Search

Spiropyran and merocyanine systems are useful due to the photoswitching properties, but do have some limitations. Here, the authors report pyridine-substituted merocyanines as photochromic compounds, with a photoinitiated C-N bond formation.

Ga₂O₃ devices suffer from poor heat dissipation due to their low thermal conductivity. Here, the authors demonstrate that forming covalent bonds with SiC increases the interfacial thermal conductivity to 162 MW/m²·K, thereby reducing self-heating and enabling reliable high-power operation.

The study of tetrela-isonitriles—the heavier group 14 analogues of isonitriles—has largely relied on the investigation of transient species under matrix isolation or gas-phase conditions. Now a germa-isonitrile featuring a terminal N≡Ge triple bond and a pseudo-monocoordinate germanium atom has been isolated in the condensed phase. Its reactivity towards selected organic substrates and transition metal complexes has also been explored.

As quantum simulations advance, improving classical methods for modelling quantum systems remains crucial as they provide key benchmarks for quantum simulators. Here the authors present a scalable tensor-network algorithm for simulating open quantum systems, addressing key limitations of existing approaches.

Intermolecular singlet fission (xSF) has typically been observed when the interchromophore separation is below ∼5.6 Å because the chromophore coupling is dominated by van der Waals forces. Now, using carbon nanohoop assemblies that allow the chromophore assembly and coupling to be modulated, efficient xSF has been observed at chromophore separations distances up to ∼16 Å.

Intramolecular proton relays are proposed to enhance oxygen evolution for heterogeneous (hydro)oxide electrocatalysts, but molecular-level evidence remains limited. Now it has been shown, using an aza-fused microporous polymer with Ni–Fe sites, that adjacent Ni³⁺–OH sites relay protons from Fe⁴⁺=O, accelerating the water nucleophilic attack pathway and achieving high turnover frequencies with pH-tunable kinetics.

YTHDC2 is a promising therapeutic target, but lacks potent inhibitors. Yang et al. develop a deep learning-based molecule generator EPMolGen. Using this model, they discover a potent, selective, and cell-active small molecule inhibitor of YTHDC2.

Tuning the electronic properties of nanocatalysts by doping them with uniformly dispersed hetero-metal atoms is an effective way to improve catalytic performance. Here, the authors show that weakening the Cu–O bond energy in CuO nanocatalysts boosts the efficiency of NH₃ oxidation.

A distinct class of ordered states without symmetry breaking is reported with perfect non-crystalline steric order. These ideal non-crystals exhibit non-trivial long-range orientational correlations and crystal-like properties.

Lattice gauge theories with non-local conservation laws are expected to thermalize locally. Using a Rydberg simulator, it is now shown that most charge patterns can remain effectively frozen, a phenomenon known as statistical localization.

The mechanism of the multiple-q charge density wave phase in the antiferromagnetic kagome metal FeGe is not fully understood. Here the authors reveal dimerization-driven hexagonal charge-diffuse precursor and identify the fraction of dimerized/undimerized states as the key order parameter of the phase transition.

Developing Ru-intermetallic catalysts for mild ammonia synthesis faces structural complexity. Here, machine learning identified Sc_1/8Nd_7/8Ru₂, optimizing Ru–N bonding and orbital hybridization, enhancing catalytic activity under mild conditions.

Polyamides (PAs) or nylons are types of plastics with wide applications, but due to their accumulation in the environment, strategies for their deconstruction are of interest. Here, the authors screen 40 potential nylon-hydrolyzing enzymes (nylonases) using a mass spectrometry-based approach and identify a thermostabilized N-terminal nucleophile hydrolase as the most promising for further development, as well as crucial targets for progressing PA6 enzymatic depolymerization.

The efficient low-temperature combustion of stable alkanes remains a major challenge in catalysis. Now it has been shown that a Pt–Nb dual-atom catalyst enables propane combustion through a distinct stepwise-boosting, current-assisted atomic relay mechanism, yielding complete conversion below 200 °C and a high turnover frequency.

