Reimagining synthetic strategy with skeletal editing ticks box on chemists’ wish list
Selective heteroatom alkylation offers route to modify important drug building blocks
Improving propylene synthesis using light-activated catalysis could cut emissions
Single-atom photocatalyst makes propylene at milder temperatures
Rare disease drug can make human blood toxic to mosquitoes
Insect enzyme inhibitor could help control malaria
Light-activated catalyst sorts mirror-image molecules by resetting carbon–halogen bonds
Photocatalytic reaction that inverts chiral centres offers new way to enrich racemic mixtures
Pacemaker the size of a grain of rice could save children’s lives after surgery
‘Bowtie-shaped’ molecule displays spin entanglement
Spray-drying investigated as a speedy method for synthesising small organic molecules
Miso fermented on the International Space Station is out of this world
Long-chain alkanes preserved in Martian mudstone
Collective coupling strength must be larger than previously thought to guarantee delocalised polaritons
Highlights
Crystal clear structure prediction
As the clouds clear on computational crystal structure prediction, is the technique ready to empower mainstream materials research? James Mitchell Crow reports
Making genetically engineered food palatable
The next generation of genetically altered food is forging ahead, aiming to be attractive to consumers rather than producers. Katrina Megget finds out whether Crispr means crisper salads
The circles of DNA that cause cancer
Ring-shaped extrachromosomal DNA is implicated in many cancers. Rachel Brazil talks to the scientists trying to uncover their secrets
The glyphosate debate
The EU has recently approved the use of glyphosate for another decade. Bárbara Pinho examines the controversial pesticide’s presence in British farming and considers the possibility of a ban in the UK
COFs head for the big time
Two decades on from the first reported covalent organic frameworks, Nina Notman investigates what their future holds
Topics
AI inspired by AlphaFold can predict chromatin structures found in chromosomes
System could help unravel how genome folding influences genes
Computational study says nucleophile finds σ-holes more attractive than π-holes
A σ-hole leads to a stronger bond with NH3 than a π-hole on the same atom
Computer simulations shed light on how material can shrink when heated
New theory offers insights into the origin of the very low and negative thermal expansion observed in cordierite
Simulations suggest why highly unsaturated molecules are so abundant in the interstellar medium
Computer simulation of carbonless DNA prompt researchers to consider alternative biochemistries
Chemists use AI to uncover pigments used on Berlin Wall murals
GPT-based AI tool predicts inorganic crystal structures
AI tool learns to build molecules fragment by fragment
Iron from single meteorite found in ancient Polish artefacts
Discoveries indicate meteoritic iron was falling out of fashion in the late iron age
Chemists use AI to uncover pigments used on Berlin Wall murals
Researchers hope work will help to preserve this art
Teaching enzymes new reactions through genetic code expansion and directed evolution
Anthony Green’s research group at the University of Manchester, UK, reengineers enzymes to have catalytic functions beyond those found in nature
Reading into the dangers of poison paint in Victorian-era books
Brightly coloured fabric covers hide poisonous dye legacy
Seed oil-based polymer should survive a day in the rain but degrade within years in the sea
Researchers create polyesteramides from brassylic acid and explore their potential as a replacement for polyethylene
Paul Anastas: ‘I’m proudest of being part of a global green chemistry community’
The father of green chemistry on his love of the environment, striving for unattainable perfection and breathing life into an old town library
Science needs to get its house in order when it comes to energy use and waste
Labs have an outsized environmental footprint but solutions are within reach
Biomass, plastic waste and carbon dioxide feedstocks key to cutting chemical industry’s emissions
Royal Society report warns that without intervention defossilisation of the chemicals sector will take many decades
Chemists funded to cut the environmental footprint of their labs
The Royal Society of Chemistry to support 33 projects in 11 countries aiming to make chemistry research greener
US energy department cap on indirect research costs temporarily halted after universities file lawsuit
Universities sue DOE after agency suddenly caps indirect research costs at 15%
Egypt set to join Horizon Europe
Egypt will be the second African nation to fully associate to the EU’s flagship research programme
‘Real danger in this moment’ for America’s research enterprise
There are stark warnings for the US amid science agency cuts, terminated research grants and detained graduate students
Jisc launches new line of defence to protect universities from cyber attacks
Security centre will identify unusual web traffic and threats
Chemistry courses to be shut down at the University of Bradford
Closures are part of a trend seen across UK universities