Reviews & Analysis

Defect-free Sierpiński triangles can be self-assembled on a silver surface through a combination of molecular design and thermal annealing. Three-fold halogen-bonding arrays and precise surface epitaxy preclude structural errors, thus enabling the high-level complexity of these supramolecular fractal patterns.

In 1972, Baird showed theoretically that the electron counting rule for aromaticity and antiaromaticity in the lowest ππ^* triplet state is opposite to that in the electronic ground state. A pair of compounds that manifests this reversal in character has now been identified and characterized experimentally for the first time.

Symbiotic bacteria synthesize many specialized small molecules; however, establishing the role these chemicals play in human health and disease has been difficult. Now, the chemical structure and mechanism of the Escherichia coli product colibactin provides insight into the link between this secondary metabolite and colorectal cancer.

Scaling relations between the molecular structures of reactive intermediates and the strength of the bonds they form with flat surfaces have now been extended to also predict how bonding strength is affected by surface topography. These relations can be applied to design more efficient nanoparticle catalysts.

Analysing post-translational modifications of histone proteins as they occur within chromatin is challenging due to their large number and chemical diversity. A major step forward has now been achieved by using split intein chemistry to engineer functionalized histones within cells.

New synthetic routes to porous materials can be developed by taking advantage of a solid's weaknesses. This approach can lead to new products that break the rules of what is currently feasible.

The first synthesis of the all-cis isomer of 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexafluorocyclohexane, a molecule with one hydrocarbon face and one fluorocarbon face, is a tour de force of organofluorine chemistry and opens up new possibilities for molecular design.

Membranes are key components for the removal of greenhouse gases during fuel generation processes, such as hydrogen production, but simultaneous permeability and selectivity is difficult to obtain. This has now been achieved in ultrathin membranes that use the size-selective porosity of metal–organic frameworks to separate CO₂ from H₂.

Building on our understanding of the chemical bond, advances in synthetic chemistry, and large-scale computation, materials design has now become a reality. From a pool of 400 unknown compositions, 15 new compounds have been realized that adopt the predicted structures and properties.

Identifying the contribution of different surface sites to the overall kinetics of molecular desorption from solid surfaces is difficult even when using single crystals. A new technique that combines molecular beams with UV−UV double resonance spectroscopy resolves this problem for the case of carbon monoxide on Pt(111).

The spontaneous syntheses of some of life's building blocks from simple precursors have previously been demonstrated in isolation. Now it has been shown that they might all emerge from just one set of ingredients.

A supramolecular polymer comprising stacked artificial chromophores to which zinc(II) complexes are appended is able to respond to enzymatic hydrolysis in aqueous solution. The assembly of molecules can twist reversibly and quickly in response to changes in the type of adenosine phosphate present.

Supramolecular assembly has been used to design and create new proteins capable of performing biomimetic functions in complex environments such as membranes and inside living cells.

Ferroelectric materials hold much promise for the development of devices such as nonvolatile memories, sensors and nonlinear optic materials. This Review describes the molecular features required to devise organic molecular ferroelectrics, and presents the supramolecular chemistry strategies available for controlling molecular organization and dynamics across different length scales.

The ability of enzymes to direct the synthesis of complex natural products from simple starting materials is epitomized by terpene biosynthesis. Now, a supramolecular catalyst has been shown to mimic some of the reactivity of this process.

The structure of liquid water is intensely studied, but it is not clear what happens to it when a surface is introduced. Now with the aid of X-ray spectroscopy it has been found that water molecules at the interface with a gold electrode have a different structure than in the bulk.

Nanoporous carbon is attractive for separation purposes, but its use for low-pressure water capture has remained a challenge. Carbon cuboids have now been prepared that combine high hydrophilicity with a microporous architecture suitable for efficient trapping of atmospheric water vapour.

Replication of long nucleic acid sequences was required for the evolution of biological complexity during the origin of life; however, short sequences are normally better replicators than long ones. A common physical environment now provides a simple mechanism to reverse this trend and enables long sequences to flourish.

In their natural environment, membrane proteins are surrounded by lipids, but the effect that the lipids have on the proteins is not easy to assess. Now, controlling the extent of delipidation has enabled the study of these interactions.

Previously conspicuous by its absence, a syn-selective dichlorination reaction of alkenes has now been reported, bringing together decades-old stoichiometric chemistry in a useful catalytic process.