Polyamide depolymerisation typically requires harsh conditions and has a limited substrate scope. Here, the authors use methyl tosylate to depolymerise polyamides under mild conditions via alcoholysis, yielding ε-caprolactam, amino acid esters, diamines, and diesters.

The synthesis and isolation of compounds featuring lanthanide–carbon triple bonds remain challenging. Now a cluster featuring a cerium–carbon triple bond has been stabilized inside a C₈₀ fullerene cage. The solid-state structure of the compound reveals a cerium–carbon bond distance of 1.969(7) Å.

67 million customers across the US rely on drinking water utilities that face higher climate risk than accounted for, which exposes major gaps in climate adaptation and resilience planning, suggests an assessment of vulnerability, exposure, and hazards across 1,455 municipal utilities.

The ability to selectively break a chemical bond in a molecule is indispensable to chemical synthesis. Here, the authors show that a hundred-fold bond selectivity can be obtained in electron-induced surface reaction due simply to different bond alignments at the surface.

The rational design of autonomous light-powered molecular motors remains a formidable challenge in nanoscience. Now, a photochemically driven diazene-based rotary motor has been shown to rotate around a single bond, with a preferred direction that can be reversed by changing the wavelength of the irradiation light.

Many chemical reactions rely on the preference of copper for positive oxidation states. In this work, the authors report that the reaction of an N-heterocyclic carbene ligated copper alkoxide with a dimeric magnesium(I) compound results in a stable compound with a Cu-Mg bond which acts as a nucleophilic source copper in the formal oxidation state of Cu(-I).

Two-dimensional boridene supports neuromorphic optoelectronic computing through anomalous electrical anisotropy. Its low-temperature deposition supports back-end-of-line-compatible fabrication of twelve-inch wafer arrays.

The isolation of compounds featuring an actinide–actinide bond is challenging. Now a well-defined Th(III) dimer with a Th–Th two-centre one-electron (2c-1e) σ bond and a 2c-1e π bond is synthesized. Theoretical and magnetic studies show that the open-shell singlet ground state and the two formal Th(III) centres exhibit strong antiferromagnetic coupling.

The interfaces in perovskite solar cells are critical to the device performance. Li et al. tune the bond strength of the interfacial molecule with the perovskite and the electron transport layer, increasing the power conversion efficiency of the cells.

A study presents a biocatalytic method for the formation of sterically hindered biaryl bonds, providing a tunable approach for assembling molecules with catalyst-controlled reactivity, site selectivity and atroposelectivity.

CO2 hydrogenation has emerged as a sustainable alternative for side-chain alkylation of methyl groups. Here, the authors present the side-chain alkylation of 4-methylpyridine using CO2 hydrogenation as a substitute for methanol, facilitated by a Zn40Zr60O/CsX tandem catalyst.

Molecular glue degraders have consistently been discovered retrospectively, despite their increasing importance. Herein, a high-throughput approach is described that modifies existing ligands into molecular glue degraders.

Despite the existence of many N–N-containing natural metabolites, little is known about the enzymatic mechanisms of N–N bond formation. Now, a catalytically relevant X-ray crystal structure of an N–N-bond-forming enzyme, PipS, is reported and detailed insights into its catalytic mechanism are provided.

The regulation of the catalyst’s layered structure on its catalytic performance is often neglected. Here, authors demonstrate in-situ formed H-bonds, originating from the layer structure of 1D metal-organic framework, optimize the *OOH adsorption for selective H₂O₂ electrosynthesis.

Recent vibrational spectroscopy experiments suggested that excess proton transport in water is more complex than previously thought. Now the proton transport mechanism has been explored using neural-network-based simulations and related to experimental measurements through vibrational spectra calculations. It was observed to be a three-step process gated by two successive hydrogen-bond exchanges.

Achieving toroidal magnetic moments in molecular systems is challenging. Now homochiral toroidal magnetic ground states have been realized in propeller-shaped chiral Dy(III)-based single-molecule toroics, enabling toroidal spin states to be detected through magneto-chiral dichroism.

