The classical drug discovery paradigm begins with a known molecular target: a protein whose modulation is expected to reverse the course of a disease. However, in many pathologies, such a target does not always exist or is not sufficiently characterized.
A research team has developed a novel organocatalysis method based on a silylium Lewis acid. This technology employs an ion-pair catalyst combining a diethylsilylium ion with a weakly coordinating anion, enabling the direct installation of sulfonamide groups into functionalized ketone compounds, including β-ketoesters, which had previously been difficult to react using conventional catalytic methods.
Plants are undeniably one of nature's most promising sources of new medicines, with monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) being a great example. Some intricate compounds are built from multiple-linked chemical units that form highly complex three-dimensional structures. Because of their size and shape, scientists believe such oligomeric MIAs may be able to interfere with specific protein–protein interactions inside cells—a biological target that conventional small-molecule drugs often struggle to reach.
Colors brighten our lives and help define countless items we use daily—from the vibrant clothes we wear to decorative paper and packaging materials. What adds different colors to these things? Dyes, which bind themselves to the structure of the material they are coloring. For example, methylene blue (MB) is a dye used to color paper, leather products, silk and wool, and is also employed as a diagnostic agent and in the rubber and cosmetic industries. But what happens after these dyes have served their purpose?
Exciting new research at Tohoku University's Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR) explains how to transform decades of scattered literature data into computable design rules for catalysts. By using human intelligence, regression models, and AI agents, researchers can accelerate the discovery of efficient, low-cost catalysts for clean energy technologies like fuel cells, water splitting, and CO₂ reduction. By combining these methods, researchers can uncover new discoveries that were hidden in the literature data all along.
Could wound healing dressings adhere better, and could drug delivery patches become more sophisticated? A KAIST research team has developed a technology that leverages natural ingredients derived from plants to increase the strength of a seaweed-based hydrogel (a gel material that contains a large amount of water while maintaining its shape) by more than fivefold, while also controlling its adhesiveness and degradation rate.
Researchers at IMDEA Materials Institute and the Institute of Polymer Science and Technology (ICTP-CSIC) have developed an innovative biodegradable multilayer film capable of protecting and controlling the release of anthocyanins inside the body. Published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, this innovation opens the door to more effective functional foods and supplements for intestinal health.
When researchers want to uncover what atoms make up a material, they turn to a number of tried-and-true spectroscopy methods. Spectroscopy works by shining a specific type of light onto a substance and then analyzing how that light is either absorbed, emitted, or scattered. Every atom has a different way of interacting with light, and scientists study this light-matter interaction to identify the atoms in the material.
Scientists have long known that sunlight helps break down plastic. So, why do plastic products linger for decades and even centuries in rivers, lakes, and oceans—even when bathed in direct sunlight? Northwestern University engineers have uncovered an unexpected answer. The surprising culprit is the water itself.
Electrolysers produce hydrogen. Fuel cells, in turn, generate electricity from hydrogen. Both technologies are considered key building blocks of the energy transition, offering well-established solutions for storing, transporting and producing renewable energy. However, there is a challenge: The platinum catalysts often used in these systems gradually lose performance under high operating loads. In a sense, they "wear out" too quickly, increasing the costs of hydrogen technologies.
Sunlight, water, air and metal-organic catalysts—that could be all it takes. TU Wien has shown how catalyst design can be advanced for solar-driven NH3 synthesis. Without this chemical technology, feeding the world as we know it would be nearly impossible. The Haber-Bosch process, developed more than a century ago, converts nitrogen from the air into ammonia—the key ingredient in most synthetic fertilizers. Today, roughly half of the world's food production depends on fertilizers derived from ammonia, making the Haber-Bosch process one of the most important industrial innovations in human history.
My mother loves butter. It is the primary fat I ate growing up. She smeared it on any kind of bread, potatoes, nut rolls or coffeecake. She baked with it exclusively.
Building the complex 3D molecules needed for new medicines has always been a bit like assembling a puzzle with pieces that keep trying to flip over. Now, chemists at Scripps Research have found a way to snap two such molecular pieces together while keeping their original 3D shapes intact, even when using some of the most reactive molecules in chemistry: free radicals.
One September day, it started to snow inside MIT's Pierce Laboratory. Researchers depressurized a tank of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2), instantly freezing it and releasing solid flakes. These were blended into cement paste and pressed into disks roughly the size of a dime, each sealed with a thin layer of vegetable oil to keep water in and air out. The team trained lasers on each one, observing for the first time the transient chemical reaction that might explain why CO2-injected cement paste gains strength faster.
From paints and inks to catalysts and drug-delivery materials, many advanced technologies rely on substances dispersed in organic solvents. Yet directly observing these materials in their native liquid environments has remained a major challenge, limiting scientists' ability to understand how microscopic structures and elemental distributions influence performance.
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