Nature Chemistry Contents January 2015 Volume 7 Number 1 pp 1-88

If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view.

TABLE OF CONTENTS January 2015 Volume 7, Issue 1 Commentary Thesis Research Highlights Blogroll Correction News and Views Review Articles Erratum Corrigendum In Your Element Subscribe   Facebook   RSS   Recommend to library   Twitter   Commentary Top Remote-controlled experiments with cloud chemistry   pp1 - 5 Ryan A. Skilton, Richard A. Bourne, Zacharias Amara, Raphael Horvath, Jing Jin et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2143 Developing cleaner chemical processes often involves sophisticated flow-chemistry equipment that is not available in many economically developing countries. For reactions where it is the data that are important rather than the physical product, the networking of chemists across the internet to allow remote experimentation offers a viable solution to this problem. Thesis Top A molecule with a ring to it   pp6 - 7 Michelle Francl doi:10.1038/nchem.2136 Michelle Francl wonders what makes benzene resonate with chemists. Research Highlights Top Directed metalation: Not just for ortho | Responsive materials: At the crease | Li-S batteries: Activating additives | Alkali halide nanocrystals: Liquid helium worth its salt Blogroll Top Blogroll: Friends and foes   p9 Justin Brower doi:10.1038/nchem.2135 Correction Top Correction   p9 doi:10.1038/nchem.2149 News and Views Top Natural product biosynthesis: The road to L   pp11 - 12 Bryan Jones and Romas J. Kazlauskas doi:10.1038/nchem.2137 A combined experimental and theoretical study of the biosynthesis of a family of antibacterial natural products has uncovered some of the finer details of unusual stereoselectivity observed in a peptide cyclization. See also: Article by Tang et al. Metal-halide bond activation: A chloride shift in the spotlight   pp12 - 13 Haifeng Yang and François P. Gabbaï doi:10.1038/nchem.2144 The photoinduced production of hydrogen from HCl is an attractive alternative to water splitting. Insights into this challenging reaction have now been gained using photocrystallography, which provides a snapshot of the structural changes occurring during the elimination of chlorine from a dinuclear rhodium catalyst. Molecular self-assembly: Searching sequence space   pp14 - 15 Ehud Gazit doi:10.1038/nchem.2140 Short peptides are among the most intriguing building blocks in nanotechnology, but it would be very challenging to experimentally study the properties of large numbers of different sequences. Now, a computational analysis of all 8,000 possible tripeptides has been used to identify those with interesting self-assembly behaviour. See also: Article by Frederix et al. Systems chemistry: Selecting complex behaviour   pp15 - 17 Andrew J. Bissette and Stephen P. Fletcher doi:10.1038/nchem.2130 Creating chemical systems that can model living systems is far from easy. However, the evolution of oil droplets in water through the application of artificial selective pressure to produce droplets with dramatically different — yet specific — behaviours, is an encouraging step in this direction. Nanotechnology: Deadly DNA   pp17 - 18 Swati Krishnan and Friedrich C. Simmel doi:10.1038/nchem.2148 DNA self-assembly has previously been used to create channel-like structures that can penetrate through lipid bilayer membranes. However, such assemblies have not been shown to cause cell death before. Now a DNA nanopore has been shown to exert a cytotoxic effect when administered to cells. Chemistry JOBS of the week Postdoc Positions in Nanomedicine and Synthetic Materials Chemistry Stanford University, Chemistry Ph.D. Positions in Chemistry Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Graduate studentship in Experimental Physical Chemistry University of Oxford Physical and Atmospheric Chemistry Research Technician University of Bristol Tenure-Stream Appointment In Chemistry University of Toronto More Science jobs from Chemistry EVENT Discovery Chemistry Congress 17.02.15 Berlin, Germany More science events from Review Top Towards greener and more sustainable batteries for electrical energy storage   pp19 - 29 D. Larcher and J-M. Tarascon doi:10.1038/nchem.2085 Energy storage using batteries offers a solution to the intermittent nature of energy production from renewable sources; however, such technology must be sustainable. This Review discusses battery development from a sustainability perspective, considering the energy and environmental costs of state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries and the design of new systems beyond Li-ion. Images: batteries, car, globe: © iStock/Thinkstock. Articles Top Exploring the sequence space for (tri-)peptide self-assembly to design and discover new hydrogels   pp30 - 37 Pim W. J. M. Frederix, Gary G. Scott, Yousef M. Abul-Haija, Daniela Kalafatovic, Charalampos G. Pappas et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2122 Peptides that self-assemble into nanostructures are of interest for many applications, including ones relevant to cosmetics, food, biomedicine and nanotechnology. Now, computational tools have been developed that enable peptide sequence space to be rapidly searched for supramolecular properties and this approach has been used to identify unprotected tripeptide hydrogelators. See also: News and Views by Gazit Copper-catalysed selective hydroamination reactions of alkynes   pp38 - 44 Shi-Liang Shi and Stephen L. Buchwald doi:10.1038/nchem.2131 Amines are essential in a number of research areas, but a general, selective and step-efficient synthesis has been elusive. Now, the use of a single copper catalyst to transform alkynes into enamines, α-chiral branched alkylamines, and linear alkylamines is described. These transformations have been applied in the