Shining light on similar crystals reveals photoreactions can differ
Distinctive processes could provide hints on how to use next-generation materials
2024-07-26
(Press-News.org)
A rose by any other name is a rose, but what of a crystal? Osaka Metropolitan University-led researchers have found that single crystals of four anthracene derivatives with different substituents react differently when irradiated with light, perhaps holding clues to how we can use such materials in functional ways.
Graduate student Sogo Kataoka, Dr. Daichi Kitagawa, a lecturer, and Professor Seiya Kobatake of the Graduate School of Engineering and colleagues compared the photoreactions of the single crystals when the entire anthracene crystal was irradiated with light.
For two of the anthracene derivatives, the photoreaction proceeds uniformly throughout the crystal. For the other two, the photoreaction proceeds non-uniformly from the edge to the center of the crystal. The research team also found that in non-uniform photoreactions, the molecules must rotate significantly during the process, so the reaction proceeds from the edge of the crystal where sufficient rotational space is available.
“If we can control the arrangement and reactivity of molecules in crystals based on the findings of this research, it will be possible to make reactions proceed in a spatially selective manner and induce photoreactions only at the desired location,” Dr. Kitagawa explained. “In the future, we aim to shine a light on more detailed factors by conducting 3D simulations and design functional materials that can exhibit arbitrary behavior.”
The findings were published in Chemical Science.
###
About OMU
Established in Osaka as one of the largest public universities in Japan, Osaka Metropolitan University is committed to shaping the future of society through “Convergence of Knowledge” and the promotion of world-class research. For more research news, visit https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/ and follow us on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.
END
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2024-07-26
Over the past few decades, many parts of the world have experienced record-breaking wildfire events—a trend that is, unfortunately, expected to rise. These extreme events not only result in mass evacuations, but also release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, pose risks to life, devastate buildings and essential infrastructure, and fundamentally disrupt and detrimentally transform native ecosystems. In response to the increased risk of catastrophic wildfires, many planning and site design practices have sought to protect the trends and status quo of land development. These measures strive to resist and, ...
2024-07-26
Using modern techniques, researchers have re-examined Johannes Kepler's half-forgotten sunspot drawings and revealed previously hidden information about the solar cycles before the grand solar minimum. By recreating the conditions of the great astronomer’s observations and applying Spörer's law in the light of modern statistics, an international collaborative group led by Nagoya University in Japan has measured the position of Kepler’s sunspot group, placing it at the tail-end of the solar cycle before the cycle that Thomas Harriot, Galileo Galilei, and other ...
2024-07-26
Fukuoka, Japan – Researchers from Kyushu University have identified a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of advanced multiple sclerosis (MS), a potentially disabling condition associated with the central nervous system. In their latest study, conducted using an experimental mouse model of MS, they explored the role of connexin 43 (Cx43), a protein involved in cellular communication and cardiac function, and examined whether targeting this protein with specific blockers could improve ...
2024-07-26
A new paper surveying advances in diabetes pathogenesis and treatment explores the complex factors contributing to the onset and progression of the disease, suggesting that an understanding of these dynamics is key to developing targeted interventions to reduce the risk of developing diabetes and managing its complications.
In a paper published July 25 in a special 50th anniversary issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cell, the authors surveyed hundreds of studies that have emerged over the years looking at the causes underpinning types 1 (T1D) and 2 (T2D) diabetes and new treatments for the disease. They examine the role that genes, environmental factors, and ...
2024-07-26
What puts the electronic pep in peptides? A folded structure, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Electron transport, the energy-generating process inside living cells that enables photosynthesis and respiration, is enhanced in peptides with a collapsed, folded structure. Interdisciplinary researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology combined single-molecule experiments, molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics to validate their findings.
“This discovery provides a new understanding of how electrons flow through peptides ...
2024-07-26
BENTLEY UNIVERSITY
New research from the Center for Integration of Science and Industry at Bentley University shows that differences between the financial structures of large pharmaceutical producers and smaller, emerging biotechnology companies creates synergies that contribute to the pipeline of new, innovative products in response to reductions in drug prices anticipated under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While large pharmaceutical producers would likely reduce R&D spending in response to lower product revenues, R&D in smaller biotechnology companies is not likely to decrease and could sustain both corporate profits and new product ...
2024-07-26
Some 65 million Americans now own firearms for protection—around 80% of the country’s estimated 81 million gun owners—suggest the results of a nationally representative survey carried out in 2023, and published online in the journal Injury Prevention.
This perceived need is changing the profile of gun owners, the findings indicate, with increasing numbers of women and those of minority ethnic backgrounds citing protection as the primary reason for owning a firearm.
In 2021, firearms caused the highest ...
2024-07-26
There’s more than a 10-fold difference in the rates of unintentional gun deaths across US states, with such incidents claiming more than 12,000 lives between 2001 and 2021, finds research published online in the journal Injury Prevention.
Poverty, rural residency, non-White ethnicity and firearms ownership are all associated with higher rates, the findings show.
Firearms kill over 130 Americans every day. Most of these deaths are intentional, but of the 48,830 firearm related deaths in 2021, 549 were unintentional, note the researchers. But it’s not clear if rates differ within and between states.
To explore this further, the researchers looked ...
2024-07-26
Unplanned pregnancies among active service women may be curbing overall US military readiness for action and compromising its Women Peace and Security objectives, suggests research published online in the journal BMJ Military Health.
That’s because they potentially result in the loss of an estimated 2.5 million to more than 4.5 million active duty days, depending on the denominator used, the findings indicate, with the highest rates among 18-24 year olds, those of White race, those deployed in junior ranks and those serving in the Army.
The researchers set out to assess the impact ...
2024-07-26
High levels of the respiratory irritant ozone and grass pollen are likely during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games if hot, sunny weather prevails, suggests an analysis of historic air quality monitoring data for the city of Paris and surrounding area during previous summers, and published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Athletes can be affected by environmental factors, despite generally being in good physical condition, note the researchers. Breathing in air pollution during exercise may pose health risks, depending on exposure levels and underlying long term conditions, they add. Endurance athletes are particularly susceptible to allergic symptoms, they say.
To ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Shining light on similar crystals reveals photoreactions can differ
Distinctive processes could provide hints on how to use next-generation materials
