{"@attributes":{"version":"2.0"},"channel":{"title":"Chemistry News - Biochemistry, Polymers, Materials Science ","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/chemistry-news\/","language":"en-us","description":"The latest news stories on chemistry, biochemistry, polymers, materials science from Phys.org","item":[{"title":"A new strategy for assembling \u03c0-conjugated panels into square molecules revealed","description":"A research group has developed a new method for selectively synthesizing three-dimensional macrocycles,\u207d\u00b9\u207e in which four panels are arranged in a square, by connecting planar \u03c0-conjugated molecules\u207d\u00b2\u207e at right angles.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-strategy-conjugated-panels-square-molecules.html","category":"Analytical Chemistry","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 21:40:04 EDT","guid":"news699875636"},{"title":"AI brews a caffeine-powered safety switch for future cell therapies","description":"For many of us, a warm cup of coffee is how we start our day. For Texas A&M Health researchers, it may also offer a new way to control engineered cells in future medicines.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-ai-brews-caffeine-powered-safety.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:40:02 EDT","guid":"news699880081"},{"title":"How 'asymmetric alloying' is creating the next generation of luminescent materials","description":"Metal cluster molecules are discrete compounds containing multiple metal atoms held together by metal\u2013metal and metal\u2013ligand bonding. They serve as excellent candidates for catalysts, biosensors, and even for drug development. Developing atomic-level molecular editing methods for such metal clusters remains an important challenge and represents a promising strategy for expanding their structural and functional diversity. Such approaches can enable structure-specific properties, high near-infrared (NIR) photoluminescence quantum yields, and unique reactivities and electronic structures.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-asymmetric-alloying-generation-luminescent-materials.html","category":"Analytical Chemistry","pubDate":"Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:00:04 EDT","guid":"news699791041"},{"title":"AI-guided catalyst turns CO\u2082 and waste into fertilizer at industrially relevant rates","description":"Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a computation-guided strategy to produce urea more efficiently from carbon dioxide and nitrate. By combining large language models, density functional theory calculations and experiments, the approach identified a cadmium-modified iron oxide catalyst that maintains high urea selectivity at practical current densities.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-ai-catalyst-fertilizer-industrially-relevant.html","category":"Materials Science","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:40:05 EDT","guid":"news699792661"},{"title":"New gold-palladium catalysis mechanism could advance bio-based chemical manufacturing","description":"The building\u2010block chemicals behind everyday products\u2014like shampoo bottles, food containers, and kitchen spatulas\u2014are largely derived from oil. Researchers are now working to replace those fossil\u2010fuel\u2010based inputs with materials sourced from renewable biological systems, a shift with implications for health, economic resilience, and national security.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-gold-palladium-catalysis-mechanism-advance.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:00:05 EDT","guid":"news699717002"},{"title":"A new capability to detect chemical weapons involves two existing methods","description":"In the aftermath of suspected chemical attacks, investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) step in to collect chemical, environmental, and biomedical samples. Thorough forensic laboratory analysis of these samples is essential for proving what\u2014if any\u2014chemical agents were used and verifying their identities.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-capability-chemical-weapons-involves-methods.html","category":"Analytical Chemistry","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:10:06 EDT","guid":"news699726181"},{"title":"Why doesn't coffee taste like caffeine?","description":"Though decaf fans might disagree, caffeine is a critical component of a cup of joe. This compound is incredibly bitter on its own, but regular coffee itself is not. A team reporting in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has investigated why and explains that the answer may lie within interactions between caffeine and other coffee molecules called melanoidins that are produced during the roasting process.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-doesnt-coffee-caffeine.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:50:01 EDT","guid":"news699723901"},{"title":"Programmable chemistry unlocks drugs only in target cells, aiming to cut side effects","description":"Potent drugs like chemotherapy can be life-saving, but often with life-threatening side effects. Notably, they can be indiscriminate, killing both cancer cells and healthy cells in one swoop. Increasing a drug's on-target efficiency can reduce side effects and enable healthier outcomes for patients.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-programmable-chemistry-drugs-cells-aiming.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:40:02 EDT","guid":"news699718108"},{"title":"Cleaner recycling method unlocks reusable plastics from mixed packaging","description":"Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new method to recycle mixed plastic packaging without using harmful chemical solvents\u2014an approach that could make one of the world's most difficult waste streams significantly easier to handle.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-cleaner-recycling-method-reusable-plastics.html","category":"Polymers","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:20:07 EDT","guid":"news699711488"},{"title":"Common plastics soak up ballistic impacts thanks to a cross-linking molecule","description":"With help from a novel cross-linking molecule, MIT chemists have shown they can substantially improve the ballistic impact resistance of common polymers, including polystyrene and a type of rubber used to make shoe soles.