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Stable open‐shell luminescent radicals have recently attracted much attention due to their unique luminescence properties. However, a radical molecule with both Kasha and anti‐Kasha doublet emission properties has not been reported. Herein, we have successfully synthesized a stable chlorine‐substituted Chichibabin's hydrocarbon, TTM‐TTM, along with its mono‐radical counterpart, TTM‐HTTM. The emission of TTM‐TTM follows Kasha's rule in the near infrared region. However, TTM‐HTTM shows dual channel doublet emissions of Kasha and anti‐Kasha. Remarkably, these two types of emission compete dynamically in both solution and condensed states. Our findings provide valuable insights into the rational design and discovery of stable radicals that possess distinctive luminescent properties, thus broadening the horizons of luminescent materials research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A synergetic interaction between two or more photochromic chromophores has a potential to achieve advanced photochemical properties beyond conventional photochromic molecules and to realize photochemical control of complex systems using only a single molecule. Herein, we report a hybrid photochromic molecule consisting of hexaarylbiimidazole (HABI) and terarylene that exhibits multi‐state photochromism. The biphotochrome hybrid shows four‐state photochromic reaction involving sequentially proceeding photoreactions. The UV or visible light irradiation to the biphotochrome leads to the C−N bond breaking reaction of the HABI in preference to the ring‐closing reaction of the 6π‐electron system in the terarylene unit, leading to two terarylene radical molecules. The photogenerated terarylene radical further exhibits the 6π‐electrocyclization reaction by UV irradiation. The delocalized π‐radical on the closed‐ring form of the terarylene is efficient to enhance the photosensitivity to the NIR−I and ‐II region. Furthermore, a recombination reaction of radicals between the open‐ and closed‐ring isomers of terarylene affords an unprecedented photochromic dimer as a structural isomer of the initial molecule. This is a consequence of the sequential hybrid photochromic system involving the HABI and terarylene units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS)‐based mass spectrometry (MS) is an emerging technique that enables determination of the mass of individual adsorbed particles by driving nanomechanical devices at resonance and monitoring the real‐time changes in their resonance frequencies induced by each single molecule adsorption event. We incorporate NEMS into an Orbitrap mass spectrometer and report our progress towards leveraging the single‐molecule capabilities of the NEMS to enhance the dynamic range of conventional MS instrumentation and to offer new capabilities for performing deep proteomic analysis of clinically relevant samples. We use the hybrid instrument to deliver E. coli GroEL molecules (801 kDa) to the NEMS devices in their native, intact state. Custom ion optics are used to focus the beam down to 40 μm diameter with a maximum flux of 25 molecules/second. The mass spectrum obtained with NEMS‐MS shows good agreement with the known mass of GroEL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is rapidly evolving from an analytical method into an optical microscopy. The orthogonality of the electrochemical trigger and the optical readout distinguishes it from classic microscopy and electrochemical techniques, owing to its near‐zero background, remarkable sensitivity, and absence of photobleaching and phototoxicity. In this minireview, we summarize the recent advances in ECL imaging technology, emphasizing original configurations which enable the imaging of biological entities and the improvement of the analytical properties by increasing the complexity and multiplexing of bioassays. Additionally, mapping the (electro)chemical reactivity in space provides valuable information on nanomaterials and facilitates deciphering ECL mechanisms for improving their performances in diagnostics and (electro)catalysis. Finally, we highlight the recent achievements in imaging at the ultimate limits of single molecules, single photons or single chemical reactions, and the current challenges to translate the ECL imaging advances to other fields such as material science, catalysis and biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear photochromic reactions that work with weak incoherent light are important for molecular operations with high spatial resolution and multiple photofunctions based on single molecules. However, nonlinear photochromic compounds generally require complex molecular design, restricting accessibility in various fields. Herein, we report nonlinear photochromic properties in a perylene‐substituted rhodamine spirolactam derivative (Rh−Pe), which is synthesized from rhodamine B in facile procedures. Direct excitation of Rh−Pe produces the triplet excited state via the charge‐transfer (CT) state. The triplet excited state causes triplet–triplet annihilation to bring the generation of the intensely colored ring‐open form with nonlinear behavior. Furthermore, green‐ and red‐light‐induced photochromism was achieved in Rh−Pe using triplet sensitizers, although Rh−Pe can be directly excited only by ultraviolet and blue light. Our findings are expected to contribute to the development of photofunctional materials showing nonlinear behavior and low‐energy light responsivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zn metal as a promising anode of aqueous batteries faces severe challenges from dendrite growth and side reactions. Here, tetraphenylporphyrin tetrasulfonic acid (TPPS) is explored as an electrolyte additive for advanced Zn anodes. It is interesting to note that TPPS spontaneously assembles into unique aggregates. As they adsorb on the Zn anode, the aggregates enhance the resistance to electrolyte percolation and dendrite growth compared to single molecules. Meanwhile, TPPS facilitates anion association in the solvation sheath of Zn2+, and boosts the transference number of Zn2+ up to 0.95. Therefore, anion‐related side reactions and anion‐induced electrode overpotentials are reduced accordingly. In this context, the electrolyte containing TPPS exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. Even under a high loading of MnO2 (25 mg cm−2), a limited Zn supply (N/P ratio=1.7), and a lean electrolyte (15 μL mAh−1), the full cells still represent a higher cumulative capacity compared to the reported data. The advantages of this electrolyte are also adapted to other cathode materials. The pouch cells of Zn||NaV3O8 ⋅ 1.5H2O realize a capacity of ~0.35 Ah at 0.4 C under harsh conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA motors that consume