📰 Daily Current Affairs | 24 June 2026

Microdroplet Chemistry Enables Catalyst-Free Skeletal Editing

IISER Tirupati converts aniline into pyridine using water microdroplets — no catalyst needed

Microdroplet chemistry is a reaction approach that uses very small liquid droplets, often water microdroplets, to accelerate chemical transformations. Skeletal editing is an organic chemistry method that changes the core framework of a molecule by inserting, deleting, or swapping atoms within a ring system.

💧 Microdroplet Chemistry

Microdroplet chemistry uses droplets at the micrometre or nanometre scale and has been studied for faster reaction rates than bulk solution chemistry. In June 2026, a team led by Shibdas Banerjee at IISER Tirupati used water microdroplets for catalyst-free skeletal editing, converting aniline into pyridine without added catalyst. Researchers at Purdue University and Aston Labs also described a microdroplet method accelerating chemical reactions without high temperatures or catalysts.

⚗️ Skeletal Editing in Organic Chemistry

Skeletal editing modifies the molecular scaffold rather than only changing side chains. It includes atom insertion, deletion, ring expansion, ring contraction, and heteroatom replacement. More than 80% of small-molecule drugs approved by the US FDA between 2013 and 2023 contained nitrogen-containing heterocycles, which are common targets of skeletal editing.

🔬 Recent Research Milestones

In November 2025, skeletal editing was extended to the single-molecule scale through tip-induced chemistry on bilayer sodium chloride films. Professor Mark Levin's group reported a carbon-to-nitrogen site-directed swap in aromatic rings. BioAscent used ring expansion to synthesise a bromo-substituted quinoline from an indole in one step in September 2024.

⭐ Important Facts for Exams

  • Aniline is an aromatic amine with the formula C6H5NH2.
  • Pyridine is a six-membered aromatic heterocycle containing one nitrogen atom (C5H5N).
  • Quinoline is a fused bicyclic heterocycle used in medicinal chemistry.
  • The US FDA regulates approval of small-molecule drugs in the United States.
  • IISER stands for Indian Institute of Science Education and Research.

📝 Practice Questions

Q1. Which institute led by Shibdas Banerjee used water microdroplets for catalyst-free skeletal editing in June 2026?

a) IIT Bombay
b) IISER Tirupati
c) IISc Bengaluru
d) CSIR New Delhi

✅ Correct Answer: b) IISER Tirupati

Q2. In the microdroplet skeletal editing experiment, which compound was converted into pyridine?

a) Benzene
b) Aniline
c) Toluene
d) Quinoline

✅ Correct Answer: b) Aniline

Q3. What percentage of small-molecule drugs approved by the US FDA between 2013 and 2023 contained nitrogen-containing heterocycles?

a) Over 50%
b) Over 60%
c) Over 70%
d) Over 80%

✅ Correct Answer: d) Over 80%

Q4. What is the chemical formula of aniline?

a) C6H6
b) C6H5NH2
c) C5H5N
d) C7H8

✅ Correct Answer: b) C6H5NH2

Q5. What does skeletal editing in organic chemistry involve?

a) Changing only side chains of a molecule
b) Modifying the core molecular framework by inserting, deleting, or swapping atoms
c) Adding functional groups to a molecule
d) Breaking apart a molecule into smaller units

✅ Correct Answer: b) Modifying the core molecular framework by inserting, deleting, or swapping atoms