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Nicotine Protonation in Simulated Vaping Aerosols

To better understand how e-cigarette additives alter nicotine chemistry and users’ perceptions of vaping, researchers used x-ray spectroscopy technology at the Advanced Light Source to analyze the acid-base equilibria of additive-enhanced nicotine in simulated vaping aerosols. Read more »

The Identity and Chemistry of C7H7 Radicals Observed during Soot Formation

Recent work suggests that resonance-stabilized radicals may participate in chain reactions that lead to soot-particle formation, but their identities and chemistry are poorly understood. C7H7 is often observed in aerosol mass spectra and is generally assumed to be benzyl, the most thermodynamically stable C7H7 isomer. It has now been shown that the identities of these isomers are far more varied, and their chemistry is far more complex, than previously appreciated. Read more »

SO2 Photodissociation at 193 nm Directly Forms S(3P) + O2(3Σg–): Implications for the Archean Atmosphere on Earth

Sulfur isotope patterns in ancient rock layers inform our understanding of Earth’s Archean atmosphere.  Before the Great Oxygenation Event (~2.4 billion years ago), hard ultraviolet light penetrated into the Earth’s surface, photodissociating sulfur dioxide directly to S + O2.  This new product channel may help resolve discrepancies in the Earth’s evolutionary history. Read more »

Raman and Far-Infrared Synchrotron Nanospectroscopy of Layered Crystalline Talc: Vibrational Properties, Interlayer Coupling, and Symmetry Crossover

Talc is an electrical insulator and an excellent target for low-cost, heterostructure-based optoelectronic applications. Here, light-matter interactions and their consequences at the nanoscale-thickness limit are probed using Raman spectroscopy, near-field synchrotron infrared nanospectroscopy, and first-principles calculations. Read more »

ALS User Forum: A Time for Cookies with Colleagues

The place, frequency, and snack selection might have changed over the years, but Cookie Time has always been a way for the ALS community to gather. In its current incarnation, different groups contribute their favorite snacks, and all are welcome to mingle each Thursday at 3 p.m. Read more »

Extreme Closeup of Copper Electrocatalysts in Action

Researchers at Berkeley Lab have made real-time movies of copper nanoparticles as they evolve to convert carbon dioxide and water into renewable fuels and chemicals. Their new insights could help advance the next generation of solar fuels. Read more »

Gemini Beamline 2.0.1 Banks Its First Protein Structure

A protein structure obtained from ALS Beamline 2.0.1 (“Gemini”) has recently been published in the literature and deposited into the Protein Data Bank (PDB)—two significant firsts for this beamline. The structure helped provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in triggering certain inflammatory diseases. Read more »

Submit a Tutorial Proposal for the 2023 User Meeting

The Users’ Executive Committee (UEC) is soliciting tutorial proposals for the 2023 User Meeting, September 11–15, which will be the first in-person/hybrid meeting since 2019. We are so excited to return to the interactions, the vendors, the food, and the views! Tutorials will take place on the 11th, followed by the plenary and poster sessions on the 12th. The second half of the week (13th–15th) will be devoted to visioning workshops about the future of the facility, post-ALS-U. Look out for more information soon! Read more »