Nature Chemistry Contents August 2014 Volume 6 Number 8 pp 653-746

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TABLE OF CONTENTS August 2014 Volume 6, Issue 8 Thesis Books and Arts Research Highlights Blogroll News and Views Perspective Articles Erratum In Your Element Subscribe   Facebook   RSS   Recommend to library   Twitter   Advertisement Nature Milestones in Crystallography Nature Milestones in Crystallography is a collaboration from Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Nanotechnology and Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, and celebrates the International Year of Crystallography 2014.  Access the Milestones supplement FREE online for six months.  Associated Society International Union of Crystallography Produced with support from the worldwide network of neutron and X-ray sources   Thesis Top Reproducibility   pp653 - 654 Bruce C. Gibb doi:10.1038/nchem.2017 Bruce Gibb looks back at some examples of irreproducible reactions in his own laboratory and suggests ways in which the reproducibility of chemical reactions can be maximized. Books and Arts Top Fresh air   p655 Timothy W. Lyons reviews Oxygen: A Four Billion Year History by Donald E. Canfield doi:10.1038/nchem.2019 Research Highlights Top Template-directed synthesis: Running rings around rings | C-H activation: Additional directions | Carbon dioxide capture: Natural gas scrubs up well | Anticancer agents: Sensitive after a knockdown Blogroll Top Blogroll: Yoghurt vs Scientists   p657 Marshall Brennan doi:10.1038/nchem.2016 News and Views Top Self-assembly: Phases full of fullerenes   pp658 - 659 Albert P. H. J. Schenning and Subi J. George doi:10.1038/nchem.2013 Self-assembled amphiphiles are more common in the realm of aqueous systems than in organic solvents. Their scope has now been expanded with the advent of 'hydrophobic amphiphiles' of π-conjugated-alkyl systems, which show various self-assembled phases similar to classical amphiphiles. See also: Article by Hollamby et al. Asymmetric catalysis: A radical revolution in synthesis   pp659 - 661 Andrew F. Parsons doi:10.1038/nchem.2012 A newly designed thiol catalyst for radical cyclization reactions is the result of a long and storied battle to control the reactivity of carbon-centred radicals. See also: Article by Hashimoto et al. C-H activation: The road less travelled to amination   pp661 - 663 Olga V. Zatolochnaya and Vladimir Gevorgyan doi:10.1038/nchem.2018 Intramolecular aliphatic C-H amination reactions are greatly sought-after for the synthesis of N-containing heterocycles, but current methods require the use of highly activated nitrogen sources. Now, aziridination and lactamization have been achieved using fully aliphatic, unactivated, secondary amines. Fluorescence microscopy: Strategic blinking   pp663 - 664 Gražvydas Lukinavičius and Kai Johnsson doi:10.1038/nchem.2020 For decades chemists have focused on increasing the brightness of fluorophores. In super-resolution microscopy, however, fluorophores that preferentially exist in a non-fluorescent state, but occasionally re-arrange into a fluorescent form, can give better results. See also: Article by Uno et al. Chemistry JOBS of the week Full Professorship (W3) for Organic Chemistry Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultat II der Martin-Luther-Universitat Halle-Wittenberg PhD-Organic Chemistry / Biocatalysis / Chemical Biology Manchester Metropolitan University Postdoctoral Research Associate in Medicinal / Synthetic Chemistry The University of Sheffield University Professorship (W3 BBesO) in Medicinal Chemistry and the position of Director of the Institute of Medicinal Chemistry in Hannover Helmholtz Zentrum München More Science jobs from Chemistry EVENT A Celebration of Organic Chemistry 2014 22.09.14 Surrey, UK More science events from Perspective Top Mimicking nature with synthetic macromolecules capable of recognition   pp665 - 672 Clare S. Mahon and David A. Fulton doi:10.1038/nchem.1994 Biological systems have evolved sophisticated machinery to assemble polymeric receptors capable of molecular recognition. Although such precise levels of structural control are currently inaccessible to chemists, impressive progress has been made towards the realization of wholly synthetic analogues of antibodies and other proteins. Protein structure from H. Li et al. Biochemistry 33, 11734-11744 (1994); © American Chemical Society. Articles Top Discovery and introduction of a (3,18)-connected net as an ideal blueprint for the design of metal–organic frameworks   pp673 - 680 Vincent Guillerm, Łukasz J. Weseliński, Youssef Belmabkhout, Amy J. Cairns, Valerio D'Elia et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.1982 It is often difficult to predict or control the topologies of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) before synthesis. Now, the topology of a MOF has been used as an ideal blueprint for the deliberate design of a related MOF, by substitution of molecular building blocks with supermolecular building blocks. The two MOFs share the same underlying topology but have different chemical compositions. A spontaneously blinking fluorophore based on intramolecular spirocyclization for live-cell super-resolution imaging   pp681 - 689 Shin-nosuke Uno, Mako Kamiya, Toshitada Yoshihara, Ko Sugawara, Kohki Okabe et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2002 A self-blinking fluorophore suitable for super-resolution imaging has been developed. The blinking arises from a reversible intramolecular spirocyclization in a rhodamine-based fluorophore that switches between a fluorescent open form and a non-fluorescent closed form. The advantages over existing methodologies are demonstrated using single-molecule localization microscopy imaging inside cells. See also: News and Views