Femtosecond X-ray solution scattering reveals how solvent environments direct the outcome of ultrafast roaming reactions in bromoform, determining whether transient hot isomers undergo rapid solvolysis or rearrange into long-lived isomeric products.

Polycrystalline disorder often obscures the proton conduction pathways and mechanisms in covalent organic frameworks. Here, the authors functionalize 3D crystalline covalent organic frameworks under solvent-free conditions achieving anhydrous superprotonic conductivity and studied the mechanism behind.

Efficient acidic CO₂ reduction to HCOOH at high current density faces challenges of high overpotential, low Faraday efficiency, and poor stability. This study optimizes these three key metrics by modulating soft acid strength through interstitial atoms.

Decarboxylative azidation is a valuable transformation in organic chemistry, but a biocatalytic equivalent remained elusive. Now merging photoredox with metalloenzymatic catalysis enables the enantioselective decarboxylative radical azidation and thiocyanation of N-hydroxyphthalimide esters.

Methods for enzymatic C–F bond formation are rare. Now an enzymatic method for enantioselective C(sp³)–F bond formation is reported, through reprogramming non-haem iron enzyme (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonate epoxidase. Mechanistic studies reveal that the process proceeds through an iron-mediated radical fluorine transfer process.

Studying many-body quantum chaos on current quantum hardware is hindered by noise and limited scalability. Now it is shown that a superconducting processor, combined with error mitigation, can accurately simulate dual-unitary circuit dynamics.

When a wave packet traces a conical intersection, its phase must change a sign. The authors show direct experimental and computational evidence of this geometric phase effect for the hydrogen exchange reaction H + D₂ → HD + D.

The authors introduce Bond-selective Intensity Diffraction Tomography, a computational mid-infrared photothermal microscopy technique based on a standard bright-field microscope and an add-on pulsed light source. It recovers both mid-infrared spectra and bond-selective 3D refractive index maps based on intensity-only measurements.

Authors unveil how strain precisely tailors octahedral tilts, charge transfer, and orbital–spin reconstruction in LSMO/LCO bilayers, enabling robust interfacial Mn–Co antiferromagnetism and tunable magnetism.

Many biological systems appear to organize their dynamics close to a critical point. Now it is shown that the protein array mediating Escherichia coli chemosensing is near-critical, enabling large signal amplification without compromising response speeds.

This study investigates a calcium-permeable AMPAR–gated microcircuit in the nucleus accumbens during social bonding in prairie voles. By showing that disrupting calcium-permeable AMPAR signaling impairs ensemble-level encoding despite increasing single-neuron selectivity, the work reveals how coordinated ensemble dynamics transform social interaction into enduring attachment.

The transcription factor ATF4 and its effector lipocalin 2 (LCN2) have a key role in immune evasion and tumour progression, and targeting the ATF4–LCN2 axis might provide a way to treat several types of solid tumour by increasing anti-cancer immunity.

Icosahedral viruses package their genomes into a proteinaceous capsid to near crystalline density. Here, the authors report cryo-EM-based insights into the post-packaging genome positioning, virion assembly and maturation mechanisms in the tailed bacteriophage T4.

Two-dimensional perovskite phases at the bottom interfaces of solar cells improve performance, but their formation is challenging. To address this, Zhao et al. graft the 2D perovskite-phase precursor onto a functionalized SnO₂ electrode substrate.

Authors in this study report cryo-EM structures of human V1aR in its apo state and in complexes with antagonists. Structural analyses reveal a dimeric assembly, flat ECL2 with unpaired cysteines in apo state, and uncover distinct binding modes and key determinants for antagonism and selectivity.

Multislice electron ptychography reveals that gradient-distributed ions induce progressive lattice distortions from bulk to surface, driving monoclinic γ-WO3 electrochromic materials to transform into tetragonal and cubic phases and forming the gradient-distributed colour centers.