In a frigid corner of the solar system, Saturn’s moon Titan has surprised scientists with an unexpected chemical twist.

For decades, chemistry students have learned a simple truth: polar and nonpolar substances don’t mix. Water and oil stay ...

The discovery that molecules of methane and ethane can worm their way into the crystal lattice of frozen hydrogen cyanide has ...

A particular cornerstone of prebiotic chemistry is hydrogen cyanide, which, under the right conditions, forms compounds that ...

Titan’s harsh chemistry breaks basic rules, offering new clues about how life’s building blocks might form in space.

Scientists have found that on Titan, substances that should remain separate can actually combine under freezing conditions. NASA and Chalmers University researchers discovered that hydrogen cyanide ...

Researchers have observed steric effects—the interactions of molecules depending on their spatial orientation (not just between their electrons involved in bonding)—in a chemical reaction involving ...

Have you ever helped with cooking and gotten oil on your hands? It’s hard to get off! Rinsing with water does not work; you need to use soap. The reason is the molecules that oil and water are made of ...