Minority Report-esque AI predicts new designer drugs before they’re made
Machine learning program accurately predicts structure of unknown psychoactive substances from mass spectra alone
First firm evidence for ferroelectric ice
Water becomes electrically polarised when sandwiched between graphene sheets
Molecular Newton’s cradle challenges theory of transition states
Nanoscale trick-shot sees fluorine atoms knocked along chain
Record-breaking hexagon made out of fused aromatic rings
90 rings form the largest structure of its kind ever made
Textbook electronegativity model fails when it comes to carbon–halogen bond strengths
Computational analysis finds that it’s size, not electronegativity differences, determining bond strength within periodic table groups
Dearomatisation, but without nasty reagents
New Birch reduction protocol creates solvated electrons without the dangerous combination of liquid ammonia and alkali metal
Triple Leidenfrost effect found in bouncing droplet pairs
Droplets of different liquids placed on a hot surface perform a bouncy dance before merging – sometimes with explosive results
Electrostatic origins of specific ion effects revealed
Ion–solvent Coulomb interactions explain ordering of Hofmeister series, new study claims
Doubly negative dianions can form π hole bonds too
Researchers report an attractive interaction between two doubly negative dianions for the first time
Quantum double-slit experiment done with molecules for the first time
Researchers prepare ‘new type of matter’ to conduct classic wave–particle duality experiment
Perovskite frozen in MOF glass glows in rainbow colours
Porous material preserves lead halide perovskite’s luminescent form while tailoring emission colour
First carbon-making microbes discovered
Mysterious black material produced by deep sea archaea and bacteria found to be carbon
Double aromaticity puts a hex on gallium
Planar hexacoordinate cluster isn’t stable when other group 13 elements replace gallium
Calls for clarity from EU universities over UK’s association to Horizon Europe
Bodies representing over 1000 universities want guarantee of UK involvement in European research programme
Jet fuel from sunlight and air could decarbonise the aviation industry
Larger versions of rooftop refinery could satisfy global demand for kerosene – if the sector commits to technological changes
Burning metal to make clean energy
An unlikely sounding technology that is greener than you might think
Gallium helps sneak antibiotic payload into bacterial cells
Compound is more potent than parent drug ciprofloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus
Glassware found to promote reactions in Miller–Urey 'primordial soup' experiment
By running their famous 1952 experiment in glass flasks, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey might have unintentionally simulated the role of rocks on early Earth
Water filter that uses milk protein to catch arsenic achieves positive results in Peru
Cheap technology tested in real-life conditions
Model performs reality check on adsorbents for carbon capture
Tool could save researchers time by assessing new materials from a variety of angles
Are organic chemists discovering fewer reactions than they were decades ago?
Analysis of millions of transformations reveals reliance on popular methods – and the rise of complex reactions
Plasma-based approach leads to more reactive oxygen donors for alkene epoxidation
Yield of epoxidation reaction increased, and waste reduced, by using CO2-derived atomic oxygen and plasma-based conditions
Individual proteins identified with world’s tiniest ruler
Nanosized caliper that can identify individual proteins could ‘do for proteins what next-generation sequencing did for DNA’
Wood made foldable and stronger than steel
Next-level modification sees natural material made into knives, nails and honeycomb structures that can carry the weight of a car
Flawless quasicrystals may be possible to synthesise simply
Cutting misalignment should allow perfect structures to form
Clippanes join rotaxanes and catenanes in mechanically interlocked molecule family
Keck-clip molecules consist of two entangled gold–carbene metallotweezers
Polymerisation used to synthesise 2D material inside living cells
Sheets are larger than those cells can take up and the technique could find uses in imaging
Meltable MOF glass made with ionic liquid
New family of glassy porous materials can be melted and moulded into any shape