Volume 5 Issue 6, June 2021

The coronavirus pandemic forced a rapid adoption of online learning. What can be done for teaching the practical elements of subjects like chemistry? Have we learned anything that we would keep outside of lockdown restrictions?

Gold(III) complexes can undergo facile reductive elimination of aryl halides, particularly when bulky co-ligands are present. This study informs us about the elementary reactions of copper(III) congeners, which are prominent intermediates in organic cross-couplings.

A range of aryl and alkenyl organosodium reagents can be prepared by halogen–sodium exchange reactions with neopentylsodium and may be a useful alternative to widely used organolithium reagents.

Twisted nanoribbons with up to 322 atoms in the aromatic core (53 rings) have been prepared.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic and continued use of chemical weapons worldwide demonstrate the risks posed by biological and chemical threats. This Review highlights the importance of functionalized fabrics and surfaces to combat these threats and the progress made in their preparation.

Machine learning is starting to reshape our approaches to excited-state simulations by accelerating and improving or even completely bypassing traditional theoretical methods. It holds big promises for taking the optoelectronic materials design to a new level.

Dual-locked optical probes change their optical signals when they respond to two biomarkers of interest. This facilitates real-time imaging of multiple interrelated biomarkers in living systems and, thus, provides opportunities to better understand pathological events and enhanced diagnostic specificity.

Charge-separated organic molecules find diverse applications as functional materials. This Review describes zwitterionicity as a general design principle for ‘smart’ coordination chemistry and the activation of strong bonds.