ChimiaPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2025.516
Hossein Pourrahmani, Timur Ashirov, Ali Coskun
{"title":"Overcoming Hydrogen Losses in Fuel Cells: A Membrane-based Approach to Sustainable Energy.","authors":"Hossein Pourrahmani, Timur Ashirov, Ali Coskun","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2025.516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2025.516","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hydrogen (H2) is increasingly recognized as a key candidate to replace fossil fuels due to its high energy density, zero-carbon combustion, and compatibility with fuel cell technologies. Fuel cells offer an efficient means to convert hydrogen into electricity, with only water as a byproduct, making them a cornerstone for the energy transition. However, challenges remain in the widespread adoption of hydrogen, including production methods (green, blue, and grey hydrogen), transportation, and associated losses during fuel cell operation. A critical issue is hydrogen purge losses, where unreacted H2 is vented to maintain fuel cell efficiency and durability. This article explores the fundamentals of H2 fuel cells, purge losses, and the environmental implications. Potential solutions are examined, such as catalytic burning and recirculation systems, to minimize the hydrogen losses in fuel cell strategies. An innovative hydrogen recovery membrane, the SEPARATIC-H2, developed at the University of Fribourg, has been showcased to enhance fuel cell efficiency while reducing H2 waste. By addressing these challenges, hydrogen can reach its potential, accelerating the transition toward a sustainable, low-carbon future.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"79 7-8","pages":"516-521"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144944722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2025.540
Florian Kleinbeck
{"title":"Innovation in Route Design, (Bio)Catalysis and Process Development Applied to the Second Generation Synthesis of Sacubitril.","authors":"Florian Kleinbeck","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2025.540","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2025.540","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Commercial manufacturing processes in the pharmaceutical industry need to address numerous goals, ranging from cost effectiveness over process safety to environmental sustainability. While the design of the synthetic route may commonly be considered the centerpiece of chemical process development, only the combination with innovative technologies at scale and in-depth process understanding can unlock the full potential of a synthetic route. The development of a second-generation synthesis of sacubitril, one of the constituent active pharmaceutical ingredients of LCZ696, serves as an example to display how synthesis design can be successfully combined with (bio)catalysis and thorough process development to achieve superior results. In addition, the case at hand highlights the multidisciplinary and team-focused nature of chemical process development.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"79 7-8","pages":"540-545"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144944698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2025.522
Katrin Hecht, Rebecca Buller
{"title":"Industrializing Biocatalysis.","authors":"Katrin Hecht, Rebecca Buller","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2025.522","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2025.522","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biocatalysis leverages enzymes, nature's catalysts, to enhance essential steps in chemical synthesis, thereby promoting more sustainable and efficient processes. Enzymes, macromolecular proteins, catalyze reactions with precision and efficiency in all living organisms. These biocatalysts have been honed over millenia for their specific roles within a biological system; however, they can be effectively reengineered to address novel challenges through recent advancements in molecular biology and bioinformatics. In this review, we present selected enzyme sourcing and engineering examples from our laboratory demonstrating the transition of enzymatic processes from academic research to application in Swiss industries.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"79 7-8","pages":"522-527"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144944706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2025.509
Rosa María Rodríguez Sarmiento
{"title":"A Career Long Effort to Discover a Drug to Treat Neurodegenerative Diseases. My Adventures with γ-Secretase for the Treatment of Alzheimer's.","authors":"Rosa María Rodríguez Sarmiento","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2025.509","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2025.509","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neurodegenerative diseases encompass a range of chronic diseases marked by the progressive loss of structure or function of the nervous system, particularly within areas of the brain such as the neurons (or nerve cells). This degeneration leads to a decline in cognitive abilities, motor skills, and other neurological functions. The progression can be gradual, occurring over years or even decades, and often leads to significant disability and, ultimately, death. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent degenerative disease that affects cognition and that rises dramatically with age. It is a progressive, chronic disease that occurs when nerve cells in the brain die. Current treatments largely address symptoms without altering or reversing disease progression. However, recent advancements with amyloid-β (Aβ) antibodies validate Aβ as a therapeutic target for AD. This article details my long-term experience as a medicinal chemist and project leader working on γ-secretase, a key target in AD drug discovery. I will share initial insights from a multi-disciplinary effort to discover a disease modifying treatment for Alzheimer's disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"79 7-8","pages":"509-515"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144944715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2025.484
Glen R Jones, Athina Anastasaki
