Themed collection 20th Anniversary of the CRSI: Celebrating Indian Chemistry in ChemComm

The Cu(I)-catalyzed azide and alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (CuAAC), commonly known as the “click reaction”, has emerged as a versatile synthetic tool for targeting quadruplex nucleic acids.

The advancement and future prospects of transition-metal-catalyzed auxiliary assisted regioselective C7-functionalization of indoles/indolines are covered in this article.

The construction of C–C and C–X (X = hetero atom) bonds is the core aspect for the assembly of molecules. This feature article critically presents an overview of all the redox neutral cross-coupling reactions enabled by gold catalysis, which we believe would stimulate further research activities in this promising area.

A concise account on the recent developments in molecular rearrangements proceeding via the aryne intermediate is presented thereby shedding light on the synthetic potential of this versatile intermediate.

We review the recent advances in coordination polymer gels (CPGs) and highlight their applications in various fields as well.

This review article presents a coherent description on H-bonding driven self-assembly of naphthalene-diimide (NDI) derivatives leading to the formation of wide-ranging functional soft materials.

A review of the recent advancement in the development of organic materials with efficient phosphorescent emission features is presented.

Here we describe the various strategies for the synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines.

The spectacular physico-chemical properties of cucurbituril-based supramolecular assemblies of chromophoric dyes are described in this Feature Article.

Organocatalysts have gained importance because of their green chemistry perspective and this would be largely fulfilled if the reaction solvent also possesses this property. Water satisfies this objective. We describe the reactions carried out by organocatalysts in water and the features required for the catalysts to work well in the solvent.

This feature article discusses the structure–activity relation of various cationic liposomes for DNA/si-RNA/oligonucleotide delivery, the liposome and lipoplex characterizations, cytotoxicity and the biological applications of the lipid-based gene delivery vehicles.

Similarly to enzymes, zeolites have well defined reaction cavities and active sites (cations) which could help steer reactions towards a single pathway.

An efficient fluorescence turn-on probe for amyloid detection in the extreme near-infrared region (>750 nm) with an exceptional red-shift in the absorption maxima is reported.

An unprecedented visible-light inspired selective radical azidation of unactivated and diverse substituted vinylarenes with sulfonium iodate reagent has been realized. The intrinsic radical process triggered by light tolerated several synthetically useful functionalities enabling two new carbon-hetero bonds which display distinctive late-stage applications to biologically relevant scaffolds.

A squaraine–metalloporphyrin 2D-polymer based bifunctional catalyst for photocatalytic water splitting.

Hydroboration of carboxylic acids with pinacolborane (HBpin) to form the corresponding boronate ester under catalyst-free and solvent-free conditions is reported.

AgSbF₆-Catalyzed atom-economic anti-Markovnikov hydroboration of terminal alkynes which works at room temperature under solvent-free condition to produce E-vinylboronates is developed.

Base-metal catalysed C(sp³)–H bond functionalisation of methyl-N-heteroaromatics with alcohols is reported for the first time.

An exceptionally strong synergy between aromatic π-stacking and n → π* interaction.

A new 2D π-conjugated COF, TrzCOF has been synthesized and it showed excellent anticancer activity for the colorectal carcinoma HCT-116 cell line.

Sustainable synthesis of quinoxalines, pyrazines, benzothiazoles and quinolines catalysed by a phosphine free Mn(I) complex.

A new strategy for the detection of hypoxia and NO succeeded by photocontrolled delivery of an anticancer agent has been demonstrated.

Precise protein engineering is achieved using a metal-free multicomponent approach. It enables the installation of probes and the synthesis of antibody–drug conjugates.

An efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of polysubstituted phenanthridiene via palladium catalyzed nucleophilic addition of aryl iodides to nitriles followed by dual C–H activation.

Desilylative C(sp²)–C(sp²) cross-coupling reactions of arylsilanes with aryldiazonium salts under Au(I)/photoredox catalysis have been reported.

Mn²⁺ has been doped in a wide bandgap Cs₂AgInCl₆ double perovskite to emit light in the visible region.

Two donor–acceptor redox-active metal–organic conjugated porous polymers (CoCMP and ZnCMP) have been synthesized and CoCMP has been found to be an efficient catalyst for water oxidation.

