Crystallography – David Bradley

Edible cat litter for drug delivery

Edible cat litter for drug delivery – Having published a bog about bulldogs and cats, seems quite apt that I was also writing recently about kitty litter the main component of which is the absorbant mineral sepiolite. Sepiolite has been known since Roman times when it was used to filter and purify wine, today it's commonly found in cat litter trays. It absorbs huge amounts of liquid as it is so porous although a detailed understanding was missing. Now, an X-ray study could help explain why and perhaps lead to more technological applications, such as the development of food binders and drug-delivery agents.

Science across the spectrum

Penrose, Escher, back – M.C. Escher’s famously paradoxical illustration of 1960 depicting a stairway atop an “impossible” building, and made famous recently in a dreamscape of the Hollywood movie “Inception”, that seems to ascend or descend interminably is a good example of how projecting our 3D world into two dimensions in artwork can be exploited to manipulate our perceptions. The stairway was originally conceived by father and son team Lionel and Roger Penrose in 1959. Now, Japanese chemists have reconstructed the illusion using a single molecule.

Yet another source of antioxidants, in the trees – Researchers in France explain how several species of poplar tree have been used in traditional medicine for their anti-inflammatory properties. They have investigated the sticky fluid that coats poplar buds and demonstrated the presence of various phenolic compounds, terpenoids, flavonoid aglycons and their chalcones and phenolic acids and their esters. The antioxidant potential of these substances might one day be exploited in skincare products or dietary supplements. Once the marketing departments “twig” the benefits, the advertisers will really be able to branch out as long as they can stil see the wood for the trees.

Cystitis clue – UK scientists have revealed the structure of a complex protein called FimD that acts as an assembly platform for the pili of the bacteria that cause cystitis. The structure of the FimD protein means scientists reveals, for the first time, how these pili “hairs” are assembled from individual protein subunits to complete structures. The work offers up a new target for antibiotic drug design.

Taking the lead – It is illegal to use lead as an additive in the manufacture of pewter kitchenware, tableware, drinking cups. However, work in Brazil using atomic absorption spectroscopy not only provides a benchmark for standardizing tests for lead, cadmium and other toxic metals, but reveals that some manufacturers are flouting the law.

Molecular illusions and deceptions. Ascending and Descending Penrose stairs. (Henry Rzepa)
Escher-Inspired Origami
Blog – Beyond Escher: The Art Of Tesselation Revealed

Latest spectroscopy and crystallography

Electric microbes – X-ray diffraction has been used to reveal the structure of proteins attached to the surface of the microbe Shewanella oneidensis, a species found in deep-sea anaerobic habitats. These proteins can transfer electrons making this micro-organism potentially rather interesting as an electricity-generating system. The research could allow researchers to tether bacteria directly to electrodes creating efficient microbial fuel cells or bio-batteries powered by human or animal waste. Such an advance could also hasten the development of system based on microbial agents that can clean up oil spills or provide a new approach to remediating radioactive waste.

Uranium and Raman – Scientists at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Tamil Nadu have carried out the first study of "pure" uranium using Raman spectroscopy. The fundamental research offers new insights into this radioactive metal and may even have implication for developments in nuclear energy.

Magnetic resonance without magnets – US researchers have demonstrated magnet-free nuclear magnetic resonance, opening up the possibility of low-cost, portable chemical analysis. Writing in the journal Nature Physics, the team says that it is just the beginning for the development of zero-field NMR although the team has already demonstrated that it is possible to get, clear, highly specific spectra.

Aerobics and the elderly – Increased physical activity involving aerobic exercise might slow age-related decline according to a new functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study funded by the US Department of Veteran's Affairs. The study shows how the brain's motor cortex changes as we get older particularly in those people who become more sedentary as they do so. However, maintaining a physically active lifestyle can preclude the changes that lead to unnecessary decline.

