Themed collection 15th anniversary: Chemical Science community collection

This Perspective assimilates developments in sulfonyl exchange chemical biology that have driven exciting advances in drug discovery and fundamental research over the last decade.

This perspective covers recent advances in scanning electrochemical microscopy operation modes, i.e. the surface interrogation mode and new approach curve principles, as well as the application of these techniques in new electrocatalytic scenarios.

Triquino[3]radialene (R = tBu) has a photoaccessible triplet state, assigned by TA spectroscopy and CIPT2 calculations. The ground- and excited-states have global magnetically-induced ring currents according to calculations.

The solar-driven valorization of CO₂ to fuels and chemicals provides an exciting opportunity to develop a circular chemical industry, but the controlled production of multicarbon organics remains a major challenge.

Scalable electric-field catalysis on carbon nanotubes in electromicrofluidic reactors is shown to accelerate and direct reactions toward intrinsically disfavored products.

Cationic hydrocarbon nanobelts were synthesized via the chemical oxidation of methylene-bridged [6]cycloparaphenylene ([6]MCPP). These species turned out to be remarkably stable in air, which enabled to uncover their unique properties.

This work reports a novel strategy for engineering porphyrin dimer structures and properties using lacunary polyoxometalates. Three distinct hybrids exhibit modulated stacking geometries, interfacial distances, and properties.

Vibrationally assisted delayed fluorescence (VADF) in presence of long-lived Ni²⁺ state near the valence band in CsPbCl₃ nanocrystals (NCs) which helps to increase the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and lifetime of Ni²⁺-doped CsPbCl₃ NCs.

A visible light-activated HAT process combined with copper catalysis enables enantioselective allylic and propargylic C–H amination, converting open-chain alkenes and alkynes into chiral amines with high enantio-, regio-, and E/Z-selectivity.

The synergy of mesoporous structure and binary PdS composition enabled selective hydrogenative coupling of nitrobenzene for electrosynthesis of value-added azobenzene in H₂O under ambient conditions.

Seven [Fe(L^R)₂]²⁺ (L^R = 2-{pyrazolyl}-6-{4-R-pyrazolyl}pyridine) salts are isomorphous, with substituents disordered around the complex, but show a variety of thermal spin-transition behaviors.

A P450-catalyzed oxidation was studied using online mass spectrometry coupled with a custom-built microfluidic sampling setup, enabling real-time identification of multiple intermediates and providing valuable insights into the biocatalytic process.

Bindings of Bi^III to key enzymes in TCA and ETC collaboratively disrupt bacterial aerobic respiration.

A general image foundation model was used as the basis for molecular representation learning, showcasing its benefits in chemical property prediction through a stratified pretraining workflow.

A series of unique bismuth(I) complexes supported by a bis(silylenyl)-ortho-carborane were synthesized and isolated. Their electronic structures are dominated by the redox-active character of the carborane scaffold.

Bacteriophage cocktail-encoded magnetic nanobeads and enzyme-activatable AIE probes enable synchronous detection and efficient elimination of multiple bacterial infections by combining PDT–CDT therapy with phage-mediated targeting and lysis.

A mesoporous Fe₃@Ni₁-ZrO₂ catalyst composed of subnanometric Fe–O clusters anchored on atomic Ni-doped ZrO₂ nanosheets was synthesized for one-pot tandem conversion of lignin β-O-4 segments to flavones under aerobic conditions.

Magnetic-conductive AFM reveals that self-assembled bowl-shaped aromatics function as molecular spin filters.

Fabrication of multifunctional cerium-based nanozymes as moonlighting protein mimics for atherosclerosis diagnosis and therapy.

Utilizing the newly identified M.MedI-N377K methyltransferase, we developed a novel method of CMD-seq for the stoichiometric detection of 5mC in DNA at single-nucleotide resolution.

By harnessing the properties of two engineered deaminases, A3A-RL and ABE8e, we developed a novel DNA mutagenesis approach called DRM. DRM allows for the creation of diverse DNA mutation types in a single round of mutagenesis.

Boron-embedded π-conjugated molecules with intramolecular sulfur coordination exhibit B–S bond dissociation not only thermally in the ground state but also upon light irradiation, resulting in intriguing photoluminescence properties.

