Chemical reactions grow plant-like “gardens” in water

They may look like tiny underwater plants, but chemical gardens grow through reactions rather than seeds or roots. When certain metal salts are placed in water, they can form twisting tubes, filaments and colorful structures that expand into delicate, garden-like shapes. According to reporting by Phys.org, these formations are being studied through a European research network known as the COST Action Chemobrionics, or CBrio. The network brought together chemists, physicists, mathematicians, engineers and artists to investigate the physics and chemistry behind the self-growing structures. The reactions involve more than visual novelty. Researchers are examining whether knowledge of chemical gardens could contribute to the design of new materials, improvements in biomedical devices and methods for capturing gases such as carbon dioxide. The work may also help scientists explore questions about how life could have emerged on early Earth, although the source describes this as an area of potential insight rather than a settled explanation. The collaboration, led by Julyan Cartwright of the Spanish National Research Council, also created resources intended to make the field more accessible. Carlos Pimentel of the Complutense University of Madrid developed an online Chemobrionics Database that organizes examples according to their ingredients and experimental conditions. The database began as an internal resource and was later made public. CBrio’s activities extended beyond laboratories. A short documentary titled “Chemobrionics” premiered at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival in 2021 and later became a finalist at the Academia Film Olomouc Festival. Other projects connected the subject with robotics, artificial life, books, visual art and public science-and-art events. The network also funded about 50 scientific visits, according to Ágota Tóth of the University of Szeged. Phys.org reports that these exchanges led to continuing collaborations and joint publications, while giving early-career researchers opportunities to present their work and build professional connections. The project’s legacy includes the database, artistic and educational materials, and a special collection focused on chemobrionics. In laboratories, the formations continue to demonstrate how relatively simple chemical reactions can produce complex structures with a striking resemblance to living growth.