Category: Spectroscopy

I’ve got a whole new clutch of science news in my latest column on spectroscopy NOW for you this week:

Magnetic insights – A new MRI technique has been developed to allow physicists to see deep within tiny magnets. The technique could improve our understanding of magnetism at the fundamental level and lead to better computer hard drives and perhaps even new small-scale MRI instruments.

Salty solution to desalination – NMR spectroscopy has been used to assist in the development of chlorine-resistant membranes for use in water desalination plants. The new membrane materials could avoid degradation by chlorine disinfectants and reduce operating costs and inefficiencies and so make desalination a more viable prospect on a larger scale in the developing world. I asked the team leader Benny Goodman about the prospects for this system. “We anticipate a 3-5 year timespan to commercialization,” he told me, “The remaining obstacles are to demonstrate large-scale, continuous membrane production and to further tune the chemistry of the materials to be highly rejecting for seawater purification applications.” He added that, “Our current vision is that these membranes would be made in such a way that they could be used to swap out existing membranes.”

Summer screen – Wear sunscreen! It has been the advice of the medical profession, governments, and parents everywhere for several years, and is a topic I’ve touched on in how to sunbathe safely, on Sciencebase. Now, a report published this summer by the Environmental Working Group suggests that many popular sun protection products are at best ineffective, and at worst hazardous to health.

Reflecting on frozen fleas – US scientists have synthesised an antifreeze protein from the Canadian snow flea. The X-ray structure of this, and a synthetic enantiomeric form, could lead to an improved understanding of how this protein inhibits ice crystal formation and could have implications for transplant surgery.

Ordure, ordure! – A new study of soil fertilised with bovine manure reveals that soil quality can be improved significantly compared to that possible with modern “inorganic” farming methods. The study suggests that even poor quality land can be farmed for crops such as maize using manure as a soil improver.

Absorbing work on heavy metal – Chemical analysis and a powerful microscopy technique have been used to work out how toxic heavy metals, such as hexavalent chromium of Erin Brokovitch fame, can be adsorbed on to magnetic nanoparticles. The work could help in the development of a novel remediation technique for water contaminated with the carcinogenic hexavalen chromium.

I’ve got some wide-ranging research to report in this week’s SpectroscopyNOW, including mineral tests, colour MRI, the Agent Smith of prions, and a new approach to spotting doped athletes.

New insights offered by near infrared spectroscopy into the mineralogy of carbonate rocks could help improve the outlook for carbon capture and storage in efforts to reduce the effect of carbon dioxide emissions on the global climate. Although, personally I think the real relevance of this work will be in understanding the mineral found on Mars or other planets rather than some spurious and potentially misguided efforts to control the atmosphere.

Not everything is black and white, perhaps with the exception of MRI. Aside from the artificial colours that can be added by computer, MRI is a technique of contrasts and greyscales. However, that could all change soon thanks to the ongoing development of microscopic magnetic particles by researchers in the US who hope to bring a little colour to MRI.

Meanwhile, NMR spectroscopy (the original molecular MRI) has revealed significant difference between the infectious and non-infectious form of prions, errant proteins that replicate by converting other proteins into copies of themselves. The finding could lead to new insights into how prions cause brain diseases, such as CJD and may one day lead to a way to stop their spread.

Faster and more accurate testing of complex systems such as skin and other turbid media could soon be possible thanks to a laser boost for Raman spectroscopy. The technique has potential applications in pharmaceutical research, forensic science and security screening.

Another analytical boost comes with work being done at Argonne National Laboratory to develop a new super bright source of X-rays that are one hundred million times brighter than any currently operating laboratory source. The sources will open up new avenues in materials science such as the faster and more detailed analysis of high-temperature superconductors.

Finally, in the current specNOW issue, a new analytical approach to testing for testosterone and related steroids in body fluids could spot illicit doping of athletes at coming sports events.

A simpler, gentler eye test based on Raman spectroscopy could spot ocular infection and other problems without irritating patients, although they may be required to yawn during the procedure. Whichever way you look at them, whether through the emotional blur of crying or as lachrymal secretions ripe for analysis, tears are complex. Now, researchers in the UK, have taken a close look at this aqueous solution of proteins, metabolites, electrolytes and lipids using Raman spectroscopy and obtained results that would make any ocular enthusiast cry with joy. Read more about this today in a sneak preview of my SpectroscopyNOW column for June 1.

Also in the June 1 issue – Sunshine monomer – Australian researchers have built a model of the skin pigment that protects us from harmful ultraviolet rays, that could help explain how the pigment can absorb and dissipate the energy of 99.9% of solar UV. Meanwhile crystallographers in the USA may have found a way to side-step one of the most frustrating steps in obtaining a molecular structure using X-ray diffraction, the crystallisation process itself. Instead, they’re using lasers to align molecules in the gas phase so that they can get Bragg-like diffraction pattern with pulses of high-energy synchrotron X-rays. The work could open up protein science in an entirely unprecedented way allowing proteins that cannot be crystallised to be studied with atom-by-atom detail. More on that, here.

More popular science news with a spectroscopic bent from the desk of David Bradley, this week: Heavy metal and Alzheimer’s – While the protein-like plaques that form in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and in other tissues in a wide range of different disorders are well known, what is less well known is that fairly high concentrations of transition metal elements, including copper, iron, and zinc, are also present. Do these metals have a role to play in plaque formation or are they a side-effect. New research using X-ray and NMR spectroscopy could shed light on the issue and perhaps one day lead to new approaches to therapy based on controlling these metals.

