Chemical Communications Blog

Super-dipoles linked to chloroform’s outstanding solvent properties

19 Jan 2015

Melanie White writes about a hot ChemComm article for Chemistry World

Super-dipoles uncovered in chloroform by chemists in the UK could explain the solvent’s powerful ability to dissolve a large range of substances at high concentrations.

Chloroform is one chemistry’s most extensively used forms of liquid reaction media. However, as a suspected carcinogen, chloroform’s role in the extraction of natural products from plant materials, in NMR spectroscopy and as a reagent for chemical reactions underscores scientists’ aspirations to understand the science behind its remarkable properties.

Read the fulll article in Chemistry World»

Read the original journal article in ChemComm – it’s free to access until 25th February:
Polar stacking of molecules in liquid chloroform
J. J. Shephard, A. K. Soper, S. K. Callear, S. Imberti, J. S. O. Evans and C. G. Salzmann
Chem. Commun., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC09235J, Communication

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Meet our authors: an interview with Ruth Webster

12 Jan 2015

By Cesar Palmero.

Dr Ruth Webster is a researcher at the University of Bath

We are proud to introduce a new series of interviews in our ChemComm blog. We want you to know more about some of the early career investigators who choose to publish their exciting work with us.

The first in this series is Dr Ruth Webster, from the University of Bath. Read the full interview below.

———-

What inspired you to become a scientist?

As a second year undergraduate, I did a summer placement at GSK in Harlow and absolutely loved being in the lab. Until that point, I really didn’t enjoy the labs as an undergraduate, but this showed me a different side to chemistry. I was working with some people that were brilliant lab chemists and seemed to love what they did. They were also immensely knowledgeable, which made me want to do a PhD.

Then, my fourth year of the five year MSci in Scotland was spent at the Rutherford Appleton Lab near Oxford, helping set-up lasers for visiting academics. Working with so many academics who were so passionate about what they did, working at the boundaries of what we know as scientists, made me realise that a) I was an awful laser chemist (!) and that I should stick to synthetic chemistry and b) I wanted to be an academic.

How did you find out about ChemComm?

I remember publishing my first ChemComm article during my PhD. This was the point when my supervisor said (words to the effect of): “That’s it, you’ve made it”, i.e. I had managed to get really good quality work that was going to get noticed and highly cited.

What was the motivation behind the work described in your article? What interested you in this area?

I originally started investigating metal interactions with bulky amides when I got my independent position at Bath, but unfortunately they weren’t behaving how I wanted them to behave, so I decided, having put a lot of effort into the bulky amides, to change tack slightly and look at turning some bulky analogues into polymers.

I’m not a polymer chemist, but did a little bit as a postdoc (also published in ChemComm!) and I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out what I had made. Most of the polymers in this paper are completely novel, so analysing them was not trivial, but when I had figured them out it was awesome! I also had some help from Dr Mark Wyatt at the EPSRC NMSF, whose expertise with MALDI-ToF analysis was invaluable.

I remember publishing my first ChemComm article during my PhD. This was the point when my supervisor said… “That’s it, you’ve made it.“

Dr Ruth Webster, University of Bath

Why did you choose ChemComm to publish your work?

I knew the work was good and novel –I knew it was worthy of being published in ChemComm. I also wanted it to go to a general journal because I feel the transformation itself is interesting to more than just polymer chemists.

Where do you see your research heading next?

We published a really nice piece of iron catalysis in ChemComm about a month after this polymer paper; I love catalysis, so a lot of our research is in this area. We also noticed ligation of the malonamide to copper during the RSC Research Fund work and I was lucky enough to get an RSC Summer Studentship, so we investigated the use of the malonamide as a ligand in copper catalysis. I’m hoping to publish that work soon before expanding our efforts in that area.

If you could not be a scientist, but could be anything else, what would you be?

I got accepted into Art College when I was at secondary school, but went for the Chemistry degree, so I really would have liked to have been a visual artist of some sort. Although I don’t know how much I like the subjectivity of art –at least with science you tend to be either right or wrong!

———-

Did you enjoy Ruth’s story, or do you have your own memorable story about your first ChemComm paper? Tweet us @ChemCommun (#meetCCauthors) or reply in the comments below!

ChemComm fully supports researchers in the early stage of their careers, and remains the leading journal for urgent high-quality communications from across the chemical sciences.

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Organic synthons yield hyperbranched crop

05 Jan 2015

By Bethany Johnson.

