Themed collection Chemical Communications HOT Articles 2024

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.

This highlight demonstrates the state of the art in the field of the enantioselective merged gold/organocatalysis by leveraging the unique reactivity of each catalyst.

Real-time monitoring of biocatalytic-based processes is significantly improved and simplified when they can be visualized.

To cope with the environmental pollution and energy shortage, reducing carbon dioxide molecules and producing fuels and chemicals via electrocatalytic methods, is one of the effective pathways to achieve carbon neutrality.

We highlighted the recent research progress concerning the molecule engineering strategy of toll-like receptor 7/8 agonists for enhancing immunotherapy, including our research work and some related emerging works.

Recent advances in the development of cascade ring expansion reactions for the synthesis of medium-sized rings and macrocycles are described.

Through the magnifying glass of a suitable computational protocol, both support and guidance of experimental advances in small molecules activation mediated by apolar and weakly polar bonds are made possible.

In this review, we provide the very first comprehensive exposition of artificial potassium transporters developed mostly over the past ten years.

Cucurbit[n]uril functionalized gold nanoparticles and electrodes facilitate the development of sensing platforms based on recognition tunneling, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, single molecule force spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods.

Sample transformation can be used to provide insights into the properties of complex samples.

The construction of S–C–N glycosidic bonds via the organocatalytic sulfa-Michael/aldol reaction of (E)-β-nucleobase acrylketone and 1,4-dithiane-2,5-diol was achieved, and diverse 4′-thionucleosides were obtained with excellent results.

The cross-linking of redox-reversible artificial metalloenzyme aggregates produces recyclable protein microparticles that enable catalyst replacement and hence catalyst-controlled enantioselectivity switching.

Described herein is a Cu-catalyzed diarylation of aromatic alkynes via radical docking-migration pathways, leading to a broad range of valuable triarylethenes.

A heart-on-a-particle model based on a multicompartmental microgel is proposed to simulate the heart microenvironment and study the cardiotoxicity of drugs.

A small-molecule Fenton reagent was developed to self-augment chemodynamic therapy by intelligently regulating intracellular acidosis.

Triphenyl phosphane (TPP) and an epoxide as a fuel system transiently transformed a non-catalytic six-component turnstile into a four-component catalytic rotor releasing N-methyl pyrrolidine and a copper(I) complex.

A three-component carbonylation that provides a new method for the synthesis of ketones from Hantzsch esters has been developed.

An unusual benzofuran synthesis from 2,6-disubstituted phenols and alkynyl sulfoxides is disclosed. Various highly-substituted benzofurans were synthesized via a charge-accelerated [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement and subsequent substituent migration.

Minute structural variations in Py-BT-COF isomers can generate significant differences in redox and photophysical properties, resulting in divergent photocatalytic performances in H₂ reduction and rhodamine B degradation.

A new armchair carbon nanobelt is successfully synthesized by tuning the regioselectivity of the Scholl reaction of the quinquephenyl units in the arylated [12]cycloparaphenylene substrate.

Co–Fe perovskite fluoride, which is easily oxidized to highly active (Co³⁺Fe³⁺)OOH, was prepared as an efficient catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction.

A simple and effective strategy for hydroxylating the ITO surface with hydroxyl radicals produced by electrochemical oxidation of hydroxide anions at the gas bubble adherent electrode.

A novel ionized heavy-atom-free two-dimensional organic nanosheet was prepared and exhibited highly selective generation of singlet oxygen under both light and ultrasound excitation.

Two-dimensional (2D) Cs₃Sb₂Br₉ inducing a transformation of three-dimensional (3D) CsPbBr₃ to 2D nanoplates (NPLs) to achieve a deep-blue emission at a wavelength of 464 nm with good stability.

A bench-top stable borane with an appended redox-active phenothiazine motif can be oxidized by a single-electron oxidant to “unlock” a potent radical cationic Lewis acid catalyst for dimerization and hydrosilylation reactions.

Electronic modification of SnO₂ using doping to enhance electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction to formate.

Selenophen-annulated pyrazines were synthesized in a simple two-step approach under mild conditions.

Space-confined twin-polymerization enables homogeneous integration of ultrafine TiO₂ nanoparticles into an S-doped carbon skeleton to craft a robust hetero-architecture for boosting lithium storage.

A new synthetic route to sydnonimines allows the preparation of probes to release isocyanates inside living cells.

Using thiol–ene chemistry, polymerization-induced phase separation, and DLP 3D printing, we present a method for manufacturing reactive macroporous 3D structures.

A silver-catalyzed highly para-selective phosphonation of 2-aryloxazolines has been achieved.

