Kira Welter
Kira is a freelance science writer and editor based in Germany. She grew up in Venezuela, the UK and the USA and studied chemistry at the University of the Andes in Mérida. After working for two years at an energy company, she moved to Germany where she obtained her PhD in chemistry from the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in electrochemistry and physical chemistry. Kira started her science publishing career in 2004 and currently serves as an editor for Chemistry Europe. She has been writing for Chemistry World since 2007, covering exciting advances in many different areas, from energy to antibiotics, molecular machines to nanophotonics, and artificial intelligence to recyclable polymers.
ResearchCatenane with tuneable mechanical chirality created
The chirality of a compact cationic catenane can be controlled using chiral sulfonate anions
ResearchMercury-free electrochemical lithium isotope separation could fuel a fusion future
Vanadium oxide pores selectively sequester sieve lithium isotopes
ResearchTotal synthesis of anti-addictive alkaloid in just seven steps
A streamlined synthesis of the psychoactive compound ibogaine could open up new opportunities in the treatment of drug addiction and depression
ResearchComputer simulations shed light on how material can shrink when heated
New theory offers insights into the origin of the very low and negative thermal expansion observed in cordierite
ResearchIncorrect pKa values have slipped into chemical databases and could distort drug design
Confusion in zwitterionic compounds leads to misrepresented data in widely used repositories such as ChEMBL
ResearchElectrochemical series for materials makes predicting oxidation states easy
Machine-learning trained model could open up new opportunities in materials discovery
ResearchChemical ‘waves’ used to encode words as Morse code
A controllable, oscillating reaction has been used to generate waves of different forms for information transduction
ResearchHarnessing carbene reactivity with light
Two-step photocatalytic strategy produces metal carbenes easily and safely
Research‘Late-stage saturation’ could improve drugs' effectiveness
Approach turns flat aromatic structures into three-dimensional saturated molecules with improved medicinal properties
ResearchNon-antibiotics with antibacterial activity could help in the fight against antimicrobial resistance
New analysis shows that non-antibiotic drugs kill bacteria through mechanisms that differ from those of conventional antibiotics
ResearchAnswer found for why like-charged particles sometimes attract each other
It’s not just opposites that always attract as new research confirms an observation that has puzzled scientists for over 80 years
ResearchWatching molecular ions transform in real time
A new method that combines ultrafast electron diffraction with multiphoton ionisation has captured the dynamics of a cation in the gas phase for the first time
ResearchFleeting phenomenon of water autoionisation pinned down by neural network simulations
Modelling sheds light on a process that has been known for over a century but was tricky to understand
ResearchChemical oscillator’s tick-tock action catalyses reaction regular as clockwork
Small molecule oscillator can catalyse Knoevenagel condensation periodically without affecting the oscillation
ResearchPhotophysical oxidation plays newly discovered role in atmospheric chemistry
Process is likely to be a general mechanism in tropospheric chemistry, especially at low altitudes
ResearchMetallic hydrogen and diamonds may have been made from plastics
A combination of x-ray diffraction experiments and simulations suggests that an intense laser can transform polystyrene
ResearchRecycling wind turbine blades by breaking them down into their constituent chemicals
Thermoset plastics that normally end up in landfill can be selectively depolymerised using a ruthenium catalyst
ResearchMechanochemically accelerated sublimations used to separate chiral molecules
New technique combines ball milling with NMR to monitor sublimations in real time
ResearchNew example of molecular chirality discovered
The first instance of a molecule in which an oxygen atom is the sole stereocentre has been reported
ResearchNew theory provides answers to why metals have the structures that they do
The simple concept shows that a metal’s structure results from chemical interactions between localised electrons, challenging the traditional free electron gas model