Themed collection Recent Open Access Articles in Frontiers Journals

The key learnings of the utilization of sulfoximines, sulfondiimines and sulfonimidamides in drug discovery at Bayer AG are shared.

The precipitation of anhydrous Mg carbonates is hindered by the high energy barrier for dehydrating Mg²⁺ cations, and the mechanisms involved (classical or non-classical crystallization) in their precipitation remains as a scientific gap.

Lithium-ion batteries have been widely used in recent decades.

Exciting developments in the site-selective modification of peptide backbones are allowing an outstanding fine-tuning of peptide conformation, folding ability, and physico-chemical and biological properties.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has achieved maturity as an analytical technique in the materials community, however as made apparent by recent reviews highlighting it's misuse, it is a practice which is often misunderstood.

Modification of crown ethers via grafting of functional groups represents a convenient yet underexplored tool.

Computational chemistry has become important in organic synthesis as it provides a detailed understanding of molecular structures and properties and detailed reaction mechanisms.

Sustainable strategies for the activation of inert C–H bonds towards improved resource-economy.

The structural variation of self-assembled lanthanide supramolecular complexes which can be induced by different factors such as concentration, anion and solvent, cationic radii, stoichiometric ratio and light.

Recent spectroscopic and computational studies concerning the oxygen evolution reaction over iridium oxides are reviewed to provide the state-of-the-art understanding of its reaction mechanism.

Heterometallic coordination polymers have been rapidly developed as heterogeneous electrocatalysts. This review highlights the synthesis strategies of these polymers and the relationships between structures and electrocatalytic performances.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses photosensitizers (PSs) to treat some skin and eye diseases, and certain types of cancer. In this review, we summarise the strategies to design PSs and how they can be incorporated into different nanostructures.

This review summaries recent synthetic developments towards spirocyclic oxindoles and applications as valuable medicinal and synthetic targets.

Super-resolution microscopy (SRM) has revolutionized cell biology, enabling visualization of cellular structures with nanometric resolution, single-molecule sensitivity, and with multiple colors. Here we review how nanocontainers have been used to enhance these techniques.

Unorthodox chromophores enjoy the advantages of better hydrophilicity, large structural diversity, low-cost and facile synthesis, high chain flexibility and good biocompatibility compared to conventional chromophores, leading to many applications.

This review describes recent developments in enantioselective imine reduction, including related substrates in which a CN bond is the target for reduction, and in situ methods.

This review article summarises the academic work in the fields of initiator development, polymer chemistry and physics, composites, self-healing composites, novel processing opportunities and macro-as well as microporous materials.

We first officially propose the brand-new concept of “biosafety materials”, which utilizes materials science to solve biosafety problems.

This article reviews important developments in DNA nanotechnology and RNA nanotechnology and highlights supramolecular nucleic acid structures with biomedical applications.

Current status on MOF-modified electrodes for voltammetric analyses of inorganic/organic species is critically discussed. We provide future research directions and specific criteria that MOFs should satisfy prior to their use as electrode modifiers.

The present work reviews switching of single-molecule magnetic behaviour achieved through various stimuli such as temperature, light irradiation, redox processes, solvation/desolvation, and magnetic field.

Diazido Pt(IV) complexes with a general formula [Pt(N₃)₂(L)(L′)(OR)(OR′)] are a new generation of anticancer prodrugs designed for use in photoactivated chemotherapy.

Rapid progress in the synthesis of perylene bisimide dyes gave an old scaffold new life.

Tetraazaanthraquinodimethanes can exhibit various colours and emissions depending on their multiple conformations, such as not only folded and twisted forms but also intermediate structures, e.g., planar and twisted-folded forms, in pseudopolymorphs.

The combination of two complementary magnetic resonance techniques, integrated by computational procedures, allows detailed solution characterization of vanadium(IV) complexes.

A novel sulfur–oleylamine copolymer as a promising sorbent to selectively recover Cu²⁺ ions from a mixture of metal ions in acidic pH and its potential applications in battery recycling.

Vapochromic π-conjugated polymer thin films showing a reversible color change were prepared. Reversible coordination-number control of hypervalent tin(IV)-fused azobenzene moieties between five and six triggered tuning of the electronic properties.

An “indanonalkene” fluorescent chemosensor captured volatile amines via an amine–thiol scrambling reaction, and was applied to prepare portable paper-based sensors and polymeric film sensors for point-of-care detection of amines.

Herein, we present the first stereoselective semisynthesis of uzarigenin and allo-uzarigenin starting from the broadly available epi-androsterone in nine and seven steps, respectively.

The separation of layered MFI into unilamellar nanosheets in solution confirms the general validity of soft-chemical exfoliation for zeolites and allows top-down production of films with potential applications in separation and catalysis.

The synthesis and study of the lanthanide luminescent 2,3-bis(1,2,3- triazol-4-yl)picolinamide (btp) based hydrogels F1 and F2 is described where Tb(III) or Eu(III) are also used to crosslink the btp units within the polymers.

A Co₁₂ coordination cage performs catalytic oxidation of bound fluorescein by a mechanism involving redox activation of HSO₅⁻ using metal ions in the superstructure.

A distinct look at known, hydrosilylation reactions used for the formation of DDSQ-based linear A–B alternating macromolecular systems with DP_n > 1000 is presented. Selected physicochemical properties of obtained hybrid co-polymers were determined.

Relaxation of magnetization in DyM₂N@C₈₀ and Dy₂MN@C₈₀ (M = Sc, Y, La, Lu) series correlates, respectively, with the mass and size of the diamagnetic metal M.

Engineered mesoporous silica-based nanostructures for selective and pH-sensitive release of the anticancer drug bortezomib. The developed “smart chemotherapy” showed higher efficacy in vivo compared to traditional free bortezomib administration.

Fused polythiophenes attached to Fe(II)NHC complexes induced a mixing of the t_2g and π HOMO orbitals promoting 80 nm red-shift of the MLCT transition, 3 fold increase of the molar extinction coefficient and ³MLCT excited state lifetime up to 18 ps.

A ruthenium-catalyzed C–H amidation using cyclic amides as directing groups features broad functional group tolerance. Mechanistic studies supported by DFT calculations highlight the relevance of six-membered ruthenacycles in the catalytic cycle.

Programming the sequence of functional units in redox-switchable hetero[3]rotaxanes is achieved by integrative self-sorting for a library of five crown ethers.

Complexation of metal ions by a ligand bearing a azobenzene linker yielded two types of complexes: an [M₂L₂]⁴⁺ metallocycle and an [M₄L₆]⁸⁺ tetrahedral cage, which can be further converted into libraries of mononuclear [M(L′/L′′)_n]²⁺ species.

How to isolate small carbenes, previously reported to from dimers instantaneously, and how to split triaminoolefins into free carbenes.

Instantaneous and spontaneous room temperature C–ON bond mesolysis of alkoxyamines triggered by chemical oxidation.

Photochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into methanol on bare and Mg-doped gallium nitrides. A detailed DFT study to shed light on the photocatalytic activity of this promising material.

Amphiphilic-like carbon dots bearing ionizable carboxylate groups and hydrophobic alkyl chains entrap hydrophobic molecules and solubilize them in aqueous systems. In nanomedicine they can be used as drug delivery systems and phototherapeutic agents.

Fine-tuned catalytic processes facilitating regio- and stereoselective conversions for the large-scale synthesis of a pentasaccharide and its oligomerization into ready-for-conjugation haptens.

BT-SeCF₂H is introduced as a nucleophilic reagent for the deoxygenative difluoromethylselenylation of readily available carboxylic acid and alcohols.

Simple, aqueous and direct cross-coupling of diverse and complex (hetero)aromatic halides and active pharmaceutical agents.

Radical cations and dications of three isomeric bis[1]benzothieno[1,4]thiazines are (electro)chemically generated, spectroscopically characterized and assigned by (TD)DFT calculations.

