Tag: biochemistry

Categories
Biochemistry C&EN

Liquid assets: How mucus, tears and saliva protect us from infection – in C&EN

Snot, tears, and spit might sound unpleasant, but all three are an important part of our immune systems. In the latest edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical and Engineering News, we compare them and look at their components’ role in protecting us from infections. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.

Categories
Food Chemistry

The sour science of vinegar varieties

Infographic on the chemistry of different types of vinegars. First, an overview of vinegar production is shown, explaining the fermentation of sugars and starches into ethanol, then the subsequent oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid. Six different varieties of vinegar are then explored: Distilled vinegar, balsamic vinegar, wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, malt vinegar, and rice vinegar. Chemical compounds of interest are highlighted for each, and also detailed in the post accompanying this image.

The first vinegars were accidents of oxidation, wine left out too long which turned sour. The word vinegar even derives from the Latin for ‘sour wine’. Today, varieties of vinegar range from balsamic to rice vinegar, produced on a commercial basis. This graphic takes a look at some of the chemical quirks of the different […]

Categories
Biochemistry Nobel Prizes

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Clicking together molecules to make new medicines and investigate biological molecules

Infographic on the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded jointly to Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless for their development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry. Click chemistry refers to reactions which efficiently snap together small molecules with simple reaction conditions and no unwanted byproducts. Bioorthogonal chemistry involves chemical reactions which happen in cells without affecting their normal chemistry. The graphic shows a classic example of a click chemistry reaction involving the cycloaddition of an azide and an alkyne using a copper catalyst, and also how this was adapted for use in living organisms by removing the copper catalyst and replacing the alkyne with a cycloalkyne.

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless for their development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.

Categories
Alcohol Chemistry Biochemistry

How is alcohol-free beer made?

Alcohol-free beer is increasingly popular and sought-after as people become warier of their alcohol intake. A few decades ago alcohol-free beer was a poor imitation, but these days it’s steadily improving and some examples can hold their own compared to the real thing. This graphic takes a look at how alcohol-free beer is defined, the […]

Categories
C&EN Food Chemistry

The science of making cheese – in C&EN

Though there are hundreds of different types of cheese, their manufacture follows some common steps. In the latest edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News, we take a look at the biochemical processes that turn milk into cheese. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.

Categories
Biochemistry

Dandelion chemistry: Diuretics and the tyres of the future

Dandelions: Loved by children, loathed by (most) gardeners. Often dismissed as a weed, dandelions lend themselves to several uses — and might be the solution to making more sustainable car tyres.