Molecular organization : Chiral benzene tricarboxamides with methyl substituents at defined positions self‐assemble into supramolecular polymers of preferred helicity by three‐fold α‐helical‐type hydrogen bonding. The odd–even effect is operative and all derivatives are liquid crystalline showing a Colho phase (see figure).
Oil and water : A new energy‐efficient and atom‐economical catalytic route for the production of alkanes and methanol by upgrading the phenolic fraction of bio‐oil has been developed. The one‐pot aqueous‐phase hydrodeoxygenation process is based on two catalysts facilitating consecutive hydrogenation, hydrolysis, and dehydration reactions.
Exciton migration! Spectroscopic analyses and extensive molecular dynamics studies revealed a well‐defined 41 helix in which the perylene molecules (see figure) form four “helter‐skelter‐like” overlapping pathways along which excitons and electrons can rapidly migrate.
Diaminations are a girl's best friend : New reactions in the field of transition‐metal‐catalyzed diamination of olefins provide a powerful tool for the elaboration of more complex molecules bearing the 1,2‐diamine moiety. An overview of these methods, including asymmetric versions, is given.
Electrode‐dependent potential windows (see picture, GC=glassy carbon) are determined for five dialkylammonium carbamate (dialcarb) room‐temperature ionic liquids in a systematic study of their physical and electrochemical properties. The viscosity and conductivity of the dialcarb ionic liquids, which are “distillable” at low temperature, are comparable to those of some conventional room‐temperature ionic liquids.
Getting their feet wet : Low‐cost hydrocarbon surfactants act as fluid modifiers for supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). Increased terminal branching of the surfactant chains aids micelle formation (see middle picture: CO2 green), and more chains allows water to be incorporated (right, blue).
Now you bind it—now you don't! Chemical degradation of a dendritic scaffold allows multivalent interactions with DNA to be “switched off” as the multivalent array of ligands breaks down into smaller fragments, offering an approach by which a molecule can be temporarily endowed with high affinity for a biological target—an important concept in the development of new synthetic systems to intervene in biological pathways.
Enzyme in action : The accumulated single‐molecule image (see picture) of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) 15–21 min after its injection on a lipid membrane shows transient interactions of PLA2 (blue) with the membrane surface and stable binding to the boundaries of membrane structure defects. The adsorbed PLA2 molecules move with a speed below the experimental resolution of 40 nm min?1.