A detailed mechanistic study of pyrophosphate (PPi) detection with a fluorometric Fe-salen based probe unravels the key structural switch of the Fe-bound PPi (“induced fit principle”) explaining the novel selectivity over other competing analytes.

Versatile enantiopure helical systems are described and are of interest owing to their intense chiroptical responses, their attractive architecture for metallosupramolecular chemistry and CISS effect.

Gt–PCL composite materials, synthesized with polycaprplactone, gelatin and collagen, showed an improved epidermal healing rate and were able to respond and repair in advance.

A 3-D metal sulfide ion exchanger (MSIE) with extra-framework H⁺ ions showed a remarkable capability for sorption of Pb²⁺ ions and highly efficient luminescence sensing properties towards various heavy metal ions.

Insights into how the optoelectronic properties of π-conjugated macrocycles evolve as a result of systematic structural changes are presented, helping to develop structure–property relationships and molecular design guidelines.

The incorporation of a linear D–π–A “push–pull” chromophore synthesized by a Knoevenagel condensation as axle of a rotaxane is reported.

Nanofocused synchrotron X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry provide insights into time-dependent ligand exchange reactions of organo-osmium anticancer complexes in cancer cells. Created with Biorender.com.

The increase in preorganization associated with coordination geometry changes is exploited to regulate solvation effects and, in turn, processability of metallosupramolecular polymers exhibiting close metal–metal contacts.

Ab initio DFT simulations show significant charge transfer in multi-component alloys reducing atomic mismatch, which is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Cu/TiO₂ photocatalysts can be considered a promising low-cost alternative to the well-known Pt/TiO₂ system for hydrogen production under UV-Vis irradiation.

Kinked tetraaldehyde building blocks lead in condensation reactions with diamines to pumpkin shaped cages – the cucurbitimines.

Dual-stimuli pseudorotaxane switches: Threaded complexes dissociate upon deprotonation or oxidation. A mechanical bond changes the influence of a ‘speed bump’ on the outcome of a switching event.

The mechanism of self-assembly of amphiphilic short peptides has been studied in detail by the combination of multiparametric FLIM microscopy and single-molecule FLCS.

Oximes, its ether derivatives and the corresponding hydroxylamines rearrange to secondary amines when reacted with PhSiH₃ and B(C₆F₅)₃ as catalyst. Computations suggest a reduction–rearrangement to be slightly favored over a Beckmann-type sequence.

The adaption of the sol–gel autocombustion method to the Cu/ZrO₂ system opens new pathways for the specific optimisation of the activity, long-term stability and CO₂ selectivity of methanol steam reforming (MSR) catalysts.

Hierarchically porous hydroxyapatite derived from cork powder shows excellent performance in biomedicine (low cytotoxicity) and environmental remediation (high Pb²⁺ removal).

Aqueous conjugated polymer nanoparticles developed by nanoprecipitation from a quinoxaline–thiophene type conjugated polymer with 3 fluorine atoms as potential cancer theranostics for breast cancer.

Lanthanum-based perovskites, LaMO₃ (M = Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn) were synthesized using sol–gel method and characterised using both physical and chemical techniques.

Typical pore characterization techniques combined with computed tomography provided a complete description of the multimodal porous architecture of novel glass foams synthesised via foaming process followed by phase-separation and selective leaching.

We developed o-triazenylarylboronic acids as stable solid aryne precursors, which generate arynes under mild conditions using silica gel as the sole reagent and undergo reactions with a range of arynophiles both in solution and in the solid-state.

Roll over transition metals-triarylamines are redox-catalysts, enabling olefin difunctionalization and C–H functionalization reactions by activating benzoyl peroxide.

The photocatalytic activity of titania nanotubes and nanoparticles toward methylene blue (MB) can be enhanced through addition of a small amount of Ce. MB acts as a hole scavenger, fastening the photocatalytic process.

Strongly blue fluorescent 1-phenyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazole (L1) is a facile block for the construction of multichromophore organic molecules, and simultaneously serves as a chelating diimine ligand.