Study unlocks the power of visible light for sustainable chemistry

Findings could revolutionize how we produce essential chemicals and fuels

05-Apr-2024 - A breakthrough in sustainable molecular transformations has been announced by researchers at the University of Helsinki. Led by Professor Pedro Camargo, the team has developed an important way to harness the power of visible light to drive chemical processes with greater efficiencies, offering a ...

Gold Recycling

Selective dissolution of elemental gold from multi-metal sources in organic solutions

17-Dec-2018 - “Urban mining”, the recycling of precious metals from electronic gadgets, becomes ever more important, although processes that are both efficient and environmentally benign are still scarce. An international team of scientists has now looked deeper into gold dissolution, in particular, how ...

Rapid pair production: Detection of a new reaction path in the atmosphere

04-Apr-2018 - Scientists have now observed a particularly rapid type of pair production in the laboratory: Hydrocarbons double when two peroxyl radicals react with each other. This means that stable products with the carbon skeleton of both peroxyl radicals are formed, which very likely will have a peroxide ...

Nanoparticles can grow in cubic shape

06-Apr-2016 - The efficiency of many applications deriving from natural sciences depends dramatically on a finite-size property of nanoparticles, so-called surface-to-volume ratio. The larger the surface of nanoparticles for the same volume is achieved, the more efficiently nanoparticles can interact with the ...

Novel testing device for detecting toxic blue-green algae

25-Jun-2013 - VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a fast and affordable testing device for detecting the presence of toxic blue-green algae in water. There is currently no fast, affordable and user-friendly way for consumers to check water quality themselves. The blue-green algae testing kit ...

Formation of nanoparticles can now be studied molecule-by-molecule

28-Feb-2013 - A study combines the cycles of sulphur, nitrogen and carbon in the ecosystem, as it shows that the molecular clusters need sulphuric acid, amines and oxygenated organics for growth. When the clusters reach a size of 1.5-2 nm, their growth increases considerably. The measurements were conducted at ...

CU-Boulder-led team discovers new atmospheric compound tied to climate change, human health

New chemical pathway for the formation of sulfuric acid a big surprise, say researchers

13-Aug-2012 - An international research team led by the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Helsinki has discovered a surprising new chemical compound in Earth's atmosphere that reacts with sulfur dioxide to form sulfuric acid, which is known to have significant impacts on climate and ...

New synchrotron technique could see hidden building blocks of life

31-May-2011 - Scientists from Finland and France have developed a new synchrotron X-ray technique that may revolutionize the chemical analysis of rare materials like meteoric rock samples or fossils. The results have been published in Nature Materials.Life, as we know it, is based on the chemistry of carbon ...

Periodic table layout extended from 118 to 172 elements

25-Oct-2010 - An extended periodic table with 54 predicted elements has been mapped out and is reported in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. Pekka Pyykkö uses a highly accurate modern computational model to predict electronic structures and therefore the periodic table positions elements up to proton ...

The toxicity of antimicrobial silver in products can be reduced

26-Feb-2010 - Chemists at the University of Helsinki have managed to manufacture new polymer-stabilised silver nanoparticles. The result is significant because the antimicrobial characteristics of silver are used in textiles, floor coatings and paints even though the impact on health of silver nanoparticles ...