GPT-based generative modeling of MD trajectories enables efficient prediction of state transitions by capturing long-range correlations, offering accurate kinetic and thermodynamic forecasts for diverse physicochemical systems.

Accelerated synthesis of heterocycles such as iminoboronates, boroxines, thiazolidines, and diazaborines using the reaction between boronic acid and amines in microdroplets.

Methanol serves as the primary transport intermediate between metal oxides and zeolites, while ketene acts as the dominant intermediate for ethene formation in the OX–ZEO system.

An evolved designer enzyme featuring genetically encoded 3-aminotyrosine (aY) as catalytic residue promotes highly enantioselective Friedel–Crafts alkylations, is enantiocomplementary to a prior design, and enables whole-cell biocatalysis.

We performed cross-linking polymerization within MOFs as nanoporous scaffolds, rendering poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) with 1D and 2D network topologies. These polymers exhibited noticeable thermal response correlated with their dimensionality.

Confinement in coordination cages enhanced the saccharide ligand binding to the lysozyme active site with a 10³-fold affinity increase. This proximity-induced binding allows the control of protein activity and function using low-affinity ligands.

In recent years, pollution from plastic waste has intensified the demand for sustainable polymers.

A regioselective sulfoniumization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is described. The obtained sulfonium-salts, soluble in organic and water media, are employed in post-functionalizations, π-extension, and mitochondria-selective bio-imaging.

This study presents a solid-state nanopore approach for single-molecule protein detection from single cells, utilizing a nanopore electrophoretic driver protein to enhance target protein capture efficiency and analyze protein conformational changes.

Ultrafast 2D-IR spectroscopy of clinical blood serum samples combined with Machine Learning shows the ability to detect risk of melanoma relapse.

Rhodium–organic cuboctahedra were polymerized into colloidal gels bearing coordination and covalent crosslinks with orthogonal stimuli responses, providing porous materials with reversibly tunable mechanical properties.

The incorporation of ylide substituents into acyclic aminosilylenes leads to enhanced donor abilities, enabling the isolation of a remarkably stable silanone and compounds with extended π-conjugated units.

Green-emitting N,B,S-doped double helicene which was prepared via straightforward four-steps route possesses |g_lum| = 1.32 × 10⁻³.

A chiral nickel(II) complex catalyzed desymmetrizing carbonyl–ene reaction of bis(methallyl)silanes with α-keto aldehyde monohydrates was realized, enabling the synthesis of chiral δ-hydroxy silanes featuring 1,5-remote Si- and C-stereocenters.

Generation of structural analogs to “parent” molecule(s) of interest remains one of the important elements of drug development.

Conformationally constrained N-methyl-L/D-alanine residues enable the bottom-up design of diverse peptide shapes.

An isothiourea-catalysed addition of thio/selenoureas to α,β-unsaturated esters generates iminothia/iminoselenazinanones containing point and axially chiral stereogenic elements with excellent stereocontrol (up to >95 : 5 dr and 98 : 2 er).

Multifaceted reactions of boradigermaallyl with unsaturated organic molecules are presented. CH activation is suppressed by CO borane adduct formation and subsequent CO insertion results in an α,β-unsaturated acylboron compound.

Umpolung of the typical p-type TPA into n-type ATTO contributes to the COF electrode with a remarkable cathodic capacity of 286.31 mA h g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.1 A g⁻¹ in SIBs.

We introduce graphendofullerene, a novel molecular-based 2D magnetic material formed by trimetallic nitride clusters encapsulated on graphullerene, paving the way for a wide range of possibilities due to the host capabilities of fullerene.

Insight into the detailed bulk and surface structure of γ-Al₂O₃ is provided by a NMR crystallographic approach, exploiting isotopic enrichment, multinuclear experimental measurements and periodic calculations.

Multiexciton (ME) mechanisms hold great promise for enhancing energy conversion efficiency in optoelectronic and photochemical systems.

This work presents the use of a vacuum evaporation assisted method in green preparation and recycling of rare-earth (RE) halide solid-state electrolytes, providing a new strategy for the sustainable development of RE halide materials.

