One small step for phosphate, one giant leap for molecular machine-kind

The first chemically fueled small-molecule walker dances around a sugar molecule without falling off

cen.acs.org

Bistable Switching of π‐Conjugation in a Dithienylethene‐Bridged Luminescent Trityl Diradicaloid

Photoswitches that affect π-conjugation offer a powerful strategy for external manipulation of luminescent diradicals. Dithienylethene-linked persistent trityl diradicaloids, DTE-TTM2 and F6-DTE-TTM2....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

A simpler way to make rotaxanes

No need for metals or recognition sites to build these molecular machines

cen.acs.org

mi-vote.com

Near-Quantitative Formation of Imines in Water with Allosteric Control

We demonstrate the near-quantitative formation of an imine bond in water under physiologically relevant conditions using a stoichiometric ratio of aldehyde and amine. To overcome the low hydrolytic stability of imines in water, a complementary metal coordination bond between the amine and aldehyde monomers is introduced to enhance the thermodynamic stability of the imine. Imine bond formation is substrate-selective, tolerates the presence of a variety of functional groups, and produces imines that are stable in a broad pH range. We also show that the presence of a second metal-ion complex in the building blocks provides a regulatory handle to ‘switch on’ imine-bond formation using ATP as an external allosteric effector.

pubs.acs.org

Chiral catalysis-driven rotary molecular motors - Nature Chemistry

The structural anisotropy necessary for the powered directional rotation of chemically fuelled molecular motors had previously been provided by chiral fuels or enzymes. Now it has been shown that asym...

nature.com

Structure-performance relationships for catalysis-driven molecular machinery

Molecular machine properties such as speed, efficiency, power, and torque depend upon particular features of structure, mechanism, and chemistry. The graphical abstract shows a Top Trumps-style representation of key performance indicators, illustrating how the first generation of synthetic catalysis-driven small-molecule machines compare with their biomolecular analogs. The understanding of how molecular machine design affects properties should aid technological advancements and a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles that link physics, chemistry, and biology.

dlvr.it

Setting a direction for molecular recognition

Nature Nanotechnology, Published online: 19 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41565-025-01997-yIn a non-equilibrium environment, molecular machines can undergo a directed flow through configurational changes, a feature that is widely exploited in processes characteristic of life. The use of such a flow to enhance the specificity of molecular recognition beyond equilibrium conditions has now been demonstrated in a minimal, synthetic, DNA-based system.

bit.ly

Photoswitchable Merocyanine‐Amphiphiles with Programmable Self‐Assembly Times

A merocyanine-based amphiphile self-assembles in water to form visible-light-responsive ellipsoids that can be disassembled with visible light and reform abruptly ∼70 minutes after the light is switc...

chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

An information ratchet improves selectivity in molecular recognition under non-equilibrium conditions - Nature Nanotechnology

An abiotic information ratchet mechanism increases selectivity for the correct DNA duplex from 2:1 at equilibrium to 6:1 under energy-dissipating conditions.

nature.com

In Situ Quantification of Directional Rotation by a Catalysis-Driven Azaindole-N-Oxide–Phenoic Acid Molecular Motor

We report the in situ quantification of directional rotation of a new type of catalysis-driven rotary motor featuring a phenyl carboxylic acid rotor attached to a 7-azaindole-N-oxide stator through a biaryl C–N bond. Continuous directional rotation of the rotor about the stator is driven by the achiral motor’s rotary catalysis of carbodiimide hydration in the presence of a chiral pyrrolidinylpyridine-N-oxide. The catalytic cycle features an intermediate O-acyl-azaindole-N-oxide ester tether formed between the carboxylic acid of the rotor and the N-oxide of the stator. Face-selective cleavage of the tether by the chiral pyrrolidinylpyridine-N-oxide additive generates relatively long-lived diastereomeric pyridine-N-oxide esters of the phenyl carboxylic acid. These are hydrolyzed during the catalytic cycle to reform the carboxylic acid resting state of the motor, completing net directional 360° rotation. In contrast to previous catalysis-driven motor-molecules, the motor’s directionality could be determined directly from the transient concentrations of the diastereomeric intermediates formed during rotary catalysis. This avoids reliance on restricted rotation models to assess motor directionality and provides direct access to other key performance indicators such as motor speed and catalytic, coupling and fuel efficiency. The in situ-determined directionality of the motor was found to be in excellent agreement with the directionality determined from a restricted rotation model, supporting both the efficacy of the new approach and the validity of using appropriately designed restricted rotation models. The results establish a straightforward method for the in situ quantification of various aspects of motor behavior, aiding the design and optimization of artificial molecular motors.

pubs.acs.org

Adapting to Climate Change: The Remarkable Decline in the U.S. Temperature-Mortality Relationship Over the 20th Century

This paper examines the temperature-mortality relationship over the course of the 20th century US both for its own interest and to identify potentially useful a

papers.ssrn.com

bit.ly

Supramolekulare Chemie | Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker e.V.

gdch.de

Etats-Unis : un chercheur français refoulé pour avoir exprimé « une opinion personnelle sur la politique menée par l’administration Trump »

Le ministre de la recherche a dit sa « préoccupation », mercredi, après cette décision des autorités américaines. Le chercheur du CNRS aurait subi un contrôle aléatoire à son arrivée, avant que son or...

lemonde.fr

Thinking about a revolution

Some things are changing rather fundamentally and the way we think should perhaps change too

emptycity.substack.com