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Chemistry News

• Matryoshka Molecules

  Matryoshka Molecules A bronze matryoshka doll - The metal in the metal in the metal: New way to highly efficient catalysts and nanotubes with unusual symmetry. Image: Just like in the Russian wooden toy, a hull of 12 copper atoms encases a single tin atom. This hull is, in turn, enveloped by 20 further tin atoms. With their large surfaces these structures can serve as highly efficient catalysts. [Credit: TUM]

• Macroporous Polystyrene

  Macroporous Polystyrene All foamed up: synthesis of macroporous polystyrene through polymerization of foamed emulsions. Image: An ideal template for the production of macroporous polystyrene can be prepared from foamed oil-in-water emulsions containing styrene, water, glycerol, and sodium dodecylsulfate. After addition of a photoinitiator the mixture is polymerized with UV light and the foam structure of the precursor is transferred to the polymer. The resulting materials display densely packed cells with windows between adjacent pores (SEM image; scale bar: 250 �m). [Credit: Angewandte Chemie]

• Luminescent Nanocrystals

  Luminescent Nanocrystals Bright lights of purity: Berkeley Lab researchers discover why pure quantum dots and nanorods shine brighter. Image: Ion exchange of semiconductor nanocrystals yielded materials with poor optoelectronic properties such as low photoluminescence quantum yields. The reason for the low quantum yields of these nanocrystals are impurities at the level of a few atoms per nanocrystal ... [Credit: Berkeley Lab]

• Toxic Amino Acids

  Toxic Amino Acids Deadly chinese mushrooms: Amino acids revealed as cause of deaths in Yunnan province. Image: Two unusual and toxic amino acids, 2R-amino-4S-hydroxy-5-hexynoic acid and 2R-amino-5-hexynoic acid have been isolated from the fruiting bodies of the mushroom Trogia venenata. [Credit: Angewandte Chemie]

• Oxygen as Insulator, Semiconductor and Metal

  Oxygen as Insulator, Semiconductor and Metal Oxygen molecule survives to enormously high pressures - RUB researcher calculates stability thresholds and structures of solid oxygen. Image - Structures of solid oxygen under high pressure: At 1.9 TPa, oxygen polymerizes and assumes a square spiral-like structure, which is semi-conducting ,,, [Figure: Jian Sun]