Themed collection ChemComm 60th Anniversary Collection

VCD spectroscopy associated with DFT calculations is a powerful tool to unambiguously assign both the absolute configurations and conformations of chiral secondary metabolites directly in solution.

This highlight article summarizes the complete development of photodecarboxylative functionalization of free carboxylic acids via a concerted single electron transfer (SET) or energy transfer (ET) pathways.

This article highlights the expansion of time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (TR-SFX) to chemical systems by overcoming the challenges in SFX for small molecules.

Novel NOS linkages stabilize protein tertiary and quaternary structures and may be as prevalent as disulfide bonds. They regulate enzyme activity and have other important roles.

The field of chiral 2D and quasi-2D perovskite is reviewed highlighting the most important results to date and indicating future directions for advancement.

This highlight focuses on breakthroughs, future perspectives and applications of ultra-high-energy-density lithium-based battery systems beyond 500 W h kg⁻¹, represented by systems such as Li–S/Se batteries, Li–gas batteries, Li–CF_x batteries, etc.

Alkene carbofunctionalization reactions have great potential for synthesizing complex molecules and constructing complex structures in natural products and medicinal chemistry.

This review summarizes the hierarchical structure and multifaceted properties of natural silk fibers, and provides an in-depth analysis of their extensive applications in the realms of biomedicine and advanced smart fiber technology.

This highlight discusses the advantages of various oxidation methods for improved performance of the electrochemical oxidation of ethylene and propylene, and provides an overview of current challenges and problems requiring further efforts.

Three strategies to realize the chirality-controlled growth of SWCNTs are presented.

This highlight article summarizes the recent developments and challenges in photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide and looks forward to the development direction of this field.

This review provides an electrosynthesis strategy of H₂O₂via the 2e⁻ ORR, covering aspects of reaction mechanisms, performance assessment, catalyst engineering, and setups for scaling up H₂O₂ production.

DNA nanostructures are easy to design and construct, have good biocompatibility, and show great potential in biosensing and drug delivery when combined with CRISPR/Cas systems.

This paper's innovation lies in systematically summarizing and evaluating the latest metal catalyst design strategies and exploring their application in nitrogen sources.

Supramolecular approaches to face chemical biology problems targeting different types of species are illustrated with selected representative examples, using conventional receptor design or dynamic covalent chemistry.

This article describes applications of Eu, including MRI, luminescence, catalysis, and separation science.

Recent work on catalysed reactions using coordination cage hosts, including new mechanistic insights and reactions types, is reviewed.

This review highlights recent advances in transition metal complexes of silylene, showcasing their efficacy in hydroboration, hydrosilylation, hydrogenation, hydrogen isotope exchange, and small molecule activation chemistry.

This review explores studies on the development of direct dehydrative amide/peptide bond formation from carboxylic acids using organoboron catalysis.

Versatile DNA nanodevices that modulate membrane receptor aggregation and reprogram cell signaling with high precision and programmability.

We highlight the challenges and recent progress in using semiconductors to harvest solar energy for carrying out alcohol oxidation.

This article summarizes the potential of TPP salts in tuning RTP properties and their applications in multi-level information encryption, high-level anticounterfeiting tags, and X-ray scintillators.

Mechanochemical backbone fracture by homolysis of covalent bonds generates highly reactive macroradicals, providing potential strategy to form new load-bearing bonds enabling new synthetic applications and development of stress-responsive polymers.

Cascading responses are a new concept for integrating stimulus-responsive materials to obtain output responses from the original input stimulus through successive conversions of the stimuli in a system.

The burgeoning interest in stable conjugated diradicals is attributed to their distinctive spin characteristics. In this review, we emphasize how to precisely control these spin characteristics to understand their role in the molecules and as functional radical materials.

This feature article examines recent lithium–sulfur studies, with a focus on high-loading sulfur cathodes in lean-electrolyte and solid state-electrolyte cells, and highlights recent achievements, challenges, and strategies for future research.

This article summarizes small-sized transition metal oxide (TMO) clusters for electrocatalysis. The synergistic actions between TMO and TM–N_x sites and mechanisms by DFT studies are comprehensively highlighted.

This article discusses the roles of Zr-MOFs in electrocatalysis, and the challenges and opportunities in using Zr-MOFs in electrocatalytic applications.

Advances in the understanding and applications of perovskite 2D/3D heterostructures were overviewed with a focus on ligand design principles.

In this article we disclose our contributions to use of cyclopropanes as unconventional reagents for the development of enantioselective transformations under different organocatalytic activation manifolds for the synthesis of chiral building blocks.