chemical energy to generate processive mechanical motion mimic natural motor proteins and have garnered interest due to their potential applications in dynamic nanotechnology, biosensing, and drug delivery. Such motors translocate by a catalytic cycle of binding, cleavage, and rebinding between DNA "legs" on the motor body and RNA "footholds" on a track. Herein, we address the well‐documented trade‐off between motor speed and processivity and investigate how these parameters are controlled by the affinity between DNA legs and their complementary footholds. Specifically, we explore the role of DNA leg length and GC content in tuning motor performance by dictating the rate of leg‐foothold dissociation. Our investigations reveal that motors with 0 % GC content exhibit increased instantaneous velocities of up to 150 nm/sec, three‐fold greater than previously reported DNA motors and comparable to the speeds of biological motor proteins. We also demonstrate that the faster speed and weaker forces generated by 0 % GC motors can be leveraged for enhanced capabilities in sensing. We observe single‐molecule sensitivity when programming the motors to stall in response to the binding of nucleic acid targets. These findings offer insights for the design of high‐performance DNA motors with promising real‐world biosensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Afterglow luminescence imaging probes, with long‐lived emission after cessation of light excitation, have drawn increasing attention in biomedical imaging field owing to their elimination of autofluorescence. However, current afterglow agents always suffer from an unsatisfactory signal intensity and complex systems consisting of multiple ingredients. To address these issues, this study reports a near‐infrared (NIR) afterglow luminophore (TPP‐DO) by chemical conjugation of an afterglow substrate and a photosensitizer acting as both an afterglow initiator and an energy relay unit into a single molecule, resulting in an intramolecular energy transfer process to improve the afterglow brightness. The constructed TPP‐DO NPs emit a strong NIR afterglow luminescence with a signal intensity of up to 108 p/s/cm2/sr at a low concentration of 10 μM and a low irradiation power density of 0.05 W/cm2, which is almost two orders of magnitude higher than most existing organic afterglow probes. The highly bright NIR afterglow luminescence with minimized background from TPP‐DO NPs allows a deep tissue penetration depth ability. Moreover, we develop a GSH‐activatable afterglow probe (Q‐TPP‐DO NPs) for ultrasensitive detection of subcutaneous tumor with the smallest tumor volume of 0.048 mm3, demonstrating the high potential for early diagnosis and imaging‐guided surgical resection of tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regio‐ and chemoselective C−H activation at multi‐positions of a single molecule is fascinating but chemically challenging. The homologous cytochrome P450 enzymes IkaD and CftA catalyze multiple C−H oxidations on the same polycyclic tetramate macrolactam (PoTeM) ikarugamycin, with distinct regio‐ and chemoselectivity. Herein we provide mechanistic understanding of their functional differences by solving crystal structures of IkaD and CftA in complex with ikarugamycin and unnatural substrates. Distinct conformations of the F/G region in IkaD and CftA are found to differentiate the orientation of PoTeM substrates, by causing different binding patterns with polar moieties to determine site selection, oxidation order, and chemoselectivity. Fine‐tuning the polar subpocket altered the regioselectivity of IkaD, indicating that substrate re‐orientation by mutating residues distal to the oxidation site could serve as an important method in future engineering of P450 enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2,3‐Dihydrofuran (DHF) has recently been gaining significant attention as a comonomer in metathesis polymerization, thanks to its ability to provide the resultant polymer backbones with stimuli‐responsive degradability. In this report, we present living alternating copolymerization of DHF with less reactive endo‐tricyclo[4.2.2.02,5]deca‐3,9‐dienes (TDs) and endo‐oxonorbornenes (oxoNBs). By carefully controlling the reactivity of both the Ru initiators and the monomers, we have achieved outstanding A, B‐alternation (up to 98 %) under near stoichiometric DHF loading conditions. Notably, we have also found that the use of a more sterically hindered Ru initiator helps to attain polymer backbones with higher DHF incorporation and superior A, B‐alternation. While preserving the living characteristics of DHF copolymerization, as evidenced by controlled molecular weights (up to 73.9 kDa), narrow dispersities (down to 1.05), and block copolymer formation, our DHF copolymers could be broken down to a single repeat unit level under acidic conditions. 1H NMR analysis of the model copolymer revealed that after 24 hours of degradation, up to 80 % of the initial polymer was transformed into a single small molecule product, and after purification, up to 66 % of the degradation product was retrieved. This study provides a versatile approach to improve the alternation and degradability of DHF copolymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism for interaction and bonding of single guest molecules with active sites fundamentally determines the sorption and subsequent catalytic processes occurring in host zeolitic frameworks. However, no real‐space studies on these significant issues have been reported thus far, since atomically visualizing guest molecules and recognizing single Al T‐sites in zeolites remain challenging. Here, we atomically resolved single thiophene probes interacting with acid T‐sites in the ZSM‐5 framework to study the bonding behaviors between them. The synergy of bifurcated three‐centered hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions can "freeze" the near‐horizontal thiophene and make it stable enough to be imaged. By combining the imaging results with simulations, direct atomic observations enabled us to precisely locate the single Al T‐sites in individual straight channels. Then, we statistically found that the thiophene bonding probability of the T11 site is 15 times higher than that of the T6 site. For different acid T‐sites, the variation in the interaction synergy changes the inner angle of the host–guest O−H⋅⋅⋅S hydrogen bond, thereby affecting the stability of the near‐horizontal thiophene and leading to considerable bonding inhomogeneities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enantioconvergent catalysis enables the conversion of racemic molecules into a single enantiomer in perfect yield and is considered an ideal approach for asymmetric synthesis. Despite remarkable advances in this field, enantioconvergent