Research Highlight |
Featured
-
-
Editorial |
Clean energy can fuel the future — and make the world healthier
Research challenges the myth that clean energy acts as a brake on global economic development.
-
Article
| Open AccessBonding wood with uncondensed lignins as adhesives
A straightforward strategy for preparing lignin-based wood adhesives from lignocellulosic biomass is described, with the resulting adhesives demonstrating performance attractive for plywood manufacture.
- Guangxu Yang
- , Zhenggang Gong
- & Li Shuai
-
Research Briefing |
Multidecker sandwich compounds assembled into nano-rings
Sandwich compounds are molecules in which two planar molecular rings sandwich a metal ion ‘filling’ between them. The chemistry of these compounds has been extended by the assembly of nano-rings from 18 identical sandwich-type building blocks.
-
Article |
Synthesis and properties of cyclic sandwich compounds
The design, synthesis and characterization of a series of circular sandwich compounds, cyclocenes, is described, and these cyclic sandwich compounds are expected to lead to further innovations in new functional organometallic materials.
- Luca Münzfeld
- , Sebastian Gillhuber
- & Peter W. Roesky
-
News & Views |
Improved theory of ocean iron cycle resolves modelling issues
A revised conceptual model of the chemical and physical forms of iron in the ocean reconciles the mismatch between observations and simulations of the amount of dissolved iron in seawater — and might aid climate predictions.
- Brandy M. Toner
-
Research Briefing |
Lithium forms perfect polyhedra in ultrafast-charging batteries
The performance of next-generation batteries is closely linked to the shape of deposits of metallic lithium that form during charging. Experiments in ultrafast-charging batteries have now revealed that lithium intrinsically forms geometrically perfect 12-face polyhedra, independently of various factors that were long thought to affect the shape of lithium deposits.
-
World View |
Power companies must adapt to climate change now. Here’s how researchers can help
To protect millions from unnecessary power outages, utility companies need one thing above all: data.
- Juliet Homer
-
News Feature |
Could the world go PFAS-free? Proposal to ban ‘forever chemicals’ fuels debate
A European agency is considering sweeping restrictions on fluorinated chemicals used in jet engines, electric cars, refrigeration systems, semiconductors and many consumer products.
- XiaoZhi Lim
-
News & Views |
Sixty years since the report of global lead pollution
The 1963 discovery that even the vast oceans were highly contaminated with lead from car exhausts sparked debate and policy changes that benefited the health of millions — and revolutionized the practices of marine biogeochemistry.
- Jerome Nriagu
-
Editorial |
The global fight for critical minerals is costly and damaging
Elements such as rare-earth metals are crucial for the clean-energy transition. Sustainability, equity and security are all at risk in the rush to break China’s dominance over their production.
-
Article |
Spin–vibronic coherence drives singlet–triplet conversion
Many aspects of materials chemistry rely on singlet–triplet spin conversion, but spin–vibronic effects are shown to accelerate the process when vibronic coupling causes the quantum-mechanical mixing of spin states.
- Shahnawaz R. Rather
- , Nicholas P. Weingartz
- & Lin X. Chen
-
Editorial |
Plastic waste is everywhere — and countries must be held accountable for reducing it
As UN negotiations on eliminating plastic pollution enter a crucial phase, researchers must play their part in designing adequate measurement, monitoring and compliance systems.
-
Article
| Open AccessDiverse organic-mineral associations in Jezero crater, Mars
Raman and fluorescence spectra, consistent with several species of aromatic organic molecules, are reported in the Crater Floor sequences of Jezero crater, Mars, suggesting multiple mechanisms of organic synthesis, transport, or preservation.
- Sunanda Sharma
- , Ryan D. Roppel
- & Anastasia Yanchilina
-
Article |
Homomeric chains of intermolecular bonds scaffold octahedral germanium perovskites
We report assembly of an organic scaffold within perovskite structures, resulting in the suppression of the lone pair expression of Ge and templating the symmetric octahedra.
- Amin Morteza Najarian
- , Filip Dinic
- & Edward H. Sargent
-
Comment |
How to build a circular economy for rare-earth elements
Rare-earth elements that are crucial for clean-energy technologies are jealously fought over. Policies and programmes to encourage recycling and recovery could reduce tensions.
- Yong Geng
- , Joseph Sarkis
- & Raimund Bleischwitz
-
World View |
The G20 should forge a pact to support nations’ shifts to a low-carbon future
Fossil fuels should be used sparingly, in the areas where they contribute most to human welfare.
- Navroz K. Dubash
-
Article |
Regioselective aliphatic C–H functionalization using frustrated radical pairs
Regioselective functionalization of aliphatic carbon–hydrogen bonds is achieved using frustrated radical pairs generated from disilazide donors and an N-oxoammonium acceptor.