by Lukinavičius & Johnsson Directed assembly of optoelectronically active alkyl–π-conjugated molecules by adding n-alkanes or π-conjugated species   pp690 - 696 Martin J. Hollamby, Maciej Karny, Paul H. H. Bomans, Nico A. J. M. Sommerdjik, Akinori Saeki et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.1977 Amphiphilic self-assembly usually involves molecules consisting of hydrophobic and hydrophilic segments. Now, this concept has been broadened to encompass the self-assembly of fully hydrophobic molecules that contain mutually immiscible alkyl and π-conjugated segments. Selective additives — n-alkanes or C60 — direct their assembly into various ordered and optoelectronically functional structures. Chemical compounds See also: News and Views by Schenning & George Direct observation of the collapse of the delocalized excess electron in water   pp697 - 701 Janne Savolainen, Frank Uhlig, Saima Ahmed, Peter Hamm and Pavel Jungwirth doi:10.1038/nchem.1995 It is generally believed that, after being generated, an excess electron in water shrinks from a strongly delocalized to a localized state in about a picosecond. Now, these early stages in the behaviour of this electron have been observed using a combination of transient THz spectroscopy and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. An organic thiyl radical catalyst for enantioselective cyclization   pp702 - 705 Takuya Hashimoto, Yu Kawamata and Keiji Maruoka doi:10.1038/nchem.1998 The ability of thiyl radicals to promote reactions has been known for decades although its extension to asymmetric catalysis has only rarely been explored. Now, an organic thiyl radical catalyst with a carefully structured chiral pocket has been designed as a means to achieve highly enantioselective radical cyclizations. Chemical compounds See also: News and Views by Parsons Vibronic coherence in oxygenic photosynthesis   pp706 - 711 Franklin D. Fuller, Jie Pan, Andrius Gelzinis, Vytautas Butkus, S. Seckin Senlik et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2005 Charge separation in oxygenic photosynthesis occurs with high quantum efficiency and is yet to be fully understood. Using two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy, coherent dynamics have now been observed in the photosystem II reaction centre, where charge separation occurs. Supporting simulations suggest that the coherences have mixed electronic–vibrational (vibronic) nature, and may enhance the rate of charge separation. Leaf image: © Michael Wesemann/Alamy. Controlling epithelial sodium channels with light using photoswitchable amilorides   pp712 - 719 Matthias Schönberger, Mike Althaus, Martin Fronius, Wolfgang Clauss and Dirk Trauner doi:10.1038/nchem.2004 Amiloride is a widely used diuretic that blocks epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs); however, the functional role of the different ENaC isoforms is still poorly understood and no pharmacological tools exist to differentiate between them. Now, photoswitchable amilorides that enable the optical control of ENaCs, and can distinguish between different ENaC isoforms have been developed. Chemical compounds The direct anti-Markovnikov addition of mineral acids to styrenes   pp720 - 726 Dale J. Wilger, Jean-Marc M. Grandjean, Taylor R. Lammert and David A. Nicewicz doi:10.1038/nchem.2000 Strong mineral acids usually add to alkenes such that hydrogen is added to the least substituted carbon — a pattern known as Markovnikov addition. Now, using photoredox catalysis in conjunction with a redox-active hydrogen atom donor, it has been shown that this pattern can be reversed to produce otherwise difficult to access products. Chemical compounds Observation of an all-boron fullerene   pp727 - 731 Hua-Jin Zhai, Ya-Fan Zhao, Wei-Li Li, Qiang Chen, Hui Bai et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.1999 Main-group analogues to fullerene-C60 have been predicted theoretically many times. Now, B40− has been observed using photoelectron spectroscopy and, with its neutral analogue, B40, confirmed computationally. In contrast to fullerene-C60, the all-boron fullerene (or borospherene) features triangles, hexagons and heptagons, bonded uniformly by delocalized σ and π bonds over the cage surface. Mass-selected nanoparticles of PtxY as model catalysts for oxygen electroreduction   pp732 - 738 Patricia Hernandez-Fernandez, Federico Masini, David N. McCarthy, Christian E. Strebel, Daniel Friebel et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2001 The widespread use of fuel cells requires improved catalysts to reduce oxygen efficiently at the cathode. It is shown that model, well-characterized size-selected PtxY nanoparticles can be synthesized by the gas aggregation technique, and that they are highly active for this reaction. Cooperative activation of cyclobutanones and olefins leads to bridged ring systems by a catalytic [4 + 2] coupling   pp739 - 744 Haye Min Ko and Guangbin Dong doi:10.1038/nchem.1989 Although widely used to form bridged ring systems, certain intramolecular Diels–Alder reactions are hampered by the strain inherent in forming an sp2-carbon at a bridgehead position. Now, an alternative strategy has been described to access these bridged ring systems through the C–C activation and coupling of cyclobutanones with olefins. Chemical compounds Erratum Top Erratum: Interrogating viral capsid assembly with ion mobility-mass spectrometry   p745 Charlotte Uetrecht, Ioana M. Barbu, Glen K. Shoemaker, Esther van Duijn and Albert J. R. Heck doi:10.1038/nchem.2025 In Your Element Top Made by molybdenum   p746 Anders Lennartson doi:10.1038/nchem.2011 Anders Lennartson muses on molybdenum and its essential role in catalysing reactions from the bacterial to the industrial scale. 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