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-common-plastics-ballistic-impacts-linking.html","category":"Polymers","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:00:12 EDT","guid":"news699694921"},{"title":"Low-cost method uncovers conical intersections that steer light-driven molecular reactions","description":"Conical intersections are crucial molecular switching points in light-driven reactions, but accurately predicting them usually requires computations. A researcher from Shibaura Institute of Technology has developed a new low-cost quantum chemistry method that can simultaneously describe ground and excited molecular states while efficiently locating these elusive structures. The approach reproduces benchmark geometries with strong accuracy and enables practical simulations of photochemical processes, making it promising for applications in photocatalysis, solar cells, and biological light-response studies.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-method-uncovers-conical-intersections-driven.html","category":"Analytical Chemistry","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:40:01 EDT","guid":"news699550441"},{"title":"Bridged or not? Scientists uncover a key step in hydrogenase assembly","description":"How does nature build one of the most sophisticated catalytic metal centers found in biology? An international team of researchers has now resolved a long-standing debate surrounding the assembly of the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases\u2014enzymes that rank among nature's most efficient catalysts for hydrogen production and consumption.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-bridged-scientists-uncover-key-hydrogenase.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:20:03 EDT","guid":"news699537826"},{"title":"Fast-moving droplets synthesize key drug compounds at room temperature, no catalysts needed","description":"Chemical reactions are the backbone to nearly all biological processes, including those used to make new medicines. However, these reactions can often take considerable time and require harsh conditions or materials\u2014potentially inhibiting the timely development of life-changing drugs.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-fast-droplets-key-drug-compounds.html","category":"Analytical Chemistry","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:40:05 EDT","guid":"news699549421"},{"title":"Microbes turn biodiesel byproduct into three nylon building blocks, opening greener route","description":"Nylon is a representative plastic material used throughout our daily lives, from clothing to automobiles. However, most of its raw materials have been produced through petrochemical processes, resulting in large carbon emissions. KAIST researchers have developed a technology that can produce key nylon precursors in an eco-friendly way using microbes.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-microbes-biodiesel-byproduct-nylon-blocks.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:40:06 EDT","guid":"news699545161"},{"title":"Magnetic field during catalyst synthesis triples ammonia yield","description":"Applying an external magnetic field during the synthesis of CoFe2O4 electrocatalysts triples the ammonia yield during electrocatalytic conversion. The magnetic field alters the surface states of the spinel oxide thin films, making catalytically active sites more accessible. In the journal Advanced Functional Materials, a team led by Marcel Risch at HZB and Sanjay Mathur at University of Cologne demonstrates a scalable strategy for developing next-generation electrocatalysts for efficient and sustainable chemical production.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-magnetic-field-catalyst-synthesis-triples.html","category":"Analytical Chemistry","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:40:02 EDT","guid":"news699544081"},{"title":"'Molecular movie' technology reveals a better way to thwart environmental pollutant","description":"The latest production from the \"molecular movie\" imaging technology developed at Oregon State University is a new, inexpensive way of dealing with a common environmental pollutant. Based on short-pulse lasers, the imaging technology allows chemical and biological actions to be measured as they are occurring, one high-speed frame at a time.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-molecular-movie-technology-reveals-thwart.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:20:07 EDT","guid":"news699543767"},{"title":"Precise polymer 'knots' uncover hidden slack for designing ultra-tough and responsive smart materials","description":"From household plastic packaging to the flexible frameworks that support wearable electronics, polymer materials form the invisible backbone of modern life. At a microscopic level, polymers consist of long, ribbon-like molecular chains that are entangled into a disorganized mass resembling a bowl of cooked noodles.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-precise-polymer-uncover-hidden-slack.html","category":"Polymers","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:20:02 EDT","guid":"news699533461"},{"title":"Fifty-year protein mystery breaks open as acid-driven water loss comes into view","description":"Proteins systematically lose their protective hydration shell when their environment becomes more acidic. Until recently, this was just a theory. State-of-the-art imaging techniques have helped researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) directly observe this process for the first time at the level of the individual water molecule. This has answered a question in biochemistry that had remained unanswered for 50 years.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-fifty-year-protein-mystery-acid.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:40:07 EDT","guid":"news699528961"},{"title":"Synthesized peptides can slip into cells to block hard-to-target protein interactions","description":"Many diseases are driven by proteins interacting with each other inside cells. But blocking these interactions with drugs is difficult because typical \"small-molecule\" drugs often prove to be too small to grip the broad, flat surfaces involved in protein-protein interactions.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-peptides-cells-block-hard-protein.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:00:22 EDT","guid":"news699530402"},{"title":"AI crosses catalyst boundaries to uncover new route for green hydrogen","description":"Discovering new catalysts is one of the central challenges in developing clean-energy technologies such as green hydrogen production. Yet catalyst discovery has traditionally remained confined within individual material families, limiting researchers' ability to transfer knowledge across chemically distinct systems.