Chemistry articles from across Nature Portfolio

Combined N-heterocyclic carbene and photoredox-catalysed strategies for the acylation of arenes offer regiocontrol that is complementary to Lewis-acid-mediated Friedel–Crafts approaches.

The factors that control the solubility of a salt are many and varied. Now a set of salts with closely related cations suggests that weak London dispersion-controlled CH···π interactions can dominate solubility, despite the presence of much stronger forces.

The intentional interweaving of two different metal–organic framework (MOF) lattices could offer a strategy for combining the disparate properties of the two frameworks within a single MOF material. Now, the rational construction of such hetero-interpenetrated MOFs has been demonstrated.

Alkene 1,1-difunctionalization can provide direct access to valuable molecules. Now, an organometallic-radical relay strategy involving radical generation through homolysis of the metal–alkyl complex allows catalytic coupling of terminal or internal alkenes with arylboronic acids and electrophilic radical acceptors.

The reversible N–H activation and catalytic transformations of ammonia are a challenge. Now, a hidden frustrated Lewis pair is shown to activate non-aqueous ammonia thermoneutrally and split the N–H bond reversibly at ambient temperature. The N–H-activated ammonia was also utilized as an atom-economical nitrogen source for catalytic NH₃ transfer reactions.

The unique electronic, mechanical and chemical properties of functionalized carbon nanotubes make them promising candidates for chemical sensors. In this Primer, Luo and Swager outline the material selection, device architecture and fabrication of carbon nanotube-based chemiresistive sensors and best practices for sensor testing.

Solvent shielding of the amide hydrogen bond donor through chemical modification or conformational control has been successfully utilized to impart membrane permeability to macrocyclic peptides. Here, the authors show that passive membrane permeability can also be conferred by masking the amide hydrogen bond acceptor through thioamide substitution, leading to improved pharmacological properties of peptide macrocycles.

The selective hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene involves high H₂ consumption as well as a high energy input. Now, a thermocatalytic process for acetylene semi-hydrogenation using H₂O as H source and CO on a Au/α-MoC catalyst is introduced.

Combined N-heterocyclic carbene and photoredox-catalysed strategies for the acylation of arenes offer regiocontrol that is complementary to Lewis-acid-mediated Friedel–Crafts approaches.

The factors that control the solubility of a salt are many and varied. Now a set of salts with closely related cations suggests that weak London dispersion-controlled CH···π interactions can dominate solubility, despite the presence of much stronger forces.

The intentional interweaving of two different metal–organic framework (MOF) lattices could offer a strategy for combining the disparate properties of the two frameworks within a single MOF material. Now, the rational construction of such hetero-interpenetrated MOFs has been demonstrated.

Light is a major driver of the chemistry of the atmosphere and usually involves the photolytic fragmentation of molecules into radicals before their reaction. New results show that formaldehyde, excited by low-energy light, can react with oxygen, opening up alternative atmospheric oxidation pathways.

Few explosives are better-known to non-chemists than trinitrotoluene (TNT). Thomas M. Klapötke reflects on the enduring appeal of TNT and whether its starring role as an explosive is nearing its end.

Using a metal–organic framework, researchers reduced the volume of a water-based mixture by 7%.