Zincate it! The mechanism of the halogen–zinc exchange reaction with organozincate compounds has been studied by using density functional theory to elucidate the effects of changing the halogen species, the alkyl ligand on zinc, and the substrate nature (see figure).
Radical assembly : Halogen bonding has been observed for the first time between an isoindoline nitroxide and an iodoperfluorocarbon (see figure), which cocrystallize to form a discrete 2:1 supramolecular compound in which N? O.???I halogen bonding is the dominant intermolecular interaction. This illustrates the potential use of halogen bonding and isoindoline nitroxide tectons for the assembly of organic spin systems.
2009: A boraanthracene odyssey : General routes to boraanthracene derivatives—long proposed, but never observed—are disclosed, along with the structural and photophysical properties of these compounds and their remarkable reactivity towards oxygen.
No solo dancers: The temperature dependence of dielectric spectra suggests that the lower‐frequency relaxation dominating the dynamics of imidazolium‐based room temperature ionic liquids cannot be solely due to independent rotational diffusion of the cations (see picture), but must also include cooperative motions of the surrounding particles.
On a silky thread : Spider silks have mechanical properties that outperform most natural and synthetic fibers. Classical spinning methods have failed to mimic the highly complex natural in‐vivo spinning process. Analyzing this process in combination with in‐vitro findings allows the development of biomimetic spinning devices for the technical production of silk fibers (see picture).
A drug of two halves : New artificial compounds composed of a macrosphelide core skeleton and an epothilone side chain were designed and synthesized. These compounds were more potent inducers of apoptosis than the parent natural‐type macrosphelides.
In a row: Chemical concepts from the spin‐polarized conceptual DFT field are used to explain the spectrochemical and nephelauxetic series within a group of ruthenium complexes.
Room to swing a cat : A chiral disulfonimide has been designed as a powerful new motif for asymmetric catalysis. As a first illustration, a highly efficient and enantioselective Mukaiyama aldol reaction has been developed (see scheme). The actual catalyst is proposed to be an N‐silyl imide which is generated in situ.
Two dragons playing ball : Direct metal–metal bond formation using a π‐conjugated dinuclear metalladithiolene complex with two electron‐deficient metal centers as building blocks led to a cyclic double trinuclear heterometalladithiolene cluster with two parallel plane bridges (see structure; Rh pink, Mo green, S yellow, C gray, O red).
