doi:10.1038/nchem.218
The publication of scientific discoveries remained tied to ink and paper for over 300 years, but the rise of the internet over the past few decades has transformed scholarly communication. Just how far this revolution can go depends not just on publishers, but on authors and readers too.
Full Text - Beyond the printed page | PDF (1,094 KB) - Beyond the printed page
Subject Category: General chemistry
Stuart Cantrill
doi:10.1038/nchem.219
Diamonds may be forever, but are some other forms of carbon merely passing fads? Stuart Cantrill considers why carbon often seems to be a chemist's best friend.
Full Text - Carbon-based curiosities | PDF (1,448 KB) - Carbon-based curiosities
Subject Categories: General chemistry | Nanotechnology
doi:10.1038/nchem.220
Full Text - Our choice from the recent literature | PDF (1,103 KB) - Our choice from the recent literature
doi:10.1038/nchem.221
Will robots take the drudgery out of lab work, and have you got a nose for isotopes?
Full Text - BlogrollRobot wars | PDF (978 KB) - BlogrollRobot wars
E. Charles H. Sykes
doi:10.1038/nchem.224
The formation of robust monolayers of organic molecules on graphene substrates not only sweeps this material's defects under a self-assembled carpet, but may help it achieve its full potential as a building block for molecular electronic devices.
Full Text - Surface assemblyGraphene goes undercover | PDF (522 KB) - Surface assemblyGraphene goes undercover
Subject Categories: Supramolecular chemistry | Surface chemistry
Lucio Frydman
doi:10.1038/nchem.227
Progress in NMR spectroscopy has been held back by sensitivity issues inherent to the way the measurements are taken. Now, two separate studies show how simple chemical processes can be used to unveil NMR's sensitive side
Full Text - NMR spectroscopyChemistry awakens a silent giant | PDF (549 KB) - NMR spectroscopyChemistry awakens a silent giant
Subject Categories: Physical chemistry | Analytical chemistry
Scott M. Grayson
doi:10.1038/nchem.226
Cyclic molecules have fascinated chemists for many years and researchers have now made nanoscale macromolecular 'doughnuts' that are large enough to be imaged with an atomic force microscope — providing direct visual proof of their cyclic topologies.
Full Text - Macromolecular chemistryPolymers kept in the loop | PDF (172 KB) - Macromolecular chemistryPolymers kept in the loop
Subject Categories: Nanotechnology | Polymer chemistry
Irmgard Frank & Florian Hofbauer
doi:10.1038/nchem.225
Stretching proteins strung together between the tip of an atomic force microscope and a surface results in mechanical tension that influences the rate at which disulfide bonds are cleaved under basic conditions, and reveals an unexpected switch in reactivity above a certain threshold force.
Full Text - Single-molecule mechanicsBreaking bonds at a stretch | PDF (278 KB) - Single-molecule mechanicsBreaking bonds at a stretch
Subject Categories: Biochemistry | Physical chemistry
Anne Pichon
doi:10.1038/nchem.222
Full Text - Fullerene analoguesElusive icosahedral symmetry | PDF (214 KB) - Fullerene analoguesElusive icosahedral symmetry
Subject Category: Inorganic chemistry
David I. Schuster & Jackson D. Megiatto, Jr
doi:10.1038/nchem.223
Enhancing the solubility of single-walled carbon nanotubes through non-covalent bonds has led to an improvement in our ability to probe and understand their interactions with electron donors and acceptors.
Full Text - Carbon nanotubesNanotubes reveal all in solution | PDF (179 KB) - Carbon nanotubesNanotubes reveal all in solution
Subject Categories: Nanotechnology | Materials chemistry
Thomas Kodadek
doi:10.1038/nchem.228
Using the protein of interest as a template, weakly binding ligands can be chemically linked to produce protein-binding agents that can compete with nature's own.
Full Text - Protein bindingAntibody surrogates click into place | PDF (473 KB) - Protein bindingAntibody surrogates click into place
Subject Category: Chemical biology
Leif Hammarström & Stenbjörn Styring
doi:10.1038/nchem.229
Exceptional catalysts will be required to produce hydrogen and oxygen from water. Copying multinuclear metal complexes in enzymes is promising, but not the only route. A mononuclear ruthenium complex has been developed that both makes hydrogen and forms oxygen–oxygen bonds through a mechanism different to those in nature.
Full Text - Ruthenium catalystsSplitting with a difference | PDF (149 KB) - Ruthenium catalystsSplitting with a difference
Subject Categories: Inorganic chemistry | Catalysis
Christopher W. Murray & David C. Rees
doi:10.1038/nchem.217
Fragment-based drug discovery is an approach that relies on the ability to identify weakly binding drug fragments using sophisticated screening techniques. Binding can be optimized while maintaining favourable physical properties of the drug, which should have a positive impact on the attrition rates of new drug candidates.
Abstract - | Full Text - The rise of fragment-based drug discovery | PDF (522 KB) - The rise of fragment-based drug discovery
Subject Category: Medicinal chemistry
Ian S. Young & Phil S. Baran
doi:10.1038/nchem.216
The use of protecting groups has been, and remains, instrumental in the development of organic synthesis. However, designing protecting-group-free strategies offers the challenge of developing useful new chemoselective processes as well as being inherently more step- and atom-economic.
Abstract - | Full Text - Protecting-group-free synthesis as an opportunity for invention | PDF (1,100 KB) - Protecting-group-free synthesis as an opportunity for invention
Subject Categories: Organic chemistry | Synthesis
Qing Hua Wang & Mark C. Hersam
doi:10.1038/nchem.212
The unique physical properties of graphene make it a promising material for the construction of nanoelectronic devices. In order to tailor its surface properties and enable it to be integrated with other components, it has now been shown that stable and robust organic monolayers can be formed on graphene at room temperature.