Copper-mediated etherification of naphthylamides with arylboronic acid is presented. The H₂O¹⁸ labelling experiment reveals the incorporation of the ether oxygen from water. The kinetic isotope study suggests that C–H activation is the rate determining step.

A light activated hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) donor based on a p-hydroxyphenacyl (pHP) phototrigger has been developed for the controlled release of H₂S with real-time monitoring ability.

The critical role of molecular shapes in the environment-sensitive and temperature-induced emission properties of pyridoquinoxaline-based donor–acceptor–donor molecules was demonstrated.

A naphthalene-diimide appended carboxylic acid either spontaneously self-assembles (P) by an open-chain H-bonding or can be arrested in an intra-molecularly H-bonded monomeric state (M) depending on the sample preparation method. Living supramoleular polymerization of M can be initiated by a seed, generated from P.

An anti-carbonickelative cyclization via reversible alkenylnickel E/Z isomerization of 2-azido phenyl propargyl alcohols with aryl boronic acids is achieved using Ni(acac)₂ as the catalyst to access 2,3-diaryl quinolines.

A molecularly defined SNS-cobalt(II) catalyst for the acceptorless dehydrogenative coupling (ADC) of unprotected amino alcohols with secondary alcohols leading to pyrrole and pyridine derivatives is reported.

An efficient, scalable, atom-economical, regio-selective air stable Cp*Co(III) catalyzed C–H and C–O coupling via a C–H activation/oxygen atom transfer reaction of quinoline N-oxide and an internal alkyne is reported.

A rapid and efficient protocol for C–N and C–S cross coupling has been developed using a new square pyramidal copper complex, [Cu(DMAP)₄I]I.

A TICT based NIR-fluorescent probe 3 has been designed and synthesized which selectively detects HSA with fluorescence enhancement in blood plasma with a detection limit of 11 nM among the various proteins, nucleotides and thiols tested.

Membrane-active amphiphilic small molecules selectively kill bacteria over mammalian cells, disperse preformed biofilms and reduce bacterial resistance development.

A new luminescent metal–organic framework has been synthesized and explored as a dual functional fluorescent sensor to detect picric acid and Pd²⁺.

The first dual colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent probe NAP-3 for selective visualization of labile iron(III) pools in Caenorhabditis elegans is reported.

A relay gold(I)/Brønsted acid catalyzed one-pot cyclopentannulation of indoles has been achieved starting from easily accessible 1-(2-aminophenyl)prop-2-ynols and readily available 1,3-dicarbonyls.

The first-time sulfur-promoted CDC approach involving acetophenone hydrazones and aldehydes has been developed for the synthesis of substituted pyrazoles.

A unique directing-cum-functionalizing role of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands is disclosed in a Rh^III-catalyzed intermolecular annulation procedure.

The high color contrast reversible mechanochromic and aggregation induced emissive tetraphenylethene substituted phenanthroimidazoles are reported. The incorporation of a cyano group into phenanthroimidazole (3b) improves thermal stability and enhances the AIE property.

Sandwich herringbone–herringbone-brickwork-columnar crystal ordering, achieved through successive Friedel–Crafts acylation of pyrene, forms the basis for diverse solid-state colouring and blue–green–orange fluorescent crystals.

A metal–organic framework of Cd(II) shows high electrical conductivity and behaves as a Schottky barrier diode in an ITO/Cd-MOF (1)/Al structure.

Self-healable, multi-stimuli responsive metallo-hydrogels based on a series of tyrosine containing amphiphiles have been discovered. Formation of these metallo-gels is highly selective to Ni²⁺ ions. Moreover, the self-healing property can be modulated by varying the chain length of the corresponding gelator amphiphiles.

Triple action polymer: a triple-action fluorescent polymer probe is developed for sensing temperature, detection of copper(II) ions and biological species – amino acids.

The existence of ‘carbon bonding’, a hitherto unexplored interaction type, has been proved in the solid state via experimental charge density analysis.

A photoresponsive nano drug delivery system (DDS) was constructed using two new ingredients: fluorescent carbon dots and a quinoline based phototrigger.

Quaternized carbon dot–DNA based fluorimetric histone sensing technique is developed which is simple, rapid and specific in detecting as little as 0.2 ng mL⁻¹ histone.

