A century ago, an upstart German physicist by the name of Albert Einstein turned the scientific world on its head with his discovery of the photoelectric effect, which proved light to be both a particle and a wave. Awarded the 1921 Nobel prize in physics for his work, Einstein would later contribute to theories related to nuclear fusion and fission arguably paving the way for the invention and detonation of nuclear weapons, as well as nuclear energy.

And so, when elements previously unknown to science were discovered in the chemical debris of a nuclear explosion 69 years ago, it was fitting that scientists named what they found after the great physicist adding einsteinium to the periodic table.

Now, 100 years after Einsteins Nobel prize win, chemists have finally been able to peer into the chemical behaviour of this elusive, highly radioactive element. What theyve learned could help scientists further expand our understanding of the periodic table including elements that are yet to be added to it.

Einsteinium (Es) is the 99th element in the periodic table. It was first discovered in 1952 when a thermonuclear device dubbed Ivy Mike was detonated on the island of Elugelab in the Pacific Ocean (now part of the Marshall Islands). Ivy Mikes detonation was the first demonstration of a hydrogen bomb. Such a blast creates four times more energy than nuclear fission bombs (like those dropped on Japan in 1945) and four million times more energy than the burning of a similar amount of coal.

It was in the fallout from Ivy Mikes explosion, amid the chemical debris, that atomic number 99 was found for the first time. Only about 200 atoms of this element were detected, which shows just how scarce it is. It took nine years of painstaking work for scientists to be able to synthesise element 99 in a lab, which they achieved in 1961.

The team of researchers who made the discovery thought about naming the element pandamonium, since the project team behind Ivy Mike had operated under the acronym PANDA. But in the end, they decided to honour Albert Einstein.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, very little has been known about einsteinium. An element birthed in a thermonuclear blast, its incredibly hard to experiment with due to its extreme radioactivity. Not only is it literally too hot to handle one gram of einsteinium produces 1,000 watts of energy it also emits harmful gamma rays, so working with the element requires researchers to wear protective gear at all times.

Whats more, einsteiniums most commonly occurring form (called Es-253, based on the number of neutrons in the atoms nucleus) has a half-life of only 20 days. That means that, after 20 days, einsteinium decays by half. After a couple of months, the tiny quantities of the element that scientists are able to work with practically disappear.

So its no wonder that its taken nearly 70 years for scientists to get to grips with this element. But now, a team from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley have managed to pin down enough einsteinium to run some basic tests on the element breaking new ground in experimental chemistry and fundamental science.

Read more: Five chemistry inventions that enabled the modern world

In their paper, the researchers explain how they managed to use just 200 nanograms of Es-254 (a rare form of einsteinium with a half-life of 275.5 days) to run their experiments. A nanogram is just one billionth of a gram, so these experiments took place on an incredibly small scale.

Performing chemistry with einsteinium for the first time, the research team managed to synthesise a chemical compound that included the element in order to examine how it might interact with other elements in a compound. This was done under the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, which beams high-energy light at chemical compounds to enable their structure to be exposed. You can think of this method as similar to how silhouettes are formed but on an atomic scale.

One big finding was the bond distances between einsteinium atoms and other atoms around it like carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. Knowing einsteiniums bond distances for the first time means we can predict what other combinations of compounds featuring einsteinium will look like adding entirely new combinations to our current knowledge of chemistry.

Crucially, the researchers also managed to measure the valence state of einsteinium, which is the charge on the atom. An atoms charge controls how many other atoms it can bond to. This quantity is of fundamental importance in chemistry, determining the shape and size of the building blocks from which the universe is made. Einsteinium happens to lie at an ambiguous position on the periodic table, between valence numbers, so establishing its valence helps us understand more about how the periodic table should be organised.

Einsteinium is currently the heaviest chemical element that can be examined in this way so its exciting for chemists that new ground has been broken by this recent paper. The challenge facing future chemists is to try to synthesise heavier elements in similarly measurable quantities, revealing more about the chemicals that make up our world.

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Einsteinium: 100 years after Einstein's Nobel Prize, researchers reveal chemical secrets of element that bears his name - The Conversation UK

Paul Crutzen, the Dutch atmospheric chemist who was a co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel prize for chemistry for his work on stratospheric ozone destruction, died on 28 January at the age of 87 following several years of illness. His passing means that all three chemists who won that pivotal award for atmospheric chemistry are gone now. One of the other two co-recipients of the award, Mexican chemist Mario Molina, died just this past October, and the other joint winner, American chemist Sherwood Rowland, passed away in 2012.

Crutzen, who demonstrated that nitrogen oxides accelerate the depletion of the Earths ozone layer, popularised the term Anthropocene in 2000 to define the current geological era in which human activity is influencing the planet. He was also one of the early adopters of proton transfer mass spectrometry in atmospheric research.

