Browse Articles

Multiple bonds between heavier main-group elements may exhibit different properties and reactivity compared with their second-row counterparts. Now it has been shown that a NHC-stabilized phosphasilyne, a heavier analogue of nitrile, undergoes thermal isomerization to yield a phosphasilenylidene; this represents a rare example of heavier nitrile–isonitrile isomerization.

While Mo carbide catalysts have demonstrated excellent performance for CO₂ conversion chemistry, these catalysts require harsh synthetic conditions and have poor reaction stabilities. Here flame-synthesized unsaturated Mo oxides are shown to undergo carburization during the reverse water–gas shift reaction, and reaction-induced Mo oxycarbide active sites provide excellent catalytic performance.

Simultaneous functionalization of reactive and inert remote sites presents a powerful approach to access complex molecules, yet it is hindered by precise remote C(sp³)–H activation. Now, the accurate translocation of functional groups and remote C–H desaturation has been achieved in parallel through combining functional group migration and cobalt-promoted hydrogen atom transfer.

Zinc and manganese are commonly used reductants but their redox potentials in organic solvents have not been studied. Now, these redox potentials have been measured, revealing the impact of solvents and additives. The reductant potential substantially influences the performance of nickel-catalysed cross-electrophile coupling reactions, highlighting the merits of tunable electrochemical reduction.

When one says the word alcohol to a non-chemist, it is typically in reference to ethanol, the first alcohol discovered. Chi Chen, Mahlet Garedew, and Stafford W. Sheehan toast ethanol’s past, present, and future.

Although ammonia synthesis represents a major chemical industry, developing highly effective non-iron catalysts is a challenging task. Now it has been shown that anchoring fullerene onto non-iron transition metals separates and activates catalytic sites for hydrogen and nitrogen intermediates, boosting ammonia synthesis rates.

The development of materials for efficient hydrogen storage is desirable. Now, hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks exhibiting both high volumetric and gravimetric hydrogen storage capacities have been synthesized; hydrogen-bonding interactions are key to guide the catenation of the structure, effectively minimizing the surface area loss in the supramolecular crystals.

The regulatory network governing triplex DNA dynamics remains poorly understood. Now it has been shown that chemoproteomic profiling—aided by the development of a triplex DNA-specific probe—reveals the binding and functional repertoire of proteins that interact with triplex DNA, providing a valuable resource for exploring the biology and translational potential of triplex DNA.

Catalytic asymmetric radical dearomatization has remained a daunting task due to the challenges in exerting stereocontrol over highly reactive radical intermediates. Now, using metalloredox biocatalysis, new-to-nature radical dearomatases P450_rad1–P450_rad5 have been engineered to facilitate asymmetric dearomatization of a broad spectrum of aromatic substrates, including indoles, pyrroles and phenols.

Going to conferences to share and learn about the latest science is a key part of being a researcher. Shira Joudan reflects on presenting their group’s research for the first time and guiding students through their first conference experiences.

Understanding the structural rearrangements of infinite-layer transition metal oxides at the atomic level remains challenging. Now in situ electron microscopy has been used to monitor the formation of infinite-layer SrFeO₂ through an oxygen deintercalation process; lattice flexibility of the FeO_x polyhedral layers facilitates the phase transformation.

Achieving robust and controllable conductance in single-molecule junctions is challenging due to the dynamic nature of molecular conformations that fluctuate over operational timescales. A strategy using shape-persistent molecules has now been developed that demonstrates nearly junction-displacement-independent conductance, providing a stable solution for single-molecule electronic properties.

The role of computers in the chemical sciences is changing. Previously the domain of the theoretical or computational chemist, advanced digital skills, including data analysis, automation and simulation, are becoming extremely relevant to all. Here, we discuss the importance of integrating digital skills into an undergraduate chemistry programme and highlight some work currently being carried out to achieve this.

Improving battery performance requires the careful design of electrolytes. Now, high-performing lithium battery electrolytes can be produced from non-solvating solvents by using a molecular-docking solvation strategy that takes advantage of intermolecular interactions between solvents to precisely control the solvation dynamics of lithium ions.

Living anionic polymerization is generally carried out using a metal-based initiator under stringent, and ideally water-free, conditions. Now, proton transfer anionic polymerization is developed using an organic compound with an acidic C–H bond as the initiator in the presence of a base catalyst. This method offers easy access to well-defined polymers under moderate conditions.

Chirality in extended 2D structures exhibits fundamental differences from molecular-level chirality. This Perspective discusses how local molecular chirality is transmitted and amplified to form distinctive global chirality within ultrathin, single-crystalline 2D materials; it also explores the future challenges and potential of this field.

The construction of synthetic cells holds great importance for exploring complex biological systems and could potentially provide insights into the origins of life. Now, synthetic gap junctional channels have been developed as a building block to construct synthetic cells that can mediate intercellular transport of ions and bioactive species.

The synthesis of model heterojunction interfaces allows for the study of interfacial photoinduced charge-transfer states as a function of molecular structure. This analysis provides molecular-level insight into the factors governing charge generation at organic heterointerfaces and, thus, the efficiency of organic solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.