers ultraviolet to near infrared.

Kindling For Climate Change

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | Web Exclusive)

Toolik scientists study the long-term impact of a raging fire in the Arctic.

Depicting Matter (Member Content)

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | pp. 44-46)

Existing representations of chemistry in action cannot match the chemist's imagination.

Insights: Communication Dot Com (Member Content)

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | p. 47)

The internet is an important hub for discussing chemistry—don't dismiss it.

New Products (Member Content)

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | p. 49)

New and notable in the chemical industry.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(August 17, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 33 | pp. 37-38)

• Nanomaterials Bug Fruit Flies
• Carbon nanomaterials don't seem to harm larvae, but glom onto adults and impair their mobility, leading to early mortality.
• Tracking Toxicity In Honeybee Food
• Traces of hydroxymethylfurfural that form in high-fructose corn syrup used as a food supplement imperils honeybees.
• Orchid's Deception Lures Pollinators
• Flowers trick hornets into becoming pollinators by emitting an eicosenol, which mimics the scent of the insects' honeybee prey.
• Peering At Polyolefins
• A new data-collection probe improves the sensitivity and speed for characterizing polyolefins by ¹³C NMR.
• Nacre's Trade Secrets Revealed
• Two proteins aid the orderly formation of calcium carbonate crystals that gives pearls and oyster shells their iridescent luster.
• Closing In On Personal Genome Sequencing
• Using commercially available instruments and reagents, Stanford University researchers quickly sequence a group member's genome.
• Clathrin Smuggles Quantum Dots Into Living Cells
• A neuropeptide helps slip CdSe-ZnS quantum dots through cell membranes by recruiting clathrin, a protein that facilitates endocytosis.
• New Trick For MOFs
• Incorporating cyclic polyethers into metal-organic frameworks permits specific binding of organic molecules in the porous materials.

August 10, 2009

From Nature, A Past And Future

(August 10, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 32 | pp. 29-34)

Golden anniversary for natural products research society brings celebration, introspection.

Hydrogen From Sun And Water

(August 10, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 32 | p. 8)

Three-component catalyst evolves hydrogen with exceptional efficiency.

HIV's Genomic Architecture

(August 10, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 32 | p. 9)

Chemical method reveals that HIV's RNA genome is highly structured.

Isoprene's Fate In Air

(August 10, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 32 | p. 10)

Biogenic hydrocarbon's atmospheric oxidation involves epoxides.

Lasers Spark Crystal Growth

(August 10, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 32 | p. 10)

Chemists revive a bright way to initiate crystallization.

MS Proteomics On Firmer Footing (Member Content)

(August 10, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 32 | pp. 36-37)

Multilab studies assess performance in mass spectrometry-based proteomics experiments.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(August 10, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 32 | p. 31)

• Bimetallic Bifrustums
• Nanocrystals with novel shape and composition may spur applications in biodiagnostics and spectroscopy.
• DNA Bar Codes For Libraries
• Methods have screened 800 million compounds for kinase inhibitors.
• New Way To Analyze Art
• Raman spectroscopy is an increasingly popular method for analyzing pigments in artwork.
• Old Drugs' Hidden Job
• There's more than meets the eye to some familiar antibiotics.
• Emitting Light With Nanotubes
• Liquid electrolytes boost nanotube transistor's performance.

August 3, 2009

Learning From UCLA

(August 3, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 31 | pp. 29-34)

Details of the experiment that led to a researcher' death prompt evaluations of academic safety practices.

U.S. Wins Gold In Chemistry Olympiad

(August 3, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 31 | p. 6)

Taiwan is big winner; U.S. has best showing since 2002.

Sabotage At Energy Department Facility

(August 3, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 31 | p. 7)

Former employee destroys 4,000 protein crystals under study at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Bony Variations

(August 3, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 31 | p. 9)

Cell type affects characteristics of engineered bone.

Cation Courier

(August 3, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 31 | p. 10)

The last family of ligand-gated ion channels reveals its form.

Reaching For The Sun

(August 3, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 31 | p. 10)

Chemists convene in Germany to stake out the challenges for solar energy research.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(August 3, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 31 | pp. 27-28)

• Patience, My Dear Polymerase
• How a transcribing polymerase gets past the protein spools that stand in its way.
• Aptamer-Studded Nanopore Detects Ricin
• RNA lends sensitivity and specificity to sensor for potent bioterrorism agent.
• Nanoparticles Induce Polymer Patterns
• Wave-like oscillations may serve as thin-film stress gauge.
• Gold-Coated Quantum Dots
• Glittering nanoparticles promise both fluorescence and plasmonic imaging with a single tag.
• Safer, More Versatile Acetaminophen
• Synthesis of more soluble and less toxic version of a common painkiller scales up.
• Collagen Nests For Cancer Cell Tests
• Cells cultured on microfibrous collagen membranes mimic cancerous tissue better than those grown in a dish.
• Mimicking Phosphorylation
• Chemical reaction sequence makes phosphoproteins sans enzymes.
• Answers To Mantle Oxidation Mystery
• Spectroscopic study may solve a long-standing debate over what controls the oxidation states of Earth's mantle.

July 27, 2009

21st-Century Armor (Member Content)

(July 27, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 30 | pp. 48-53)

The increasingly sophisticated successor to an ancient material—ceramic—is saving lives on today's battlefields.

Smaller Is Better

(July 27, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 30 | p. 12)

Subnanometer catalyst particles are unexpectedly active.

New N₂ Radical Isolated

(July 27, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 30 | p. 13)

New complexes protect normally highly unstable anion.

Knockout Rats The Easy Way

(July 27, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 30 | p. 15)

Zinc finger nucleases create genetic deletions in mammals with high precision.

From Sand To Ceramic

(July 27, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 30 | Web Exclusive)

Intensive processing converts simple materials into sophisticated ceramics.

Digital Textbooks

(July 27, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 30 | pp. 54-57)

E-books show a lot of promise but haven't yet caught on widely with professors and students.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(July 27, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 30 | pp. 46-47)

• Beetle Teaches Photonics
• The spectacular green color of a jeweled beetle stems from the complex cells of its exoskeleton, which resemble some types of liquid crystals
• Making Patterned Graphene In A Flash
• Exposing graphite oxide to a camera flash induces instant photoreduction to graphene, suggesting a new photolithography method
• Cocrystallization Helps Compress Acetaminophen
• Mixing the pain reliever with a small organic molecule improves its mechanical properties, making smaller, easier-to-swallow pills possible
• Better Biosynthesis Building Blocks
• Bacterium genome analysis turns up a novel pathway to salinosporamide anticancer agents that may have general biosynthesis applications
• First Liquid Protein
• Attaching cationic diamine/anionic polymer surfactant pairs on the surface of ferritin allows the protein to become fluid without a solvent
• Nanoscale Lenses Beat Diffraction Limit
• Scientists overcome traditional material limitations by creating self-assembling molecular lenses that permit nanometer-level optical imaging
• Achiral Molecules Form Chiral Fluids
• "Bent core" achiral organic molecules have the uncanny ability to organize themselves into optically active liquid-crystalline fluids
• New Addition To P,N Family Of Ligands
• Phosphole-triazole hybrids are optimal for binding metals to make catalysts or supramolecular materials with useful optical properties

July 20, 2009

Coverstory: Analyzing Protein Drugs

(July 20, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 29 | pp. 20-23)

Scientists devise new, streamlined methods to understand the complexity of biopharmaceuticals.

RNA Distraction Is Therapeutic

(July 20, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 29 | p. 15)

Antisense nucleotides could one day combat a form of muscular dystrophy.

Preparing For Swine Flu

(July 20, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 29 | p. 16)

Vaccine procurement ramps up as virus gains ground.

A New Molecular Dynamic Frontier

(July 20, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 29 | p. 16)

New experiments show bond excitation can lead to counterintuitive products.

DNA Sorts Carbon Nanotubes

(July 20, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 29 | p. 18)

Specific sequences separate nanotubes according to chirality.

