Volume 6 Issue 2, February 2022

While there is much of the last two years we may wish to forget, it is imperative that we share our pandemic chemistry teaching experiences.

A review of Arieh Warshel’s autobiography, where he describes his life from childhood to when he fascinates about understanding the catalytic power of enzymes.

Glycosylation of proteins can stabilize folding intermediates and thus enable the total synthesis of correctly folded disulfide-rich proteins.

Advanced ¹⁷O NMR methods can help distinguish oxygen atoms from different hydrogen-bonding environments in glucose.

By understanding the magnetic properties of purely organic thin films, opportunities are presented to employ new characteristics in myriad applications.

Heterogeneous catalysis is a diverse and highly interdisciplinary field in chemistry, which is essential in our modern society. This Review highlights how understanding the active site in catalysts will help in their rational design — an essential step in a transition to renewable energy and a circular economy.

The activity of proteins can be controlled with azobenzene-based photoswitches. This Review describes the design of such artificial protein constructs and how their phototriggered, non-equilibrium response is studied using transient infrared spectroscopy, with an emphasis on ligand binding and unbinding processes as well as allosteric signalling.

The chiral arrangement of inorganic nanoparticles brings new properties and functionalities that are distinct compared with the individual building blocks. This Review discusses the recent progress in the preparation, properties and emerging applications of self-assembled inorganic chiral superstructures.

Sulfonyl fluorides are highly electrophilic and yet they exhibit stability towards hydrolysis under physiological conditions. This unique combination makes them highly attractive in chemical biology. This Review looks at the emerging synthetic approaches and applications for this intriguing functional group.