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Silicon (Si) is a promising candidate as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, its application is hindered by poor cycling stability and rate-capability due to structural degradation, resulting from large volume changes during cyclic charging and discharging. In this paper, we report that uniform-sized Si@void@C nanoparticles can be prepared by magnesiothermic reduction of SiO2@void@C. Si nanoparticles are in hollow carbon shells with a large void space between the carbon shell and particles. Thus, each Si particle can expand freely within the well-designed void space without destroying the outer carbon shell, and benefit the solid–electrolyte interphase film stabilization on the carbon shell. The new material shows a high capacity of 1598 mA h g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1, a long cycle life of 1500 cycles with 85% capacity retention, and a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.6% as well, and might be a promising Si-based anode material for Li-ion battery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we describe unprecedented Ir(III) complexes of 5-(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazine and their reactivity towards the strained cyclooctyne BCN. The coordination of a 1,2,4-triazine ring to an iridium(III) ion drastically increases the speed of the reaction, showing the second order rate constant of 8 M−1 s−1, the record value to date for a triazine-BCN reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein we demonstrate the first example of oligonucleotide-templated reaction (OTR) performed on paper, using lateral flow to capture and concentrate specific nucleic acid biomarkers on a test line. Quantitative analysis, using a low-cost benchtop fluorescence reader showed very high specificity down to the single nucleotide level and proved sensitive enough for amplification-free, on-chip, detection of endogenous concentrations of miR-150-5p, a recently identified predictive blood biomarker for preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report the kinetics based detection of single nucleotide variation (SNV) at room temperature by allele specific extension with different concentrations and types of crowding agents. In general, the crowding conditions enhanced the specificity in the detection of SNV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallic acid, a natural phenolic compound, efficiently establishes surface complexes with liquid gallium leading to the formation of an aqueous gallium dispersion via sonication. The surface functionalised gallium particles thus obtained were easily impregnated into paper membranes that could be turned from insulating to conductive by pressure induced deformation of the embedded particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An anthracene carboxyimide derivative was synthesized as a colorimetric and fluorogenic sensor to determine NO2− with a rapid response (<4 min), excellent selectivity and a low detection limit (84 nM). Paper strips containing the sensor were applied to visually determine the NO2− content in food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial quorum sensing has been implicated in a number of pathogenic bacterial processes, such as biofilm formation, making it a crucial target for developing materials with a novel antibiotic mode of action. This paper describes poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) that has been covalently linked, at multiple chain ends, to homoserine lactone to give a highly branched polymer functionalized with a key messenger molecule implicated in QS. This novel functional material has shown promising anti-QS activity in a Chromobacterium violaceum assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a tradition more than 100 years old, a Faraday Discussion meeting was held on the topic of ‘Ultrafast Energy and Charge Transfer’ in April 2019. While these meetings are historically held in the United Kingdom, the Royal Society of Chemistry (who organises the conference and publishes its proceedings) recognises the importance of finding the space and opportunity for the chemical sciences international communities to connect and exchange knowledge. As such, the meeting hereby referred to took place in Ventura, California, USA. This conference report, produced by early career researchers, covers the highlights of this meeting, focusing on brief summaries of the papers discussed as well as particularly interesting or recurring topics of the ensuing discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Faraday Discussion was held on March 25–27th, 2019 at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, UK and was attended by 160 delegates from over 20 countries. The attendees represented the cross-disciplinary nature of the field, with biologists, engineers, material scientists, theoreticians and experimental chemists of all experience levels coming together to discuss the state of the art. The meeting captured how rapidly the field of artificial photosynthesis has progressed in a short time and highlighted how far we still have to go. In this conference report, the topics of discussion will be outlined with a brief description of the papers presented and a summary of the conference events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 300th Faraday discussion on hot electron processes in plasmonics and catalysis brought together a wide spectrum of delegates from across the globe. Scientists from across multiple disciplines, with a broad spectrum of experience and expertise, joined together in hope of identifying and answering the latest problems within the ever growing hot electron science community. In this paper we present a brief overview of the themes and topics presented at this meeting, highlighting the major findings of each presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report the design, synthesis and assessment of the first examples of self-immolative systems triggered by