Green Chemistry In The Mainstream (Member Content)

(July 20, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 29 | pp. 39-42)

Cleaner, cheaper, smarter chemistry is no longer a pie-in-the-sky idea.

Extended Family (Member Content)

(July 20, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 29 | pp. 43-46)

Getting to know the trillions of microbes cohabitating with humanity.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(July 20, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 29 | pp. 37-38)

• Rapamycin Life Extension
• The immunosuppressant drug that prevents rejection of transplanted organs has been discovered to extend the life span of mice
• Lone Bacterium Forms A Quorum
• Confined to a microfluidic droplet, a single microbe can be fooled into sending out chemical signals to initiate quorum-sensing behavior
• Bottom-Up Graphene
• Chemical self-assembly method operating under mild conditions yields single-layer carbon sheets in gram-scale quantities
• Frustrated Couple Settles For Gases
• Lewis acid-base pair held apart by their substituents finds a way to reversibly trap N₂O and CO₂ for possible storage or reaction chemistry
• Chemical Taste Bud Reveals Sweet Truth
• Nanoporous pigments arrayed in a disposable colorimetric sensor can identify different sugar and artificial sweetener products
• Chemical Nose Sniffs Out Cancer
• An array of nanoparticle-polymer sensors can detect different types of cancer cells by sniffing out their physicochemical properties
• Dendritic Chain Reaction Drives Signal Amplification
• Non-PCR method based on dendrimer self-destruction amplifies the signal of biological and nonbiological analytes for diagnostic tests
• New Class Of Drugs For Avian Flu
• Saponin derivatives that prevent the H5N1 virus from entering its host cells could serve as a novel class of avian flu remedy

July 13, 2009

Organic Smorgasbord (Member Content)

(July 13, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 28 | pp. 28-30)

Biennial meeting celebrates the breadth of cutting-edge research in organic chemistry.

Periodic Table Settings

(July 13, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 28 | Web Exclusive)

A visual artist and a wordsmith conjure a periodic table like no other.

Digital Briefs (Member Content)

(July 13, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 28 | p. 31)

New software and Websites for the Chemical Enterprise.

Science & Technology Concentrates pp. 26-27 (Member Content)

(July 13, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 28 | pp. 26-27)

• Rapamycin Life Extension
• The immunosuppressant drug that prevents rejection of transplanted organs has been discovered to extend the life span of mice
• Lone Bacterium Forms A Quorum
• Confined to a microfluidic droplet, a single microbe can be fooled into sending out chemical signals to initiate quorum-sensing behavior
• Bottom-Up Graphene
• Chemical self-assembly method operating under mild conditions yields single-layer carbon sheets in gram-scale quantities
• Frustrated Couple Settles For Gases
• Lewis acid-base pair held apart by their substituents finds a way to reversibly trap N₂O and CO₂ for possible storage or reaction chemistry
• Chemical Taste Bud Reveals Sweet Truth
• Nanoporous pigments arrayed in a disposable colorimetric sensor can identify different sugar and artificial sweetener products
• Chemical Nose Sniffs Out Cancer
• An array of nanoparticle-polymer sensors can detect different types of cancer cells by sniffing out their physicochemical properties
• Dendritic Chain Reaction Drives Signal Amplification
• Non-PCR method based on dendrimer self-destruction amplifies the signal of biological and nonbiological analytes for diagnostic tests
• New Class Of Drugs For Avian Flu
• Saponin derivatives that prevent the H5N1 virus from entering its host cells could serve as a novel class of avian flu remedy

July 6, 2009

Chemicals From The Garden (Member Content)

(July 6, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 27 | pp. 26-28)

Advances in biomass chemistry transform plant matter to valuable products.

Carbohydrate Size Control

(July 6, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 27 | p. 11)

Tethering mechanism regulates length of sugar chains for tuberculosis bacterial cell wall.

Science & Technology Concentrates p. 25 (Member Content)

(July 6, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 27 | p. 25)

• Carbon Dioxide Kept In Check
• Land plants' impact on atmospheric CO₂ cycling appears to have prevented CO₂ levels from dropping too far — and global freezing.
• Hormone Enhances Alcohol's Allure
• Ghrelin not only increases appetite for food, it also stimulates the desire to have a drink.
• Lucky Number Seven For Metal Carbonyls
• Georgia researchers report the first convincing experimental observation of overcrowded Nb(CO)₇⁺ and Ta(CO)₇⁺.
• Nanoparticle Double Whammy Kills Tumors
• Inactive Salmonella cells loaded with siRNA and anticancer agents show promise as delivery vehicles for a combination drug therapy.
• Transparent Silver Nanowire Films
• Metal nanowires cast as thin-film electrodes could replace indium tin oxide in future display technologies.

June 29, 2009

CARS And SRS Paint Vivid Pictures (Member Content)

(June 29, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 26 | pp. 28-29)

Capitalizing on its position as a technology adviser to government and business, Battelle commercializes new ideas.

UCLA Appeals Citations (Member Content)

(June 29, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 26 | pp. 30-31)

University admits no fault in death of laboratory worker; family wants sanctions increased.

What's That Stuff? Dental Anesthetics

(June 29, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 26 | p. 33)

Nonaddictive derivatives of cocaine numb the pain of dental work.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(June 29, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 26 | pp. 26-27)

• Mercury's Paths In Rice
• Mass spec study of the toxic metal advances understanding of plants’ chemical response to mercury contamination.
• Still Hope For Salty Water On Enceladus
• Results of two searches for sodium in the gas and ice spewing from geysers on Saturn’s moon keep alive the idea that it has a salty ocean.
• Moving Toward Single-Molecule Mass Spec
• Caltech scientists report the first spectra using ultrahigh-frequency nanocatilever resonators as ultrasensitive mass detectors.
• High-Res NMR In Inhomogeneous Fields
• A French team reports a method that allows them to obtain NMR spectra even in the presence of inhomogeneous magnetic fields.
• How Amyloid-β Harms Neurons
• Soluble amyloid-β oligomers are found to interfere with the normal reabsorption of the neurotransmitter glutamate at brain synapses.
• High CO₂ Levels Stimulate Growth of Fish Bone
• Study counters predictions that ocean acidification stemming from high levels of atmospheric CO₂ will slow the growth of fish bones.
• Circular Dichroism Can Be Deceiving
• A cyclic tripeptide that forms a novel β-strand structure shows that characterizing α-helices by CD spectra alone can be misleading.
• Nanomaterial For Joining Tendon And Bone
• Scientists report an easy way to make synthetic calcium phosphate materials that better mimic natural mineral gradients.

June 22, 2009

Heavy-Hydrogen Drugs Turn Heads, Again (Member Content)

(June 22, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 25 | pp. 36-39)

Firms seek to improve drug candidates by selective deuterium substitution.

Probing For In-Body Ozone (Member Content)

(June 22, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 25 | pp. 40-42)

Molecule hunters need better traps to prove that a wily oxygen species is made in the flesh.

Deciphering Herapath's Crystal (Member Content)

(June 22, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 25 | p. 43

An interest in history led one chemist to the light-polarizing material that enabled sunglasses, filters.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(June 22, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 25 | pp. 34-35)

• Fluorescent Tag Takes The Wheel
• Fluorescein study shows that presumed nonreactive labels can sometimes control the destination of bioconjugates
• Acid Dissociation Writ Small
• Just four water molecules is all it takes to dissolve a molecule of hydrochloric acid
• Synthetic Polymer Inspired By Nature
• Biomimetic polymer takes advantage of hydrogen bonding to replicate the elasticity and toughness of the muscle protein titin
• Functional Amyloids
• Contrary to their reputation for causing disease, some amyloids have biological functions, including storing and releasing hormones
• Selectively Axing Halogens With Light
• Chemists harness the energy from a simple fluorescent light to selectively dehalogenate complex substrates
• Quantum Dots Linger In Mouse Tissue
• Fluorescence imaging reveals that the flashing nanoparticles can persist for years in mice, although the long-term toxicity is still uncertain
• Gallium Enhances Water Purification
• By substituting a single gallium atom into an aluminum cluster, researchers create an improved coagulating agent for water treatment
• Seeking To Quell Panic Disorder
• An experimental drug that controls steroid production in the brain rapidly halts panic attacks in people without side effects

Building HIV's Curvaceous Coat p. 8

Study shows how hexameric CA protein bends to form capsid's curvy shape.

