Bethany Halford

Boston

Science Writer and Senior Correspondent at C&EN

Science writer (she/her) at @cenmag. Interested in molecules and molecule makers. Any opinions here are mine.

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Articles

Osmium ensnared in a hydrocarbon ring

2 weeks ago | cen.acs.org | Bethany Halford

By constructing an aromatic hydrocarbon framework around an osmium ion, chemists have created a new class of organometallic compound. The in-plane metallo-annulenes are essentially carbon clusters embedded with transition metals. The molecules could have applications in high-performance electronics or could be used to make graphene doped with metal ( Nature 2025, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08841-2).
Science takes a shot at your afternoon pick-me-up

2 weeks ago | cen.acs.org | Bethany Halford

Perfecting pour-over coffee Coffee is a ubiquitous pick-me-up, but climate change is making Arabica coffee plants-which are temperature sensitive-more challenging to grow. And that means coffee could become a liquid luxury. Physicists at the University of Pennsylvania wondered if they could use science to get more out of pour-over coffee.
LSD atom swap tunes out hallucinations

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Bethany Halford

By simply trading the positions of a carbon and a nitrogen within the skeleton of the psychedelic compound LSD, chemists have created a molecule that promotes neuron growth and alleviates depression in mice but does not prompt the animals to behave as though they are experiencing hallucinations.
Going big with δ-cyclodextrin

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Bethany Halford

Chemists have a sweet spot for cyclodextrin (CD) rings, cyclic molecules made of glucose sugars linked together like dancers in a Henri Matisse painting. Cyclodextrins have found use as drug delivery agents that encapsulate active pharmaceutical ingredients, as air fresheners that soak up stinky compounds, and as water purification systems that capture and destroy pollutants.
12 drug candidates debuted in San Diego

1 month ago | pubs.acs.org | Bethany Halford

Monday, April 14, 2025 Please be aware that pubs.acs.org is undergoing maintenance from Saturday February 1 to Monday Febraury 3, that may have an impact on your experience. During this time, you may not be able to access certain features like login, purchasing single articles, saving searches or running existing saved searches, modifying your e-Alert preferences, or accessing Librarian administrative functions. We appreciate your patience as we continue to improve the ACS Publications platform.
Praseodymium powers up to +5

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Bethany Halford

Pushing the known limits of lanthanide oxidation, chemists have isolated praseodymium (Pr) in the +5 oxidation state. WhilePr 5+ compounds have been observed in the gas phase and in noble gas matrix isolation conditions before, this is the first time chemists have been able to characterize one using X-ray crystallography. The finding suggests that chemists should shift how they situate lanthanides in the periodic table.
Frances H. Arnold forges ahead

1 month ago | cen.acs.org | Bethany Halford

In celebrity-filled Los Angeles, Frances H. Arnold can walk down the street in relative anonymity. That's not to say she's not famous. Fans of the popular TV show The Big Bang Theory might recognize her from one episode (in which she played herself), and art lovers might have seen her photo in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery. But in Tinseltown, she can go about her daily routine in relative peace.
Painkiller mimics cannabis without the psychoactive side effects

2 months ago | cen.acs.org | Bethany Halford

A molecule that targets the same receptor as the active ingredient in cannabis could lead scientists to new drugs for chronic pain. Chemists designed the compound, known as VIP36, to bind cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) in the body but not in the brain. This design prevents the molecule from having psychoactive side effects. In mouse studies, VIP36 treated inflammatory pain, nerve pain, and migraines ( Nature 2025, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08618-7).
Pfizer readies its next-generation COVID-19 antiviral

2 months ago | cen.acs.org | Bethany Halford

An alternative to Paxlovid, the only antiviral pills approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19, is on the horizon. Pfizer-the maker of Paxlovid-has begun Phase 3 clinical trials of a next-generation coronavirus antiviral, ibuzatrelvir. Ibuzatrelvir offers several advantages over its predecessor. It doesn't have the drug-drug interactions that prevent many people with COVID-19 from taking Paxlovid.
Carbon-atom transfer with spiro style

2 months ago | cen.acs.org | Bethany Halford

A new reagent has moved carbon-atom transfer out of the chemical flatlands, allowing chemists to place a single carbon atom so that it makes bonds to four different substituents. The reagent makes molecules with spiro centers, which could be unusual motifs in drug candidates or could form the cores of highly strained molecules. Chemists led by Max M.