Reaction Rate

A group of researchers has made significant progress in developing cost-effective catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a critical component in technologies such as water splitting and metal-air batteries.

Alloying is a key process in creating new materials. By combining metals with desirable traits, scientists can produce alloys with suitable properties. For example, stainless steel, formed by combining iron with chromium, nickel, and other elements in smaller quantities is highly resistant to corrosion.

MIT chemists mapped how proton-coupled electron transfers happen at the surface of an electrode. Their results could help researchers design more efficient fuel cells, batteries, or other energy technologies.

Extreme heat can slow and even damage electronics ranging from computers to cars

Aluminum-ion batteries are seen as a promising alternative to conventional batteries that use scarce and difficult-to-recycle raw materials such as lithium. This is because aluminum is one of the most common elements in the Earth's crust, is easier to recycle and is also safer and less expensive than lithium. However, the development of such aluminum-ion batteries is still in its infancy, as suitable electrode…

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have fabricated a novel device that could dramatically boost the conversion of heat into electricity. If perfected, the technology could help recoup some of the heat energy that is wasted in the U.S. at a rate of about $100 billion each year.

To study atomic nuclei and subatomic particles, scientists use the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to collide heavy ions—atomic nuclei completely stripped of their surrounding electrons. In these collisions, the quarks and gluons that normally make up nucleons (protons and neutrons) melt into a new state of matter called a quark-gluon plasma (QGP).

Photocatalysis is the use of light to accelerate the rate of a reaction in the presence of a photocatalyst. The catalyst plays a crucial role in this process—it absorbs the light being shined onto it and makes it available in ways that can help accelerate the chemical reaction and also enhance it. These catalysts are used for a variety of light-dependent reactions ranging from the production of paper to the…

In California, SunHydrogen's CEO Tim Young shared an update to its shareholders on its nanoparticle-based green hydrogen technology, which splits water molecules into high-purity green hydrogen and oxygen using the sun's energy. This 1.5 sq. ft. panel houses 16 hydrogen generators and integrates light absorbers, catalysts, membranes, gas collection, and liquid delivery all in one […]

How kinetics ruins control, leads to undesirable outcomes, and makes chemical production look like a casino.

Pyroelectric catalysis (pyro-catalysis) can convert environmental temperature fluctuations into clean chemical energy, such as hydrogen. However, compared with the more common catalysis strategy, such as photocatalysis, pyro-catalysis is inefficient due to slow temperature changes in the ambient environment.

Life depends on the precise functioning of several proteins synthesized in cells by ribosomes. This diverse set of proteins, known as a proteome, is maintained by the robust translation elongation of amino acid sequences taking place in the ribosomes. The translation mechanisms which ensure that nascent chains of polypeptides—long chains of amino acids—are elongated without getting detached are conserved in all…

Catalysts boost many types of chemical reactions, from our bodies to the industrial production of compounds and controlled fuel combustion in a car. From solid to gaseous, no matter their formula, their role is to enhance the rate of chemical reactions to make many processes easier.

In light of vehicular pollutants contributing to decreasing air quality, governments across the globe are posing stricter emission regulations for automobiles. This calls for the development of more efficient exhaust gas after-treatment systems, which are systems to "clean" exhaust gas before it is released into the atmosphere).

Water plays a key role in how proteins associated with Parkinson's disease fold, clump or misfold.

Recent research may point towards a solution to the 'water paradox' for the early formation of life

Over in the Potency department, it is the cannabis chemist's job to accurately determine the cannabinoid profile of any sample that enters the laboratory. Let's break down how cannabis laboratories do this from beginning to end to help you understand the process

A research team at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), together with international collaborators at Monash University and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, has computed a significantly revised proton capture reaction rate of arsenic-65 for the extreme astrophysical environments of accreting neutron stars, permitting astrophysicists to probe the mechanism of…

The need for negative emissions technologies to address our climate crisis has become increasingly clear. At the rate that our planet is emitting carbon dioxide – adding about 50 gigatons every year – we will have to remove carbon dioxide at the gigaton scale by 2050 in order to achieve "net zero" emissions.

Ammonia is commonly used in fertilizer because it has the highest nitrogen content of commercial fertilizers, making it essential for crop production. However, two carbon dioxide molecules are made for every molecule of ammonia produced, contributing to excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.