Online Discovery p. 9

Lilly launches website to find new drug candidates.

Generics For Biologics p. 11

Federal Trade Commission favors earlier generic competition for protein drugs.

Balancing DNA Pathways p. 12

Study clarifies link between DNA repair and triplet-repeat expansion.

Shipping Malaria's Weapons p. 12

Parasite uses biomachinery to get hostile proteins into human red blood cells.

June 15, 2009

Tools For Amyloids

Raman and infrared spectroscopic methods give glimpses of difficult‑to-see parts of the amyloid formation process.

Recessssion Chemistry 101 (Member Content)

(June 15, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 24 | pp. 28-30)

Some department chairs say they're coping, while others are just hanging on.

A Tale Of Two Catalysts (Member Content)

(June 15, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 24 | pp. 31-33)

Years of effort reveal the mechanisms of two catalytic asymmetric allylic substitution reactions.

New Products (Member Content)

(June 15, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 24 | p. 34)

New and notable in the chemical industry.

A Tunable Semiconductor

Bilayer graphene has controllable bandgap.

Chemistry In The U.K. Appraised

International panel gives U.K. chemistry research a positive bill of health, but criticizes treatment of young researchers.

Microtubes Follow Directions

Researchers control the growth, direction, and size of spontaneously assembling microtubes.

Zare Is 2010 Priestley Medalist

ACS award goes to Stanford chemist for lifetime of scientific achievement and service to chemistry.

Enzyme Makes A Tough Cut

Crystal structure of bacterial enzyme suggests route to a challenging bond cleavage.

Turmoil In The U.K.

Scientists protest perceived marginalization of basic research.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(June 15, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 24 | pp. 26-27)

• Adaptive Synthetic Peptides
• Self-assembling oligomers, which can swap nucleobases at will, store instructions for biological life in the same way as DNA or RNA.
• HNO Generates Unique Chemical Markers
• Nitroxyl reacts with organic phosphines, yielding unique amide products that can be used to detect the biologically active nitrogen oxide.
• Surprise Methyl C–H Activation In DMF
• Caltech researchers find that a methyl C–H bond in dimethylformamide can be preferentially activated over the labile aldehyde C–H bond.
• Flow Spectroscopy For Tagged Nanoparticles
• A new instrument swiftly snaps high-resolution Raman scattering spectra of individual nanoparticles to obtain quality-control information.
• Formation Of Famous Tantalum Complex Is Nailed Down
• After 35 years, pentaneopentyltantalum is confirmed as the precursor to the tantalum alkylidene complex that led to Schrock metathesis catalysts.
• Borane Compound Turns Off When Sensing Cyanide
• A fluorescing sulfonium borane compound can sense the presence of cyanide ions in water at concentrations less than 1 ppm.
• Silent Matrix For MALDI Mass Spec
• A dimethylaminonaphthalene matrix that doesn't produce ions when irradiated reduces spectral noise for analyzing small biomolecules.
• Glucose Derivative Takes Down Termites
• Gluconolactone increases termites' susceptibility to infection by a fungal pathogen, suggesting it could serve as a nontoxic pest control agent.

June 8, 2009

Process Chemistry

For pharma, cost-efficient and greener chemistry go hand in hand; firms work with academia to train process development researchers. (pp. 13, 23)

June 8, 2009

Future Of Metals

(June 8, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 23 | pp. 53-57)

Developing sustainable supplies of metals will rely on smart product design and more efficient recycling.

NOBCChE's Gateway To Science

(June 8, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 22 | pp. 58-60)

Black chemists and chemical engineers meet in St. Louis for annual conference.

2009 Science Fair And Science Bowl Winners

(June 8, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 22 | Web Exclusive)

Students from across the country are recognized for their science knowledge.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(June 8, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 23 | pp. 51-52)

• Methyl-Phosphate H-Bonds
• Methyl and phosphate groups in selenium-derivatized DNA have been brought close enough together to form hydrogen bonds for the first time
• Hydrogen Peroxide Guides Immune Cells
• Leukocytes are imaged rushing to an injury site in response to an H₂O₂ plume created by a protein called dual oxidase
• Keeping Body Time By Metabolomics
• By 24-hour monitoring of oscillating hormone and metabolite levels, scientists glean information on how to optimize the benefits of medicines
• Specks Mark The Clot
• Iron oxide nanoparticles functionalized with a fluorescent dye and a peptide light up newly formed clots for diagnostic imaging
• Nitrogen Isotopes In Ice Cores Record Human Activity
• A study of ice cores from Greenland reveals that the nitrogen isotope ratio in nitrates has undergone a marked change in the past 300 years
• Gel Formation Induces Organocatalysis
• An L-proline-based compound that forms supramolecular gels also acts as an organocatalyst for the Henry reaction
• Chiral Copper Carbene Catalysts
• Novel dissymmetric imidazolium salts form enantioselective copper-N-heterocyclic carbene catalysts for conjugate addition reactions
• Quasicrystals In Nature
• Search turns up oddly ordered crystalline grains in Al-Cu-Fe minerals

Another One-Atom-Thick Material p. 8

Boron nitride joins graphene on list of thinnest free-standing crystals.

Academic Hiring Of Women p. 9

Study finds no discrimination, but women have to apply.

Clarion Call For Marine Life p. 9

Global CO₂ emissions must be cut enough to halt ocean acidification, science panel warns.

Targeted Drugs Get Traction p. 10

Drug firms announce advances in personalized medicine at oncologists' meeting.

Palladium(III) Debut p. 10

Pd(III) complexes are actors on the catalysis stage.

Exploiting Cortistatins' Essence p. 11

Simple analogs of a complex natural product may protect against loss of vision.

June 1, 2009

Cover Story

Keepers Of The Gate

Advanced imaging and detection technologies help root out threats of terrorism in airports. (pp. 10-13)

Seeking Saltiness

(June 1, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 22 | pp. 29-30)

New findings on salty taste may inspire ways to trick the tongue.

Inside Instrumentation (Member Content)

(June 1, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 22 | p. 32)

Technology and Business news for the laboratory world.

Science & Technology Concentrates (Member Content)

(June 1, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 22 | pp. 27-28)

• Finding Crystallization Sweet Spots
• Automated device mixes nanoliter quantities of membrane-protein components.
• Probing More Of That Vast Chemical Space
• Including chemical scaffolds in libraries aids screening.
• Magnetic Nanopropellers On The Move
• Microscopic swimmers can be propelled wirelessly.
• Oak Barrel Provenance Alters Wine Chemistry
• Geographic traits in barrel woods shape wine's complexity.
• Directing Fluorination Differently
• After fluorination, directing group can be transformed to make a range of F-containing molecules.
• An Easier Way To Model Hydrate Lattices
• New method streamlines computations by focusing on likely structures.
• Antifouling Agent Linked To Endangered Fish Deformities
• Study implicates triphenyltin in Chinese sturgeon abnormalities.
• A Simpler Route To Multifunctional Nanocomposites
• Viruses serve as biological templates for nanoscale heterostructures.

Disorderly Proteins Turn Predictable p. 5

Spectroscopic evidence suggests a general strategy for finding inhibitors of unstructured proteins.

Route To Stable Carbon Chains p. 7

One-dimensional strings of up to 16 atoms long could be used in electronic devices.

'Infofuse' Gets Message Across p. 8

New technology transmits chemically encoded messages.

May 25, 2009

Silver Lining In Melamine Crisis (Member Content)

(May 25, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 21 | pp. 36-38)

Deadly adulteration of Chinese milk drives development of analytical methods to detect contaminant in food products.

