By Beth Mole
Editor’s note: This study has now been retracted.
After an investigation identified scientific misconduct, a notable study that reported a way to reverse a previously irreversible chemical reaction is set to be retracted. Yet, despite dubious data, chemists say the 2011 Science study’s method holds up.
The study, led by chemist Christopher Bielawski, found that simple mechanical force could undo powerful chemical reactions that form sturdy molecular ring structures called triazoles (SN Online: 9/15/11, SN: 12/31/11, p. 24). Bielawski was then a professor at the University of Texas at Austin but has since moved to the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea.