Chemistry

Researchers in various
biomedical fields have taken
center stage in efforts to
understand how the SARS-CoV-2
virus functions and spreads and
how to prevent and treat the
disease, with a vaccine being a
major goal. Environmental
chemistry researchers are also
playing a crucial—but sometimes
overlooked—role in handling the
COVID-19 pandemic and other
possible future disease outbreaks.
A new paper published in the
journal Environmental Chemistry
Letters explores some of the ways
in which the environmental
chemistry field is crucial to
studying, treating and preventing
disease outbreaks. Lead author of
the paper, Virender Sharma, PhD,
professor in the Department of
Environmental and Occupational
Public Health at the Texas A&M
School of Public Health, describes
how environmental factors such
as pollution and climate change
could affect disease outbreaks
and how environmental chemistry
is a crucial part of understanding
how pandemics like COVID-19
occur and evolve. For example,
climate change can increase risks
of food-borne and water-borne
illnesses and air pollution can
dramatically affect the immune
system.
Sharma and colleagues
described several areas where
environmental chemists can
improve knowledge of disease
outbreaks. COVID-19 is thought
to be spread through
aerosolized droplets, though
there is some uncertainty about
the survival of those droplets on
different
surfaces.
Environmental chemistry deals
extensively with the fate of
airborne particles such as
aerosols, particulate matter
and dust, so the field is wellsuited
to studying factors
involved in virus transmission.
Virus survival on solid surfaces is
another crucial issue, and
environmental chemist are
acquainted with driving factors
of this such as material
composition and pore size. The
researchers note that future
research on how different
materials and environmental
factors affect virus survival will
be important.
The research areas and
directions for further study
that Sharma and
colleagues identify in their
paper show how
environmental chemistry
can play a unique and
valuable role in countering
disease outbreaks now and
in the future. Additionally,
increased collaboration
between environmental
chemists and researchers in
various biomedical fields will
be helpful in understanding,
preventing and treating
disease outbreaks. As the
current
pandemic
continues, researchers in
these fields will have more
opportunities to further
explore many different
aspects of the disease. With
a better understanding of
how viruses interact with the
environment, the world’s
scientific and medical
experts have a greater
chance of handling COVID-
19 and preventing or
mitigating
future
pandemics.

Chemistry can guarantee a
specific attitude in criticism,
forma mentis, with its
epistemological characteristics
that are highly dependent on
conceptual, theoretical and
experimental diversity. For these
reasons, chemistry can support
and act as a “glue” in the group
of disciplines that have made up
the fundamental historical group
to combat Covid-19. But chemists
can contribute to facing specific
aspects of a pandemic, for
instance, the correlation with
pollution and particularly with the
particulate matter as a vehicle of
the virus in the air. More about it
other than viruses it does not
seem easily understood why real
regulations about PM consider
only the weight and the size of
the particulate without any
scientific interest toward its
nature, to correlate to hygiene
and safety limits.
Another important aspect of
chemistry concerns scientific
data, their meaning, but above
all, how they are obtained and
how they must be
communicated
Chemistry is a predominantly an
inductive science, and then the
scientific method is synonymous
with an experimental method.
For this reason, it is essential that
communication and data
sharing must proceed
successfully, but this latter
condition presupposes easy
accessibility to magazines,
journals and research results.
This is why the chemical
community has always
defended “Open Science
criteria”. But beyond the
technical and scientific
contributions that chemistry
can provide, it is necessary to
re-emphasize one of its unique
characteristics that perhaps
could act as a catalyst in the
team’s work: chemistry works
positively if and only if it can
cultivate, by working alone or in
a team, the concept of diversity
and scientific doubt.
Many in the chemistry
community are making their
contribution to the global fight
against coronavirus by staying
safely at home. Many of those
will be able to work from home.
And many others – often those
designated as key workers by
governments – are going into
their labs, offices and other
workplaces to carry on
essential work.
Chemistry-based research
institutions and companies of
all sizes are refocusing their
efforts towards discovering
more about the virus,
developing improved testing
technologies, and eventually
creating a vaccine. Many
offer services or devices that
already use cutting-edge
chemical science to
measure smaller samples, or
achieve higher throughput.
Chemistry is essential at
every step of our response to
the virus. Beyond research,
technicians are providing
the specialist skills needed to
run tests, maintain
equipment and manage
laboratory supplies -
including the donations of
chemicals for hand san and
safety equipment that are
going straight to doctors and
nurses on the front lines.

In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, chemists have
focused on searching for drugs to treat COVID-19. One group
identified the antiviral drug “Remdesivir” as a viable medicine to treat
COVID-19 in a research study published in late January. The drug was
originally developed in response to the 2014 Ebola pandemic.
In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Texas A&M University
chemist Wenshe Ray Liu and his research team have focused their lab
solely on searching for drugs to treat COVID-19.
The Liu group was the first to identify the antiviral drug remdesivir as a
viable medicine to treat COVID-19 in a research study published in late January. The drug was
originally developed in response to the 2014 Ebola pandemic. As a chemical biologist
specializing in medicinal chemistry, Liu's primary research target is cancer. But the lockdown
of Wuhan and the first two diagnosed cases in the U.S. prompted him to refocus his lab on
coronavirus.
"The motivation that drove us was the rush against time to find alternative medicines that might
be put in use to fight against the virus when it spread to the U.S," Liu said.
The researchers are working to develop drugs that can prevent SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that
causes COVID-19 -- and other coronaviruses from replicating once inside human cells. They're
also exploring how to counteract the effect of the viruses in human plasma.
Liu said his group has made significant progress in a
very short time toward their ultimate goal: to push a
COVID-19 drug candidate to preclinical trials and
clinical testing before the pandemic subsides.
"There is sufficient scientific knowledge for this group
of viruses, and we will be able to find cures," he said.
Remdesivir is being tested in at least five large-scale
clinical trials around the world and also has been
delivered to some patients, including the first known
U.S. case confirmed Jan. 21 in Washington. That
patient recovered after compassionate use of
remdesivir.
While Liu said he remains convinced it's the right treatment, he cautioned that success
shouldn't be viewed as a one-shot approach, given such a swift-moving target as COVID-19.

"Remdesivir is still the best and probably the only option to target the virus directly in patients,"
he said.
With the U.S. clinical trial set to finish this week, Liu is optimistic that the final results released
next week will speak for themselves. However, with remdesivir poised to be the only approved
drug to treat COVID-19, its large-scale use will occur, and some drug-resistant virus strains will
evolve.
"At this stage, the scientific community
needs to prepare for the worst and work to
bring other treatment options to the
forefront," he said, adding that while there
have been positive results from tests of
hydroxychloroquine, additional options
are needed. When it comes to viral
mutations and reports that multiple strains
of the virus exist, Liu deferred to clinicians,
but acknowledged that it has become
more virulent.
"The infectivity of the original strain shown in Wuhan was not as high as what we have observed
for the current strain in the U.S.," he said.
Liu is joined in his work by several additional collaborators in the Department of Chemistry and
across the Texas A&M campus, including Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and 2017
National Academy of Sciences member Marcetta Y. Darensbourg, Texas A&M Provost and
Executive Vice President Carol A. Fierke, who is an X-ray crystallography expert, and noted
Texas A&M biochemist Thomas Meek.
Their research is supported by Liu's Texas A&M Presidential Impact Fellow funds through the
Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, as well as indirectly through the National Institutes of
Health, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of
Texas, and Welch Foundation funding initially provided
for his group's underlying cancer-related research.
Alongside Liu and his faculty colleagues are dozens of
students and postdoctoral researchers who are fully
engaged in the effort, including Tyler Lalonde, Trae
Hampton, Xinyu Ma, Yuying Ma, Erol Vatansever, Jared
Morse, Shiqing Xu, Chia-Chuan Cho, Peng-Hsun Chen,
Yugendar Reddy and Kaci

At the start of 2020, U.S. chemistry faced
headwinds including a global manufacturing
slowdown, protectionist trade policies and
uncertainty about the upcoming U.S. elections. As
the business effects of the pandemic took hold,
chemical production fell. Motor vehicle
production plummeted along with supply chain
output. Housing showed strong gains due to
shifting patterns of remote work and record-low
interest rates. Most other end-use segments
declined, partially offset by demand for
chemistries used to make items used in the response to the pandemic.
“The post-pandemic outlook is for broad-based growth in chemicals supported by solid
fundamentals,” said Martha Moore, senior director of policy analysis and economics at ACC
and co-author of the Outlook. “Growing customer demand, stabilizing export markets, and a
competitive edge linked to domestic supplies of shale gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs) are
among the factors pointing to continued gains in U.S. chemistry.”
During 2020, performance among chemical
sectors was mixed. Plastic resins was the only
segment to post positive growth, due to its role in
COVID-related solutions. Other basic chemical
segments declined, especially synthetic rubber –
a key ingredient in tire manufacturing. Specialty
chemicals saw demand falter across nearly all
functional and market segments. ACC expects a
fairly significant rebound in 2021.
“American chemistry is playing a vital role in the global fight against COVID-19, providing
inputs for personal protective equipment, disinfection and sanitation products, medical
supplies and equipment, protective barriers, and plastic packaging, among others,” said
Kevin Swift, ACC chief economist and Outlook co-author. In March, the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security identified the chemical sector and its workers as ‘Essential Critical
Infrastructure.’
Total chemical production volume excluding pharmaceuticals fell by 3.6 percent in 2020 and
is expected to grow by 3.9 percent in 2021 and 2.7 percent in 2022. Basic chemicals
production fell 1.3 percent in 2020 and is projected to grow by 5.0 percent in 2021 and 3.2
percent in 2022.

U.S. GDP tumbled 3.8 percent during 2020, down from a 2.3
percent gain in 2019. As the global economy recovers from
the pandemic-induced recession, U.S. growth is expected to
rebound 3.7 percent in 2021 and 3.2 percent in 2022, led by
stronger consumer spending. Industrial production fell 6.9
percent in 2020, with declines occurring in nearly every
sector. Industrial production is expected to rise 3.7 percent in
2021 and 3.5 percent in 2022. Growth is anticipated for nearly
all industries, with the largest gains occurring in motor
vehicles, aerospace, appliances, iron and steel, petroleum refining, and plastic and rubber
products.
U.S. chemicals trade will be notably lower in 2020, and it will be a year or two before total
trade flows return to pre-COVID levels. Total chemicals trade is projected to shrink 7 percent
to $220.8 billion in 2020, then recover to $240 billion in 2021. Exports will fall 9 percent to $124.0
billion in 2020 before expanding to $134.5 billion in 2021. Imports will fall 5 percent to 96.8 billion
in 2020, then recover to $105.5 billion in 2021. The chemicals trade outlook is linked to the shape
of the manufacturing recovery, trade policy, and the course of COVID-19. Potential changes
in global supply chains could affect international trade levels longer-term.

Major contributions to health care have been made by chemistry. The
development of new drugs involves chemical analysis and synthesis of
new compounds. Many recent television programs advertise the large
number of new drugs produced by chemists.
The development of a new drug for any disease is long and
complicated. The chemistry of the disease must be studied, as well as
how the drug affects the human body. A drug may work well in animals,
but not in humans. Out of one hundred drugs that offer the possibility of
treating disease, only a small handful actually turn out to be both safe
and effective.
Chemistry contributes to the preparation and use of
materials for surgery (sutures, artificial skin, and sterile
materials). The sutures used in many surgeries today
do not have to be removed, because they simply
dissolve in the body after a period of time.
Replacement blood vessels for heart and other types
of surgery are often made of chemicals that do not
react with the tissues, so they will not be rejected by
the body. As another example, artificial skin can be
used to replace human skin for burn patients.
Clinical laboratory testing uses a wide variety of
chemical techniques and instrumentation for analysis.
Clinical laboratory testing allows us to answer
commonly asked questions such as "is your cholesterol
high?" and "do you have diabetes?" Some laboratory
tests use simple techniques. Other processes involve
complex equipment and computer analysis data, in
order to perform measurements on large numbers of
patient samples.

Laboratory testing has come to the local drug store
or grocery store because of developments in
chemistry. You can test your blood glucose using a
simple portable device that runs a chemical test on
the blood sample and tells you how much glucose is
present, allowing a diabetic patient to regulate how
much insulin to administer (chemistry is also used to
produce the insulin and the disposable syringe that
administers the drug).
1.1 Disease
Numerous challenges to human health still
remain. Deadly infectious diseases
including malaria, cholera and tuberculosis
may have been largely conquered in highincome
regions of the world, but remain a
major threat in poorer regions such as
Africa.8 Even in richer nations infectious
disease remains a constant threat, as the
swine flu pandemic in 2009 and the
dramatic increase of antibiotic resistance
has made clear.6
Infectious diseases are still the main cause
of death in many developing countries, because of a lack of readily available and
inexpensive drugs and vaccines treatments. Poverty and a lack of access to modern drugs
mean that infectious diseases that are rare or under control in high-income countries (such as
diarrheal illness, TB and human immunology virus/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
(HIV/AIDS) are still major causes of death.8
In high-income countries, some infectious diseases remain a challenge due to the rise of
antibiotic resistance in many bacterial pathogens and the emergence of new strains of
viruses.9 Modern health systems are struggling to cope with the demand for novel and more
effective antibiotics, as pathogens develop resistance to existing treatments. There is an
urgent need for new drugs to fight multi-resistant infectious agents as our present antibiotics
become ineffective due to global misuse in medicine and the food industry.

The periodic table is a tabular
array of the chemical elements
organized by atomic number, from
the element with the lowest
atomic number, hydrogen, to the
element with the highest atomic
number, oganesson. The atomic
number of an element is the
number of protons in the nucleus of
an atom of that element.
Hydrogen has 1 proton, and
oganesson has 118.
All matter in the universe is composed of several
chemical elements. These chemical building blocks are
also the basis for all living organisms on Earth. While living
organisms contain several different elements, some
elements are found in greater abundance in living
organisms. These elements are oxygen, carbon,
hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus.
To summarize, the periodic table is important because it
is organized to provide a great deal of information about
elements and how they relate to one another in one
easy-to-use reference.
The table can be used to predict the properties of
elements, even those that have not yet been
discovered.
Columns (groups) and rows (periods) indicate elements
that share similar characteristics.
The table makes trends in element properties apparent
and easy to understand.
The table provides important information used to
balance chemical equations.

Meyer's periodic table, published
in "Die modernen Theorien der
Chemie",
1864
Newlands's law of octaves
1866
Mendeleev's first Attempt at a
system of elements
1869

Mendeleev's Natural system of the
elements 1870
Mendeleev's periodic table
1871
Dimitri Mendeleev
1873