Sofia Garakyaraghi

“If you’re not scaring yourself, you’re probably not doing enough.”

― Cecile Richards, Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead

Safety First: A Recent Case of a Dichloromethane Injection Injury

I want to thank @sebvidalchem.bsky.social for his article on safety related to a dichloromethane injection injury! We discussed this article a few months ago and had a similar incident today with DMF. The student was therefore aware of the potential risk. [1/2] pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Thanks @sebvidalchem.bsky.social ! This is still one of my favorite pieces to have worked on!

Stars by the Pocketful SWIR dyes─The Eras Tour. This love story between chemistry and biology shines.

Had a blast writing this piece celebrating the latest paper in @pubs.acs.org from @ellensletten.bsky.social and Ellen’s general awesomeness. My 11-year old daughter was my coauthor! (try to find all the Easter Eggs) pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

ACS Central Science : This Collection showcases the latest advances in organic synthesis and catalysis, highlighting innovative strategies for the efficient and selective construction of pharmaceutically relevant compounds, natural products, and drugs. Emphasizing groundbreaking work in total synthesis, biocatalysis, and catalytic methodologies—including transition metal-, photo-, and organocatalyzed reactions—this Collection reflects the cutting-edge research recently published in ACS Central Science.

Check out this ACS Central Science Collection showcasing the latest advances in organic synthesis & catalysis, highlighting innovative strategies for the efficient and selective construction of pharmaceutically relevant compounds, natural products, & drugs. pubs.acs.org/page/acscii/...

Colour me better: fixing figures for colour blindness Images can be made more accessible by choosing hues, shapes and textures carefully.

Don't use red and green data lines/surfaces in the same panel please #chemsky. It can be difficult for some colorblind readers to differentiate them. I've accepted (in principle) 2 papers today, and both sets of authors were asked to remove red/green colour contrasts www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Our November Issue of #ACSCentralScience went live last week! pubs.acs.org/toc/acscii/1...

Cover story by John Hartwig & team. Substitution, Elimination, and Integration of Methyl Groups in Terpenes Initiated by C–H Bond Functionalization pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
@acspublications.bsky.social

The vanishing violet in van Gogh’s <i>Irises</i> X-ray fluorescence studies help scientists and conservators re-create the original hues in this famous painting

The vanishing violet in van Gogh’s Irises

X-ray fluorescence studies help scientists and conservators re-create the original hues in this famous painting. cen.acs.org/analytical-c...

#chemsky

Recycling of Post-Consumer Waste Polystyrene Using Commercial Plastic Additives Photothermal conversion can promote plastic depolymerization (chemical recycling to a monomer) through light-to-heat conversion. The highly localized temperature gradient near the photothermal agent s...

Recycling of Post-Consumer Waste Polystyrene Using Commercial Plastic Additives

by Erin Stache and co-workers in ACS Central Science

#chemsky #ACSCentralScience
@acspublications.bsky.social

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Substitution, Elimination, and Integration of Methyl Groups in Terpenes Initiated by C–H Bond Functionalization Methyl groups are ubiquitous in natural products and biologically active compounds, but methods for their selective transformation in such structures are limited. For example, terpenoids contain many ...

Substitution, Elimination, and Integration of Methyl Groups in Terpenes Initiated by C–H Bond Functionalization

by John Hartwig and co-workers in ACS Central Science.

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

@acspublications.bsky.social
#ChemSky #ACSCentralScience

Managing microplastics Taking a magnifying glass to this tiny threat

Images of plastic bottles washed up on beaches and six-pack rings choking marine animals have become symbols of plastic pollution. In this issue, C&EN takes a deep dive into the less visible, insidious side of our plastics problem: #microplastics: cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky #bluesci 🧪

Twenty years of microplastic pollution research—what have we learned? Twenty years after the first publication that used the term microplastic, we review current understanding, refine definitions, and consider future prospects. Microplastics arise from multiple sources,...

Also in SCIENCE, Richard Thompson and colleagues review microplastics pollution 20 years after coining the term

Chemsky 🧪

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Hi Cassi, you can submit a correction on our submission page. Please email me if you have any trouble!

Thank you, Seb! We will get in touch with the author!

New techniques use visible light to destroy PFAS Novel light-activated catalysts tear apart carbon-fluorine bonds in the forever chemicals

Two independent research groups report for the first time that visible light can break apart #PFAS into benign by-products: cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky #bluesci 🧪

Bioinspired, Carbohydrate-Containing Polymers Efficiently and Reversibly Sequester Heavy Metals Water scarcity and heavy metal pollution are significant challenges in today’s industrialized world. Conventional heavy metal remediation methods are often inefficient and energy-intensive, and produc...

Cool work by Cassandra Callmann & team in ACS Cent Sci reporting a sugar-like polymer that removes heavy metals from water by forming a recyclable precipitate. As proof-of-concept, the polymer removed Cd & Pb from river water spiked with these persistent contaminants pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Hello #ChemSky! We're excited to be part of this community, and we look forward to connecting with you here. Excuse us while we take a moment to get situated before we share more.

Molecularly Designed and Nanoconfined Polymer Electronic Materials for Skin-like Electronics Stretchable electronics have seen substantial development in skin-like mechanical properties and functionality thanks to the advancements made in intrinsically stretchable polymer electronic materials. Nanoscale phase separation of polymer materials within an elastic matrix to form one-dimensional nanostructures, namely nanoconfinement, effectively reduces conformational disorders that have long impeded charge transport properties of conjugated polymers. Nanoconfinement results in enhanced charge transport and the addition of skin-like properties. In this Outlook, we highlight the current understanding of structure–property relationships for intrinsically stretchable electronic materials with a focus on the nanoconfinement strategy as a promising approach to incorporate skin-like properties and other functionalities without compromising charge transport. We outline emerging directions and challenges for intrinsically stretchable electronic materials with the aim of constructing skin-like electronic systems.

