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The number of studies that have been published on the topic of nanosafety speaks for itself. We have seen an almost exponential rise over the past 15 years or so in the number of articles on nanotoxicology. Although only a couple of hundred papers had appeared on the topic of "Nanomaterials: environmental and health effects" before 2000, this number has exploded to over 10000 since 2001. Most of these studies, however, do not offer any kind of clear statement on the safety of nanomaterials. On the contrary, most of them are either self-contradictory or arrive at completely erroneous conclusions. Three years ago in this Journal we underscored the deficiencies in the way these studies were designed and pointed out the sources of error in the methods used. Now, on the basis of a comprehensive review of the literature and with the help of selected toxicological end points, we attempt to indicate where the significant weaknesses of these studies lie and what we must improve in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indolines are important moieties present in various biologically significant molecules and have attracted considerable attention in synthetic chemistry. This paper describes a Heck reaction/CH activation/amination sequence for forming indolines using di-tert-butyldiaziridinone. The reaction process likely proceeds via a pallada(II)cycle, which is converted into an indoline by oxidative addition to the diaziridinone and two subsequent CN bond formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aryl sulfonyl chlorides (e.g. Ts-Cl) are beloved of organic chemists as the most commonly used SVI electrophiles, and the parent sulfuryl chloride, O2SVICl2, has also been relied on to create sulfates and sulfamides. However, the desired halide substitution event is often defeated by destruction of the sulfur electrophile because the SVICl bond is exceedingly sensitive to reductive collapse yielding SIV species and Cl−. Fortunately, the use of sulfur(VI) fluorides (e.g., R-SO2-F and SO2F2) leaves only the substitution pathway open. As with most of click chemistry, many essential features of sulfur(VI) fluoride reactivity were discovered long ago in Germany. Surprisingly, this extraordinary work faded from view rather abruptly in the mid-20th century. Here we seek to revive it, along with John Hyatt's unnoticed 1979 full paper exposition on CH2CH-SO2-F, the most perfect Michael acceptor ever found. To this history we add several new observations, including that the otherwise very stable gas SO2F2 has excellent reactivity under the right circumstances. We also show that proton or silicon centers can activate the exchange of SF bonds for SO bonds to make functional products, and that the sulfate connector is surprisingly stable toward hydrolysis. Applications of this controllable ligation chemistry to small molecules, polymers, and biomolecules are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black liquor, an industrial waste product of papermaking, is primarily used as a low‐grade combustible energy source. Despite its high lignin content, the potential utility of black liquor as a feedstock in products manufacturing, remains to be exploited. Demonstrated here in is the use of black liquor as a primary feed‐stock for synthesizing graphene quantum dots that exhibit both up‐conversion and photoluminescence when excited using visible/near‐infrared radiation, thereby enabling the photosensitization of ultraviolet‐absorbing TiO2 nanosheets. In addition, these graphene quantum dots can trap photo‐generated electrons to realize the effective separation of electron‐hole pairs. Together, these two processes facilitate the solar‐powered generation of H2 from H2O, and CO from H2O–CO2, using broadband solar radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By virtue of the structure adjustability of MOFs, the functional groups of MOF ligands were regulated to generate SACs with different coordination environments, thus tailoring the activity of the 2e SP - sp /4e SP - sp ORR pathways. I "My favorite activity with my lab group is brainstorming, which we do every one to two weeks ... My science "heroes" are the many scientists doing research in basic science and applications... i " Find out more about Guangqin Li in her Introducing ... Profile. Our paper demonstrates the electronic structure difference of two SACs with different coordination environments and how this affects the activity of different ORR pathways. [Extracted from the article]

