This is a list of unsolved problems in chemistry. Problems in chemistry are considered unsolved when an expert in the field considers it unsolved or when several experts in the field disagree about a solution to a problem.
Physical chemistry problems
- Can the transition temperature of high-temperature superconductors be brought up to room temperature?
- How do the spin–orbit coupling, other relativistic corrections, and inter-electron effects modify the chemistry of the trans-actinides?[1][2]
- Is a lithium–air battery possible?[3]
Organic chemistry problems
- What is the origin of homochirality in biomolecules?[4]
- Why are accelerated kinetics observed for some organic reactions at the water-organic interface?[5][non-primary source needed]
- Do replacement reactions of aryl diazonium salts (dediazotizations) predominantly undergo SN1 or a radical mechanism?[6]
- Can an electrochemical cell reliably perform organic redox reactions?[7]
- Which "classic organic chemistry" reactions admit chiral catalysts?
- Is it possible to construct a quaternary carbon atom with arbitrary (distinguishable) substituents and stereochemistry?
- Can artificial enzymes replace the need for protecting groups when modifying sensitive compounds?[8]
Inorganic chemistry problems
- Are there any molecules that certainly contain a phi bond?
- Is there a less labor- or energy-intensive technique for titanium refinement than the Kroll process?[9]
- Does nitrogen admit metastable allotropes under standard conditions?[10]
- Can new solvents or other techniques make direct carbon capture economical?[11]
- Can artificial photosynthesis make any common fuels?[12]
- What is a reliable synthesis and stabilization method for catenary allotropes of sulfur and carbon?
Biochemistry problems
- Enzyme kinetics: Why do some enzymes exhibit faster-than-diffusion kinetics?[13]
- Protein folding problem: Is it possible to predict the secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of a polypeptide sequence based solely on the sequence and environmental information? Inverse protein-folding problem: Is it possible to design a polypeptide sequence which will adopt a given structure under certain environmental conditions?[4][14] This has been achieved for several small globular proteins in recent years.[15] In 2020, it was announced that Google's AlphaFold, a neural network based on DeepMind artificial intelligence, is capable of predicting a protein's final shape based solely on its amino-acid chain with an accuracy of around 90% on a test sample of proteins used by the team.[16]
- RNA folding problem: Is it possible to accurately predict the secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of a polyribonucleic acid sequence based on its sequence and environment?
- Protein design: Is it possible to design highly active enzymes de novo for any desired reaction?[17]
- Biosynthesis: Can desired molecules, natural products or otherwise, be produced in high yield through biosynthetic pathway manipulation?[18]
See also
- List of hypothetical technologies
- List of paradoxes
- List of philosophical problems
- List of purification methods in chemistry
- List of thermal conductivities
- List of undecidable problems
- List of unsolved deaths
- List of unsolved problems in astronomy
- List of unsolved problems in biology
- List of unsolved problems in computer science
- List of unsolved problems in economics
- List of unsolved problems in fair division
- List of unsolved problems in geoscience
- List of unsolved problems in information theory
- List of unsolved problems in mathematics
- List of unsolved problems in neuroscience
- List of unsolved problems in physics
- List of unsolved problems in statistics
- Lists of problems
- Outline of chemistry
- Outline of physics
- Unsolved problems in medicine
References
External links
- "First 25 of 125 big questions that face scientific inquiry over the next quarter-century". Science. 309 (125th Anniversary). 1 July 2005.
- Unsolved Problems in Nanotechnology: Chemical Processing by Self-Assembly - Matthew Tirrell - Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Materials Research Laboratory, California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara [No doc at link, 20 Aug 2016]