Chemistry articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat and the development of alternative strategies to overcome it is of high interest. Here, the authors report proteolysis targeting chimeras active in bacteria (BacPROTACs) that bind to ClpC1, a component of the mycobacterial protein degradation machinery, and apply them for targeting a range of mycobacterial strains, including antibiotic-resistant ones.

    • Lukas Junk
    • , Volker M. Schmiedel
    •  & Guido Boehmelt

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fruits contain a large variety of cis-diols but their rapid and direct analysis without complex sample pretreatment was not achieved. Here, the authors report a Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A nanopore modified with a phenylboronic acid adapter for recognition of 1,2-diphenols, alditols, α-hydroxy acids and saccharides in fruits.

    • Pingping Fan
    • , Zhenyuan Cao
    •  & Shuo Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecules arranged in close proximity to a surface form molecular layers, exhibiting distinct properties. However, the creation of these layers is challenging. Here, the authors present a technique for generating molecular layers through crystallization induced by gas blowing onto a surface.

    • Jincheng Tong
    • , Nathan de Bruyn
    •  & Cinzia Casiraghi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    I-Motifs (iM) are non-canonical DNA structures potentially forming in the accessible, single stranded, cytosine-rich genomic region, but the specific contributions of several factors involved in their formation are unknown. Using in-cell NMR, the authors examined DNA i-motif formation in human cells at body temperature, suggesting i-M occur in a small portion (<1%) of genomic sites predisposed to its formation.

    • Pavlína Víšková
    • , Eva Ištvánková
    •  & Lukáš Trantírek

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Computing platforms based on chemical processes can be an alternative to digital computers in some scenarios but have limited programmability. Here the authors demonstrate a hybrid computing platform combining digital electronics and an oscillatory chemical reaction and demonstrate its computational capabilities.

    • Abhishek Sharma
    • , Marcus Tze-Kiat Ng
    •  & Leroy Cronin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors previously showed that a histidine nucleophile and a flexible arginine can work in synergy to accelerate the Morita Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction. Here, they report another efficient MBHase that employs a non-canonical Nδ-methylhistidine nucleophile paired with a catalytic glutamate, providing an alternative mechanistic solution for MBH catalysis.

    • Amy E. Hutton
    • , Jake Foster
    •  & Anthony P. Green

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The photochemistry of the pyruvate anion plays an important role in the Earth’s atmosphere and aqueous environments. Here, the authors show that excitation of aqueous pyruvate by 200 nm light leads to decarboxylation with a quantum efficiency of 20%, while excitation by 340 nm light does not cause a reaction.

    • Jan Thøgersen
    • , Fani Madzharova
    •  & Frank Jensen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Discovery of 2D materials with useful electronic properties is challenging. Here, the authors use DFT to design a stable semiconducting 2D carbon allotrope for optoelectronic applications that has light charge carriers and unusual secondary bandgap.

    • Zhenzhe Zhang
    • , Hanh D. M. Pham
    •  & Rustam Z. Khaliullin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Color construction of black carbon fibers is a challenge due to their stable physicochemical properties. Here, the authors demonstrate the tunable structural color of carbon fibers endowed by the dynamic growth of carbon spheres using glucose.

    • Sijie Zhou
    • , Chunhua Zhang
    •  & Weilin Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    By virtue of the rotational motions of interlocked macrocycles, the authors describe a chameleon-like catenane host that can adjust its co-conformation for selective binding to copper(I) or sulfate ion. While the cationic copper(I) complex is achiral, the interlocked rings in the catenane host rotate and re-orient into a chiral co-conformation upon forming the anionic sulfate complex.

    • Yueliang Yao
    • , Yuen Cheong Tse
    •  & Ho Yu Au-Yeung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of non-halogen solvent processed all-small-molecule organic solar cells was challenging. Here, the authors employ a small molecule donor with strong aggregation property to improve molecular pre-aggregation in tetrahydrofuran, realizing ternary device with efficiency of 16.1%.

    • Wei Gao
    • , Ruijie Ma
    •  & Gang Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Integrated structural data show that the MAP7 microtubule binding domain stabilizes the microtubule lattice through binding along protofilaments. Both strong and weak interactions between MAP7 and the lattice extend beyond a single tubulin dimer and include the tubulin C-terminal tails.

