Chemistry - A European Journal

Nitro-charged activation: An organocatalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of aryl methyl nucleophiles to enals has been developed to produce ubiquitous chiral benzylic building blocks (see scheme). Taking advantage of the strongly electron-withdrawing nature of nitro groups, which can be conveniently transformed into other functionalities, this functionality was incorporated into aromatic systems as a temporary activating group.

Getting in tune: Systematic tuning of the electronic properties of modular non-heme iron coordination complexes can be used to extract important information on the reaction mechanism and intermediates, which in turn, help to explain the activity of these systems as water oxidation catalysts.

A PET biosensor: This study presents the first example of a sensitive, selective, and stable phosphorescent sensor based on phosphorescence energy transfer (PET) for thrombin that uses a thrombin–aptamer recognition event (see figure; QDs=quantum dots).

Phosphate-tether mediation: An array of examples of diastereoselective, phosphate tether-mediated ring-closing metathesis reactions, which highlight the importance of product ring size and substrate stereochemical complexity, is reported (see scheme). Bicyclo[n.3.1]phosphates can be prepared utilizing the tripodal coupling of C₂-symmetric dienediol subunits with a variety of simple, as well as complex, alcohol partners.

Taking shape nicely: The shape control of electro- and photochemically active calix[4]hydroquinone (CHQ) into nanoplates, ‒polygons and ‒tubes and their dynamic conversion into nanospheres and ‒hemispheres is demonstrated (see figure). CHQ nanostructures can be used to produce nanoshells and ‒cups with diverse shapes and sizes for a range of noble-metal coated, highly tunable plasmonic materials, generated without additional reducing agent.