Paul J Crutzen was a pioneer in many ways, saidMartin Stratmann, president of the Max Planck Society (MPG), whose Institute for Chemistrys atmospheric chemistry department was directed by Crutzen from 1980 until his formal retirement in 2000. He was the first to show how human activities damage the ozone layer, Stratmann added. This knowledge about the causes of ozone depletion was the basis for the worldwide ban on ozone-depleting substances a hitherto unique example of how Nobel prize-winning basic research can directly lead to a global political decision.

Crutzen continued his scientific activities for many years after retiring. Chlorofluorocarbon gases were banned and today the ozone layer is slowly repairing itself, thanks to his joint work with Molina and Rowland, the official Nobel prize Twitter handle stated.

Born in Amsterdam in 1933, Crutzen started elementary school just a few months after Germany invaded the Netherlands. His path to becoming an atmospheric scientist was not a straight one.

Crutzen began his career as a civil engineer and then was a computer programmer at Stockholm Universitys meteorology department. After earning a PhD in meteorology in 1968, Crutzen went on to become a professor and researcher at various prominent universities across the world, including Oxford, Chicago and California. He published more than 360 peer-reviewed scientific articles and 15 books, becoming one of the most highly cited scientists in the world, according to MPG.

In the past few years, he grew increasingly concerned about the timely societal recognition of the extent and severity of climate change, the organisation said in its 28 January statement, calling him a dedicated mediator between science, politics, and society.

Crutzen is survived by his wife of more than six decades, two daughters and three grandchildren.

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Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen, who coined the term Anthropocene, dies - Chemistry World

Continuing its record on higher education buildings, Skanska USA has been picked to lead construction of the planned Frost Institute of Chemistry and Molecular Science at the University of Miami (UM) at its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida.

The approximately 90,000 sq ft project includes imaging and science research laboratories, administrative and research offices, a lecture hall, a multipurpose gathering space, and associated building support spaces.

It will bring together scientists from several molecular-based disciplines to do collaborative research work, using approaches relying on molecular design, discovery and development.

Designed by Harvard Jolly Architecture, the project is expected to break ground by the end of the year and is slated for completion in summer 2022.

The facility will seek LEED Silver Certification at a minimum, joining other Skanska built projects including the Mercedes-Benz U.S Headquarters and Town of Andover, Bancroft Elementary School.

It will be Skanskas second project for UM, having built the Patricia Louise Frost Music Studios, which was selected as Project of the Year for the Urban Land Institutes Vision Awards, in 2015.

Announcing the Frost Institute award, Skanska said spending on education building projects is projected to reach close to $108bn by next year, citing Statista.

Skanska is currently working on the University of South Floridas (USF) Research Park Mixed Use Lab & Office project in Tampa and recently delivered the USF Healths Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in downtown Tampa.

Michael C. Brown, executive vice president and general manager of Skanskas Florida building operations, said: As a company, we continue to specialise and focus on developing research and academic buildings for universities throughout Florida that will have a positive impact in their local communities and beyond through their work and studies.

Image: The 90,000 sq ft Frost Institute will bring together scientists from several molecular-based disciplines to do collaborative research (Render courtesy of Skanska USA)

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To keep her high school students engaged, Stephanie Marshall has relied on eye-catching science experiments.

WOODLAND, Wash. Remember how tough chemistry class can be? Its extra challenging for some students trying to master the concepts from a distance.

But a teacher at Woodland High School has found a formula for success. Stephanie Marshall has found a way to make the difficult subject easier to understand and a whole lot more engaging. She said to try to keep her high school students engaged, shes relied on visually captivating science experiments.

My go-to is always, Can I light something on fire today, and thats what I go for," said Marshall. "Or, something that changes color. Those are my two big ones.

She tries to do interesting experiments in her labs, which typically have small groups of students logging in online.

Naturally, I know whats going to happen but my students never know, is it gonna be a big flame? Is the flame going to go out? What are we going to see? Marshall explained.

She reinforces concepts the class as a whole is working on and uses the opportunity to meet with small groups of students during lab to check for understanding and get students curious.

These visuals give me buy-in. I say, Hey come look at this cool thing. Im doing something super awesome in this class,' Marshall said.

I boiled every lab I could think of down to its basics. Making observations, can they tell me why something happened? Can they tell me whats happening? she said.

For her 10th grade students, the visual component is helpful. We spoke with three students, all of which said distance learning has been a struggle.

These labs have made it a lot more fun to do the distance learning, especially the ones with the fire and stuff, said Derek Fechtner, a 10th grade student at Woodland High School.

Its really made distance learning a great experience, Addison Holler said. Like Fechtner, she is also in 10th grade.

Fellow sophomore, Raeann Perry said the labs have been crucial to her success.

Without those videos with the labs and everything, I would be totally lost because Im a visual learner, said Perry.

This visual application of concepts is really paying off for some students and for Marshall.

Its been difficult to say the least, but also rewarding, Marshall said.

