Articles in 2021

Porous platinum is a frequently used electrocatalyst and thermoelectric material, but the growth mechanism of nanopores in platinum layers is still not fully understood. Here, the authors show that hydrogen is not involved in the reduction process of PtCl₄, however it enables the formation of nanopores.

Organic microlaser sensors are highly promising for chemical vapor detection due to their chemical versatility, but their poor stabilities are hampering applications. Here the authors report the synthesis and lasing properties of a dye that is self-assembled into microwires exhibiting a strong acid vapor response and good stability.

Glycomimetics are structural mimics of carbohydrates that can replicate their biological activity but have improved drug-like properties. Here, using proline-catalysed α-halogenation/aldol cascades, carbohydrate building blocks are readily assembled and then diversified into glycomimetics including imino- and carbasugars.

Hyperpolarized metabolic contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging can provide non-invasive and realtime information on tissue specific aberrant metabolism, but producing and handling them is highly demanding because of their short lifetime. Here a solid sample extraction, storage, and transport technique allows disconnecting production from end-user sites handling, as well as hour-long lifetimes of the agents.

Guanidinium-containing macromolecules, such as arginine-rich peptides, have peculiar properties in their interactions with membranes, including efficient translocation. Here the authors show that cationic gold nanoparticles functionalized with guanidinium groups can specifically and nondisruptively interact with phospholipid bilayer membranes.

Mechanical forces can induce a biochemical response in cells. Now, it is shown that a molecular motor can exert enough force on the surface of a cell to induce a biochemical response too.

The process of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) converts non-radiative triplet states into emissive singlet states. Herein we outline the fundamentals of TADF, some of the recent progress in understanding the key material properties responsible for promoting TADF and finally discuss some remaining challenges for the  potential applications of this phenomenon.

Mass spectrometry can be used for structural determination of N-glycans, but commonly requires prior derivatisation or comparison to a library of standards. Here logically-derived sequence tandem mass spectrometry allows for assignment of native N-glycans by analysis of successive fragmentation patterns without derivatisation and standards.

Deep neural networks are potent tools for computational chemistry, but experimental feed data can limit their reach. Here the authors develop deep neural network data augmentation models to predict octanol–water partition coefficients (log P) of a variety of tautomers.

Interfaces are a key functional element in organic devices, but accessing buried interfaces has been challenging, Here the authors present a novel spectroscopic setup to investigate the spectral properties of ionic liquid/organic films interfaces under an electric field.

Redox flow batteries working at a neutral pH combine high stability and environmental safety, but their power output is still limited. Here, the authors present an aqueous, all-organic redox flow battery, with sulfonated tryptanthrin as an anolyte solution, reaching a cell voltage of 0.94 V.

Superheavy elements are ideal for furthering our understanding of relativistic effects and how they affect physicochemical properties of heavy elements. In this comment, the author discusses the role of chemistry in the synthesis of new elements before addressing the future challenges concerning the chemical characterization of superheavy elements.

Ultrafast singlet fission has the potential to facilitate highly efficient photovoltaics through the multiplication of excitons in organic molecular architectures. Here, we consider the interplay of molecular structure and intermolecular coupling toward enabling ultrafast singlet fission and discuss open questions in the field.

Enantiomerically-enriched hydroxycarboxylic acids have been found in meteorites, but the possible origin of this asymmetry has not been explored experimentally. Here circular dichroism/anisotropy experiments suggest a common astrochemical mechanism for the generation of enantiomeric excess in hydroxycarboxylic acids and amino acids.

X-ray absorption and X-ray free electron lasers are important tools to study chemical and structural dynamics, but spectral details like pre-edge features are inherently hard to detect. Here, the authors show that stochastic spectroscopy can yield similar spectral information to monochromatic spectroscopies, while increasing signal yield and reducing acquisition time.

Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia form molecular mixtures that could open up new routes towards hydrogen-rich high-pressure/high-temperature superconductors, but their mixing propensity under pressure is not well understood. Here, the authors identify stable nitric sulfur hydrides at high pressure using first-principles crystal structure prediction methods.

Control over the morphology of porous materials is key for many applications, but can be challenging when targeting small particle sizes. Here one dimensional nano- and microstructures of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks are prepared using track-etched polycarbonate membranes as templates for interfacial synthesis.

Ortho functionalisation of phenols can be achieved using N-phenoxy amide directing groups. Here a method for chemodivergent C-H alkenylation, alkylation, carboetherification, or [3 + 2] annulation is presented, with product selectivity determined by the choice of solvent.

Preorganization is an effective strategy for f-element separation, but the complexity of extractant synthesis hinders large-scale application. Here the authors discuss an alternative strategy induced by in situ self-assembly that borrows principles of multivalent cooperativity from Nature to separate f-elements.

Lewis acid additives such as aluminium can enable fascinating new reactivity in transition metal catalysts, but few catalytic intermediates have been characterised. Now, a nickel-aluminium pincer complex offers new mechanistic insight into transmetalation, and new potential for reactivity.