The depolymerization of lignin is represented by a wooden block at the centre of the image surrounded by the products of breakdown and catalysts that have been applied in this important biomass valorization reaction.

Breaking bonds in biomass

Lignin is an abundant feedstock for the production of chemicals and fuels but the development of C–C bond cleavage reactions is essential for its effective valorization.

Featured

  • Ni-catalysed chain-walking blossomed as an effective synthetic tool to functionalize C(sp3)–H bonds in hydrocarbon chains. This Review provides a detailed overview of the most recent advances in this field, focusing on site-selective and regioselective manipulations at previously out-of-reach C(sp3)–H sites.

    • Ciro Romano
    • Ruben Martin
    Review Article

  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Two early-career researchers in supramolecular chemistry share their experiences of navigating academia whilst managing MS.

    • Aisha N. Bismillah
    • Stephen D. P. Fielden
    Comment

  • Ahead of his 85th birthday, Graham Richards discussed his life in science and its intersection with industry. From a mix-up that led to him reading chemistry at the University of Oxford rather than physics, Richards later became the head of the chemistry department and co-founded Oxford Molecular Plc.

    • Stephanie Greed
    Q&A

  • Following the success of our current journal club collaborations, we would like to encourage more groups of early-career researchers to get involved.

    Editorial

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Volume 8 Issue 11
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    Nature Reviews Chemistry is committed to facilitating training in peer review and to ensuring that everyone involved in our peer-review process is appropriately recognized. We have therefore joined an initiative to allow and encourage established referees to involve one early-career researcher in our peer-review process

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    The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to David Baker “for computational protein design” and to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper “for protein structure prediction”.

  • Various common disability icons are shown with a chemistry twist - including a wheelchair user symbol next to a fumehood the hidden disability symbol furnished with a labcoat

    Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives aim to foster a community that better reflects the makeup of society. Following the United Nation's 'International Day of Persons with Disabilities', this living collection highlights an all-too-often overlooked aspect of DEI in chemistry: disability.

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Latest Reviews & Analysis

    • Our improved understanding of how to tame aryl radicals means they are now used in many transformations to access high-value products. This Review provides a summary of contemporary approaches towards the photogeneration of aryl radicals and their use in metal-free cross-coupling reactions.

      • Huaibo Zhao
      • Valentina Dafnae Cuomo
      • David J. Procter
      Review Article

    • Metal/MXene composites are a combination of metals with highly conductive MXenes that results in an enhanced functionality in energy storage, catalysis, and biomedical applications. However, controlling metal deposition into uniform patterns has been challenging, which impacts their performance. A novel in situ reduction strategy now overcomes these challenges, offering unparalleled ability to control metal size and deposition.

      • Quazi T. H. Shubhra
      • Xiaojun Cai
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    • Advances in photoredox catalysis have led to considerable developments in organic chemistry and its applied subfields. We discuss the development of low-energy light-absorbing photocatalysts and their use in synthesis, polymer chemistry, and biology.

      • David C. Cabanero
      • Tomislav Rovis
      Review Article

    • One electron σ-bonds were first proposed in 1931 but most discussion since then has been at a theoretical level. The first experimentally observed single-electron C–C bond both advances our fundamental understanding of bonding and provides the basis of an approach to creating a new class of molecules.

      • Zuping Xiong
      • Haoke Zhang
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    • Advances in activatable organic photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy are reviewed, highlighting novel synthetic methodologies, their integration into bioconjugates, and their potential in antimicrobial and anticancer treatments, addressing off-target toxicity and enhancing targeted ablation of pathogenic cells.

      • Eleni Nestoros
      • Amit Sharma
      • Marc Vendrell
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News & Comment

  • Forensic science is a mixture of specialties, including many chemistry subdisciplines, that focus on the idea of traces — marks that are remnants of past events. The findings should be affected by scene examination, time factors and context rather than an overreliance on the precision of the laboratory results.

    • Sheila Willis
    Comment

  • Ahead of his 75th birthday, A. R. (Ravi) Ravishankara, Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, reflects on his career in atmospheric chemistry as well as his contribution to combatting the depletion of the ozone layer.

    • A. R. (Ravi) Ravishankara
    • Stephanie Greed
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  • A novel method to detect proteins interacting with triplex DNA in living cells has been developed. This approach provides new insights into triplex DNA regulation and highlights potential therapeutic targets to prevent DNA damage.

    • Michael J. Diaz
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  • Through the collaboration of two members of the ACS Committee on Chemists with Disabilities, a prototype Braille periodic table has been created. This project is part of a wider goal of making chemistry accessible to all.

    • Michael Fricke
    • Mona Minkara
    Comment

  • A new study explores the catalytic potential of green rust for selectively converting carbon monoxide (CO) to acetone without an applied potential. Its unique electronic properties suggest promising applications in CO remediation and future catalyst design.

    • John Dickenson
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  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Two early-career researchers in supramolecular chemistry share their experiences of navigating academia whilst managing MS.

    • Aisha N. Bismillah
    • Stephen D. P. Fielden
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Collections

Various common disability icons are shown with a chemistry twist - including a wheelchair user symbol next to a fumehood the hidden disability symbol furnished with a labcoat

Disability inclusion in chemistry

A collection to highlight an all-too-often overlooked aspect of DEI in chemistry: disability.
  • Stephanie Greed
Collection

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