Voyager II, a NASA solar system exploration spacecraft launched in 1977, measured highly unusual magnetic fields around Uranus and Neptune. Scientists considered exotic states of so-called superionic ice as a possible explanation due to these states’ increased electrical conductivity. A new work demonstrates the existence of the previously undiscovered Ice XIX phase. It shows that […]
Global energy demand is expected to rise around 30% by 2040 according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Hydrogen (H2) produced by the electrolysis of water, using renewable electricity, the so-called green hydrogen, has emerged as a promising energy vector to respond to this increasing energy demand with the potential to decarbonize transportation, heating, and […]
Just like our hands, certain organic molecules relate to each other like an image and its reflection – a phenomenon that chemists call “chirality” or “handedness”. The two mirror images of the same molecule, namely both enantiomers, often possess different biological properties. This is key, for example, for drug discovery, as many times only one […]
Light emission (fluorescence or phosphorescence) in organic molecules, in the vast majority of cases, proceeds from the lowest energy excited state irrespective of the excitation energy used. This is known as the Kasha’s rule, which states that most of the molecules are emissive from the lowest energy, same (ground state) spin multiplicity, S1 excited state […]
C-H bond The emission of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, is escalating due to livestock farming and the ongoing thawing of permafrost. Converting methane and longer alkanes into more benign and valuable chemicals presents an opportunity to mitigate these hazards while providing a vast resource for the chemical industry. Nevertheless, the conversion of methane […]
Catalysis • Chemistry • DIPC Electronic Properties • DIPC Interfaces • Materials
Organic compounds of sulphur that contain the group -S- linked to two hydrocarbons are known as thioethers. This alternative name to sulphides comes from the fact that they are analogues of ethers in which the oxygen is replaced by a sulphur; thioethers are generally more reactive than ethers, though. The formation of thioether structures increases […]
Chemistry • DIPC Biochemistry • DIPC Interfaces • DIPC Particle Physics • Particle physics
The observation of the neutrinoless double beta decay is the only practical way to establish that neutrinos are their own antiparticles. But, because of the small masses of neutrinos, the lifetime of neutrinoless double beta decay is expected to be at least ten orders of magnitude greater than the typical lifetimes of natural radioactive chains […]
Ammonia (NH3), a ubiquitous compound, was generated in excess of 187 million tons globally in 2020. Roughly 85% is employed in the creation of nitrogenous fertilizers, while the remainder is used for refining petroleum, producing various other chemicals, and manufacturing synthetic fibers like nylon. However, these processes come with a substantial energy expenditure. Presently, the […]
Our modern rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, are anything but sustainable. One alternative is organic batteries with redox-organic electrode materials (OEMs), which can be synthesized from natural “green” materials. A Chinese team has now introduced a new OEM for aqueous organic high-capacity batteries that can be easily and cheaply recycled. Traditional inorganic electrode materials […]
Food waste represents a serious problem associated with today’s society to which a solution should be found. A notable share of the impacts originates from the fishing sector. It hardly results acceptable that, in a world with shrinking food resources, 25% of the total fishing catches end up being discarded as waste. It should be […]