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  • John Steele and Stephen Wallace discuss recent advances in the chemical and biotechnological synthesis of the prolific platform chemical adipic acid.

    • John F. C. Steele
    • Stephen Wallace
    In Your Element

  • Serotonin is known by many names — in science as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) or enteramine, and in popular culture as the ‘feel good’ chemical or the ‘happy hormone’. Cameron Movassaghi and Anne Andrews discuss the knowns and unknowns of this well-studied yet elusive neurotransmitter.

    • Cameron S. Movassaghi
    • Anne Milasincic Andrews
    In Your Element

  • Ciro Romano, Jack I. Mansell, and David J. Procter have explored the versatility and selectivity of samarium diiodide, and its use as a radical relay catalyst.

    • Ciro Romano
    • Jack I. Mansell
    • David J. Procter
    In Your Element

  • Thomas Kruse and Søren Østergaard reflect on the development of the GLP-1 analogue, semaglutide, which is reshaping peptide therapeutics in type 2 diabetes, weight management, and beyond.

    • Thomas Kruse
    • Søren Østergaard
    In Your Element

  • Dewran Kocak and Bryan Roth discuss a psychedelic — 5-MeO-DMT — and what we might learn from its properties.

    • D. Dewran Kocak
    • Bryan L. Roth
    In Your Element

  • Daniel Rabinovich outlines the story of insulin, the essential drug for the treatment of diabetes during the past century.

    • Daniel Rabinovich
    In Your Element

  • Didier Astruc surveys the numerous applications of ferrocene, from catalysis to materials and redox-related devices including biosensors and nanomedicine.

    • Didier Astruc
    In Your Element

  • Few explosives are better-known to non-chemists than trinitrotoluene (TNT). Thomas M. Klapötke reflects on the enduring appeal of TNT and whether its starring role as an explosive is nearing its end.

    • Thomas M. Klapötke
    In Your Element

  • Clinton Veale and Fanie van Heerden discuss the story of natamycin. From its humble telluric origins in Pietermaritzburg, this unique antimicrobial agent has risen to become a mainstay of the food and beverages industry.

    • Clinton G. L. Veale
    • Fanie R. van Heerden
    In Your Element

  • Fiona C. Meldrum and Helmut Cölfen chalk up some of the myriad forms and uses of calcium carbonate to burnish a ‘dull’ reputation.

    • Fiona C. Meldrum
    • Helmut Cölfen
    In Your Element

  • Martin Johansen and Abhik Ghosh reflect on the unusual chemistry of carbones — whose central carbon atom bears two lone pairs — and their role as double-dative ligands.

    • Martin A. L. Johansen
    • Abhik Ghosh
    In Your Element

  • Rajeev K. Dubey and Frank Würthner discuss the colourful character of perylene bisimides and the impact of aggregation on their functional properties.

    • Rajeev K. Dubey
    • Frank Würthner
    In Your Element

  • Organisms that glow are perhaps eerie. Vadim Viviani ponders on the luciferin–luciferase systems responsible for their intriguing bioluminescence.

    • Vadim R. Viviani
    In Your Element

  • Jane Liao and Allie C. Obermeyer explore the discovery, modification and applications of green fluorescent protein, best known for its use as a tool to cast light on cellular processes.

    • Jane Liao
    • Allie C. Obermeyer
    In Your Element

  • Rahul Dev Mukhopadhyay and Kimoon Kim consider how cucurbiturils — pumpkin-shaped macrocycles — went from curiosities to compelling cavitands for a host of applications.

    • Rahul Dev Mukhopadhyay
    • Kimoon Kim
    In Your Element

  • Methane hydrate clogs pipelines, is difficult to extract profitably, and exists in quantities sufficient to screw up Earth’s climate. Brett Thornton and Christian Stranne consider this confounding cage compound.

    • Brett F. Thornton
    • Christian Stranne
    In Your Element

  • Carina Crucho and Maria Teresa Barros consider the rich chemistry of sucrose, a carbohydrate that makes life sweeter.

    • Carina I. C. Crucho
    • Maria Teresa Barros
    In Your Element

  • Abhik Ghosh explores the structure, chemistry and applications of corroles, a class of sterically constrained macrocyclic tetrapyrroles.

    • Abhik Ghosh
    In Your Element

  • Madison Knapp and Jennifer Bridwell-Rabb explore the functions of chlorophyll and explain how our understanding of this green pigment has changed over time.

    • Madison Knapp
    • Jennifer Bridwell-Rabb
    In Your Element