In a recent paper, Wang et al. found an iridium-containing compound with a formal oxidation state of 9. This is the highest oxidation state ever found in a stable compound. To learn if this is the highest chemical oxidation state possible, Kohn-Sham density functional theory was used to study various compounds, including PdO42+, PtO42+, PtO3F22+, PtO4OH+, PtO5, and PtO4SH+, in which the metal has an oxidation state of 10. It was found that PtO42+ has a metastable state that is kinetically stable with a barrier height for decomposition of 31 kcal mol−1 and a calculated lifetime of 0.9 years. All other compounds studied would readily decompose to lower oxidation states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports the first example of a controlled radical polymerization of ethylene using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) in the presence of xanthates (Alkyl-OC(=S)S-R) as controlling agents under relative mild conditions (70 8C, <200 bars). The specific reactivity of the produced alkyl-type propagating radicals induces a side fragmentation reaction of the stabilizing O-alkyl Z group of the controlling agents. This fragmentation, rarely observed in RAFT, was proven by NMR analyses. In addition, semicrystalline copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate were also prepared with a similar level of control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydroazidation of alkynes is the most straightforward pathway to synthetically useful vinyl azides. However, a general hydroazidation of alkynes remains elusive. Herein, a chemo- and regioselective transformation of ethynyl carbinols into vinyl azides is described. This reaction produces a wide variety of 2-azidoallyl alcohols with high efficiency and in good to excellent yields. These compounds constitute a new class of densely functionalized synthetic intermediates. Their synthetic potential has been demonstrated by further transformations into NH aziridines. The mechanistic aspects of the reaction will attract the attention of chemists working on alkyne chemistry and silver catalysis. The findings that are described in this paper represent significant advances in the regioselective hydroelementation of alkynes and open a new reaction manifold for exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the hydrofluorination of alkenes through sequential H− and F+ addition under palladium catalysis. The reaction is cis specific, thus providing access to benzylic fluorides. The mechanism of this reaction involves an ionic pathway and is distinct from known hydrofluorinations involving radical intermediates. The first catalytic enantioselective hydrofluorination is also disclosed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares rates of charge transport by tunneling across junctions with the structures AgTSX(CH2)2 nCH3 //Ga2O3 /EGaIn ( n=1-8 and X= SCH2 and O2C); here AgTS is template-stripped silver, and EGaIn is the eutectic alloy of gallium and indium. Its objective was to compare the tunneling decay coefficient ( β, Å−1) and the injection current ( J0, A cm−2) of the junctions comprising SAMs of n-alkanethiolates and n-alkanoates. Replacing AgTSSCH2-R with AgTSO2C-R (R=alkyl chains) had no significant influence on J0 (ca. 3×103 A cm−2) or β (0.75-0.79 Å−1)-an indication that such changes (both structural and electronic) in the AgTSXR interface do not influence the rate of charge transport. A comparison of junctions comprising oligo(phenylene)carboxylates and n-alkanoates showed, as expected, that β for aliphatic (0.79 Å−1) and aromatic (0.60 Å−1) SAMs differed significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on papers related to chemistry including "Transition-Metal-Free Catalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide," by F. G. Fontaine, M. A. Courtemanche, and M. A. Lègarè, "Effective Cancer Cell Killing by Hydrophobic Nanovoid-Enhanced Cavitation under Safe Low-Energy Ultrasound," by Y. Zhao and colleagues, and "Oxidative Coupling of Organoboron Compounds," by R. N. Dhital and H. Sakurai.

This paper discloses the first uses of phosphahelicenes as chiral ligands in transition-metal catalysis. Unlike all known helical phosphines used so far in catalysis, the phosphorus function of phosphahelicenes is embedded in the helical structure itself. This crucial structural feature originates unprecedented catalytic behaviors and efficiency. An appropriate design and fine tuning allowed both high catalytic activity and good enantiomeric excesses to be attained in the gold promoted cycloisomerizations of N-tethered 1,6-enynes and dien-ynes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several abstracts of papers related to chemistry which were published in various journals are presented including DNA damage, photochromism, and multidrug resistance.

The article presents abstracts on papers related to chemistry which include "Mechanistic Insights from Substrate Preference in Unsaturated Glucuronyl Hydrolase," by S. A. K. Jongkees, H. Yoo, and S. G. Withers, "Super-Resolution Microscopy: Going Live and Going Fast," by M. Lakadamyali, and "Tetrahydroisoquinolinone-Based Steroidomimetic and Chimeric Microtubule Disruptors," by M. P. Leese and colleagues.

