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Challenging a central dogma of chemistry: Energy flow in chemical reactions:
The findings violate a central dogma of chemistry, that molecular diffusion and chemical reaction are unrelated. To observe that molecules are energized by chemical reaction is "new and unknown," said Granick. "When one substance transforms to another by breaking and forming bonds, this actually makes the molecules move more rapidly. It's as if the chemical reactions stir themselves naturally."
"Currently, Nature does an excellent job of producing molecular machines but in the natural world scientists have not understood well enough how to design this property," said Wang. "Beyond curiosity to understand the world, we hope that practically this can become useful in guiding thinking about transducing chemical energy for molecular motion in liquids, for nanorobotics, precision medicine and greener material synthesis."
The unexpected ripples generated by chemical reactions, especially when catalyzed (accelerated by substances not themselves consumed), propagate long-range. For chemists and physicists, this work challenges the textbook view that molecular motion and chemical reaction are decoupled, and that reactions affect only the nearby vicinity. For engineers, this work shows a powerful new approach to design nanomotors at the truly molecular level.
[...] Wang remarked with enthusiasm: "Now, we're like a baby taking her first steps and there's so much exciting opportunity to grow this baby."
[...] Granick concluded: "The field of active materials, quite new and growing fast, is enriched by this discovery that chemical reactions behave as nanoswimmers made of individual molecules that stir up the reaction soup. The concept of active materials has shown its value in challenging a central dogma of chemistry."
Journal Reference:
Huan Wang, Myeonggon Park, Ruoyu Dong, et al. Boosted molecular mobility during common chemical reactions [$], Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.aba8425)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 31 2020, @11:48PM (3 children)
I noticed a trend. The more catchy the headline the more likelihood that the article consists of junk science, exaggerated or useless science, or redundant science.
Take, for example, astronauts using Fungi from Chernobyl as a radiation shield
https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=20/07/28/1030238 [soylentnews.org]
Radiotrophic Fungi has been around from before. So what makes this so special? Adding Chernobyl to the headline makes it more catchy. Doing so automatically raises my suspicion that this is useless. There is nothing really special about Chernobyl fungi when compared to, say, any other typical radiotrophic fungi.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 01 2020, @12:03AM (2 children)
They are just trying to make a living. Don't publish, they are out on the street with 6-figure student debts.
No wonder the general populace, not just some redneck hillbillies, piss on them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 01 2020, @12:29AM
Well that and the whole AGW hoax.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday August 01 2020, @02:15AM
It's all fund manager hype... Looking for the technical ignoramus to invest someone else 's money and get paid a commission to lose it.
Handshakes with suit guys are the most expensive and least rewarding of all the things I have done.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]