PEGylated ligands boost speed and selectivity in mechanochemical arylations
Study highlights the power of tailoring ligands to mechanochemical conditions
Extreme weather likely to increase methane emissions from landfills
Observations and models reveal precipitation and temperature linked to 13% of emissions from these sites
Warming seas impact cell structures that deliver oxygen to coral
Oxygen-sensitive nanoparticles reveal a new mechanism of coral stress
Could AI research assistants speed up scientific discovery?
Google’s Co-Scientist and Futurehouse’s Robin can help scientists generate hypotheses, design experiments and analyse data
Pigeons navigate with ‘gut feeling’ powered by paramagnetic liver cells, study suggests
Scattering technique probes actinide orbitals to present experimental evidence of covalency trend
Repurposed anticancer agent becomes sound-activated antibacterial drug candidate
Boron equivalent of buckminsterfullerene finally observed after decades of research
Small experimental choices undermine flow battery comparisons
25 years ago click chemistry changed science. What happened next?
Highlights
AI agents accelerate catalyst discovery from simulation to scale-up
Artificial intelligence tools are transforming catalyst research, with new AI agents capable of completing in minutes what once took computational chemists days. Andy Extance explores how all scientists can benefit, from small groups to those at tech giants like Meta, Google and Nvidia
Wool’s complex chemistry unlocks sustainable applications beyond textiles
Once the cornerstone of industrial wealth, wool has struggled against synthetic fibres for decades. Now, its versatile protein structure, featuring keratin helices and sulfur-rich crosslinks, is inspiring innovative applications beyond traditional textiles.
How depolymerisation could enable infinite reuse of plastics
Nina Notman discovers how a type of chemical recycling – depolymerisation – could increase recycling rates, reduce plastic waste and enable a more circular economy
The molecular mystery of how we smell
Despite being one of our key senses, the molecular mechanisms of smell remain poorly understood. Mason Wakley sniffs out the competing theories of what may be happening in our noses
The battery chemistry race shaping the future of electric vehicles
Science and global politics intertwine in the rivalry between lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides and lithium iron phosphate
Topics
Could AI research assistants speed up scientific discovery?
Google’s Co-Scientist and Futurehouse’s Robin can help scientists generate hypotheses, design experiments and analyse data
New record set by quantum computing as it models its largest protein yet
Two IBM quantum processors working in concert with two supercomputers simulate a protein–ligand system with 12,000 atoms
‘Human-in-the-loop’ approach could cut costs of robotic labs by 90%
Reducing costs may democratise field by making self-driving labs more accessible
Machine learning cuts complexity of computational calculations in catalysis
Molecules with largest dipole moments aren’t due to electronegativity differences
The quest to understand where atoms end
Mapping tool delivers quantitative visualisations of steric interactions
Google’s AlphaGenome wants to do for DNA what AlphaFold did for proteins
Using light to push stereochemistry uphill
While chemistry usually follows the downhill pull of thermodynamics, Alison Wendlandt is creating higher‑energy stereoisomers in the final stages of synthesis
Shedding light on how photoactive crystals respond in real time
Lauren Hatcher discusses her work developing techniques for time-resolved crystallography
Romans’ hot recipe for self-healing concrete unravelled in Pompeii
Discovery of building materials abandoned at construction site reveals secrets of ancient concrete that can set underwater
Roman-era ink reveals surprising chemical complexity
2000-year-old residue indicates the Romans wrote with iron-gall inks hundreds of years earlier than expected
Handbook of practical advice will help chemistry departments reduce environmental impact, save money
Collection of real-life examples aims to balance environmental and financial concerns
How depolymerisation could enable infinite reuse of plastics
Nina Notman discovers how a type of chemical recycling – depolymerisation – could increase recycling rates, reduce plastic waste and enable a more circular economy
Stringent regulations on dichloromethane are forcing US labs to rethink use of common solvent
As broad ban on DCM is finalised, US labs have either abandoned the chemical or readied themselves for exposure monitoring in November
Sunlight-driven process upcycles polystyrene waste and elemental sulfur into valuable organic compounds
Products could be used as building blocks for semiconductor materials
Green chemistry and sustainable manufacturing in India
Pathways, policies and the role of chemists in building a circular chemical economy
AAAS annual meeting & plasma chemistry
In this episode, we discuss reflections from this year’s AAAS annual meeting, the latest advances in plasma chemistry, and hear the latest headlines.
Socioeconomic background still holding back students in chemistry, RSC report finds
Access is only the first step to making the chemical sciences inclusive
Thousands protest across Austria and Poland calling for governments to back science
Proposed budget cuts and lack of funding have led to demonstrations throughout both countries
Latest White House move to politicise science funding provokes outrage among research leaders
US research community mobilising to push back on proposed rule that would give apparatchiks control of which research gets funded
Why I think it’s time to change how we teach the inductive effect
New evidence challenges the idea of long‑range inductive transmission, highlighting that some textbook explanations of inductive effects are oversimplified and, in key cases, completely wrong
David Leigh wins vote to become next president-elect of the Royal Society of Chemistry
University of Manchester supramolecular chemist said he stood for election to help make case for respect for evidence and free inquiry