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Category: chemistry – Page 6

Proteins in cells are highly flexible and often exist in multiple conformations, each with unique abilities to bind ligands. These conformations are regulated by the organism to control protein function. Currently, most studies on protein structure and activity are conducted using purified proteins in vitro, which cannot fully replicate the complexity of the intracellular environment and may be influenced by the purification process or buffer conditions.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a team led by Prof. Wang Fangjun from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), collaborating with Prof. Huang Guangming from the University of Science and Technology of China of CAS, developed a new method for in-cell characterization of proteins using vacuum ultraviolet photodissociation top-down (UVPD-TDMS), providing an innovative technology for analyzing the heterogeneity of intracellular protein in situ with MS.

Researchers combined in-cell MS with 193-nm UVPD to directly analyze protein structures within cells. This method employed induced electrospray ionization, which ionizes intracellular proteins with minimal structural perturbation.

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3D printing is revolutionizing microbial electrochemical systems (MES) by enabling precise reactor design, custom electrode fabrication, and enhanced bioprinting applications. These innovations optimize pollutant degradation and energy production, with significant implications for sustainability and environmental management.

Microbial electrochemical systems (MES) are emerging as a promising technology for addressing environmental challenges by leveraging microorganisms to transfer electrons. These systems can simultaneously degrade pollutants and generate electricity, making them valuable for sustainable wastewater treatment and energy production.

However, conventional methods for constructing MES components often lack design flexibility, limiting performance optimization. To overcome these limitations and enhance MES efficiency, innovative fabrication techniques are needed—ones that allow precise control over reactor structures and functions.

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Deep within certain magnetic molecules, atoms arrange their spins in a spiral pattern, forming structures called chiral helimagnets. These helical spin patterns have intrigued researchers for years due to their potential for powering next-generation electronics. But decoding their properties has remained a mystery—until now.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a to accurately model and predict these complex spin structures using quantum mechanics calculations. Their work was published on Feb. 19 in Advanced Functional Materials.

“The helical spin structures in two-dimensional layered materials have been experimentally observed for over 40 years. It has been a longstanding challenge to predict them with precision,” said Kesong Yang, professor in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and senior author of the study. “The helical period in the layered compound extends up to 48 nanometers, making it extremely difficult to accurately calculate all the electron and spin interactions at this scale.”

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Bacteria have started eating our pollution.

A recent study revealed that a bacterial strain, called Labrys portucalensis F11, isolated from contaminated soil, can break down the exceptionally strong carbon-fluorine bonds in forever chemicals (PFAS), including some of the concerning shorter-chain varieties.

PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of man-made chemicals widely used since the 1950s in numerous products, from nonstick cookware to firefighting foam.

Their widespread use and resistance to degradation have led to their ubiquitous presence in the environment and even in human blood, earning them the moniker forever chemicals. While most remediation efforts focus on containment, F11 bacteria can dismantle these chemicals. Within 100 days, the study showed F11 metabolized over 90% of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, a hazardous form of PFAS. It also degraded significant amounts of other PFAS compounds. This research tracked not just the parent PFAS, but also the resulting metabolites, some of which F11 further degraded. This is crucial, as some byproducts are equally or more toxic.

While degradation is currently slow, future research will optimize conditions for faster consumption, even with competing carbon sources.

The long-term goal is a practical bioremediation strategy, potentially using F11 in wastewater treatment or through bioaugmentation in contaminated soil and groundwater. This research marks a significant advance in sustainable PFAS remediation, offering hope for a future with less “forever chemical” contamination.

Learn more https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2025/01/bacteria-found…cals.html#

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A new stem cell therapy, CALEC, has demonstrated a 92% success rate in regenerating corneas and restoring vision. This breakthrough procedure is still experimental but shows immense promise for those with previously untreatable eye injuries.

An expanded clinical trial that tested a groundbreaking, experimental stem cell treatment for blinding cornea injuries found the treatment was feasible and safe in 14 patients who were treated and followed for 18 months, and there was a high proportion of complete or partial success. The results of this new phase 1/2 trial published March 4, 2025 in Nature Communications.

<em>Nature Communications</em> is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality research from all areas of the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, Earth sciences, and biology. The journal is part of the Nature Publishing Group and was launched in 2010. “Nature Communications” aims to facilitate the rapid dissemination of important research findings and to foster multidisciplinary collaboration and communication among scientists.

