Sensitive surveying : Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) was used to study receptor density and to monitor ligand–receptor interactions on live cell membranes by the introduction of fluorescently marked aptamers, which specifically bind to certain cell‐surface receptors (see schematic representation; FITC: fluorescein isothiocyanate).
Music of the spheres : Infinite coordination polymerization of Zn2+ ions and a multitopic ligand produces metal–organic micro‐ and nanospheres that can be used as functional matrices. The spheres can encapsulate combinations of active substances, such as organic dyes, magnetic nanoparticles, or luminescent quantum dots (see image), which results in spheres that are luminescent in the blue, green, and red regions of the spectrum.
A new generation of plastic transistors consisting primarily of light and flexible organic materials requires new fabrication methods which combine low‐temperature, solution‐phase processing with precise control in the nanometer range over the component dimensions. Ultrathin silicon oxide films, which serve as gate dielectric layers in these transistors, were recently grown at room temperature from polymer precursor films by a novel layer‐by‐layer deposition/oxidation process.
Carbon‐rich‐quick scheme : A carbon‐rich solid product made up of uniform micrometer‐sized spheres of tunable diameter has been synthesized by the hydrothermal carbonization of saccharides. These microspheres possess a core–shell chemical structure based on the different nature of the oxygen functionalities between the core and the outer layer (see figure).
Synthetic methods : Lithium diisopropylamide‐mediated highly selective carbolithiation reactions of vinylidenecyclopropanes are described and further transformations of these adducts were performed in the presence of Lewis or Brønsted acids (see scheme for sample reactions).
Al together now! A new stable aluminum aminoterephthalate system contains octameric building blocks that are connected by organic linkers to form a 12‐connected net (see picture). The structure adopts a cubic centered packing motive in which octameric units replace individual atoms, thus forming distorted octahedral (red sphere) and tetrahedral cages (green spheres) with effective accessible diameters of 1 and 0.45 nm, respectively.
Back from obscurity : The practical synthesis of the first six members of the fundamental class of acyclic branched oligoalkenes has been achieved. The syntheses allow access to the target compounds on multigram scales in good yields. Members of the family with even numbers of double bonds are significantly more stable than those with odd numbers (see picture), and exhibit different chemical reactivities in Diels–Alder reactions.