Alkylation, cyclopropanation, diazo compounds, imidazotetrazines, diazomethane Keywords: alkylation; cyclopropanation; diazo compounds; diazomethane; imidazotetrazines EN alkylation cyclopropanation diazo compounds diazomethane imidazotetrazines 22107 22107 1 09/29/21 20211004 NES 211004 Temozolomide (TMZ) was FDA approved for treatment of glioblastoma (GBM) in 1995 and is a life-extending (and sometimes life-saving[1]) drug for GBM and other cancers.[2] TMZ has been administered to thousands of patients and has been shipped around the world for over three decades; patients typically ingest grams of TMZ during a standard treatment regimen.[3] We recently reported the use of TMZ as a reagent for the synthesis of methyl esters and cyclopropanes with many benefits (including safety and convenience) compared to diazomethane.[4] Our paper utilized TMZ under aqueous conditions at temperatures up to 60 °C, well under the decomposition point for the solid material.[5] A recent manuscript from Sperry and co-workers[6] showed that under more forcing conditions TMZ has the potential to be hazardous. Our laboratory has not experienced any safety incidents during our extensive use of TMZ and reports of explosive episodes are absent from the literature, despite nearly four decades of chemical and biological research, distinguishing it from diazomethane. [Extracted from the article]

High‐tech pH paper: A “chameleon” pH probe composed of rhodamine (red, see scheme) and fluorescein (green) units emits at wavelengths of 580 nm and 512 nm, where the intensities show a contrary response to pH changes. Confocal microscopy of HeLa cells with this probe reveals red and green spots; the ratio of these signals can be calibrated to give the pH value of the respective organelle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of diazonium salts for aryl radical generation and CH arylation processes has been known since 1896 when Pschorr first used the reaction for intramolecular cyclizations. Meerwein developed it further in the early 1900s into a general arylation method. However, this reaction could not compete with the transition-metal-mediated formation of C(sp2)C(sp2) bonds. The replacement of the copper catalyst with iron and titanium compounds improved the situation, but the use of photocatalysis to induce the one-electron reduction and activation of the diazonium salts is even more advantageous. The first photocatalyzed Pschorr cyclization was published in 1984, and just last year a series of papers described applications of photocatalytic Meerwein arylations leading to aryl-alkene coupling products. In this Minireview we summarize the origins of this reaction and its scope and applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B My science "heroes" are b Robert Burns Woodward and Ernst Otto Fischer. In this Angewandte paper, we demonstrate a solution to prepare phenols from aryl fluorides by using a Rh catalyst. " I Chemistry is fun because you may get a surprise from your next reaction ... My science "heroes" are Robert Burns Woodward and Ernst Otto Fischer i ..." Find out more about Hang Shi in his Introducing ... Profile. [Extracted from the article]

Atropisomers, biaryls, cycloaddition, organocatalysis, axial chirality Keywords: atropisomers; axial chirality; biaryls; cycloaddition; organocatalysis EN atropisomers axial chirality biaryls cycloaddition organocatalysis 17248 17248 1 07/28/21 20210802 NES 210802 The authors of this Communication have inadvertently overlooked a previous work by Professor Ryo Irie and co-workers, in which they reported one case study using a similar catalytic system.[1] This reference should have been cited in the paper. The authors apologize for omitting this relevant work and all authors are grateful to the kind readers for raising this point to their attention. [Extracted from the article]

The latter finding inspired the thought experiment that this paper explored - that covalently tethering a supporting ligand to the boron nucleophile could afford kinetically stable Suzuki-Miyaura pre-transmetalation intermediates. B I would have liked to have discovered b the Diels-Alder reaction. " I Chemistry is fun because you can create the object of your investigation and hold it in your hand ... I'm always in a good mood when I catch up with friends and family ... i " Find out more about Alex C. Bissember in his Introducing ... Profile. [Extracted from the article]

“… To what extent is reproducibility a significant issue in chemical research? How can problems involving irreproducibility be minimized? … Researchers should be aware of the dangers of unconscious investigator bias, all papers should provide adequate experimental detail, and Reviewers have a responsibility to carefully examine papers for adequacy of experimental detail and support for the conclusions …” Read more in the Editorial by Robert G. Bergman and Rick L. Danheiser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on papers related to chemistry including "Dihaloimidazolidinediones as Versatile Halodehydrating Agents," by J. P. Moerdyk and C. W. Bielawski, "Rapid and Selective Electrophilic Trifluoromethylation of the 4,4-Difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) Scaffold," by N. Santschi and colleagues, and "Think What Nobody Has Thought," by M. Preuss.

