Phototherapy, including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), exploits light to activate photoreactions that kill cancer cells. Recent studies show that phototherapy can not only kill irradiated tumor cells, but also elicit a tumor-specific immune response. This phenomenon breaks the limitations of conventional phototherapy and has reinvigorated phototherapy-related research in

C–N bond-forming reactions represent an important synthetic class because amine derivatives play crucial roles in various applications in biology and synthetic chemistry. Recently, electrochemical C–N bonding methods have attracted attention due to several advantages such as their simplicity and possibility of low-cost scale up. Meanwhile, due to severe environmental problems such as global warming

Since their discovery a few decades ago, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have suffered from poor hydrolytic stability. Since then, significant effort has been devoted to design robust MOFs, including their utilization for water-related applications to overcome relevant societal challenges. This short review provides guidelines on the key parameters that drive the assembly of hydrothermally stable MOFs

The ability of bismuth to manoeuvre between oxidation states supports several distinct reaction manifolds. Recent advances in the design, synthesis, and application of organobismuth reagents and catalysts illustrate the potential of these redox manifolds as tools complementary to conventional transition-metal-based synthetic strategies.

The development of high-speed, nonvolatile memory devices with low power consumption remains a significant challenge for next-generation computing. A recent study reported molecular switches operating at low voltages in large-area junctions by coupling supramolecular structural changes and counterion migration to bias-dependent redox, culminating in proof-of-concept memory comprising self-assembled

The sluggish kinetics and side reactions of the oxygen reduction reaction have impeded deployment of proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells. A recent article (Xie et al.) introduces an efficient nonprecious metal catalyst (Fe2N6) that enhances the kinetics of 4-electron O2 reduction by more than seven times compared with that of the well-documented single-site FeN4 catalysts.

Harnessing the chemistry of onium ylide intermediates generated from transition metal catalysis is a powerful strategy to convert simple precursors into complex scaffolds. Although the chemistry of onium ylides has been studied for over three decades, transformations of aziridinium ylides have only recently emerged as a versatile way to exploit the strain of these reactive intermediates to furnish

The ever-growing push for sustainable energy has intensified research on catalytic science. Significant developments have been achieved in state-of-the-art catalyst design from the perspective of catalyst materials. Further promotion can be enabled when rethinking and redesigning the catalyst structure with long-range ordering rather than limited to the catalyst material design. Recently, ordered assembled

Lignin is a potential non-fossil resource of diverse functionalized phenolic units. The most important lignin-derived monomers are 4-alkylphenols, 4-hydroxybenzaldehydes, 4-hydroxybenzoic acids, and 4-hydroxycinnamic acids/esters. Efficient transformation of lignin and/or its monomers into valuable aromatics and their derivatives is crucial, not only for a sustainable lignocellulose biorefinery, but

The amide bond represents the most fundamental functional group in numerous areas of chemistry, such as organic synthesis, drug discovery, polymers, and biochemistry. Although typical amides are planar and the amide N–C(O) bond is notoriously difficult to break due to nN→π⁎C=O resonance, over the past 5 years remarkable breakthroughs have been achieved in the activation of amides by complementary mechanisms

Tandem catalysis capable of completing multistep reactions in a single pot or step is an effective strategy to develop cost-effective and environmentally benign chemical processes. A unique challenge in the selectivity control of tandem reactions is the coexistence of reactants, intermediates, and products from all constituent steps in the same reaction medium, causing side reactions. Thus, distinct

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a valuable chemical with a wide range of applications. A recent trend in H2O2 production focuses on electrochemical reduction of oxygen, which represents an environmentally friendly method for on-site H2O2 generation. To realize highly efficient practical-scale electrosynthesis of H2O2, catalytic materials design and electrochemical reactor engineering play equally important

The cobalamin-dependent radical SAM enzyme CysS performs methylation reactions at an unactivated carbon center using what is predicted to be an unprecedented radical substitution mechanism. Herein, we highlight significant progress made by Wang and Begley in providing support for the enzymatic relevance of this proposal.