    • Agnes Adler
    • , Mamata Bangera
    •  & Marc Baldus

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The nature of the molecule-metal interface is crucial for many technological applications. Here, the authors show that the photostability of the material can be sensitive to room light when coated with a single molecular layer, with implications for devices and processes.

    • Chenyang Guo
    • , Philip Benzie
    •  & Jeremy J. Baumberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    On-surface synthesis relies on carefully designed molecular precursors that are thermally activated to afford desired, covalently coupled architectures. Here, the authors study the intramolecular reactions of vinyl groups in a poly-para-phenylene-based model system and provide a comprehensive description of the reaction steps taking place on the Au(111) surface under ultrahigh vacuum conditions.

    • Marco Di Giovannantonio
    • , Zijie Qiu
    •  & Roman Fasel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Artificial biomolecular condensates are valuable tools to study the design principles of phase separation. Here, the authors demonstrate and characterize a model system of artificial DNA condensates whose kinetic formation and dissolution depends on DNA inputs that activate or deactivate the phase separating DNA subunits.

    • Siddharth Agarwal
    • , Dino Osmanovic
    •  & Elisa Franco

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The photochemical properties of Electron Donor-Acceptor (EDA) complexes present exciting opportunities, but often require an inert atmosphere to maintain high efficiency. Here, the authors develop a photocatalytic system through rational design, which overcomes the oxygen-sensitive limitation of traditional EDA photocatalytic systems.

    • Jialiang Wei
    • , Junhong Meng
    •  & Ning Jiao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    O-Sulfation is a vital post-translational modification in bioactive molecules, yet there are significant challenges for the synthesis. Here, the authors report a general and robust approach to O-sulfation by harnessing the tunable reactivity of dimethyl sulfate or diisopropyl sulfate under tetrabutylammonium bisulfate activation.

    • Shuaishuai Yue
    • , Guoping Ding
    •  & Jiakun Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Many alkyl fluorides are readily available, but the synthetic applications trail behind the widely accepted utility of other halides. Here, the authors report a practical Csp3-F bond functionalization method that expands the currently restricted synthetic space of unactivated C(sp3)-F bonds, but also uses benzylic, propargylic and acyl fluorides.

    • D. Lucas Kane
    • , Bryan C. Figula
    •  & Christian Wolf

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The catalytic efficacy of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is constrained by their restricted electro-transfer capability and weak binding affinities for reaction intermediates. Here the authors report COFs with various pyridinic-based units for tuning their catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction.

    • Xiubei Yang
    • , Qizheng An
    •  & Gaofeng Zeng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Structurally coloured composite films are flexible optical materials with potential in a range of applications, but their production is impacted by long time-frames and limited materials. Here, the authors report a method for the production of large scale films by shearing supramolecular composites.

    • Miaomiao Li
    • , Bolun Peng
    •  & Jintao Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    By performing long ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of water under external electric fields, for up to 500 picoseconds, the authors identify a transition to a ferroelectric amorphous phase at ambient conditions.

    • Giuseppe Cassone
    •  & Fausto Martelli

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Selective cleavage and subsequent functionalization of C−C single bonds present a fundamental challenge, and the use of inexpensive and Earth-abundant group IV metals for catalytic C−C single-bond cleavage is largely underdeveloped. Here, the authors report zirconium-catalyzed C−C single-bond cleavage and subsequent hydroboration reactions.

    • Sida Li
    • , Haijun Jiao
    •  & Lipeng Wu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Selective functionalization of C(sp2)–H bonds under ambient conditions is a persistent synthetic challenge in organic chemistry. Here the authors combine host-guest charge-transfer-based photoredox chemistry with supramolecular nano-confinement to achieve selective carbonylation of styrene by tuning the dioxygen concentration.

    • Souvik Ghosal
    • , Ankita Das
    •  & Jyotishman Dasgupta

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mirror-image phage display has the potential for high-throughput generation of biologically stable macrocyclic D-peptide binders but is hindered by the optimization required for D-protein chemical synthesis. Here, the authors report a general mirror-image phage display pipeline based on automated flow peptide synthesis and use it to prepare and characterize 12 L/D-protein pairs.