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Can I light something on fire today?: Woodland chemistry teacher captivates students during distance learning - KGW.com

The senior United Nations disarmament official urged the Security Council to unite and ensure that the use of chemical weapons shall never be tolerated, as she briefed the 15-member body on Feb. 3 on efforts by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to verify the destruction of Syrias chemical weapons stockpiles and production facilities.

Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hamper the ability of OPCWs Investigation and Identification Team tasked with identifying the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in Syria to deploy in that country.

I say this every month because it bears consistent repeating: There is an urgent need to not only identify but hold accountable all those who have used chemical weapons in violation of international law

She also urged Syria to fully cooperate with the OPCW Technical Secretariat to address 19 issues still outstanding from its initial declaration on its chemical weapons programme, submitted to OPCW in The Hague in 2013. One of those issues is at the heart of a request by the OPCW Technical Secretariat for details about chemical agents produced or weaponized at a facility which, according to Damascus, has never been used for chemical weapons.

Without such action, we are allowing the use of chemical weapons to take place with impunity. It is imperative that this Council show leadership in demonstrating that impunity in the use of these weapons will not be tolerated, she said, adding that the Secretary-General, in his address to Member States on 28January, had underscored the need for Council unity to address todays roiling threats to peace and security.

She urged Damascus to cooperate fully with the OPCW Technical Secretariat, which stands by its assessment that due to unresolved gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies Syrias initial declaration cannot be considered accurate and complete, as it is required to be under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and of Their Destruction.

She added, as she has said in the past, that international confidence in the full elimination of Syrias weapons programme hinges upon OPCW being able to resolve the outstanding issues. I hope that during the next round of consultations between the [OPCW] Declaration Assessment Team and the Syrian National Authority, to be held later this month, further progress will be made to resolve these issues, she added.

The representative of theUnited Statessaid any use of chemical weapons is a clear thereat to international peace and security, and his country is committed to holding perpetrators to account. The Assad regime has repeatedly used chemical weapons against Syrias people, seeking to avoid accountability by obstructing independent investigations and undermining the work of OPCW. Its allies, including the Russian Federation, have sought to block all efforts to promote accountability, shielding it from responsibility, notably by spreading disinformation, attacking OPCW and seeking to undermine efforts by responsible nations to hold the Assad regime accountable. He hailed OPCW leadership, its Technical Secretariat and its professionalism in carrying out its mandate, and said the United States looks forward to the future reports of the Investigation and Identification Team.

Noting that the Teams first report, in April2020, concluded that the Assad regime had used chemical weapons, he said the decision by OPCW in July 2020requested that Syria take steps to redress the situation. But Damascus has failed to complete any measures outlined in that decision, as communicated by the OPCW Director General in October 2020. Recalling that the United States, along with 45 co-sponsors, submitted a draft decision to the OPCW Conference of the States Parties in response, he called on the Conference to take appropriate action when it reconvenes this spring so as to send a strong message to the Syrian regime.

The Security Council likewise must ensure there are serious consequences for Syrias use of chemical weapons, he said, recalling it had decided that the regime must cooperate fully with OPCW and the United Nations, efforts which the United States supports. Accountability is needed to bring long-overdue justice to the victims, he stressed, as is a broader political process, as called for in resolution2254(2015). The Assad regime must uphold its Convention obligations, while the Council must call out atrocities and hold those who use chemical weapons accountable.

The representative of theUnited Kingdom, Council president for February, underlined in her national capacity that, despite decisions by OCPW and the Security Council, Syrias declaration of its chemical weapons programme cannot be considered complete. She called the 19 unresolved issues substantive and serious in nature, among them, issues pertaining to a production facility which Syria claims has never been used. However, a review of all information and materials collected by the Declaration Assessment Team indicates the production of chemical nerve agents did take place there. That four outstanding issues have been closed demonstrates that such questions can be concluded if Damascus chooses to engage. She pressed Syria to provide complete access to documents and witnesses, stressing that the cat-and-mouse game of explanations and excuses cannot continue. Noting the Declaration Assessment Teams intention to deploy for consultations in February, she outlined the United Kingdoms expectation that Syria provide full responses during those meetings.

The representative ofSyria said that his country no longer has any chemical weapons, as the Head of the Joint Investigative Mission told the Council in June 2014. However, some Western countries, denying that reality, continue to use the chemical weapons issue as a weapon of war and blackmail. For its part, OPCW is forced to produce reports based on conjecture and information from terrorist groups such as the White Helmets which fail to meet even the basic criteria for objectivity. He added that OPCW and the High Representative for Disarmament are trying to serve the Western agenda by denying information provided by the Governments of Syria and the Russian Federation. Despite the hostile Western approach, Damascus is continuing to cooperate with OPCW and its Technical Secretariat, he said, adding that discussions on an OPCW visit took place last week, although no agreement was finalized.

