Volume 1 Issue 7, July 2022

Using a bottom-up synthetic method, an all sp²-hybridized carbon nanobelt with a Möbius topology is prepared. The macrocyclization step is a Wittig reaction between an aldehyde and phosphorous ylide at opposite edges of a strip that induces a twist.

Aminoglycosides are an important class of potent antibiotics; however traditional synthetic approaches are lengthy and often rely on enzyme-based routes. Now, a formal enantioselective copper-catalysed hydroamination of benzene enables the total synthesis of the antibiotic (+)-ribostamycin in ten linear steps.

Catalytic intramolecular C–H amination via nitrene transfer typically yields N-heterocycles which can be unmasked to amino alcohols and diamines. Now, an enantioselective Co-catalysed 1,5-C–H amination to form cyclic sulfamidates from alcohols allows for ring opening to deliver diverse β-functionalized chiral amines.

Scalable and efficient chemical recycling of commodity polymeric materials remains a challenge as the materials continually accumulate in the environment. Now, upcycling of polystyrene into benzoic acid and other value-added chemicals is realized under mild photooxidation conditions, with hydrogen atom transfer as the key step.

Nickel-catalysed cross-electrophile coupling (XEC) is a useful reaction in synthetic organic chemistry. Now, a nickel-catalysed electrochemical XEC reaction mediated by dynamic ligand exchange enables the formation of a C(sp²)–C(sp³) bond between tertiary alkyl bromides and aryl (pseudo)halides.

The current production of bulk chemicals often requires constant high temperatures. Now, Joule heating using electricity can be harnessed by imposing temperature modulation on reactions. By optimizing timescales, reaction selectivity and catalyst stability is improved.

The relationship between synthetic discoveries and the materials breakthroughs that they enable is explored in this Perspective. It is concluded that most materials breakthroughs involve chemical compounds that were made out of curiosity or for an entirely different purpose. This conclusion has implications for the role of exploratory synthesis in materials research.

Crystal engineering of nanosized and hierarchical zeolites may improve the mass transport properties of materials at the nanoscale in various applications. In this Review, synthetic methods used to prepare different classes of zeolitic materials are summarized, with a focus on nucleation and growth mechanisms. Experimental and computational advances, as well as future challenges in the field, are discussed.

Strategies for the creation of topological carbon nanostructures have greatly advanced synthetic organic chemistry and materials science. Now, the synthesis of a Möbius carbon nanobelt, a molecule with a twist on belt-shaped aromatic hydrocarbons, is reported.

Synthetic routes to aminoglycosides are often long and rely upon the coupling of semisynthetically produced fragments. Now, an enantioselective, copper-catalysed hydroamination of benzene has been developed to enable access to the aminoglycoside antibiotic ribostamycin. This bottom-up strategy provides modular and expedient entry into the aminocyclitol class.

Enantioselective C–H amination is an attractive strategy for the synthesis of chiral amines. Now, a combined radical and ionic approach has been developed for 1,2-difunctionalization of alcohols by merging enantioselective radical C–H amination with stereospecific nucleophilic ring-opening, enabling synthesis of β-functionalized chiral amines.

The high stability of THF and rapid cleavage of α-anionic THF make the direct generation and use of α-anionic THF challenging. Now, a flow synthetic method is used to control the metallation of unstable α-anionic THF, allowing a range of functionalization reactions to be carried out directly on THF.

The Mizoroki–Heck reaction forms C−C bonds between aryl halides and alkenes. For electron-deficient alkenes, β-coupled products are typically formed and synthesizing α-arylated products is challenging. Now, a triple catalysis system (nickel, photoredox catalysis and sulfinate) enables regioirregular formal Mizoroki–Heck reactions for electron-deficient alkenes and styrenes to give α-arylated alkenes.