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Scientists have discovered a natural compound that can halt a key process involved in the progression of certain cancers and demyelinating diseases—conditions that damage the protective myelin sheath surrounding neurons, such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

A study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry identified a plant-derived flavonoid called sulfuretin as an inhibitor of an enzyme linked to both MS and cancer. The research, conducted in cell models at Oregon Health & Science University, demonstrated that sulfuretin effectively blocked the enzyme’s activity. The next phase of research will involve testing the compound in animal models to evaluate its therapeutic potential, effectiveness, and possible side effects in treating cancer and neurodegenerative diseases like MS.

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Water may have first formed 100–200 million years after the Big Bang, according to a modeling paper published in Nature Astronomy. The authors suggest that the formation of water may have occurred in the universe earlier than previously thought and may have been a key constituent of the first galaxies.

Water is crucial for life as we know it, and its components—hydrogen and oxygen—are known to have formed in different ways. Lighter chemical elements such as hydrogen, helium and were forged in the Big Bang, but heavier elements, such as oxygen, are the result of nuclear reactions within or supernova explosions. As such, it is unclear when water began to form in the universe.

Researcher Daniel Whalen and colleagues utilized computer models of two supernovae—the first for a star 13 times the and the second for a star 200 times the mass of the sun—to analyze the products of these explosions. They found that 0.051 and 55 (where one solar mass is the mass of our sun) of oxygen were created in the first and second , respectively, due to the very high temperatures and densities reached.

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Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have developed an innovative tool that enhances surgeons’ ability to detect and remove cancer cells during cryosurgery, a procedure that uses extreme cold to destroy tumors. This breakthrough technology involves a specialized nanoscale material that illuminates cancer cells under freezing conditions, making them easier to distinguish from healthy tissue and improving surgical precision.

Detailed in the study “Freezing-Activated Covalent Organic Frameworks for Precise Fluorescence Cryo-Imaging of Cancer Tissue” in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the Trabolsi research group at NYUAD designed a unique nanoscale covalent organic framework (nTG-DFP-COF) that responds to by increasing its fluorescence. This makes it possible to clearly differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissues during surgery.

The material, prepared by Gobinda Das, Ph.D., a researcher in the Trabolsi Research Group at NYUAD, is engineered to be biocompatible and low in toxicity, ensuring it interacts safely within the body. Importantly, it maintains its fluorescent properties even in the presence of ice crystals inside cells, allowing monitoring during cryosurgery.

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For years, scientists were baffled by a peculiar problem: why do platinum electrodes, usually stable, corrode so quickly in electrochemical devices? A collaboration between SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Leiden University cracked the case by using cutting-edge X-ray techniques.

They found that platinum hydrides, not sodium ions as once suspected, were responsible for the degradation. This discovery could revolutionize hydrogen production and electrochemical sensor durability, potentially slashing costs and improving efficiency.

Unraveling a Costly Mystery.

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“A good ratio of oxygen to methane is key to combustion,” said Justin Long.

Can methane flare burners be advanced to produce less methane? This is what a recent study published in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research hopes to address as a team of researchers from the University of Michigan (U-M) and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) developed a methane flare burner with increased combustion stability and efficiency compared to traditional methane flare burners. This study has the potential to develop more environmentally friendly burners to combat human-caused climate change, specifically since methane is a far larger contributor to climate change than carbon dioxide.

For the study, the researchers used a combination of machine learning and novel manufacturing methods to test several designs of a methane flare burner that incorporates crosswinds to simulate real-world environments. The burner design includes splitting the methane flow in three directions while enabling oxygen flow from crosswinds to mix with the methane, enabling a much cleaner combustion. In the end, the researchers found that their design achieves 98 percent combustion efficiency, meaning it produces 98 percent less methane than traditional burners.

“A good ratio of oxygen to methane is key to combustion,” said Justin Long, who is a Senior Research Engineer at SwRI. “The surrounding air needs to be captured and incorporated to mix with the methane, but too much can dilute it. U-M researchers conducted a lot of computational fluid dynamics work to find a design with an optimal air-methane balance, even when subjected to high-crosswind conditions.”

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