Carbene coating completely cuts corrosion on iron surfaces
A ’molecular double-sided tape’ protects iron from rusting with 99.6% efficiency
Evidence found of nanocrystals lurking in low-density ‘amorphous’ ice
Findings may have wide-ranging implications, from the origins of life to the characterisation of technological glasses
Electrochemistry cleans up nitrate-contaminated water without costly, toxic metals
Atomically-dispersed iron in woven carbon nanotube framework allows breakdown of pollutants
Morphine analogues kill pain with fewer negative side effects
Redesign of the potent painkiller’s core prevents breathing suppression and reduces addiction-related behaviours in mice
AI model links consumer ratings to white wines’ chemical profiles
‘CrystalGPT’ set to enhance how chemists design crystals in silico
Unique Iron Age kohl from Iran differs from that of ancient Egypt
Organometallic compound found to break textbook principle
Boron building block assembles tetra-substituted alkenes like Lego
Silicon-based ‘ladder molecules’ take a step up in complexity
Highlights
Serial femtosecond crystallography reveals protein dynamics in real time
Proteins are constantly moving, but our structures of them are static. Clare Sansom talks to the researchers using free-electron lasers to make time-resolved structures
Carbon in an ice world
Antarctica may seem pristine and almost devoid of life, but there’s plenty of chemistry going on. Victoria Atkinson explains what it can tell us about the climate and pollution across the globe
The young female astronomer who worked out what the sun is made of
100 years ago, Cecilia Payne deduced that the sun is mainly made of hydrogen – but was encouraged to downplay her findings by her PhD supervisor. Mike Sutton takes up the story
Hibernation awakens interest for drug discovery
With many different species entering torpor for a variety of reasons, scientists are looking to their sleepy secrets for ways to treat human diseases. Anthony King reports
How decarbonisation will help the UK’s last refineries survive
Carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen are central to any possibility of supplying liquid fuels compatible with net zero, reports Andy Extance
Topics
‘CrystalGPT’ set to enhance how chemists design crystals in silico
Model for predicting molecular crystal properties is readily adaptable to specific tasks, even with limited data
Unprecedented pentacoordinate oxygen cluster isn’t so new after all
Scientists design a star-shaped dianion only to discover it had probably been synthesised nearly two decades ago
An overlooked bonding motif appears in many more proteins than was previously realised
Covalent nitrogen–oxygen–sulfur linkages could be a new target for potential drugs
Fluorine surprises by becoming heaviest atom ever to quantum tunnel
Strain can unlock electron-donating orbital in tetravalent carbon atoms
Bridging the gap between Hammett parameters and the electronic structure of aromatic systems
AI predicts transition states with exceptional precision
Accelerating chemical discovery through high-throughput experimentation: in conversation with Matthew Gaunt
Unique Iron Age kohl from Iran differs from that of ancient Egypt
Eye makeup found to contain graphite and manganese but not organic ingredients
Iron from single meteorite found in ancient Polish artefacts
Discoveries indicate meteoritic iron was falling out of fashion in the late iron age
Ancient Vesuvius victim’s brain contains first natural organic glass ever seen
Extreme heating followed by rapid cooling formed unique material in a Herculaneum man
This nanotechnology expert works with both plant and brain cells
Could Markita Landry’s research group be any more interdisciplinary?
US charity launches $100 million green chemistry initiative
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to fund seven year project headed by sustainable chemistry pioneer Paul Anastas
Pitfalls in cytotoxicity studies could be tripping up chemists
Team proposes how to broaden and standardise biological testing in sustainable chemical research
Light-driven catalytic system makes ammonia from nitrogen and water
Dual catalyst system operates under ambient conditions, offering a way to reduce ammonia production’s environmental impact
Chemists urged to build a greener future by Stockholm declaration document
‘Father of green chemistry’ Paul Anastas among those spearheading call to action
Filter paper simplifies squaramide synthesis
Capillary-driven flow distributes reagents evenly
Seed oil-based polymer should survive a day in the rain but degrade within years in the sea
Researchers create polyesteramides from brassylic acid and explore their potential as a replacement for polyethylene
Springer Nature launches new tool to spot awkward, tortured phrases
This latest machine learning tool follows ones created earlier this year to detect AI-generated text and flag duplicate or manipulated images
Chemistry ‘deserts’ threaten to push poorer undergraduates out
Course and departmental closures in the UK are creating ‘cold spots’, leaving students high and dry
Researcher severely injured in 2016 Hawaii lab explosion receives £5 million settlement
Thea Ekins-Coward lost an arm in an experiment with unsafe apparatus
Wellcome backing gets project to recreate human genome from scratch off the ground
Effort to synthesise human genome will likely take decades but should provide insight into disease
How do you rebuild your lab after it is hit by an Iranian missile?
Milko van der Boom talks to Chemistry World about dealing with destruction at the Weizmann Institute, saving samples and people coming together