C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News)

COP30 final agreement omits fossil fuels Countries also left deforestation on the sidelines but agreed to more funding for climate adaptation efforts by low-income countries

The 30th annual United Nations climate summit (COP30) wrapped up with consensus on support for low-income countries, workers, and frontline communities but no commitment to phase out fossil fuels or end deforestation. cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky 🧪

A scanning electron microscope image of polymer clusters, one of which resembles a skull.

A separation funnel in a fume hood with two fluorescing phases. The top phase is a smoky cyan, and the bottom phase is bright orange.

Our next Full Octet matchup of the ChemPics Bracket Challenge sees the scanning electron microscope of Gustavo Porrata Caraballo facing off against @rubialab.bsky.social's separation funnel. Vote for your favorite and check out the full set of matchups: cen.acs.org/education/sc...

#CENChemPics

Ultrasensitive sensor tracks flu- and COVID-19-fighting antibodies Researchers could use it to make a skin patch that measures vaccine effectiveness

Researchers have created a supersensitive and fast sensor for detecting antibodies that fight influenza and COVID-19: cen.acs.org/biological-c... #chemsky 🧪

Molecular tools may help us locate mass graves With experimental burials, scientists are looking for chemical signposts that could help investigators

Bodies decompose differently in mass graves than in individual graves. By studying these changes, researchers hope to identify chemical signals that will one day help investigators find and analyze mass graves. cen.acs.org/analytical-c... #chemsky 🧪

Molecule-maker Onepot.AI launches with $13 million With an AI engine named Phil and a robotic platform, the start-up cuts down on synthesis turnaround

Onepot.AI has launched with $13 million in funding to use artificial intelligence and robotics to automate one of the most time-consuming steps in drug development: chemical synthesis. cen.acs.org/business/sta... #chemsky 🧪

Bitopertin was once a failed drug candidate gathering dust in Roche's portfolio. Thanks to work from Disc Medicine, FDA could soon approve it to treat a rare blood disorder. Read @rowanwalrath.bsky.social's excellent story in @cenmag.bsky.social.

Four syringes stick into four vials that glow green and yellow under ultraviolet irradiation.

A cylindrical block of ice held in a gloved hand.

Our first Full Octet matchup of the ChemPics Bracket Challenge sees the colorful photocatalysis liquids of @roundflask.bsky.social facing off against Alyssa Redge's accidental ice cube. Vote for your favorite and check out the full set of matchups here: cen.acs.org/education/sc...

#CENChemPics

Your votes have been counted and the next set of matchups are now live as part of The Full Octet! Check out all 4 matches and vote for your favorites. Only one #CENChemPics will emerge victorious!

Your votes have been counted and the next set of matchups are now live as part of The Full Octet! Check out all 4 matches and vote for your favorites. Only one #CENChemPics will emerge victorious! cen.acs.org/education/sc...

#chemsky 🧪

It's that time again: C&EN's molecule of the year poll is now open! Vote for your favorite molecule of 2025: cen.acs.org/synthesis/Mo...

#chemsky 🧪

New treatments for malaria offer hope Existing drugs combined in new ways, as well as new molecules, deliver in late-stage trials

New treatments for malaria offer hope: Existing drugs combined in new ways, as well as new molecules, deliver in late-stage trials. cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic... #chemsky 🧪

A polymer for needle-free insulin delivery New material slips past skin and ferries insulin into the bloodstream

Researchers have developed a charge-shifting polyzwitterion that can carry insulin through intact skin and into the bloodstream, producing robust glucose-lowering effects in diabetic mice and miniature pigs. cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic... #chemsky 🧪

How to prevent emerald-green oil paint from breaking down Chemists decipher dual degradation pathways for a once popular pigment

Emerald-green paint was popular with 19th- and 20th-century painters. But the pigment is known to degrade. Chemists have discovered that the pigment breaks down via two distinct pathways: cen.acs.org/analytical-c... #chemsky 🧪

Quantum simulation company raises cash to speed drug discovery QSimulate has announced a round of seed funding and new software to model molecular interactions

QSimulate, a quantum simulation software company focused on drug discovery and materials science, has completed a seed financing round led by Embark Ventures that brings its total funding to $11 million. cen.acs.org/business/sta... #chemsky 🧪

Lower arsenic in drinking water drops chronic disease deaths by half Landmark study in Bangladesh confirms that reducing arsenic exposure lowers chronic disease deaths

Results from a large 20-year study show that halving a person’s intake of arsenic in drinking water reduces their risk of dying from any chronic disease, including cancer or heart disease, by 54% cen.acs.org/environment/...

#chemsky 🧪

Snake ‘pee’ insights may help treat certain kidney stones New understanding about how snakes sequester ammonia may lead to treatments for infection-caused kidney stones

New understanding about how snakes sequester ammonia may lead to treatments for people suffering from high blood ammonia and certain kinds of kidney stones. cen.acs.org/biological-c...

#chemsky 🧪

Light Horse puts function first in pursuit of precision cancer drugs

Light Horse Therapeutics, one of C&EN's #10StartupsToWatch, scans entire proteins with CRISPR to find functional vulnerabilities, then hunts for molecules that exploit them. Read more: cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic...