transformations of inert tertiary C−H bonds remain largely unexplored due to the high bond dissociation energy and the surrounding steric repulsion that pose unparalleled constraints on bond cleavage and formation. Here, we report an enantioconvergent Pd‐catalyzed alkylation of racemic tertiary allylic C−H bonds of α‐alkenes, providing a unique approach to access a broad range of enantioenriched γ,δ‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds featuring quaternary carbon stereocenters. Mechanistic studies reveal that a stereoablative event occurs through the rate‐limiting cleavage of tertiary allylic C−H bonds to generate σ‐allyl‐Pd species, and the achieved E/Z‐selectivity of σ‐allyl‐Pd species effectively regulates the diastereoselectivity via a nucleophile coordination‐enabled SN2′‐allylation pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT)‐based solid luminescent materials with multiple hydrogen bond acceptors (HBAs) remain unexplored. Herein, we introduced a family of Janus‐type ESIPT chromophores featuring distinctive hydrogen bond (H‐bond) selectivity between competitive HBAs in a single molecule. Our investigations showed that the central hydroxyl group preferentially forms intramolecular H‐bonds with imines in imine‐modified 2‐hydroxyphenyl benzothiazole (HBT) chromophores but tethers the benzothiazole moiety in hydrazone‐modified HBT chromophores. Imine‐derived HBTs generally exhibit higher fluorescence efficiency, while hydrazone‐derived HBTs show a reduced overlap between the absorption and fluorescence bands. Quantum chemical calculations unveiled the molecular origins of the biased intramolecular H‐bonds and their impact on the ESIPT process. This Janus‐type ESIPT chromophore skeleton provides new opportunities for the design of solid luminescent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial metallo‐nucleases (AMNs) are promising DNA damaging drug candidates. Here, we demonstrate how the 1,2,3‐triazole linker produced by the Cu‐catalysed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction can be directed to build Cu‐binding AMN scaffolds. We selected biologically inert reaction partners tris(azidomethyl)mesitylene and ethynyl‐thiophene to develop TC‐Thio, a bioactive C3‐symmetric ligand in which three thiophene‐triazole moieties are positioned around a central mesitylene core. The ligand was characterised by X‐ray crystallography and forms multinuclear CuII and CuI complexes identified by mass spectrometry and rationalised by density functional theory (DFT). Upon Cu coordination, CuII‐TC‐Thio becomes a potent DNA binding and cleaving agent. Mechanistic studies reveal DNA recognition occurs exclusively at the minor groove with subsequent oxidative damage promoted through a superoxide‐ and peroxide‐dependent pathway. Single molecule imaging of DNA isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells shows that the complex has comparable activity to the clinical drug temozolomide, causing DNA damage that is recognised by a combination of base excision repair (BER) enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expansion microscopy (ExM) is a recently developed technique that allows for the resolution of structures below the diffraction limit by physically enlarging a hydrogel‐embedded facsimile of the biological sample. The target structure is labeled and this label must be retained in a relative position true to the original, smaller state before expansion by linking it into the gel. However, gel formation and digestion lead to a significant loss in target‐delivered label, resulting in weak signal. To overcome this problem, we have here developed an agent combining targeting, fluorescent labeling and gel linkage in a single small molecule. Similar approaches in the past have still suffered from significant loss of label. Here we show that this loss is due to insufficient surface grafting of fluorophores into the hydrogel and develop a solution by increasing the amount of target‐bound monomers. Overall, we obtain a significant improvement in fluorescence signal retention and our new dye allows the resolution of nuclear pores as ring‐like structures, similar to STED microscopy. We furthermore provide mechanistic insight into dye retention in ExM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The induction of diverse chirality regulation in nature by multiple binding sites of biomolecules is ubiquitous and plays an essential role in determining the biofunction of biosystems. However, mimicking this biological phenomenon and understanding at a molecular level its mechanism with the multiple binding sites by establishing an artificial system still remains a challenge. Herein, abundant chirality inversion is achieved by precisely and multiply manipulating the co‐assembled binding sites of phenylalanine derivatives (D/LPPF) with different naphthalene derivatives (NA, NC, NP, NF). The amide and hydroxy group of naphthalene derivatives prefer to bind with the carboxy group of LPPF, while carboxylic groups and fluoride atoms tend to bind with the amide moiety of LPPF. All these diverse interaction modes can precisely trigger helicity inversion of LPPF nanofibers. In addition, synergistically manipulating the carboxy and amide binding sites from a single LPPF molecule to simultaneously interact with different naphthalene derivatives leads to chirality regulation. Typically, varying the solvent may switch the interaction modes and the switched new interaction modes can be employed to further regulate the chirality of the LPPF nanofibers. This study may provide a novel approach to explore chirality diversity in artificial systems by regulating the intermolecular binding sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the unique structure and function of the natural chloride channel (ClC) selectivity filter, we present herein the design of a ClC‐type single channel molecule. This channel displays high ion transport activity with half‐maximal effective concentration, EC50, of 0.10 μM, or 0.075 mol % (channel molecule to lipid ratio), as determined by fluorescent analysis using lucigenin‐encapsulated vesicles. Planar bilayer lipid membrane conductance measurements indicated an excellent Cl−/K+ selectivity with a permeability ratio PCl- ${{_{{\rm Cl}{^{- }}}}}$ /PK+ ${{_{{\rm K}{^{+}}}}}$ up to 12.31, which is comparable with the chloride selectivity of natural ClC proteins. Moreover, high anion/anion selectivity (PCl- ${{_{{\rm Cl}{^{- }}}}}$ /PBr- ${{_{{\rm Br}{^{- }}}}}$ =66.21) and pH‐dependent conductance and ion selectivity of the channel molecule were revealed. The ClC‐like transport behavior is contributed by the cooperation of hydrogen bonding and anion–π interactions in the central macrocyclic skeleton, and by the existence of pH‐responsive terminal phenylalanine residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Site‐specific functionalization of natural amino acid‐containing biological nanopores is pivotal in single molecule sensing. However, pore engineering methodologies are restricted to a limited choice and introduction of unnatural chemical components is extremely difficult. Herein we report the genetic code expansion (GCE) strategy to introduce unnatural amino acid (UAA) to an octameric Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A (MspA) nanopore. GCE allows for rapid and efficient introduction of bioorthogonal reactive site (i.e. azide) to the pore rim, and conjugation of single stranded DNA or lysozyme was demonstrated. The lysozyme‐conjugated pore was further used for the discrimination of different oligosaccharides, demonstrating a sensing capacity that a bare MspA nanopore does not possess. GCE with bioorthogonal handles, which has never been previously applied in the preparation of nanopores, is a versatile strategy for pore engineering and may further expand the application scenarios of nanopores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The charge transport through single‐molecule electronic devices can be controlled mechanically by changing the molecular geometrical configuration in situ, but the tunable conductance range is typically less than two orders of magnitude. Herein, we proposed a new mechanical tuning strategy to control the charge transport through the single‐molecule junctions via switching quantum interference patterns. By designing molecules with multiple anchoring groups, we switched the electron transport between the constructive quantum interference (CQI) pathway and the destructive quantum interference (DQI) pathway, and more than four orders of magnitude conductance variation can be achieved by shifting the electrodes in a range of about 0.6 nm, which is the highest conductance range ever achieved using mechanical tuning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the chemical design of chiral molecular junctions with stress‐dependent conductance, whose helicity is maintained during the stretching of a single molecule junction due to the stapling of both ends of the inner helix. In the reported compounds, different conductive pathways are observed, with clearly different conductance values and plateau‐length distributions, attributed to different conformations of the helical structures. The large chiro‐optical responses and the potential use of these molecules as unimolecular spin filters have been theoretically proved using state‐of‐the‐art Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, including a fully ab‐initio estimation of the CISS‐originating spin polarization which is done, for the first time, for a realistic molecular system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we report on a label‐free electrochemiluminescence (ECL) microscopy using exceptionally low concentrations of the [Ru(bpy)3]2+ luminophore. This work addresses the central point of the minimal concentration of the ECL luminophore required to image single entities. We demonstrate the possibility to record ECL images of cells and mitochondria at concentrations down to nM and pM. This is 7 orders of magnitude lower than classically‐used concentrations and corresponds to a few hundreds of luminophores diffusing around the biological entities. Yet, it produces remarkably sharp negative optical contrast ECL images, as demonstrated by structural similarity index metric analyses and supported by predictions of the ECL image covering time. Finally, we show that the reported approach is a simple, fast, and highly sensitive method, which opens new avenues for ultrasensitive ECL imaging and ECL reactivity at the single molecule level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar‐driven water purification is considered as an effective and sustainable technology for water treatment using green solar energy. One major goal for practical applications is to improve the solar evaporation performance by the design of novel photothermal materials, with optimized heat localization and water transport pathways to achieve reduced energy consumption for water vaporization. Recently, some emerging materials like polymers, metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and also single molecules were employed to construct novel solar evaporation systems. In this minireview, we present an overview of the recent efforts on materials development for water purification systems. The state‐of‐the‐art applications of these emerging materials for solar‐driven water treatment, including desalination, wastewater purification, sterilization and energy production, are also summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoconfinement in mesoporous nanoarchitectures could dramatically change molecular transport and reaction kinetics during electrochemical process. A molecular‐level understanding of nanoconfinement and mass transport is critical for the applications, but a proper route to study it is lacking. Herein, we develop a single nanoreactor electrochemiluminescence (SNECL) microscopy based on Ru(bpy)32+‐loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticle to directly visualize in situ nanoconfinement‐enhanced electrochemical reactions at the single molecule level. Meanwhile, mass transport capability of single nanoreactor, reflected as long decay time and recovery ability, is monitored and simulated with a high spatial resolution. The nanoconfinement effects in our system also enable imaging single proteins on cellular membrane. Our SNECL approach may pave the way to decipher the nanoconfinement effects during electrochemical process, and build bridges between mesoporous nanoarchitectures and potential electrochemical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic ultralong room temperature phosphorescence (RTP), or organic afterglow, is a unique phenomenon, gaining widespread attention due to its far‐reaching application potential and fundamental interest. Here, two laterally expanded 9,10‐dimesityl‐dihydro‐9,10‐diboraanthracene (DBA) derivatives are demonstrated as excellent afterglow materials for red and blue‐green light emission, which is traced back to persistent thermally activated delayed fluorescence and RTP. The lateral substitution of polycyclic DBA scaffold, together with weak transversal electron‐donating mesityl groups, ensures the optimal molecular properties for (reverse) intersystem crossing and long‐lived triplet states in a rigid poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix. The achieved afterglow emission quantum yields of up to 3 % and 15 %, afterglow lifetimes up to 0.8 s and 3.2 s and afterglow durations up to 5 s and 25 s (for red and blue‐green emitters, respectively) are attributed to the properties of single molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decoding cellular processes requires visualization of the spatial distribution and dynamic interactions of biomolecules. It is therefore not surprising that innovations in imaging technologies have facilitated advances in biomedical research. The advent of super‐resolution imaging technologies has empowered biomedical researchers with the ability to answer long‐standing questions about cellular processes at an entirely new level. Fluorescent probes greatly enhance the specificity and resolution of super‐resolution imaging experiments. Here, we introduce key super‐resolution imaging technologies, with a brief discussion on single‐molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). We evaluate the chemistry and photochemical mechanisms of fluorescent probes employed in SMLM. This Review provides guidance on the identification and adoption of fluorescent probes in single molecule localization microscopy to inspire the design of next‐generation fluorescent probes amenable to single‐molecule imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single molecule localization microscopy based on photoactivation is a powerful tool for investigating the ultrastructure of cells. We developed a general strategy for photoactivatable fluorophores, using 2,3‐dihydro‐1,4‐oxathiine group (SO) as a tag to attach to various skeletal structures, including coumarin, BODIPY, rhodamine, and cyanine. The conjugation of SO resulted in a significant loss of fluorescence due to photoinduced electron transfer (PeT). Under the irradiation of excitation light, singlet oxygen generated by the fluorophores converted the SO moiety into its ester derivative, terminated the PeT process, and restored the fluorescence. Single molecule localization imaging was achieved using a dual functional illuminating beam in the visible, acting as both the activating and the exciting source. We successfully applied these photoactivatable probes for time‐lapse super‐resolution tracking in living cells and super‐resolution imaging of microtubule structures in neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate discrimination of amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptides containing familial point mutations would advance the knowledge of their roles in early‐onset Alzheimer's disease. Herein, we simultaneously identified the mutant A21G, E22G, E22Q, and the wild‐type (WT) Aβ18–26 peptides with aerolysin nanopore using a 3D blockage mapping strategy. The standard deviation of current blockade fluctuations (σb) was proposed as a new supplement to current blockage (Ib/I0) and duration time (tD) to profile the blockage characteristics of single molecules. Although the WT and A21G Aβ18‐26 are indistinguishable in a traditional Ib/I0‐tD 2D description, ∼87 % of the blockade events can be accurately classified with half reduction of false identification using a combination of Ib/I0, tD, and σb. This work offers an easy and reliable strategy to promote nanopore sensitivity of peptide mutants, leading to a more precise analysis of pathogenic mutations for developing effective diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saccharides play critical roles in many forms of cellular activities. Saccharide structures are however complicated and similar, setting a technical hurdle for direct identification. Nanopores, which are emerging single molecule tools sensitive to minor structural differences between analytes, can be engineered to identity saccharides. A hetero‐octameric Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A nanopore containing a phenylboronic acid was prepared, and was able to clearly identify nine monosaccharide types, including D‐fructose, D‐galactose, D‐mannose, D‐glucose, L‐sorbose, D‐ribose, D‐xylose, L‐rhamnose and N‐acetyl‐D‐galactosamine. Minor structural differences between saccharide epimers can also be distinguished. To assist automatic event classification, a machine learning algorithm was developed, with which a general accuracy score of 0.96 was achieved. This sensing strategy is generally suitable for other saccharide types and may bring new insights to nanopore saccharide sequencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most straightforward approaches to access chiral silanes is catalytic enantioselective hydrosilylation. Although significant advances have been achieved in enantioselective construction of either a carbon‐stereogenic center or a silicon‐stereogenic center through enantioselective hydrosilylation, simultaneous establishment of a carbon‐ and a silicon‐stereogenic center in an acyclic molecule through a single intermolecular hydrosilylation remained undeveloped. Herein, an unprecedented cobalt‐catalyzed regio‐, diastereo‐ and enantioselective hydrosilylation of 1,3‐dienes is presented, enabling construction of a carbon‐ and a silicon‐stereogenic center in a single intermolecular transformation. A wide range of chiral silanes bearing a carbon‐ and a silicon‐stereogenic center were generated in high efficiency and stereoselectivity. Functionalization of the enantioenriched silanes delivered a variety of valuable chiral building blocks that are otherwise difficult to access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a versatile recognition tunneling technique using doubly cucurbit[7]uril‐functionalized electrodes to form supramolecular junctions that capture analytes dynamically by host–guest complexation. This results in characteristic changes in their single‐molecule conductance. For structurally related drug molecules (camptothecin, sanguinarine, chelerythrine, and berberine) and mixtures thereof, we observed distinct current switching signals related to their intrinsic conductance properties as well as pH‐dependent effects which can be traced back to their different states (protonated versus neutral). The conductance variation of a single molecule with pH shows a sigmoidal distribution, allowing us to extract a pKa value for reversible protonation, which is consistent with the reported macroscopic results. The new electronic method allows the characterization of unmodified drug molecules and showcases the transfer of dynamic supramolecular chemistry principles to single molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propyne/propylene (C3H4/C3H6) separation is an important but challenging industrial process to produce polymer‐grade C3H6 and recover high‐purity C3H4. Herein, we report an ultrastable TiF62− anion cross‐linked metal–organic framework (ZNU‐2) with precisely controlled pore size, shape and functionality for benchmark C3H4 storage (3.9/7.7 mmol g−1 at 0.01/1.0 bar and 298 K) and record high C3H4/C3H6 (10/90) separation potential (31.0 mol kg−1). The remarkable C3H4/C3H6 (1/99, 10/90, 50/50) separation performance