Protein roll call : Peptide‐based building blocks, in which both an α‐helix‐forming segment and a β‐sheet segment are located within a single macrocyclic structure, self‐assemble into α‐helix‐decorated artificial proteins. This approach provides a starting point for developing artificial proteins that can modulate α‐helix‐mediated interactions occurring in a multivalent fashion.
Molecular switches : Highly efficient acido‐ and photoswitchable frequency doublers (see scheme) based on the indolinooxazolidine core are studied by means of hyper‐Rayleigh experiments and quantum‐chemical calculations.
A real tonic : In a conceptually new approach to controlled release, the natural daily insulin profile in response to three meals is mimicked (see graph) with release of an insulin conjugate from a matrix, triggered by quinine, a component of tonic water.
Rock trapping and exploration : Aziridinium bromide salts were discovered serendipitously during bromination of N,N‐dicarboxymethylated β‐amino alcohols. Regiospecific ring‐opening and rearrangement of the isolated, surprisingly stable aziridinium salts produces useful molecules including C‐functionalized oxomorpholines and α,β‐unsaturated amines.
Finding a clear route to new structures : The design of an adaptable time warping (ATW) methodology (see figure) for automatically, quickly, and reliably deciphering X‐ray diffraction patterns is described.
No copper needed : In recent years, a large number of metal‐free click reactions have been reported based on thiol‐ene radical additions, Diels–Alder reactions, and Michael additions. In this Minireview, special attention is given to the advantages and limitations of the different methods to evaluate whether they have the potential to surpass the overwhelming success of the copper(I)‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition.
Nanoparticle brushes : Complex nanostructures can be formed by self assembly of amphiphilic CdSe/CdS core–shell nanoparticles that bear a brushlike layer of poly(ethylene oxide) chains. This route is based on controlling the volume fractions of hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties within the particles and allows the formation of micellar, cylindrical, or vesicular nanoobjects (see picture).
Spotting clots : Vascularly constrained colloidal gold nanobeacons (GNBs; see picture) can be used as exogenous photoacoustic contrast agents for the targeted detection of fibrin, a major biochemical feature of thrombus. Fibrin‐targeted GNBs provide a more than tenfold signal enhancement in photoacoustic tomography in the near‐IR wavelength window, indicating their potential for diagnostic imaging.
All in a ball : Neutral molecular clusters consisting of a few thousand molecules can be seen as tiny snow balls; if they are thrown fast enough onto a surface, they are able to pick up biomolecules such as insulin from that surface. Since they break down and evaporate during and after the collision, bare biomolecular ions are available for mass spectrometry after such an energetic throw.
Up and down: Differential sensing of serine and tyrosine is achieved with aligned CdS nanowire arrays by exploring the pH‐dependent PL behavior of the nanowire arrays toward exposure to the two amino acid solutions (see picture).
Bleomycin mimics : Efficient oxidative double‐strand DNA cleavage has been achieved with multinuclear non‐heme iron complexes (see scheme). These complexes therefore represent model compounds that mimic the mode of action of the anti‐tumor drug bleomycin.
Just five steps! The synthesis of a phosphonate‐linked aminoglycoside‐coenzyme A derivative (see scheme) that includes a Michael addition in water has been realized in just five steps.
