Reaction mechanisms
The latest chemistry news and research on reaction mechanisms, including kinetic studies, physical organic chemistry and biochemical mechanisms, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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FeatureFrustrated Lewis pairs mark 20 years of metal-free catalysis
James Mitchell Crow explains how an unexpected discovery in main group chemistry inspired two decades of chemical creativity, from carbon dioxide reduction to fluorocarbon recycling, offering sustainable alternatives to precious metal catalysis
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ResearchUnruly [1,2]-Wittig reaction tamed to produce products with precise stereochemistry
Stubborn rule-breaker becomes a model reaction by sidestepping radical reaction mechanism altogether
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ResearchBall-milled sodium provides easy access to organometallic reagent
Solvent-free organosodium is a promising alternative to lithium reagents
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ResearchStable nitrogen chiral centres are possible – under the right conditions
Chiral nitrogen compounds might one day be used as reagents, catalysts or even as drugs
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ResearchOne-pot atom swap chemistry allows direct indole-to-benzimidazole conversion
Industrial chemists set to benefit from addition to skeletal editing toolbox
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ResearchReimagining synthetic strategy with skeletal editing ticks box on chemists’ wish list
Selective heteroatom alkylation offers route to modify important drug building blocks
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ResearchLight-activated catalyst sorts mirror-image molecules by resetting carbon–halogen bonds
Photocatalytic reaction that inverts chiral centres offers new way to enrich racemic mixtures
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ResearchForbidden electrocyclic reactions can be more allowed than previously thought
Study suggests such reactions should instead be described as either ‘Woodward–Hoffmann favoured’ or ‘Woodward–Hoffmann disfavoured’
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Opinion(–)-Scabrolide B (again!)
Proverbially, comparison may not bring joy – but it can be educational
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ResearchNew Wittig reaction pathway proves old dog can learn new tricks
Breakthrough offers simple way to synthesise diverse triazabutadienes with a range of applications
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FeatureThe new signs bringing greater understanding to organic chemistry
Rebecca Trager speaks to a US team developing a sign language lexicon for chemistry concepts that combines form with meaning to make the field more accessible for everyone
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ResearchSynthetic strategies overcome Bredt’s rule, unlocking complex bridgehead alkenes
Two research groups propose new synthetic strategies for making ‘impossible’ molecules, defying a 100-year-old bonding rule
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ResearchNew database unlocks predictive power of radical polarity
Resource could help reduce trial and error in synthesis
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ResearchForce-sensitive molecule pulled apart to create highly reactive aryne
High-intensity ultrasound initiates formal retro-[2+2] cycloaddition by stretching a benzocyclobutene core from strategically placed anchor points
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ResearchDesigner ylide transfers single carbon atoms
Single-atom carbon transfer reagent provides the latest breakthrough in skeletal editing
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ResearchElectrochemical reaction outcomes controlled by customised AC waveforms
Programmed alternating currents allow researchers to choose between reaction mechanisms with the flick of a switch
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ResearchHow A-level chemistry solved the 200-year-old problem with the haloform reaction
Mechanistic analysis reveals unknown steps in undergraduate staple, the haloform reaction
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FeatureIlluminating antiaromaticity
Aromaticity’s dark alter-ego is ready to emerge into the sunlight. James Mitchell Crow talks to the scientists trying to exploit the instability