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Category: chemistry

Molecular glasses solve long-standing Arrhenius paradox

Glasses are non-crystalline but solid states of matter in which molecules and atoms are not arranged into a regular crystal lattice, but rather in a disordered pattern. Glassy materials are widely used in various settings, for instance, in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and the development of electronics or optical devices.

When studying movement and changes in various materials and substances, physicists commonly rely on the so-called Arrhenius model. This is a mathematical framework introduced by Svante Arrhenius in 1889, which can be used to calculate how temperature affects the speed of a heat-activated chemical reaction or physical process.

Past studies have shown that when the Arrhenius model is applied to molecular glasses, it yields unrealistically small pre-exponential factors. Pre-exponential factors are values that describe the intrinsic timescale of the movement of molecules without considering temperature effects.

Proteins can be selectively controlled with radio waves

In a significant advance in biological quantum sensing, a research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has discovered and tested a new mechanism of action in which proteins can be controlled with radio waves. In doing so, they influence a sensitive quantum state known as spin and make it visible via light. In the future, such findings could help detect and even direct biochemical processes in cells simply from the outside using radio waves.

Until now, quantum sensing has primarily been known from solid-state materials such as diamonds with deliberately introduced tiny defects. The researchers are now transferring this principle to proteins —biological molecules that can be genetically produced and specifically tailored. In the future, this could allow quantum sensors to be built directly into cells or tissue.

These protein-based sensors are potentially particularly well suited for biosensing—that is, for imaging living cells, tissues, or organs. In theory, they sit directly where measurement is needed, making them suitable for studies in organisms—unlike bulky solid-state sensors.

Atomic reshuffle leads to record-breaking catalysts for hydrogen production

Researchers have discovered that atoms can be mixed, separated, and recombined within the same experiment, providing a pathway to a record-breaking catalyst for green hydrogen production. In their study, the team created nanoscale particles containing only a few dozen platinum and nickel atoms and observed unusual dynamic behavior in direct space and in real time. As the two metals separate from one another while maintaining an interface, they become highly active for electrochemical water splitting, leading to efficient hydrogen evolution.

The project was led by the University of Nottingham in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, Diamond Light Source, and Ulm University in Germany. The study appears in Advanced Materials.

Research team leader Dr. Jesum Alves Fernandes, from the School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, said, “What makes this discovery exciting is that we can reversibly tune the structure of the particle while directly observing the process at the atomic scale. This opens a new strategy for designing adaptive catalysts for a wide range of applications.”

Scientists discover inherited traits that break Mendel’s Laws of genetics

A major mouse study found that some inherited traits are passed down through epigenetic changes that break the classic rules of genetics. Researchers discovered hundreds of cases where these chemical DNA marks behaved unexpectedly, including some that seemed to emerge out of nowhere. They also identified the first known naturally occurring paramutation in a mammal, hinting that environmental influences may play a larger role in inheritance than scientists realized.

John Nash (1928−2015)

John Nash was born on June 13, 1928, in Bluefield, West Virginia, a former coal town nestled deep in the Appalachian Mountains. As a young boy, Nash was solitary, bookish, and introverted. His father, John Sr., was a quiet engineer with an incisive mind. His mother, Virginia, also intelligent, was a former teacher who had large dreams for her son, pushing him to read at four, learn Latin, and skip a grade at school.

The first hint of John Nash’s math talent came in fourth grade, when a teacher told Virginia that the boy couldn’t do the math. Virginia laughed, well aware that her son was going down his own path to solve the simple problems. In high school, John solved his teachers’ clunky proofs in just a few elegant steps. He was one of ten nationally awarded winners of the George Westinghose Award, which provided him with a full scholarship to the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He hopped from engineering to chemistry before discovering his passion: mathematics.

He was accepted into Princeton University, which at the time was to mathematicians what Detroit was, and still is, to cars. Nash first wowed his peers with an elegantly playable board game, which his peers dubbed “Nash,” but later reached the market as Hex. He then absorbed himself in one of the sexiest math fields of the day, game theory, which described strategies in competition, whether in card games or business. His deceptively simple doctoral thesis would later re-orient the field of economics, although no one, not even Nash, predicted its potential.

‘Molecular movie’ technology reveals a better way to thwart environmental pollutant

The latest production from the “molecular movie” imaging technology developed at Oregon State University is a new, inexpensive way of dealing with a common environmental pollutant. Based on short-pulse lasers, the imaging technology allows chemical and biological actions to be measured as they are occurring, one high-speed frame at a time.

The measurements occur on the level of the femtosecond—one-millionth of one-billionth of a second. A femtosecond is to a second roughly as a second is to 32 million years.

“We’re able to slow down the observation of chemical processes and understand the exact sequences of biochemical reactions,” said Chong Fang, professor of chemistry at OSU, who unveiled the technology in 2014. “It’s a really powerful tool to study, understand and tune biological processes. Now we have extended the tool set to delineate a wide array of chemical processes.”