Slipped disc gel – Viable nucleus pulposus (NP) implant materials for repairing damaged intervertebral discs, comprising novel hydrogels, have been developed and studied using the techniques of Fourier-transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Anyone who has suffered damage to an intervertebral disc in their spine or has a degenerative of the discs will know only too well how debilitating can be the attendant inflammation and pain caused by such damage and pressure on the sciatic, and other, nerves. Alleviating the pain to an extent is sometimes possible through spinal manipulation, physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory agents or surgery. However, there is a pressing need to develop artificial implants that can remedy the loss of the gelatinous filling to intervertebral discs as an alternative to simply removing damaged or diseased discs and fusing the vertebrae.

Maya blue – UV-Vis spectroscopy and various other techniques have been used to analyse the yellow pigments found in Mayan wall paintings. The compounds present are the indigoids, including isatin and dehydroindigo. The spectra together with SEM/EDX, TEM and voltammetry of microparticles show that this ancient people had the recipe for making indigo itself and converting it to Maya Blue and Maya Yellow in a stepwise reaction sequence.

Six science selections

How Radiation Threatens Health – Why and how does exposure to radiation make you ill? What levels of exposure are dangerous and what levels are lethal?
Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power – Quake + tsunami = 1 minor radiation dose so far, says El Reg. Tragic as recent events in Japan have been. We should be building more nuclear reactors not fewer. Global warming caused by burning more and more fossil fuel in coming decades will have a far more detrimental effect on many more people than minor nuclear leaks.
Dog walking ‘is good exercise’ – Owning a dog but not walking it is bad for the dog’s owner as well as the dog. NHS Choices unravels the spin on recent headlines proclaiming dog ownership good for health.
Top banana – Atomic absorption spectroscopy is being used to assess how well banana peel can filter heavy metals, such as copper, from waste water. Preliminary results look promising and could lead to an ecologically sound method of industrial cleanup that uses a renewable but otherwise wasted source material.
Toxic robot – A new high-speed robotic screening system for chemical toxicity testing was recently unveiled by collaborating US federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health. The system will screen some 10,000 different chemicals for putative toxicity in what represents the first phase of the "Tox21" program aimed at protecting human health and improving chemical testing.
Crystal unknowns – Frank Leusen and his co-workers at the University of Bradford, England, have turned to a quantum mechanical approach to help them predict the three known possible polymorphic structures of a sulfonimide. The work could assist crystallographers in structure determination of unknowns

My latest selection of six science stories, picked up by David Bradley Science Writer @sciencebase.

Science news with a spectral twist

My latest science updates on SpectroscopyNOW.com:

Soft solar cell – US researchers have demonstrated that water-gel-based solar devices can act like "artificial leaves" heralding the possibility of soft matter solar energy conversion devices.
X-Ray resistance – An X-ray structure determined by US researchers reveals details of the only remaining class of multidrug resistance transporters that remained to be described. The work has implications for antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, as well as for developing hardy strains of agricultural crops.
Ionic liquids are a gas – A gas-phase Raman spectroscopic study of the "green" solvents known as room temperature ionic liquids has been used to offer a clearer understanding of the nature of their underlying chemistry. The study reveals that in the gas phase each ion of the pair exists as a distinct molecule.
NMR goes up to 11 (and beyond) – A technique to amplify nuclear magnetic resonance signals 50-fold or more can be applied to the surfaces of solid-state samples, according to research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Stable dyes – New dyes that have sharp absorptions and fluorescence emission bands in the red or near infrared as well high molar absorption coefficients and high fluorescence quantum yields could be used widely optical engineering, analytical chemistry, biological imaging and sensors, as well as in materials science.
Noble medical thermometer – "Thermometry based on hyperpolarized xenon sensors improves the accuracy of currently available MRI thermometry methods," the researchers conclude, "potentially it could give rise to biomedical applications of biosensors functionalized for binding to specific target molecules."
It’s like, okay to say like – Teenage vernacular has always confused adults, particularly when the terminology seems to fly in the face of conventional grammar. Of course, any cunning linguist will tell you that language evolves and that yesterday's perfect grammar rule is often tomorrow's quaintly archaic phrasing. Moreover, the errant use of the word "like", which often like litters youthful conversation is merely the current filler word, the um and ah if you will of street and schoolyard vernacular. It's merely a part of yoof culture, innit? Get over it, Emma, why don't ya?
Is chemistry worth it? – One in every five pounds in the UK economy is dependent on developments in chemistry research (£250billion, in other words), according to a new report published today. Science is Vital. It really is. Cut the cuts.
Enjoy yourself…it’s later than you think! – There is a 50 per cent chance that time will end within the next 3.7 billion years, according to a new model of the universe.

