Metal–organic framework captures carbon dioxide at industrially relevant temperatures
Material could improve energy efficiency of capturing carbon from industy’s exhaust gases
Light-driven method simplifies synthesis of complex heterocycles
Photochemical method provides controlled access to thiazole and isothiazole derivatives
Air-frying prevails in tests on indoor pollutant production
Environmental scientists find that pan-frying leads to peak VOC concentrations of 260ppb, versus 20ppb for air-frying
Air-stable rhenium complex catalyses alkyne metathesis
Study presents first non-d0 alkylidyne complex capable of effecting alkyne metathesis at room temperature
New Wittig reaction pathway proves old dog can learn new tricks
Fluorspar to fluorine chemicals without going via hazardous hydrogen fluoride
AI tool learns to build molecules fragment by fragment
Visible light-powered catalysts clean up ‘forever chemicals’
Protective coating for timber made from tree bark compounds
Isotope analysis reveals ‘mundane’ origins of remarkable dinosaur fossil site
Highlights
20 years. 20 chemists. 20 stories. Part 2
How has chemistry changed in the last two decades?
The new signs bringing greater understanding to organic chemistry
Rebecca Trager speaks to a US team developing a sign language lexicon for chemistry concepts that combines form with meaning to make the field more accessible for everyone
The health of chemistry across the pipeline
More students in the UK are studying chemistry at A-level than 20 years ago, but how does that translate to universities?
Clearing up the compostable plastic mess
Rather than a potential triumph, the compostable plastics we use look increasingly like a tragedy. Andy Extance looks at the problems and seeks solutions
Battery-free bioelectronic implants
Spurred by advances in energy-harvesting materials, a new generation of advanced implantable biomedical devices is emerging that does away with the bulky battery. James Mitchell Crow reports
Topics
AI tool learns to build molecules fragment by fragment
Software tasked with designing a type-II kinase inhibitor suggests 97 candidates in 10 minutes, three of which were both synthesisable and effective at micromolar and nanomolar concentrations
Large language models are better than humans at answering chemistry questions
AI models outperform human chemists in every topic area. But are they really better chemists?
AI robots work together to perform autonomous synthesis and analysis
System offers route for rapid testing, analysis and interpretation of a wide range of chemistries
Teaching enzymes new reactions through genetic code expansion and directed evolution
Anthony Green’s research group at the University of Manchester, UK, reengineers enzymes to have catalytic functions beyond those found in nature
Lead found in Beethoven’s hair reveals new insight into his ailing health
Kidney and liver problems that killed the composer, as well as hearing loss, are associated with high lead levels
Chemical analysis reveals origins of early English silver coins
Byzantine silver plates were melted down to make many of the first Anglo-Saxon coins
Using analytical chemistry to illuminate the unlisted ingredients in tattoo inks
Discovery that more than 80% of the tattoo inks sampled had unlisted ingredients prompts New York-based lab to launch a website providing chemical information to tattoo artists and their clients
Paul Anastas: ‘I’m proudest of being part of a global green chemistry community’
The father of green chemistry on his love of the environment, striving for unattainable perfection and breathing life into an old town library
Science needs to get its house in order when it comes to energy use and waste
Labs have an outsized environmental footprint but solutions are within reach
Redox reactions ‘mine’ old fluorescent light bulbs for europium
In just three simple steps rare earth element can be recovered, avoiding ‘ecologically devastating’ mining
Chemists funded to cut the environmental footprint of their labs
The Royal Society of Chemistry to support 33 projects in 11 countries aiming to make chemistry research greener
Analysis of three French chemistry labs shows how they could halve their carbon footprint by 2030
Open-source tool helps researchers evaluate a series of carbon mitigation strategies
There’s a world of chemistry in water
Managing our most precious resource
University of Hull confirms chemistry department closure
Department closure follows series of similar proposals at UK universities
Learning to listen
Many things have changed in the last two decades, but effective collaboration is more important than ever
The new signs bringing greater understanding to organic chemistry
Rebecca Trager speaks to a US team developing a sign language lexicon for chemistry concepts that combines form with meaning to make the field more accessible for everyone
After years of negotiations, a global agreement to tackle plastic pollution is within sight
The UN’s plastics treaty negotiations have faced many hurdles, but delegates are getting closer to a final agreement
AlphaFold developer says AI is just getting started in science
Chemistry Nobel laureate John Jumper says latest version of AlphaFold is making good progress on interactions between molecules and protein