Chemistry Nexus
by WebElements: the periodic table on the web
Cyborg bacteria convert CO2 into acetic acid
A BBC report on the August 2017 American Chemical Society meeting states ‘Cyborg’ bacteria deliver green fuel source from sunlight. To summarise, some bacteria deal with heavy metals such as cadmium by converting it to cadmium sulphide semiconductor crystals on their surfaces. These bacteria are then able to convert carbon dioxide + water + light into acetic acid with high efficiency.
WebElements August 22nd, 2017
Posted In: Bioinorganic chemistry, Environmental chemistry, Photochemistry
Tags: Cadmium, Carbon dioxide, sulfur
Deadly poison hydrogen sulfide induces suspended animation
Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (USA) have announced that hydrogen sulfide (sulphide) gas, H2S, can induce a state of suspended animation in mice while maintaining normal blood pressure. It is hoped that this result eventually will help in the treatment critically-ill patients. This result was presented at the American Physiological Society conference, “Comparative Physiology 2006: Integrating Diversity,” in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, October 2006 (link no longer available but see this BBC report).
WebElements October 9th, 2006
Posted In: Chemistry
Tags: Hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur
Manganese blocks hydrogen sulphide in water systems
Trace amounts of manganese is essential to human health. Now, a team of scientists from the University of Delaware, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the University of Hawaii, and Oregon Health and Science University has found that a dissolved form of manganese, Mn(III), is important in waterways such as the Black Sea and Chesapeake Bay. It can keep toxic hydrogen sulfide (sulphide) zones in check.
WebElements September 26th, 2006
Posted In: Chemistry, Environmental chemistry