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Chemistry

All articles tagged with #chemistry

Inductive Effect Under Review: New Study Promotes a Molecule-Wide View of Electrons
science1 day ago

Inductive Effect Under Review: New Study Promotes a Molecule-Wide View of Electrons

A Newcastle University-led study challenges the long-standing inductive effect model used to explain how electron density shifts within organic molecules. Using modern computational analysis, the researchers argue that this traditional shortcut doesn’t always hold and propose explaining molecular behavior by considering the overall electron distribution across the entire molecule, not long-range inductive transmission. The finding could lead to updated chemistry textbooks and teaching, with implications for education, drug discovery, and materials science, though it does not overturn organic chemistry as a field.

via SciTechDaily|
#chemistry#chemistry-education#electron-distribution
science16 days ago

Ligand-guided remote desaturation converts simple aliphatic acids into gamma-lactones

Researchers report a ligand-enabled palladium-catalyzed method that activates distal γ-C(sp3)–H bonds in unbiased aliphatic carboxylic acids (from fatty and cyclic feedstocks) using designed O-allyl amido ester ligands, directly furnishing distal desaturated γ-lactones and double-desaturated γ-spirolactones. Mechanistic data support Pd(II)-mediated γ-C(sp3)–H activation, followed by dehydrogenation and intramolecular cyclization; the approach enables rapid assembly of biologically relevant scaffolds (e.g., muricatacin) from simple acids, offering a streamlined route to complex natural products and pharmaceuticals.

via Nature|
#c-h-activation#catalysis#chemistry
Sprayed water rewires aniline into pyridine: a green skeletal editing breakthrough
chemistry17 days ago

Sprayed water rewires aniline into pyridine: a green skeletal editing breakthrough

Water microdroplets enable a reagent-free conversion of aniline to pyridine via a rapid skeletal rearrangement at the air–water interface, suggesting a green route to heterocycles. The proposed mechanism starts with hydroxyl-radical initiation, forms a seven-membered lactone, eliminates CO to revert to a six-membered ring, and oxidizes to aromatic pyridine. The team also converted pharmaceutically relevant anilines to niacin, nicotinamide and isoniazid, highlighting green potential while noting scalability and isolated-yield challenges.

via Chemistry World|
#aniline-to-pyridine#chemistry#green-synthesis
Radical cross-coupling preserves stereochemistry, enabling new chiral building blocks
science1 month ago

Radical cross-coupling preserves stereochemistry, enabling new chiral building blocks

Baran and coworkers report a nickel-catalyzed alkyl-alkyl cross-coupling that forms a C–C bond between a chiral sulfonylhydrazide radical and an alkyl halide without racemizing the stereocenter, achieved via a diazene-cage mechanism. This unusual radical process preserves enantioenrichment in the product, enabling direct access to chiral motifs like piperidines and pyrrolidines without chiral ligands or directing groups, though the method currently works best with cyclic sulfonylhydrazides and requires further scope expansion.

via Chemical & Engineering News|
#chemistry#nickel-catalysis#organic-synthesis
chemistry1 month ago

Non-covalent chiral assembly enables enantioselective hydrogen-atom transfer

Researchers report a new approach to enantioselective hydrogen-atom transfer by in situ non-covalent self-assembly of chiral phosphoric acids with 2-mercaptopyridines, turning an achiral thiol into a chiral HAT catalyst. This modular assembly steers hydrogen atom abstraction and delivery in a photochemical deracemization of 2-aryl pyrrolidines, expanding the accessible space for asymmetric radical transformations.

via Nature|
#chemistry#deracemization#enantioselective-catalysis
Don Gaines remembered as a pioneer in boron chemistry and UW–Madison mentor
obituaries1 month ago

Don Gaines remembered as a pioneer in boron chemistry and UW–Madison mentor

MADISON/BLUE MOUNDS – Donald F. Gaines, 89, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, died May 2, 2026. Born in Caldwell, Idaho, he earned a BS from The College of Idaho, a PhD from Indiana University, and did postdoctoral work in Manchester before joining UW–Madison. He contributed as a researcher, administrator, mentor, and teacher, led the inorganic chemistry division, advised on safety and renovations, and was recognized with the Boron USA Award for Distinguished Achievement in Boron Science in 1990. Gaines enjoyed birdwatching, hiking, canoeing, photography, and music; he is survived by his wife Nancy, two daughters Elizabeth and Mary, and grandchildren Alexander and Julia. Memorials may be made to the Iowa County Humane Society or Blue Mound State Park. Online condolences may be left at Gunderson Funeral Home.

via Channel 3000|
#boron-hydrides#chemistry#donald-f-gaines
From Setbacks to Breakthroughs: Nobel Chemists on Overcoming Failure
science2 months ago

From Setbacks to Breakthroughs: Nobel Chemists on Overcoming Failure

At an American Chemical Society spring meeting, three chemistry Nobel laureates—Jennifer Doudna, David MacMillan, and Omar Yaghi—shared how early-career setbacks shaped their paths to discovery: Yaghi persisted through a year’s failures on a de-coordination reaction before a breakthrough crystal material finally formed; Doudna, who struggled in introductory chemistry, found her passion after discovering RNA-world research and switching focus; MacMillan moved from physics to organic chemistry, ultimately pursuing catalysis that could be performed on a standard lab bench, democratizing the field. Their stories emphasize perseverance, mentorship, collaboration, and aligning work with real-world problems.

via Chemistry World|
#chemistry#mentorship#nobel-prize
Scientists Forge a Half-Möbius Molecule with a New Electronic Topology
chemistry3 months ago

Scientists Forge a Half-Möbius Molecule with a New Electronic Topology

Researchers built a 13‑carbon ring that hosts two isolated conjugated subsystems; by placing chlorine atoms to separate them, the ring spontaneously twists by 90 degrees and becomes a single, fully delocalized 24‑electron system with a unique electronic/magnetic profile distinct from classic Möbius structures. The molecule exists as two enantiomers, which can be interconverted using a small external voltage, a breakthrough reported in Science by Manchester and IBM Zurich teams and signaling a new topological approach to designing matter.

via Live Science|
#chemistry#chirality#electronic-structure
170-Year-Old Shipwreck Beers Reveal 19th-Century Brewing Secrets
science4 months ago

170-Year-Old Shipwreck Beers Reveal 19th-Century Brewing Secrets

Two beers recovered from a 170-year-old shipwreck off the Åland Islands were chemically analyzed. One resembled a light lager, the other a hoppier ale; both had low alcohol content (~2.8–3.2%), high sodium from seawater, and acidic pH. Despite long underwater exposure and oxidation of sulfur compounds, enough original ingredients remained to infer how 19th-century brewers produced beer, suggesting a simpler, less refined brewing process. One bottle cracked during recovery, but divers reportedly tasted beer inside.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#archaeology#beer#brewing
Water-Based Peptide Synthesis Could Cut Waste From Popular GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs
science5 months ago

Water-Based Peptide Synthesis Could Cut Waste From Popular GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs

The article reports that GLP-1 weight‑loss drugs like Ozempic are produced via solid‑phase peptide synthesis using solvents such as dimethylformamide, generating massive toxic‑chemical waste (estimates exceed 123 million pounds annually for semaglutide alone) and affecting over 80 peptide drugs. A Nature Sustainability study from the University of Melbourne proposes a water‑based synthesis approach—using salts and a biodegradable activating method—to enable high‑concentration peptide production in water, potentially reducing environmental impact if scalable, though industrial rollout remains to be seen.

via Futurism|
#chemistry#environment#health