The Journal of Chemical Physics
Advancing the Description Of ‘Mysterious’ Water To Improve Drug Design
Scientists Unravel the Mysteries of Polymer Strands in Fuel Cells
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 24, 2018 — Hydrogen fuel cells offer an attractive source of continuous energy for remote applications, from spacecraft to remote weather stations. Fuel cell efficiency decreases as the Nafion membrane, used to separate the anode and cathode within a fuel cell, swells as it interacts with water. A Russian and Australian collaboration […]
New Model Helps Define Optimal Temperature and Pressure to Forge Nanoscale Diamonds in an Explosion
New Method Speeds Up Simulations, Giving New Insights into Protein Folding
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 4, 2018 — A protein’s folding patterns help them perform their dedicated tasks. As the real “doers” of the cell, even a tiny alteration in a protein’s amino acid backbone can cause misfolding and hinder the protein’s functionality or cause disease. For instance, if tau, a protein that helps stabilize the structure […]
New Cost-Effective Instrument Measures Molecular Dynamics on a Picosecond Timescale
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 17, 2018 — Studying the photochemistry, or chemical results of light, has shown that ultraviolet radiation can set off harmful chemical reactions in the human body and, alternatively, can provide “photo-protection” by dispersing extra energy. To better understand the dynamics of these photochemical processes, a group of scientists irradiated the RNA base […]
THz Spectroscopy Could Help Explain Water’s Anomalies
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 27, 2018 — Liquid water sustains life on earth, but its physical properties remain mysterious among scientific researchers. Recently, a team of Swiss researchers used existing THz spectroscopy techniques to measure liquid water’s hydrogen bonding. Future efforts with this technique could one day help explain water’s peculiar properties. The team reports their […]
Molecular Evolution: How the Building Blocks of Life May Form In Space
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 25, 2018 — In a laboratory experiment that mimics astrophysical conditions, with cryogenic temperatures in an ultrahigh vacuum, scientists used an electron gun to irradiate thin sheets of ice covered in basic molecules of methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide. These simple molecules are ingredients for the building blocks of life. The experiment […]
The ‘Missing Link’ in Conducting Molecules, Butadiene — Solved
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 24, 2018 — Linear polyenes are hydrocarbon chains with unusual optical and electrical properties. They have become a paradigm for studying photoisomerization — when molecular structures rearrange from absorbing light — because of their straightforward molecular structure, potential for electrical conductivity, and role in vision. Understanding how these molecules simultaneously rearrange through […]