Chemistry is the branch of science that studies the composition, structure, properties, and transformations of matter. It explores how atoms and molecules interact, combine, and change through chemical reactions, shaping everything from the air we breathe and the food we eat to the technologies we use daily. As a central science, chemistry connects and overlaps with physics, biology, materials science, and environmental science, enabling breakthroughs in areas like medicine, energy, and nanotechnology. From understanding the molecular basis of life to designing new materials and drugs, chemistry provides critical insights into the nature of the physical world. This New Molecule Could Transform How We Recover Gold From Electronic Waste A new extraction molecule uses electricity to recover metals while sharply reducing the need for… Scientists Turn One of the World’s Hardest-To-Recycle Plastics Into Engine Oil Polyvinyl chloride is one of the world’s most widely used plastics, but it is also… Scientists Find a Smarter Way To Turn Used Coffee Grounds Into Clean Fuel Every cup of coffee leaves behind a hidden reservoir of energy. Damp coffee grounds discarded… Scientists Find Two New Ways To Break Down “Forever Chemicals” in Water An HZDR research team has developed methods for breaking down “forever chemicals.” The carbon-fluorine bonds… Chemists Defy Decades-Old Rules With “Free Electron” Breakthrough Free electrons offer chemists a new way to control reactions that conventional electron transfer rules… Nanoreactor Mimics Living Cells To Supercharge Artificial Photosynthesis A biomimetic nanoreactor combines cellular design principles to produce hydrogen peroxide efficiently under visible light.… Scientists Crack the Code for Making “Impossible” Nanocrystals A molten salt method developed by researchers at UChicago and Argonne could enable more durable… Scientists Watch Chemistry Unfold Atom by Atom Study suggests a new method for tracking electronic and vibrational dynamics in real time. Within… New Catalyst Turns Stubborn Plant Waste Into Valuable Chemicals

Atomic insight could make plant waste a more practical source of fuels, plastics and chemicals.… Blue Light Breakthrough Could Speed Up Drug Discovery Researchers have developed a visible-light-driven method that could help chemists build more complex drug-like molecules… AI Just Uncovered a Hidden Secret Inside Water AI is helping scientists uncover the hidden molecular structure behind water’s famously strange behavior. Water… Textbooks May Need Rewriting After Researchers Debunk a Core Chemistry Concept For nearly a century, students have learned the inductive effect the same way. Now, researchers… New Research Could Help Break China’s Rare Earth Magnet Monopoly The magnets powering electric cars and wind turbines come with a hidden environmental cost. Swedish… Scientists Finally Solved a Decades-Old Mystery About Water in Nanoscale Spaces Scientists solved a long-standing mystery by showing that pressure, not tiny spaces alone, determines how… Scientists Create Plastic That Blocks Heat Without Losing Strength A new approach to controlling atomic vibrations in polymers may offer a path toward lightweight… A New Way To See Life’s Hidden Chemistry: $10 Spectrometer Could Turn Wearables Into Personal Health Labs Researchers have developed a compact, low-cost convolutional spectrometer that delivers lab-grade precision for applications ranging… Fireworks May Pollute the Air and Water More Than You Think New research reveals that fireworks leave a hidden trail of pollution in the air and… Scientists Discover Hidden Rule That Could Make Fuel Cells Cheaper and More Powerful A new study reveals that dual-atom catalysts behave in a fundamentally different way than scientists…