http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/organic_chemistry/ Organic Chemistry in the News. Organic compounds, protein engineering, and more. Read all the latest research in the field of organic chemistry. Full-text with images. Free. en-us Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:05:01 EST Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/organic_chemistry/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110070320.htm NASA scientists studying the origin of life have reproduced uracil, a key component of our hereditary material, in the laboratory. They discovered that an ice sample containing pyrimidine exposed to ultraviolet radiation under space-like conditions produces this essential ingredient of life. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110070320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110112440.htm In work that someday may lead to the development of novel types of nanoscale electronic devices, researchers have combined DNA's talent for self-assembly with the remarkable electronic properties of carbon nanotubes, thereby suggesting a solution to the long-standing problem of organizing carbon nanotubes into nanoscale electronic circuits. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110112440.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106102700.htm An international team of scientists has shown how the chemistry of surface reactions underpinning catalysis can be modeled accurately with computers. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106102700.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143712.htm University of Utah chemists demonstrated the first conclusive link between the size of catalyst particles on a solid surface, their electronic properties and their ability to speed chemical reactions. The study is a step toward the goal of designing cheaper, more efficient catalysts to increase energy production, reduce Earth-warming gases and manufacture a wide variety of goods from medicines to gasoline. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143712.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132700.htm Technological advance in the study of gene expression and regulation in the genome's 3-D folding and looping state through the development of a novel technology. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132700.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105132454.htm Scientists are making progress toward development of an "artificial leaf" that mimics a real leaf's chemical magic with photosynthesis -- but instead converts sunlight and water into a liquid fuel such as methanol for cars and trucks. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105132454.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019122840.htm Researchers have previously been able to analyse which sugar structures are to be found on certain proteins, but not exactly where on the protein they are positioned. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019122840.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132702.htm New insight into how nature handles some fundamental processes is guiding researchers in the design of tailor-made proteins for applications such as artificial photosynthetic centers, long-range electron transfers, and fuel-cell catalysts for energy conversion. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132702.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101625.htm Searching for a needle in a haystack may seem futile, but it's worth it if the needle is a hard-to-detect protein that may identify a person prone to a heart attack. Researchers have taken the first steps toward standardizing the measurement of a blood protein whose presence in higher-than-normal levels may predict an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104101625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103145607.htm The common household chemical hydrogen peroxide, also made naturally by living cells, appears to be involved in regulation of circadian rhythms, according to a new study. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103145607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022153633.htm Drugs based on engineered proteins represent a new frontier for pharmaceutical makers. However, even after finding a protein that could become the next wonder drug, the problem of how to produce large quantities in a highly pure state must be confronted. Now, scientists may have a new solution in an enzymatic "food processor" that can be activated at will. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022153633.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029155956.htm DNA samples often convict criminals. But many of today's forensic tests are so polluted by soil, tobacco and food remains, for example, that they can not be used. Now researchers in Sweden have improved a critical part of the analysis process. The first findings indicate that the new method strengthens the DNA analysis so that previously negative samples yield positive and usable DNA profiles. Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029155956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111911.htm A researcher said that developing bio-based adhesives to replace environmentally hazardous materials also could produce high-value products needed to sustain the biofuels economy. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091023104704.htm Chemists have developed a new microscopic technique for seeing, in color, molecules with undetectable fluorescence. The room-temperature technique allows researchers to identify previously unseen molecules in living organisms and offers broad applications in biomedical imaging and research. Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091023104704.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022101542.htm Polluting industrial processes can be made safer with enzymes. But only a short range of enzymes have been available for the chemical industry. Researchers in Denmark have recently succeeded in producing an artificial enzyme that points the way to enzymes tailor-made for any application. Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022101542.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141110.htm Scientists take an important step in converting methane gas to a liquid, giving the potential of making it more useful as a fuel and as a source for making other chemicals. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141402.htm A new article describes a highly simplified model cell that not only sheds light on the way certain real cells generate electric voltages, but also acts as a tiny battery that could offer a practical alternative to conventional solid-state energy-generating devices. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141402.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021154916.htm A small molecule designed to detect cyanide in water samples works quickly, is easy to use, and glows under ultraviolet or "black" light. Although the fluorescent molecule is not yet ready for market, its creators report that the tool is already able to sense cyanide below the toxicity threshold established by the World Health Organization. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021154916.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141119.htm Researchers have successfully created in the laboratory a class of carbenes used to make catalysts. Until now, chemists believed these carbenes, called "abnormal N-heterocyclic carbenes" or aNHCs, were impossible to make. The aNHCs are stable at room temperature both in the solid state and in solution, which means their application as metal-free catalysts is extremely wide, greatly benefiting industry by making possible scores of new chemical reactions. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020181303.htm Physicists, chemists and engineers have demonstrated a novel method for the controlled formation of patchy particles, using charged, self-assembling molecules that may one day serve as drug-delivery vehicles to combat disease and perhaps be used in small batteries that store and release charge. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020181303.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019162927.htm Researchers, using an extremely sensitive tool based on nanotechnology, have detected previously undetectable levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy. With technology 300 times more sensitive than commercially available PSA tests, the researchers found measureable PSA levels in each post-operative patient in its study. After the removal of the prostate gland, patients typically have PSA levels that are undetectable when measured using conventional diagnostic tools. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019162927.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019123107.htm Drugs made using unusual metals could form an effective treatment against colon and ovarian cancer, including cancerous cells that have developed immunity to other drugs, according to new research. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019123107.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091018141718.htm Chemists have discovered a new material that allows a PEM fuel cell, known as a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, to work at a higher temperature. This discovery is extremely important in terms of increasing the efficiency and decreasing the cost of PEM fuel cells. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091018141718.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013205958.htm Scientists in Spain are working on optimizing a type of photovoltaic cell (Grätzel cell) that artificially mimics photosynthesis. Grätzel cells are photovoltaic devices that take advantage of the interaction of a structured semiconductor less than a nanometer in size and an organic dye that acts as a solar collector. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013205958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105819.htm Researchers have solved the structure of a protein complex that helps determine the fate of human cells. Called a RISC-loading complex, this structure consists of small RNA molecules that control whether genetic messages are silenced or expressed. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013210441.htm European researchers who created an ultra-fast, extremely high-resolution video camera have enabled dozens of medical applications, including one scenario that can record ‘thought’ processes traveling along neurons. The Megaframe project scored a staggering number of breakthroughs to create the world’s first 1024 pixel, photon-resolution, million-frame-per-second CMOS camera. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013210441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013112521.htm In an effort to make graphene more useful in electronics applications, engineers have made a golden discovery -- gold "snowflakes" on graphene. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013112521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006134825.htm Electrical engineers have proposed a new scheme that can overcome a critical limitation of high-resolution electron microscopes: they cannot be used to image living cells because the electrons destroy the samples. The researchers suggest using a quantum mechanical measurement technique that allows electrons to sense objects remotely without ever hitting the imaged objects, thus avoiding damage. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006134825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006161812.htm Using computer simulations, researchers have identified some of the pathways through which single complementary strands of DNA interact and combine to form the double helix. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006161812.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161332.htm The first demonstration of a renewable method for hydrogen production from wastewater using a microbial electrolysis system is underway at the Napa Wine Company in Oakville. The refrigerator-sized hydrogen generator will take winery wastewater, and using bacteria and a small amount of electrical energy, convert the organic material into hydrogen. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161332.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006104312.htm Researchers have demonstrated a fully solution-processed organic solar cell with a spray-coated active layer and a metal top contact spray-coated on top. The resulting cell shows power conversion efficiencies above 3%, a performance comparable to organic solar cells produced by spin coating of the organic layer and vacuum evaporation of the top contact metal. This is an important step towards producing organic solar cells with cheap and large-area processes. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006104312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929181820.htm Chemists show that ethylene, a gas that is important both as a hormone that controls fruit ripening and as a raw material in industrial chemistry, can bind reversibly to tin atoms. