RenoVous

  Nobel Prize in Physics John Clarke, Michael D. Devoret, John M. Martinis  "for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantisation in an electrical circuit." Their experiments on a chip revealed quantum physics in action . Nobel Prize in Chemistry Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, Omar M. Yaghi "for the development of metal-organic frameworks." Their molecular architecture contains rooms for chemistry . Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, Shimon Sakaguchi "for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance." They understood how the immune system is kept in check . Nobel Prize in Economics Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, Peter Howitt "for having identified the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress." They show how new technology can drive sustained growth .

I was inspired by the idea of a "Chemistree."   And as we head into the New Year's weekend, fireworks are on the agenda. Here's the short and sweet of it. Once again, I'll be off on Monday, so this will be an open thread! Have a wonderful waltz into 2024! (Because 123123, get it!?)

  After three years of upgrades and maintenance, the Large Hadron Collider is back up and running.  It immediately observed three exotic particles for the first time. Scientists at CERN say it was a new kind of pentaquark and the first ever pair of tetraquarks. Quarks are elementary particles that usually combine in groups of two or three to form hadrons, such as the protons and neutrons that make up atomic nuclei. But that's not what I initially saw the in the news. Conspiracy Theorists Think The Large Hadron Collider Transferred Us Into a Parallel Universe Yesterday. In theory, the LHC could detect evidence of extra dimensions. The Kaluza-Klein theory, for example, is built around the idea of a fifth dimension and suggests that there would be heavier versions of standard particles in other dimensions, which could only be revealed at the high energies reached by the LHC. IFL Science

 A team of scientists from Stanford may have found a way to turn extremely toxic by-products of sewage treatment into precious resources for agriculture and electronics, while also allowing for far more efficient water reuse. "Sulfur is a key elemental cycle with room for improvements in efficiently converting sulfur pollutants into products like fertilizer and battery components," said senior author, Will Tarpeh. Anaerobic filtration has been highlighted as a cost-effective treatment process, but it produces large amounts of sulfide.  Current management techniques create additional toxic chemicals, which makes further disinfection of the water difficult. Using electrochemical sulfur oxidation, the researchers began turning the wastewater sulfides into useful products and analyzed the process with microscopy to determine where the reaction may be limited, plus any blockages that may stop sulfur recovery. "Hopefully, this study will accelerate adoption of technology that ...

  Finishing off the week with Halloween spirit, I watch this movie every year, and while his experiments are to understand Christmas, it is indeed a nightmare. In this scene (start at 2:12), Jack creates an oscillating chemiluminescence reaction. Two components react to create an excited, high-energy intermediate state in which an electron is bumped from a lower energy level to a higher one.  In order to reach its ground state, the electron drops back down to its original energy level, which causes a release in energy in the form of a photon, or light. In an oscillating reaction, the concentrations of the reactants or products fluctuate, causing "observable fluctuations of time," which is why this is also called a clock reaction. Now, there is nothing in a Christmas ornament that would cause this kind of reaction, but it's fun in the movie, and there is a scientific basis for what is shown. Science Blog