A new way to make a bang : Several functionalized 1‐ethyl‐5‐aminotetrazoles, 1‐ethyl‐5‐nitrimino‐tetrazoles, and copper complexes have been synthesized and their chemical and energetic properties have been comprehensively characterized. The compounds belong to all classes of “energetic materials”: explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics.
A bicycle built for tubulin : The total synthesis of (+)‐chamaecypanone C has been achieved by using a tandem retro‐Diels–Alder/Diels–Alder cascade reaction (see scheme). Initial biological studies demonstrate that (+)‐chamaecypanone C is an inhibitor of tubulin assembly and binds at the colchicine site.
Hydrated ion nanocalorimetry is used to measure reduction energies and H atom affinities of gaseous hydrated ions by determining the energy deposited into these nanodrops from the number of water molecules lost upon reduction by thermally generated electrons (see figure).
Cys‐tematic modification : Cysteine is a versatile amino acid for selective chemical modification of proteins. Both chemical and biological innovations made possible by cysteine modification are highlighted in this Focus Review.
Fluorescent building blocks : Tetracarboxyamides with a central fluorescent diaminoterephthalate unit were prepared from succinyl succinates following a combinatorial‐like strategy. The 2,5‐diaminoterephthalates (see scheme; PG=protecting group) possess four points of diversification and are introduced as new scaffolds for combinatorial chemistry.
The center of it all : An antitumor‐active trinuclear platinum complex forms unprecedented interstrand cross‐linked triadducts with 18‐mer DNA duplexes (see figure; complex in yellow with the platinum centers in red) and behaves differently from its dinuclear analogue.
Asymmetric catalysis : A facile enantioselective Strecker reaction of ketimines with trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) was realized by employing chiral (S)‐BNPNa 3 e and PBAP as an additive (see image). A wide substrate scope and good‐to‐excellent enantioselectivities were achieved.
Guest Effect : The differences of nitrogen atom positions and the bridge bonds linked to two pyridine rings of some bipyridine guests can significantly affect the binding abilities and inclusion geometries of β‐cyclodextrin with the guests in both the solution and solid states.
Two birds with one auric stone : The title system acts as a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the one‐pot tandem synthesis of imines or oximes from alcohols and the corresponding amines under mild conditions (see scheme; HAP= hydroxyapatite).
Don't cry! The attachment of ferrocene moieties on the surface of carbon nano‐onions influences the electrochemical properties of these moieties and the photophysical properties of the carbon nano‐onions (see figure). Quantum chemical calculations confirm that the spectral properties of carbon nano‐onions depend on their size and the degree of functionalisation.
Bromide is best : The first [2]rotaxane incorporating the triazolium anion‐binding motif is prepared using bromide anion templation. Preliminary anion‐binding investigations reveal that the rotaxane exhibits the rare selectivity preference for bromide over chloride ions.