was fully demonstrated by simulated and experimental breakthroughs under various conditions with excellent recyclability and high productivity (42 mol kg−1) of polymer‐grade C3H6 from a 1/99 C3H4/C3H6 mixture. A modelling study revealed that the symmetrical spatial distribution of six TiF62− on the icosahedral cage surface provides two distinct binding sites for C3H4 adsorption: one serves as a tailored single C3H4 molecule trap and the other boosts C3H4 accommodation by cooperative host–guest and guest–guest interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical electrochemical characterization tools cannot avoid averaging between the active reaction sites and their support, thus obscuring their intrinsic roles. Single‐molecule electrochemical techniques are thus in high demand. Here, we demonstrate super‐resolution imaging of Ru(bpy)32+ based reactions on Au plates using single‐molecule electrochemiluminescence microscopy. By converting electrochemical signals into optical signals, we manage to achieve the ultimate sensitivity of single‐entity chemistry, that is directly resolving the single photons from individual electrochemical reactions. High spatial resolution, up to 37 nm, further enables mapping Au chemical activity and the reaction kinetics. The spatiotemporally resolved dynamic structure–activity relationship on Au plates shows that the restructuring of catalysts plays an important role in determining the reactivity. Our approach may lead to gaining new insights towards evaluating and designing electrocatalytic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of improved zeolite materials for applications in separation and catalysis requires understanding of mass transport. Herein, diffusion of single molecules is tracked in the straight and sinusoidal channels of the industrially relevant ZSM‐5 zeolites using a combination of single‐molecule localization microscopy and uniformly oriented zeolite thin films. Distinct motion behaviors are observed in zeolite channels with the same geometry, suggesting heterogeneous guest–host interactions. Quantification of the diffusion heterogeneities in the sinusoidal and straight channels suggests that the geometry of zeolite channels dictates the mobility and motion behavior of the guest molecules, resulting in diffusion anisotropy. The study of hierarchical zeolites shows that the addition of secondary pore networks primarily enhances the diffusivity of sinusoidal zeolite channels, and thus alleviating the diffusion limitations of microporous zeolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecules are fascinating candidates for constructing tunable and electrically conducting devices by the assembly of either a single molecule or an ensemble of molecules between two electrical contacts followed by current‐voltage (I‐V) analysis, which is often termed "molecular electronics". Recently, there has been also an upsurge of interest in spin‐based electronics or spintronics across the molecules, which offer additional scope to create ultrafast responsive devices with less power consumption and lower heat generation using the intrinsic spin property rather than electronic charge. Researchers have been exploring this idea of utilizing organic molecules, organometallics, coordination complexes, polymers, and biomolecules (proteins, enzymes, oligopeptides, DNA) in integrating molecular electronics and spintronics devices. Although several methods exist to prepare molecular thin‐films on suitable electrodes, the electrochemical potential‐driven technique has emerged as highly efficient. In this Review we describe recent advances in the electrochemical potential driven growth of nanometric various molecular films on technologically relevant substrates, including non‐magnetic and magnetic electrodes to investigate the stimuli‐responsive charge and spin transport phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) manifests with high clinical variability and warrants sensitive and specific assays to analyze immune responses in infected and vaccinated individuals. Using Single Molecule Arrays (Simoa), we developed an assay to assess antibody neutralization with high sensitivity and multiplexing capabilities based on antibody‐mediated blockage of the ACE2‐spike interaction. The assay does not require live viruses or cells and can be performed in a biosafety level 2 laboratory within two hours. We used this assay to assess neutralization and antibody levels in patients who died of COVID‐19 and patients hospitalized for a short period of time and show that neutralization and antibody levels increase over time. We also adapted the assay for SARS‐CoV‐2 variants and measured neutralization capacity in pre‐pandemic healthy, COVID‐19 infected, and vaccinated individuals. This assay is highly adaptable for clinical applications, such as vaccine development and epidemiological studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Threading intercalators bind DNA with high affinities. Here, we describe single‐molecule studies on a cell‐permeant luminescent dinuclear ruthenium(II) complex that has been previously shown to thread only into short, unstable duplex structures. Using optical tweezers and confocal microscopy, we show that this complex threads and locks into force‐extended duplex DNA in a two‐step mechanism. Detailed kinetic studies reveal that an individual stereoisomer of the complex exhibits the highest binding affinity reported for such a mono‐intercalator. This stereoisomer better preserves the biophysical properties of DNA than the widely used SYTOX Orange. Interestingly, threading into torsionally constrained DNA decreases dramatically, but is rescued on negatively supercoiled DNA. Given the "light‐switch" properties of this complex on binding DNA, it can be readily used as a long‐lived luminescent label for duplex or negatively supercoiled DNA through a unique "load‐and‐lock" protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) ring system is present in a large variety of structurally diverse natural products exhibiting a wide range of biological activities. Routes to mimic the biosynthetic pathways to such alkaloids, by building cascade reactions in vitro, represents a successful strategy and can offer better stereoselectivities than traditional synthetic methods. S‐Adenosylmethionine (SAM)‐dependent methyltransferases are crucial in the biosynthesis and diversification of THIQs; however, their application is often limited in vitro by the high cost of SAM and low substrate scope. In this study, we describe the use of methyltransferases in vitro in multi‐enzyme cascades, including for the generation of SAM in situ. Up to seven enzymes were used for the regioselective diversification of natural and non‐natural THIQs on an enzymatic preparative scale. Regioselectivites