Themed collection New Talent 2025

Electrochemical transformations involving acetonitrile, including bond-forming patterns and mechanistic pathways, were discussed systematically in this review.

Peptide nucleic acids (PNA) are nucleic acid mimics which use a pseudo-peptidic backbone to display their nucleobases. This review covers strategies to overcome challenges in synthesis, physical properties and analysis for difficult PNA sequences.

We highlight the recent progress made towards the development of visible-to-NIR activatable photolabile caging groups, in which the strategies used to red-shift absorption spectra, improve photolysis efficiency and aqueous solubility are described.

Herein we comprehensively review hetero-Diels–Alder reactions of (isobenzo)furans and their applications, including the synthesis of heteroaromatics, polymers, and natural products.

We report a biocatalytic strategy to access novel β-hydroxy L-tryptophan regioisomers using an L-threonine transaldolase.

Using G4-SLSELEX-Seq, we identified a unique L-RNA aptamer exhibiting dual conformation specificity to G-quadruplexes (G4s) and inhibition of G4–protein interactions.

Bacteria have been long proposed to harbor ancestral forms of the bifunctional terpene synthases found in plants. Here, genome mining led us to identify a bifunctional terpene synthase from Streptomyces albulus that forms syn-abieta-7,13-diene.

This study provides a novel method for constructing an mRNA-displayed bicyclic peptide library cyclized through 1,3,5-tris(methyl)benzene by ribosomally incorporating N-acetyl-3,5-bis(chloromethyl)benzylthio-L-alanine.

We report two potentially biocompatible photoredox systems for the activation and coupling of redox-active esters using low-energy light and BnNAH as reductant.

A series of aryl α-L-fucosides was stereoselectively synthesized and tested for DC-SIGN binding. All compounds bound to the canonical binding site, while the most potent ligand (K_D = 600 ± 130 μM; IC₅₀ = 730 μM) also interacted with a secondary site.

We have developed a novel strategy for Fe-catalyzed C–H functionalization into oxime ethers through photo-induced ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT).

A 6-step gram-scale synthesis of the fungal polyketide gregatin A is described. This synthesis features an intermolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, a N–O bond cleavage and subsequent cascade cyclization.

Chiral α-amino nitriles, derived from their canonical α-amino acids, can be attached to the peptide C-terminus and undergo biocompatible cyclisation with an N-terminal cysteine residue, yielding macrocyclic thiazole peptides after mild oxidation.

The aromatic ring affects the DNA Watson–Crick binding strength, not through π-resonance assistance but due to the electron-withdrawing (G and A) or electron-donating (C and T) effect on the frontier atoms.

8-Pyrenylvinylguanine (^PVG) incorporated into serinol nucleic acid (SNA) underwent interstrand photocrosslinking and photocycloreversion.

We report a new class of RNA-based fluorescent sensors for the rapid detection of lead with high sensitivity and selectivity.

Catalysis driven by an amyloid–substrate complex has been improved by derivatizing an amyloid catalyst, modulating its morphology, and using an additive.

Glycoconjugate metal complexes target bacterial and fungal proteins for antiadhesive effects.

Discovery of both activators and inhibitors of 15-LOX-1 from a library of sp³-rich small molecules.

A photocatalytic pyridination of amino acid derivatives was achieved. The transformation proceeds through reversible C–C bond formation between two different captodative radicals, followed by aromatization as the driving force.

The deprotonation of isoazatruxene results in enhanced visible-light absorption and good photocatalytic performance, facilitating the dehalogenative arylation and phosphorylation of aryl halides with up to 94% yield under mild conditions.

A simple trifluoromethylsulfinylation of alcohols and amines under mild conditions enabled by N-hydroxyphthalimide-O-trifluoromethanesulfinate was developed, with good tolerance as well as facile extension to late-stage trifluoromethylsulfinylation.

A copper-promoted coupling efficiently synthesizes glycosyl aryl sulfones from sulfinates and aryl halides, enabling late-stage modification of bioactive molecules with broad compatibility.

Eight different types of fluorinated groups were used to functionalise benzylated bambusuril macrocycles, resulting in a library of eleven anion receptors with high chloride affinities and very different anion transport rates.

Structural variations of carbone catalysts impact efficiency in carbodiimide hydroboration. Acyclic carbodiphosphoranes create strain during HBpin activation, while carbodicarbenes proceed via 1,2-addition, yielding a less reactive hydride donor.

A one-pot synthetic strategy to assemble multi-substituted 2,3-dihydrofuran scaffolds via pyridinium ylide-mediated cyclization for DNA-encoded library construction was reported, featuring mild reaction conditions and broad substrate scope.