Better Safeguards For The Food Supply

(May 25, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 21 | Web Exclusive)

Scientists fill out their toolbox of protein assays to avoid another melamine crisis.

Insights: Patently Ignorant (Member Content)

(May 25, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 21 | p. 39)

For graduate students, it pays to pay attention to patent rights.

Digital Briefs (Member Content)

(May 25, 2009 | Vol. 87 Issue 21 | p. 40)

New Software and Websites for the Chemical Enterprise.

Up In The Clouds

In situ measurements confirm presence of biomaterial in ice crystals.

Martian Views

New studies bolster the case for the former presence of liquid water.

DNA In Another Dimension

3-D construction technique creates a wealth of structures.

Harry Gray Wins Welch Award

Caltech professor recognized for achievement in basic research.

New Structure Revisits History

Enzyme played key role in World War I and history of enzymology.

Science & Technology Concentrates

May 25, 2009

Probing Carcinogenicity Limits

A herculean study on 40,000 trout provides the first experimental data for how conservative EPA might be in estimating cancer risk.

Defining Diberyllium

Complete gas-phase spectroscopic study provides a benchmark to evaluate theoretical models of the elusive Be₂ dimer.

Disulfonimide Design Aids Organocatalysis

Chemists in Germany have designed a binaphthyl-based disulfonimide as a new motif in asymmetric organocatalysis.

CAS Launches Free Online Database

Designed for the public, Common Chemistry offers information about nearly 8,000 chemicals of general interest.

Alkenes Made Simple From Biomass Polyols

Organic chemists have devised a novel dideoxygenation method to convert polyhydroxyl compounds such as glycerol into olefins.

Facile Formation Of A Möbius Molecule

Researchers forge the first macrocycle to attain unassisted Möbius aromaticity; a Möbius antiaromatic compound could be next.

Iodide-Salvaging Enzyme Analyzed Structurally

Crystal structures of iodotyrosine deiodinase, an enzyme required for the efficient recovery and reuse of dietary iodide, have been determined.

Sila-Explosive's Sensitivity Explained

Chemists pinpoint a mechanistic reason why the silicon analog of the explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate is much more shock-sensitive.

May 18, 2009

Alzheimer's Scary Link To Diabetes

Disruptions of insulin signaling and glucose regulation contribute to development of Alzheimer's disease.

DNA's First Language

Behind every sequence of As, Ts, Cs, and Gs is a whole lot of molecular shape, and that’s where DNA's business gets done.

C&EN Talks With Dudley Herschbach

Nobel Laureate turns the spotlight on promising young scientists.

Cover Story: Modernizing TLC

New instrumentation, materials, and analysis techniques take lab staple into high-performance arena.

RSC Acquires Chemical Database

Repository offers free structure and property data.

Polymer Folding

Hydrogen bonds collapse single polymer chains into nanoparticles.

Quantum Dots That Don't Blink

Core structure suppresses blinking and leads to unusual spectral behavior.

Platinum Catalysts Branch Out

Dendritic structures outperform current fuel-cell materials.

Mystery Structure Solved

Total synthesis confirms structure of micrococcin P1.

Science & Technology Concentrates

May 18, 2009

Phosphate Tames RNA Assembly

Inorganic phosphate has been shown to act as a versatile shepherd in a new recipe for making ribonucleotides.

Methyl Halides Made From Raw Biomass

By harnessing a biosynthetic pathway in plants, scientists endow yeast with the ability to make a class of agricultural and industrial chemicals.

Thalidomide Defects Possibly Tied To Blood Vessel Loss

An analog of the former morning sickness drug is shown to interfere with vascular growth during limb development in chick embryos.

Tracking Activity At Single Synapses

A new fluorescent compound makes it possible to visualize the release and uptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

New Type Of Small RNA Discovered

Biologists have found a new class of small interfering RNAs, called qiRNAs, which are induced to form by DNA damage.

Twisting Crystals By Temperature

Chinese chemists observe that the degree of twisting in helical-shaped organic crystals can be dictated by the crystallization temperature.

Bending Crystals By Light

Azobenzene double-bond isomerization, induced by UV light, translates into mechanical motion in platelike microcrystals.

Silicon Nanowires Light Up For Imaging

Nanowires serve as intense in vivo and in vitro imaging probes to study circulating blood and organ tissue samples of mice.

May 11, 2009

Extreme C–C Bonds

Highly strained cyclopropane-based molecules help chemists refine ideas about chemical bonding.

Inside Instrumentation

Technology and business news for the laboratory world.

Europe's Beauty Race

Cosmetics makers worry they won't meet the 2013 deadline for new European Union safety-testing regulations

Novel Ingredients Spread Across InCosmetics

Negligence Caused UCLA Death

State safety and health agency faults university for training lapses, unsafe practices.

New Way To Protect Unstable Boron Reagents

Masked boronates make 2-pyridyl coupling possible.

Signs Of Stress

Polymers indicate imminent failure by changing color.

Science & Technology Concentrates

May 11, 2009

George Whitesides Wins Dreyfus Award

Dreyfus Foundation honors Harvard chemist for his contributions to materials chemistry.

New Enzymatic Path To Cyclodipeptides

Cyclodipeptide synthases surprisingly use amino acid-loaded transfer RNAs as their substrates to make natural product intermediates.

More Consistent van der Waals Radii

Theoretical method yields atomic radii for all the main-group elements, a benefit for molecular modeling.

Building In 3-D With DNA Origami

Shaping DNA strands into predetermined shapes advances from flat, 2-D smiley faces to 3-D boxes.

Nanotubes Sniff Out Kidney Failure

Scientists use a nanotube-based sensor array to detect VOCs in a breath test that can identify rats with chronic renal disease.

Infrared Fluorescent Protein Extends

Imaging Range

An engineered protein that can be expressed in mammalian cells uses biliverdin as a chromophore, increasing the utility of fluorescent proteins.

Graphene Sheets ... And Transistors

Two reports show that the promising carbon supermolecule can be prepared in larger films and doped with electrons to make transistors.

Chemical Vital Signs For Ants

Living ants mask ever-present death cues with molecular indicators of vitality.

May 4, 2009

Divining The Spliceosome

The missing link between humanity’s small genome and huge proteome reveals some secrets.

Wallboard Woes

Odors and corrosion raise concern over drywall imported from China.

Obama Commits To Support For Science

President aims to raise federal R&D funding to 3% of GDP.

New Route To Treat Depression

Finding could help people failed by current antidepressants.

Imparting Chirality To Metals

Method imprints solid with handedness derived from molecules.

Photonic Polyethylene

Unique block copolymers yield colorful, low-cost materials for many applications.

Science & Technology Concentrates

May 4, 2009

HIV's Surprise Entrance

New study reveals that the virus infects cells by endocytosis, rather than by fusing to cell membranes.

Mechanism Noted For Amyloid Aggregation

One type of Aβ peptide, Aβ40, inhibits the oligomerization of another type, Aβ42, potentially deterring the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Ancient Pigment Resurrected For Modern Applications

Egyptian blue, a synthetic pigment first produced around 2500 B.C., could find use in the modern era in biomedical and other applications.

Chiral Zeolite With Really Big Pores

A germanosilicate with 20-Å pores might be able to trap or catalyze chiral molecules and larger molecules than previously possible.

Pyridine Complexes Help Expand Silicon Chemistry

Six-coordinate silicon-pyridine complexes could improve the preparation of high-purity silicon for electronics and solar-cell fabrication.

New Plant Hormone Partners

Two studies uncover a protein family that mediates abscisic acid's activity, which includes controlling fruit ripening and stress responses.

Novel Roles For GFP

Green fluorescent protein may act as a light-induced electron donor, a function that could lead to a host of potential new applications.

Collective Behavior In Chemistry

Scientists note that the oscillating Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction requires a requisite number of particles to get started.

April 27, 2009

Curtain Rises On Potential Drugs

ACS Meeting News: Medicinal chemists disclose candidates for treating neurological, metabolic, and other disorders.