This review introduces tetrazoles as the building blocks. The tetrazole ring offers four nitrogens, thereby assisting in multiple binding sites. The consequence is usually polymeric networks, but meticulous stratagem can form discrete cages as well.

This review has examined the advancements and challenges in the development of transition metal-based electrocatalysts for the alkaline water splitting reaction in the last decade.

A novel binaphthyl-based chiral (R)-BHTP-COF was synthesized that can serve as an efficient CSP for HPLC. The COF-packed HPLC columns provide high resolution, selectivity, and durability for the chiral separation of six racemic drugs.

Here, we report the synthesis of tetrahydroquinolines between newly developed N-benzylhydroxylamine reagents and alkenes using HFIP as a solvent.

Herein, we developed an efficient C–H alkylation of 2-aminobenzaldehydes and anilines employing cyclopropanol as an alkylating agent under Rh(III)-catalysis for accessing a wide range of 1,4-diketones and β-aryl ketones in good to excellent yields.

U(VI) triperoxide solids oxidize to superoxide forms in the presence of trace-level chromium. In solution, the U(VI) superoxide grows in after 48 h and can be detected by EPR spectroscopy without the use of a spin-trap.

A microkinetic model is constructed for the electrocatalytic alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction, using which the activity trend suitable for efficient catalyst screening has been identified.

Oximes are powerful hyperpolarisation agents, able to act both as ligands and proton exchange catalysts with other target molecules simultaneously.

Ambident reactivity of allylic phosphorus ylides has been realized in a DOS manner while using various phosphines, delivering a series of chromone adducts in good to high yields.

The visible light-promoted O-alkenylation of phenols and naphthols with terminal alkynes is achieved using T(p-F)PPT as a photocatalyst at room temperature without the need of any external ligand or additive.

Polyurethanes prepared using biomass-derived furan diols showed promising energy harvesting performance as tribopositive materials.

This study explores the versatile binding properties of a tetrapodal ligand framework with nickel, demonstrating ligand fluxionality through the interconversions of several complexes.

Oxidized carbon materials have abundant surface functional groups and customizable properties, making them an excellent platform for generating radicals.

The combination of borane and diaminoferrocene monomers results in a treasure chest of macrocycles and linear chains.

An exploration of enhanced electrocatalysis mechanism of gold nanodimers via electrochemiluminescence microscopy is proposed.

A novel method for constructing multi-arm acceptors through extended conjugation in quinoxaline-based materials was developed, which achieved a high PCE of 18.82% in OSCs.

Diverse molecular mechanisms of bacterial S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine inactivation by transition metal cations is essential for developing novel, metal-cation-based antibacterial compounds.

This study introduced a novel cross-hydroalkenylation approach for addressing a resilient challenge in C5-exo-selective norbornene derivative functionalization by using a suitable choice of terminal olefin.

A non-equilibrium supramolecular host–guest system is fabricated, showing transient assembly behavior, time-dependent fluorescence, and positive feedback regulation. A dynamic fluorescent hydrogel is further developed for information encryption.

The regioselectivity of deuterium labelling is controlled by the geometric constraints introduced by a supporting ligand.

Polydopamine nano- and microspheres, with aminochrome as the principal building block, were rapidly and controllably synthesized in microdroplets.

A mechanistic study is carried out to understand the high enantioselectivity in an Fe-catalyzed O–H insertion reaction. Our DFT calculations reveal the importance of non covalent interactions and catalyst framework in the catalyst-enol complex.

A Cu-mediated C(sp³)–C(sp³) coupling/cyclization sequences of unactivated ketones and acylhydrazones is reported for the expeditious construction of 3,4,6-trisubstituted and 3,5-disubstituted pyridazines.

A pincer ligand in the absence of any metal photocatalyzes the cleavage of strong carbon–chloride bonds and assembles oxindole and isoindoline molecules.

A near-infrared light-driven Janus nanomotor with excellent motility and collagenase activity is constructed, which can potently penetrate into tumors and significantly enhance anti-tumor immune efficacy.

A facile rapid spraying method allows the fabrication of large-scale superhydrophobic meshes. A smart roof was developed that utilizes the fragmented droplets after impacting the superhydrophobic meshes for agricultural spraying.

An unprecedented dinuclear rare earth metal complex with a bridging 2,2'-azobispyridyl radical anion was isolated from the one-electron oxidation of the parent neutral complex. Both were characterized through crystallography, spectroscopy, and DFT.

Chiral bifacial indacenoditiophene-containing π-conjugated polymers were synthesized and exhibited pronounced spin filtering function based on chirality induced spin selectivity.