    • Alex J. Callahan
    • , Satish Gandhesiri
    •  & Bradley L. Pentelute

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tailoring catalytic performance of atomically-precise metal nanoclusters catalysts is of great interest but remains challenging. Here, the authors report a co-eletropolymerization strategy to modify well-defined Au8 nanoclusters by single-atom sites to enhance its electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of CO2 towards CO.

    • Yi-Man Wang
    • , Fang-Qin Yan
    •  & Shuang-Quan Zang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tuning compressive strain is an effective way to accelerate the oxygen evolution reaction kinetics. Here the authors show that anisotropic thermal expansion induces compressive strains on IrO6 octahedron in Sr2IrO4, shifting its d-band center downward and accelerating water oxidation kinetics beyond traditional thermal diffusion effects.

    • Yu Du
    • , Fakang Xie
    •  & Zhigang Zou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding the complex relationships between enzyme sequence, folding stability and catalytic activity is essential for applications, but current technologies cannot simultaneously resolve both stability and activity phenotypes and couple these to gene sequences at large scale. Here, the authors report Enzyme Proximity Sequencing (EP-Seq), a deep mutational scanning method to assay both expression level and catalytic activity of thousands of oxidoreductase variants from a cellular pool in a single experiment.

    • Rosario Vanella
    • , Christoph Küng
    •  & Michael A. Nash

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding excitonic optical excitations is integral to improving optoelectronic and photovoltaic semiconductor devices. Here, Bennecke et al. use photoemission exciton tomography to unravel the multiorbital electron and hole contributions of entangled excitonic states in the prototypical organic semiconductor C60.

    • Wiebke Bennecke
    • , Andreas Windischbacher
    •  & Stefan Mathias

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric cyclization of 1,6-enynes is a powerful tool for the construction of chiral nitrogen-containing heterocycles, but limiting to the use of aryl or alkenyl metal reagents. Here, the authors report Ni-catalyzed enantioselective anti-arylative cyclization and enantiospecific cis-alkylative cyclization of 1,6-enynes.

    • Wenfeng Liu
    • , Yunxin Xing
    •  & Kun Shen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conventional blue denim dyeing has both environmental and health-related consequences. Here, Bidart et al. use enzyme engineering to develop a viable method for the bulk production of indican and demonstrate dying processes which could significantly reduce the negative consequences of this billion-dollar industry.

    • Gonzalo Nahuel Bidart
    • , David Teze
    •  & Ditte Hededam Welner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Copper electrocatalysts enable carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide reduction but suffer from low production rates. Here, the authors promote in situ growth of Cu(100) during electrolysis, enabling efficient and stable electrosynthesis of multicarbon products at industrially-relevant current densities

    • Kaili Yao
    • , Jun Li
    •  & Hongyan Liang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Graphene oxide is in demand for various applications - however, this is complicated by changing physicochemical properties over time. Here, the authors show the intrinsic, metastable, and transient states of graphene oxide colloids upon ripening.

    • Hayato Otsuka
    • , Koki Urita
    •  & Katsumi Kaneko

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Environmentally adaptive hydrogels have great potential as soft robotics but achieving self-regulated reversal shape deformation in homogenous hydrogels under a constant stimulus is challenging. Here, the authors report responsive hydrogels functionalized with two photoswitchable spiropyrans that exhibit self-regulated transient deformation reversal when subjected to constant illumination.

    • Kexin Guo
    • , Xuehan Yang
    •  & Chuang Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    PTFE waste, a growing ecological concern, urges the exploration of disposal methods. This study investigates PTFE’s plasma gasification, revealing POCD (oxygen) and FHD (steam) pathways. Experiments validate the above mechanism, showing an 80.12% fluorine recovery in 5 min under optimal conditions.

    • Chu Chu
    • , Long Long Ma
    •  & Guanyi Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The efficiency of upconversion electroluminescence remains very low for single-molecule emitters. Here, the authors report over one order of magnitude improvement in the emission efficiency via engineering energy-level alignments for triplet relayed upconversion involving only carrier injection.

    • Yang Luo
    • , Fan-Fang Kong
    •  & Zhen-Chao Dong

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