http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/inorganic_chemistry/ Inorganic Chemistry News. Inorganic compounds, gold buckyballs and laser light breaking molecular bonds, read all the latest chemistry articles here. Full-text, images, free. en-us Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:05:01 EDT Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/inorganic_chemistry/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008151102.htm Scientists have successfully produced two-layer thin films where neither layer is superconducting on its own, but which exhibit a nanometer-thick region of superconductivity at their interface. The work is one step on the path toward making useful superconducting devices. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008151102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172144.htm Researchers have developed a technique for measuring a key thermal property of fire-resistive materials at high temperatures. The measurement technique has already been adopted commercially and incorporated into a national standard. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172144.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144327.htm With gasoline at high prices, it's disheartening to know that up to three-quarters of the potential energy you are paying for is wasted. Now researchers have identified a promising new material that could transform a technology that currently cools and heats car seats -- thermoelectrics -- into one that also efficiently converts waste heat into electricity to help power the car and improve gas mileage. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081010102718.htm Scientists have developed a novel tetranitrate ester, which is solid at room temperature, is a highly powerful explosive, and can be melt-cast into the desired shape. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081010102718.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144645.htm Organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) are one of the most promising lighting technology for future lighting solutions. The OLED technology is the first real area light source technology in history. It overcomes traditional restrictions by point source lighting technologies (e.g. light bulbs or LED). Now, scientists have demonstrated an important innovation in OLED lighting: the worldwide first interactive touch controlled flat light source. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008091133.htm Miles below us, deep within Earth's crust, life is astir. Organisms there are not the large creatures typically envisioned when thinking of life. Instead, thriving there are microbes, the smallest and oldest form of life on Earth. Researchers are using a novel approach to uncover the source of organic compounds found deep within Earth's crust; in the process, new ideas will be tested about how petroleum forms from deeply buried organic matter. Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008091133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006170753.htm Researchers in Iran are publishing what they describe as the first study on a fungus that can remove sulfur -- a major source of air pollution -- from crude oil more effectively than conventional refining methods. Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006170753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008095718.htm Scientists have designed a high-speed thermometer that can measure the temperature inside explosions without being damaged in the impact. Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008095718.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008095710.htm In the tiny realm of nanotechnology, scientists have used a wide variety of materials to build atomic scale structures. But just as in the construction business, nanotechnology researchers can often be limited by the amount of raw materials. Now, scientists have avoided these pitfalls by using cells as factories to make DNA based nanostructures inside a living cell. Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008095710.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001145014.htm Providing a glimpse into the infinitesimal, physicists have found a novel way of spying on some of the universe's tiniest building blocks. Their "camera" consists of a special "flaw" in diamonds that can be manipulated into sensitively monitoring magnetic signals from individual electrons and atomic nuclei placed nearby. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001145014.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007102841.htm New research could be used to develop motors that are more fuel-efficient and provide for more environmentally friendly cooling methods. The new data describes properties of thermoelectric materials. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007102841.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925154248.htm A new "graphene-based" material that helps solve the structure of graphite oxide and could lead to other potential discoveries of the one-atom thick substance called graphene, which has applications in nanoelectronics, energy storage and production, and transportation such as airplanes and cars has been created by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925154248.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925114128.htm Scientists are putting the pressure on metal-organic frameworks. Behaving as molecular-scale sponges these MOFs have wide ranging potential uses for filtering, capturing or detecting molecules such as carbon dioxide or hydrogen storage for fuel cells. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925114128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925094759.htm A single fluorescent molecule flashing as it gains or loses its electron has made the microscopic spotlight. Watching a whole gaggle of these molecules, they appear to work synchronously; but a new close-up view reveals mavericks that shine when they seemingly shouldn't. The work sets the stage for a better understanding of the underlying principles of certain reactions common to biofuel production, so-called electron transfer reactions. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925094759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924175200.htm Metal alloys can fail unexpectedly in a wide range of applications -- from jet engines to satellites to cell phones -- and new research helps to explain why. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924175200.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172011.htm Scientists putting the squeeze on thin films of polystyrene have discovered that at very short length scales the polymer doesn't play by the rules. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925083203.htm During its time in the sea bottom of Stockholm harbor, huge amounts of iron and sulfurous compounds accumulated in the wood of the royal warship Vasa. Since 2000 it has been noticed that changes are taking place in the wood, changes that threaten the stability of the ship. Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925083203.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926120531.htm A light-transmitting compound that could one day be used in high-efficiency fiber optics and in sensors to detect biological and chemical weapons at long distance almost went undiscovered by scientists because its structure was too difficult to examine. Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926120531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925144804.htm Smaller. Faster. More efficient. These are the qualities that drive science and industry to create new nanoscale structures that will help to speed up computers. Scientists have made a major contribution to this field by designing a new nanotechnology that will ultimately help make computers smaller, faster, and more efficient. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925144804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922090809.htm Chemists have traded their white coats for swim shorts at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu -- they've shunned the lab so they can swim out to the breakers with a test-tube built into a boogie-board. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922090809.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924162936.htm America's war on terror includes fighting the dark side of deadly chemical agents, chemists are helping with the fight by developing an enzyme that might neutralize one such chemical agent, the organophosphates. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924162936.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922135223.htm Chemists have discovered a novel method to produce ultra-pure gold nanorods -- tiny, wand-like nanoparticles that are being studied in dozens of labs worldwide for applications as broad as diagnosing disease and improving electronic viewscreens. The method removes more than 99 percent of impurities from nanorods. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922135223.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917145407.htm Someday, your car might have the metallic finish of some insects or the deep black of a butterfly's wing, and the reflectors might be patterned on the nanostructure of a fly's eyes, according to researchers who have developed a method to rapidly and inexpensively copy biological surface structures. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917145407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922100450.htm Low-cost, disposable cartridges that would let doctors perform diagnostic tests at the point-of-care could speed up diagnosis and treatment while lowering costs. Researchers are rapidly closing in on that goal. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922100450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922141139.htm Physicists have created the "quantum stabilized atom mirror," the smoothest surface ever, according to an article in the journal Advanced Materials. The innovation is already being used in the design of the world's first atomic microscope. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922141139.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922090805.htm A technology which provides high quality images of the crystallization process marks the next step towards a "right first time" approach to drug manufacture, according to engineers. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922090805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922090807.htm Scientists have forged a breakthrough in understanding an intriguing phenomenon in fundamental physics: the Kondo effect. Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922090807.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916155056.htm By discovering the physical mechanism behind the rapid transport of water in carbon nanotubes, scientists have moved a step closer to ultra-efficient, next-generation nanofluidic devices for drug delivery, water purification and nanomanufacturing. Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916155056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919075009.htm Unique nanostructures which respond to stimuli, such as pH, heat and light will pave the way for safer, greener and more efficient chemical reactors. Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919075009.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080911150101.htm Researchers have achieved a milestone in materials science and electron microscopy by taking a high-resolution snapshot of the transformation of nanoscale structures. Sun, 21 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080911150101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080918171148.htm Research suggests synthetic carbon molecules called fullerenes, or buckyballs, have a high potential of being accumulated in animal tissue, but the molecules also appear to break down in sunlight, perhaps reducing their possible environmental dangers. Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080918171148.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916215213.htm In a finding that could speed the use of sensors or barcodes at the nanoscale, engineers have shown that certain types of tiny organic particles, when heated to the proper temperature, bob to the surface of a layer of a thin polymer film and then can reversibly recede below the surface when heated a second time. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916215213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915210509.htm The inventor of a revolutionary new forensic fingerprinting technique claims criminals who eat processed foods have 'sticky fingers,' which are more likely to corrode metal. This makes them more likely to be discovered by police. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915210509.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915105731.htm Nanotechnology could be the answer to ensuring a safe supply of drinking water for regions of the world stricken by periodic drought or where water contamination is rife. Writing in the International Journal of Nuclear Desalination, researchers in India explain how carbon nanotubes could replace conventional materials in water-purification systems. Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915105731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916154922.htm Researchers have used scanning tunneling microscopy to confirm remarkable changes in the fundamental electronic behavior when double-walled carbon nanotubes are subject to radial deformations and torsional strain. The work reported in Nano Letters reveals that squashing and twisting a double-walled nanotube opens an electronic band gap in an otherwise metallic system, which has major ramifications on the use of carbon nanotubes for electronic and NEMS applications. Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080916154922.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908201843.htm Combining ordinary electronics with light has been a potential way to create minimal computer circuits with super fast information transfer. Researchers are now showing that there is a limit. When the size of the components approaches the nanometer level, all information will disappear before it has time to be transferred. Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908201843.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908101624.htm Scientists have now developed a new method for the production of nanoscopic gold rods. In contrast to previous methods, they have achieved this without the use of cytotoxic additives, using an ionic liquid as a solvent. Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908101624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080912125242.htm Dozens of MIT physicists are waiting anxiously to sift through data from the world's biggest physics experiment, which officially started Sept. 10 when scientists sent the first beam of protons zooming at nearly the speed of light around the 17-mile Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080912125242.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908185129.htm Scientists have discovered a fundamental shift in an enzyme's function that could help expand the toolbox for engineering biofuels and other plant-based oil products. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908185129.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910161900.htm In Abraham Stroock's lab at Cornell, the world's first synthetic tree sits in a palm-sized piece of clear, flexible hydrogel -- the type found in soft contact lenses. Stroock and graduate student Tobias Wheeler have created a "tree" that simulates the process of transpiration, the cohesive capillary action that allows trees to wick moisture upward to their highest branches. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910161900.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080909095135.htm Water’s unrivaled omnipresence and the crucial role it plays in life drive scientists to understand every detail of its unusual underlying properties on the microscopic scale. Researchers now report how water solvates its intrinsic hydroxide (OH-) anion. Unraveling this behavior is important to advance the understanding of aqueous chemistry and biology. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080909095135.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908185324.htm As part of the research to place gadolinium atoms inside the carbon cage of a fullerene molecule for MRI applications, researchers created an 80-atom carbon molecule with two yttrium ions inside. They then replaced one of the carbon atoms with an atom of nitrogen and discovered that the extra electron ducks inside between the yttrium ions, forming a one-electron bond with unique spin properties that can be altered. Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908185324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080907211943.htm Researchers in Switzerland have developed a new method to fabricate borosilicate glass nanoparticles. Used in microfluidic systems, these "Pyrex"-like nanoparticles are more stable when subjected to temperature fluctuations and harsh chemical environments than currently used nanoparticles made of polymers or silica glass. Their introduction could extend the range of potential nanoparticle applications in biomedical, optical and electronic fields. Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080907211943.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910090251.htm Scientists today sent the first beam of protons zooming at nearly the speed of light around the 17-mile Large Hadron Collider. The LHC, located at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, is the world's most powerful particle accelerator. Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910090251.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903134318.htm Researchers from the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory report changes in the melting temperature of solid nitrogen at pressures up to 120 gigapascals and temperatures reaching 2,500° Kelvin. These results, plus observed changes in the structure of solid nitrogen at high pressures, could lead to new high energy nitrogen- or hydrogen-based fuels in the future. Hypothesized nitrogen polymers could form materials with higher energy content than any known non-nuclear material. Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903134318.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080904215624.htm Scientists have discovered a way of stimulating organic molecules that they expect will prompt researchers to create materials from new kinds of chemical reactions. The method of catalysis, when used, could lead to groundbreaking kinds of drugs and agricultural chemicals and will provide a shortcut to standard multi-step methods of chemical production. Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080904215624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080830165628.htm Applied scientists have developed a new technique for fabricating nanowire photonic and electronic integrated circuits that may one day be suitable for high-volume commercial production. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080830165628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828162602.htm Everybody loves the way eggs slide off of Teflon pans. Indeed, the carbon-fluorine bond at the heart of Teflon cookware is so helpful we also use it in products from clothing to blood substitutes. But the very strength of the C-F bond also gives it greenhouse gas effects. In the journal Science, researchers report a catalyst that breaks the C-F bond and converts it to a carbon-hydrogen bond, rendering it harmless to the environment. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828162602.htm