New transitions : Low‐energy electronic transitions have been detected spectroscopically in the FeII–FeIII mixed‐valent biferrocenyl radical cation, but are absent in the spectra of the neutral analogue. They have been assigned by time‐dependent DFT calculations (squares in figure). Analogous investigations were performed for the bisfulvalenide FeII–FeIII radical cation.
Self‐assembly line : In the presence of a DNA analyte or low‐molecular‐weight substrates, multicomponent nucleic acids self‐assemble into cooperatively stabilized functional nanostructures (see scheme) that activate DNAzyme cascades.
State‐of‐the‐art molecular‐beam techniques reveal that the lowest lying electronic excited state in purine is the nπ* state. Using multiphoton ionization spectroscopy, the origin is found to occur at 31 309 cm?1, and a vibrational structure is visible that is assigned to the skeletal motion of the ring (see figure).
Chain change : Variations in the position, number, and chain length of the n‐alkoxy chains readily tune the liquid‐crystalline properties of 2,5‐diaryl‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole derivatives from smectic to hexagonal columnar mesophases at room temperature. The calamitic S‐heterocyclic compounds show electrical conductivity in both solid and liquid‐crystal states.
Delving into digallides : The characteristics of the chemical bonding of the digallides of the alkaline‐earth metals (see figure) have been studied by application of experimental methods, such as single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and solid‐state NMR spectroscopy, in combination with quantum mechanical calculations.
Getting stuck in : A hydrophobic molecular rod with terminal fluorescent moieties has been synthesized. The insertion of the rod into membranes was investigated and shown to incorporate efficiently into model and biological membranes (see picture; gray C, blue N, red O). Those rods can be used as stable membrane‐associated anchors for functionalization of membrane surfaces.
The highest Hg‐ion adsorbance so far , namely up to 2063 mg g?1, has been achieved by poly(aniline‐co‐5‐sulfo‐2‐anisidine) nanosorbents. Sorption of Hg ions occurs mainly by redox and chelation mechanisms (see scheme), but also by ion exchange and physisorption.
Easy and direct : Regioselective Mizoroki–Heck‐coupling reactions using heteroaromatic tosylates as electrophiles were achieved, thus providing direct and easy access to highly functionalized α‐heteroarylvinyl amides and ethers.
Sonication‐induced gelation : Adaptive gels that are responsive to ultrasound were prepared and characterized. The self‐assembly of the gelators can be controlled by ultrasound (S‐gel) stimuli and renewed by a thermodynamic process (T‐gel, see images).
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.
Bringing order : A new class of periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) with a urea‐bridged organosilica precursor under acid‐catalyzed and inorganic‐salt‐assisted conditions was obtained. The large‐pore hybrid materials have ordered mesostructure with uniform pore size distributions, which can be seen from the TEM images.
Reversible and non‐bonding interaction between SWNTs and ODCB is observed from the analyses of visible near‐infrared absorption data and Raman spectroscopies (see spectra). The solvent effect on SWNTs effectively controls the electronic structure of SWNTs under homogeneous conditions.
