This week front cover highlights a perspective article by Sebastian Fabritz et al. from the Kolmar group at Darmstadt University of Technology on cube-octameric silsesquioxanes. These small compact and highly symmetric nanoparticles have recently attracted increased attention as scaffold for tailor-made bioconjugates. The low toxicity, combined with solubility in aqueous systems and a half-life sufficient for in vivo studies make these structures attractive targets for a number of applications, among them drug delivery, tumor diagnostics and therapy.
Bioconjugation on cube-octameric silsesquioxanes
Sebastian Fabritz, Sebastian Hörner, Olga Avrutina and Harald Kolmar
DOI: 10.1039/c2ob26807h
On the inside front cover is the work of Jian-Mei Lu and co-workers describing an effective alternative method for the synthesis of diarylmethane 
derivatives, which utilises a readily available N-heterocyclic carbene–palladium(II)–1-methylimidazole complex. This efficient catalyst allowed the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of benzylic chlorides with arylboronic acids or potassium phenyltrifluoroborate in neat water under mild conditions.
N-Heterocyclic carbene–palladium(II)–1-methylimidazole complex catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of benzylic chlorides with arylboronic acids or potassium phenyltrifluoroborate in neat water
Yun Zhang, Meng-Ting Feng and Jian-Mei Lu
DOI: 10.1039/c3ob27353a
Both articles can be read for free for the next 6 weeks!