non-acidic electrophilic agents such as methyl, allyl or benzylic halides. These systems provide a visual colorimetric disclosure response upon exposure to these electrophilic reagents under mild, basic conditions without the need for the use of analytical instrumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ring-opening reaction of phenolphthalein (PP) crystals under hydrostatic pressure provided by using a diamond anvil cell (DAC) is described in this paper for the first time. The color of the crystals changed into red from colorless visibly. The ring-opening threshold pressures could be adjusted by changing the substituent groups. Mechanochromic responses under hydrostatic pressure could also be achieved in polymer blends, which contributes to their practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first transformation of MOFs to polymers without any additives by using a one-step MOF-templated self-polymerization approach. We investigate the conversion process and demonstrate that the MOF-templated self-polymerization is a new and effective approach for the in situ conversion of organic ligands to polymers and even carbon nanomaterials with maintained MOF configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports synthesis of graphene oxide (GO) membranes with narrow interlayer free spacing on scalable polyester substrates using GO sheets prepared by Brodie's method. The GO membranes show interlayer free spacing of ∼3.2 Å with significantly improved hydrogen perm-selectivity than the GO membranes with the large inter-sheet spacing reported in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using a low-cost, ternary AlCl3/LiCl/KCl inorganic molten salt as the electrolyte, an aluminum ion battery is able to work stably below 100 °C. When intergrated with a graphite paper cathode, the battery exhibits close performance and similar electrochemical transformations to inorganic electrolyte-based batteries operating at ≥120 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the selective conversion of alkyl azido groups at the carbonyl α-position into oximes through β-elimination of dinitrogen, followed by transoximation. With this method and diazo conversion, a triazido molecule was transformed into a triple click conjugation scaffold allowing one-pot four-component coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducing a desired stimuli-responsive function into catalytically active biomacromolecules is potentially useful in developing molecular tools for various bio-applications. In this paper, we discuss the development of a stimuli-responsive DNAzyme (catalytic deoxyribozyme) capable of displaying Boolean logic-gate responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at a conference held on May 17, 2009 on stereochemistry is presented. Topics include material chemistry, chemical biology and nano-technology. The conference featured several lecturers including Ian Paterson, professor at the University of Cambridge, Great Britain, Joanna Aizenberg, Co-Director of the Kavli Institute for Bionano Science & Technology at Harvard University and Lawrence Que, professor at the University of Minnesota.

This paper reports a possible mechanism of acetic acid formation from CO2, CH3I and H2 in aqueous media and the central role played by a water-soluble Rh-based electron storage catalyst. In addition to water-solubility, we also report the crystal structures of two presumed intermediates. These findings together reveal (1) the advantage of water, not only as a green solvent, but also as a reactive Lewis base to extract H+ from H2, (2) the role of the metal (Rh) centre as a point for storing electrons from H2 and (3) the importance of an electron-withdrawing ligand (quaterpyridine, qpy) that supports electron storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the d/l-AP5-interfaces are firstly fabricated by attaching d-alanine-pillar[5]arene and l-alanine-pillar[5]arene (d/l-AP5) onto the gold surface, and they exhibit a significantly different chiral influence on the morphology and the adsorption quantity of the adsorbed ctDNA molecules. The research provides an ideal chiral platform for investigating chiral phenomena in biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report phosphorescent Pt(ii) complexes as monomers which can be directly incorporated into growing polymers. Due to the amphiphilic nature of the polymers they can self-assemble into micellar nanoparticles, where the phosphorescent Pt(ii) complexes can arrange selectively in the core or shell of the nanoparticles. The complexes enable dual orthogonal imaging, made possible by the heavy metal, which enhances the contrast for these micelles in electron microscopy and facilitates spin–orbit coupling that turns on microsecond lifetime luminescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pillararenes, as a new type of macrocyclic hosts, possess columnar structures and electron-rich cavities. Pillararenes not only recognize suitable cations, but also bind many neutral molecules. Due to the easy modification of pillararenes, various functional groups can be conveniently attached to the rim of pillararenes to provide suitable interaction sites, and the modified pillararenes even bind anionic guests. Thus, pillararenes and their derivatives have presented intriguing and unique host–guest recognition nature in the past few years, which make them ideal building blocks for the preparation of supramolecular polymers. Pillararene-based supramolecular polymers (PSPs) not only possess many merits of traditional covalent polymers but also have many specific properties, such as self-reparability, degradability, and self-adaptation. This feature paper gives an overview of the preparation of PSPs and covers recent research advance and future trends of pillararene-based host–guest pairs, assembly methods, topological architectures, stimuli-responsiveness, and functional features. We expect that the review will be helpful to researchers working in the fields of supramolecular chemistry