Droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) are a type of artificial bilayer that can act as cell membrane mimics. This Perspective surveys how DIBs can be used to mimic key cellular features (such as bilayer asymmetry) and processes (such as drug movement), and discusses challenges that need to be overcome to enable DIBs to reach their full potential as biomimetic model membranes.

Bruce Gibb suggests that chemists can play a central role in democratizing access to energy by focusing on common elements.

Tova N. Williams explores the history of madder, its components and the perhaps confusing terminology that surrounds this long-known source of red colour.

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a species of bacteria that poses a global health threat and, more generally, bacteria of the Burkholderia pseudomallei group cause severe diseases that are recalcitrant to treatment with antibiotics. Now, it has been shown how these infamous pathogens repurpose the widespread enzyme BurG to produce a reactive cyclopropanol head group found in the virulence-promoting malleicyprol toxins. Interrupting the synthesis of the cyclopropanol warhead is a potential route for developing antivirulence treatments.

Synthetic chemical networks with far-from-equilibrium dynamics akin to genetic regulatory networks in living cells could precisely regulate the kinetics of chemical synthesis or self-assembly. Now standardized excitable chemical regulatory elements, termed genelets, that enable predictive bottom-up construction of in vitro networks with designed temporal and multistable behaviour have been developed.

Most proteins must fold co-translationally on the ribosome to adopt biologically active conformations, yet structural, mechanistic descriptions are lacking. Using ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy to study a nascent multi-domain protein has now enabled the identification of two co-translational folding intermediates that are significantly more stable than intermediates formed off the ribosome, suggesting that the ribosome may thermodynamically regulate folding.

Although neutral and anionic low-valent aluminium complexes are widespread, their cationic counterparts have remained rare. Now, a salt of [Al(AlCp*)₃]⁺ featuring a formal low-valent Al⁺ cation has been isolated that dimerizes in concentrated solutions and the solid state, and also forms Al₄ clusters on coordinating with Lewis bases.

The majority of methods to prepare β-amino acid derivatives require metal-mediated multistep manipulations of pre-functionalized substrates. Now, a metal-free, energy-transfer enabled, highly regioselective aminocarboxylation reaction has been developed, for the single-step installation of both amine and ester functionalities into alkenes or (hetero)arenes. An oxime oxalate ester is used as a bifunctional reagent, supplying C-centred ester and N-centred iminyl radicals.

Intermolecular Coulombic decay (ICD) is a process whereby a photoexcited molecule relaxes while ionizing a neighbouring molecule. ICD is efficient when intermolecular interactions are active and consequently it is usually observed in weakly bound systems. Now, an efficient ICD is shown to occur even between unbound pyridine molecules excited at ambient-light intensities.

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a species of bacteria that poses a global health threat and, more generally, bacteria of the Burkholderia pseudomallei group cause severe diseases that are recalcitrant to treatment with antibiotics. Now, it has been shown how these infamous pathogens repurpose the widespread enzyme BurG to produce a reactive cyclopropanol head group found in the virulence-promoting malleicyprol toxins. Interrupting the synthesis of the cyclopropanol warhead is a potential route for developing antivirulence treatments.

Bruce Gibb suggests that chemists can play a central role in democratizing access to energy by focusing on common elements.

Tova N. Williams explores the history of madder, its components and the perhaps confusing terminology that surrounds this long-known source of red colour.

Choline 2-hexenoate is an ionic compound that is a liquid at room temperature, and is just one of a class of compounds that have huge potential in biomedical research and clinical applications, explains Eden E. L. Tanner.

Michelle Francl explores how glass revolutionized chemistry.

The tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) cation, or ‘rubipy’ to its friends, has had a significant influence on our understanding of the photophysics of transition metal complexes, and has also helped revolutionize organic photochemistry, explains Daniela M. Arias-Rotondo.

In early 2020, Shira Joudan was in the final stages of her PhD when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Despite the challenging circumstances, she graduated, found a postdoc position and will begin her independent academic career in early 2023.