Enzymes' Many Movements

ACS Meeting News: Controversy exists over whether motions at various timescales contribute to catalytic efficiency.

Perfecting Solid-Catalyst Synthesis

ACS Meeting News: Researchers strive to devise methods that provide molecular-scale control. With Videos

Automated Glycan Synthesis

ACS Meeting News: Advances could make oligosaccharides more accessible for study.

New Molecules In Space

Discovery of two complex compounds hints at more chemical diversity lurking in space.

Ultra-Long Range Molecules

Rubidium dimers have 100-nm bond lengths.

Expanding The RNA Roster

Chemical screen finds new small molecule-RNA conjugates.

Science & Technology Concentrates

April 27, 2009

Immune Cells Trigger Pain

Blocking receptors could stop an immune system molecule that contributes to debilitating pain stemming from past nerve damage.

On-Demand Hydrogen System Ready To Roll

A catalytic process that produces high-pressure H₂ from liquid hydrocarbons as needed improves the prospects for using H₂ as a fuel.

Enantiospecific Route To Marine Sponge Medicinals

Chemists have assembled two members of the kapakahine family of cyclic peptide natural products, which are promising antileukemia agents.

Nanopore Sequencing Continues To Advance

Two research groups have devised strategies to sequence DNA more rapidly and inexpensively.

Iodine Groups Help Create Diverse Conjugated Polymers

A postpolymerization technique for creating hyperbranched conjugated polymers maximizes compound diversity with minimal synthetic effort.

Turning Nanotubes Into Nanoribbons

A chemical method unzips multiwalled carbon nanotubes along their lengths to produce ribbonlike strips of graphene.

Metal Doping Makes For Super Spider Silk

Adding a dash of metal to spider silk takes the biomaterial's strength and stretchiness to the next level—and potential new applications.

Detox Genes Helped Pack Rats Adapt Diet

Pack rats in the Mojave Desert have developed genes coding for liver enzymes that allows the rodents to eat toxic plants during hard times.

April 20, 2009

Main-Group Research Springs Ahead

Chemists retool s- and p-block compounds in hopes of widening their use in reaction chemistry.

New Products

New and notable in the chemical industry.

Specialty Chemicals

The economic downturn is taking its toll across the industry, but companies are fighting to survive and emerge even stronger.

A Zippy Route To Nanoribbons

New methods peel open carbon nanotubes lengthwise to give strips of graphene.

Straight Route To Nanorings

Polymerizing a dendrimer yields elusive toroid.

Sequestering Cholera

Peptide mimic binds multisubunit toxin and could lead to new treatments.

Battery Plants Gain Ground

Lithium-ion battery makers move ahead with U.S. facilities.

Blood Falls Explained

Scientists reveal some chemical secrets behind a crimson-stained glacier in Antarctica.

Casting Doubt On Old Rocks' Tales

Sediment's unusual sulfur signature may not have required oxygen-poor atmosphere.

Science & Technology Concentrates

April 20, 2009

Insulin's Impact On Fat

Subtle differences in the way identical cells process insulin lead some cells to store practically no fat while others store large amounts.

Antimicrobials From Silver And Egg Whites

Scientists have developed an environmentally friendly way to prepare bacteria-bursting silver nanoparticles for potential first-aid uses.

Shuttling Bicarbonate In And Out Of Cells

Small aromatic molecules can transport HCO₃^– across lipid membranes, a finding that could boost biomembrane research and drug development

Single-Molecule Fluorescence Events Seen In Real Time

Flashes of light help monitor electrocatalytic events that take place at discrete sites on the surface of single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Improved Nanowire-Cell Connections

Versatile new design allows individual cells to be oriented over nanowire transistor arrays for better recording of the cells' electrical activity.

Carbon Dioxide To Methanol Via Silanes

A research team reports the first use of N-heterocyclic carbenes to catalyze hydrosilylation reactions.

Healthy Diets Now Include Lobster

Overcoming lobster's reputation as being high in fat and cholesterol, new research indicates that the crustacean can be part of a balanced diet.

Liposomes Deliver Longer Lasting Local Anesthetics

A liposomal formulation of a local anesthetic shows promise for weeklong pain relief with minimal toxicity.

April 13, 2009

Harnessing Light

Despite centuries of research, photosynthesis still has many unsolved mysteries.

Attempts To Mimic A Plant's Light-Harvesting And Water-Splitting Megamachinery

Web Exclusive

Tracking Electrons

Attosecond science opens the door to real-time observation and control of electron dynamics.

The Looming Petascale

Chemists gear up for a new generation of supercomputers. With Video

In Cahoots: Fungi, Ants, And Bacteria

Symbiotic system could be a source of potential drug leads and enzymes for biofuel production. With Video

What's That Stuff? Self-Darkening Eyeglasses

The science behind dual-purpose lenses.

Weighing Options

In the wake of drug-trial setbacks, obesity researchers assess what it will take to move forward.

Generation Next

Two examples show how digging deeper into obesity biology can reveal new insights.

Constructing Dideoxyverticillin

Total synthesis of cytotoxic alkaloid could provide insight into its biosynthesis.

Mechanical Force Activates Catalyst

Ultrasound turns on silver- and ruthenium-based catalysts.

Science & Technology Concentrates

April 13, 2009

Mass Spec Sequences Venom Peptides

A new mass spectrometry strategy makes it easier to sequence venom peptides, a diverse set of disulfide-rich natural products that are difficult to characterize.

Morphology Is Key To Catalyst's Activity

By fashioning tricobalt tetraoxide into a nanorod, researchers have managed to boost the catalyst's activity and stability.

New Mechanism For Slow Explosives

Nitrogen-rich heterocycle formation interferes with shock reaction

Quantum Control Of Diamond Structures

Quantum effects may govern the formation of nanostructures on the surface of boron-doped diamond microcrystals

Oxidation Alters Ion Channels During Aging

In addition to their other targets, reactive oxygen species target ion channels that are essential to the proper function of neurons.

Nickel Famine May Have Led To Life On Earth

Iron shortage may have given oxygen-producing bacteria an edge over their methane-making cousins.

Catalyst Thickness Can Tune Adsorption

By controlling the thickness of thin oxide films, it is possible to tune the adsorption properties of molecules, as well as deposited metals.

New Prospect For Tackling Cancer

Drug candidate triggers tumor cell death by working upstream of an established mechanism.

April 6, 2009

Genes Take A Back Seat

Epigenetics, the molecular framework that controls genes' expression, takes its cues from both nature and nurture.

The First Four

The founding generation of epigenetics-based drugs combine promise and peril. Web Exclusive

Orchestrating Genetic Expression

Epigenetic modifications alter chromatin landscape, turn genes on and off. Web Exclusive

Peptides Promote Health

Derived from food products, these protein fragments could hold cancer, obesity, and other disorders at bay.

Hope In A Pill

A crop of small-molecule drugs in development could double the treatment options for people with multiple sclerosis in coming years.

Dealing with CO₂

Technologies to capture greenhouse gas advance.

Virus Power

Genetically engineered virus fabricates lithium-ion battery's cathode.

Low-Cost Iron For Fuel Cells

New synthetic route produces highly active non-precious-metal catalysts.

Better Bisphosphonates

Lipophilic compound kills more cancer than traditional analog.

Science & Technology Concentrates

April 6, 2009

Mapping Out Lipids

Mass spectrometry imaging provides a means for monitoring the distributions of lipids in tissue from diseased liver biopsies.

Improved Replicating Synthetic Membranes

Scientists have devised vesicles with multilayer lipid membranes that grow and divide—an improved model for creating artificial cells. With Video

Dicarboxylic Acid Serves As Messenger For Plant Defense

Azelaic acid, a C₉ dicarboxylic acid, prompts plants to produce salicylic acid to fight off microbial invaders.

Inorganic Pores Maintain Flexible Attitude

Molybdenum oxide-based capsules have flexible pores that allow compounds larger than the pores to enter and possibly react.

Blocking Brain Hormone Receptor Curbs Addiction . . .