#chemsky 🧪

Yogesh Kumar Maurya looked at this flask in which he’d collected a purified reaction product, only to discover the compound had spontaneously crystallized into this coral-like pattern.

A flower with five petals on a black background with a soft purple glow and flecks of vibrant green, orange, blue, and purple. The center of the flower glows strongly orange. Out of focus behind the flower are six vials with glowing powders, each of a different color.

Our last Round of 16 matchup of the ChemPics Bracket Challenge sees the crystals of Yogesh Kumar Maurya facing off against Prodipta Samadder's dyes. Vote for your favorite and check out the full set of matchups here: cen.acs.org/education/sc...

#CENChemPics #chemsky 🧪

Volunteer Voices: A retired research scientist chats about Senior Chemist Committees Gina Malczewski shares the fulfillment and enjoyment she gains from ACS volunteering

Gina Malczewski shares the fulfillment and enjoyment she gains from ACS volunteering: cen.acs.org/acs-news/Vol... #chemsky

A flask with a shiny, golden colored dye in it.

anisotropic nanocrystals

Our next Round of 16 matchup of the ChemPics Bracket Challenge sees the golden colored dye of Philip Hughes facing off against Felipe Quiroga-Suavita's anisotropic nanocrystals. Vote for your favorite and check out the full set of matchups: cen.acs.org/education/sc...

#CENChemPics #chemsky 🧪

ACS names Arthur C. Cope Postdoctoral Fellowships in Organic Chemistry The inaugural group of fellows will receive funds for up to 2 years of research

The American Chemical Society has selected Kangjie “Harry” Bian, Philip Lampkin, Hao Liang, Camille Rubel, and Allison Wong as the first recipients of the Arthur C. Cope Postdoctoral Fellowship in Organic Chemistry. cen.acs.org/acs-news/ACS... #chemsky

Nov. 21 Policy Watch: Vaccine-autism link ‘not ruled out,’ CDC says In other news, Georgia aligns its proposed PFAS drinking-water limits with the USEPA, and the European Union considers adding melamine to its REACH regulation

Nov. 21 Policy Watch: Vaccine-autism link ‘not ruled out,’ CDC says

In other news, Georgia aligns its proposed PFAS drinking-water limits with the USEPA, and the European Union considers adding melamine to its REACH regulation. cen.acs.org/policy/autis... #chemsky 🧪

UK committee raises alarm over science business exodus Report calls for government reforms to investment and visa rules before sector ‘bleeds to death’

Failure to retain promising companies and attract global talent has thrown the UK’s science and technology sector into a crisis, a UK Parliament committee has warned. cen.acs.org/policy/uk-sc... #chemsky 🧪

Shiru searches for natural proteins to create more-sustainable food

Shiru, one of C&EN's #10StartupsToWatch, uses artificial intelligence to discover proteins for food ingredients and other applications. Read more: cen.acs.org/business/foo...

#chemsky 🧪

Column chromatography

Long spikes of crystals emanate from a single point. They glow bright blue but are slowly being overtaken by splotches of bright orange.

Our next Round of 16 matchup of the ChemPics Bracket Challenge sees the column chromatography of Prashansa Kannangara facing off against Prodipta Samadder's crystals. Vote for your favorite and check out the full set of matchups here: cen.acs.org/education/sc...

#CENChemPics #chemsky 🧪

ExxonMobil to shut UK ethylene cracker The US firm criticizes UK policies as Ineos praises those of France

ExxonMobil says it will close its 800,000-metric-ton-per-year ethylene cracker in Fife, Scotland, in February because of poor economic conditions and challenging UK regulations. cen.acs.org/business/pet...

About three dozen fairly uniform glittering blue lumps of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin sitting in a Buchner funnel.

starburst-like crystals glowing with bright orange fluorescence under an ultraviolet lamp.

Our next Round of 16 matchup of the ChemPics Bracket Challenge sees the porphyrin pellets of Yogesh Kumar Maurya facing off against @carinacrucho.bsky.social's starburst-like crystals. Vote for your favorite and check out the full set of matchups: cen.acs.org/education/sc...
#CENChemPics #chemsky 🧪

At COP30, chemical companies push biobased climate solutions But environmentalists are raising concerns about the ecosystem, food security, and other impacts from the fossil fuel alternative

Chemical companies and trade groups are discussing ways to reduce the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions on the sidelines of the COP30 climate conference in Brazil. cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky 🧪

How to prevent emerald-green oil paint from breaking down Chemists decipher dual degradation pathways for a once popular pigment

Monet, Munch, and Pissarro all used emerald green paint made from copper acetoarsenite pigment. Chemists have discovered that this pigment breaks down via two distinct chemical pathways. My latest for @cenmag.bsky.social
cen.acs.org/analytical-c...

Tiny, semipermeable magnetic spheres could allow microbial cultures to grow in soil or ocean water before being collected later. cen.acs.org/biological-c...

#chemsky 🧪

Europium complex harvests ambient energy to power minirobots

Inchworms can stroll for hours using scraps of heat from the environment. cen.acs.org/materials/mo...
#chemsky 🧪