Boron, in the periodical table situated in the 13 group (group III according to the former nomenclature), is a semiconductive element with properties between that of a metal and a nonmetal. Boron compounds are widely used materials in various branches of industry. Recent studies show its importance in biology as for example to various metabolic […]
The discovery and development of new drugs is a long and expensive process, and despite of it, essential to face present and new diseases. For small molecules, which account for the majority of the marketed drugs, the discovery process generally involves finding a starting point termed hit or lead compound. These molecules have biological activity […]
The SN2 reaction is one of the most important processes in organic chemistry and has been the subject of numerous experimental and theoretical investigations . The designation SN2 stands for substitution nucleophilic bimolecular. The reaction’s equation, X + R-Y → X-R + Y, summarizes bond formation by the attacking nucleophile X with the moiety R […]
A uthor: Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo, Permanent Researcher, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) The effort of mapping ignorance in biology is especially frustrating –or, if the mood and attitude of the scientist afford it, especially motivating– because solid, definite answers remain minimal compared to the amount of open issues and uncertainties that new discoveries in this […]
It seems to be useful to begin this short article with the following quote: ¨ with courageous simplification, one might assert that the chemistry of the last century was largely the chemistry of covalent bonding, whereas that of the present century is more likely to be the chemistry of noncovalent binding¨. There are different terms […]
Natural non-wetting structures, particularly lotus leaves (Fig. 1a), have inspired the development of synthetic liquid-repellent surfaces. These surfaces rely on the formation of a stable air–liquid interface, but present limited repellency to oils with high contact angle hysteresis, failure under pressure and inability to self-heal. The paper by Wong et al. presents a novel approach […]
One of the multiple tasks of quantum chemistry is the rationalization of the bonding between atoms to form molecules. In this vein, two main aspects are clearly distinguished: i) the binding energy, or the energy gained by the molecule when two atoms are bonded; and ii) the bond order (how many bonds are the responsible […]
One of the things we learn first, when we get in touch with chemistry, is how important the acidity or alkalinity of a given solution is. This is also and quite often our first affair with the chemical equilibrium, because the pH is nothing more than a viewpoint of the water ionization. We were taught […]
It is well known that an accurate and energetic laser shot can melt, ionize and excite the material in which the light is focused, creating very bright plasmas after the interaction. Valuable information can be obtained from the light emitted by the plasma, such as the elemental composition of the material itself or the environment […]