Jennifer Newton writes about a hot ChemComm article for Chemistry World

Resembling a bundle of cereal stalks, this atomic force microscopy (AFM) image depicts the first ionic organic nanocrystals to have a sheaf-like structure. Ursula Mazur, of Washington State University, US, and colleagues grew the π-conjugated molecules from two electroactive porphyrin synthons: tetra(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin and tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin. These building blocks assembled themselves into branched structures – the higher the reaction temperature the longer and more numerous their branches.

Read the full article in Chemistry World»

Read the original journal article in ChemComm:
Hyperbranched Crystalline Nanostructure Produced from Ionic π-Conjugated Molecules
Ursula Mazur , K W Hipps, Jeremy R. Eskelsen and Kara J Phillips Chem. Commun., 2014, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC09288K, Communication

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Top 25 ChemComm articles for July–September 2014

22 Dec 2014

By Bethany Johnson.

We are delighted to share with you the top 25 most downloaded articles in Chemical Communications (ChemComm) from July–September 2014.

Alzheimer’s disease amyloid beta converting left-handed Z-DNA back to right-handed B-form
Jie Geng, Chuanqi Zhao, Jinsong Ren and Xiaogang Qu
DOI: 10.1039/C0CC02049D, Communication

Fabricating graphene supercapacitors: highlighting the impact of surfactants and moieties
Dale A. C. Brownson and Craig E. Banks
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC11276G, Communication
From themed collection Emerging Investigators 2012

Two-dimensional layered composite photocatalysts
Jingxiang Low, Shaowen Cao, Jiaguo Yu and Swelm Wageh
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC02553A, Feature Article

Highly plasmon-enhanced upconversion emissions from Au@β-NaYF4:Yb,Tm hybrid nanostructures
Ning Liu, Weiping Qin, Guanshi Qin, Tao Jiang and Dan Zhao
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC11179E, Communication

A hydrophobic hole transporting oligothiophene for planar perovskite solar cells with improved stability
Lingling Zheng, Yao-Hsien Chung, Yingzhuang Ma, Lipei Zhang, Lixin Xiao, Zhijian Chen, Shufeng Wang, Bo Qu and Qihuang Gong
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC04680C, Communication

A rapid synthesis of high aspect ratio copper nanowires for high-performance transparent conducting films
Shengrong Ye, Aaron R. Rathmell, Ian E. Stewart, Yoon-Cheol Ha, Adria R. Wilson, Zuofeng Chen and Benjamin J. Wiley
DOI: 10.1039/C3CC48561G, Communication

Star-shaped hole transporting materials with a triazine unit for efficient perovskite solar cells
Kwangseok Do, Hyeju Choi, Kimin Lim, Hyunjun Jo, Jin Woo Cho, Mohammad K. Nazeeruddin and Jaejung Ko
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC04550E, Communication

Incorporation of iron hydrogenase active sites into a highly stable metal–organic framework for photocatalytic hydrogen generation
Koroush Sasan, Qipu Lin, ChengYu Mao and Pingyun Feng
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC03946G, Communication

Electrochemical activation of carbon dioxide in ionic liquid: synthesis of cyclic carbonates at mild reaction conditions
Hongzhou Yang, Yanlong Gu, Youquan Deng and Feng Shi
DOI: 10.1039/B108451H, Communication

A quick, simple, robust method to measure the acidity of ionic liquids
John Gräsvik, Jason P. Hallett, Trang Quynh To and Tom Welton
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC02816C, Communication

Modulating DNA-templated silver nanoclusters for fluorescence turn-on detection of thiol compounds
Zhengzhen Huang, Fang Pu, Youhui Lin, Jinsong Ren and Xiaogang Qu
DOI: 10.1039/C0CC05651K, Communication

CH3NH3PbI(3−x)(BF4)x: molecular ion substituted hybrid perovskite
Satyawan Nagane, Umesh Bansode, Onkar Game, Shraddha Chhatre and Satishchandra Ogale
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC04537H, Communication

Fluorescent probes for hydrogen sulfide detection and bioimaging
Fabiao Yu, Xiaoyue Han and Lingxin Chen
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC03312D, Feature Article

Synthesis of 1,2-amino alcohols via catalytic C–H amidation of sp3 methyl C–H bonds
Taek Kang, Heejeong Kim, Jeung Gon Kim and Sukbok Chang
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC05655H, Communication

Synthesis and characterization of multi-helical DNA–silica fibers
Yuanyuan Cao, Junjie Xie, Ben Liu, Lu Han and Shunai Che
DOI: 10.1039/C2CC37470F, Communication

