Technion scientists develop new way to study complex molecules
Israeli university team says it developed a 'toolbox for scientists' which will allow researchers to create and look at molecules regardless of complexity
An Israeli university team says it has developed “a toolbox for scientists” by coming up with a way to select and study complex organic molecules.
Researchers at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa had their findings published by the prestigious journal Nature Chemistry this week.
Led by Professor Ilan Marek, the team said their new technique should let scientists create and study any organic molecule at will, regardless of complexity.
In organic chemistry, the ability to selectively create and investigate each molecule is of crucial importance, because molecules with at least one carbon atom and four different substituents have a mirror image with different properties.
One mirror image can turn out to be a cure and the other a poison, as was famously discovered in the devastating story of thalidomide, the morning sickness drug that caused 10,000 people to be born with birth defects.
The Technion team prepared the molecules in a ring-like formation and strained it, to reduce flexibility, so making it easier to selectively control where to position each atom. They then used a catalyst to help break the bond at a specific point. They did this by using an oxygen atom as “a crane”.
This meant the molecules became interchangeable, like Lego bricks, so that after completing these two steps, the researchers were able to create and study a single product each time out of 16 such possible products.
The results mean organic chemists now have cheap and quick method “to create very complex systems, which often cost a lot of time and money, and were impossible until now to create,” said Marek.
Explaining its interest to chemical and pharmaceutical industries, he added: “What we have developed is a new methodology, or a toolbox, that will benefit the global scientific community. Scientists can now use this method to build on and further expand their research across many different applications.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