AI generates full battery electrolyte recipes, matching top lithium metal battery performance

Battery electrolytes aren’t just one chemical, but a complex mixture of salts, solvents, and additives interacting and reacting with each other. Artificial intelligence has made great headway in helping select ideal materials to go into that chemical soup. But a team from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) is using AI to generate the entire formulation, balancing the complicated tradeoffs and interactions that go into the electrolytes that make batteries possible.

The research is published in JACS Au. It is the next step in the Amanchukwu Lab’s ongoing development of an AI for battery work, ElectrolyteGPT.

“Next-generation battery electrolytes must meet multiple, often conflicting property requirements,” said first author Jaemin Kim. “With the model’s capability of generating outputs under diverse conditions, ElectrolyteGPT is able to generate novel candidates satisfying the desired properties simultaneously.”

Toward cheaper, cleaner hydrogen production

Sobek was born and raised in Argentina, but he also grew up at MIT over the course of three degrees and more than a decade. He first studied aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, then jumped to mechanical engineering as a graduate student, then moved to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, where he worked under PhD advisors and MIT professors Martha Gray and Stephen Senturia. His thesis focused on a technique for quickly measuring optical properties of large numbers of biological cells.

“A lot of my learnings around microfabrication and materials chemistry ended up being really relevant for 1s1,” Sobek says. “A class that was very important to me was taught by Professor Amar Bose. I was a teaching assistant for him for a couple of semesters, and that had an incredible influence on my thinking.”

Following graduation, Sobek worked in microelectronics and microfluidics before founding his own company, Zymera, in 2004. The company developed deep-tissue imaging technology for detecting cancer and other serious diseases.

New eye drops with oxysterol compound (VP1-001) may treat cataracts without surgery

A study from Anglia Ruskin University showed that eye drops with oxysterol compound (VP1-001) may treat cataracts without surgery. The study’s results were published on May 2nd, 2022, in the peer-reviewed journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. A cataract is an eye disorder in which clouding of the eye lens worsens over time and disrupts the quality of vision. A cataract is a disorder in which the proteins in the lens accumulate & make a cluster or cloud. This cloud scatters light and significantly limits its transmission to the retina. Cataract is the most common cause of visual loss in the world. According to the report of WHO (10 August 2023), 17% of people are globally affected with vision impairment due to cataracts at age 40 or older. At present, cataract surgery is the only way for the treatment of cataracts. In this surgical procedure the hazy lens is replaced with an artificial intraocular lens. Including economical burdens, cataract surgery has many complications like inflammation, xerophthalmia macular oedema, and posterior capsular opacificationHowever, a few scientists at Anglia Ruskin University under the supervision of Prof. Barbara, Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine, and Social Care, conducted optical tests on an oxysterol compound that is considered an anti-cataract drug. They prepared new eye drops that could get rid of cataracts without surgery. VP1-001 is a chemical that is in these drops. It works by repairing the protein clumps in the eye lens that make it cloudy. A single drop increased the lens’s clarity and focusing capacity when tested on mice with cataracts. The study’s results were published on May 2nd, 2022, in the peer-reviewed journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. Outcomes of optical tests with eye drops The outcomes were good: 61% of the eyes that were treated were better able to focus due to the improvement in the refractive index profiles 46% of them became clearer and more transparent. Results: This is a huge advance since it means that some cataracts might be able to be cured with drugs instead of surgery. But the drops didn’t work on all kinds of cataracts, so additional research is needed to find therapies that work for everyone. Moreover, these drops aren’t available for individuals now. More research is needed These drops aren’t available for individuals now, but this is a big step forward, especially in countries where eye surgery is hard to get. This study is a hope towards non-surgical treatment of cataracts with the oxysterol compound (VP1-001). Cataract surgery is a safe and effective solution, as it completely replaces the clouded lens with an artificial one. The oxysterol compound (VP1-001) is still in the preclinical stage and not approved for human use. It’s under clinical trials. Moreover, safety testing will be confirmed before public availability. 📌 Published in: Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (May 2, 2022) by Anglia Ruskin University Frequently asked questions 1. What are the types of cataracts? Caract can be classified by many wayss; however, it can be categorised into three types, on the basis of cloud location/formation, that are Posterior subcapsular cataract Age-related cataracts. Cortical cataracts. Nuclear Cataracts. 2. What are the risk factors of cataracts? Age is the major factor of cataracts, especially at 40 or above. other factors include diabetes, smoking, obesity, hypersensitivity, excessive exposure to sunlight, eye injury or inflammation, etc. 3. Are there any eye drops or drugs to treat cataracts without surgery? As of now (2025), there is no approved eye drop or drug that can treat or reverse cataracts without surgery, but research at Anglia Ruskin University showed that the experimental drug VP1-001 (oxysterol-based eye drops) works as an anti-cataract in animal trials. 4. What are the complications of cataract surgery? Many complications, like inflammation, xerophthalmia, and macular oedema, can occur as post-surgical conditions. 5. What is the oxysterol compound VP1-001? Oxysterol compound VP1-001, also known as compound 29, has shown a significant effect on the treatment of cataracts in a trial on mice. It reduces the opaqueness of the lens that may occur due to risk factors like ageing & mutation. Premium SEO Backlinks

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