Bite-size science

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 15 June 2021; doi:10.1038/s41557-021-00747-6Bite-size science

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The gains from breaking symmetry

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 10 June 2021; doi:10.1038/s41557-021-00731-0All-carbon quaternary centres are challenging targets in organic synthesis. Now, the development of a zinc-catalysed desymmetrization method enables the synthesis of chiral alcohols with all-carbon quaternary centres by the selective reduction of symmetrical α,α-disubstituted...

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Catalytic reductive desymmetrization of malonic esters

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 10 June 2021; doi:10.1038/s41557-021-00715-0The desymmetrization of easily accessible malonic esters represents an attractive approach towards the formation of chiral quaternary stereocentres, but is largely limited to enzymatic hydrolysis. Now, a zinc-catalysed asymmetric hydrosilylation reaction—that works with...

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Chiral lipid bilayers are enantioselectively permeable

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 10 June 2021; doi:10.1038/s41557-021-00708-zDroplet interface bilayer measurements have now shown that membranes formed from chiral phospholipid bilayers are enantioselectively permeable to chiral amino acids. The results show that membrane stereochemistry is necessary and sufficient to drive such enantioselective...

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Switching on prodrugs using radiotherapy

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 10 June 2021; doi:10.1038/s41557-021-00711-4Prodrugs offer one route to treat cancer, but they require activation once they have been delivered to the tumour. Now, a simultaneous chemo-radiotherapy strategy has been demonstrated in mice that uses gamma or X-ray irradiation to locally activate an anticancer prodrug.

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A versatile living polymerization method for aromatic amides

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 08 June 2021; doi:10.1038/s41557-021-00712-3Two phosphine-based reagents can be used to prepare aromatic acid chlorides in the presence of either primary or secondary amines. This approach enables the living polycondensation of aromatic amino acids under mild conditions and can be used to make block copolymers as...

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Publisher Correction: The blue hue of einsteinium

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 08 June 2021; doi:10.1038/s41557-021-00743-wPublisher Correction: The blue hue of einsteinium

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Publisher Correction: Stereo- and regiodefined DNA-encoded chemical libraries enable efficient tumour-targeting applications

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 08 June 2021; doi:10.1038/s41557-021-00742-xPublisher Correction: Stereo- and regiodefined DNA-encoded chemical libraries enable efficient tumour-targeting applications

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On-surface photopolymerization of two-dimensional polymers ordered on the mesoscale

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 03 June 2021; doi:10.1038/s41557-021-00709-yOn-surface, ultra-high vacuum conditions enable two-dimensional polymerizations to be precisely studied—often with submolecular resolution—but these syntheses are typically thermally activated, which can lead to high defect densities and relatively small domain sizes. Now,...

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Cyclic polyacetylene

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 03 June 2021; doi:10.1038/s41557-021-00713-2Lustrous flexible thin films of semiconducting cyclic polyacetylene (c-PA) have been synthesized and characterized. Rapid and efficient tungsten-catalysed acetylene polymerization conditions produce temporarily soluble c-PA, enabling the in situ derivatization of this typically...

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