Low-frequency noise (≤500 Hz) from various sources, such as construction machinery and aircrafts, is a form of noise pollution that transmits over long distances and disturbs the surrounding area. It is also known to trigger several negative physiological reactions, such…
Twofold C–H activation and cross-coupling of stoichiometric amounts of organic molecules, R1–H and R2–H, to form an R1–R2 product that is free of homocoupling products (R1–R1 or R2–R2) is a goal to simplify organic synthesis of certain compounds. Up to…
Enzymes that are responsible for the production of hydrocarbons in blue-green algae — a hydrocarbon producing cyanobacteria — have now been identified by the research group of Munehito Arai at The University of Tokyo (Japan; www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp). Along with this achievement,…
Thyssenkrupp Materials Services GmbH (Essen, Germany; www.thyssenkrupp-materials-services.com) continues to drive digital transformation: since early 2019, an artificial intelligence (AI) solution, supported by Microsoft’s cloud platform Azure, has been integrated into the processes of the largest materials distribution and service provider…
A new low-cost, safe and environmentally friendly method for removing polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) from water has been developed by researchers from Flinders University (Adelaide, Australia; www.flinders.edu.au). PFAS are commonly used in non-stick and protective coatings, lubricants and aviation fire-fighting…
Gold is usually leached from ore using hazardous substances, such as cyanide, mercury, aqua regia and others. Although there has been some progress in developing bioleaching technology, such methods still require mining and processing the ore before micro-organisms can go…
A new retrosynthesis platform enables users to work backwards from a target molecule to optimize synthesis pathways. MilliporeSigma’s (Burlington, Mass.; www.sigmaaldrich.com) Synthia software uses sophisticated algorithms backed by a database of over 72,000 coded reaction rules to provide precise pathways…
Researchers from RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia; www.rmit.edu.au) have demonstrated a “green” technique that can produce customized metal organic framework (MOF) compounds in minutes, harnessing the power of high-frequency (ultrasonic) sound waves. MOFs are extremely versatile materials that can be used…
Hydrogen gas is used widely in industry, including in metal annealing, float-glass production and silicon wafer manufacturing, among others, but greater than 80% of the H2 used for these processes is typically vented or flared as waste. A new electrochemical…
The transition-metal-catalyzed reduction of nitrogen is an alternative to the traditional energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process for producing ammonia. In these reaction systems, metallocenes or potassium graphite are typically used as the reducing reagent, and conjugate acids of pyridines or related compounds…