We have realized tetrastability in a NDI molecule and achieved a set of combinational logic gates by combining thermal SET, DET and deprotonation reactions.

ortho-Bromophenyl sec-alkyl/sec-alkenyl ketones, on reaction with sodium azide in the presence of copper salts, undergo sequential S_NAr followed by Smalley cyclization to provide pseudo-indoxyl derivatives.

A single crystal of a donor–acceptor system, coronene tetracarboxylate and a methyl viologen derivative, acting as a channel element in a FET operating at nominal voltages with a hole mobility of ∼0.5 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ is described.

Ru(II)-catalyzed intermolecular ortho-C–H amidation of weakly coordinating aromatic ketones with sulfonyl azides is reported.

An efficient synthesis of benzyl esters have been achieved via a sp³ C–H bond activation of alkylbenzene using Bu₄N⁺I⁻/TBHP.

An enantioselective cooperative process involving the concerted/simultaneous action of three different catalysts i.e. Au(I)/amine/chiral Brønsted acid catalysts has been realized for the synthesis of 2-substituted tetrahydroquinolines from 2-aminobenzaldehydes and terminal alkynes.

Naphthalenediimide amphiphiles functionalized with dipicolylethylenediamine self-assemble with tunable chirality upon binding of adenosine phosphates and competitive binding induces dynamic helix reversal.

An unprecedented direct reductive amination of electron-deficient amines such as Cbz-, Boc-, EtOCO-, Fmoc-, Bz-, ArSO₂-, Ar₂PO-, etc. protected amines with aldehydes is achieved using the Re₂O₇ catalyst and silanes as the hydride source. Excellent regioselective mono-alkylation and chemoselective reductive-amination over reduction were observed.

Highly selective reduction of nitroarenes has been achieved using iron metal nanoparticles in water at room temperature. A wide spectrum of reducible functionalities remained inert under the reaction conditions and during the reaction a change in shape of Fe nanoparticles was observed.

The origin of very strong antiferromagnetic exchange in N₂³⁻ bridged complex, [{[(Me₃Si)₂N]₂Gd(THF)}₂(μ-η²:η²-N₂)]⁻ has been probed using DFT combined with MO and NBO analysis.

An iron porphyrin catalyst with four electron donor groups and a distal hydrogen bonding network specifically reduces O₂ by four electrons under both fast and slow electron fluxes at pH 7.

We report high temperature solution state synthesis of glutathione protected atomically precise silver clusters, with formic acid as a reducing agent, and a tentative formula of Ag₇₅(SG)₄₀ has been assigned.

Fe(BF₄)₂·6H₂O efficiently catalyzes the formation of aldehydes from terminal alkenes with absolute anti-Markovnikov regioselectivity under benign reaction conditions.

Though phase selective organogelators (PSOGs) are thought to be useful for oil spill recovery, all known PSOGs require a water-miscible carrier solvent for their introduction. Providing a simple, cheap, green and practical solution to the problem of oil spills, we report a nontoxic super-PSOG that can be sprayed aerially in a carrier solvent destined to get co-congealed with the oil.

Iron complex [Fe^III(biuret-amide)] immobilized onto mesoporous silica nanoparticles functions as an efficient peroxidase mimic and was successfully used for the quantitative determination of hydrogen peroxide and glucose.

A direct vinylogous Michael reaction of γ-substituted deconjugated butenolides with nitroolefins has been developed for the synthesis of densely functionalized products with contiguous quaternary and tertiary stereocenters.

A fluoranthene based fluorescent chemosensor for the detection of picric acid at the parts per billion level was evaluated. Static fluorescence quenching was the dominant process by intercalative π–π interaction between fluoranthene and nitroaromatics.

Three new alkaline earth metal based MOFs have been synthesized by using 4,4′-sulfobisbenzoic acid (SBBA) and alkaline earth metal salts M(NO₃)₂, M = Ca, Sr, Ba. These MOFs exhibit interesting structural diversity, variable chemical stability as well as proton conductivity.

A new chromenoquinoline-based thiol probe is described. The probe displayed 223-fold enhancement in fluorescence intensity upon sensing cysteine. The cell permeability and the imaging of thiols in living cells are demonstrated.

Regioselective oxidative cyclization of aromatic acids with alkynes in the presence of a ruthenium catalyst providing isocoumarin derivatives was investigated.