A chemical compound has been developed that mimics the behavior of a cell. Free Technical Library News

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Developed a chemical compound that mimics the behavior of the cell

04.04.2017

Scientists from Harvard have developed a unique compound that mimics the behavior of a cell. The chemical system itself is transformed from a mixture into a structure, it is able to grow and move.

Despite the fact that the compound repeats the behavior of the cell, its main component is a unique molecule that is unusual for living organisms. The researchers used in their study a mixture of 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, which also included ruthenium and a light-sensitive metal. As a result, molecules not only react to light, but can also form long chains with each other - polymers. One end of the chain attracts water, while the other repels it.

The behavior of a unique chemical compound truly mimics the processes in a cell. The interaction of polymers with water leads to the formation of spherical vesicles, so similar in size to natural cells. New matter can spontaneously form and make copies of chains. The presence of photosensitive metals contributes to the fact that cells reach for light and prefer to settle near its sources.

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The smallest magnifying glass sees bonds between atoms 21.11.2016

Scientists from the British University of Cambridge and the Spanish University of the Basque Country have presented a model of the world's smallest magnifying glass that can see the processes inside the molecule.

The scientists used highly conductive gold nanoparticles to create a subminiature cavity as a cavity, allowing light to be trapped at less than one billionth of a meter. A laser was also used to create the cavities, and the instrument required extreme cooling to operate. "We had to cool the samples to minus 260 degrees Celsius to freeze the rushing gold atoms," said Felix Benz of the University of Cambridge, lead author of the work.

"Even individual gold atoms in our experiments behave like tiny metal ball bearings conducting electrons, which is very different from their quantum life, where electrons are tied to nuclei," said Jeremy Baumberg, another participant in the study from the University of Cambridge. .

The system made it possible to observe processes at the level of individual atoms, which opens up new possibilities both in research projects. In addition, scientists believe that the study can be used as the basis for creating new sources of information storage - in the form of molecular vibrations that can be read and written using light.

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