American Chemical Society

Toward super-size wind turbines: Bigger wind turbines do make greener electricity

Environmental Science & Technology In a study that could solidify the trend toward construction of gigantic windmills, scientists have concluded that the larger the wind turbine, the greener the electricity it produces. Their report appears in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Repelling the rays: New American Chemical Society video on sunscreens

WASHINGTON, — Just in time for the first day of summer tomorrow, the American Chemical Society’s (ACS’) award-winning Bytesize Science video series is offering a new episode on the chemistry of the sunscreen products that millions of people will slather on their skin during the warm months ahead. The video, produced by the ACS Office of Public Affairs, is available at www.BytesizeScience.com.

Advance could mean stain-busting super scrub brushes and other new laundry products

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research Scientists are reporting development and successful testing of a way to reuse — hundreds of times — the expensive, dirt-busting enzymes that boost the cleaning power of laundry detergents and powdered bleaches that now disappear down the drain. The discovery, reported in the ACS journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, opens the door to new laundry products, like special scrub brushes or reusable enzyme-coated plastic flakes and strips that might be added to cheaper detergents and then saved for reuse.

Ancient effect harnessed to produce electricity from waste heat

Nano Letters A phenomenon first observed by an ancient Greek philosopher 2,300 years ago has become the basis for a new device designed to harvest the enormous amounts of energy wasted as heat each year to produce electricity. The first-of-its-kind “pyroelectric nanogenerator” is the topic of a report in ACS’ journal Nano Letters.

1960s-era anti-cancer drug points to treatments for Lou Gehrig’s disease

Journal of the American Chemical Society A long-used anti-cancer drug could be a starting point to develop new treatments for the incurable nerve disease known as Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), scientists are reporting. Their research showing how the drug prevents clumping of an enzyme linked to ALS appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Good news on using recycled sewage treatment plant water for irrigating crops

Environmental Science & Technology A new study eases concerns that irrigating crops with water released from sewage treatment plants — an increasingly common practice in arid areas of the world — fosters emergence of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause thousands of serious infections each year. The research appears in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Without a scratch: New American Chemical Society video on self-healing plastics

WASHINGTON, — A new American Chemical Society (ACS) video explores materials that mimic the human skin’s ability to heal scratches and cuts in the latest episode of its award-winning Bytesize Science series. The video is available at www.BytesizeScience.com.

Nanomedicines promise fewer side effects in treating cancer

Chemical & Engineering News A new generation of cancer treatments based on nanotechnology is making its way out of the laboratory and into the clinic with the promise of targeting cancer cells while steering clear of healthy tissue, according to the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN). C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.

Antidote for cocaine overdose shows promise in lab tests

Molecular Pharmaceutics Scientists are reporting development and successful testing in laboratory mice of a substance that shows promise for becoming the first antidote for cocaine toxicity in humans. According to a report in ACS’ journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, the new so-called “passive vaccine” reversed the motor impairment, seizures and other dangerous symptoms of a cocaine overdose, which claims thousands of lives each year among users of the illicit drug.

New technique for detecting mold contamination in homes and other buildings

Environmental Science & Technology With mold contamination of homes an ongoing concern – and a special threat to the 2.5 million foreclosed houses in the U.S., shuttered with little ventilation – scientists are reporting a new method to detect and identify low levels of airborne mold. The report, which describes a simple, fast method that could provide an early indication of potential contamination, appears in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.

New secrets from “Bay of the Pirates” warship that sunk 2,300 years ago

Analytical Chemistry A new study puts some finishing touches on the 2,300-year history of the beak-like weapon that an ancient warship used to ram enemy ships in the First Punic War, the conflict between ancient Rome and Carthage. The report, in ACS’ journal Analytical Chemistry, also identifies a major threat that conservators must address in preserving this archaeological treasure for future generations.

One million billion billion billion billion billion: The number of new drugs awaiting discovery

ACS Chemical Neuroscience A new voyage into “chemical space” – occupied not by stars and planets but substances that could become useful in everyday life – has concluded that scientists have synthesized barely one tenth of 1 percent of the potential medicines that could be made. The report, in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience, estimates that the actual number of these so-called “small molecules” could be 1 novemdecillion (that’s 1 with 60 zeroes), 1 million billion billion billion billion billion billion, which is more than some estimates of the number of stars in the universe.

New look and focus for American Chemical Society Pressroom Blog

WASHINGTON, — The American Chemical Society’s (ACS’) Pressroom Blog has undergone a major overhaul to showcase the latest chemistry advances in health and medicine, food, energy and the environment, as well as to provide a glimpse behind the pressroom curtain.

Old herbicides enlisted in new “war on the weeds”

Chemical & Engineering News The emergence of weeds resistant to the most widely used herbicide is fostering a new arms race in the war against these menaces, which cost society billions of dollars annually in control measures and lost agricultural production. That’s the topic of a story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly magazine of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.

Real-life scientific tail of the first “electrified snail”

Journal of the American Chemical Society The world’s first “electrified snail” has joined the menagerie of cockroaches, rats, rabbits and other animals previously implanted with biofuel cells that generate electricity — perhaps for future spy cameras, eavesdropping microphones and other electronics — from natural sugar in their bodies. Scientists are describing how their new biofuel cell worked for months in a free-living snail in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Hazelnuts: New source of key fat for infant formula that’s more like mother’s milk

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Scientists are reporting development of a healthy “designer fat” that, when added to infant formula, provides a key nutrient that premature babies need in high quantities, but isn’t available in large enough amounts in their mothers’ milk. The new nutrient, based on hazelnut oil, also could boost nutrition for babies who are bottle-fed for other reasons. The report appears in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

New process would make anti-malarial drug less costly

Organic Process Research & Development Scientists are reporting development of a new, higher-yield, two-step, less costly process that may ease supply problems and zigzagging prices for the raw material essential for making the mainstay drug for malaria. That disease sickens 300-500 million people annually and kills more than 1 million. The report on the process, which uses readily available substances and could be easily implemented by drug companies, appears in ACS’ journal Organic Process Research & Development.

Beetle-infested pine trees contribute more to air pollution and haze in forests

Environmental Science & Technology The hordes of bark beetles that have bored their way through more than 6 billion trees in the western U.S. and British Columbia since the 1990s do more than damage and kill stately pine, spruce and other trees. A new study finds that these pests can make trees release up to 20 times more of the organic substances that foster haze and air pollution in forested areas. It appears in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Beyond “blood diamonds:” Fingerprinting other conflict minerals

Chemical & Engineering News Blood diamonds may get the most attention. But they are not the only minerals sold on the world market to finance wars and other conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

“Miracle material” graphene is thinnest known anti-corrosion coating

ACS Nano New research has established the “miracle material” called graphene as the world’s thinnest known coating for protecting metals against corrosion. Their study on this potential new use of graphene appears in ACS Nano.