Rice University Chemists Create Eco-Friendly Method To Make Chlorine-Based Materials

The new innovation removed the requirement of high temperatures and harsh chemicals in chlorination. The process developed by the Rice University Chemists is a more environmentally friendly way to integrate chlorine into other chemicals.

Study in US: The chemists at Rice University have developed an environmentally friendly way to integrate chlorine into plastics, medications, pesticides and other essential products. The new finding will also reduce the costs in the process.

Julian West, assistant professor of chemistry and a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Scholar has led this finding. The new method does not require harsh chemicals or high temperatures instead it needs iron and sulfur catalysts and mild blue light.

“Our method uses sustainable, low-cost catalysts and operates at room temperature with gentle blue light. It provides a targeted, efficient way to chlorinate molecules without conventional approaches’ environmental and purification challenges," said West.

“It’s exciting that this method could open new doors for modifying pharmaceuticals and natural products in ways that weren’t possible with older techniques,” West added.

Rice University's Major Breakthrough For ‘Smart Cell’ Design

The bioengineers at Rice University have created a new construction kit which is being seen as a major breakthrough in the field of synthetic biology. This kit is for creating custom sense-and-respond circuits in human cells. This new finding can revolutionize therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

“Imagine tiny processors inside cells made of proteins that can ‘decide’ how to respond to specific signals like inflammation, tumor growth markers or blood sugar levels,” said Xiaoyu Yang, a graduate student in the Systems, Synthetic and Physical Biology Ph.D. program at Rice.

“This work brings us a whole lot closer to being able to build ‘smart cells’ that can detect signs of disease and immediately release customizable treatments in response," added Xiaoyu Yang.

"The new approach to artificial cellular circuit design relies on phosphorylation — a natural process cells use to respond to their environment that features the addition of a phosphate group to a protein. Phosphorylation is involved in a wide range of cellular functions, including the conversion of extracellular signals into intracellular responses — e.g., moving, secreting a substance, reacting to a pathogen or expressing a gene," says the official statement of Rice University.

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