AI revives classic microscopy for on-farm soil health testing
Reports and Proceedings
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 6-Jul-2025 22:11 ET (7-Jul-2025 02:11 GMT/UTC)
The classic microscope is getting a modern twist - US researchers are developing an AI-powered microscope system that could make soil health testing faster, cheaper, and more accessible to farmers and land managers around the world.
Recently, Prof. Shou-Fei Zhu’s research group at Nankai University reported in CCS Chemistry a highly efficient and selective hydro-silylation reaction of asymmetric internal alkynes with trisubstituted silanes, catalyzed by a cobalt complex bearing a cyclopropane-based diphosphine ligand. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions, demonstrates broad substrate scope and excellent functional group tolerance, and is generally applicable for the synthesis of alkenylsilanes. Notably, the reaction displays a unique additive effect, where the regioselectivity reverses depending on the additive used. Mechanistic studies revealed that different additives alter the spin state of the catalyst during the reaction, leading to divergent regioselectivities. This study provides new insights into the rational application of additives in catalysis.
Five research partnerships will study ways to:
- clean up contaminated mine water
- develop new geological tools for extracting rare earth minerals, vital for magnets
- identify mineral-rich volcanic deposits
- drive sustainable mining practices by co-extracting critical minerals with gold and copper
- make critical mineral supply chains recyclable and more secure