New catalytic process completely breaks down nylon-6 in minutes

Nylon-6 can be rapidly broken down by a new catalytic process without generating harmful byproducts or requiring toxic solvents. The metallocene catalytic system, which is based on earth-abundant early transition and lanthanide metals, depolymerises the material at unprecedented rates. Using this catalyst, the team was able to recover 99% of the nylon-6’s monomers, which could then be […]

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Lapsed US chemical security programme leaves facilities at risk

There are continued warnings that the US has been without a chemical security programme since late July, leaving more than 3000 high-risk chemical facilities in the country vulnerable to terrorist, cyber- and physical attacks. The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) programme, which was authorised 17 years ago and is managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure […]

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Molecular movie captures DNA repair from start to finish

An international team of researchers has used time-resolved ultrafast crystallography to follow the progress of DNA repair by a photolyase enzyme. The work is ‘the first structural characterisation of a full enzyme reaction cycle,’ says Manuel Maestre-Reyna, who led the research. [embedded content] While many of the stages of this process have been studied before, […]

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Interstellar ices could have been the nursery for building blocks of life

Carbamic acid could have formed alongside stars and planets within interstellar ices and could have served as a molecular building block for complex amino acids. The researchers who conducted the work said the findings could be used to train instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope to search for prebiotic molecules in distant, star-forming regions […]

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Northvolt to bring sodium-ion batteries to European market

Northvolt has launched a commercial sodium-ion battery for static energy storage in Europe. The development comes much sooner than most industry observers expected to see this technology. The Swedish battery maker emphasised that the cells will be free from lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite. Northvolt said its battery would also be safer and more cost-effective than […]

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Are chemicals the elephant in the sustainability room?

If ever there was a time for chemists to show our mettle, this is it. Projections indicate that if the chemical industry continues on its current trajectory, it will be responsible for 24–38% of the total 2020–50 global carbon budget that would give us a fighting chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Or, to […]

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Mid-career fellowship launched by Royal Society with £250 million endowment

A new fellowship for mid-career researchers is being launched by the Royal Society, funded by £250 million from the UK government. The Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships, which will launch in 2024, will support researchers and scientists for up to 10 years to pursue research across science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Royal Society anticipates […]

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New silicon-based protecting group removable with blue light

Researchers in Germany have created the first example of a silicon-based protecting group that is removed using visible light. The new protecting group will allow organic and materials chemists to protect alcohols under mild conditions and without needing UV light. Protecting groups are essential in organic synthesis, allowing modifications to specific positions on a compound. […]

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