Research Highlights in 2009

A phosphine catalyses the formation of multiple rings and stereocentres in a single step from a simple linear precursor.

Tethering a nickel complex to carbon nanotubes creates an effective catalyst for fuel cells.

A simple fluorescence quenching method can be used to visualize graphene.

Electron tomography has revealed the interior structure of a calcite–agarose composite material.

Charge transfer in a donor–bridge–acceptor ensemble is shown to be affected by exciting the vibrational modes of the hydrogen-bonded bridging groups.

The conversion of carbon dioxide into methanol has been achieved by a metal-free homogeneous process.

A cluster formed by calixarenes coordinated to a mixed metal manganese–gadolinium magnetic core has excited states that are populated at low temperature, and shows promise for magnetic refrigeration systems.

Unusual ozonide and adamantane motifs are essential for the activity of next-generation antimalarial drugs.

A molecular crystal shows extremely large anisotropic positive and negative thermal expansion.

Proton hydrates that have an extensive charge delocalization can aggregate into proton wires within carborane nanochannels.

The ultrafast protonation of bicarbonate by a photoacid gives a glimpse of the elusive aqueous carbonic acid species.

A protein cage acts as a mould for growing coordination polymers with precise control over the size of the resulting particles.

Encapsulating arsenic- and platinum-based drugs together in the same liposome carrier has increased their efficiency for targeted cancer treatment and stability.

A chemoinformatics approach, which defines drug targets by the molecules they interact with, allows the creation of a map that predicts many useful unanticipated interactions.

Diisopropyl fluorophosphatase has been re-engineered to speed up the detoxification of organophosphorus nerve agents.

The photoinduced racemization of a helical polymer with preferred handedness occurs without rearrangement of its chemical bonds

The total synthesis of the diterpene vinigrol has finally been achieved 20 years on from its isolation.

A 'Russian doll' endohedral fullerene has been made, comprising a carbon dimer within a scandium tetrahedron, all encased by a C₈₀ cage.

The spin coupling in Keplerate polyoxomolybdates has been altered by a partial reduction reaction monitored by Raman spectroscopy.