The highly efficient reductive amination of aldehydes with ammonia (NH₃) and hydrogen (H₂) to form secondary imines is described, as well as the dehydrogenative homocoupling of benzyl amines.

An efficient, metal-free electrocatalytic desulfurative strategy for the construction of C–N bonds by selectively activating inert C(sp³)–S bonds of alkyl thioethers.

Artificial spinal dura mater was designed by combining solution blow-spun gelatin microfibers and dopamine-capped polyurethane bioadhesive.

Semiconducting polymer dots and hemin functionalized DNA nanoflowers are prepared for the construction of a fluorescent/colorimetric dual-mode biosensor, achieving the detection of dopamine and glutathione in complex biological samples.

A lipid cubic phase encompassing a cross-linked siloxane structure was formed by the self-assembly of a synthetic organoalkoxysilane lipid.

Chiral liquid-crystalline emitters based on 9,9-dimethyl-10-(4-(phenylsulfonyl)phenyl)-9,10-dihydroacridine and binaphthol show smectic mesophases and circularly polarised blue fluorescence with a high luminescence dissymmetry factor |g_lum| of 0.13.

Chemiresitive sensing allows the affordable and facile detection of small molecules such as H₂O and CO₂.

The first examples of geminal bimetallic carbone coordination featuring main group metals have been isolated.

A highly developed 2D hollow carbon superstructure was fabricated by harnessing the synergy between F_outward1 and F_outward2.

A highly efficient carbazole-based artificial light-harvesting system was successfully fabricated for the photocatalytic cross-coupling reaction.

We first report parallel triplex formation between a homopurine SNA (L-aTNA) strand and an RNA/SNA (L-aTNA) duplex. Melting profiles revealed that the parallel triplex was remarkably stable, even though A*A pair has a single hydrogen bond.

This work discloses an iridium-catalyzed selective arylation of B(6)–H of 3-Ar-o-carboranes with arylboronic acid via direct B–H activation for the first time.

A sulfane sulfur-activated photoacoustic imaging probe was developed for in situ dynamic visualization of acute cerebral ischemia.

A MOF-to-MOF strategy coupled with NaBH₄ reduction is developed to synthesize oxygen vacancy modulated Fe-doped Co₃O₄ hollow nanosheet arrays (V_o-Fe–Co₃O₄), which are demonstrated to be efficient electrocatalysts for the OER.

Coordination of a bis-NHC-stabilised 1-hydro-2-pyridyldiborene to coinage metal fragments was investigated and a series of mono-, bi- and multimetallic diborene complexes were synthesised.

Reduction of a bulky diamido-magnesium(II) complex has yielded the potassium salt of a dimagnesium(I) dianion, whereas prior reduction of a bulkier analogue gave an activated N₂ complex. The relevance of ligand bulk in these processes is discussed.

In this study, Co-NC and NiFe LDH composites with different work functions were successfully synthesized, and the impact of a built-in electric field on enhancing the electrocatalytic activity of NiFe LDH was comprehensively investigated.

Amplified by CRISPR-Cas12a and DNA nanomachines, the sensitive detection of HPV-16 in human serum was performed using mass spectrometry.

Dielectric spectroscopy has been used to determine the barriers of rotation of surface-mounted fullerenes (2.3 ± 0.1 and 4.3 ± 0.1 kcal mol⁻¹).

The aluminium salt [(NHC)Al(tol)(C₆F₅)₂][B(C₆F₅)₄], (NHC = C₃H₂(N(iPr₂C₆H₃))₂) is a Lewis superacid and acts as a catalyst for hydrosilyation, hydrodefluorination and Friedel–Crafts reactions.

A pincer-supported nickel complex undergoes redox-controlled aryl insertion and elimination, triggering reversible Ni–P–C bond cleavage.

A hydrophobic cationic-ionomer adlayer is constructed to enhance CO₂ electroreduction with 95.6% Faradaic efficiency for MEA under acidic conditions.

The preparation of an actinide substituted cubane cluster, (Cp*₃Mo₃S₄)Cp*UI₂, and its reduced derivatives are reported.

A method for synthesis of quindoline derivatives by means of intramolecular ring-closure reactions of 3-N-methylphenylindoles via an iminium salt intermediate was developed. This method can be used for the rapid synthesis of quindoline derivatives.

A diazo-, metal- and additive-free oxime ether synthesis via formal reductive O–H bond insertion of oximes to α-keto esters has been developed.

Au(III) polymer reagents provide facile access to semi-telechelic and diblock copolymers.

Picogram quantities of polystyrene nanoparticles of varying size and surface functionality are separated in environmental matrices using capillary electrophoresis.