of the methyltransferases were dependent on the group at C‐1 and presence of fluorine in the THIQs. An interesting dual activity was also discovered for the catechol methyltransferases used, which were found to be able to regioselectively methylate two different catechols in a single molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐range electrostatic interactions beyond biomolecular interaction interfaces have not been extensively studied due to the limitation in engineering electric double layers in physiological fluids. Here we find that long‐range electrostatic interactions play an essential role in kinetic modulation of DNA hybridizations. Protein and gold nanoparticles with different charges are encapsulated in tetrahedral frameworks to exert diverse electrostatic effects on site‐specifically tethered single DNA strands. Using this strategy, we have successfully modulated the hybridization kinetics in both bulk solution and single molecule level. Experimental and theoretical studies reveal that long‐range Coulomb interactions are the key factor for hybridization rates. This work validates the important role of long‐range electrostatic forces in nucleic acid‐biomacromolecule complexes, which may encourage new strategies of gene regulation, antisense therapy, and nucleic acid detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoscale manipulation and characterization of individual molecules is necessary to understand the intricacies of molecular structure, which governs phenomena such as reaction mechanisms, catalysis, local effective temperatures, surface interactions, and charge transport. Here we utilize Raman enhancement between two nanostructured electrodes in combination with direct charge transport measurements to allow for simultaneous characterization of the electrical, optical, and mechanical properties of a single molecule. This multi‐dimensional information yields repeatable, self‐consistent, verification of single‐molecule resolution, and allows for detailed analysis of structural and configurational changes of the molecule in situ. These experimental results are supported by a machine‐learning based statistical analysis of the spectral information and calculations to provide insight into the correlation between structural changes in a single‐molecule and its charge‐transport properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Top‐down fabricated nanoantenna architectures of both metallic and dielectric materials show powerful functionalities for Raman and fluorescence enhancement with relevance to single molecule sensing while inducing directionality of chromophore emission with implications for single photon sources. We synthesize the smallest bow‐tie nanoantenna by selective tip‐to‐tip fusion of two tetrahedral colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) forming a dimer. While the tetrahedral monomers emit non‐polarized light, the bow‐tie architecture manifests nanoantenna functionality of enhanced emission polarization along the bow‐tie axis, as predicted theoretically and revealed by single‐particle spectroscopy. Theory also predicts the formation of an electric‐field hotspot at the bow‐tie epicenter. This is utilized for selective light‐induced photocatalytic metal growth at that location, unlike growth on the free tips in dark conditions, thus demonstrating bow‐tie dimer functionality as a photochemical reaction center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic nanocube ensembles exhibit tunable localized surface plasmon resonance to induce the light manipulation at the subwavelength scale. Nevertheless, precisely control anisotropic metallic nanocube ensembles with relative spatial directionality remains a challenge. Here, we report a DNA origami based nanoprinting (DOBNP) strategy to transfer the essential DNA strands with predefined sequences and positions to the surface of the gold nanocubes (AuNCs). These DNA strands ensured the specific linkages between AuNCs and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) that generating the stereo‐controlled AuNC‐AuNP nanostructures (AANs) with controlled geometry and composition. By anchoring the single dye molecule in hot spot regions, the dramatic enhanced electromagnetic field aroused stronger surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal amplification. Our approach opens the opportunity for the fabrication of stereo‐controlled metal nanostructures for designing highly sensitive photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials with tunable long persistent luminescence (LPL) properties have wide applications in security signs, anti‐counterfeiting, data encrypting, and other fields. However, the majority of reported tunable LPL materials are pure organic molecules or polymers. Herein, a series of metal‐organic coordination polymers displaying color‐tunable LPL were synthesized by the self‐assembly of HTzPTpy ligand with different cadmium halides (X=Cl, Br, and I). In the solid state, their LPL emission colors can be tuned by the time‐evolution, as well as excitation and temperature variation, realizing multi‐mode dynamic color tuning from green to yellow or green to red, and are the first such examples in single‐component coordination polymer materials. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis and theoretical calculations reveal that the modification of LPL is due to the balanced action from single molecule and aggregate triplet excited states caused by an external heavy‐atom effect. The results show that the rational introduction of different halide anions into coordination polymers can realize multi‐color LPL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An endohedrally functionalized self‐assembled Fe4L6 cage complex can catalyze oxa‐Pictet—Spengler cyclizations of tryptophols and various aldehyde derivatives, showing strong rate accelerations and size‐selectivity. Selective molecular recognition of substrates controls the reactivity, and the cage is capable of binding and activating multiple different species along the multistep reaction pathway. The combination of a functionalized active site, size‐selective reactivity, and multistep activation, all from a single host molecule, illustrates the biomimetic nature of the catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an important biomarker, as high levels of ALP in blood can indicate liver disease or bone disorders. However, current clinical blood tests only measure the total concentration of ALP but are unable to distinguish enzyme isotypes. Here, we demonstrate a novel and rapid approach to profile various ALP isozymes in blood via a single‐molecule‐analysis platform. The microarray platform provides enzyme kinetics of hundreds of individual molecules at high throughput. Using these single molecule