Direct air capture (DAC) is a promising technology that can remove CO2 from the atmosphere. This is different from carbon capture, which is usually done at the source of emissions. To achieve the emissions targets set out in the Paris Agreement, there has been significant effort to expand the number of DAC projects in industry. In this Voices article, we have asked thought leaders, primarily from industry

Heterogeneous single-atom catalysts (SACs) have the potential to revolutionize organic synthesis. Recently, in Nature, Lu and co-workers developed geminal-atom catalysts (GACs) for catalyzing complex molecular cross-coupling reactions. In this reaction, the cooperativity of metal centers in the geminal sites enabled the efficient activation of substrates through a dynamic bridge-coupling mechanism

Aiming to isolate R2C2+ carbodication—a reactive intermediate that defies the octet rule—Loh, Bertrand, et al. employ iminate ligands to formally double oxidize a carbene, yielding [R2C=N=C=N=CR2]2+ cumulenic species. This illustrates the crucial role of local chemical environment design in achieving the desired stabilization and reactivity in low-valent main-group centers.

Abstract not available

The site-controlled grafting of multiple polymers from nucleic acids and their purification remain challenging. In this issue of Chem, Matyjaszewski, Das, and co-workers develop a universal phosphoramidite reagent containing an atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator that paves the way to expanding the architectural space of well-defined nucleic-acid-polymer hybrids (NAPHs).

The Zn(II) complex is colorless, which is a common feature unless the complex is accompanied by chromophoric moieties. Recently in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Wada et al. reported a dinuclear Zn(II) complex that bears two non-chromophoric oligosilyl ligands and exhibits visible-light absorption. Their work introduces a strategy for constructing Zn-based complexes capable of responding

Designing an efficient catalyst for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial to proton-exchange membrane water electrolysis for hydrogen production. In a recent Science Advances article, Hu et al. report a misoriented high-entropy iridium ruthenium oxide electrocatalyst that demonstrates significantly enhanced activity and stability for the acidic OER.

An ordered and compliant photo-actuator was recently reported by Ryan C. Hayward and colleagues in Nature Materials. In a combination of the merits of single crystals and polymers, this composite, prepared by epitaxial growth of microcrystal arrays in polymer membranes, exhibited rapid response times, high resistance, and ultrahigh work densities. Their findings presented a novel approach to optimize

Abstract not available

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a potentially useful approach to cancer treatment but requires compounds that are enriched in 10B. In this issue of Chem, Liu and co-workers reported a simple and useful approach to the synthesis of a series of 10B-enriched diboron(4) reagents that will greatly facilitate drug discovery in this important field.

A general method for the introduction of heptagons into aromatic hydrocarbons would be very attractive for the construction of three-dimensional (3D) molecular nanocarbons. In this issue of Chem, Miao and co-workers report an innovative method to generate heptagons from macrocyclic precursors using the transannular Scholl reaction.

Recently, the groups of Aggarwal and Li have independently presented photocatalytic radical phosphonylations of alkyl radicals with benzhydryl-catechol-phosphites under photoredox catalysis in Journal of the American Chemical Society and CCS Chemistry, respectively. These reactions provided an expedient way for the late-stage installation of phosphonate motifs into natural products and pharmaceutical

Nearly 85% of current human-caused CO2 emissions result from the burning of fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas. Carbon pollution warms the planet and increases hazardous extremes, such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, heavy rainfall, and flooding. Therefore, the decarbonization of industry and power plants is of great necessity. To this end, carbon-capture technologies and their effectiveness

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) hold great promise for unprecedented material properties and broad applications, but their atomically precise synthesis remains a challenge. In this issue of Chem, Mateo-Alonso and co-workers have presented an elegant iterative approach to prepare monodispersed GNRs with exponentially increased lengths of up to 35.8 nm.

In conjunction with our research article in this issue of Chem, this essay is in memory of Professor Wei Jiang, a rising star in supramolecular chemistry who passed away on December 25th, 2022, from pancreatic cancer. We briefly summarize his research on bionic molecular recognition in water with diverse naphthotubes and their applications in multiple disciplines. Furthermore, we share the kind words

In this issue of Chem, high-affinity and high-specificity naphthotube and phenyltetrazine host-guest pairs are designed to control tetrazine reactivity in bioorthogonal chemistry. The power of the system has been demonstrated in precise labeling and functionalization of biological targets in chemical and biological systems, including in animal models.

Electrochemical carbon capture offers a promising approach for capturing scarce CO2 from industrial emissions or the atmosphere. Challenges persist in current techniques, such as low capture rates and oxygen sensitivity. This article previews the latest findings by Wang and co-workers published in Nature, reporting the oxygen/water redox couple in a solid-electrolyte reactor for continuous and modular

Abstract not available

Intrinsically disordered short peptides play an important role in protein function and assembly; however, their characterization and mechanism of assembly into more complicated superstructures remains a challenge. In this issue of Chem, Egelman, Wang, Xu, and co-workers employ, for the first time, cryo-electron microscopy to study the self-assembly of intrinsically disordered peptides.

Managing plastic waste is a challenging and pressing problem. In this issue of Chem, Soo and co-workers valorize commercial plastics and post-consumer plastic waste into isolable products, including formic acid, acetic acid, and benzoic acid, through vanadium-catalyzed tandem C–H oxidation and C–C cleavage photoreactions.