Researchers have successfully stabilized a carbene, a molecule thought to be highly unstable and reactive, in water for months using a protective “suit of armor” molecule. The breakthrough, led by a team from the University of California, Riverside, sheds new light on vitamin B1’s role in metabolic processes. The achievement could lead to more efficient production methods for pharmaceuticals and fuels, as well as greener chemistry practices.
The concept was first proposed by Columbia University chemist Ronald Breslow in 1958, suggesting that vitamin B1 forms a carbene to perform key metabolic processes in the body. However, carbenes are known to break down quickly in water due to their high reactivity.
To overcome this challenge, the UC Riverside team used advanced techniques to synthesize a protective molecule and keep the carbene intact for extended periods. By utilizing high-resolution imaging, they verified the composition of the carbene and successfully stabilized it in water for up to six months.
This discovery has significant implications for industrial applications, as it demonstrates that carbenes can be biologically feasible. The researchers believe that their approach could lead to a cleaner way of producing pharmaceuticals and fuels by replacing toxic substances with more environmentally friendly alternatives.
“This is a major breakthrough,” said chemist Vincent Lavallo from UC Riverside. “We’ve shown that carbenes can indeed exist in water, which challenges previous assumptions about their stability.”
The study’s findings also highlight the potential for serendipitous scientific discoveries to come from careful research. The researchers were initially investigating general chemistry but stumbled upon Breslow’s hypothesis, demonstrating that even seemingly unlikely ideas can prove correct with further investigation.
The discovery has been published in Science Advances and marks a significant milestone in understanding vitamin B1’s role in the body. As Lavallo noted, “There are other reactive intermediates we’ve never been able to isolate… Using protective strategies like ours, we may finally be able to see them, and learn from them.”
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-confirmed-a-67-year-old-hypothesis-about-vitamin-b1