The in‐depth understanding of the composition‐property‐performance relationship of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is the basis of developing a reliable SEI to stablize the Zn anode‐electrolyte interface, but it remains unclear in rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries. Herein, a well‐designed electrolyte based on 2 M Zn(CF3SO3)2‐0.2 M acrylamide‐0.2 M ZnSO4 is proposed. A robust polymer (polyacrylamide)‐inorganic (Zn4SO4(OH)6.xH2O) hybrid SEI is in situ constructed on Zn anodes through controllable polymerization of acrylamide and coprecipitation of SO42− with Zn2+ and OH−. For the first time, the underlying SEI composition‐property‐performance relationship is systematically investigated and correlated. The results showed that the polymer‐inorganic hybrid SEI, which integrates the high modulus of the inorganic component with the high toughness of the polymer ingredient, can realize high reversibility and long‐term interfacial stability, even under ultrahigh areal current density and capacity (30 mA cm−2~30 mAh cm−2). The resultant Zn||NH4V4O10 cell also exhibits excellent cycling stability. This work will provide a guidance for the rational design of SEI layers in rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work has demonstrated that temporary crosslinks in polymer networks generated by chemical "fuels" afford materials with large, transient changes in their mechanical properties. This can be accomplished in carboxylic‐acid‐functionalized polymer hydrogels using carbodiimides, which generate anhydride crosslinks with lifetimes on the order of minutes to hours. Here, the impact of the polymer network architecture on the mechanical properties of transiently crosslinked materials was explored. Single networks (SNs) were compared to interpenetrated networks (IPNs). Notably, semi‐IPN precursors that give IPNs on treatment with carbodiimide give much higher fracture energies (i.e., resistance to fracture) and superior resistance to compressive strain compared to other network architectures. A precursor semi‐IPN material featuring acrylic acid in only the free polymer chains yields, on treatment with carbodiimide, an IPN with a fracture energy of 2400 J/m2, a fourfold increase compared to an analogous semi‐IPN precursor that yields a SN. This resistance to fracture enables the formation of macroscopic complex cut patterns, even at high strain, underscoring the pivotal role of polymer architecture in mechanical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic acidosis‐induced kidney injury (MAKI) is asymptomatic and lack of clinical biomarkers in early stage, but rapidly progresses to severe renal fibrosis and ultimately results in end‐stage kidney failure. Therefore, developing rapid and noninvasive strategies direct responsive to renal tubular acidic microenvironment rather than delayed biomarkers are essential for timely renoprotective interventions. Herein, we develop pH‐responsive luminescent gold nanoparticles (p‐AuNPs) in the second near‐infrared emission co‐coated with 2,3‐dimethylaleic anhydride conjugated β‐mercaptoethylamine and cationic 2‐diethylaminoethanethiol hydrochloride, which showed sensitive pH‐induced charge reversal and intrarenal self‐assembly for highly sensitive and long‐time (~24 h) imaging of different stages of MAKI. By integrating advantages of pH‐induced intrarenal self‐assembly and enhanced interactions between pH‐triggered positively charged p‐AuNPs and renal tubular cells, the early‐ and late‐stage MAKI could be differentiated rapidly within 10 min post‐injection (p.i.) with contrast index (CI) of 3.5 and 4.3, respectively. The corresponding maximum CI could reach 5.1 and 9.2 at 12 h p.i., respectively. Furthermore, p‐AuNPs were demonstrated to effectively real‐time monitor progressive recovery of kidney injury in MAKI mice after therapy, and also exhibit outstanding capabilities for drug screening. This pH‐responsive strategy showed great promise for feedback on kidney dysfunction progression, opening new possibilities for early‐stage diagnosis of pH‐related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing luminophores bright in both isolate species and aggregate states is of great importance in many emerging cutting‐edge applications. However, the conventional luminophores either emit in isolate species but quench in aggregate state or emit in aggregate state but darken in isolate species. Here we demonstrate that the precise regulation of noncovalent interactions can realize luminophores bright in both isolate species and aggregate states. It is firstly discovered that the intra‐cluster interaction enhances the emission of atomically precise Au25(pMBA)18 (pMBA=4‐mercaptobenzoic acid), a nanoscale luminophore, while the inter‐cluster interaction quenches the emission. The emission enhancing strategies are then well‐designed by both introducing exogenous substances to block inter‐cluster interaction and surface manipulation of Au25(pMBA)18 at the molecular level to enhance intra‐cluster interaction, opening new possibilities to controllably enhance the luminophore's photoluminescence in both isolate species and aggregate states in different phases including aqueous solution, solid state and organic solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article profiles Shunichi Fukuzumi, author and distinguished professor at Osaka University in Japan. It offers information about Fukuzumi's education, awards received, interest and hobbies. It presents an interview with Fukuzumi who discusses the difference of the current chemistry research from which he started his career, and the secret to publishing several high-quality papers. Also listed are his top five research papers.

