Chemistry News - July 2009 Archives

'Microfluidic palette' may paint clearer picture of biological processes (7/31/2009)

NIST researchers have created an innovative device called a "microfluidic palette" that can be used to study the complex biological mechanisms in cells responsible for cancer metastasis, wound healing, biofilm formation and other fluid-related processes. ...> Full Article

New method uses electrolyzed water for more efficient fuel production (7/28/2009)

Using electrolyzed water rather than harsh chemicals could be a more effective and environmentally friendly method in the pretreatment of ethanol waste products to produce an acetone-butanol-ethanol fuel mix, according to research conducted at the University of Illinois. ...> Full Article

Scientists refine hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle power plants (7/28/2009)

Under study at Delaware State U. is a promising hydrogen-storage material -- the complex hydride LiBH4. It requires high temperatures to release hydrogen. Dr. Andrew Goudy is seeking ways to destabilize this material so that it will release hydrogen at a practical temperature. ...> Full Article

Purer water made possible by advance (7/27/2009)

By substituting a single atom in a molecule widely used to purify water, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created a far more effective decontaminant with a shelf life superior to products currently on the market. ...> Full Article

Muscular protein bond -- strongest yet found in nature (7/26/2009)

Single-molecule experiments show how mechanical strength in muscles is anchored in the titin-telethonin complex ...> Full Article

Physicists create first nanoscale mass spectrometer (7/25/2009)

Device can instantly measure the mass of an individual molecule ...> Full Article

Biodiesel on the wing: A 'green' process for biodiesel from feather meal (7/25/2009)

Scientists in Nevada are reporting development of a new and environmentally friendly process for producing biodiesel fuel from "chicken feather meal," made from the 11 billion pounds of poultry industry waste that accumulate annually in the United States alone. Their study is scheduled for the July 22 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a biweekly publication. ...> Full Article

Researchers turn cell phones into fluorescent microscopes (7/24/2009)

CellScope project to bring low-cost lab tools to the field ...> Full Article

New windows opened on cell-to-cell interactions (7/24/2009)

Applying biological molecules from cell membranes to the surfaces of artificial materials is opening peepholes on the very basics of cell-to-cell interaction. Two recently published papers suggest that putting lipids and other cell membrane components on manufactured surfaces could lead to new classes of self-assembling materials for use in precision optics, nanotechnology, electronics and pharmaceuticals. ...> Full Article

Cell division find prompts overhaul of immune response modeling (7/23/2009)

Research at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute into the mechanics of how two types of white blood cells grow and die is fundamentally changing the development of computer models that are used to predict how immune system cells respond to a pathogenic threat. ...> Full Article

Protein structures revealed at record pace (7/23/2009)

The structure of a protein in days -- not months or years -- ushers in a new era in genomics research. Scientists have developed a high-throughput protein pipeline that could expedite the development of biofuels, and elucidate how proteins carry out life's vital functions. ...> Full Article

Tires made from trees - better, cheaper, more fuel efficient (7/22/2009)

Automobile owners around the world may some day soon be driving on tires that are partly made out of trees -- which could cost less, perform better and save on fuel and energy. ...> Full Article

HIPS fireproof coatings can really take the heat (7/21/2009)

Tough new fire-resistant coating materials called HIPS ("hybrid inorganic polymer system") are being developed by CSIRO researchers in Melbourne. ...> Full Article

Laser technology creates new forms of metal and enhances aircraft performance (7/21/2009)

AFOSR-funded researchers at the University of Rochester are using laser light technology that will help the military create new forms of metal that may guide, attract and repel liquids and cool small electronic devices. ...> Full Article

'Copernicium' proposed as name for newly discovered element 112 (7/17/2009)

In honor of scientist and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), the discovering team around Professor Sigurd Hofmann suggested the name "copernicium" with the element symbol "Cp" for the new element 112, discovered at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung (GSI Center for Heavy Ion Research) in Darmstadt. ...> Full Article