Spectroscopy now!

These are the latest science news links and snippets from Sciencebase:

Diabetics drop the needle – A new device based on Raman spectroscopy has been developed by scientists at MIT to help patients with diabetes monitor their blood glucose levels without needing to prick their fingers to take a blood sample.
Pocket spotted – Researchers have identified a new class of chemicals that bind to a previously unknown allosteric pocket-a pocket outside the enzyme active site-and inhibit the enzyme FPPS. The work could have implications for new treatments of bone diseases, Paget's disease and tumour-induced bone degradation.
Infrared watermarks – Water molecules continuously form short-lived clusters that can be rapidly protonated in the liquid state. Now, computer simulations revealed how protonated water clusters interact with nearby messenger molecules, which are required to measure their geometrical structures and the chemical properties by IR spectroscopy.
Dollar signs and the brain – Functional magnetic resonance imaging has revealed a region of the brain about two inches above the left eyebrow that lights up whenever a person anticipating a reward for a task performed successfully is shown a dollar sign. The response is linked to dopamine release in response to pre-determined cues of which a symbol for money is one.
Top ten writing tips for scientists – If you’re more at home with numbers than words, writing can be a difficult prospect. Learning a few simple techniques can make all the difference, according to Sciencebase guest contributor Rob Ashton.
Dental care without toothpaste – Hmmm…they're apparently still testing this toothpaste-free toothbrush, but the blurb says: "The Soladey-J3DX toothbrush is powered by natural sunlight and brings teeth brushing to a new technological plateau. It does away with toothpaste because the embedded solar panel in the centre of the toothbrush can transmit electrons which react with the acid in the saliva to fight plague and bacteria." Like I said. Hmmm…

Spectroscopic science news

These are my links for July 30th from 18:21 to 18:27:

Space balls redux – I've reported on this briefly elsewhere, but here are more details of the research involving infrared spectroscopic data from the planetary nebula Tc 1 in the southern constellation Ara that revealed convincing evidence that the fullerenes, C60 and C70, are present in large quantities in cosmic dust.
Crystallography squared organically – Cyclobutadiene, the smallest cyclic hydrocarbon having alternating double bonds has finally succumbed to X-ray crystallography at least in terms of the determination of an immobilized derivative of the compound.
Aqueous asymmetric acid – Despite nature's abundance of reactions that work in water, chemists have generally had to work with noxious organic solvents. Until now. The first example of asymmetric catalysis with a Brønsted acid in aqueous solution has been reported by German chemists.
MRI monitors anticancer nanotubes – Magnetic resonance imaging can now be used to monitor carbon nanotubes aimed at destroying tumour cells by near-infra-red laser induced heating, according to US researchers.
Smooth support for SERS – The judicious use of SERS-active nanoparticles directly or indirectly can surmount the inherent obstacle in the way of the more widespread adoption of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) studies. Proof of principle in the current work involves activating an organic monolayer by attaching silver nanoparticles.
Nasal spray for diabetes – Could a novel drug delivery agent based on nanotechnology lead to an insulin nasal spray for diabetes sufferers?

