Artificial intelligence is being used in many aspects of chemical research. Bruce Gibb discusses top-down and bottom-up approaches to the development of AI, highlighting the issues with cultural divides and the challenges of data quality. He also introduces 'Eric', a potential AI research assistant for the future chemist.

Niki Mavragani and Muralee Murugesu discuss the discovery, structure and properties of Mn₁₂, a prototypical single-molecule magnet.

It has been challenging to rationalize the emergence of complex biochemical systems because many parts with different functions needed to come together. This Perspective proposes a molecular bricolage—an evolutionary tinkering involving parts that initially evolved for unrelated functions—to provide an intellectual framework to study the origin of protein translation.

The acknowledgements sections of papers are used formally to recognize those who have contributed to an article but are not authors. Michelle Francl suggests that they can be more than that — they can say more than thank you and can flesh out a story.

Bio-based polyethylene-like materials with tunable thermal and mechanical properties have been synthesized from plant-derived diols using an acceptorless dehydrogenative polymerization strategy. Now it has been shown that this atom-economical and mass-economical approach employing non-precious metal catalysts enables closed-loop recycling and advances sustainable solutions for the circular plastic economy.

Catalytic methods to introduce fluorine into the backbone of small-ring heterocycles are challenging due to the problems of strain-induced ring cleavage and defluorination. Now, a copper catalyst mediates insertion of an in situ-generated difluorocarbene into oxygen heterocycles, affording ring-expanded fluorinated pharmacophores. Experimental and computational studies provide insights into the mechanism.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are prodrugs that are activated by protonation in the highly acidic environment of the stomach lining. Now, coordination of PPIs to protein-bound zinc ions is revealed as another pathway to PPI activation. Acting as a Lewis acid, the zinc ion facilitates conjugation of the drug to zinc-coordinating cysteine residues.

On-surface synthesis of two-dimensional polymers is a useful strategy for designing the lattice, orbital and spin symmetries of materials, but controlling their layer stacking remains challenging. Now, a method to synthesize bilayer two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks at a liquid–substrate interface through monomer condensation has been developed; large-area moiré superlattices emerge from the twisted bilayer stacking.

The importance of charged species in numerous biological and environmental processes has stimulated the development of host molecules for their selective recognition. Now anisotropically polarized halogen- and chalcogen-bonding [2]rotaxanes are demonstrated to exhibit dual Lewis-acidic and Lewis-basic amphoteric properties for anion or cation recognition via the same donor atoms.

Following the building principles of crown ethers for cation encapsulation, inverse crowns are rings of metals that bind anions. Now a redox-active inverse crown ether featuring Na⁺ cations and Mg⁰ has been shown to reduce epoxides, N₂O, S₈ or O₂ by combining anion complexation by the ring of metal cations with the reducing power of Mg⁰.

Niki Mavragani and Muralee Murugesu discuss the discovery, structure and properties of Mn₁₂, a prototypical single-molecule magnet.

Artificial intelligence is being used in many aspects of chemical research. Bruce Gibb discusses top-down and bottom-up approaches to the development of AI, highlighting the issues with cultural divides and the challenges of data quality. He also introduces 'Eric', a potential AI research assistant for the future chemist.

Paulina Krzyszowska and Ewa Pacholska-Dudziak recap the history of porphyrins, their biological relevance, and discuss examples of their use in modern applications.

The acknowledgements sections of papers are used formally to recognize those who have contributed to an article but are not authors. Michelle Francl suggests that they can be more than that — they can say more than thank you and can flesh out a story.

In grad school, there is time to focus on learning about your field and your project — and to keep up with the literature. Now, as an assistant professor, Shira Joudan explains how learning science is necessarily different as they manage multiple projects and a busy schedule.