- Zhipeng Lu
- , Minsoo Ju
- & Song Lin
-
Article |
Optimality guarantees for crystal structure prediction
An algorithm has been developed that can provably predict the lowest energy structure of crystalline materials using a combination of combinatorial optimization and integer programming.
- Vladimir V. Gusev
- , Duncan Adamson
- & Matthew J. Rosseinsky
-
Nature Podcast |
Audio long read: ‘Almost magical’ — chemists can now move single atoms in and out of a molecule’s core
Methods to insert, swap or delete atoms in the backbones of molecules could transform medicinal chemistry.
- Mark Peplow
- & Benjamin Thompson
-
Outlook |
Robots need better batteries
As mobile machines travel farther from the grid, they’ll need lightweight and efficient power sources.
- Jeff Hecht
-
Obituary |
John Bannister Goodenough, battery pioneer (1922–2023)
Materials scientist and Nobel laureate who invented the rechargeable lithium batteries used in electric cars and phones.
- Bill David
- & Michael Thackeray
-
Research Briefing |
World’s largest ocean ‘dead zone’ was well oxygenated during past warm period
The eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, which today is a major oxygen-deficient zone, or ‘dead zone’, was well oxygenated during the Miocene warm period about 16 million years ago. This finding supports model simulations suggesting that modern oxygen loss from the ocean might eventually reverse.
-
Article
| Open AccessPhotocatalytic phosphine-mediated water activation for radical hydrogenation
Using a photocatalytic phosphine-mediated radical process under mild conditions enables direct hydrogen atom transfer to closed-shell π systems for activation of water.
- Jingjing Zhang
- , Christian Mück-Lichtenfeld
- & Armido Studer
-
Article |
Continuous carbon capture in an electrochemical solid-electrolyte reactor
By combining O2/H2O redox electrolysis with a modular solid-electrolyte reactor, a design for continuous electrochemical carbon capture showing high capture rates, high Faradaic efficiencies and low energy consumption is demonstrated.
- Peng Zhu
- , Zhen-Yu Wu
- & Haotian Wang
-
Article
| Open AccessSingle molecule infrared spectroscopy in the gas phase
Using tagging spectroscopy, the infrared spectrum of a single organic molecule in the gas phase has been successfully measured.
- Aaron Calvin
- , Scott Eierman
- & David Patterson
-
Article
| Open AccessFemtosecond proton transfer in urea solutions probed by X-ray spectroscopy
The potential of water-window X-ray absorption spectroscopy for disentangling individual aspects of the respective electronic and structural dynamics in ultrafast non-adiabatic dynamics of molecular systems in a liquid environment is established.
- Zhong Yin
- , Yi-Ping Chang
- & Hans Jakob Wörner
-
Correspondence |
Germany: luring drivers onto public transport
- Mark A. Andor
- , Fabian T. Dehos
- & Lukas Tomberg
-
News & Views |
From the archive: chemical symbols and an octopus baby boom
Snippets from Nature’s past.
-
Article |
Functional-group translocation of cyano groups by reversible C–H sampling
Using light-based, reversible C−H sampling catalysis, a cyano functional group can be swapped with a C−H bond in a molecule, providing access to valuable structures that are difficult to obtain by other methods.
- Ken Chen
- , Qingrui Zeng
- & Yan Xu
-
Career Feature |
How to hatch, brew and craft the perfect maths partnership
Mathematicians and their collaborators discuss the joys and challenges of working together on projects in science and the arts.
- Rachel Crowell
-
News & Views |
Rarely used strained molecules step up for organic synthesis
Energy released from molecules under strain can promote difficult chemical reactions. A practical method has been developed that uses an overlooked, highly strained compound to rapidly construct complex organic products.
- Fahima I. M. Idiris
- & Christopher R. Jones
-
Research Briefing |
Nickel catalyses a host of chemical reactions in a general method
A minimal but general method has been developed for catalysing many different cross-coupling reactions — those in which two chemical fragments are joined. It requires only the two substrate substances, a nickel salt as a catalyst precursor, a catalyst for light-driven redox reactions and, in some cases, a nitrogen-containing base.
-
Article |
General cross-coupling reactions with adaptive dynamic homogeneous catalysis
A self-adjustive catalytic system with nickel under visible-light-driven redox reaction conditions provides a general method for carbon–(hetero)atom cross-coupling reactions and is demonstrated for nine different bond-forming reactions.
- Indrajit Ghosh
- , Nikita Shlapakov
- & Burkhard König
-
Research Briefing |
Nanoparticles containing diverse elements made using liquid metal
The synthesis of high-entropy alloy nanoparticles (HEA-NPs) — small particles each containing multiple principal metal elements — typically requires extreme conditions to ensure adequate mixing of constituents. Innovative experiments show that the liquid metal can act as a mixing reservoir to facilitate the synthesis of a diverse range of such nanoparticles in mild conditions.