Spectral science news

These are my links for July 15th from 12:27 to 12:32:

Herpes invasion – There are eight herpes viruses that cause human diseases. Depending on how they affect us, they result in oral and genital herpes, the latter of which is present in almost a third of the US population. Currently, there is no cure for herpes viruses. Upon infection, the viruses remain in the body for life and can stay inactive for long periods of time. Herpes is also a leading cause of viral blindness and viral encephalitis. An X-ray study has now revealed the unusual structure of a key protein complex that allows a herpes virus to invade cells.
Sweet sense of GOD – A glucose sensor based on a room-temperature ionic liquid rather than conventional solvents has much better acid-resistance than other sensors and so could be developed into a much more robust sensor device for diabetes monitoring.
The banana blues – An intriguing compound found in ripening or senescent parts of the banana plant is a breakdown product of chlorophyll that makes the leaves glow blue under ultraviolet light. New insights into this and related compounds suggest that they are present to attract fruit-eating animals that then spread the plant's seeds.
Iodine analysis – Iodine is an essential part of a healthy diet as it is needed by the thyroid gland for the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones; an excessive intake iodine can lead to thyroid disorders, however. "Seafood, iodized table salt, milk and dairy products are common sources of iodine. Now, a new approach to spectroscopic analysis of foods could improve baby formula milk and other products by allowing total iodine content to be determined more precisely.

Enzymes, chemicals, and metal vapours

Latest science news from yours truly on SpectroscopyNOW.com

Don’t get your kinases in a twist – New drugs that block kinase enzymes irreversibly could be used in cancer therapy as well as in studying how this class of enzymes functions. An informatics analysied has allowed molecular editing to produce novel leads.
X-rays spot left and right handed chemicals – US scientists have made a catalyst that triggers the creation of chemical structures exhibiting a difficult-to-make form of chirality, or handedness, known as atropisomerism, they report in the journal Science. Single-crystal, heavy-atom X-ray analysis of the major product allowed the team to assign an absolute configuration and so demonstrate efficacy.
Palm-sized magnet – German researchers have developed a light, permanent magnet that is suitable for NMR and fits in the palm of your hand. They say it could be used for portable, high-resolution NMR instruments for field studies of important chemicals.
Nano cell for laser science – An international team of scientists have developed a new nano-cell for laser spectroscopy that opens up new ways to study absorption and fluorescence of metal vapours
Six new planets discovered – A veritable menagerie of new planets discovered from ‘shrunken-Saturns’ to ‘bloated hot Jupiters’, as well a rare brown dwarf with 60 times the mass of Jupiter.
First flaming June Alchemist – An old marine alkaloid may find new use in metastatic pancreatic cancer, bitter blockers could be just the thing for nasty-tasting Brussels sprouts, and lotus seed skins offer hope for a food waste product. Also in this week's Alchemist, screening crops for cyanide, gas reactions in crystal lattices, and an award for cellular insights.

Stinging Heavy Metal Resistance

Head-banging science news with a spectroscopic bent from my latest posts on the SpectroscopyNOW ezines, live June 15.

A medical tale in the sting – The venom of the eusocial bee contains three novel antimicrobial compounds known as lasioglossins, which have been structurally characterised by NMR spectroscopy. The compounds offer a new avenue for developing new antibiotics that might defeat drug-resistant bacteria.

Marine surfactant soaks up heavy metal – Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and other techniques have been used to demonstrate the effectiveness of a natural surfactant molecule in removing heavy metals from solutions for potential bioremediation applications.

Topical resistance – Crystallography by UK scientists may have uncovered the mechanism by which quinolone drugs interact with DNA and bacterial topoisomerase and so point to a better understanding of how resistance to this class of drugs emerges in meningitis and pneumonia.

Exhausted grapes fit only for compost – Multivariate analysis of the physicochemical, chemical and biological parameters of winery and distillery composts could point the way to improving the use of these generally intractable waste materials.

Related articles