Multi-compartmental non-spherical hydrogel microparticles were fabricated by combining electrospinning and photopatterning. Sequential electrospinning produced multi-layered fiber matrices with different composition in which each layer became a compartment of the particle. Photopatterning of the hydrogel in the presence of the multi-layered fiber matrix generated multi-compartmental microparticles with different vertical functionalities. While the shapes of the hydrogel microparticles were determined by the design of the photomask, the chemical properties and size of each compartment were independently controlled by changing the molecules incorporated into each fiber matrix and the electrospinning times, respectively. The resultant multi-compartmental hydrogel microparticles could carry out not only the release of different growth factors with independent kinetics but also binding of multiple targets at different compartments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reflects on author Karsten Meyer who discusses the discovery of penicillin by scientist Alexander Fleming as the most significant historic event of the past 100 years, study of chemistry, and uranium as his favorite molecule. He also mentions research in chemistry and how to publish high-quality research papers.

Spitting image: Herein a recent paper on the imaging of bioorthogonal groups using three‐dimensional electron microscopy is discussed. The work has demonstrated electron microscopy imaging as a technique suitable for gaining structural information on bioorthogonal groups in their cellular context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liposomes serve as promising and versatile vehicles for drug delivery. Tracking these nanosized vesicles, particularly in vivo, is crucial for understanding their pharmacokinetics. This study introduces the design and synthesis of three new conjugated electrolyte (CE) molecules, which emit in the second near‐infrared window (NIR‐II), facilitating deeper tissue penetration. Additionally, these CEs, acting as biomimetics of lipid bilayers, demonstrate superior compatibility with lipid membranes compared to commonly used carbocyanine dyes like DiR. To counteract the aggregation‐caused quenching effect, CEs employ a twisted backbone, as such their fluorescence intensities can effectively enhance after a fluorophore multimerization strategy. Notably, a "passive" method was employed to integrate CEs into liposomes during the liposome formation, and membrane incorporation efficiency was significantly promoted to nearly 100%. To validate the in vivo tracking capability, the CE‐containing liposomes were functionalized with cyclic arginine‐glycine‐aspartic acid (cRGD) peptides, serving as tumor‐targeting ligands. Clear fluorescent images visualizing tumor site in living mice were captured by collecting the NIR‐II emission. Uniquely, these CEs exhibit additional emission peak in visible region, enabling in vitro subcellular analysis using routine confocal microscopy. These results underscore the potential of CEs as a new‐generation of membrane‐targeting probes to facilitate the liposome‐based medicine research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a colloidal drop dries on a surface, most of the particles accumulate at the drop periphery, yielding a characteristic ring-shaped pattern. This so-called coffee-ring effect (CRE) is observed in any pinned evaporating drop containing non-volatile solutes. Here, the CRE is dynamically controlled for the first time by using light, and an unprecedented reconfigurability of the deposit profile is demonstrated. This is achieved through a new mechanism where particle stickiness is optically tuned on demand, thus offering reliable modulation of the deposition pattern. The system consists of anionic nanoparticles and photosensitive cationic surfactants dispersed in water. It is shown that light-dependent modulation of surfactant-particle interactions dictates particle attraction and trapping at the liquid-gas interface, which allows us to direct particle deposition into a wide range of patterns from rings to homogeneous disks. Patterning from single drops is photoreversible upon changing the wavelength whereas spatial control in multiple drop arrays is achieved using a photomask. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article Presents profile of author Peter R. Schreiner. Topics include his favorite musicians David Gilmour and Victor Wooten; his favorite books including "The Pity of It All" by Amos Elon and "The Human Stain" by Philip Roth; and his research papers on topics such as Gas-Phase Preparation of Carbonic Acid and liability of extremely long alkane carbon– carbon bonds.

