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In this digital age where machine learning has won the Nobel Prizes in both Physics and Chemistry, it is ever more important to give chemistry students an educational advantage that will enable them to use the tools of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance both their study experience and their future research. In this Voices article, chemistry education and research experts gather

In this issue of Chem, Prof. Shunsuke Chiba, Prof. Derek Pratt, and their colleagues report a groundbreaking study on the dearomative dimerization and skeletal rearrangement of quinolines under polysulfide anion photocatalysis. This work demonstrates a unique method for transforming quinolines into complex sp3-rich polyheterocycles and 4-(3-indolylmethyl)quinolines through a sequence of reactions initiated

Iron photocatalysis has been constrained by a lack of tunable ligands for diverse substrate scopes. Ackerman-Biegasiewicz et al. demonstrate diethylenetriamine (DETA) as a transformative ligand in Fe-catalyzed Giese-type additions recently in Chem Catalysis. This platform enables effective coupling of substrates with free amines, alcohols, and boronic esters, highlighting iron’s potential as a sustainable

The attainment of structurally uniform single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) remains a significant challenge in carbon materials science. Recently in Journal of the American Chemical Society, Huang, Guo, Hu, and co-workers reported the synthesis of a series of [2n]collarene macrocycles and demonstrated their utility as rigid templates for the controlled growth of SWCNTs with predefined diameters

In a recent issue of Chem, an innovative approach for the synthesis of crystalline [2]catenane-containing covalent organic frameworks was developed. This breakthrough elucidates how the dynamics of microscopic, interlocked components influence material properties, thereby advancing the design of two-dimensional materials with sophisticated topological features.

Biological cells sustain an out-of-equilibrium state by harnessing energy flows across compartment boundaries. In this issue of Chem, Penocchio et al. quantify how out-of-equilibrium chemical reaction networks respond to compartmentalization—providing a framework on which to build and understand aspects of nonequilibrium self-assembly, molecular machinery, and other endergonic processes.

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Despite the long-lasting research on proton transfer as a fundamental chemical reaction, not all details regarding its precise mechanism have been revealed. Particularly, a complete spectroscopic and kinetic characterization of all intermediates remains challenging. In the September issue of Cell Reports Physical Science, Lee et al. identify a transient Eigen complex and determine the molecularity

In the current issue of Chem, Gugin et al. are showcasing the power of energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction to track kinetics and chemical phenomena in situ during twin screw extrusion. This technique holds great promise for industrial scale-up of green chemical syntheses.

Zinc and manganese are the reductants of choice for nickel-catalyzed cross-electrophile coupling (XEC), but their exact redox potentials are unknown in organic solvents. In a recent report from Stahl and colleagues in Nature Chemistry, these potentials have been measured for the first time and their implications on model XEC reactions have been discussed.

In this issue of Chem, Popescu and Paton report a new method to predict triplet energy sensitization of small molecules by sampling the instantaneous vertical energy gaps over molecular vibrational motions. This approach has reduced the mean absolute error of predicting ET from 9.5 to 1.7 kcal/mol compared with previous state-of-the-art methods.

Advancements in cost-effective direct air capture (DAC) technology have become critical in addressing climate change, with a particular emphasis on energy and cost reductions. Recent innovations have significantly decreased the energy requirements of DAC systems. In collaboration with experts from industry leaders such as Climeworks, Carbon Capture, Mission Zero, and Heirloom, the latest developments

Late-stage deuteration is a crucial technique in the pharmaceutical industry. Direct aromatic deuteration without the use of directing groups or transition-metal catalysts presents a substantial challenge. Now, through the integration of an interrupted Birch reduction, Liang, Xia, and co-workers have developed a photochemical protocol for the efficient hydrogen isotope exchange to incorporate deuterium

In this issue of Chem, Kinjo and Feng report the synthesis of a cyclotriborate trianion (B3R63−), a highly charged boron ring system with discrete two-center two-electron bonds. With three contiguous borates, the B33− core of the feature compound defies Coulomb’s law and represents the first homocyclic boron analog of the ubiquitous cyclopropane. The remarkable stability enabled full characterization

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Anode-free Li-ion batteries could attain new levels of energy density, but challenges remain in controlling deposition and managing degradation. In this issue of Chem, Kwon et al. probe Li metal growth using operando NMR to unravel how cathode materials impact performance and establish criteria for the high-energy/low-cost design tradeoff.

Mechanochemical force can pull apart specific bonds, an action that is crucial for efficient and selective chemical transformations. Predicting chemical reactivity under tension force unlocks the selective bond cleavage reaction using ultrasonic irradiation. In this issue of Chem, Craig, Kulik, Moore, and colleagues developed an intuitive physical organic model to understand and predict the chemical

Recent advances in artificial transmembrane transporters that may address the limitations of natural ion channels include a photoswitchable Cl− anion pump developed by Aprahamian et al., reported in Science,1 utilizing hydrazone units for active transport against the concentration gradient. This molecular transporter leverages light-induced isomerization to control anion grabbing and releasing, showing