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929181820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928131020.htm Using an RNA-powered nanomotor, biomedical engineering researchers have successfully developed an artificial pore able to transmit nanoscale material through a membrane. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928131020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090927165441.htm Scientists have identified a novel chemical compound that targets drug-resistant bacteria in a different way from existing antibiotics. The discovery could lead to new treatments to overcome antibiotic resistance in certain types of microorganisms. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090927165441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922185700.htm Inventing a useful new tool for creating chemical reactions between single molecules, scientists have employed microfluidics to make microdroplets that each contain a single molecules of interest. By combining this new microfluidic with techniques to merge multiple droplets, the research may ultimately lead to new information on the structure and function of important organic materials such as proteins, enzymes, and DNA. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922185700.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924101117.htm Scientists develop a new method for improving the functional characteristics of enzymes. The method has potential for wide application in the chemical, medicinal and food industries. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924101117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925092702.htm Research into carbon nanostructures may some day be used in electronic, thermal, mechanical and sensing devices for the Air Force. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090925092702.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922185658.htm After learning how DNA interacts with the novel nanomaterial graphene, researchers propose a DNA-graphene nanoscaffold be used as a biosensor to diagnose diseases, detect toxins in tainted food and detect pathogens in biological weapons, among other applications. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922185658.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922100453.htm Scientists have uncovered what happens to biomimetic nanoparticles when they enter human cells. They found that the important proteins that make up the outer layer of these nanoparticles are degraded by an enzyme called cathepsin L. Scientists now have to take this phenomenon into account and overcome this process to ensure the exciting field of nanomedicine can progress. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922100453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917161742.htm Imagine a car that runs on hydrogen from solar power and produces water instead of carbon emissions. While vehicles like this won't be on the market anytime soon, researchers are making incremental but important strides in the fuel cell technology that could make clean cars a reality. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917161742.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918111054.htm To prolong the "half-life" of biopharmaceuticals such as interferon, biochemists in Germany are combining these small proteins with a molecular "balloon" that swells in the presence of water -- keeping them from being quickly filtered from the blood. The "balloon" itself consists of a biological polymer and can be produced together with the pharmaceutical protein by bacteria. In animal trials, this technology has prolonged interferon's half-life by a factor of 60. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918111054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917111615.htm Researchers in Spain have revealed the process by which proteins with a tendency to cause conformational diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, familial amyloidotic cardiomyopathy, finally end up causing them. The researchers carried out an analysis of their 3D structure and studied why these proteins finally become toxic although they are correctly folded, an indicator that they are functioning correctly. Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917111615.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916103420.htm Scientists are reporting development of a new method for screening molecules and predicting how certain materials, ranging from chemicals used in carpeting to electronics, will contribute to global warming. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916103420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916090856.htm DNA origami just got a new "twist" from Brigham Young University researchers who use DNA strands of customized length to spell "BYU." The advance puts them one critical step closer to building nanoscale electronic circuits. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916090856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910091335.htm Researchers have developed a new way to deliver drugs into cancer cells by exposing them briefly to a non-harmful laser. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910091335.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903064446.htm Scientists have long known that molecules dance about as the temperature rises, but now researchers know the exact steps that water takes with a certain molecule. Results with small, electrically charged cyanide ions and water molecules reveal that water zips around ions to a greater extent than expected. The findings improve our understanding of a chemical interaction important in environmental and atmospheric sciences. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903064446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902133731.htm Chemists and biologists have successfully demonstrated that specially synthesized boron compounds are readily accepted in biologically active enzymes, a move that, they say, is a proof of concept that could lead to new drug design strategies. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902133731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909141639.htm In the 2,000 years since the Roman Empire employed a naturally occurring form of cement to build a vast system of concrete aqueducts, researchers have analyzed the molecular structure of natural materials and created entirely new building materials such as steel. Oddly enough, the three-dimensional crystalline structure of cement hydrate had eluded scientific attempts at decoding, until an MIT team tackled the problem. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909141639.htm