Research Highlights in 2019

Membranes formed from amphiphiles have been found to be more stable to possible prebiotic conditions — in terms of heat, pH and ionic strength — when formed from mixtures of components.

There are many formally copper(iii) complexes, but X-ray spectroscopy and theory now reveal that they often feature strong covalence and physical oxidation states lower than +iii.

The rate of Berry pseudorotation in iron pentacarbonyl is measured using variable-temperature infrared spectroscopy and spectral simulations.

An elusive and highly reactive intermediate has been prepared and characterized, ultimately leading to the synthesis of ten natural products.

Pesticides assure control over the disease vectors; however, most pests have developed resistance to the major classes of pesticides. Synergistic approaches in which pesticides are combined with inhibitors of the specific resistance-mediating enzymes have been now identified as promising solutions.

Neutral and anionic 20-valence-electron heteroatomic tetrahedra are well known. There now exists a synthetic pathway for isoelectronic cationic derivatives.

A 13-component molecular system can control two mechanistically distinct reactions in response to a single stimulus.

The ability of soft nanoparticles to shrink makes their diffusion in a confined environment faster than that of hard nanoparticles of the same size. The size reduction results from electrostatic interactions between the soft nanoparticle and medium and has important implications for their use as efficient drug carriers.

Thin films of hydrogenase enzymes dispersed in a redox-active gel effect rapid anodic oxidation of H₂ even in the presence of O₂.

A proton-neutral enantioselective Michael addition reaction has been described in which an aryloxide acts as leaving group, proton shuttle and Lewis base.

The Lewis acidity of trihaloboranes has now also been observed for tetrahalodiboranes, which bind halides to give hexahalodiborates — a new anion class.

Models for polyhedral clusters with different symmetries enable us to understand their electronic structures and predict the formation of new clusters.

Electronic properties in a 2D organic–inorganic perovskite are tuneable by applying pressure. Modest pressures force layers closer together and weaken quantum confinement, reducing the bandgap.

Low-temperature spectroscopy shows that the electronic structure of gold clusters is sensitive to the donicity of surface-bound phosphine ligands.

X-ray diffraction not only paints a picture of atomic structure but also, when performed at multiple wavelengths, tells us about relative redox levels of metals in clusters.

A new route to the aglycone core of the anthracycline idarubicin relies on the global functionalization of tetracene rather than annulation reactions.

Metabolic disorders cause anomalous productions of chemicals in our bodies that may lead to serious diseases. Functionalized tattoo inks can be effectively use to constantly detect metabolites.

Oleaginous yeasts grown on biomass sustainably produce high yields of triglycerides for use in foods and fuels.

The presence of water on the moon is now certain, less so its origin. New experimental findings support the idea of water being released from protonated lunar silicates due to heating from micro-meteorite impacts.

One can now prepare tertiary amides directly from CO and a tertiary amine by means of an atom-economical Fe-catalyzed reaction.