Researchers achieve major breakthrough with water desalination system (7/16/2009)

UCLA Engineering has achieved a major breakthrough with its new mini-mobile-modular (M3) smart water desalination and filtration system. The M3, which is portable and can be monitored and operated remotely via the web, showed in a recent field study in the San Joaquin Valley that it can desalt agricultural drainage water that was nearly saturated with calcium sulfate salts at up to 65 percent product water recovery; accomplishing this with just one reverse osmosis stage. ...> Full Article

Green industrial lubricant developed (7/15/2009)

A team of researchers from the University of Huelva has developed an environmentally-friendly lubricating grease based on ricin oil and cellulose derivatives, according to the journal Green Chemistry. The new formula does not include any of the contaminating components used to manufacture traditional industrial lubricants. ...> Full Article

New isotope cluster could lead to better understanding of atmospheric carbon dioxide (7/15/2009)

A team of researchers has discovered an unexpected concentration of a certain isotopic molecule in parts of the stratosphere that could have implications for understanding the carbon cycle and its response to climate change. ...> Full Article

New technique can fast-track better ionic liquids for biomass pre-treatments (7/14/2009)

Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute are using the natural auto-fluorescence of plant cell walls to dynamically track how ionic liquids are able to dissolve lignocellulose into fermentable sugars for the production of advanced biofuels. ...> Full Article

A matter of density, not quantity (7/12/2009)

Individual bacterial cells are capable of quorum sensing when confined in small volumes ...> Full Article

Methane-eating microbes can use iron and manganese oxides to 'breathe' (7/11/2009)

Iron and manganese compounds, in addition to sulfate, may play an important role in converting methane to carbon dioxide and eventually carbonates in the Earth's oceans, according to a team of researchers looking at anaerobic sediments. These same compounds may have been key to methane reduction in the early, oxygenless days of the planet's atmosphere. ...> Full Article

2000-year-old statue of an athlete sheds light on corrosion and other modern challenges (7/9/2009)

The restoration of a 2,000-year-old bronze sculpture of the famed ancient Greek athlete Apoxyomenos may help modern scientists understand how to prevent metal corrosion, discover the safest ways to permanently store nuclear waste, and understand other perplexing problems. That's the conclusion of a new study on the so-called "biomineralization" of Apoxyomenos appearing in the current issue of ACS' Crystal Growth and Design, a bi-monthly journal. ...> Full Article

Scientists track chemical changes in cells as they endure extreme conditions (7/8/2009)

How do some bacteria survive conditions that should kill them? In groundbreaking research, Berkeley Lab scientists used the Advanced Light Source to track chemical changes in individual cells as they adapt to extreme environments. ...> Full Article

Researchers demonstrate reversible generation of a high capacity hydrogen storage material (7/7/2009)

Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Savannah River National Laboratory have created a reversible route to generate aluminum hydride, a high capacity hydrogen storage material. This achievement is not only expected to accelerate the development of a whole class of storage materials, but also has far reaching applications in areas spanning energy technology and synthetic chemistry. ...> Full Article

Rampant helper syndrome (7/3/2009)

Methane-producing molecule can also repair DNA ...> Full Article

Printable batteries (7/3/2009)

For a long time, batteries were bulky and heavy. Now, a new cutting-edge battery is revolutionizing the field. It is thinner than a millimeter, lighter than a gram, and can be produced cost-effectively through a printing process. ...> Full Article

The sound of light: Innovative technology shatters the barriers of modern light microscopy (7/2/2009)

Researchers at the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen and the Technische Universitat Munchen are using a combination of light and ultrasound to visualize fluorescent proteins that are seated several centimeters deep into living tissue. ...> Full Article

Engineers developing bulletproof vests from cement (7/1/2009)

Leeds engineer actively seeking other researchers, engineers, scientists, designers or even sculptors and artists who also have ideas for new uses for cement ...> Full Article