He emphasized that Damascus rejects any attempt to undermine its initial declaration to OPCW or its efforts to cooperate with that organization. A draft resolution before the Conference of the Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, if adopted, would represent a hostile act par excellence by levelling false accusations against the Government of Syria while exonerating terrorists and their co-sponsors for the use of chemical weapons, he said. Such a text would also lay the groundwork for hostile unilateral or trilateral acts not unlike the United States attack on the Shayrat airfield in April 2017. He went on to say that Western Governments have seized upon the chemical weapons issues to provide cover for Israels development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

The representative ofTurkeysaid that of the 19 outstanding issues, one requires urgent attention, and that the Syrian regime must be forced to declare the types and quantities of chemical weapons produced at a facility which Syria says was never used for such a purpose. Underscoring the importance of Council unity, he said that his country is a co-sponsor of a draft resolution before the Conference of the Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention on the Syrian chemical weapons dossier. Going forward, investigations by the fact-finding mission and the Investigation and Identification Team must continue, he said, adding that the Syrian regimes denial of visas to members of the latter is
a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. He concluded by saying that ending impunity is indispensable for peace in Syria and that those with influence on the regime bear a special responsibility.

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UN Official: Impunity in Use of Chemical Weapons Must Not Be Tolerated - Global Biodefense

SportsPulse: Our NFL insiders Jarrett Bell and Mike Jones discuss the 'travesty' it would be for Eric Bieniemy to not get a head coaching gig and where the NFL is consistently failing at providing equitable opportunities for the league's highest level positions. USA TODAY

Eric Bieniemyhas been the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. During that brief span, he's twice helped head coach Andy Reid oversee the NFL's top-ranked unit and twice been part of a Super Bowl participant.

But barring an unforeseen turn of events, Bieniemy will retain his current post going into the 2021 season after another head coach hiring cycle came and went. Bieniemy interviewed for all seven league openings last month withoutanother team choosing him for its top job.

"I learned a long time ago to learn how to persevere through adversity," Bieniemy said Tuesday during the lead-up to Super Bowl 55.

"But the beauty of it is, it's not so much that I have to persevere because that's gonna take care of itself it's making sure that whatever is taking place with Eric Bieniemyisn't becoming a distraction in us pursuing our dreams and our goals."

Eric Bieniemy has been a member of the Chiefs coaching staff since 2013.(Photo: Denny Medley, USA TODAY Sports)

Bieniemy and Reid indicated they haven't had the opportunity to cull feedback onwhy no job was forthcoming to Bieniemy, who said he'll think about that after the Chiefs face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

"I'll handle Eric Bieniemy's business on Monday," he said, "sometime Monday evening or even Tuesday ... to start worrying about what I need to be concerned with with me moving forward as far as (how) the interviewing process went."

Asked by USA TODAY Sports whether finding the right head coaching job is at least as important as getting any opportunity to move up the ladder, Bieniemy replied:"It's always about getting the right job. And you gotta understand sometimes the job and the person have to connect.

"The only thing I can do is be my most authentic self, that's who I am, OK?I can only be me. Some team has to want me. On top of that, there has to be some kind of collaboration, making sure the chemistry is a fit. So for whatever reason, that chemistry has not been a fit, there has not been that opportunity to connect. But that's OK."

He underscored how much he loves working for Kansas City owner Clark Hunt, general manager Brett Veach and Reid.

"I'm excited about the opportunity that has been presented to me," Bieniemy said.

He added, despite blistering criticism the NFL has taken for its lack of Black head coaches there are three after the Houston Texans' newly hired David Culley joined Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin and Miami's Brian Flores that candidates don't want to be recognized primarily for their skin color but want to be hired on merit.

"I did not ask to be the poster boy of this particular situation that I have experienced," said Bieniemy, who was also passed over during the 2020 hiring cycle.

"At the end of the day, the only thing that you want to do is be recognized for all the things that you have accomplished. And, for whatever reason, that has not happened. And that's OK."

JARRETT BELL: Chiefs' Reid, Bieniemy take players' input for exotic plays

BIENIEMY IS READY TO BE A HEAD COACH: Which NFL team will finally take him? (Dec. 30)

Kansas City players were supportive of Bieniemy.

"He gives me every single tool that is needed," said quarterback Patrick Mahomes, "helps me go out there and be comfortable in the pocket and be able to get us to the right play and the right read. That comes straight from him it's film study, and his study of the opponent's defense."

Mahomes said there's been "no difference" in Bieniemy's approach or any note of despondencein the meeting rooms.

"He always preaches control what you can control," said the Super Bowl 54 MVP. "That's how he's been. Obviously you know he's disappointed he doesn't get the opportunity to become a head coach after this season."

Running back Le'Veon Bell likes what he's seen in his few months playing for Bieniemy.

"His focus is really impressive," said Bell, who's played for three head coaches during his NFL career, while praising Bieniemy's intensity.

"I know for a fact just being around EB ... he's definitely a head coach."

Reid still believes it will all work out for Bieniemy, saying:"Whoever gets him, whenever they get him, will be very, very lucky."

