Sometimes, serendipity—or just plain luck—still plays a pivotal role in scientific discovery. Recently, a team of chemists was experimenting with using a biocatalytic process to trigger a ...

Cyclopropanes are three-membered carbocycles whose inherent ring strain endows them with unique chemical and biological properties. Their rigid framework modulates molecular conformation, enhances ...

Enzymes made of bits and pieces of two other enzymes can catalyze all four reactions used to build the skeletons of isoprenoid natural products, chemists have discovered. The multitasking catalysts ...

The latest short science news items from C&EN. Compared with enzymes, protein catalysts are simpler, more stable at high temperatures, and can also be used in environmentally friendly organic solvents ...