New findings about a natural appetite stimulant produced in the brain might lead to a novel pathway for treating cocaine addiction.

. . . As Could Thwarting An Addiction Gene

An siRNA-gold nanorod complex that can turn off a gene that controls addiction might form the basis of a novel drug-addiction treatment.

Algal Neurotoxin Lingers In The Ocean

Domoic acid, which causes environmental and human health problems, is more persistent in global oceans than previously thought.

Iron Complex Cleaves C–H and O–H Bonds

Novel compound is the first iron complex capable of activating the O–H bonds of aliphatic alcohols.

March 30, 2009

192 Lasers Converge

Livermore Lab's National Ignition Facility is gearing up to focus on the inner workings of planets and stars, fusion energy research.

Optics Needs Of NIF Required New Production And Coating Methods

Insights: A Crusade Against Holy Grails

Holy grails increasingly litter the scientific literature; this writer is on a quest to banish them.

Weathering The Crisis

Some instrument vendors skipped Pittcon 2009, but more than 19,000 attendees did not.

Analytics For Fuel Cells

New tools to probe degradation will help design of longer lasting devices.

Advanced Detectors Take The Stage

Hybrid technologies combine strengths to improve photon and ion detectors.

Shining Light On Art

Conservators use intense light sources for everything from characterizing pigments to removing lichens.

Food Analysis Gets A Boost

New methods offer simpler, faster, more convenient ways to characterize food.

New And Notable At Pittcon

Scientific instrumentation and more.

Pittcon Awards 2009

Researchers receive honors for achievements in analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy.

Solar Firm Wins Big U.S. Loan

Financing plan has been years in the making.

NMR Method Reveals Hidden Battery Chemistry

Study may help novel lithium-ion battery achieve high charge-storage capacity. With Video

Gallium Additions To Aromaticity

New main-group compounds expand the bounds of metalloaromaticity.

Clear Nanofiber Paper

Cellulose-based material could be used for flexible electronics.

A Cell's Vacuum Cleaner

Researchers solve the structure of P-glycoprotein, which kicks molecules out of cells.

Found Meteorites Could Aid Asteroid Studies

Unique rocks collected in the desert come from recent asteroid breakup.

Science & Technology Concentrates

March 30, 2009

A Coating That Heals Itself

Encapsulated reagents heal surface scratches in hard-to-reach spots.

Ideas Gel For Better Medical Diagnostics

Stacked pyridine molecules inspire possibilities for detecting lung cancer, tuberculosis.

Chiral Boronic Esters Coupled

Canadian researchers report the first example of cross-coupling chiral secondary organoboranes with retention of stereochemistry.

New Bacterial Exit Strategy

Scientists uncover the ejectosome, a cellular membrane pore that allows the tuberculosis bacterium to quietly venture out of its host cell.

Carbonic Acid Could Be A Fix For Carbon

Simply reacting CO₂ and water to form stable H₂CO₃ oligomeric solids could be a practical solution to carbon capture and sequestration.

Peptide Disciplines Dishevelled Protein

Researchers find a potent inhibitor of the Dishevelled protein that is associated with colorectal and other cancers

Carbon Isotope Chirality Triggers Asymmetric Reaction

An autocatalytic reaction provides the first example of using only differences between ¹³C and ¹²C to achieve an enantiomeric excess.

Solar Cells Move Further Into The Red

FRET technique helps improve the quantum yield of red photons by as much as a factor of four.

March 23, 2009

Hand Over Hand

Ideas aplenty still vie to explain how life's single chirality emerged.

What's That Stuff? Instant Film

Layers of light-sensitive dyes, emulsions, and developers combine in one-step photography.

Boron Dreams

Priestley Medalist M. Frederick Hawthorne has some unfinished business.

Polyhedral Boranes: Chemistry For The Future

Photo Gallery: Priestley Science

Dodging The Substitution Laws

Reaction that yields meta-substituted aromatic rings evades textbook tenets.

Phoenix Water Mystery

Scientists argue over whether droplets on spacecraft's leg are liquid.

Modified Antibody Binds Two Antigens

Engineered antibody can alter the shape of its binding sites.

Rotaxanes Go Hybrid

New compounds combine inorganic and organic parts.

Science & Technology Concentrates

March 23, 2009

Indolactam Directs Stem Cell Differentiation

Small molecule paves route to pancreatic cells.

Stable AFM In Air

Setup makes method suitable for probing biological systems and nanomanufacturing.

Muscular Nanotubes

Aerogels built from carbon nanotubes turn electrical into mechanical energy. With Video

Asymmetric Coupling In Water

Stereoselective version of the popular Suzuki-Miyaura reaction has no need for organic solvents.

Dust May Hurt Phytoplankton

Atmospheric aerosols may deliver toxic compounds as well as nutrients to marine life.

Pyrolysis Products Intrigue

Blasting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons gives unusual biphenylene dimer.

Leaching From Plastic Bottles

Mineral water packaged in plastic bottles has higher levels of estrogen mimics than that housed in glass bottles.

New Linker Combo Gives Novel MOF

Metal-organic framework compound suggests surface area alone may not be predictive of these materials' hydrogen storage-ability.

March 16, 2009

Making Diagnostics Affordable

Nonprofits and academics work toward tests that meet the needs of the developing world.

Sweeping Eastward

As the global economic downturn blankets the world, some Eastern European scientists feel the heat.

Digital Briefs

New Software and Websites for the Chemical Enterprise.

Faster-Charging Batteries

Method creates lithium-ion battery that charges and discharges in seconds.

Toxic Release Inventory

Firms must provide more data, not less, according to new legislation.

Eyeing Electrons

Laser pulse enables tracking of electron distribution in reactions.

Coating Fixes Its Own Scratches

UV light helps replace broken cross-links in polyurethane.

Science & Technology Concentrates

March 16, 2009

A Crayon Box For The Biotech Set

DNA-like labels light up biological systems in a rainbow of colors.

Double-Duty Cancer Killer

Porphyrin dimer first helps to kill a cancer cell and then act as a beacon for the cellular viscosity changes that result from the fatal blow.

Gouda Cheese Surrenders Its Secrets

A taste panel and analytical techniques reveal the source of Gouda flavor characteristics.

Squeezing The Opacity Out Of Sodium

Under extreme pressure, sodium metal becomes optically transparent and transforms into a dielectric insulator.

Ice Forms From Water Pentagons, Too

On a copper surface, water molecules eschew their hexagonal shape for a pentagonal pose.

An Aptamer-Based Sensor For Small Molecules

Short strands of DNA enable a microfluidic sensor to detect cocaine in blood serum.

Purifying Fluoropolymer Building Blocks Via Crystallization

Host-guest chemistry and crystallization used to separate and purify industrially-useful fluorinated monomers.

Reaction Captures Ephemeral Nitrosothiols

A method for capturing fleeting nitrosothiols may help biologists figure out how nitric oxide provokes a wide range of cellular processes.

March 9, 2009

Where Lab Waste Goes

Schools find that identification and communication are key to managing waste safely.

Key Advance In DNA Sequencing With Nanopores

High-quality detection takes the label-free, single-molecule technique closer to reality. Web Exclusive, With Video

Inside Instrumentation

Technology and business news for the laboratory world.

Target Under Fire

Inhibiting fatty acid synthesis may not be a promising antibiotic strategy after all.

Attoreactors From Nanofibers

Intersecting fibers create reaction vessels for zeptomole-scale chemistry.

Seeing Proteins Inside Cells

For the first time, method yields a 3-D structure, reveals protein interactions in somatic cells.

Nicotine's Binding Mystery Solved

Study shows why nicotine binds tightly in brain but not in muscles.

Science & Technology Concentrates

March 9, 2009

Graphene Via Arc Discharge

Electrical method yields sheets of carbon a few atoms thick.

Got Gray Hair? Blame Natural Bleaching

Loss of catalase activity leads to hydrogen peroxide build up, which instigates a biochemical cascade that turns hair gray, then white.

