A better route to benzocyclobutenes, sought-after buildingblocks for drugs

Scripps Research chemists devise a new, C-H activation-based method for the synthesis of BCBs

16-May-2023 - Scripps Research chemists have solved a long-standing problem in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry with a relatively simple and controllable method for making benzocyclobutenes (BCBs)—a class of reactive compounds that are highly valued as building blocks for drug molecules, but have been ...

Lefty or righty molecules lend a hand to material structures

Effort to build bottom-up chiral polymers with unique functions

14-Feb-2019 - As below, so above. That seems to be an operating principle for molecules that start with a basic chirality - or "handed-ness" -- and pass it on as they combine into larger structures. An international team that included Rice University materials scientist Edwin Thomas pried a new, fundamental ...

New enzyme paradigm for critical reaction in converting lignin to useful products

05-Jul-2018 - An international research team, including scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has discovered and characterized a new family of cytochrome P450 enzymes that is critical to improving the conversion of lignin--one of the main ...

Lego-like chemical building blocks self-assemble into catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells

04-Jun-2018 - What's better than platinum? In hydrogen fuel cells, the answer is cofacial cobalt porphyrins. It's a mouthful to say, and if you're not a chemist, you've probably never heard of these compounds before. But these molecules -- which are great at facilitating a chemical reaction that's needed to ...

A polymer that puts plastic on a better path toward recyclability

27-Apr-2018 - Researchers have developed a family of synthetic polymers that can be repeatedly recycled, an important feat because current efforts to recycle plastic are so limited. Globally, the production of plastic has increased to the point where output is expected to exceed 500 million metric tons by ...

Potential 'missing link' in chemistry that led to life on earth found

08-Nov-2017 - Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a compound that may have been a crucial factor in the origins of life on Earth. Origins-of-life researchers have hypothesized that a chemical reaction called phosphorylation may have been crucial for the assembly of three key ...

New insights into nanocrystal growth in liquid

18-Sep-2017 - Many seashells, minerals, and semiconductor nanomaterials are made up of smaller crystals, which are assembled together like the pieces of a puzzle. Now, researchers have measured the forces that cause the crystals to assemble, revealing an orchestra of competing factors that researchers might be ...

Simple incorporation of nitrogen into molecules

14-Jul-2017 - A Rice University laboratory that specializes in synthesizing reagents and intermediate molecules for the design and manufacture of drugs and other fine chemicals has delivered on a promise to generalize the synthesis of electrophilic (electron-poor) aminating agents. Aminating agents are ...

Greener molecular intermediates may aid drug design

07-Jul-2017 - Scientists at Rice University have simplified their approach to synthesize a highly versatile family of precursors en route to biologically active compounds. Their method should make drug design and development cheaper and more environmentally friendly. Synthetic chemist László Kürti and ...

A more energy-efficient catalytic process to produce olefins

01-Jun-2017 - Research at the University of Pittsburgh led to a more energy-efficient catalytic process to produce olefins, the building blocks for polymer production. The team's investigations could influence potential applications in diverse technology areas from green energy and sustainable chemistry to ...