The article offers a brief profile of author Andreas Marx including the current research on the targeted synthesis of functional (bio)molecules, educational qualifications and his top research papers.

Introducing fluorine (F) groups into a passivator plays an important role in enhancing the defect passivation effect for the perovskite film, which is usually attributed to the direct interaction of F and defect states. However, the interaction between electronegative F and electron‐rich passivation groups in the same molecule, which may influence the passivation effect, is ignored. We herein report that such interactions can vary the electron cloud distribution around the passivation groups and thus changing their coordination with defect sites. By comparing two fluorinated molecules, heptafluorobutylamine (HFBM) and heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA), we find that the F/−NH2 interaction in HFBM is stronger than the F/−COOH one in HFBA, inducing weaker passivation ability of HFBM than HFBA. Accordingly, HFBA‐based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) provide an efficiency of 24.70 % with excellent long‐term stability. Moreover, the efficiency of a large‐area perovskite module (14.0 cm2) based on HFBA reaches 21.13 %. Our work offers an insight into understanding an unaware role of the F group in impacting the passivation effect for the perovskite film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two‐dimensional (2D) metal–organic framework (MOF) membranes are considered potential gas separation membranes of the next generation due to their structural diversity and geometrical functionality. However, achieving a rational structure design for a 2D MOF membrane and understanding the impact of MOF nanosheet stacking modes on membrane separation performance remain challenging tasks. Here, we report a novel kind of 2D MOF membrane based on [Cu2Br(IN)2]n (IN=isonicotinato) nanosheets and propose that synergetic stacking modes of nanosheets have a significant influence on gas separation performance. The stacking of the 2D MOF nanosheets is controlled by solvent droplet dynamic behaviors at different temperatures of drop coating. Our 2D MOF nanosheet membranes exhibit high gas separation performances for H2/CH4 (selectivity >290 with H2 permeance >520 GPU) and H2/CO2 (selectivity >190 with H2 permeance >590 GPU) surpassing the Robeson upper bounds, paving a potential way for eco‐friendly H2 separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic conversion of low‐concentration CO2 is considered as a promising way to simultaneously mitigate the environmental and energy issues. However, the weak CO2 adsorption and tough CO2 activation process seriously compromise the CO production, due to the chemical inertness of CO2 molecule and the formed fragile metal‐C/O bond. Herein, we designed and fabricated oxygen vacancy contained Co3O4 hollow nanoparticles on ordered macroporous N‐doped carbon framework (Vo−HCo3O4/OMNC) towards photoreduction of low‐concentration CO2. In situ spectra and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the constructed oxygen vacancy is able to break the local structural symmetry of Co−O−Co sites. The formation of asymmetric active site switches the CO2 configuration from a single‐site linear model to a multiple‐sites bending one with a highly stable configuration, enhancing the binding and structural polarization of CO2 molecules. As a result, Vo−HCo3O4/OMNC shows unprecedent activity in the photocatalytic conversion of low‐concentration CO2 (10 % CO2/Ar) under laboratory light source or even natural sunlight, affording a syngas yield of 337.8 or 95.2 mmol g−1 h−1, respectively, with an apparent quantum yield up to 4.2 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interview with Dongyuan Zhao, a professor at Fudan University in China, is presented. Topics discussed include the life and career of Zhao and the impact factor (IF) of publishing papers and journals, research on self-assembly and supramolecular templating, and admiring the achievements of Alexander Fleming, a biologist.

