American Chemical Society

Toward a safer form of acetaminophen

Efforts to develop a safer form of acetaminophen — the pain- and fever-reducer that is one of the most widely used drugs — have led to discovery of substances that may have less potentially toxic effects on the liver. A report on the research appears in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters.

Material in dissolvable sutures could treat brain infections, reducing hospital stays

A plastic material already used in absorbable surgical sutures and other medical devices shows promise for continuous administration of antibiotics to patients with brain infections, scientists are reporting in a new study. Use of the material, placed directly on the brain’s surface, could reduce the need for weeks of costly hospital stays now required for such treatment, they say in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.

New insights into the one-in-a-million lightning called ‘ball lightning’

One of the rare scientific reports on the rarest form of lightning — ball lightning — describes better ways of producing this mysterious phenomenon under the modern laboratory conditions needed to explain it. The new study on a phenomenon that puzzled and perplexed the likes of Aristotle 2,300 years ago and Nikola Tesla a century ago appears in ACS’ The Journal of Physical Chemistry A.

Chemical company giants stall with global economy

The world's 50 largest chemical companies — with combined 2012 sales of almost $1 trillion and products that touch the lives of people everywhere — are the topic of the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

Toward broad-spectrum antiviral drugs for common cold and other infections

Scientists are reporting progress in the search for the first broad-spectrum drugs to combat human rhinoviruses (HRVs), which cause humanity’s most common infectious diseases. Their study on these potential drugs for infections that include the common cold appears in the journal ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters.

Progress in using ethanol to make key raw material now produced from oil

Ethanol from corn and other plants could become the sustainable, raw material for a huge variety of products, from plastic packaging to detergents to synthetic rubber, that are currently petroleum-based. This was the conclusion of an article published in the ACS journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

Insect-inspired super rubber moves toward practical uses in medicine

The remarkable, rubber-like protein that enables dragonflies, grasshoppers and other insects to flap their wings, jump and chirp has major potential uses in medicine, scientists conclude in an article in the journal ACS Macro Letters. It evaluates the latest advances toward using a protein called resilin in nanosprings, biorubbers, biosensors and other applications.

Coping with the global scarcity of clean water

Efforts to cope with a global water crisis that already has left almost 800 million people without access to drinkable water — and could engulf many more in the years ahead — are the topic of the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

An environmentally friendly battery made from wood

Taking inspiration from trees, scientists have developed a battery made from a sliver of wood coated with tin that shows promise for becoming a tiny, long-lasting, efficient and environmentally friendly energy source. Their report on the device — 1,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper — appears in the journal Nano Letters.

Ancient technology for metal coatings 2,000 years ago can’t be matched even today

Artists and craftsmen more than 2,000 years ago developed thin-film coating technology unrivaled even by today’s standards for producing DVDs, solar cells, electronic devices and other products. Understanding these sophisticated metal-plating techniques from ancient times, described in the ACS journal Accounts of Chemical Research, could help preserve priceless artistic and other treasures from the past.

First human tests of new biosensor that warns when athletes are about to ‘hit the wall’

A new biosensor, applied to the human skin like a temporary tattoo, can alert marathoners, competitive bikers and other “extreme” athletes that they’re about to “bonk,” or “hit the wall,” scientists are reporting. The study, in ACS’ journal Analytical Chemistry, describes the first human tests of the sensor, which also could help soldiers and others who engage in intense exercise — and their trainers — monitor stamina and fitness.

Pressurized virus blasts its infectious DNA into human cells

The virus that causes those painful lip blisters known as cold sores has an internal pressure eight times higher than a car tire, and uses it to literally blast its infectious DNA into human cells, scientists are reporting in a new study. Discovery of the pressure-driven infection mechanism — the first in a human virus — opens the door to new treatments for viral infections, they add in a study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Harvesting electricity from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide

WASHINGTON, — A new method for producing electricity from carbon dioxide could be the start of a classic trash-to-treasure story for the troublesome greenhouse gas, scientists are reporting. Described in an article in ACS’ newly launched journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, the method uses CO2 from electric power plant and other smokestacks as the raw material for making electricity.

Discovery of the missing link in evolution of bioluminescence

With bioluminescence — the process that makes fireflies glow — now a mainstay in medical research, scientists are reporting discovery of a “missing link” of its evolution, which represents one of the deepest mysteries about bioluminescence. It paves the way toward development of new enzymes that glow in different colors and are 10, 100 or 1,000 times brighter, they say in ACS’ journal Biochemistry.

Toward anti-odor, anti-bacterial fabrics with the scent of vanilla

A new study has established the feasibility of giving fabrics an anti-bacterial, odor-resistant coating with the fresh scent of vanilla. The technology also could have medical applications in preventing the spread of hospital infections via bed linens and other objects, according to the study, published in the ACS journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

Preventing vitamin B12 deficiency among vegetarians, vegans and the elderly

Older people, vegetarians and vegans should take special care to get enough vitamin B12 through changes in their diets, a review of scientific studies on the vitamin has concluded. In the article, published in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the authors say that many of the best-known sources of vitamin B12 actually contain a form of the vitamin that humans can’t use.

Unraveling the scientific basis of the infant feeding axiom ‘breast is best’

Scientists are making strides toward unraveling the surprisingly complex chemistry underpinning that axiom of infant feeding “breast is best,” according to an article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

Papaya-clay combo could cut cost of water purification in developing countries

An inexpensive new material made of clay and papaya seeds removes harmful metals from water and could lower the cost of providing clean water to millions of people in the developing world, scientists are reporting. Their study on this “hybrid clay” appears in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

Discovery of the ‘Plastisphere’ — a new marine ecological community

The masses of plastic debris that float over large areas of the world's oceans have become new ecological communities that scientists have named the "Plastisphere." Their report in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology suggests that these novel habitats in the North Atlantic Ocean may harbor potential disease-causing microbes.

Toward a safer form of acetaminophen

Efforts to develop a safer form of acetaminophen — the pain and fever-reducer that is one of the most widely used drugs — have led to discovery of substances that may have less potentially toxic effects on the liver. A report on the research appears in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters.