{"id":11245,"date":"2020-01-14T09:30:29","date_gmt":"2020-01-14T14:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/?p=11245"},"modified":"2024-04-05T11:35:03","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T15:35:03","slug":"chemistry-trends-you-should-know-for-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/blog\/chemistry-trends-you-should-know-for-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Chemistry Trends You Should Know for 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>This past December, Chemical &amp; Engineering News hosted a lively discussion with well-known science editors who have their fingers on the pulse of innovation in chemistry. Lauren Wolf and Michael Torrice of C&amp;EN were joined by Nature Chemistry&#8217;s chief editor, Stu Cantrill, and senior editor Christopher Chang of ACS Central Science. These experts recapped their favorite moments in chemistry from 2019 and predicted what the future of science holds.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-heading\">Hottest Trends in Chemistry &#8211; 2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before diving into the predictions for the biggest chemistry advances of 2020, the panel revisited some of the hottest chemistry trends from 2019, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"background-color:#e5f7d9\" class=\"has-background\"><strong>Most Exciting Manuscripts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a year of fantastic advances, so picking just a few standouts was an enormous challenge. However, Chris and Stu shared their favorites with attendees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Chris\u2019 Picks:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A MOF-based water harvester.<\/em> <strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>Getting enough water in arid climates is a major global problem, that is likely to get worse with climate change. Harvesting water from air is one way to address water scarcity, but the technology has a ways to go before it can become a universal solution. This year, researchers created a MOF-based water harvester \u201cthat\u2019s driven by light,\u201d says Chris. \u201cIt\u2019s very basic yet translational. Fantastic demonstration of chemistry.\u201d DOI: 10.1021\/acscentsci.9b00745. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-color has-very-light-gray-background-color\"><em>Want to see more from C&amp;EN on the topic? <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/environment\/pollution\/Device-draws-drinking-water-desert\/97\/i35\" target=\"_blank\">Click to read &#8216;Device draws drinking water from desert air&#8217;<\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Natural Products Atlas. <\/em>Scientists have made rapid progress in identifying molecules made by microorganisms from across the globe. These natural products can have miraculous properties, but there hasn\u2019t been a database to house the thousands of known chemical structures, hindering natural product science. But now we have the Natural Products Atlas, an open access, community-maintained database of microbial natural product structures. At 24,594 structures and counting, new worlds of research are opening up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more about it in ACS Central Science, DOI: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/acscentsci.9b00806\" target=\"_blank\">10.1021\/acscentsci.9b00806<\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stu\u2019s Picks:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A new form of carbon. <\/em>In recent years, researchers have discovered a series of exciting carbon allotropes including fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene, each opening up new areas of research and discovery. This year, a new carbon allotrope was added to the arsenal: cyclo[18]carbon. The creation of this ring of 18 carbons by atom manipulation opens the way to build other novel carbon molecules. DOI: <a href=\"https:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/365\/6459\/1299\">10.1126\/scie<\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"n (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/365\/6459\/1299\" target=\"_blank\">n<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/365\/6459\/1299\">ce.aay1914.&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>All-benzene intertwined structures.<\/em> In another exciting development in the world of carbon nanostructures, researchers developed a new strategy for creating interlocked rings of carbon molecules. This carbon knot had some interesting behaviors that may spur a deeper understanding of carbon nanostructures as well as inspire some new applications. DOI: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/365\/6450\/272\" target=\"_blank\">10.1126\/science.aav5021<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-color has-very-light-gray-background-color\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/materials\/nanomaterials\/Knot-usual-hydrocarbons\/97\/i29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Get caught up. Read C&amp;EN\u2019s article, \u2018Knot your usual hydrocarbons\u2019. (opens in a new tab)\">Get caught up. Read C&amp;EN\u2019s article, \u2018Knot your usual hydrocarbons\u2019.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"background-color:#e5f7d9\" class=\"has-background\"><strong>Molecules of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many memorable molecules made headlines this year, and C&amp;EN&nbsp; compiled the most memorable of them all. After wading through a vast sea of chemistry new stories from this year, a few of our editors\u2019 favorite molecules reported in 2019 included <a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/materials\/nanomaterials\/Knot-usual-hydrocarbons\/97\/i29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">all-benzene intertwined structures<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/materials\/inorganic-chemistry\/Transition-metal-complex-takes-unexpected\/97\/i40\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">hexagonal planar structure<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/physical-chemistry\/chemical-bonding\/Chemists-use-atomic-manipulation-nudge\/97\/web\/2019\/08\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">new carbon allotrope<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/materials\/nanomaterials\/Antiaromatic-nanocage-weird-magnetic-properties\/97\/i42\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">antiaromatic cage<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/materials\/nanomaterials\/Methane-caged-inside-C60\/97\/i12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">C60 methane trap<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Readers online also voted on which of these molecules stood out the most this year. The winner was antiaromatic nanocage! View the results at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/cenm.ag\/moy19\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/cenm.ag\/moy19<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"background-color:#e5f7d9\" class=\"has-background\"><strong>Biggest Chemistry Research Trends of 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>plastic problem<\/strong> is real, and Stu is happy to see an emerging trend of research into the chemical recycling of plastics. \u201cEnvironmental concerns seem to have been hitting the headlines more in 2019 than ever before (and rightly so) and the issue of plastic waste is a significant one,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-color has-very-light-gray-background-color\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/environment\/recycling\/Plastic-problem-chemical-recycling-solution\/97\/i39\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Where will all our plastic go? Learn how plastic makers are looking for a solution in C&amp;EN\u2019s article \u2018Plastic has a problem; is chemical recycling the solution?\u2019 (opens in a new tab)\">Where will all our plastic go? Learn how plastic makers are looking for a solution in C&amp;EN\u2019s article \u2018Plastic has a problem; is chemical recycling the solution?\u2019<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Drug discovery protocols<\/strong> are changing, thanks to PROTACs, proteolysis targeting chimeras, and similar molecules. PROTACs work by exploiting the cell\u2019s machinery for protein degradation to take out a target protein, opening up new avenues for developing effective medications.\u201cThe use of PROTACs and related targeted chimeras for basic and, hopefully, translational drug discovery,\u201d says Chris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-color has-very-light-gray-background-color\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/articles\/96\/i8\/targeted-protein-degraders-are-redefining-how-small-molecules-look-and-act.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Read C&amp;EN\u2019s article about how targeted protein degraders are redefining how small molecules look and act. (opens in a new tab)\">Read C&amp;EN\u2019s article about how targeted protein degraders are redefining how small molecules look and act.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Green chemistry<\/strong> seems to be on everyone\u2019s minds these days, and electrochemistry may offer a way to make industrial synthesis greener. For example, the Haber-Bosch process for producing ammonia, an essential ingredient of fertilizer, produces an enormous amount of greenhouse gases. Researchers are trying to make a sustainable fertilizer with an alternative approach employing an electrolyte. \u201cDeveloping chemistry like this will be crucial in finding solutions to climate change,\u201d says Michael.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-color has-very-light-gray-background-color\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/environment\/greenChemistry\/Tackling-sustainable-fertilizer-production-alternative\/96\/web\/2018\/05\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Learn more about how researchers are tackling sustainable fertilizer production with an alternative electrolyte. (opens in a new tab)\">Learn more about how researchers are tackling sustainable fertilizer production with an alternative electrolyte.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-heading\">Big Chemistry Trends of 2020<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the webinar panelists, these areas of chemistry research are predicted to feature prominently in 2020. Below we\u2019ve paired each prediction with further reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Green Chemistry. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This one won\u2019t go away, for good reason. Chris\u2019 pick specifically in this field? \u201cA focus on the nitrogen cycle, particularly in ammonia electrosynthesis, nitrate\/nitrite reduction in relation to clean water and agriculture, as well as new sustainable methods for C-N bond formation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"background-color:#fbf7f7\" class=\"has-text-color has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/topics\/environment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Interested in going green? Read more from C&amp;EN. (opens in a new tab)\">Interested in going green? Read more from C&amp;EN.