Chemistry
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Chemistry
Minimotor: Single molecule does some work
A single molecule has performed mechanical work—pulling and releasing a cantilever tip—when exposed to light.
- Chemistry
Fluorine atoms used to cut nanotubes
Researchers have found that they can cut carbon nanotubes into short, potentially useful pieces using a technique for adding groups of atoms to nanotubes.
- Chemistry
Unlikely ion made in lab
Chemists have created a molecule—the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl cation—that many researchers thought was too unstable to exist long enough to be identified or studied.
- Chemistry
The True Sweet Science
New techniques and tools are helping scientists elucidate the roles that complex sugars play in the human body and in drug manufacturing.
- Chemistry
Noble gases and uranium get cozy
Chemists have created the first compounds containing both uranium and noble gases.
- Chemistry
Wheat protein smooths ice cream
Proteins extracted from winter wheat keep ice cream smooth by preventing ice crystals from growing.
- Chemistry
A new molecule and a new signature
In two independent discoveries, chemists have prepared a new form of nitrogen and captured the infrared spectrum of an unusual molecule made up of hydrogen and oxygen.
- Chemistry
Viral parts: Chemists convert virus into nanoscale tool
Researchers are decorating viruses with a variety of molecules, making the microbes into potential building blocks in electronic circuits and new materials, as well as tools in biomedical therapies.
- Chemistry
Making silicon naturally: Chemists glimpse organic substance in plankton
For the first time, researchers have found a compound composed of both carbon and silicon within a living organism.
- Chemistry
Detonating silicon wafers can ID elements
Researchers have discovered a way to make certain silicon wafers explode on command.
- Chemistry
New structure reveals catalysts’ details
Researchers have created a new compound that contains a palladium atom bonded in a unique way to six silicon atoms.
- Chemistry
Compounds cool without minty taste
Scientists have created a compound that delivers a more potent version of the cooling sensation of menthol, without the minty taste or smell.
