Chemistry – Page 11 – David Bradley

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.

Spectral science and more

More science news snippets from Sciencebase:

CRISPR X-rays – New on my SpectroscopyNOW column – "It would be exciting if a CRISPR-like system could be transferred into mammalian cells," Doudna told us, "where it might be engineered to silence the expression of deleterious host cell genes, or genes encoded by viral or bacterial pathogens. If this were possible, it could avoid complications of using the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway intrinsic to mammalian cells, which is currently the focus of many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies."
Calculating chemists – New on my SpectroscopyNOW column – A new approach to the calculation of NMR spectra could help organic chemists identify stereoisomers of small, but complex molecules, much more quickly according to theoretical chemists at Cambridge University.
A comet’s tale – New on my SpectroscopyNOW column – Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and detailed analysis hint at how conditions on the early earth might have been ripe for a cometary impact to generate small organic molecules. The study suggests that the formation of molecules akin to the simple amino acid glycine may have been viable. Follow-up spectroscopic studies may demonstrate the validity of the hypothesis.
Just launched: Wellcome Digital Library – The Wellcome Library announced an ambitious plan to develop a world-class digital resource for the History of Medicine. The core of this resource will be digitised content from the Library's own holdings, although funding will also be made available to others to digitise complementary collections for inclusion in the digital library.
Scientia Pro Publica blog carnival – The 39th edition of Scientia Pro Publica! This blog carnival showcases the finest science, medical and environment writing published in the blogosphere
Last nail in the coffin for mercury-autism hypothesis? – There is no link.

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…

Chemweb, A-levels, vuvuzelas again

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

Chemical news – Two years on, a simple color change test emerges from China for melamine in milk, The Alchemist learns. Also, with a Chinese connection, new insights into the mode of action of a former herbal remedy for fever could improve the outlook for malaria drugs. Materials news sees a thin film being stretched to double up its functionality, while applying pressure to another makes it a superconductor. Meanwhile, edible chemistry looks set to open up new applications for the pharma and food industries. Finally, a new way to chemicalize the world-wide web makes its debut online.
Questions for enquiring minds – Sample questions from a 18+ exam paper from the year 2110. E.g. "By means of diagrams or otherwise, explain the operation of the Solar Sea Evaporator built by the Chinese, that simultaneously reduced global warming from 2050 onward, and solved the problem of fresh water for drinking and agriculture. [10 marks]"
Climate change and vuvuzelas change Oxford Dictionary of English – OED gets a few new terms thanks to climate change and the World Cup 2010
100% test for ovarian cancer test – GATech team claims 100 percent accuracy for metabolomic ovarian cancer test
Penn and Teller on vaccinations (NSFW) – Why you should have your kids vaccinated
Does peer review need fixing – Contrary to popular misconceptions about science, it doesn’t progress steadily and inevitably.

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?

Nothing new under the sun, as the bard said, and how true it is sometimes. No sooner had I posted a news article on spectroscopynow.com entitled “Sweet sense of GOD” than Santhosh Challa, a Senior Scientist at Merck & Co in New Jersey, USA, got in touch
to tell me that his team had also recently published work on a similar technique using ionic liquids in glucose sensing. In the “GOD” work, researchers had developed a glucose sensor based on a room-temperature ionic liquid rather than a conventional solvent to give it much better acid-resistance than other sensors used in diabetes and blood sugar monitoring.

Challa and his team seem to have extended the concept somewhat. “In this particular work, we applied an amino acid based fluorescent ionic liquid, that shows not only the capability of differentiating between enantiomeric forms of glucose, but also show the capability of differentiating between different kinds sugars like glucose and mannose,” explained Challa. “This particular ionic liquid is also fluorescent, so its reporting nature is highly useful in sensing fluorescent and as well as non-fluorescent enantiomeric forms of drugs.”

The team also applied multi-dimensional fluorescent studies and statistical analysis to demonstrate that their approach can show these capabilities in the millimolar range. They also explain in detail the studies needed to explain the fluorescence phenomenon and to use the complex spectral properties to their advantage in chiral sugar sensing.

Bwambok, D., Challa, S., Lowry, M., & Warner, I. (2010). Amino Acid-Based Fluorescent Chiral Ionic Liquid for Enantiomeric Recognition Analytical Chemistry, 82 (12), 5028-5037 DOI: 10.1021/ac9027774

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.

DNA search, iPhone chemistry, electronic waste

Latest bookmarked science news, including my current Alchemist column on ChemWeb.com:

How to build a better DNA search engine – The techniques for indexing Chinese language websites could dramatically improve the speed of bioinformatic searches, according to research by SOSO, the third largest Chinese search engine
The chemistry of an iPhone – Steve Jobs responds to conflict minerals accusations, but might not mass spectrometry reveal the truth?
Two angles in that PNAS report that says climate-is-changing crowd bigger, better than nay-sayers – On which side of the climate cred camp do you sit?
Chemistry news on ChemWeb.com – in this week's issue of The Alchemist, resurrecting an old clotting drug could save tens of thousands of lives across the globe, a new strain of yeast can brew up second generation biofuel from agricultural and forestry waste-streams, while bringing order to polymers using metal templates might bring us organic graphite for nano-electronics applications. In bottom-up research, supramolecular chemistry proves itself under the tunneling microscope, while palm-sized magnets could give a boost to spectroscopy in the field. Finally, a Nobel chemist receives the ACS's most prestigious award.
Dell takes steps to tackle electronic waste in India – Dell says it is working with Indian trade association MAIT to start dealing properly with toxic technology waste in India.

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.

My latest SpectroscopyNOW science news

These are my links for June 1st from 19:03 to 19:09:

Therapeutic science – X-ray crystallography has been used to determine the structure of a new, improved protein that could be employed in the purification of therapeutic antibodies and to reveal details of its complexes with antibodies. The work represents an improved molecular design based on greater stability and higher affinity of the protein for its antibody target and could cut costs in therapeutic antibody manufacture.
New species found – Like a previously unknown species emerging into the glare of camera flashlights from the tropical undergrowth or crawling out from under a deep ocean rock, a seemingly simple small molecule, an organosulfur compound called oxathiirane, has been synthesised at long last and reveals itself under infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopic inspection.
Vesuvian revelations – Italian researchers have used a salver of techniques, including microscopic Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray to study powdered pigments found in bowls from the Pompeii archaeological site as well as wall-painting fragments from the Vesuvian region.
Making lithium batteries safer and more powerful – A simple and precise method for “seeing” the chemistry taking place in a rechargeable lithium-ion battery using lithium-7 NMR spectroscopy has been developed by UK scientists. The work might help improve battery design to remedy flaws in this kind of power supply, such as rapid discharge, loss of charge capacity, and their rare tendency to combust spontaneously, potentially a very serious problem for laptop users especially.sc
A good night’s sleep – Even a single night where a person suffers partial sleep deprivation (PSD) is enough to have a negative impact on thinking. A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study suggests that as cognition and affective processing are disrupted, sleep pressure must represent a basic physiological constraint of brain function.
Rice recipe – Heat rice flour to 600 Celsius under a nitrogen atmosphere and then dousing it in concentrated nitric acid is not the usual way to cook it, but researchers in India have done just that. The product, rather than a bowl of light and fluffy grains is a plethora of nanoscopic carbon cubes and bricks, the team says.

Category: Chemistry