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-ai-catalyst-boundaries-uncover-route.html","category":"Analytical Chemistry","pubDate":"Sun, 31 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT","guid":"news699204084"},{"title":"'Bio-stickers' speed up plastic breakdown in marine environments","description":"Plastic waste poses an urgent problem for the planet's ecosystems, especially in waterways. Millions of tons of plastic waste enter Earth's oceans every year, and plastic has been found in every part of the ocean, including at the bottom of the deepest ocean trenches.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-bio-stickers-plastic-breakdown-marine.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Fri, 29 May 2026 10:00:07 EDT","guid":"news699265681"},{"title":"New ammonia-making method could upend one of industry's dirtiest processes","description":"As our world's population grows, so does the demand for ammonia\u2014a key ingredient in fertilizer. The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that ammonia production must quadruple by 2050 to feed the increase in global population.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-ammonia-method-upend-industry-dirtiest.html","category":"Analytical Chemistry","pubDate":"Thu, 28 May 2026 19:30:01 EDT","guid":"news699207061"},{"title":"Quantum entanglement provides a new framework for understanding chemical bonding","description":"Chemical bonding is one of the central organizing principles of the microscopic world. It determines how atoms combine and thereby governs a wide range of physical and chemical properties of quantum systems across many length scales, ranging from small molecules and biomolecules to macroscopically large solid materials.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-quantum-entanglement-framework-chemical-bonding.html","category":"Analytical Chemistry","pubDate":"Thu, 28 May 2026 18:50:01 EDT","guid":"news699206701"},{"title":"Are the chemicals around you safe? Researchers are using AI to find out","description":"People are exposed to thousands of chemicals every day\u2014through the products they use, the food they eat and the environments they live in\u2014but only a fraction of those chemicals have been fully tested for safety.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-chemicals-safe-ai.html","category":"Analytical Chemistry","pubDate":"Wed, 27 May 2026 17:20:13 EDT","guid":"news699116221"},{"title":"Revised mushroom toxin pathway could improve poisoning detection","description":"The St. George's mushroom (Calocybe gambosa) is a popular edible mushroom, usually picked in May. Unfortunately, however, it also carries a risk as it can easily be confused with the young deadly fiber cap, which can potentially lead to fatal poisoning. The reason for this is the mushroom toxin muscarine, which is present in high concentrations in the deadly fiber cap. Muscarine is best known from the fly agaric, in which it was first discovered.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-mushroom-toxin-pathway-poisoning.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Wed, 27 May 2026 16:40:07 EDT","guid":"news699113461"},{"title":"New biosynthesis platform could enable bioactive compounds to be labeled, targeted and released on demand","description":"Many medically important drugs originate from natural sources. Microorganisms produce these compounds using highly sophisticated and remarkably precise enzymatic assembly lines. Many natural microbial products belong to a class known as nonribosomal peptides\u2014short chains of amino acids that often possess pharmacologically relevant biological activities, including antibiotic effects.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-biosynthesis-platform-enable-bioactive-compounds.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Wed, 27 May 2026 15:20:13 EDT","guid":"news699111421"},{"title":"Teaching thermodynamic laws to AI unlocks a polymer modeling challenge","description":"For more than half a century, materials scientists have struggled with how to simulate the complexity of polymer materials. An individual chain can comprise tens of thousands of atoms, a melt or composite contains billions, and the properties engineers actually care about, such as how an adhesive grips a surface, how a self-assembling block copolymer locks into a nanostructure, or how a biopolymer film stretches without tearing, emerge only over length and time scales that forcible atomistic simulation cannot reach.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-thermodynamic-laws-ai-polymer.html","category":"Polymers","pubDate":"Tue, 26 May 2026 19:20:07 EDT","guid":"news699029450"},{"title":"Plastic upcycling method turns food packaging into faster-degrading materials","description":"Scientists have discovered a way to convert widely used plastics into new materials with distinct properties that degrade more rapidly. Applying this new process to upcycle existing plastics\u2014such as those used for food packaging and in 3D printing\u2014could contribute to tackling global plastic pollution issues, researchers say.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-plastic-upcycling-method-food-packaging.html","category":"Materials Science","pubDate":"Tue, 26 May 2026 18:40:03 EDT","guid":"news699029371"},{"title":"Polymer strategy boosts lithium battery safety and performance by making plasticizers compatible","description":"The performance and safety profile of lithium batteries has improved immensely over the years, but new technologies are constantly demanding even better performance and increased safety demands due to higher energy densities. Now, a study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, reports on a new method that improves the way plasticizers work with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) in the electrolytes of lithium batteries, further improving performance and safety.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-polymer-strategy-boosts-lithium-battery.html","category":"Polymers","pubDate":"Tue, 26 May 2026 14:20:07 EDT","guid":"news699018076"},{"title":"Protein shape mapping could detect diseases before symptoms appear","description":"A University of Mississippi professor and his team have developed a technology that may one day lead to the early diagnosis of juvenile diabetes and CTE caused by traumatic brain injuries. The technology allows researchers to see and label protein shapes and interactions in mammal blood that can possibly lead to an earlier diagnosis of disease before a person even shows symptoms.","link":"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-05-protein-diseases-symptoms.html","category":"Biochemistry","pubDate":"Tue, 26 May 2026 14:20:01 EDT","guid":"news699016501"}]}}