and polymer science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One direct and efficient procedure for the synthesis of 1,1-disilylated terminal alkenes is demonstrated in this paper. To overcome and rationally utilize the steric hindrance of silyl units, the cationic ruthenium catalyst [CpRu(MeCN)3]+ was found to be effective for Markovnikov hydrosilylation of 1-silyl terminal alkynes with high yields and excellent regioselectivity. Dissimilarities between alkyl and alkoxy silyl units lead to versatile product derivatizations toward a variety of useful building blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N-Unsubstituted carbamates have scarcely been investigated so far as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs). By means of kinetic and structural studies, in this paper we demonstrate that such molecules can effectively inhibit hCAs and can be used as lead compounds for the development of CAIs possessing a binding mode similar to one of the CA substrates, bicarbonate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steric bulk around catalytic centers is one of the most important factors determining catalytic reactivities and selectivities. This paper reports the synthesis of structurally diverse 5-iodo-3-methyl-1,2,3-triazolium salts and the evaluation of their catalytic activities as halogen-bonding donors for the aza-Diels–Alder reaction of 2-siloxy-1,3-butadiene with imines. We found that steric hindrance around an iodide atom in halogen-bonding donors significantly impacted catalytic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black phosphorus is a bulk solid allotrope of elemental phosphorus and can be seen as an infinite stack of phosphorene sheets. It is interesting from a technological point of view as well as from an electronic structure perspective due to the importance of electron correlation effects. In a recent paper [M. Schütz, L. Maschio, A. J. Karttunen and D. Usvyat, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2017, 8, 1290–1294] a highly accurate exfoliation energy has been computed. Building upon these results we carefully benchmark various dispersion-corrected density functional approximations. The choice of the range-separating function that suppresses London dispersion at short interatomic distances apparently has a substantial influence on the results. Having chosen the suitable functional, we have computed the thermal expansion coefficients of black phosphorous via a quasi-harmonic approximation. The computed coefficients manifest a strong anisotropy between the two in-plane directions. Our calculations, however, do not support the existence of negative thermal expansion in black phosphorus, as reported in some theoretical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2018 Faraday Discussion on “Designing Nanoparticle Systems for Catalysis” brought together leading scientists to discuss the current state-of-the-art in the fields of computational chemistry, characterization techniques, and nanomaterial synthesis, and to debate the challenges and opportunities going forward for rational catalyst design. The meeting was a vivid discussion of how the communities accummulate knowledge and on how innovativeness can be combined to have a stronger scientific impact. In the following, we provide an overview of the meeting structure, including plenaries, papers, discussion points and breakout sessions, and we hope to show, to the wider scientific community, that there is great value in continued international discussion and scientific collaboration in these fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft actuators based on electroactive polymers (EAPs) are the core constituents of future soft robots owing to their fascinating properties such as lightweight, compactness, easy fabrication into various forms, and low cost. Ionic EAP actuators are particularly attractive owing to the low driving voltages (＜3 V) as compared to those of electronic EAP actuators (usually kilovolts). This paper presents a brief overview of the recent progress in a range of EAP actuators by focusing on low voltage operation, in addition to the challenges and future strategies for their wide applicability in artificial muscles and various innovative soft robot technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A printable and rewritable photonic polymer coating has been fabricated from a cholesteric liquid crystal. Full color images can be patterned in polymer coatings by using a liquid crystal ink. The printed patterns can be erased and rewritten multiple times, making these coatings interesting as rewritable papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Na–O2 batteries are highly valued batteries with high energy density and low over-potentials, but limited by the threat of sodium dendrites. In this paper, a new trilayer separator with TiO2 nanoparticles as the middle layer is proposed, which can effectively inhibit the growth of sodium dendrites. The TiO2 sandwiched separator was used in a Na–O2 battery, and increased its cycle life. This work provides a new approach to extend the cycle life of sodium-based rechargeable batteries with a sandwiched separator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although nickel-based materials exhibit similar catalytic activity to palladium in organic synthesis, the selective oxidation of inert C–H bonds in the absence of other co-catalysts remains a largely unsolved challenge. This paper introduces a facile and efficient approach for enhancing the catalytic activity of Ni-MOF-74 with [bmim]Br via a relay catalysis strategy, which is excellent for the selective oxidation of benzylic C–H bonds. Notably, the catalyst recycling and scale up experiments demonstrated the practicability of the protocol. This method combines the catalytic advantages of MOFs and ionic liquids (ILs), and provides an insight into oxidation reactions by cheap and efficient Ni-based catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the most representative examples of heterometallic