Themed collection Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series 2024–2025

This editorial showcases researchers who have contributed an article to the Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers Emerging Investigator Series.

Ambiphilic Sb–H bonds have been explored with both proton acceptors and hydride abstractors. Reactions with LiHMDS have also afforded a never-before-seen anionic triantimony chain as a lithium salt, and octameric antimony cluster.

We tune layered bismuth oxy(pseudo)halides through anion exchange and then show the first structure of BiON₃ and its unique thermolysis.

We report on the first photo-responsive metallodrug–albumin conjugate capable of inducing oncosis in cancer cells.

A developed self-supported CoS₂–Cu_xS/CF catalyst dynamically reconstructs into active CoOOH–CuO–Cu_xS interface under OER conditions. It exhibits excellent activity and long-term stability (over 200 h) in alkaline solution, outperforming RuO₂/CF.

In closed-shell metal–metal (M–M) systems, strong π-backbonding between metals and ligands weakens M–M Pauli repulsion, permitting shorter M–M bond lengths. Conversely, σ-donating interactions amplify repulsion, resulting in elongated M–M distances.

According to experimental results and MD simulations on Zr MOFs the rate acceleration of the ortho-linker in the aldol reaction is due to cooperativity between Zr node and proline, while the rate decrease of meta-linker is caused by pore blocking.

Unprecedented highly reduced Ta–Au heteromultimetallic complexes are prepared via a metal–metal salt metathesis. Leveraging the redox properties of these molecules, chemical oxidation, protonation, and C–H activation are achieved.

Developing phosphors with narrow photoluminescence emission peaks and high chromatic stability is significant for light-emitting diode (LED) technologies. This work studies the connection between composition, structure, and peak shape.

A multifunctional separator modified with a multi-shelled CoS₂ structure is developed to simultaneously inhibit the shuttle effect and effectively catalyze the redox reactions.

Heteroleptic stannylenes with iminophosphorane and terphenyl ligands were synthesized and studied for NH₃ activation. Synthetic and computational analyses revealed a redox-neutral activation path and identified a novel lithium stannylenoid byproduct.

The first uranium organoazide complexes were isolated as U(V) and U(IV) diazenylimido complexes. They exhibited divergent reactivity to yield U(IV) azido or U(IV) imido products via C–N bond cleavage or dinitrogen extrusion.

Metallic transition metal dichalcogenide nanosheets decorated with amorphous subnanometric Pd nanoparticles exhibit comparable HER performance to that of commercial Pt–C.

Comprehensive theoretical calculations are performed to screen red phosphorus-supported transition metal single-atom catalysts to realize efficient photocatalytic H₂ generation, offering important references for future design of photocatalysts.

We have investigated the formation of a formal (L)Cu(III) species in H₂O at 25 °C. The hydrogen bonding interaction of H₂O with the ligand bound to the Cu centre makes it stable in H₂O. The Cu complex enhanced the cellular ROS and promoted mitochondrial functional impairment in cancer cells.

Irradiation of hemiphosphinal lanthanum complexes results in unprecedented C–P bond scission, leading to crystalline ketyl radicals and P–P diphosphine coupling.