Macrocycles and related hosts are now being used to reverse the effects of poisonous substances and to alleviate the toxicity of several medicines in vivo. Here, we showcase the emergence of this class of compounds behaving as supramolecular antidotes, some of which outperform ‘gold standards’ in the field.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries exhibit great promise for next-generation energy storage due to their high theoretical energy density and low cost. However, their practical application is largely hindered by the shuttle effect. Although previous studies on the adsorption of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) have achieved significant progress, simple adsorption cannot fundamentally eliminate the shuttle

Quantum mechanical tunneling is a consequence of the wave nature of particles that implies that a particle can penetrate a potential energy barrier even though there is insufficient energy to overcome it. This has serious consequences for chemical reactions, a fact that has, however, not been appreciated fully. Only in the last few years has it become clear how important tunneling is for understanding

The abundance and structural diversity of hydroxide-containing secondary building units (SBUs) in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have provided unique opportunities for the development of transition metal (TM) catalysts. This minireview surveys the structures of hydroxide-containing SBUs and summarizes recently developed strategies for the generation of catalytically active metal complexes on these

Indole and isoquinoline nuclei bearing homoallylic amine cores are abundant in several prominent alkaloids, including strychnine. A recent study by Snaddon et al. reports a modular, cooperative catalysis platform to access linear and branched homoallylic amines, thereby streamlining enantioselective access to stereochemically complex Strychnos and Chelidonium alkaloids.

Retinal prostheses with high spatial resolution and sensitivity are desired to restore vision in patients with retinal degenerative diseases. A recent publication by Benfenati et al. demonstrates the use of semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (NPs) as a liquid retinal prosthesis with significant potential to restore high-acuity vision.

Over the last decade, pillararenes have shown remarkable potential in a variety of fields by virtue of their symmetrical pillar-shaped structures, flexible functionalization, and unique host–guest interactions. For diverse pillararene-based functional materials and technical applications, the tailored design and construction of pillararene-based supramolecular structures and assemblies are critical

A recent work by Hartwig et al. details an efficient method to borylate strong primary C(sp3)–H bonds via iridium-catalysed C–H activation. The conditions confer counterintuitive selectivity over more labile C–H bonds, while providing an avenue for a gamut of synthetically valuable late-stage functionalisations through versatile borylate intermediates.

CO2-neutral fuels (e-fuels) are considered to be a pragmatic and practical way of decreasing overall CO2 emissions derived from the transportation sector. However, for e-fuels to succeed and have a short-to-medium impact on climate mitigation, they should be fully compatible with existing fuel distribution infrastructure and vehicle technologies, such that they become literally drop-in replacements

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on metal halide perovskite nanocrystals (MHP NCs) have been rapidly developed to reach external quantum efficiencies of up to 22% with their defect-tolerant nature and extremely high color purity (full width half maxima <25 nm) that are superior to traditional inorganic colloidal quantum dots. However, highly dynamic binding of ligands impedes further increase in

This forum article highlights atomic nanoarchitectonics for functional atomic rearrangement and organic nanoarchitectonics for functional unit manipulation. The latter enables organic-synthetic modifications of nano-units from nanotechnological processes. This innovative approach affords creation of new chemical trends, expanding the seemingly endless possibilities of organic synthesis.

The electrochemical reduction of CO2 remains an appealing option for storing renewable energy in a chemical form. In this review, we assess progress in designing catalysts that convert CO2 to high energy density products. We explain how reaction data can be reported to reflect the intrinsic properties of the catalyst. This analysis shows that limited advances have been made in improving the performance

Hydride from sodium hydride acts as a base and not as a nucleophile, due to its small size and high charge density. However, recent research has found that a sodium hydride–sodium iodide composite can be a unique hydride donor in the challenging partial reduction of inert amides to imines.

Sunlight-driven photocatalytic water splitting is one of the most promising approaches to generating renewable hydrogen as an energy source. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the development of photocatalytic water-splitting systems. Among these, the one- and two-step-excitation overall water-splitting processes are most widely investigated. Realization of visible-light-driven

Basic research on the photophysical and photochemical properties of metal triplet emitters has been fueled by their practical applications in diverse areas, including bioimaging, photocatalysis, and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In addition to the extensively investigated Ru(II), Ir(III), and Pt(II) complexes, a wide range of luminescent Pd(II), Au(III)/Au(I), Re(I), Cu(I), W(VI)/W(0), and

Several hundred million tons of plastics produced worldwide accumulate in nature. The thermoplastic resin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is highly recalcitrant to degradation. A recent report from Tournier and colleagues provides unprecedented advances towards a circular PET economy by describing an engineered microbial enzyme that efficiently depolymerizes PET.

