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Scientists in Japan have used a by-product of Teflon manufacture to generate carbonyl compounds with trifluoromethyl groups. Organic molecules bearing a trifluoromethyl group have received much attention because of their unique physical and chemical properties, which are important in the fields of medicinal, agrichemical and materials sciences, say the researchers. Efficient ways of introducing CF₃ groups into target molecules are being sought. The nucleophilic trifluoromethylation of carbonyl compounds using a Ruppert–Prakash reagent – (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane – is a well-explored strategy. But, (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane is expensive to prepare and is prepared from ozone-depleting bromotrifluoromethane. Fluoroform – a by-product of Teflon manufacture – has emerged as a potential environmentally benign alternative to (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane. It is also non-toxic, cheap and available in large quantities.

A sterically demanding organo-superbase avoids decomposition of a naked trifluoromethyl carbanion directly generated from fluoroform
Hiroyuki Kawai, Zhe Yuan, Etsuko Tokunaga and Norio Shibata
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2013,
DOI: 10.1039/C3OB27368G

Scientists in the US have developed a convenient, versatile method to organise discrete length single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) into complex geometries using 2D DNA origami tiles. Constructing intricate geometric arrangements of components is one of the central challenges of nanotechnology. The origami scaffolds considered here, both rectangular and triangular, were used to organise the nanotubes: several arrangements of nanotubes were constructed, with defined tube lengths and inter-tube angles. This method allows for uniform tube lengths and positional precision, leading to the reliable assembly of SWNTs into well-structured arrays.

DNA origami templated self-assembly of discrete length single wall carbon nanotubes
Zhao Zhao, Yan Liu and Hao Yan
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2OB26942B