Strength-in-numbers X-ray technique can map previously unattainable atomic structures

For many decades, the method to obtain atomic-level descriptions of chemical compounds and materials—be it a drug, a catalyst ...
The Debrief

Defying Longstanding Chemical Rules, Chemists Have Engineered Exotic Molecules They Say Could “Benefit Our World”

UCLA researchers have violated Bredt’s rule, a century-old principle of organic chemistry, challenging our understanding of ...
C&EN

Activity: Small Changes in Structure Can Lead to Big Changes in Fragrance

How does our nose work? Have you wondered how we can detect so many different types of odors? There is chemistry behind food smells. In this activity, we will explore how small changes in chemical ...

Vibrational spectroscopy technique enables nanoscale mapping of molecular orientation at surfaces

Sum-frequency generation (SFG) is a powerful vibrational spectroscopy that can selectively probe molecular structures at ...

Tuning color through molecular stacking: A new strategy for smarter pressure sensors

Piezofluorochromism, the phenomenon of materials reversibly changing their fluorescent color when pressure is applied, is ...

Scientists design molecules 'backward' to speed up discovery

Every medication in your cabinet, every material in your phone's battery, and virtually every compound that makes modern life work started as a molecular guess, with scientists hypothesizing that a ...
C&EN

AI doesn’t know how to depict chemistry

Generative artificial intelligence (genAI) software isn’t coming for chemists’ jobs just yet—at least not when it comes to visualizing molecules. As an experiment, this Newscriptster directed three ...
The Conversation

Only 1% of chemical compounds have been discovered – here’s how we search for others that could change the world

Matthew Addicoat receives funding from EPSRC and the Royal Society. The universe is flooded with billions of chemicals, each a tiny pinprick of potential. And we’ve only identified 1% of them.