Recent advances in the catalytic asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides
Javier Adrio and Juan C. Carretero
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC04381B, Feature Article

Wet chemical synthesis of silver nanorods and nanowires of controllable aspect ratio
Nikhil R. Jana, Latha Gearheart and Catherine J. Murphy
DOI: 10.1039/B100521I, Communication

A metal free domino synthesis of 3-aroylindoles via two sp3 C–H activation
Anupal Gogoi, Anju Modi, Srimanta Guin, Saroj Kumar Rout, Debapratim Das and Bhisma K. Patel
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC04407J, Communication

Self-assembly of supramolecularly engineered polymers and their biomedical applications
Dali Wang, Gangsheng Tong, Ruijiao Dong, Yongfeng Zhou, Jian Shen and Xinyuan Zhu
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC03155E, Feature Article
From themed collection Polymer Self-Assembly

Nitrogen-centered radical-mediated C–H imidation of arenes and heteroarenes via visible light induced photocatalysis
Hyejin Kim, Taehoon Kim, Dong Gil Lee, Sang Weon Roh and Chulbom Lee
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC03905J, Communication

Visible light-promoted metal-free sp3-C–H fluorination
Ji-Bao Xia, Chen Zhu and Chuo Chen
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC05650G, Communication

Cu-Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura reactions of primary and secondary benzyl halides with arylboronates
Yan-Yan Sun, Jun Yi, Xi Lu, Zhen-Qi Zhang, Bin Xiao and Yao Fu
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC05376A, Communication

Nanostructured electrochromic smart windows: traditional materials and NIR-selective plasmonic nanocrystals
Evan L. Runnerstrom, Anna Llordés, Sebastien D. Lounis and Delia J. Milliron
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC03109A, Feature Article

Are Zr6-based MOFs water stable? Linker hydrolysis vs. capillary-force-driven channel collapse
Joseph E. Mondloch, Michael J. Katz, Nora Planas, David Semrouni, Laura Gagliardi, Joseph T. Hupp and Omar K. Farha
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC02401J, Communication

Graphene quantum dots: emergent nanolights for bioimaging, sensors, catalysis and photovoltaic devices
Jianhua Shen, Yihua Zhu, Xiaoling Yang and Chunzhong Li
DOI: 10.1039/C2CC00110A, Feature Article

ChemComm is the home of urgent high quality communications from across the chemical sciences. With a world renowned reputation for quality and fast times to publication (average of 40 days), ChemComm is the ideal place to publish your research.

Submit your urgent research to ChemComm today!

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σ meets π for a hole lot of bonding

18 Dec 2014

By Bethany Johnson.

Jason Woolford writes about a hot ChemComm article for Chemistry World

Researchers in India have provided experimental verification that a co-operative σ-hole and π-hole are responsible for holding the molecules of an isothiocyanate based peptide together in its crystal lattice, showcasing the importance of weak, but highly directional interactions in structure–activity relationships.

Understanding weak intermolecular interactions, like hydrogen bonding, π-stacking and ion– π -interactions, is vital to probing the relationship between structure and properties for pharmaceutically important molecules such as highly reactive organic isothiocyanates, which display anti-carcinogenic activity.

Read the full article in Chemistry World»

Read the original journal article in ChemComm – it’s free to download until 21st January 2015:

Observation of a reversible isomorphous phase transition and an interplay of “σ-holes” and “π-holes” in Fmoc-Leu-ψ[CH2-NCS]
Rumpa Pal, Govindappa Nagendra, M. Samarasimhareddy, Vommina V. Sureshbabu and Tayur N. Guru Row
Chem. Commun., 2015,51, 933-936
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC08751H, Communication

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Novel optical trapping of aerosolised inhaler particles

17 Dec 2014

By Bethany Johnson.

Webwriter Kate Montgomery writes for us about a recent hot article in ChemComm

The inhaler, or pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI), is a well-known medical device commonly used to help people all over the world with conditions such as asthma. However little is known about the form and phase of particles ejected from the inhaler on their route from the inhaler to the lung. It is important to understand the way that the solid particles behave once they are discharged from an inhaler as the size of a particle affects where it is delivered in the respiratory tract, ultimately determining the efficacy of the treatment.

Experimental setup used to trap and study particles discharged from a Salamon® inhaler.

In a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, the University of Birmingham and the Central Laser Facility in Oxford, Tong et al. have used an optical trap to stably suspend individual particles discharged from a Salamon® inhaler for the first time. After stably trapping the particles the authors were able to determine the phase of the particles by comparing them to both a solid crystalline sample and nebulised aqueous droplets of the drug used in the Salamon® inhaler (salbutamol sulphate). Particles were also trapped and studied after being passed through a humidity chamber designed to mimic the lungs.

When first dispensed from the inhaler the particles had analogous properties to the solid crystalline sample of the drug. As the particles were exposed to a higher humidity they became more spherical as they absorbed water from the environment around them. Particles trapped at a relative humidity >92% had properties very similar to that of nebulised aqueous droplets of the drug. This change in morphology of the particles was confirmed by a combination of Raman spectroscopy and brightfield images.

Tong et al. have been able to show that once released into the body the crystalline particles take up water, causing the particles to increase in size and sphericity. This information will be of great aid in understanding and improving the efficiency of aerosol-based inhalation products.

To download the full article for free for a limited time* click the link below:

Rapid interrogation of the physical and chemical characteristics of salbutamol sulphate aerosol from a pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI)
H.-J. Tong, C. Fitzgerald, P. J. Gallimore, M. Kalberer, M. K. Kuimova, P. C. Seville, A. D. Ward and F. D. Pope
DOI: 10.1039/c4cc05803h

*Access is through a registered RSC account – click here to register

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Boron and beryllium finally shake hands

01 Dec 2014

By Bethany Johnson.

Jennifer Newton writes about a hot ChemComm article for Chemistry World

The first non-cluster bond between boron and beryllium has been reported by scientists in Germany.

10 years ago, few reactions existed where boron behaved as an nucleophile. That all changed with the advent of lithium diazaborolide in 2006, and boron has been partnering up with myriad main-group, transition metal and lanthanide elements ever since. However, despite beryllium sitting right next to boron in the periodic table, a classical two-centre/two-electron bond had never been reported between the two neighbours, until now.

Read the full article in Chemistry World»

Read the original journal article in ChemComm – it’s free to access until 6th January 2015:
Beryllium bis(diazaborolyl): old neighbors finally shake hands
T. Arnold, H. Braunschweig, W. C. Ewing, T. Kramer, J. Mies and J. K. Schuster
Chem. Commun., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC08519A, Communication

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Hot ChemComm articles for November

28 Nov 2014

By Bethany Johnson.

Here is a selection of the latest referee-recommended articles in ChemComm:

Diffusion of vaporous guests into a seemingly non-porous organic crystal
Simon A. Herbert, Agnieszka Janiak, Praveen K. Thallapally, Jerry L. Atwood and Leonard J. Barbour
Chem. Commun., 2014,50, 15509-15512
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC07366E, Communication

Azobenzene-based chloride transporters with light-controllable activities
Ye Rin Choi, Gyu Chan Kim, Hae-Geun Jeon, Jinhong Park, Wan Namkung and Kyu-Sung Jeong
Chem. Commun., 2014,50, 15305-15308
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC07560A, Communication

Fluorescent polymers from non-fluorescent photoreactive monomers
Jan O. Mueller, Dominik Voll, Friedrich G. Schmidt, Guillaume Delaittre and Christopher Barner-Kowollik
Chem. Commun., 2014,50, 15681-15684
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC07792J, Communication

Is it possible to achieve a complete desaturation of cycloalkanes promoted by o-benzyne?
Francisco Cervantes-Navarro, Abel de Cózar, Fernando P. Cossío, María A. Fernández-Herrera, Gabriel Merino and Israel Fernández
Chem. Commun., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC07311H, Communication

Thiol-modified gold nanoparticles for the inhibition of Mycobacterium smegmatis
Jennifer C. Gifford, Jamee Bresee, Carly Jo Carter, Guankui Wang, Roberta J. Melander, Christian Melander and Daniel L. Feldheim
Chem. Commun., 2014,50, 15860-15863
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC06236A, Communication

Redox-responsive organometallic hydrogels for in situ metal nanoparticle synthesis
B. Zoetebier, M. A. Hempenius and G. J. Vancso
Chem. Commun., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC06988A, Communication

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Aptamers and gold nanoparticles whisked up to spot influenza

18 Nov 2014

By Bethany Johnson.

Carla Pegoraro writes about a hot ChemComm article for Chemistry World

Researchers in the UK have developed a new visual bioassay that can detect flu viruses by making them heavier.

Early diagnosis is fundamental to slowing viral outbreaks. The latest (since 2003) outbreak of avian flu from Asia resulted in millions of chickens being culled and, according to the World Health Organization, the death of 393 people. Many laboratory-based tests, such as viral culture assays and the polymer chain reaction (PCR), are incredibly sensitive and accurate. However, they are costly, time consuming and require specialist training, so are unsuitable for transition to the field. It is therefore vital to introduce simple, quick and cheap field tests to control the spread of diseases and guide preventative measures, especially in countries like Vietnam where livestock is still a backyard affair.

: Gold nanoparticles are conjugated with aptamers. Binding to the virus forms a gold nanoshell on the viral envelope

Read the full article in Chemistry World»

Read the original journal article in ChemComm:
Aptamer-based biosensors for the rapid visual detection of flu viruses
T. T. Le, B. Adamiak, D. J. Benton, C. J. Johnson, S. Sharma, R. Fenton, J. W. McCauley, M. Iqbal and A. E. G. Cass
Chem. Commun., 2014,50, 15533-15536
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC07888H, Communication

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Capturing C60 in a Crystalline Copolymer Chain

12 Nov 2014

By Anthea Blackburn, Web Science Writer.

Since its structural realisation in 1985, C₆₀ has garnered much attention in the chemical world for not only its spherical shape, but also its stability, electronic properties and the ability to do chemistry on its surface.

One such avenue that has proven popular in recent times is the incorporation of C₆₀ into one-, two- and three-dimensional arrays, either covalently or non-covalently, in attempts to control the distribution of the molecules in the solid- or solution-phase. One problem that arises in the synthesis of these extended frameworks, however, is that there often a large amount of disorder and void space in the structure, so it can be difficult to ascertain with much degree of certainty how these C₆₀ molecules are oriented. This uncertainty can consequentially result in the properties and behaviours of the new materials remaining unidentified.

Now, researchers from the University of California, Davis – Marilyn Olmstead and Alan Balch – have shown that coordination chemistry can be used to not only generate polymers that covalently link molecules of functionalised C₆₀ in such a manner that can they can be studied crystallographically, but also that these polymers can be used to capture free C₆₀ and C₇₀.

Initially, polymers of C₆₀ were synthesised through the mono-functionalisation of C₆₀ with a piperazyl group, which, on account of its two tertiary amines, can coordinate in a linear fashion with transition metal ions, in this case rhodium(II) acetate. Upon the combination of these two components, a linear one-dimensional polymer was formed, in which it could be seen crystallographically that the C₆₀ moieties were positioned on alternating sides of the polymer chain. These polymer chains were further found to extend into two dimensions through the interdigitation of neighbouring chains in a zipper-like fashion. C60-Rh(II) polymers can capture free C60

Perhaps more interestingly is that when these polymer chains were synthesised in the presence of either C₆₀ or C₇₀, free molecules of C₆₀ or C₇₀ were seen to occupy the void spaces between the C₆₀ molecules of the polymer. Additionally, if a mixture of C₆₀ and C₇₀ was present in the polymer synthesis, it was observed that only C₆₀ was captured by the polymer, most likely as a result of a better geometric match between the polymer and the spherical C₆₀ in preference to the more elongated shape of C₇₀.

This work elegantly demonstrates the generation of not only a self-assembling C₆₀-containing polymer that can be characterised structurally in the solid state, but of one that can entrap free molecules of C₆₀ selectively over molecules of C₇₀. Based on the properties of free C₆₀ and transition metal complexes, the electronic and chromophoric properties of such a crystalline system could also be expected to offer some noteworthy results.

Read this HOT ChemComm article in full!

Zipping up fullerenes into polymers using rhodium(II) acetate dimer and N(CH₂CH₂)₂NC₆₀ as building blocks
Amineh Aghabali, Marilyn M. Olmstead and Alan L. Balch
Chem. Commun., 2014, Advance Article.
DOI: 10.1039/C4CC06995A

Biography

Anthea Blackburn is a guest web writer for Chemical Communications. Anthea is a graduate student hailing from New Zealand, studying at Northwestern University in the US under the tutelage of Prof. Fraser Stoddart (a Scot), where she is exploiting supramolecular chemistry to develop multidimensional systems and study the emergent properties that arise in these superstructures. When time and money allow, she is ambitiously attempting to visit all 50 US states before graduation.

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Chemical Communications Blog

Super-dipoles linked to chloroform’s outstanding solvent properties

Meet our authors: an interview with Ruth Webster

Organic synthons yield hyperbranched crop

σ meets π for a hole lot of bonding

Novel optical trapping of aerosolised inhaler particles

Boron and beryllium finally shake hands

Hot ChemComm articles for November

Aptamers and gold nanoparticles whisked up to spot influenza

Capturing C60 in a Crystalline Copolymer Chain

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