Transition metal-catalyzed allylations are among the most important tools for the formation of chemical bonds. Unlike soft nucleophiles (pKa < 25), reactions of hard nucleophiles (pKa > 25) usually suffer from requiring organometallic reagents or the use of strong bases. In addition, traditional single-electron allylations always require rigorously controlled reaction conditions as well as the use

Quantum-enhanced microscopes capable of probing classically inaccessible material properties have drawn increasing interest, but most proof-of-principle quantum microscopes have not surpassed classical limits. We discuss the promise and obstacles associated with the use of quantum light with reduced noise (‘squeezed’ light) for quantum-enhanced atomic force microscopy, bioimaging, magneto-optical measurements

Transition metal complexes bearing N-heterocyclic carbene ligands (NHCs) have gained a place of crucial importance in numerous areas of research such as medicinal chemistry, material sciences, and homogeneous/heterogeneous catalysis. In the present review, an updated overview of the main synthetic routes used for the preparation of this broad class of compounds along with their main applications are

Ferrocene is of great significance in the fields of organic synthesis, materials science, and biomedical research. Of particular importance is the fact that ferrocenes with planar chirality have proven to be privileged ligands or catalysts for asymmetric catalysis. Therefore, developing highly efficient methods to introduce planar chirality on the backbone of ferrocene is desirable. This short review

Reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP), commonly referred to as controlled/living radical polymerization, has become an exceptionally useful method for synthesizing 2D and 3D materials. More recently, light has been used to regulate RDRP, which has provided inherent advantages compared with traditional approaches. Herein, we present some chemical mechanisms for photoRDRP and highlight

Gold redox chemistry holds the promise of unique reactivities and selectivities that are different to other transition metals. Recent studies have utilized strain release, ligand design, and photochemistry to promote the otherwise sluggish oxidative addition to Au(I) complexes. More details on the reductive elimination from Au(III) complexes have also been revealed. These discoveries have facilitated

The utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a monomer for copolymerization with three-membered cyclic ethers, also known as oxiranes or epoxides, has received much renewed interest due to the need for degradable polymeric materials derived from renewable resources. Since the early discovery of the catalytic coupling of CO2 and oxiranes to afford polycarbonates, the area has progressed significantly

Solar hydrogen production from catalytic water splitting is one of the many options available to help generate clean power and alleviate the threatening environmental concerns stemming from the use of fossil fuels. During the past decade, carbon dots (CDs) have shown great potential in their application for solar-driven hydrogen production owing to their exceptional photophysical and electrical properties

Metal nanoclusters (NCs) are ultrasmall nanoparticles with intriguing molecule-like physicochemical properties. In recent years, metal NCs have been used as theranostic agents in biomedicine. In this short review, we correlate the physicochemical properties of metal NCs to their biomedical applications, shedding some light on the design of metal NC-based theranostic agents in cancer therapy, imaging-guided

Two-dimensional transition-metal carbides/nitrides, namely MXenes, are gaining increasing interest in many research fields, including electrochemical energy storage. This short review article emphasizes some recent breakthroughs achieved in MXene chemistry and electrochemical performance when used as high-rate electrodes, especially in nonaqueous electrolytes. Lastly, the current limitations and future

The topology of biological polymers such as proteins and nucleic acids is an important aspect of their 3D structure. Recently, two applications of topology to molecular chains have emerged as important theoretical developments that are beginning to find utility in heteropolymer characterization and design: namely, circuit topology (CT) and knot theory. Here, we review the application of these two theories

The drive to discover new transformations that enable C–C bond formation remains at the heart of challenges in contemporary organic synthesis. This is crucial for the expansion of the synthetic toolbox, providing the chemist with original ways to assemble a desired target – be it a natural product or a manmade compound. Many industries rely heavily on novel approaches in organic synthesis to develop

Communication of data associated with chemical structures in a concise fashion can be challenging. Here, we describe an alternative to the classic substrate table that integrates numerical data with structural changes. These radial-scope plots facilitate the identification of trends and simultaneously save space.

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) originates from the collective oscillation of conduction electrons when conductive nanoparticles are exposed to an electromagnetic field. It generates remarkably enhanced electric fields surrounding the nanoparticles and leads to strong extinction at the resonant wavelength. When plasmonic particles are in considerably close proximity, plasmon coupling occurs

Efficiencies of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have risen unprecedentedly from 3.8% to 25.2% in just over a decade as the light absorber material has evolved from the original methylammonium (MA)- to formamidinium (FA)-dominated perovskite. While FA lead iodide (FAPbI3) has a lower bandgap and, therefore, a higher theoretical efficiency limit, it is less phase stable, although this can overcome by incorporating

Substantial enhancements in the efficiencies of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs) have come from largely trial-and-error-based optimizations of the morphology of the active layers. Further improvements, however, require a detailed understanding of the relationships among chemical structure, morphology, electronic properties, and device performance. On the experimental side, characterization

