Volume 1 Issue 11, November 2017

Undergraduate practical classes that include more real science are to the benefit of students, teachers and society more broadly.

Redox reactions related to renewable energy challenges can be mediated by molecular electrocatalysts. Intelligent design of these catalysts calls for systematic catalyst benchmarking. This Perspective presents examples of analysing catalytic Tafel plots, noting through-structure and through-space effects on the performance and mechanism. This approach is preferred to oversimplifications inherent in using volcano plots.

Mechanical forces can be used as an alternative source of energy to increase chemical reactivity. This Review reports on the latest single-molecule measurements and how they have improved the current understanding of single-bond mechanochemistry.

Reviewing the applications of a solvent would ordinarily be an unusual thing to do, but the unique properties of hexafluoroisopropanol and its applications across a huge swathe of chemistry make that both a viable and interesting undertaking.

Blue energy can be cleanly and renewably harvested from a salinity gradient. The large-scale viability of this non-intermittent source is restricted by certain challenges, including the inefficiency of present harvesting technologies. This Perspective describes how nanofluidics can afford membranes better able to convert chemical potentials to electrical potentials.