{"title":"Chemical Recycling of Polymethacrylates.","authors":"Glen R Jones, Athina Anastasaki","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2025.484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2025.484","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Polymethacrylates, including poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), are produced on a large scale for applications ranging from optics to construction, yet their end-of-life fate remains largely linear. Chemical recycling to regenerate the monomer (depolymerization) offers a promising route to circularity, but conventional methods such as pyrolysis rely on high-temperature random scission pathways that suffer from poor selectivity and undesirable side reactions. Recent advances have demonstrated that polymethacrylates synthesized by controlled radical polymerizations can undergo efficient depolymerization under milder conditions through reactivation of thermally labile chain-end functionalities. Emerging mid-chain-initiated depolymerization strategies further extend low temperature chemical recycling to polymers produced by conventional free-radical polymerization. This review highlights these developments, comparing mechanisms, limitations, and opportunities towards scalable, energy-efficient chemical recycling of polymethacrylates to support a more sustainable plastic economy.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"79 7-8","pages":"484-490"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144944758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2025.528
Klemens Koch
{"title":"[Johann Jakob Balmer im Chemieunterricht heute].","authors":"Klemens Koch","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2025.528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2025.528","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"79 7-8","pages":"528-532"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144944773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Oxazinoazaarenes as Versatile Intermediates for Regioselective Late-Stage C-H-Functionalization and Skeletal Editing of Pyridines, Isoquinolines and Quinolines.","authors":"Debkanta Bhattacharya, Malte Haring, Armido Studer","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2025.476","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2025.476","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Azaarenes, particularly pyridines, represent some of the most important structural and functional motifs across various fields. Consequently, late-stage C-H bond functionalization and skeletal editing of azaarenes hold significant value, particularly for accelerating structure-activity relationship studies. Dearomatized intermediates derived from such azaarenes offer an innovative strategy for selectively modifying these valuable cores. Among them, oxazinoazaarenes are a practical and scalable platform for regioselective meta- and para-C-H functionalization and skeletal editing of the azaarene moiety. This short review highlights the advancements in oxazinoazaarene-based pyridine modification methods achieved by our group and others.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"79 7-8","pages":"476-483"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144944744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2025.533
Andrea Rösch, Thomas D Bucheli
{"title":"Trace-level Multi-residue Analysis of Pesticides in Soil: Advances, Challenges, and Future Directions.","authors":"Andrea Rösch, Thomas D Bucheli","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2025.533","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2025.533","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pesticides are frequently applied in large quantities in agriculture, resulting in their widespread presence in agricultural areas. Additionally, processes such as drift and volatilization contribute to their dispersion far beyond treated sites. However, systematic soil monitoring remains limited. To assess pesticide exposure to soil organisms, highly sensitive, accurate, and robust multi-residue analytical methods are essential. Given the wide variety of pesticides applied, monitoring those most likely to adversely affect soil health and terrestrial ecosystems is a prerequisite. Soil is one of the most complex environmental matrices, posing significant challenges throughout the entire analytical workflow. Here, we summarize the historical evolution of pesticide analysis in soil, outline key methodological advances, and discuss major challenges that must be addressed along the whole analytical workflow to enable effective soil monitoring. Ultimately, protecting soil requires both analytical and regulatory progress, as part of a broader set of measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"79 7-8","pages":"533-539"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144944761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2025.473
Christian G Bochet
{"title":"Editorial.","authors":"Christian G Bochet","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2025.473","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2025.473","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"79 7-8","pages":"473"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144944753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2025-06-25DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2025.384
Vittorio Viri, Zane Duxbury, Gabriel Scalliet, Claudio Battilocchio, Stavros Stavrakis, Andrew DeMello
{"title":"Microfluidics for High-Throughput Screening and Directed Evolution in Agrochemical R&D.","authors":"Vittorio Viri, Zane Duxbury, Gabriel Scalliet, Claudio Battilocchio, Stavros Stavrakis, Andrew DeMello","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2025.384","DOIUrl":"10.2533/chimia.2025.384","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Directed evolution (DE) optimizes biomolecules through natural selection principles, revolutionizing the development of proteins, nucleic acids, and strains for various applications. However, conventional DE methods face limitations in screening throughput, which can prevent the identification of rare but optimal variants within a population. Droplet-based microfluidics enable the transfer of conventional screening methods into nanolitre- scale droplets, enabling high-throughput screening while preserving genotype-phenotype connections. This technology allows rapid screening of millions of variants, opening new possibilities for microbial strain engineering and metabolite production optimization. We discuss the integration of microfluidics into DE workflows and reflect on its potential applications in agrochemical research, including enzyme evolution, crop trait improvement, and natural product biosynthesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"79 6","pages":"384-389"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144494929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}