kinetics, we characterize the different activity profiles of ALP isotypes. By analyzing both healthy and disease samples, we found the single molecule activity distribution of ALP in serum reflects the health status of patients. This result demonstrates the potential utility of the method for improving the conventional ALP test, as well as for analyzing other enzymatic biomarkers, including enzyme isotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In soft matter, thermal energy causes molecules to continuously translate and rotate, even in crowded environments, thereby impacting the spatial organization and function of most molecular assemblies, such as lipid membranes. Directly measuring the orientation and spatial organization of large collections (>3000 molecules μm−2) of single molecules with nanoscale resolution remains elusive. In this paper, we utilize SMOLM, single‐molecule orientation localization microscopy, to directly measure the orientation spectra (3D orientation plus "wobble") of lipophilic probes transiently bound to lipid membranes, revealing that Nile red's (NR) orientation spectra are extremely sensitive to membrane chemical composition. SMOLM images resolve nanodomains and enzyme‐induced compositional heterogeneity within membranes, where NR within liquid‐ordered vs. liquid‐disordered domains shows a ≈4° difference in polar angle and a ≈0.3π sr difference in wobble angle. As a new type of imaging spectroscopy, SMOLM exposes the organizational and functional dynamics of lipid‐lipid, lipid‐protein, and lipid‐dye interactions with single‐molecule, nanoscale resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cyclohexanol homodimer acts as a delicate test model of the role of dispersion forces in intermolecular association. Whereas phenol produces a single dimer, the suppression of π interactions and the larger conformational flexibility in cyclohexanol results in multiple isomerism, with six competing dimers of the free molecule being observed in a supersonic jet expansion. Rotational spectroscopy reveals accurate structural data, specifically the formation of homo‐ and heterochiral diastereoisomers and the presence of both equatorial and axial forms in the dimers. Four dispersion‐corrected density‐functional molecular orbital calculations were tested against the experiment, with B3LYP‐D3(BJ) offering good structural reproducibility with an Alrich's triple‐ζ basis set. However, the prediction of the dimer energetics is largely model‐dependent, thus offering a testbed for the validation of dispersion‐corrected computational models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbohydrates are ubiquitous biomolecules in nature. The vast majority of their biomolecular activity takes place in aqueous environments. Molecular reactivity and functionality are, therefore, often strongly influenced by not only interactions with equivalent counterparts, but also with the surrounding water molecules. Glycoaldehyde (Gly) represents a prototypical system to identify the relevant interactions and the balance that governs them. Here we present a broadband rotational‐spectroscopy study on the stepwise hydration of the Gly dimer with up to three water molecules. We reveal the preferred hydrogen‐bond networks formed when water molecules sequentially bond to the sugar dimer. We observe that the dimer structure and the hydrogen‐bond networks at play remarkably change upon the addition of just a single water molecule to the dimer. Further addition of water molecules does not significantly alter the observed hydrogen‐bond topologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of chiral Brønsted base catalysis, a new generation of chiral catalysts has been highly anticipated to overcome the intrinsic limitation of pronucleophiles that are applicable to the enantioselective reactions. Herein, we reveal conceptually new chiral Brønsted base catalysts consisting of two different organobase functionalities, one of which functions as an organosuperbase and the other as the substrate recognition site. Their prominent activity, which stems from the distinctive cooperative function by the two organobases in a single catalyst molecule, was demonstrated in the unprecedented enantioselective direct Mannich‐type reaction of α‐phenylthioacetate as a less acidic pronucleophile. The present achievement would provide a new guiding principle for the design and development of chiral Brønsted base catalysts and significantly broaden the utility of Brønsted base catalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the prerequisites for the progress of single‐molecule‐based electronic devices are a better understanding of the electronic properties at the individual molecular level and the development of methods to tune the charge transport through molecular junctions. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is an ideal tool not only for the characterization, but also for the manipulation of single atoms and molecules on surfaces. The conductance through a single molecule can be measured by contacting the molecule with atomic precision and forming a molecular bridge between the metallic STM tip electrode and the metallic surface electrode. The parameters affecting the conductance are mainly related to their electronic structure and to the coupling to the metallic electrodes. Here, the experimental and theoretical analyses are focused on single tetracenothiophene molecules and demonstrate that an in situ‐induced direct desulfurization reaction of the thiophene moiety strongly improves the molecular anchoring by forming covalent bonds between molecular carbon and copper surface atoms. This bond formation leads to an increase of the conductance by about 50 % compared to the initial state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft luminescent materials are attractive for optoelectronic applications, however, switching dominant chromophores for property enrichment remains a challenge. Herein, we report the first case of a soft organic molecule (DOS) featuring selective expression of chromophores. In response to various external stimuli, different chromophores of DOS can take turns working through conformation changes, exhibiting full‐colour emissions peaking from 469 nm to 583 nm from ten individual single crystals. Dynamic triplet‐exciton behaviours including thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), room‐temperature phosphorescence (RTP), mechanoluminescence (ML), and distinct mechano‐responsive luminescence (MRL) can all be realized. This novel designed DOS molecule provides a multifunctional platform for detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), multicolour dynamic displays, sensing, anticounterfeiting, and hopefully many others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]