A polyoxometalate photocatalyst enables selective bond activation of light alkanes For organic chemists, synthesizing complex molecules in a few steps without waste and with minimal energy has been a long-standing challenge. In many cases, synthetic methodology now enables the design of straightforward syntheses of molecules with different degrees of structural complexity and even their large-scale production. The starting materials are often derived ultimately from hydrocarbons in petroleum after extensive processing. Is it possible to start with hydrocarbons directly? On page 92 of this issue, Laudadio et al. (1) use gas-phase hydrocarbons to form more complex chemical entities by irradiating them with light. This approach was efficiently achieved not in static batch chemistry but under flow conditions through capillary tubing. This challenge was met by their design of a continuous-flow platform for the regioselective activation of gaseous hydrocarbons under mild conditions applied to carbon-carbon bond formation.

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更强的纽带带来更大的挑战

多金属氧酸盐光催化剂能够选择性地激活轻链烷烃 对于有机化学家来说，在不浪费的情况下以最少的能量在几个步骤中合成复杂分子一直是一个长期的挑战。在许多情况下，合成方法现在可以设计具有不同结构复杂程度的分子的直接合成，甚至可以进行大规模生产。原材料通常最终来源于石油中的烃类，经过大量加工。是否可以直接从碳氢化合物开始？在本期第 92 页，Laudadio 等人。(1) 使用气相碳氢化合物通过光照射形成更复杂的化学实体。这种方法不是在静态批量化学中而是在通过毛细管的流动条件下有效实现的。