Abstract - | Full Text - Room-temperature molecular-resolution characterization of self-assembled organic monolayers on epitaxial graphene | PDF (612 KB) - Room-temperature molecular-resolution characterization of self-assembled organic monolayers on epitaxial graphene | Supplementary information
Subject Categories: Physical chemistry | Supramolecular chemistry | Surface chemistry
See also: News and Views by Sykes
Tanya K. Ronson, Julie Fisher, Lindsay P. Harding, Pierre J. Rizkallah, John E. Warren & Michaele J. Hardie
doi:10.1038/nchem.213
A topologically non-trivial metallosupramolecular structure is formed by a Pd4L4 complex in which interweaving and twisting of the ligands results in both Solomon's Link and figure-of-eight ring motifs. In the solid state, six of these complexes assemble into a hollow spheroid that closely resembles a stellated truncated hexahedron.
Abstract - | Full Text - Stellated polyhedral assembly of a topologically complicated Pd4L4 'Solomon cube' | PDF (699 KB) - Stellated polyhedral assembly of a topologically complicated Pd4L4 'Solomon cube' | Supplementary information | Chemical compounds
Subject Categories: Inorganic chemistry | Supramolecular chemistry
Santanu Bag, Amy F. Gaudette, Mark E. Bussell & Mercouri G. Kanatzidis
doi:10.1038/nchem.208
Aerogels made from metal–sulfur networks show high absorption of conjugated organic molecules and mercury ions and can easily separate H2 from CO2. Compared with the conventional sulfided Co-Mo/Al2O3 catalyst, these spongy, random porous networks are twice as active towards the hydrodesulfurization of thiophene.
Abstract - | Full Text - Spongy chalcogels of non-platinum metals act as effective hydrodesulfurization catalysts | PDF (993 KB) - Spongy chalcogels of non-platinum metals act as effective hydrodesulfurization catalysts | Supplementary information
Subject Categories: Inorganic chemistry | Materials chemistry
Anna Michrowska & Benjamin List
doi:10.1038/nchem.215
An organocatalytic cascade reaction allows the rapid construction of (+)-ricciocarpin A, which exhibits potent molluscicidal activity against the water snails Biomphalaria glabrata. The concise synthesis also allowed the synthesis of five analogues, one of which was shown to have significantly improved biological activity.
Abstract - | Full Text - Concise synthesis of ricciocarpin A and discovery of a more potent analogue | PDF (292 KB) - Concise synthesis of ricciocarpin A and discovery of a more potent analogue | Supplementary information | Chemical compounds
Subject Categories: Catalysis | Organic chemistry
Michael Göbel, Boris H. Tchitchanov, Jane S. Murray, Peter Politzer & Thomas M. Klapötke
doi:10.1038/nchem.179
Deviations from the normal bonding behaviour add to our understanding of bonding models and inform computer simulations. Chlorotrinitromethane has an extremely short carbon–chlorine bond and its solid-state structure has now been determined. Using a combination of crystallography and computation, its intra- and intermolecular interactions have also been studied.
Abstract - | Full Text - Chlorotrinitromethane and its exceptionally short carbon–chlorine bond | PDF (428 KB) - Chlorotrinitromethane and its exceptionally short carbon–chlorine bond | Supplementary information
Subject Categories: General chemistry | Theoretical chemistry
Sergi Garcia-Manyes, Jian Liang, Robert Szoszkiewicz, Tzu-Ling Kuo & Julio M. Fernández
doi:10.1038/nchem.207
Mechanical stretching of a protein can be studied in detail using single-molecule experiments, and is shown to have an accelerating effect on its reaction with a nucleophile. The observation of a dramatic switch in the effect above a threshold force suggests an abrupt change in protein conformation and a change in reaction mechanism.
Abstract - | Full Text - Force-activated reactivity switch in a bimolecular chemical reaction | PDF (1,725 KB) - Force-activated reactivity switch in a bimolecular chemical reaction | Supplementary information
Subject Categories: Biochemistry | Physical chemistry
See also: News and Views by Frank & Hofbauer
Christian Ehli, Christian Oelsner, Dirk M. Guldi, Aurelio Mateo-Alonso, Maurizio Prato, Cordula Schmidt, Claudia Backes, Frank Hauke & Andreas Hirsch
doi:10.1038/nchem.214
Using carbon nanotubes in electronic or photovoltaic devices generates active metastable states. These elusive species are hard to characterize because of the polydisperse and aggregate nature of nanotube bundles. A complete characterization of the radical–ion pair state has now been achieved using a range of techniques.
Abstract - | Full Text - Manipulating single-wall carbon nanotubes by chemical doping and charge transfer with perylene dyes | PDF (1,943 KB) - Manipulating single-wall carbon nanotubes by chemical doping and charge transfer with perylene dyes | Supplementary information | Chemical compounds
Subject Categories: Nanotechnology | Materials chemistry
See also: News and Views by Schuster & Megiatto
Ivan Dmochowski
doi:10.1038/nchem.230
Like all noble gases, xenon is colourless, odourless and inflammable — but it is also more reactive, and much rarer, than its lighter relatives. Ivan Dmochowski ponders how xenon, though initially slow to earn a spot in the periodic table, is now at the forefront of advances in science and technology.
Full Text - Xenon out of its shell | PDF (974 KB) - Xenon out of its shell
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