Check out Outlook on skin-like electronics by Yu-Qing Zheng & Zhenan Bao published this week in ACS Central Science.

Molecularly Designed and Nanoconfined Polymer Electronic Materials for Skin-like Electronics
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

#chemsky

Hi #ChemSky! 👋 We see you! Please give us a moment to get settled here.

Insightful perspective on recent work on enzymes in nanoconfinement published in ACS Cent Sci

Really enjoyed reading @dereklowe.bsky.social feature of the article last week as well: www.science.org/content/blog...
In it he invited readers to submit any stories of their own Eureka moments in the comments which would be fun to do here on #ChemSky as well!

@carolynbertozzi.bsky.social

Eureka Moments Shared by Chemists. Hints at Enhancing One’s Own Creativity (and Even One’s Joy) Interviews were conducted with 18 chemists from several subdisciplines of chemistry and include a diversity of demographics on the topic of creativity as seen through the eyes of Eureka moments. The experiences fell within three categories, i.e., (1) analytical problem-solving which can be reconstructed into a series of logical steps that can be identified; (2) memory retrieval processes of previously acquired knowledge; and (3) insights characterized by a sudden and unexpected understanding. There were variations of detail within each category. Suggestions for enhancing the probability of experiencing Eureka moments are provided.

A really fun piece in ACS Central Science that takes a deep dive into Eureka moments in chemical discovery! 💡

"Eureka Moments Shared by Chemists. Hints at Enhancing One’s Own Creativity (and Even One’s Joy)" by Jeffrey Seeman and Judy Wu
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

#ChemSky

Tale of Two Polymorphs: Investigating the Structural Differences and Dynamic Relationship between Nirmatrelvir Solid Forms (Paxlovid) Two anhydrous polymorphs of the novel antiviral medicine nirmatrelvir were discovered during the development of Paxlovid, Pfizer’s oral Covid-19 treatment. A comprehensive experimental and computational approach was necessary to distinguish the two closely related polymorphs, herein identified as Forms 1 and 4. This approach paired experimental methods, including powder X-ray diffraction and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, solid-state experimental methods, thermal analysis, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy with computational investigations comprising crystal structure prediction, Gibbs free energy calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations of the polymorphic transition. Forms 1 and 4 were ultimately determined to be enantiotropically related polymorphs with Form 1 being the stable form above the transition temperature of ∼17 °C and designated as the nominated form for drug development. The work described in this paper shows the importance of using highly specialized orthogonal approaches to elucidate the subtle differences in structure and properties of similar solid-state forms. This synergistic approach allowed for unprecedented speed in bringing Paxlovid to patients in record time amidst the pandemic.

During my time at Pfizer I solved crystal structures for our COVID-19 antiviral, nirmatrelvir. This compound has two remarkably similar anhydrous polymorphs, which presented significant challenges to getting this drug on the market in a short time. A major team effort:

pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1...

The Fight Against Frostbite Progresses The first FDA-approved drug for frostbite can save limbs from amputation, and researchers are working on “coldscreen” preventatives.

The first FDA-approved drug for frostbite can save limbs from amputation, and researchers are working on “coldscreen” preventatives.

Check out "The Fight Against Frostbite Progresses" latest from @cenmag.bsky.social special for ACS Central Science.
❄️
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

#ChemSky

Awesome! 🌈⚡️

Structural Gating Enhances Long-Distance Light-Driven Interfacial Electron Transfer Structural gating provides a molecular means to transfer electrons preferentially in one desired vectorial direction, a behavior needed for applications in artificial photosynthesis. At the interfaces utilized herein, visible-light absorption by a transition metal complex opens a “structural gate” by planarization of otherwise rotating phenyl rings in p-phenylene ethynylene (PE) bridge units. Planarization provides a conjugated pathway for electron flow toward a conductive oxide surface. Interfacial electron transfer to the oxide restores rotation and closes the gate to the unwanted recombination reaction. This structural gating results in nearly quantitative long-distance (>20 Å) interfacial electron transfer that occurs ∼1000 times faster than transfer in the opposite direction. A comparative kinetic study of these complexes with those that contain ionic bridge units, without gating function, as a function of the applied potential and hence −ΔG° provided a physical basis for the structural gating. A small distance-dependent reorganization energy with weak electronic coupling underlies the success of this gate that enables efficient long-distance electron transfer and slow recombination.

Light-triggered structural gating for directional electron transfer. ⚡ Work by Jerry Meyer, Elena Galoppini, @fncastellano.bsky.social and co-workers.

"Structural Gating Enhances Long-Distance Light-Driven Interfacial Electron Transfer"

Read it here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

#ChemSky

Fantastic Frustrated Materials–and Where to Find Them

Christopher Wiebe's First Reaction to Paddison & Cliffes's work.

Read it here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
#ChemSky

Attempting to bring #fluorescenceFriday to @bsky.app with this post. The fluorescence is being induced by sunlight excitation during solvent removal. Photo credit: Adrienne P. Faulkner.

#FluorescenceFriday reminder that if you sprinkle turmeric into alcohol while shining a UV light on it, you get a brilliant fireworks display in a glass 🎇

#ChemSky 🧪

ACS Central Science The signature of spin liquid is its diffraction pattern containing structured diffuse scattering. The diffraction patterns of the seven highest symmetry frustrated magnetic topologies are shown here, ...

Check out our latest Issue of ACS Central Science!
pubs.acs.org/toc/acscii/1...

Cover story by Joseph Paddison and Matthew Cliffe depicting the diffraction patterns of the seven highest symmetry frustrated magnetic topologies.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

@carolynbertozzi.bsky.social