complexes containing three different paramagnetic metal ions, focusing on their magnetic properties. These compounds show a rich structural variety, ranging from discrete species to coordination polymers of various dimensionalities. The general synthetic strategies leading to heterotrimetallic complexes are discussed and illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-free and environmentally friendly synthesis highly controlled by natural sources like visible light and air (or oxygen) is always a pursuit of green chemistry. In this paper, an atmosphere and light tuned highly diastereoselective synthesis of two important polyheterocyclic skeletons: cyclobuta/penta[b]indoles from aniline-tethered alkylidenecyclopropanes with alkynes, has been developed. The chiral cyclobuta/penta[b]indoles have also been obtained by optical resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tandem [4+2] cycloaddition between hexafluoro-2-butyne and bis-furyl dienes, like difurfuryl ester, at room temperature leads to the kinetically controlled “pincer”-adducts – annulated 4a,8a-bis(trifluoromethyl)hexahydro-1,4:5,8-diepoxynaphthalenes. On the other hand, if these reactions proceed at 140 °C, only the thermodynamically controlled “domino”-adducts – annulated 2,3-bis(trifluoromethyl)hexahydro-1,4:5,8-diepoxynaphthalenes – are formed. Therefore, a very rare and unexpected example of full kinetic and thermodynamic control in the Diels–Alder reaction is reported in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present an approach for the precisely controlled phase transformation of MnO2 in order to synthesise different compositions of α-/β-MnO2 materials, by adding a trace amount of Zn(acac)2 as the phase transformation-inducing agent in a hydrothermal reaction. The single-atomic dispersion of Zn might reduce the barrier of phase transformation of δ-MnO2 to β-MnO2. The ratio of the Zn species present in the single-atomic dispersions and nanoclusters might dominate the generation of α-MnO2 and β-MnO2. The results of the oxygen reduction reactions indicate that the MnO2 materials have potential applications as promising catalysts in electrochemical catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the first report on an organic conducting polymer film, which alone exhibits both superhydrophobicity and visible light photoactivity. The microstructure of poly(3-hexylthiophene) was optimized using controlled precipitation until superhydrophobic behavior was achieved. Photocatalytic tests employing visible light irradiation proved that polymer degrades the ethanol test molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycerol/bleach flow-through microfluidic fuel cells are presented. Carbon paper-modified Pt/C nanoparticles were used as the anode and cathode. Glycerol oxidation in alkaline medium was tested against hypochlorite reduction in alkaline and acidic media. The mixed media system displayed a power density of 315 mW cm−2 and an open circuit voltage of 1.9–2.0 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical and electrochemical corrosion of a support limits the corresponding catalyst's performance and lifetime. In this paper, uniform TiN nanotubes are synthesized via coaxial-electrospinning, thermal oxidation and nitridation. The average diameter of nanotubes can be facilely controlled by tuning the parameters of coaxial electrospinning. The TiN nanotubes are modified further with Pt nanoparticles as Pt/TiN NT electrocatalysts. After accelerated durability tests, the electrochemical surface area (ECSA) and mass activity of the Pt/TiN decrease by only 6% and 14% respectively, while those of the Pt/C decrease by 44% and 46.2% respectively. The enhanced activity is attributed to the strong interaction between the Pt nanoparticles and the TiN support, which is confirmed by the X-ray dispersive spectra of Pt 4f. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a centrifugal micropipette-tip method for ELISA sample processing combined with a pressure meter for portable quantitative detection of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) biomarker myoglobin (Myo). The method enables sensitive and reliable quantification of Myo in 35 minutes. With the advantages of simplicity, speed, user friendliness, low cost, and small sample consumption, centrifugal micropipette-tip ELISA shows great potential for quantitative POC diagnostics for AMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Site-selective surface functionalization of anisotropic gold nanoparticles represents a major breakthrough for fully exploiting nanoparticle anisotropy. In this paper, we explore an original strategy for the regioselective functionalization of lithographically designed gold nanorods (AuNRs), based a combination of photo-induced plasmon excitation and aryl diazonium salt chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lively discussion on new directions in porous crystalline materials took place in June 2017, with the beautiful city of Edinburgh as a backdrop, in the context of the unique Faraday Discussions format. Here, 5 minute presentations were given on papers which had been submitted in advance of the conference, with copious time allocated for in-depth discussion of the work presented. Prof. Mircea Dincă (MIT), chair of the scientific committee, opened the conference by welcoming the many different nationalities attending, and outlining the format of discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biguanides are strong bases (pKa ＞ 10), their protonated forms bind anions and may therefore act as receptors for anions. We report on easy-to-make anion receptors and fluorescence-based sensors utilizing the biguanide moieties that respond to the presence of anions with a change in fluorescence. The observed changes in fluorescence are anion-specific and even though the biguanide receptors are cross-reactive, these sensors may be used to identify various anions (halides, carboxylates, phosphates). Paper-based analytical arrays were used to assess