Gentle Curves Attract Proteins

Proteins inside bacterial cells use the geometric shapes they encounter as localization cues during the 3-D organization of cells.

Profiling Peat For Whisky Production

Different types of Scottish peat burned to dry malted barley could impact the distinctive flavor of whiskies.

Peeking More Closely At Gold Catalysis

Chemists have learned more about two types of intermediates—cationic and carbene—that participate in gold catalysis.

Detecting Ricin

Scientists design a new analytical mass spectrometry method for definitively identifying the lethal protein toxin in beverages and blood.

DNA Mediates Cellular Connections

In a boost for tissue engineering, single-stranded DNA acts as a glue to allow two cell types that normally don't interact to adhere to each other.

Nanotubes Resolve Serum Proteins

Adding functionalized carbon nanotubes to a polyacrylamide gel permits better electrophoresis separation of proteins in complex mixtures.

March 2, 2009

Camera Shy

ACS cracks down on unauthorized photography at meetings.

What's That Stuff? Synthetic Grass

Carpet's cousin is rooted in relatively simple chemistry. Web Exclusive

Spending Bill Advances

Science agencies' funding rises in 2009 appropriations.

Skeleton Key May Defuse Flu

Antibodies bind a flu protein nook common to many viral strains. With Video

Drug Combo Kills Resistant TB

Inhibitor and antibiotic work together against tuberculosis.

Quitting Quicksilver

Countries agree to start talks to control the metal globally.

Science & Technology Concentrates

March 2, 2009

Imaging Tumors With Degradable Nanoparticles

Fluorescent, porous silicon particles can also carry drugs in vivo.

Chemical Beaver Tale

Researchers build an enantiomerically pure component of the beaver's scent gland.

Streamlined Way To Label Glycoproteins

A novel technique for labeling sialylated glycoproteins on animal cell surfaces could have advantages for using proteins to diagnose diseases.

Synthetic Steroid Garners Wider Role

Mifepristone, better known as the abortion drug RU-486, also has potential for use in diagnostic imaging and breast cancer treatment.

Chromatography In An NMR Tube

Collecting NMR spectra of individual compounds in complex mixtures is easier with polymer-enhanced diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY).

February 23, 2009

Artificial Blood

Poor clinical trial results and controversy stymie attempts to create alternatives to donated blood.

Using Stem Cells To Make Blood Substitutes

Artificial blood derived from cord blood stem cells is being tested in humans. Web Exclusive

Off-Balance Ocean

Acidification from absorbing atmospheric CO₂ is changing the ocean's chemistry.

Insights: Learning From Mistakes

Lab incident at UCLA highlights need to disseminate accident information and increase safety awareness.

Questionable Crime-Scene Science

U.S. forensic science is inadequate, NRC says.

Making Hydrogen Peroxide Directly

Acid treatment of catalyst support could simplify production of chemical.

Scientists In The Streets

French researchers and teachers protest proposed government reforms. With Video

Science & Technology Concentrates

February 23, 2009

Elusive Biradical Spotted

A long-sought dioxy intermediate thought to occur in luminescent light-producing reaction pathways has reportedly been observed.

Protein Folding May Be Key To A Long Life

The principal cause of aging, thought to be oxidation of cellular molecules, could instead be related to protein structural integrity.

Nitrogens Commandeer Silicon From Fluorine

In a surprise move, a cyclic triamine displaces a superstrong Si–F bond from SiF₄ to form an unprecedented SiF₃ cation.

Surface Impacts Of Nanoscale Oscillations

Oscillating reactions on surfaces are guided by nanoscale structural features rather than by diffusion, as in solution oscillating reactions. With Video

Peering Deeper Into The Prenylome

Researchers report a method for tagging prenylated proteins to observe their activity and that of prenyltransferase inhibitors in vivo.

Acid-Responsive Nanoparticles Expand To Deliver Drugs

A drop in pH triggers polymeric nanoparticles to swell and spill out their therapeutic contents.

MRI Breathing Room

A redesign of the standard MRI instrument gives patients more elbow room and could help broaden NMR's capabilities.

Ligand Redesign Could Boost Nerve Repair

Scientists have created more potent analogs of a carbohydrate ligand for a protein associated with axon regeneration in neurons.

February 16, 2009

Bacteria Boast Unexpected Order

Despite lacking organelles, microbial cells muster an extraordinary degree of internal organization.

Inside Instrumentation

Technology and business news for the laboratory world.

Greening The Farm

Safer and environmentally friendlier pesticides and agricultural practices gain traction on U.S. farms.

Pinpointing Trends In Pesticide Use

Limited data indicate that pesticide use has dropped since the 1970s. Web Exclusive

Defending Mother Nature

Combating out-of-control plants requires judicious use of herbicides. Web Exclusive

Biomarker For Cancer Aggression

Metabolite in urine is linked to prostate cancer's progress.

Making Water Step By Step

Atomic resolution study reveals sequence of events. With Video

Self-Assembled Nucleotide Helix

Structure may have implications for prebiotic chemistry.

Measuring Cell Fever

Nanogel makes it possible to sense tiny temperature differences inside cells.

Science & Technology Concentrates

February 16, 2009

Plants Make Bilirubin, Too

Scientists discover that the colorful tetrapyrrole-based pigment derived from heme in animals also occurs in colorful plant seeds.

Nerve Receptor Binds Hallucinogenic Ligand

N,N-Dimethyltryptamine found in psychoactive herbal preparations turns out to be the endogenous ligand for a common nerve receptor.

Magnetic Doping Speeds Up Protein NMR

Adding a paramagnetic copper complex to protein samples decreases the recycle time between pulses in solid-state NMR.

Designer Surfactant For Micellar Catalysis

A novel amphiphilic molecule provides a promising platform for carrying out greener ring-closing metathesis reactions in water.

Hemoglobin Helper Aids Oxygen Delivery

A cell-membrane-permeable inositol derivative boosts mice's capacity for physical activity.

Optical Mask Could Improve Imaging Resolution

Super-resolution imaging method breaks diffraction limit without using evanescent waves.

Ceria Nanoparticles Act Like Enzymes

Polymer-coated cerium oxide nanoparticles exhibit oxidase-like activity at low pH without the need for hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent.

Organic Matrices Help Preserve Iron At Sea

Hydrothermal vents appear to pull in organic material from nearby flora and fauna to trap iron, possibly impacting ocean nutrient cycling.

February 9, 2009

Simulating Life's Envelopes

Models provide clues about lipid behavior in cell membranes, but they may have reached their limits.

New Tools Offer Look At Tiny Domains In Membranes

C&EN Talks With: Jean-Claude Bradley

Organic chemist champions open science, web technology. With Videos

New Products

New and notable in the chemical industry.

Nanotube Catalysts

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes could make fuel cells more affordable.

Technique Dives Into Cells

Microscope offers best three-dimensional resolution yet.

Hope For A Rare Disease

Solubilizing agent reverses Niemann-Pick C disorder in mice.

Atom-Sized Quantum Dots

Newly discovered property of silicon atoms may shrink computers. With Video

Science & Technology Concentrates

February 9, 2009

Reptile Bouquet

A bounty of greasy molecules make up the personal cologne of the ancient tuatara.

Synthesizing Glycoproteins

Method combines solid-phase and bio-based peptide syntheses.

Flu Enzyme's Thieving Ways

X-ray crystal structures explain how influenza's RNA polymerase helps conquer human cells.

Organoactinide Hydrothiolation Catalysts

Thorium and uranium compounds facilitate thiol-alkyne additions efficiently.

Thinner Plastic Blocks Gas Better

Shrinking layer thickness to the nanoscale reduces gas permeability of plastic films.

Immunity Mechanism Revealed

Receptor findings could aid autoimmune disease studies.

Printer Particles Form In Air

Study reveals composition and formation mechanism of printer emissions.

Ocean Acidity affects Fish Senses

Olfactory response in fish disrupted by falling pH values.

February 2, 2009

Authenticating Food

Researchers are developing peptide nucleic acids as a way to detect DNA in food.