The article presents a profile of Andreas Herrmann, professor of polymer chemistry and bioengieneering at the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials of University of Groningen. Topics discussed include his education qualifications with him receiving the Diploma in chemistry from University of Mainz in 1997; his current research topics including DNA hybrid materials; supercharged polypeptidesa and nanochemistry; and his several research papers.

Joseph F. Bunnett, professor emeritus at the University of California, Santa Cruz, passed away on May 22, 2015. Bunnett, who was Founding Editor of Acc. Chem. Res., was an internationally renowned physical organic chemist, who demonstrated that a physical organic approach to reactivity is of fundamental importance in determining the mechanisms of organic reactions, and who published an original paper in verse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article talks about Jun Chen, Professor and Cheung Kong Scholar of Chemistry at Nankai University, Tianjin.His education and the awards won by him are mentioned. His views on his favorite food and scientists and songs and motivation and his top 5 research papers in the field of chemistry are also mentioned.

The traditional Chinese art of paper cutting, Jianzhi, also known as kirigami, generates beautiful and sophisticated patterns. In their Communication on page 11421 ff., Q. Zhao, T. Xie et al. made use of the Jianzhi technique to obtain classical thermoset polyurethanes with complex three‐dimensional shapes. The thermoset polymer has intrinsic plasticity and can be permanently and repeatedly reshaped in the solid state through a topological network rearrangement that is induced by transcarbamoylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents brief profile of Xiaoyuan (Shawn) Chen, senior investigator and laboratory chief, Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Biomedicine, at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering in Bethesda, Maryland. Topics discussed include dumplings as his favorite food; Yesterday Once More as his favorite song and his research papers related to nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes.

An interview with Bernd Plietker, a chemistry professor at University of Stuttgart, is presented. Topics discussed include his childhood dream to become an architect, his advice and encouragement to young people to study chemistry, and his secret of being a successful scientist. Plietker also talks about his top five research papers about iron catalyst, electronic ground state of iron, and total synthesis of hyperpapuanone.

How about this for a change: The promiscuous enzyme cytochrome P450‐BM3 catalyzes the cyclopropanation of olefins, sometimes with high stereoselectivity (see scheme). The highlighted paper demonstrates that it is possible to design unusual enzyme promiscuity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing well‐defined structures and desired properties for porous organic polymer (POP) supported catalysts by controlling their composition, size, and morphology is of great significance. Herein, we report a preparation of polyaniline (PANI) supported Pd nanoparticles (NPs) with controllable structure and morphology. The protocol involves the introduction of MnO2 with different crystal structures (α, β, γ, δ, ϵ) serving as both the reaction template and the oxidant. The different forms of MnO2 each convert aniline to a PANI that contains a unique regular distribution of benzene and quinone. This leads to the Pd/PANI catalysts with different charge transfer properties between Pd and PANI, as well as different dispersions of the metal NPs. In this case, the Pd/ϵ‐PANI catalyst greatly improves the turnover frequency (TOF; to 88.3 h−1), in the reductive coupling of furfural derivatives to potential bio‐based plasticizers. Systematic characterizations reveal the unique oxidation state of the support in the Pd/ϵ‐PANI catalyst and coordination mode of Pd that drives the formation of highly dispersed Pd nanoclusters. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show the more electron rich Pd/PANI catalyst has the lower energy barrier in the oxidative addition step, which favors the C−C coupling reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers a brief profile of the author Otto Dopfer, including information about his education, hobbies, current research interests and top five research papers.

The article profiles author Todd B. Marder, professor and chair of inorganic chemistry at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg. Topics include the principal aspect of his personality, his favorite author, Roald Hoffmann, and the biggest challenge facing scientists. Also mentioned are his top five papers.

The article discusses the profile of Masayuki Endo, an Associate Professor at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences in Kyoto University, Japan focusing on his works on topics related to molecular robotics, artificial cells, and nucleic acid nanotechnology. The author also notes that "Tchaikovskys ballet music" is his favorite. Endo's top paper the were published regarding DNA Origami, need for a programmed-assembly system. Websites that provide assess to his works are noted.