News & Comment

A phosphine catalyses the formation of multiple rings and stereocentres in a single step from a simple linear precursor.

Tethering a nickel complex to carbon nanotubes creates an effective catalyst for fuel cells.

A simple fluorescence quenching method can be used to visualize graphene.

Electron tomography has revealed the interior structure of a calcite–agarose composite material.

Charge transfer in a donor–bridge–acceptor ensemble is shown to be affected by exciting the vibrational modes of the hydrogen-bonded bridging groups.

The conversion of carbon dioxide into methanol has been achieved by a metal-free homogeneous process.

A cluster formed by calixarenes coordinated to a mixed metal manganese–gadolinium magnetic core has excited states that are populated at low temperature, and shows promise for magnetic refrigeration systems.

Unusual ozonide and adamantane motifs are essential for the activity of next-generation antimalarial drugs.

A molecular crystal shows extremely large anisotropic positive and negative thermal expansion.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2009 was awarded for research into the structure and function of the ribosome, sparking debate about its significance to chemists.

Can philosophy make worthwhile contributions to science? Eric Scerri thinks it can, and looks at what it has brought to the table for chemistry.

Magnesium is commonly found in rocks and sea water as well as living organisms. Paul Knochel relates how this element has also sparked a great deal of interest among chemists.

New web-based models of scholarly communication have made a significant impact in some scientific disciplines, but chemistry is not one of them. What has prevented the widespread adoption of these developments by chemists — and what are the prospects for adoption over time?

Proton hydrates that have an extensive charge delocalization can aggregate into proton wires within carborane nanochannels.

The ultrafast protonation of bicarbonate by a photoacid gives a glimpse of the elusive aqueous carbonic acid species.

A protein cage acts as a mould for growing coordination polymers with precise control over the size of the resulting particles.

Encapsulating arsenic- and platinum-based drugs together in the same liposome carrier has increased their efficiency for targeted cancer treatment and stability.