News & Comment

It is 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics, and not only did it bring with it a greater understanding of the world around us, it also introduced a new lexicon. Now, Michelle Francl wonders how the language of quantum mechanics has been flipped to the dark side and appropriated by pseudoscience.

Sophie Beeren discusses the development of cyclodextrins, moving from laboratory curiosities to common ingredients in daily products, active pharmaceutical ingredients and building blocks for supramolecular chemistry.

Catalysis has been a standard topic taught in university chemistry courses over the past century yet biocatalysis — or enzyme catalysis — has only recently been integrated into standard chemistry curriculum despite its broad applicability in industry. In a fourth year undergraduate research project course, students can now choose to explore interesting chemical transformations in the lab using biocatalysis instead of traditional synthetic chemistry approaches.

Lidan Xing and Kang Xu explain how bis(sulfonyl)imide salts use fluorine, with its extreme stability and electronegativity, to balance solubility and stability for developing advanced battery chemistries.

Analysing the sequence, concentration and sub-cellular location of RNA can provide insight into physiological processes and enable disease diagnosis. This issue draws together several articles describing chemical advances that can be applied to detect RNA.

Collaboration allows us to tackle big scientific questions, but figuring out how to do it effectively can be difficult. Shira Joudan describes making new connections, being a good collaborator, and what to consider when you inevitably mess up.

The buffering capacity of the world’s oceans has helped offset the effects of CO₂ emissions on climate; however, it is not without cost. Bruce Gibb discusses the causes, the chemistry and the consequences of ocean acidification.

Philippe Loubet and André Estévez-Torres, from Bordeaux INP and CNRS-University of Lille respectively, talk to Nature Chemistry about assessing the carbon footprint of chemistry laboratories, and approaches to reducing their environmental impact.

Benjamin N. Bhawal examines the enigmatic history of ribose in chemistry, its multifaceted structure, and its role in the origin of life and the design of future therapeutics.

The discovery of benzene two centuries ago marked a turning point in chemistry. From contributing to the development of chemical bonding concepts, to its practical use in the chemical industry, the story of this ring-shaped molecule is a combination of curiosity, science, and human kindness.

Yasuhisa Mizutani marvels at how effectively nature utilizes the π-conjugated system of retinal in proteins.

When the facts can’t speak for themselves, scientists can give them a voice, argues Michelle Francl.

Thomas Schlatzer and Véronique Gouverneur discuss why the chemistry of calcium fluoride is challenging, and how imaginative thinking based on fundamental principles can create positive change for the fluorochemical industry.

Science is about discovering new knowledge, so, logically, there will be disagreement. Shira Joudan contemplates how disagreements can be useful, and how to deal with them when they arise.

Nina M. Allen, Guilherme A. Marczak Giorio and M. Carmen Galan discuss how select napthalene diimides, such as QN-302, have been developed into DNA G-quadruplex (G4) ligands with downstream anticancer activity.

While intellectual virtues might be more within the remit of philosophers, many scientists would also see them as important within their domain. Dominic T. Chaloner, Michelle Francl, and T. Ryan Byerly consider what it takes to train up virtuous chemists

Humans have a habit of overusing natural resources even though there are numerous examples through history of the issues that this causes. Chemists can sometimes help to avoid such tumultuous events, but in doing so can gravely impact sectors of society. Amid the backdrop of the Highland Clearances in Scotland, Bruce Gibb discusses the farming of kelp and how chemistry became its ‘enemy’ with the industrial generation of sodium carbonate.

Davide Zanetti, Cristian De Luca, and Davide Bonifazi discuss the resurgence of peri-xanthenoxanthene from a forgotten dye into a versatile organic semiconductor and sustainable photocatalyst, emphasizing its importance in photoredox catalysis.

Moses Dike and Shudipto Konika Dishari explore lignin’s historic journey alongside human civilization and showcase its game-changing potential to drive sustainability without compromising performance.