American Chemical Society, ACS is a congressionally chartered independent membership organization which represents professionals at all degree levels and in all fields of chemistry and sciences that involve chemistry.
Wearable sensors that track heart rate or steps are popular fitness products. But in the future, working up a good sweat could provide useful information about a person’s health. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have developed a headband that measures electrolyte levels in sweat. And unlike many previous sweat sensors, the device can heal itself when cut or scratched during exercise.
Saccharin received a bad rap after studies in the 1970s linked consumption of large amounts of the artificial sweetener to bladder cancer in laboratory rats. Later, research revealed that these findings were not relevant to people. And in a complete turnabout, recent studies indicate that saccharin can actually kill human cancer cells. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Journal of Medicinal Chemistry have made artificial sweetener derivatives that show improved activity against two tumor-associated enzymes.
As computers continue to infiltrate almost every aspect of modern life, their negative impact on the environment grows. According to recent estimates, the electricity required to power today’s computers releases a total of more than 1 gigatonne of carbon emissions to the atmosphere each year. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a new manufacturing process that could enable ultra-efficient atomic computers that store more data and consume 100 times less power.
The endangered Sunda pangolin, or “scaly anteater,” is a widely trafficked mammal, prized in some cultures for its meat and scales. Little is known about these animals, and raising rescued pangolins is tricky. In the wild, they eat termites and ants, but diets provided in captivity often make them sick. Now, a study in ACS Omega reports that pangolins lack some common digestive enzymes, which could explain why some diets don’t work well for them.
Mountaineers and winter sports enthusiasts know the dangers of frostbite –– the tissue damage that can occur when extremities, such as the nose, ears, fingers and toes, are exposed to very cold temperatures. However, it can be difficult to get treated quickly in remote, snowbound areas. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering have developed a convenient gel that could be sprayed onto frostbite injuries when they occur, helping wounds heal.
Most people spend the majority of their time at home, yet little is known about the air they breathe inside their houses. That’s why some atmospheric chemists are turning their attention toward indoor air, using tools developed for monitoring pollutants outside. By cataloguing compounds in indoor air, scientists could someday link them with health effects, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.
When it comes to electronics, bigger usually isn’t better. This is especially true for a new generation of wearable communication systems that promise to connect people, machines and other objects in a wireless “internet of things.”
Unlike wine, which generally improves with time, beer does not age well. Usually within a year of bottling, the beverage starts to develop an unpleasant papery or cardboard-like flavor that drinkers describe as “stale.” Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have engineered lager yeast to make more molecules that protect beer against staling, resulting in improved flavor stability.
WASHINGTON — When you die, many things can be done with your body –– embalming, cremation, donation to science and so on. But some people will choose to have their dead bodies, or parts thereof, frozen until technology has advanced enough to bring them back to life. This week on Reactions, we break down the chemistry of cryogenic freezing and whether it’s realistic to think we could ever reanimate a frozen corpse:
Most people think of carbon monoxide as harmful, and with good reason — the colorless, odorless gas sends 50,000 people in the U.S. to hospitals each year when their furnaces malfunction or car engines run in poorly ventilated spaces. But at low concentrations, carbon monoxide has a beneficial side that scientists are trying to harness to treat diseases, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.
Whether it’s chocolate cake or pasta sauce, the sensation of sweetness plays a major role in the human diet and the perception of other flavors. While a lot is known about the individual proteins that signal “sweet,” not much is known about how the proteins work together as a receptor to accomplish this feat. Now, in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, researchers report a molecular look at the receptor, which could someday lead to better-tasting food.
Building materials that clean themselves could save immense time and labor in homes and businesses, as well as reduce disease risk in settings such as hospitals. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have made a new type of concrete that is strong, heat-insulating and soundproof –– and best of all, liquids like milk and coffee bounce right off of it, taking dust particles with them. Watch a video of the self-cleaning concrete here.
Old books give off a complex mélange of odors, ranging from pleasant (almonds, caramel and chocolate) to nasty (formaldehyde, old clothes and trash). Detecting early signs of paper degradation could help guide preservation efforts, but most techniques destroy the very paper historians want to save. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Sensors have developed an electronic nose that can non-destructively sniff out odors emitted by books of different paper compositions, conditions and ages.
To seamlessly integrate electronics with the natural world, materials are needed that are both stretchable and degradable –– for example, flexible medical devices that conform to the surfaces of internal organs, but that dissolve and disappear when no longer needed. However, introducing these properties to electronics has been challenging. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed stretchable, degradable semiconductors that could someday find applications in health and environmental monitoring.
Plastics pervade almost every aspect of modern life, but once they have served their purpose, it’s tough to get rid of them. That’s because the polymers degrade very slowly in landfills or the environment, and recycling is inefficient. Now researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed a catalyst that can transform polyethylene –– the type of plastic used to make grocery bags and other packaging –– into high-quality liquid products, such as motor oils and waxes.
Peptides are the hottest area of new drug development. Medications derived from these “short” naturally occurring proteins – a midpoint between small molecules and large antibodies — are highly targeted and often much less toxic than other treatments.
It’s no wonder, then, that peptide-derived drugs have become a $20 billion market, expected to grow to $43 billion by 2024, according to Zion Market Research.
Imagine a runner who doesn’t need to carry a stopwatch or cell phone to check her time: She could just gaze at the glowing stopwatch display on the back of her hand. Such human-machine interfaces are no longer science fiction, but they still have a way to go before becoming mainstream. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Materials Letters have developed a stretchable light-emitting device that operates at low voltages and is safe for human skin.
Would that ice-cold bottle of soda taste as refreshing, knowing that it contains 65 grams (5 tablespoons) of added sugar? With a new U.S. food-labeling policy set to kick in, public health groups are banking on the answer being “no.” Meanwhile, food companies hoping to keep customers happy are searching high and low for sweet new molecules, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.
Perhaps best known to Breaking Bad viewers as a dangerous substance, hydrogen fluoride is also useful in a variety of industrial applications, such as the production of non-stick surfaces, refrigerants and pharmaceuticals. If you want to know more about the chemistry of hydrogen fluoride, a compound often mentioned in news stories about trade tensions in Asia, watch this video:
Whether it’s chocolate cake or pasta sauce, the sensation of sweetness plays a major role in the human diet and the perception of other flavors. While a lot is known about the individual proteins that signal “sweet,” not much is known about how the proteins work together as a receptor to accomplish this feat. Now, in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, researchers report a molecular look at the receptor, which could someday lead to better-tasting food.