Bioelectric devices can probe fundamental biological dynamics and improve the lives of human beings. However, direct application of traditional rigid electronics onto soft tissues can cause signal transduction and biocompatibility issues. One common mitigation strategy is the use of soft–hard composites to form more biocompatible interfaces with target cells or tissues. Here, we identify several soft–hard

CuAAC chemistry is used to compose incredible synthetic molecular architectures and acts as a true click chemistry reaction allowing densely functional molecular fragments to be joined in a highly controlled manner. Using supercatalysts based on our mechanistic understanding and in the absence of oxygen, CuAAC reactions are superior even in bioligation chemistry. The catalytic cycle provides an organometallic

Control over polymer architecture is a central challenge in chemistry that is key for the design and manipulation of material properties, to enable integration of macromolecules into potential applications. Numerous strategies have been employed to control polymer architecture, with one of the most elegant examples being catalyst walking, where a catalyst is able to migrate along a polymer backbone

Crystal engineering, the field of chemistry that studies the design, properties, and applications of crystals, is exemplified by the emergence of coordination networks (CNs). CNs are comprised of metal cations or metal clusters linked into 2D or 3D networks by organic and/or inorganic ligands. Early studies on CNs tended to focus upon design using self-assembly and/or reticular chemistry, but interest

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused the canceling of in-person lectures on a massive scale. Rapid movement of education to online platforms will eventually lead to innovations in remote education. At the moment, however, instructors lack guidance. This short article describes approaches for producing video for remote and active learning.

The regeneration of NAD(P)H can be achieved via catalysis, but the unequivocal determination of the species involved has not yet been fully realized. The current analytical methods of reactant/product analysis based on UV-vis spectroscopy, enzymatic assays, NMR spectroscopy, and HPLC are critically examined here with suggestions for future development.

Lignin, a major constituent of lignocellulosic biomass, is the largest natural source of aromatic molecules and thus is an attractive feedstock for renewable chemical production. Direct incorporation of isolated lignin into materials has long been researched due to the idea’s simplicity and the scheme’s potentially high atom economy. However, due to its high chemical reactivity lignin is difficult

Elemental mass spectrometry (MS) imaging has evolved beyond mapping biometals in tissue sections. The continually improving sensitivity and spatial resolution of chemical imaging technology has the potential to revolutionize immunohistochemistry (IHC). We explore how simple modifications to routine immunostaining protocols that integrate ‘immuno-MS imaging’ (iMSI) are making in situ quantitative protein

Artificial photosynthesis potentially offers solutions to the world’s looming energy and environmental crises. Here, we discuss the ongoing challenges of commercializing traditional artificial photosynthetic systems based on water splitting and highlight the advantages of replacing the water oxidation half-reaction with value-added alternatives, including biomass valorization and plastics upcycling

Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and closed-loop drug delivery systems have revolutionized patient care in diabetes and anesthesia. Here, we review the current state of continuous chemical sensor development, titratable drug delivery systems, and closed-loop therapies to identify clinically meaningful trends that, if realized, can have significant impact on medical practice and patient outcome. In

We discuss some of the challenges facing density functional theory (DFT) and recent progress in DFT for both ground and excited electronic states. We discuss key aspects of the results we have been able to obtain with the strategy of designing density functionals to have various ingredients and functional forms that are then optimized to accurately predict various types of properties and systems with

Comprehending the origin of life on Earth is intriguing and its scientific endeavors have engaged society while guiding the search for life elsewhere. However, some persistently question the science and support for such endeavors. This Science & Society article attempts to put this in context and contemplates how engagement could prevent misunderstandings.

Structurally tailored and engineered macromolecular (STEM) gels are an addition to the field of advanced polymeric materials and additive/subtractive molecular manufacturing. Taking inspiration from nature, STEM gels were designed based on stem cells, which involved a two-step synthetic procedure. In the first step, the STEM gels are synthesized to be ‘undifferentiated’ templates containing latent

Alloyed lead halide perovskites have taken a dominant role in the quest for third-generation solar cells. This is due to optimal light-harvesting properties, which can be tuned across the visible spectrum by mixing halide (X = Cl–, Br–, and I–) anions and A+ cations (A+ = FA+, MA+, and Cs+). Durability issues related to ion movement within the perovskite lattice, however, impede large-scale commercialization

A scientist’s career is not a smooth arc but rather a series of targets and deadlines, some more necessary than others. Several forms of research misconduct are specific to and incentivized by such deadlines, making a fine-grained understanding of those professional ecologies a necessary step toward preventing misconduct.