Nature Chemistry, Published online: 29 April 2024; doi:10.1038/s41557-024-01528-7A robust organometallic platform is developed for stoichiometric cross-couplings of common aryl and alkyl electrophiles under a single set of conditions. Inexpensive and persistent organonickel complexes are prepared by electrolysis and implemented in the diversification...

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 26 April 2024; doi:10.1038/s41557-024-01514-zX-ray diffraction analysis typically affords the static 3D structures of given compounds or materials, but to understand chemical processes, the visualization of fast structural changes is desirable. Time-resolved femtosecond crystallography has now been used to monitor...

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 26 April 2024; doi:10.1038/s41557-024-01526-9The precision synthesis of cyclic polymers with ultrahigh molar mass (UHMM) and circularity is challenging. Now, a method that involves superbase-mediated living linear-chain growth followed by macromolecular cyclization triggered by protic quenching enables the on-demand...

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 26 April 2024; doi:10.1038/s41557-024-01517-wExcited by the prospect of future missions to the Jupiter system, Bruce Gibb explores the chemistry of Jupiter’s moons and wonders whether there could be life on Europa.

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 26 April 2024; doi:10.1038/s41557-024-01521-0Overcrowded alkene-derived molecular motors convert light and heat into chirality-directed unidirectional rotary motion, but the efficiency of their photochemical isomerization remains limited. Now formylation of the motor core has been shown to boost all aspects of motor...

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 24 April 2024; doi:10.1038/s41557-024-01519-8The construction of analogues of natural gap junctions would provide a bottom–up strategy for building intercellular communication pathways for synthetic cells. Now artificial intercellular gap junctions have been prepared from unimolecular tubular channels by mimicking...