Water is essential for life but paradoxically considered detrimental to the origens of life. Here, we discuss whether avoiding hydrolysed monomers and exploiting the chemical energy in prebiotic precursors may hold the missing key to unlocking biopolymer synthesis.

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.

Chem Kids is a science camp where children ages 10 to 12 years old learn the notoriously difficult subject of organic chemistry.

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

An automated electrochemical flow platform is shown to enhance reaction efficiency, minimize material use, and accelerate data generation. Through Design of Experiments, the platform optimized a reaction, achieving a six-fold improvement in yield, and holds promise for optimizing other reactions.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.