Chiral salicylaldehyde Schiff bases and their racemates have identical molecule structure but present distinct photo-response properties. The formers are photochromic while the latters are photostable. This phenomenon comes from the different packing mode influenced by Wallach's rule, which provides a novel perspective to understand the influence of molecule pressure on their photophysical properties. More details are discussed in the article by Li et al. on pages 2987—2992.

Pyridine and piperidine are common structural motifs in natural products and pharmaceutical compounds, underscoring the importance of their synthesis. Our group has developed chiral spiro-bicyclic bisborane catalysts that enable the efficient and highly enantioselective reduction of pyridines to chiral piperidines. Subsequent transformations allow the conversion of the piperidine products into bioactive natural products. More details are discussed in the article by Wang et al. on pages 3088—3092.

An immune-stimulating polypeptide hydrogel conjugated with 1-methyl-D-tryptophan (D1MT) through a GSH-responsive spacer was developed as an immunotherapy platform. After encapsulating Dox and aPD-1 in the hydrogel, the combined immunotherapy system was capable to regulate suppressive TME and enhance anti-tumor chemo-immunotherapy.

This study involves the synthesis and photocatalytic activity of reduced phosphomolybdic acid compounds, aiming at understanding the influence of material structure on aniline oxidation. The role of multidentate ligands in {P₄Mo₆}-based photocatalyst was discussed by reducing the band gap to enhance the absorption of visible light. In addition, the contribution of coordination water molecules to catalytic enhancement in phosphomolybdic acid photocatalyst was revealed by DFT analysis.

By doping SnO₂ nanoparticles with electroactive and self-healing polyurethane as electron transport layer for organic solar cells, the intrinsic defects of SnO₂ film can be effectively passivated, ultimately contributing to a higher solar cell efficiency and stability.

A series of chiral salicylaldehyde Schiff bases and their racemates were prepared. The formers exhibit remarkable photochromism properties while the latters are photostable. Mechanism study showed that looser packing mode is beneficial for the photochromism process. Based on this finding, pressure was successfully used to regulate the photochromism of salicylaldehyde Schiff bases.

A heterogeneous nickel catalyst for selective deuteration of heteroarenes using D₂O as the isotope source has been developed. The usefulness of this approach has been demonstrated by 10 g-scale for complex pharmaceuticals. This methodology represents a practical and scalable deuteration and the air- and water-stable nanocatalyst enables efficient labelling in a straightforward manner.

In this work, the ultrathin Pd_xAu_y alloy NWs supported on ZSM-5 were developed to investigate the direct oxidation of CH₄ to high value-added oxygenate. The enhanced catalytic performance of Pd₉Au₁NWs/Z-5 was ascribed to the stable one-dimensional nanostructure and the strong synergy effect with high alloying PdAu, which could increase the adsorption capacity of CH₄ molecules on Pd atoms to promote the CH₄ conversion.

A novel dynamic kinetic resolution of isobenzofuranone derivatives through palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation has been developed to synthesize phthalide derivatives bearing vicinal quaternary and tertiary stereocenters with high yields, showing excellent chemo-, enantio- and diastereoselectivity.

Four novel oxime ester/ketoxime esters (OXEs/OXE-COs) photoinitiators were synthesized. In one-photon polymerization, high double bond conversions and low migration were achieved. With OXEs/OXE-COs in PETA, 2D/3D microstructures were constructed with excellent writing accuracy in two-photon polymerization.

A scalable, modular total synthesis of neopetromin is hereby reported. Key transformations include C—H arylation and Larock macrocyclization, enabling the preparation of multiple grams of the protected neopetromin. This synthetic strategy provides a novel approach to accessing various members of the RiPPs natural product family.

A highly stereoselective nickel-catalyzed cross-electrophile coupling of 1,2-glycosyl orthoesters and vinyl halides has been developed, offering an efficient method to synthesize various C-vinyl glycosides in good yields.

The consecutive photoinduced electron transfer (ConPET) strategy has been effectively utilized for the photocatalytic reductive azaarenylation of 2,2-disubstituted cycloproaryl ketones, enabling the efficient synthesis of α-all-carbon quaternary carbon-centered azaarenes. This methodology demonstrates excellent compatibility with a diverse array of functional groups, alongside remarkable chemo- and regioselectivity. Mechanistic investigations validate the pivotal role of the ConPET process in facilitating the formation of dual radical partners.

The generation of alkyl free radicals from alkyl halides has been realized via the promotion of ^tBuOK or TMSOK, enabling the direct α-C—H alkylation of α-hydroxyl ketones (benzoins). Besides providing a new and highly practical method for diverse benzoin synthesis, the present work expands the domain of ^tBuOK promoted free radical transformation from previously known aryl halide to aryl free radical transformation.

