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New boron-containing solution makes foam self-extinguishing

Nature, Published online: 19 August 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-02643-8

But whether these findings apply more broadly remains to be seen.

Publication date: 15 August 2024

Source: Chem Catalysis, Volume 4, Issue 8

Author(s): Shibo Shao, Ke Wang, Yiming Zhang, Jason B. Love, Zongyang Yue, Wei Li, Liangliang Huang, Yuyin Wang, Xiaokun Yao, Tianxiao Chang, Xianfeng Fan

Study finds improvement at one major publisher but not at another

Using a method featuring an extrapolated time-zero Heteronuclear Single-Quantum Coherence Zero (HSQC₀) sequence on whole cell walls samples, we can successfully quantify native lignin's structural features. Applying this tool to compare whole cell wall samples to extracted lignin reveals fundamental differences in the apparent linkage distribution within the polymer, which provides insight into lignin's fractionation mechanism.

Abstract

Our ability to study and valorize the lignin fraction of biomass is hampered by the fundamental and still unmet challenge of precisely quantifying native lignin's structural features. Here, we developed a rapid elevated-temperature ¹H−¹³C Heteronuclear Single-Quantum Coherence Zero (HSQC₀) NMR method that enables this precise quantification of native lignin structural characteristics even with whole plant cell wall (WPCW) NMR spectroscopy, overcoming fast spin relaxation in the gel phase. We also formulated a Gaussian fitting algorithm to perform automatic and reliable spectral integration. By combining HSQC₀ measurements with yield measurements following depolymerisation, we can confirm the combinatorial nature of radical coupling reactions during biosynthesis leading to a random sequential organization of linkages within a largely linear lignin chain. Such analyses illustrate how this analytical method can greatly facilitate the study of native lignin structure, which can then be used for fundamental studies or to understand lignin depolymerization methods like reductive catalytic fractionation or aldehyde-assisted fractionation.

30 Seconds to success! – The Wittig reaction, a fundamental and extensively utilized reaction in organic chemistry, enables the efficient conversion of carbonyl compounds to olefins using phosphonium salts. Traditionally, meticulous reaction setup, including the pre-formation of a reactive ylide species via deprotonation of a phosphonium salt, is crucial for achieving high-yielding reactions under classical solution-based conditions. In this report, we present an unprecedented protocol for an ultra-fast mechanochemically driven Wittig reaction under solvent-free and ambient conditions, eliminating the need for tedious ylide pre-formation under strict air and moisture exclusion. A range of aldehydes and ketones were reacted with diverse phosphonium salts under high-speed ball milling conditions, giving access to the respective olefins in only 30 seconds.

Nature, Published online: 13 June 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-02013-4

How do you get your creative juices flowing after spending hours, days or months looking at a blank screen? Researchers share their advice.

Publication date: 19 September 2024

Source: Chem Catalysis, Volume 4, Issue 9

Author(s): Duarte M. Neiva, Monica Ek, Bert F. Sels, Joseph S.M. Samec

Governments may have the capacity to flood social media with fake news, but little is known about the use of flooding by ordinary voters. In this work, we identify 2107 registered US voters who account for 80% of the fake news shared on Twitter during ...