preparation of a selection of current pharmaceutical agents. Chemical compounds Covalent functionalization of monolayered transition metal dichalcogenides by phase engineering   pp45 - 49 Damien Voiry, Anandarup Goswami, Rajesh Kappera, Cecilia de Carvalho Castro e Silva, Daniel Kaplan et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2108 Modifying or functionalizing transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) allows their properties to be altered and controlled. Now, non-defect-mediated covalent functionalization of single-layer semiconducting TMDs such as MoS2, WS2 and MoSe2 has been demonstrated by reacting them with organohalides, utilizing the excess charge in the 1T metallic phase. Solvating additives drive solution-mediated electrochemistry and enhance toroid growth in non-aqueous Li–O2 batteries   pp50 - 56 Nagaphani B. Aetukuri, Bryan D. McCloskey, Jeannette M. García, Leslie E. Krupp, Venkatasubramanian Viswanathan et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2132 The maximum attainable capacity of the Li–O2 battery is limited by the passivation of its cathode by electronically insulating Li2O2. It is now shown that electrolyte additives, which activate solution-mediated growth of Li2O2, make it possible to circumvent this fundamental limitation, leading to design rules for additive selection. Substrate control in stereoselective lanthionine biosynthesis   pp57 - 64 Weixin Tang, Gonzalo Jiménez-Osés, K. N. Houk and Wilfred A. van der Donk doi:10.1038/nchem.2113 The stereochemical outcome of enzyme-catalysed reactions with physiological substrates is typically governed by the well-defined geometry of the enzyme active site. Now, a rare example is reported where the substrate controls the stereoselectivity of a Michael-type addition during lanthipeptide biosynthesis. See also: News and Views by Jones & Kazlauskas Spatially resolved analysis of short-range structure perturbations in a plastically bent molecular crystal   pp65 - 72 Manas K. Panda, Soumyajit Ghosh, Nobuhiro Yasuda, Taro Moriwaki, Goutam Dev Mukherjee et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2123 Crystals of hexachlorobenzene easily break when pressed on the (100) face, but bend to 360° without disintegrating when stress is applied on the (001) face. In the latter case this extraordinary malleability arises from the segregation and sliding of layers of molecules in the crystal, a process in which halogen–halogen interactions are broken and reformed. Screening and classifying small-molecule inhibitors of amyloid formation using ion mobility spectrometry–mass spectrometry   pp73 - 81 Lydia M. Young, Janet C. Saunders, Rachel A. Mahood, Charlotte H. Revill, Richard J. Foster et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2129 A method for rapidly screening small-molecule inhibitors of amyloid assembly has been developed. This method uses electrospray ionization–ion mobility spectrometry–mass spectrometry to detect and identify the type of inhibition. A screen of this nature could help in the discovery of therapeutics for numerous diseases associated with aberrant protein aggregation. Pseudopterosin synthesis from a chiral cross-conjugated hydrocarbon through a series of cycloadditions   pp82 - 86 Christopher G. Newton, Samuel L. Drew, Andrew L. Lawrence, Anthony C. Willis, Michael N. Paddon-Row et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2112 The pseudopterosins are a family of natural products whose interesting anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties have inspired many synthetic approaches. Now, an unusual approach that starts with an axially chiral hydrocarbon that engages in a triple Diels–Alder sequence has been shown to result in the shortest total synthesis of a pseudopterosin so far. Chemical compounds Erratum Top Erratum: The role of LiO2 solubility in O2 reduction in aprotic solvents and its consequences for Li-O2 batteries   p87 Lee Johnson, Chunmei Li, Zheng Liu, Yuhui Chen, Stefan A. Freunberger et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2138 Corrigendum Top Corrigendum: Discovering chemistry with an ab initio nanoreactor   p87 Lee-Ping Wang, Alexey Titov, Robert McGibbon, Fang Liu, Vijay S. Pande et al. doi:10.1038/nchem.2139 In Your Element Top All manner of antimony   p88 Claire Hansell doi:10.1038/nchem.2134 Claire Hansell surveys the uses, past and present, for antimony, including an unusual method for 'recycling' it. Top Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. The contents of the Natureevents Directory are now live. The digital version is available here. Find the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia on natureevents.com. For event advertising opportunities across the Nature Publishing Group portfolio please contact natureevents@nature.com More Nature Events

You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. You can change or discontinue your e-mail alerts at any time, by modifying your preferences on your nature.com account at: www.nature.com/myaccount (You will need to log in to be recognised as a nature.com registrant) For further technical assistance, please contact our registration department For print subscription enquiries, please contact our subscription department For other enquiries, please contact our customer feedback department Nature Publishing Group | 75 Varick Street, 9th Floor | New York | NY 10013-1917 | USA Nature Publishing Group's worldwide offices: London - Paris - Munich - New Delhi - Tokyo - Melbourne San Diego - San Francisco - Washington - New York - Boston Macmillan Publishers Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 785998 and whose registered office is located at Brunel Road, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. © 2015 Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.