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stu says, \u201cI expect even more chemists to embrace the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning on research to help with prediction and discovery. Related to this, I think automation will also place a more prominent role in chemical research.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Michael agrees, \u201cI see a trend continuing in drug development in which scientists give a machine learning algorithm a target and it finds a drug candidate, plans its synthesis, and tells robotics how to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"background-color:#fbf7f7\" class=\"has-text-color has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"><em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"More from C&amp;EN: Read about how AI identifies drug candidate in weeks. (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/pharmaceuticals\/drug-discovery\/AI-identifies-drug-candidate-weeks\/97\/i35\" target=\"_blank\">Read about how AI identifies drug candidate in weeks.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Gut Bacteria. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lauren says, \u201cResearchers published a report this year that gut microbes could digest \u2154 of a group of 270-some small-molecule drugs. This has big implications.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"background-color:#fbf7f7\" class=\"has-text-color has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/biological-chemistry\/microbiome\/Gut-bacteria-feast-pills-pop\/97\/i34\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Hungry for more? Read C&amp;EN\u2019s article covering how gut bacteria feast on the pills we pop. (opens in a new tab)\">Hungry for more? Read C&amp;EN\u2019s article covering how gut bacteria feast on the pills we pop.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recycling Batteries.<\/strong> Lauren also thinks, \u201c140 million electric vehicles are predicted to be on the road by 2030. The need for recycling our batteries is high.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"background-color:#fbf7f7\" class=\"has-text-color has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"><em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"C&amp;EN agrees. Learn about recycling\u2019s benefits, challenges, and potential improvements in C&amp;EN\u2019s article It\u2019s time to get serious about recycling lithium-ion batteries. (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/materials\/energy-storage\/time-serious-recycling-lithium\/97\/i28\" target=\"_blank\">Learn about recycling\u2019s benefits, challenges, and potential improvements in C&amp;EN\u2019s article &#8216;It\u2019s time to get serious about recycling lithium-ion batteries.<\/a><\/em>&#8216;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Final Thoughts<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year at this time, the C&amp;EN Media Group team signed off on a similar blog post with a host of activities around the International Year of the Periodic Table. Throughout 2019, we played IYPT bingo, held a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"social media contest with KNF (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/images.acspubs.org\/Web\/AmericanChemicalSociety\/%7Be0adaa3d-7a50-474c-9d86-3c0c94623595%7D_ACS_Case_Study_Social.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">social media contest with KNF<\/a>, challenged the chemistry community to name as many molecules as they could <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/sections\/periodic-table-quiz.html\" target=\"_blank\">under 1 minute<\/a>, and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/cen.acs.org\/sections\/IYPT.html\" target=\"_blank\">more<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s ahead then for 2020?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Download our <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"2020 Editorial Sponsorship calendar (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/sponsorships\" target=\"_blank\">2020 Editorial Sponsorship Calendar<\/a> and learn more about the topics we have planned, from celebrating women in chemistry, to our database of the Global Top 50 companies. You can also email us at <a href=\"mailto:cenmediagroup@acs.org\">cenmediagroup@acs.org<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span> This past December, Chemical &amp; Engineering News hosted a lively discussion with well-known science editors who have their fingers on the pulse of innovation in chemistry. Lauren Wolf and Michael Torrice of C&amp;EN were joined by Nature Chemistry&#8217;s chief editor, Stu Cantrill, and senior editor Christopher Chang of ACS Central Science. These experts recapped their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[82,224],"tags":[180,81,344,103,300,106,25],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/app\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Pipett770x520.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"C&amp;EN Media Group","author_link":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/blog\/author\/cen_media_group\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11245"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acsmediakit.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}