News & Comment

In situ studies of a perovskite oxide under flowing hydrogen reveal from which position oxygen atoms are lost when the material is reduced

The formation of base pairs between nucleosides provides an ideal templating method to produce conjugated polymers with carefully controlled structures and properties.

Highly effective aluminosilicate catalysts can be made quickly by using a spray-drying process

Ice formed on a copper (110) surface has water molecules arranged in a pentagonal, rather than hexagonal, manner

The real-time detection of cocaine in blood serum has been achieved using an aptamer-based electrochemical sensing device

Rapid relaxation means that only very short acquisition times are needed for 2D-NMR of large protein assemblies and may allow the study of complex biological machinery

Metal ions are reversibly exchanged within single crystals in framework materials

The formation of a 'gold carbenoid' reveals that organogold intermediates have a highly cationic character

Adding a soluble 'stationary phase' to NMR spectroscopy samples enables the spectra of components in mixtures to be individually resolved

The deposition of corannulenes and two chiral derivatives on metal surfaces shows how the molecules lower their five-fold symmetry

Important mechanistic features of the oxidation of methanol over gold have been determined, resulting in a strategy to improve product selectivity

Charge distribution can significantly influence the arrangement of ions in a metal complex and have a marked effect on reactivity.

Replacing the conventional ligands of uranium metallocenes by a group with a 'soft–hard–soft' coordination environment leads to new reactivity patterns and structures for low- and high-valent uranium ions

The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide by gold–palladium alloy nanoparticles can be improved through a simple acid pretreatment of the carbon support

A cobalt atom surrounded by ten germanium atoms forms a triple anion with an unexpected structure

Platinum chloride clusters self-assemble during the chlorine-induced corrosion of a platinum surface, which leads to the formation of a mixed Cl–PtCl₄ adsorbed layer

A nitrogen-doped nanotube array that is stable, has a large surface area and impressive oxygen reduction activity has been developed for use in fuel cells

An ionic form of element number five, resembling the sodium chloride structure, has been discovered at high pressure

The asymmetric total synthesis of a naturally occurring toxin provides insights into the unusual reactivity of polychlorinated compounds

Proteins can be detected using ensembles of DNA G-quadruplexes functionalized with a medley of fluorophores