Research uncovers a new way of making chiral catalysts

11-Mar-2020 - Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered a new way to create one hand of a chiral molecule by using a mechanical bond as a catalyst. Chiral molecules are two molecules that are mirror images of each other but not identical - much like the left and right human hands. When such ...

Moderate coffee drinking 'more likely to benefit health than to harm it' say experts

27-Nov-2017 - Drinking coffee is "more likely to benefit health than to harm it" for a range of health outcomes, say researchers in The BMJ. They bring together evidence from over 200 studies and find that drinking three to four cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of death and getting heart ...

Molecular 'treasure maps' to help discover new materials

23-Mar-2017 - Scientists at the University of Southampton working with colleagues at the University of Liverpool have developed a new method which has the potential to revolutionise the way we search for, design and produce new materials. The researchers used sophisticated computer modelling to map how ...

Jellyfish help scientists to fight food fraud

14-Oct-2016 - Animals feeding at sea inherit a chemical record reflecting the area where they fed, which can help track their movements, according to a new study by scientists from the University of Southampton. Chemical testing of the source of marine food products could be a powerful tool to help to fight ...

First demonstration of brain-inspired device to power artificial systems

11-Oct-2016 - New research, led by the University of Southampton, has demonstrated that a nanoscale device, called a memristor, could be used to power artificial systems that can mimic the human brain. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) exhibit learning abilities and can perform tasks which are difficult for ...

Tapping the unused potential of photosynthesis

09-Sep-2016 - Scientists from the University of Southampton have reengineered the fundamental process of photosynthesis to power useful chemical reactions that could be used to produce biofuels, pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. Photosynthesis is the pivotal biological reaction on the planet, providing the ...

Climate change mitigation

Turning CO2 into rock

13-Jun-2016 - An international team of scientists have found a potentially viable way to remove anthropogenic (caused or influenced by humans) carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere - turn it into rock. The study has shown for the first time that the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) can be permanently ...

Atomically thin sensor detects harmful air pollution in the home

18-Apr-2016 - Scientists from the University of Southampton, in partnership with the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), have developed a graphene-based sensor and switch that can detect harmful air pollution in the home with very low power consumption. The sensor detects individual CO2 ...

Southampton chemists create switchable gold catalyst

25-Sep-2015 - A gold catalyst whose behaviour can be controlled by the addition of acid or metal ion cofactors has been designed by chemists from the University of Southampton. Dr Steve Goldup, Associate Professor of Supramolecular Chemistry, and his team have developed a catalyst with significantly enhanced ...

Scientists find new way to detect ortho-para conversion in water

27-Aug-2015 - Research by scientists from the University of Southampton has found that water molecules react differently to electric fields, which could provide a new way to study spin isomers at the single-molecule level. Water molecules exist in two forms or 'isomers', ortho and para, that have different ...