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis

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Chinese chemists have hatched yolk-shell nanostructures that they say are the first to integrate different metals as single atom catalysts to achieve a tandem synthesis. Our design concept is an important step to simulating enzyme catalysis or activation of inert chemical bonds, says Yuen Wu from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei.

In the nanostructures inner yolk layer, Wu and colleagues embed single palladium atoms on a metal organic framework (MOF). In its outer layer, they embed iron in a nitrogen-doped carbon shell. Under electrolysis, the catalysts couple alkenes and nitroaromatic compounds, after iron atoms and oxygen epoxidise the former and palladium atoms and hydrogen reduce the latter. They have developed eight catalysts, the main one having an equal ratio of iron to palladium.

Wus team was inspired by photosynthesis and other biological systems where enzymes often simultaneously perform oxidation and reduction reactions at different sites. To simulate this, the researchers wanted to use single atom catalysts, where tiny amounts of often expensive metals enable reactions surprisingly well. Using seemingly incompatible oxidation and reduction reactions in one system seemed a great challenge, Wu adds. The idea of the yolk-shell design emerged initially because Wus PhD student Yafei Zhao was looking for a safer way to do reactions with both oxygen and hydrogen gas.

Together, the chemists first encapsulated palladium chloride in a MOF, then coated the MOF with silica. They coated the silica with a polymer containing irontitanium complexes, and pyrolysed the nanosystem at 700C to break the metals down to single atoms. Finally, they etched away the silica coating with base to give the yolk-shell structure.

Wus team put the catalysts into an electrolytic system that generated hydrogen and oxygen by splitting water, which reduced nitrobenzene and epoxidised styrene. They made the 1-phenyl-2-(phenylamino)ethanol product with 83% chemoselectivity and 91% yield. The researchers also showed the catalyst worked with various nitrobenzenes and cyclohexenes. If we can further improve the catalytic selectivity through synthesis conditions or equipment, its industrialisation prospects are very bright, says Wu.

Abhaya Datye at the University of New Mexico, US, is impressed that Wus team managed to place single atoms of palladium and iron in close proximity in a porous structure. It allows remarkable selectivity for a tandem reaction, Datye says. Broader application of this concept, and simpler synthetic protocols, may help in achieving widespread impact of this finding, he adds.

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Single atom catalysts double up to link oxidation and reduction - Chemistry World

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

In Episode 5 of the Valley of the Suns Podcast, guest Ian Levy joins to discuss the chemistry between Devin Booker and Chris Paul, as well as the S5 finale of The Expanse.

Welcome Valley Boyz and Girlz to another episode of the Valley of the Suns Podcast!

In Episode 5, host Gerald Bourguet is joined by a very special guest, FanSideds Ian Levy, to talk about what hes seen so far from the Phoenix Suns, the teams backcourt chemistry and the Season 5 finale of Amazons sci-fi show, The Expanse.

As the creative editorial director and NBA division head for FanSided, Levy gives his opinions on where the Suns stack up in the loaded Western Conference, whether Phoenix should stagger Devin Booker and Chris Paul more often, and what went down in another excellent season ofThe Expanse.

Is Phoenix better than the .500 team its looked like for most of the season? Will Book and CP3 figure things out in the backcourt together? And in our G-Rated segment, how didThe Expanse handle the death of a major character in its S5 finale, Nemesis Games?

Heres the breakdown for Episode 5:

As always, thank you for listening! Please make sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and write us a review with a few TV shows youre currently watching. If youd prefer to watch this episode, make sure to check out the newYouTube channel for the Valley of the Suns Podcast!

Finally, be sure to giveIan Levy a follow on Twitter and subscribe to The Whiteboard!

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Podcast: Guest Ian Levy on Suns backcourt chemistry and S5 finale of The Expanse - Valley of the Suns

Photosensitized synthesis of protected aminoalcohols. Credit: WWU Glorius Group

New method for generating the least accessible form of vicinal aminoalcohols; study published in Nature Catalysis.

Whether in beta-blockers to treat high blood pressure or in natural products, so-called vicinal aminoalcohols are high-quality organic compounds that are found in many everyday products. However, their production is difficult. For a long time, chemists have tried to develop efficient methods of synthesizing them.

In their recent study published in the journal Nature Catalysis, scientists led by Prof. Dr. Frank Glorius of Mnster University have found a solution for the production of a special variant of aminoalcohols. The new method helps to study the properties of the substance and to find applications for these new compounds in the future, emphasizes Frank Glorius from the Organic Chemistry Institute at Mnster University.

Vicinal aminoalcohols can occur in two different variants called regioisomers in which the amine and alcohol functional groups exchange positions. Although they are thus very similar, they often have different biochemical properties. Installation of both amine and alcohol groups in one step poses a major challenge. The discovery of the Asymmetric Amino Hydroxylation Reaction with which one of the regioisomers can be produced, even rewarded the chemist Barry Sharpless with a Nobel Prize in 2001. However, the other regioisomer cannot be synthesized by similar method and remained a long-standing problem until now. With the help of the chemists new photo-initiated reaction method, the synthesis of the other regioisomer has now also become efficiently possible.