the discriminatory ability of the sensors in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of multiple anions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the development of a nonenzymatic, amplification-free, and sensitive platform for the detection of microRNA based on a new class of electrocatalytically active superparamagnetic gold-loaded nanoporous iron oxide nanocubes (Au@NPFe2O3NC). The assay showed an excellent detection sensitivity down to 100 fM and specificity towards the analysis of miR-21 in cell lines and tissue samples derived from patients with oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of functional molecular devices constitutes one of the most important current challenges for chemical sciences. The complex processes accomplished by living systems continuously demand the assistance of non-covalent interactions between molecular building blocks. Additionally, these building blocks (proteins, membranes, nucleotides) are also constituted by self-assembled structures. Therefore, supramolecular chemistry is the discipline required to understand the properties of the minimal self-assembled building blocks of living systems and to develop new functional smart materials. In the first part of this feature article, we highlight selected examples of the preparation of supramolecular membrane transporters with special emphasis on the application of dynamic covalent bonds. In the second section of the paper we review recent breakthroughs in the preparation of peptide nanotube hybrids with functional applications. The development of these devices constitutes an exciting process from where we can learn how to understand and manipulate supramolecular functional assemblies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ratiometric fluorescent probe based on anthracene carboximide was developed for direct detection of isocyanates in air. The sensing mechanism was illustrated to be variation in the photophysical properties caused by the nucleophilic reaction of the probe molecule. A number of isocyanates were conveniently detected by a test paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium ions (K+) play vital roles in many biological processes and thus highly selective sensors for K+ are critical for disease diagnosis and health monitoring. Herein, we report a colorimetric K+ sensor (KS7) in which a hemicyanine dye was used as a fluorophore and phenylaza-[18]crown-6 lariat ether (ACLE) was utilized as a K+ ligand. The maximum absorption peak of KS7 shifted hypsochromically by 77 nm (from 515 to 438 nm) with an isosbestic point at 452 nm upon the addition of K+ to its aqueous solution accompanied by a color change from red to yellow. This sensor exhibited a linear response range to K+ from 1 to 200 mM, indicating its wide detection range for cellular, urinary, and environmental potassium ions. Further, this sensor is solvent-sensitive, implying its environmental sensitivity. For the demonstration of its applications, we prepared filter paper-based K+ test strips, which were used to detect K+ in urine conveniently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing security needs require compact and portable detection tools for the rapid and reliable identification of explosives used in improvised explosive devices (IEDs). We report of an easy-to-use optical sensor for both vapour-phase and solution-phase identification of explosive mixtures that uses a cross-reactive fluorimetric sensor array comprising chemically responsive fluorimetric indicators composed of aromatic aldehydes and polyethyleneimine. Ammonium nitrate-nitromethane (ANNM) was analyzed by paper microzone arrays and nanofiber sensor mats. Progress toward wearable sensors based on electrospun nanofiber mats is outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new approach for a totally organic, room-temperature phosphorescent system with a lifetime on the order of milliseconds, which is achieved by promotion of the one-dimensional chiral stacking of a simple, small fluorophore in a solution state. The versatility of this system is highlighted by its good applicability to the fabrication of a phosphorescent polymer film. This paper demonstrates the first example of a room-temperature phosphorescent polymer film prepared with our methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports that the bulk polymerization of l-aspartic acid diethyl ester catalyzed by immobilized CAL-B at 80 °C for 24 h gives primarily (∼95%) α-linked poly(l-aspartate) in 70% yield with DPavg = 50 and regioselectivity (α/β) = 94 : 6. Plots of log{[M]0/[M]t} vs. time and DPavgvs. conversion indicate that this polymerization proceeds in a controlled manner by a chain-growth mechanism up to 90% conversion. Thereafter, competition occurs between chain growth and step mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than three decades the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) has proven to be an indispensable tool to image molecules adsorbed at a surface at the highest detail possible. In addition to simply imaging molecules, STM can also be applied to monitor dynamic surface phenomena, including chemical reactions. By studying reactions at a surface at the single molecule level, unique information about reaction mechanisms can be obtained which remains hidden when conventional ensemble techniques are used. Many STM studies of chemical reactions have been performed in extreme environments like ultrahigh vacuum or high pressure chambers, but these are far removed from conditions in which most chemical and biological processes take place, i.e., in a liquid at ambient atmospheres. This feature paper highlights the developments in the relatively unexplored research area of investigating chemical reactions with an STM at a liquid/solid interface under ambient conditions. Covalent couplings between molecules, light-induced isomerisations, reactions under electrochemical control, and complex multistep processes and catalysis are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]