The cover picture shows the first examples for the synthesis of coumarins via direct couplings of alcohols with C-7 coumarin halides. Such reactions proved to be much more difficult than similar couplings with simple substituted phenyl halides, especially when the alcohols are sterically congested as encountered in this work. En route to the first synthesis of the two long-known naturally occurring coumarins, several broadly employed coupling protocols were examined for the given substrates without success. In the end, the desired products were obtained by performing the reaction in xylene at 160°C in the presence of CuI/Cs₂CO₃/1,11-penanthroline. More details are discussed in the article by Wu and Liu et al. on page 723–728.

A new type of AIE molecules based on hexaphenyl-1,3-butadienes was reported with respect to the synthesis and characterization. This material exhibited different maximum emission wavelength and enhanced emission intensity at different aggregate state (amorphous and crystalline state). The process of the restricted intramolecular rotation is the predominant mechanism for the AIE effects.

A water-soluble PEG "click" triazole palladacycle has been successfully synthesized. The palladacycle exhibited superior catalytic activity towards Suzuki-Miyaura and copper-free Sonogashira cross-coupling in neat water.

Thiol-triggered sulfoxide→sulfide transfer induced a distinct ratiometric fluorescence change, thus enabling the accurate assay of Cys in living cells via ratiometric method.

FeCl₃·6H₂O-catalyzed oxidative coupling reactions of feruloytyamide protected by tert-butyl or bromine group produced the desired 8-8-coupled aryldihydronaphthalene products, which underwent the debutylation or debromination to concisely synthesize (±)-canabisin D.

These two long-known naturally occurring coumarins were synthesized via a direct coupling reaction, a very difficult etherification that frustrated many seemingly feasible protocols. Clear-cut spectroscopic data for these compounds were thus made available for the first time.

Two recently isolated natural phenolic homobenzyl esters were synthesized in enantiopure forms. The absolute configurations for these natural products were thus reliably assigned. En route to the total synthesis of the first target, complete physical and spectroscopic data for two other related natural products were made available for the first time. Configuration assignment of a third natural product was also achieved.

A series of CO-releasing molecules containing M(CO)₅ (M=Mo, W and Cr) were synthesized. Among them, CORMs containing acetyl salicylamide-3-pyridine were evaluated for stability, cytotoxicity, cell cycle and apoptosis.

Two series of tetrahydroisoindoline-1,3-diones containing an alkoxycarbonyl substituted 2-benzoxazolinone moiety were designed and synthesized. Compound 1h displayed excellent herbicidal effect against Abutilon theophrasti with ED₅₀ values of 1.8 g AI·ha⁻¹, and compound 1h could potentially be used as a new post-emergence herbicide for maize fields.

We report a considerably promising method based on agarose gel electrophoresis to separate single-walled carbon nanotubes by adding a water-soluble polyfluorene in the agarose gel which has an interaction with semiconducting nanotubes. This method not only raises the purity of separated SWNTs, but also improves the yield.

In the crystalline assembly of macrocyclic host TMIM-CTG with aromatic acids, homomeric inclusion is a general driving force and extends the primary hydrogen-bonded networks to the frameworks with higher levels.

A series of novel tolane-type liquid crystals with amide group as terminal group have been prepared. Three of these new compounds exhibit nematic phase and good thermal stabilities. The new molecules with electron donating amide as end group display slight difference on the HOMO-LUMO energy gap, and have higher dipole moment based on theroetical calculation.

Nanocapsules based on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) can controlled release As₂O₃ according to pH and enhance anti-solid tumor effects of As₂O₃.

Three new asymmetrical diarylethenes containing an azaindole moiety and a variable heteroaryl ring have been synthesized to elucidate the effects of aromatic stabilization energies of the heteroaryl moieties.

The reaction of NiCl₂ and 3-hydrazine-4-amino-1,2,4-triazole (Hatr) in the mixed solvent of EtOH and H₂O yielded a dimer compound ([Ni₂(Hatr)₂(H₂O)₂(EtOH)₂Cl₂]Cl₂· EtOH) with water and EtOH molecules coordinated to nickle ions. It crystallized in trigonal space group R-3, a=b=29.67(1) Å, c=8.95(7) Å, β=120(1)°, as determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Then, they were fully characterized by the IR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), and elemental analysis.