Synergistic coupling of Cu LSPR, charge carrier separation via SMSI at the Cu–TiO₂ interface, and O-vacancy defects stabilized by SMSI collectively enhance the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction performance of the DFNS-supported hybrid catalyst.

Bienzyme biocatalytic cascades are coupled with Fe³⁺-doped ZIF-90 (Fe³⁺-ZIF-90) nanozymes to enable three-catalyst cascaded chemical transformations in confined media. The enzyme/nanozyme composites are applied as sensing platforms.

glycoPATH integrates RNAseq transcriptomic and LC-MS/MS glycomic data, providing a platform to identify genes implicated in diseases involving N-glycan biosynthesis and enabling the development of targeted therapeutics for these pathways.

Diastereoselective 1,3-nitrooxygenation of bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes with tert-butylnitrite and TEMPO to access 1,1,3-trisubstituted cyclobutanes is reported.

Vacuum infiltration of nanoparticles into soybean seeds can promote crop health and yields while reducing environmental impact.

Kinetic modeling shows that the gas–liquid interface influences product yields from the ozone oxidation of thiosulfate in microdroplets. This affects the average sulfur oxidation state after reaction, which may impact global atmospheric chemistry.

An iterative exponential growth (IEG) strategy relying on orthogonally protected monomers is developed for the synthesis of peptoids. This is a scalable technique that allows for precise control over sequence, chain length, and stereoconfiguration.

An externally exposed V dopant imposes H-atom uptake at the polyoxotungstate surface and dictates the proton–coupled electron transfer mechanism.

We report a nickel-catalyzed cascade reaction leading to the arylation of an alkyne-induced acyl migration and the formation of all-carbon tetra-substituted alkenes in good yields with exclusive Z-selectivity.

Bifunctional additives synergistically drive quaternization and protonation, tuning block copolymer emulsion interfaces to increase hydrophilicity and electrostatic repulsion, enabling one-pot synthesis of disc and Janus cup particles.

Computational screening of a 100-tripeptide nanoparticle library ranked the nanoparticles according to their affinity for the neuroblastoma biomarker 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT). Synthesis and testing confirmed their ability to detect 3-MT at 25 μM.

A single-molecular emitter Yn was developed, exhibiting aqueous tunable up-conversion RTP/fluorescence dual emission and excellent biocompatibility for two-photon and time-resolved imaging and ratiometric temperature sensing.

New approaches to prepare rarer emitters such as those that are deep-blue are needed to advance OLED technologies.

Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is leveraged for the synthesis of ultra-high molecular weight polymers in concentrated but free-flowing dispersions.

Hydrogels with Pd_nL_2n-type junctions can be obtained by photoinitiated copolymerization of palladium cages with acrylamide monomers in water. The dynamic nature of the cage crosslinks allows for an anion-induced switch in network topology.

Using a novel (PPP) pincer ligand that features a central π-accepting N-heterocyclic trifluoromethyl phosphine fragment, a highly active air-stable cobalt precatalyst for the anti-Markovnikov hydroboration of alkenes is reported.

The choice of the linker significantly influences dimensionality, active site preference and catalytic activity across five Ag₁₂ cluster assemblies.

A systematic investigation is carried out for the lowest-lying triplet state of neutral and charged [N]annulenes with N = 12–66. Our aromatic stabilization energies prove that energetic (de)stabilization is important only for small annulenes.

We report here a metal-free, redox-neutral photocatalytic strategy of SO₂ gas functionalization resulting in the one-pot synthesis of sulfonamides, sulfonate esters, and thiosulfonates through a photoexcited phenalenyl (PLY) ligand.

The introduction of optimized [4-HP/4-H₂P]⁺ cationic dimer pairs, instead of single monovalent [4-AP]⁺ cations, enhances birefringence by increasing the density of cationic layers and improving the alignment of anionic [3-pySO₃]⁻ groups.

A new class of mercapto-NSAIDs that generate persulfide, H₂S, and the NSAID is reported.

The energy gaps between “forbidden” and “allowed” mechanisms of routine electrocyclic reactions can be negligibly small.

While the quantum yields of photosensitiser-derived one-electron-reduced species (OERS) significantly impact the overall efficiencies of various redox-photosensitised photocatalytic reactions, the primary factors that influence them remained unclear.