Mowpriya Das (left) and Dr. Tuhin Patra. Credit: WWU Glorius Group

Unactivated alkenes containing a carbon-carbon double bond are known as feedstock chemicals for reaction processes due to their good availability. In general, the installation of both amine and alcohol groups in one step via this carbon-carbon double bond of unactivated alkene is at all times initiated by the amine group, followed by the addition of the alcohol group. As a result, always a particular regioisomer of the vicinal aminoalcohol is formed. Now the scientists have identified a particular class of amine-like compounds that are reactive yet stable enough to allow first the addition of the alcohol group to the carbon-carbon double bond, followed by the addition of the amine group to generate the previously inaccessible opposite regioisomer of the vicinal aminoalcohols.

Like plants use chlorophyll to convert light into energy, we use what is called a photocatalyst, explains Dr. Tuhin Patra, first author of this study. This species can absorb the light from blue LEDs and transfer its energy into a molecule directly involved in the reaction. This simultaneously releases the amine and alcohol groups. This process, in which the molecules transfer electrons to each other, is called energy transfer, the scientist explains.

Fascinatingly, the new method generates the least accessible regioisomer of the vicinal aminoalcohols in such a manner that both the alcohol and amine groups are protected from further reactions. Depending on the users needs, one of the two alcohol or amine groups can now be reactivated without affecting the other. However, even both groups can be enabled to react further at the same time, if that is necessary for the synthesis of further requirements.

Previous designs usually install only one group at a time in a complex multistep overall process. Our design not only allows the installation of two different groups in one step with desired protection, but also reliably generates the least accessible regioisomer, offering the chance to investigate future applications of this compound, concludes Frank Glorius.

Reference: Metal-free photosensitized oxyimination of unactivated alkenes with bifunctional oxime carbonates by Tuhin Patra, Mowpriya Das, Constantin G. Daniliuc and Frank Glorius, 4 January 2021, Nature Catalysis.DOI: 10.1038/s41929-020-00553-2

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Chemists Succeed in Synthesis of Aminoalcohols by Utilizing Blue Light - SciTechDaily

Chemical manufacturers frequently use toxic solvents such as alcohols and benzene to make products like pharmaceuticals and plastics. Researchers are examining a previously overlooked and misunderstood phenomenon in the chemical reactions used to make these products. This discovery brings a new fundamental understanding of catalytic chemistry and a steppingstone to practical applications that could someday make chemical manufacturing less wasteful and more environmentally sound.

The study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher David Flaherty, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities researcher Matthew Neurock and Virginia Tech researcher Ayman Karim is published in the journal Science.

Matthew Neurock, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Combining solvents and metal nanoparticles accelerates many chemical reactions and helps maximize yield and profit margins for the chemical industry. However, many solvents are toxic and difficult to safely dispose, the researchers said. Water works, too, but it is not nearly as efficient or reliable as organic solvents. The reason for the difference was thought to be the limited solubility of some reactants in water. However, multiple irregularities in experimental data have led the team to realize the reasons for these differences were not fully understood.

To better understand the process, the team ran experiments to analyze the reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide one set using water, another with methanol, and others with water and methanol mixtures. All experiments used palladium nanoparticles.

In experiments with methanol, we observed spontaneous decomposition of the solvent that leaves an organic residue, or scum, on the surface of the nanoparticles, said Flaherty, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Illinois. In some cases, the scumlike residue clings to the nanoparticles and increases reaction rates and the amount of hydrogen peroxide formed instead of hampering the reaction. This observation made us wonder how it could be helping.

Pranjali Priyadarshini, a former Illinois graduate student.

The team found that the residue, or surface redox mediator, oxygen-containing species, including a key component hydroxymethyl. It accumulates on the palladium nanoparticles surface and opens new chemical reaction pathways, the study reports.

Ashwin Chemburkar, a graduate student at Minnesota.

Once formed, the residue becomes part of the catalytic cycle and is likely responsible for some of the different efficiencies among solvents reported over the past 40 years of work on this reaction, Flaherty said. Our work provides strong evidence that these surface redox mediators form in alcohol solvents and that they may explain many past mysteries for this chemistry.

Vineet Maliekkal, a graduate student at Minnesota.

By working with multiple types of experiments and computational simulations, the team learned that these redox mediators effectively transfer both protons and electrons to reactants, whereas reactions in pure water transfer protons easily, but not electrons. These mediators also alter the nanoparticles surface in a way that lowers the energy barrier to be overcome for proton and electron transfer, the study reports.

Stuart Winikoff, a postdoctoral researcher at Minnesota.