Digital Briefs

New Software and Websites for the Chemical Enterprise.

New Form Of Boron

Entity has significant ionic character, a first for a material made from a single element.

Science & Technology Concentrates

February 2, 2009

Nanocube-Nanotube Biosensors

Hybrid structure leads to sensitive detectors with wide linear response

Bisphenol A Clears From Body Slowly

Study suggests nonfood sources of chemical may be substantial

Serotonin Makes Locusts Swarm

Neurotransmitter triggers behavioral change from reculsive to social

Introducing Graphane

Hydrogen alters graphene's structure and electronic properties reversibly

Astrocytes Modulate Sleep

Mouse study provides first evidence that non-neuronal cells affect behavior

Sediment Shows Black Sea Flood Unlikely

Study refutes controversial hypothesis regarding long-ago deluge

Sulfuryl Fluoride Persists In Atmosphere

Greenhouse gas lingers 10 times longer than previously thought

Chemical Clues To The Stradivarius Sound

Analyses reveal identities of wood protectors in instruments

January 26, 2009

Postdocs Feel Job Crunch

As recession deepends, postdocs find themselves caught in a difficult academic job market

C&EN Talks With: M. Lee Allison

Cofounder of the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science talks about the Year of Science.

Protein Racemate Yields Crystals

Racemic crystallography gives structures of uncrystallizable proteins.

Phase-Switching Catalysis

CO₂-regulated solubility adds a new twist to catalyst recycling.

Preparing Large High-Quality Graphene Films

New methods could yield agile devices from carbon-based electronic material.

Planetary Science

Spectral band in Venus' 'nightglow' allows study of NO, O₂.

Science & Technology Concentrates

January 26, 2009

EPR Sizes Up Histones

Electron paramagnetic resonance spin-labeling technique allows researchers to measure the dimensions of a key protein complex.

Synthetic HDL Binds Cholesterol

A novel gold-protein core-shell nanoparticle mimics the action of "good" cholesterol and could lead to new therapies to prevent heart disease.

Fast Temperature Programs For LC

Dow Chemical scientists have developed low thermal mass liquid chromatography, a rapid new method for liquid chromatography.

Atom Pairs In Metal Clusters Are Key To Reactivity

Pairs of atoms in small aluminum cluster anions are responsible for the clusters' reactivity with water, which includes producing hydrogen.

Plant Enzyme Accepts Unnatural Substrates

Chemists at MIT have introduced an engineered biosynthetic enzyme that uses a wider range of substrates to forge alkaloid analogs.

Biomass Burning Leads To Asian Brown Cloud

A study of ¹⁴C content in aerosol particles has pinpointed the burning of agricultural residues as a major source of polluted air in the region.

Expanded Screening Leads To New Class Of Antibiotics

Pfizer researchers expand the criteria for seeking out drug leads and discover new antibiotics.

Small Molecule Stops Cancer-Related Hedgehog Protein

A novel drug blocks a signaling protein head-on rather than attacking a downstream part of the signaling pathway.

January 19, 2009

Age Is No Barrier

Professors continue research after retirement or skip retirement altogether.

Unease Over Tungsten

Increased use boosts element's environmental status to concern.

Inside Instrumentation

Technology and business news for the laboratory world.

Curvy Crystals

Researchers begin to unravel the mechanism behind lab-made shapely inorganic crystals. With Videos

Methane On Mars

Detection of gas plumes reinvigorates debate over the existence of martian microbes.

Science & Technology Concentrates

January 19, 2009

MRI On The Nanoscale

AIBM scientists report the first nanometer-scale magnetic resonance imaging of a biological sample.

Protein Loss Sparks Cartilage Breakdown

An age-related decrease in the production of HMGB2 protein leads to osteoarthritis, a finding that could lead to better therapeutics.

Three Arsenic Atoms, Three Oxidation States

A rare trinuclear arsenic compound stands out because the arsenic atoms are in three different formal oxidation states: As²⁺, As⁰, and As¹⁺.

Soot Causes Early Snow Melting

Modeling studies reveal that soot fallout from fossil-fuel combustion causes snow to melt a month earlier than normal in the western U.S..

Quantum Dot Behavior In The Environment

Non-water-soluble nanoparticles can transfer from an organic phase to an aqueous phase under the right conditions.

New Peptide Dissociation Method For Mass Spec

Femtosecond laser-induced ionization/dissociation is a novel technique for analyzing finicky peptides in proteomics experiments.

Xenoestrogens Taint Food Additives

Some microorganisms surprisingly are able to use one three-nucleic-acid codon to code for more than one type of amino acid.

Molecular Logic Gates Meet Cancer Therapy

Scientists design a molecule that must perform a logic computation before it can go about killing cancer cells via photodynamic therapy.

January 12, 2009

Graduate Families

More universities are providing parental accommodation policies for graduate students.

C&EN Talks With: Klaus Mayer

Forensics team leader investigates European nuclear materials of unknown origin.

Cross-Coupling Made Easy

Iron catalysis simplifies coupling of aryl and alkyl Grignard reagents.

MOF Housekeeping Improves

Supercritical CO₂ scrubs porous metal-organic frameworks, increasing surface area for applications.

Online Database Of Molecular Spectra Promises To Help Astronomers

A database 18 years in the works promises to help scientists sort out the astronomical role of a giant class of organic molecules.

Estrogen Factory

Crystal structure of an important breast cancer target is solved.

Microscopic Fibers Coil Together

Solvent evaporation prompts tiny hairlike fibers to twist around each other?and grab nearby particles.

Science & Technology Concentrates

January 12, 2009

Enantiopure Epoxides And Stereoregular Polyethers

A chiral cobalt catalyst has an extraordinary ability for resolving racemic mixtures of epoxides and producing isotactic polyethers.

Self-Making Ribozyme Pairs Get Competitive

Self-replicating RNA enzymes may offer insights into the origin of life

Uranium-Gallium Complex With A π Bond

A new complex features a U–Ga bond, only the second known molecule with a bond between an actinide element and a group 13 element.

Ribosome Has A Third Fidelity Trick Up Its Sleeve

Researchers discover a third step that is key to ensuring the accuracy of ribosomal protein biosynthesis.

Cycloaddition Suppresses Nanotube Conductivity

Adding a fluoroolefin to metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes helps tame them for electronics applications.

High-Nitrogen Anion Exceeds The Power Of RDX

German chemists report the synthesis of a collection of explosive azidotetrazolate (CN₇^–) salts.

Expanding The Genetic Code

Some microorganisms surprisingly are able to use one three-nucleic-acid codon to code for more than one type of amino acid.

Bacterial Export Machine Unveiled

Scientists report the first structure of the mammoth type IV secretion complex that bacteria use for shipping out DNA and proteins.

January 5, 2009

A Science Academy Like No Other

Taiwan's Academia Sinica addresses challenges in an effort to attract best students, faculty.

A Forum In Taiwan

Academia Sinica's anniversary celebration and meeting of presidents from science academies around the world.

Concocting A Crystalline Lair

Artist conscripts chemical phenomenon to create a shimmering blue realm.

Obama Names Science Advisers

President-elect puts in place his science team.

Long-Sought Benzenelike Molecule Created

Aromaticity of organic-inorganic hybrid resembles benzene's.

Science & Technology Concentrates

January 5, 2009

Sweet Nanoparticle Imaging

Sugar-coated nanoparticles aid MRI diagnosis of disease-associated lesions in the brain.

Raman Technique Helps Evaluate Pollen

Spectroscopy method could aid allergy sufferers with real-time assessment of air quality.

Protease Flaps Give HIV Drugs The Slip

Mobility of gate-keeping molecular flaps could be key to antiviral drug resistance.

Study Quantifies Tap-Water Chemicals

Assessment of treated U.S. drinking water reveals that chemical oxidation processes remove most contaminants.

Fastest Graphene Transistor Yet

IBM researchers report the creation of a transistor that operates at 26 GHz, the highest frequency yet achieved for the 2-D carbon material.

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