-
Article
| Open AccessSingle-photon absorption and emission from a natural photosynthetic complex
Using a heralded single-photon source along with coincidence counting, we establish time correlation functions for B800 excitation and B850 fluorescence emission and demonstrate that both events involve single photons.
- Quanwei Li
- , Kaydren Orcutt
- & K. Birgitta Whaley
-
-
News Explainer |
Ukraine dam collapse: what scientists are watching
Extensive flooding could have severe consequences for farming, health and the environment.
- Miryam Naddaf
-
News & Views |
Lithium filaments wedge open cracks in solid-state batteries
The development of a promising type of battery has been plagued by an issue that causes these devices to fail — lithium filaments grow in the electrolyte. An investigation of this failure mechanism could help to solve the problem.
- Kelsey B. Hatzell
- & Maha Yusuf
-
Research Briefing |
Elastic ceramic plastic made using molecules with organic and inorganic parts
Hybrid molecules containing organic and inorganic components were assembled through bottom-up synthesis into a continuous network of interpenetrating molecular-scale organic and inorganic ionic domains. The resulting material, called elastic ceramic plastic, shows ceramic-like hardness and strength, rubber-like deformability and resilience, and plastic-like mouldability.
-
Article |
Organic–inorganic covalent–ionic molecules for elastic ceramic plastic
Covalent organic molecules can be combined with ionic inorganic molecules to create a hybrid material demonstrating paradoxical mechanical properties in a bottom-up manner, enabling the manufacture of an ‘elastic ceramic plastic’.
- Weifeng Fang
- , Zhao Mu
- & Zhaoming Liu
-
Article |
Dendrite initiation and propagation in lithium metal solid-state batteries
Analysis of dendrite initiation, owing to filling of pores with lithium by means of microcracks, and propagation, caused by wedge opening, shows that there are two separate processes during dendrite failure of lithium metal solid-state batteries.
- Ziyang Ning
- , Guanchen Li
- & Peter G. Bruce
-
News |
India cuts periodic table and evolution from school textbooks — experts are baffled
Nature has learnt that the periodic table, as well as evolution, won’t be taught to under-16s as they start the new school year.
- Dyani Lewis
-
Article |
Transannular C–H functionalization of cycloalkane carboxylic acids
Quinuclidine-pyridone and sulfonamide-pyridone ligands enable transannular γ-methylene C–H arylation of cycloalkane carboxylic acids with a range of ring sizes, bringing us closer to molecular editing of saturated carbocycles.
- Guowei Kang
- , Daniel A. Strassfeld
- & Jin-Quan Yu
-
News & Views |
How a protein differentiates between rare-earth elements
A protein has been discovered that binds to the lighter members of the rare-earth family of metals more strongly than to the heavier ones — an amazing feat, given the chemical similarities of these elements.
- Scott Banta
-
News Feature |
‘Almost magical’: chemists can now move single atoms in and out of a molecule’s core
An explosion of skeletal editing methods to insert, delete or swap individual atoms in molecular backbones could accelerate drug discovery.
- Mark Peplow
-
Article
| Open AccessEnhanced rare-earth separation with a metal-sensitive lanmodulin dimer
A study biochemically and structurally characterizes a lanmodulin from Hansschlegelia quercus with an oligomeric state sensitive to rare-earth ionic radius.
- Joseph A. Mattocks
- , Jonathan J. Jung
- & Joseph A. Cotruvo Jr
-
Article |
Characterization of just one atom using synchrotron X-rays
Using a specialized tip as a detector, the fingerprints of a single atom of iron and terbium are observed in synchrotron X-ray absorption spectra, allowing elemental and chemical characterization one atom at a time.
- Tolulope M. Ajayi
- , Nozomi Shirato
- & Saw-Wai Hla
-
Article |
Indefinite and bidirectional near-infrared nanocrystal photoswitching
This study reports unlimited near-infrared photoswitching in inorganic avalanching nanoparticles via a discrete shift of threshold intensity mediated by internal defect-based colour centres.
- Changhwan Lee
- , Emma Z. Xu
- & P. James Schuck
-
Correspondence |
Electricity outages delay SDGs in sub-Saharan Africa
- Qian Jia
- , Ying Wang
- & Fengting Li
Browse broader subjects
Browse narrower subjects
- Analytical chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Biosynthesis
- Catalysis
- Chemical biology
- Chemical education
- Chemical engineering
- Chemical safety
- Cheminformatics
- Chemistry publishing
- Communicating chemistry
- Coordination chemistry
- Electrochemistry
- Energy
- Environmental chemistry
- Green chemistry
- History of chemistry
- Inorganic chemistry
- Materials chemistry
- Medicinal chemistry
- Nuclear chemistry
- Organic chemistry
- Chemical origin of life
- Photochemistry
- Physical chemistry
- Polymer chemistry
- Process chemistry
- Supramolecular chemistry
- Surface chemistry
- Chemical synthesis
- Theoretical chemistry