We show that the alcohol solvents as well as organic additives can react to form metal-bound surface mediators that act much in the same way that the enzymatic cofactors in our bodies do in catalyzing oxidation and reduction reactions, Neurock said.

Additionally, this work may have implications for reducing the amounts of solvent used and waste generated in the chemical industry.

Yubing Lu, a Virginia Tech graduate student.

Our research suggests that for some situations, chemical producers could form the surface redox mediators by adding small amounts of an additive to pure water instead of pumping thousands of gallons of organic solvents through these reactors, Flaherty said.

The Energy and Biosciences Institute through the EBI-Shell program and the National Science Foundation supported this research.

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University of Illinois: Mysterious organic scum boosts chemical reaction efficiency, may reduce chemical waste - India Education Diary

on February 5, 2021 at 1:23 am

Romantic comedies such as The Notebook, The Fault in our Stars and 10 Things I Hate About You, all have one thing in common: love.

These movies show love can be found through sacrifice, desire and vulnerability; whether or not a person may be looking for those things.

We watch these movies hoping we too will find that perfect person to fall in love with and live our happily ever after.

But what if love had a formula? What if it was something that we could control and had less to do with our hearts and more to do with actual scientific chemistry? Its a complicated answer.

According to an article written by Harvard microbiologist Katherine Wu and Rutgers anthropologist Helen Fisher, love can be broken down into three different categories: love, attraction and attachment.

Though there are overlaps and subtleties to each, each type is characterized by its own set of hormones, Wu wrote. Testosterone and estrogen drive lust; dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin create attraction, and oxytocin and vasopressin mediate attachment.

With each of these categories or steps comes feelings some may describe as butterflies and reactions like sweaty palms, a fast-beating heart or loss of concentration.

And, have you ever thought about why you can never see those red flags when youre in the beginning stages with your new crush? Science explains that too.

CNN reports the brain on love deactivates the amygdala, which controls the perception of fear, anger and sadness. At the same time, the brain dampens the ability of our mid and frontal cortex to use logic, criticize or think clearly. We literally suspend our ability to analyze and judge the object of our affection.

Missy Kofoed, a professor at Utah State University with a Ph.D. in biochemistry, explains that, chemically speaking, love is a result from the release of a group of molecules. These molecules, called neurotransmitters, act as chemical messengers between neurons in the brain.

Although this may all sound like its meant to discount love and try to convince you true love is not a real thing, its really only telling one side of the story.

The fact that the feeling of love stems from the brain, rather than the heart, is very true. However, the topic of love being a complete chemical reaction is actually somewhat of a controversy.

Parashkev Nachev, in his article on BBC Future, argues if the neural mechanisms of love were simple, you should be able to induce it with an injection, to extinguish it with a scalpel while leaving everything else intact.

Nachev also points out that labeling love as just being brain chemistry totally misses the point.

Like art, he said, love is more than the sum of its parts.

Kofoed agreed with this statement.

The reasons behind how, why and when people experience love goes beyond being able to describe love as just a simple chemical reaction, she said.

We can control how we feel and what emotions we choose to express. Wu said it best when she stated that, ultimately, everyone is more than capable of defining love for themselves.

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There is a chemical process behind love it doesnt come from the heart - Utahstatesman

A frame of a video released by the Rochester Police Department on YouTube. Rochester Police/YouTube/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

A frame of a video released by the Rochester Police Department on YouTube.

New York state lawmakers have introduced legislation that bans law enforcement officers from using chemical irritants on minors.

It was a quick response to Rochester Police pepper-spraying a handcuffed 9-year-old girl as officers were responding to a call of a family disturbance last week. Video of the girl's encounter with police was released by city officials, sparking protests in the city Monday evening.

City officials have "removed three officers from patrol duties" that were involved in the incident, according to the Rochester Police Department. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the encounter "disturbing and heartbreaking."

Braving freezing temperatures hovering in the 20s Monday afternoon, a crowd of roughly 100 demonstrators gathered outside a police precinct not far from where the incident took place.

"Keep your cuffs off our kids" and "Who keeps us safe? We keep us safe!" the crowd chanted.

A spokesperson with the Rochester Police told NPR on Tuesday no protest-related arrests were made.

The demonstrations, though smaller, were reminiscent of protests last summer when people took to the streets to demand justice for Daniel Prude, a Black man with a history of mental illness who died of asphyxiation after an encounter with Rochester Police.

Prude died in March, but circumstances surrounding his death were not made public until months later, leading to allegations of a cover-up. Several members of the Rochester Police Department were either terminated or resigned in connection with the Prude tragedy.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren late Monday ordered the suspension of officers involved in the pepper spray encounter. Interim Police Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan responded by suspending one officer while two others were placed on administrative leave, until an internal investigation has been completed.

"Unfortunately, state law and union contract prevents me from taking more immediate and serious action," Warren said in a separate statement Monday.