An iridium-catalyzed highly diastereoselective and efficient route to diastereopure bi- and polycyclic γ-lactones is achieved, featuring high levels of stereocontrol, broad substrate scope, and high catalyst efficiency (S/C up to 5000). The large steric hindrance of the iridium hydride species and the intramolecular hydrogen bonding underlie the success of the highly diastereoselective reductive lactonization. A general empirical rule based on facial selectivity analysis is proposed for explaining and predicting the stereochemistry.

A living polymerization method for the construction of nitrogen-containing polymers through the ROMP is reported. The polymerization exhibited living character and generated homo- or block polymers with targetable molecular weights and narrow molar mass distribution. The method showed good functional group compatibility, and the resulting polyenamides possess balanced stability and degradability.

A dense and chemically inert nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) film is successfully fabricated through hot filament chemical vapor deposition on a micromachined Si wafer to insulate the OH⁻ etching, enabling reliable measurements of in situ electrochemical ATR-SEIRAS in strong alkaline solution.

A facile synthesis of a double helicene based on four indoles with two electron-rich NBN-coved edges has been reported.

Small-molecular photovoltaic materials have the advantages of easily-tuned properties, and well-defined chemical structures. After blending small-molecular donor HD-1 with monomer acceptor eOD or dimeric acceptor DC9, the corresponding blend films exhibited exceptional thermal stability after 1000 h of thermal annealing aging at 85 °C, suggesting that small molecules have the potential to realize stable organic solar cells.

An efficient palladium-catalyzed direct cage BH oxygenation of o-carboranylacetic acids under mild conditions has been achieved, where the carboxylic group serves as not only a directing group, but also a coupling partner. A Pd(IV) intermediate is proposed to be involved in the catalytic cycle.

The first examples of highly enantioselective reduction reactions of unprotected 2-alkylpyridines are reported herein.

Three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks with tunable chirality were synthesized using amphiphilic chiral amino acid derivatives as inducer in the lamellar micelles formed by self-assemble of the derivatives. The hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions between amino acid derivatives and monomers as well as their precursors facilitate the transfer of the chirality.

Two ansa-bridged Er-COT SMMs [KDME₂][Er((η⁸-COT-Si^Me2)₂O)] (1) and [KDME₂][Er((η⁸-COT-Si^iPr2)₂O)]K[Er((η⁸-COT-Si^iPr2)₂O)] (2) were reported with comparable energy barriers (228(5) K for 1, and 196(4) K for 2) and blocking temperatures (10.5 K for both complexes). The different arrangement of molecular network for the two complexes leads to different dipolar interactions, which resulted in the magnetic hysteresis loop for 2 being opened much more largely than for 1.

A deracemization strategy involving the concurrent combination of biocatalytic reduction and anodic oxidation has been developed. With this strategy, a series of chiral sulfoxides were achieved in high yields (up to 95% yield) and stereoselectivities (99% e.e.).

The boric acid (H₃BO₃) in the precursor decomposes into B-containing species and interferes with the nucleation and growth of sp²-bonded carbon, thus enabling to directly produce topological defects during carbon growth. Impressively, the H₃BO₃-mediated defect-rich hierarchical nanocarbons achieve a high H₂O₂ production rate over 20 h of continuous electrocatalysis with a stable current density (> 100 mA·cm^–2) and Faradaic efficiency (> 90%).

We report the photo-excited switching and enhancement of dielectric properties in the orientational thin films of a 2D double perovskite, which enables the boosting of dielectric constants with a magnitude up to ~350% under 405 nm, far beyond most of the inorganic phase transition counterparts. This work affords a new avenue to forward their potentials for high-performance optoelectronic devices with the controllable physical properties.

A visible-light-induced, efficient one-pot synthesis of β-hydroxysulfides from olefins, thiosulfonates, and HCOOCs, utilizing an EDA complex strategy under ambient air conditions at room temperature, has been successfully developed. This approach offers mild reaction conditions, simplicity, odorlessness, and remarkable functional group tolerance.

High-efficiency organic solar cells should also be used as effective organic light-emitting diodes. The discussion thoroughly examines the factors influencing electroluminescence quantum efficiency (EQE_EL) and the mechanisms for adjusting various parameters, which include enhancements in photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and the proportion of radiative excitons.

Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) are widely recognized as promising candidates for high-density storage and quantum processing of information. The relationship between property and structure is fundamental in the design of high-performance SMMs. A detailed study of the relaxation dynamics and structures in two sandwich-type Er(III) SMMs with ansa-cyclooctatetraenyl ligands has highlighted the positive contribution of dipolar interactions to the magnetic blocking of SMMs. More details are discussed in the article by Ding et al. on pages 3099—3106.

Development of efficient methodologies for the synthesis of deuterium labelled compounds, especially hydrogen isotope exchange (HIE), continued to receive an impressive attention over the years. A unique heterogeneous nickel catalyst for selective deuteration of N-heterocycles has been successfully developed using D₂O as the isotope source. This methodology represents a practical and scalable deuteration and the air- and water-stable nanocatalyst enables efficient labelling in a straightforward manner. More details are discussed in the article by Li et al. on pages 2993—2998.