Articles in 2010

Larmor precession of a quantum mechanical angular momentum vector about an applied magnetic field forms the basis for NMR spectroscopy, MRI and a range of other important analytical techniques. This precessional motion has now been imaged for the first time, using velocity-map imaging in a model system of strongly polarized oxygen atoms.

Chain-reactions could provide an alternative method for surface patterning. Now the chain reaction of CH₃Cl molecules on a silicon surface has been observed to create lines that are made up of alternating CH₃ groups and Cl atoms. The reactions are propagated through surface-mediated charge-transfer and have been studied using microscopy and ab initio theory.

Desorption electrospray ionization has been used to detect reaction intermediates through mass spectrometry.

Polymeric particles based on silyl ether crosslinkers create acid-sensitive biomaterials whose degradation is controlled in vivo by natural pH gradients.

Nitrogen fixing is an extremely energy-consuming industrial process so there is much effort underway to develop better catalytic methods. Now, a dimolybdenum–dinitrogen complex bearing a PNP pincer ligand has been found to work as an effective catalyst for the formation of ammonia from dinitrogen.

A ruthenium complex has been shown to catalyse the oxidation of water in a non-aqueous solvent with a rate greater than in the aqueous system.

A hydrogen-bonded dimer of triruthenium complexes is an unusual example of proton-coupled mixed valency.

Oxynitrides of transition metals are emerging materials with useful properties and improved stability over corresponding nitrides, but a full understanding of their anion ordering has been lacking. Now, a neutron and electron diffraction study of the perovskites SrNbO₂N and SrTaO₂N reveals the chemical principles for anion order and their potential influence on materials properties.

Water is the most abundant oxygen source, and is used as such by nature in photosynthesis. Now, it has been shown that photocatalytic oxygenation of organic substrates proceeds efficiently with water as the oxygen source, a manganese(III) porphyrin oxygenation catalyst, and a ruthenium complex as a photocatalyst.

Small-molecule microarrays facilitate the search for Alzheimer's disease therapeutics by screening compounds that bind to the amyloid-β peptide.

The isolation of pure quantities of the active intermediate in cytochrome P450 enzymes — known as compound I — has led to this elusive species being characterized in detail.

Revising a manuscript in response to the comments of referees should not be about doing the bare minimum to get a paper published. Addressing criticisms that are genuine and constructive can lead to much more compelling research articles.

The annual Bürgenstock conference brings together a select band of chemists to talk about the many different facets of stereochemistry, and the unique format of the meeting encourages plenty of discussion and debate alongside the traditional lectures and poster presentations.

From humble beginnings in Siberia, ruthenium has blossomed into an incredibly interesting and useful element. Simon Higgins looks at its role in past — and perhaps future — Nobel Prize-winning discoveries.

Self-assembly typically occurs through reversible interactions that slowly arrange building blocks into the most thermodynamically favoured structure. The involvement of enzymatic catalysis in the process has now enabled the rapid construction of a variety of low-defect architectures.

Testing for enzymes is important for diagnosing various medical conditions but can be problematic because of the complexity of physiological media such as blood. Now, a method of detecting phospholipases has been developed that neatly couples their concentration with the aggregation of gold nanoparticles.