According to city officials, Rochester has a "Persons in Crisis" program, designed to have mental health professionals respond to mental health calls. However, the mayor said the new program which launched only a few weeks ago wasn't triggered in this case because of the way the emergency call came into dispatch.

It came in as a family distress call, not as a mental health emergency and officers determined the girl was possibly a danger to herself and others only after arriving on the scene, according to city officials.

Bill introduced in New York State Senate

The action to remove the officers from patrol duties was announced as New York lawmakers were holding a virtual press conference unveiling new legislation. It would amend current state law to prohibit the use of chemicals, including "oleoresin capsicum, pepper spray and tear gas" against minors under any circumstance.

"We can at least make sure that no child will ever again be treated like this: threatened with violence and sprayed in the face with chemical irritants," State Sen. Samra Brouk, a Democrat who represents Rochester, said Monday.

Brouk said the bill is a single "step" for a community that has been through "so much trauma in the last six months," referring to the Prude incident.

"At a time when this young girl was in the middle of a crisis, away from her parents, instead of being comforted, spoken to as a child, she was treated violently and pepper-sprayed in the face," Brouk said during a video conference Monday.

Fellow Democrat Demond Meeks, a New York Assemblyman also representing Rochester, said during the press conference that the legislation "simply scratches the surface," adding that police are not given adequate de-escalation training.

"It hurt me to my heart to see that adults can treat a child in such a manner," Meeks said referring to the child, who has not been named by police. "She was treated as less-than, and that's totally unacceptable."

Cuomo agreed, tweeting that the incident is further evidence that in many areas in New York and across the United States, the relationship between police and the communities they serve "is clearly not working."

"As a human, this incident is disturbing and as a father it's heartbreakingthis isn't how the police should treat anyone, let alone a 9-year-old girl," the Democratic governor said in a statement.

"Across New York and around the country, the relationship between police and the communities they serve is clearly not working, which is why we launched a statewide effort to bring everyone to the table and make real, lasting reform."

Cuomo added that the city of Rochester "needs to reckon with a real police accountability problem."

Police responded to a call about "family trouble"

A frame from a Rochester Police Department body-camera video shows a girl in handcuffs in the back of a police cruiser. Rochester Police-YouTube/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

A frame from a Rochester Police Department body-camera video shows a girl in handcuffs in the back of a police cruiser.

"I'm not making any excuses for what transpired," Rochester Executive Deputy Chief Andre Anderson said at a Sunday press conference, held the same day police released two officer-worn body camera videos from the incident.

"From what was observed, it didn't appear as if she was resisting the officer," Anderson said. "She was trying not to be restrained to go to the hospital."

Officials said the girl wanted to kill herself and her mother, and officers on the scene attempted to restrain the child. Anderson said the child "thrashed around" at one point causing an officer's body camera to fall to the ground.

The officer-worn camera footage, which features disturbing language and images, shows officers trying to restrain the girl as she falls in the snow. And as officers put handcuffs on her she screams repeatedly: "I want my dad!"

As police attempt to get the girl inside of a patrol car, she begs officers to get the snow off of her and tells them her arm is hurting.

At one point, an officer tells her: "You're acting like a child."

"I am a child!" she screams back.

The girl, who by this point is sitting in the back of the patrol car with her legs outside on the ground, refuses officers' commands to sit back and move fully inside the vehicle.

As this is playing out, an officer, seeming exasperated by the girl's refusal to obey commands, tells colleagues to "just spray her at this point."

A few seconds later, the girl screams as she is hit with pepper spray and then begs officers to wipe her eyes. It isn't clear which officer sprayed the eye irritant.

The police video ends with one officer exclaiming, "Unbelievable."

NPR's Liz Baker in Rochester contributed reporting.

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After Police Pepper Spray 9-year-old, Bill Tries To Ban Its Use On Children - NPR

Posted: Feb 5, 2021 / 03:29 PM CST / Updated: Feb 5, 2021 / 06:21 PM CST

OWENSBORO, Ky (WEHT) The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is working to determine the cause of a chemical leak that spilled into the Ohio River.

The leak was discovered late Wednesday at Dart Polymers in Owensboro. Dart processes styrene monomer into polystyrene used to manufacture food & beverage packaging.

The company says about 900 gallons of styrene monomer escaped from the outfall of a collection basin. Approximately 300 gallons left the property and entered the environment, including the Ohio River.

Work to vacuum the chemical from the collection basin continues, and absorbent materials and barriers have been used to limit its spread. KEEC says downstream water systems have been notified and are proactively treating the water.

In a statement, Dart officials said:

Dart followed its rigorous emergency response plan to contain the release and notified appropriate federal and state agencies. Officials have visited the facility to review Darts cleanup and remediation efforts per agency protocols. As a result of the remediation efforts undertaken, Dart believes river water quality and community water supply was not affected. The investigation to determine the cause of the release is ongoing.

(This story was originally published on February 5, 2021)

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Authorities working to clean up chemical spill that leaked into the Ohio River - Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW)