How is wine that comes in a bottle sealed with a cork different from a bottle with a screw-top cap? Whether one is better than the other is the topic of some debate. What does the science say?
Anyone who has purchased wine in a restaurant or at a bar will be familiar with the ritual. The server, bartender, or sommelier will show the label to the customer and then proceed to remove the cork. Although butterfly corkscrews are easier to use, many servers still use a wine key, which has a fulcrum that goes against the lip of the bottle. Novices often struggle with this type of corkscrew, but it’s part of the ritual. It has to appear dramatic! Once it has been removed, the cork is presented to the patron, who plays their part in the ritual by examining it to make sure it isn’t overly dry or overly wet.
As for the sometimes-maligned screw-top cap: they are best for wines that are meant to be consumed young. They preserve fresh, fruity flavors and prevent unwanted chemical interactions and oxidation.
A cork seemingly has one job—sit in the neck of the bottle and keep things where they belong: wine inside; air outside. However, it’s not as simple as that. A natural cork is a biological material that is mostly air by volume, which makes it light, squeezable, and good at forming a seal. But not too good. Oxygen gradually gets past the cork, but it doesn’t do so at a steady rate. First, oxygen trapped in the space above the wine shifts and dissolves until things settle into balance. Then oxygen already stored inside the cork begins to migrate inward. Later, compounds from the cork itself can dissolve into the wine and react with available oxygen, reducing the oxygen level. Eventually, oxygen from outside the bottle slowly make its way through the “closure.” The cork helps decide what that wine will become.
Many things in our lives participate in chemical processes of which we are oblivious. The cork takes part in diffusion, sorption, moisture effects, material aging, chemical reactivity, and time-dependent behavior that all affect the nature of the wine. We only really pay attention to it when something goes wrong, when it typically gets the blame. Otherwise, it is usually discarded without further notice. Until some clever scientists come up with a way to analyze them and, in doing so, improve an aspect of everyday life.
How can mining operations improve profitability through more accurate and reliable elemental analysis?
This session explains how advanced XRF techniques deliver fast, precise, and consistent elemental analysis across mining workflows. Learn how WDXRF supports grade control and multi-element analysis, explore calibration methods for complex mineral samples, and discover best practices for pressed powder preparation. Through real-world examples involving copper and nickel concentrates, the session will also showcase how Quant Scatter FP improves calibration performance and enhances analytical accuracy across a wide range of concentrations.
A system any X-ray crystallographer will find intuitive to operate
XtaLAB Synergy-ED is a new and fully integrated electron diffractometer, creating a seamless workflow from data collection to structure determination of three-dimensional molecular structures. The key feature of this product is that it provides researchers an integrated platform enabling easy access to electron crystallography. The XtaLAB Synergy-ED is a system any X-ray crystallographer will find intuitive to operate without having to become an expert in electron microscopy.
Fully integrated electron diffractometer creating a seamless workflow from sample screening and data collection to structure determination of three-dimensional molecular structures
Improve your ability to investigate nanocrystalline samples due to the ability of electron diffraction to measure crystals that are only a few hundred nanometers or less in size
Collect data of unrivalled quality and success rate at high throughput, without the need for complex manual alignment and configuration as required on shared general-purpose electron microscopes optimized for imaging tasks
Any X-ray crystallographer will find the XtaLAB Synergy-ED intuitive to operate, without having to become an expert in microscopy
How can researchers characterize complex materials faster when traditional methods fall short?
Watch how researchers at Northwestern University use MicroED to accelerate the characterization of complex materials, including MOFs, microcrystalline powders, polymorphs, and pharmaceutical co-crystals. Discover how the technique helps identify challenging samples earlier, reduce trial-and-error, and support faster, more informed research decisions.
This application note describes stainless steel analysis using the ZSX Primus III NEXT, which is optimized for process control. Alloy steels are generally produced using electric furnaces. The concentrations of elements in molten steel are controlled in the process of steel making, therefore rapid and accurate analysis of elemental compositions are required. As part of the control of the steel making process, analyses of slag and raw materials such as quicklime and ferroalloys are also required. X-ray fluorescence spectrometers are the most common analysis tools to analyze steel owing to rapid analysis and the ability to measure both bulk metal and powders.
The quality and grade of crude oil, in part, depend on the metal and sulfur content. Nickel and vanadium are the most critical metals, as is iron in some crudes and residual oils. The metal content is especially important in determining the quality of bunker fuels. ASTM D8252 addresses the need to measure low levels of nickel and vanadium in crude to meet the NYMEX/CME specifications for light sweet crude oil futures contracts concerning the maximum allowable levels of nickel and vanadium.
Fabrication and functionality of porous fibers prepared from microbial polyesters
By Taizo Kabe, Taku Omura, Sakura Tsujimoto, and Tadahisa Iwata
This study investigates microbially produced polyesters derived from renewable resources. Drawn porous fibers were fabricated from P(3HB)-based copolymers with enhanced flexibility and processability, and their microstructures were systematically characterized. Synchrotron X-ray scattering and high-resolution 3D X-ray microscopy were employed to assess changes in higher-order structural features, including crystalline orientation, lamellar morphology, and porosity. The results indicate that fiber stretchability originates from reversible structural rearrangements.
The Opioid Matrix is a podcast for anyone looking for the latest information in the illegal drug supply chain—beginning to end. Each episode will feature a discussion with industry experts about the current opioid crisis, including drug trafficking, drug manufacturing, drug identification, drug addiction, as well as the role of government, law enforcement, new health and social programs, and more.
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