Forgetful quanta – Researchers have, for the first time, monitored oscillations in a vanadium-based molecular magnet. These so-called Rabi oscillations are characteristic of the disturbances that have so far prevented scientists developing a viable quantum bit, or qubit, for use in the next generation of probabilistic computers and encryption devices. According to one independent commentator, the research represents the passing of a milestone on the road to quantum computers. Now that scientists understand the cause of this problem they might be able to address it by swapping atoms with spin for isotopes with zero spin and so cut down on the noise.

More spec news from DB and others on spectroscopynow.com

My Alchemist column on ChemWeb is live once again: This week’s award is for science that sheds light on a range of physical phenomena including liquid-metal surfaces and condensed matter. The recipient of the award, Oleg Shpyrko of the University of California San Diego, will receive the 2008 Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award from Argonne National Laboratory. I asked him what the award means to him:

“It is a great honor to have my research recognized in this way but credit should be shared between all of my collaborators, especially the Advanced Photon Source beamline scientists without whom the research simply would not be possible. What makes the APS a truly world-class facility is not just its unique X-ray beam characteristics, but also the outstanding group of scientists working here. The synergy between the users and APS scientists is an absolutely crucial component for the cutting-edge research performed there.”

Meanwhile, in straight chemistry news, nanotubes are feeling the heat of chilies and while analysts are musing on the lack of psychedelics in artists’ tipple absinthe. Also, this week, X-ray studies are helping in the redesign of novel anticancer compounds, while a connection the great British seaside holiday, kelp and iodine as an oxidant is revealed. Finally, plastic lasers could open the door for a new range of spectroscopic and medical diagnostics instrumentation. Get the full alchemical news here.

You may also be interested in science news with a spectroscopic bent where I report on how recycling old computers and electronics can be used to make a new type of feedstock oil for the petrochemical industry.

Recycling of a different kind in which parts from a CD-ROM drive have been scavenged for another purpose could help bring quick and inexpensive DNA diagnostics to the poorer parts of the world. More on that here.

There have been 32 issues of my science news column on spectroscopynow.com since it was last officially called Spectral Lines, but I thought it was a nice name so occasionally resurrect it here when I highlight the latest research findings I cover on the site. It also gives me an excuse to re-use a logo I did in the early days of the site touting the line “David Bradley On Spec” (geddit?).

So this, week the first May issue is brought to you by the letter “F” with articles entitled: Fishing for amines, Fancy ants for arthritis, and Fixing chemotherapy. We also have, Rewiring brains therapeutically, Hybrid contact, and Boning up with Raman, but they don’t start with an “F” so required a separate sentence. Anyway…

Those fancy ants are perhaps not the first organism one would think to turn to for medical assistance, but researchers in Hong Kong and Japan have now used spectroscopy to study the chemical structures of various compounds extracted from Chinese medicinal ants that are thought to have anti-arthritic activity and be beneficial in treating hepatitis. There are lessons to be learned here, regarding the harvesting of traditional knowledge from folk medicine as well as yet another reason to try and conserve biodiversity the world over.

In Rewiring brains therapeutically, Edward Taub and colleagues at UAB use MRI scans to lay to rest once and for all the medical myth that the adult brain cannot grow new neurons. They show that a form of therapy, developed by Taub in the early 1990s for helping stroke patients recover use of paralysed limbs, so-called constraint induced (CI) therapy, really does induce a remodelling of the brain.

And in my Hybrid contact item, I discuss how early attempts to create protein-polymer hybrid materials often foundered because the mixed chemistry was simply not up to the task. Now, a UCB team has developed a new approach to hooking up natural proteins with synthetic polymers that could work with almost any protein and any polymer and could be used to develop new types of chemical sensor for medical diagnostics, quality control and environmental analysis. Related materials might also work as highly targeted drug-delivery systems, or even as the components of a future nanomachine.

I was scanning the commercial world for a change for The Alchemist’s first find this week, and learned that General Electric is hoping to revolutionize OLED (organic light emitting diode) manufacture. A chemical web pioneer is offering a solution making open chemistry commercially viable through the concept of information credits. While firework pollution could go up with a bang if the latest research into eco-friendly pyrotechnics is commercialized. Back down to earth, efforts to inspire girls in science, particularly chemistry, are apparently working, at least during National Girl Scout and National Chemistry weeks. Finally, the FDA is hoping to muscle in on the nanotech world but experts warn that it faces a daunting task with limited resources to approach this burgeoning field.

The Russell Berrie Foundation is the subject of this week’s award, it having donated $28 million to diabetes research with the aim of improving care and perhaps ultimately finding a cure. Find the details in this week’s Alchemist

Also in offsite news, this time in my SpectroscopyNOW.com – more on those green fireworks, how Raman spectroscopy could soon help oncologists predict whether radiotherapy will be successful for treating cervical cancer in different individuals, and the trouble with low-level ozone production.

Video nasties also feature in this week’s SpectroscopyNOW with functional MRI results showing how the brain copes with disgusting images. Apparently, the grin and bear it approach is not nearly as effective as one might think and the method of choice (whether unconscious or conscious) is to reappraise the situation to make what you are seeing not seem so bad.

Finally, two 40-year old stories brought bang up to date as NMR spectroscopy reveals that proteins can shapeshift. This flies in the face of received wisdom concerning protein folding and could lead to a whole new approach to targeting proteins with drugs. Similarly, new X-ray crystallographic evidence finally shows how the anticancer drug bleomycin works. Bleomycin was first isolated from a soil microbe by Japanese chemists in 1965 but its underlying mode of action has remained hidden, until now.

Here are the links to my latest science news stories on SpectroscopyNOW.com, live as of April 1: Green Fireworks, Video Nasties, Raman Rates Radiotherapy Results, Protein Shapeshifter, Clear View of Bleomycin, The Highs and Lows of Ozone.