Ultrafast chemistry

This cross-journal collection highlights the latest advances in ultrafast chemistry, including proton and charge transfer reactions, recombination reactions, ...

nature.com

Cold stimulus during the fibrillation lag phase induces molecularly distinct amyloid strains

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 03 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02140-1Amyloid polymorphism plays a crucial role in neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases and understanding why protein aggregates with the same sequence exhibit different pathogenicities is a major challenge in amyloid research. Here, the authors generate insulin polymorphs through thermal changes in the nucleation phase, revealing structural variations that influence amyloid propagation and cytotoxicity.

dlvr.it

Formaldehyde hydroformylation over a heterogeneous catalyst based on a functionalized rhodium-biphosphine unit

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 01 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02150-zThe immobilization of rhodium species on silica-based materials is an effective strategy for the development of heterogeneous catalysts for formaldehyde hydroformylation, but its reliance on triphenylphosphine makes product separation and catalyst recycling difficult. Here, the authors report a strategy to produce a functionalized, SiO2-supported, immobilized rhodium catalyst in which the introduction of bis[2-(diphenylphosphino)ethy]amine as an electronic donor through grafting technology removes the need for implementing triphenylphosphine to enhance catalytic performance.

dlvr.it

Human chaperone DNAJB6b suppresses tau fibril formation through co-aggregation

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 01 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02108-1Human chaperone DNAJB6b has emerged as a key component involved in the endogeneous defense system against tau protein aggregation in the context of Alzheimer’s disease. Here, the authors study the impact of DNAJB6b on tau fibril formation, showing that it delays tau aggregation by co-assembling with small tau aggregates and by binding to mature fibrils, reducing their ability to catalyze further fibril growth.

dlvr.it

Construction of a diverse echinocandin library via combinatorial biosynthesis targeting improved physicochemical properties and bioactivity

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02152-xEchinocandin B’s clinical potential is limited by its instability and poor solubility, despite its antifungal efficacy. Here, the authors employed combinatorial biosynthesis to construct a structurally diverse echinocandin library, yielding 15 novel derivatives to elucidate the effects of key structural modifications and identifying compound 9 as a promising candidate that exhibits remarkably improved stability and water solubility.

dlvr.it

High-throughput solid microsampling through stochastic robotic automation

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02153-wHigh-throughput chemistry faces challenges in scaling solid sampling at sub-milligram and milligram levels due to manual and slow methods. Here, the authors introduce STORMS, an automated stochastic robotic microsampling system that enhances speed, precision, and reproducibility, offering a scalable solution for solid analysis with minimal operator intervention.

dlvr.it

Lifetime imaging of singlet oxygen NIR phosphorescence

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02144-xObtaining precise values of 1O2 lifetimes in complex environments has remained a challenge due to a low emission quantum yield and competitive decay and diffusion kinetics. Here, the authors report a 1O2 phosphorescence lifetime imaging microscope (1O2-PLIM) that facilitates the acquisition of lifetime and intensity profiles of 1O2 phosphorescence emission with improved resolution, demonstrating its application to the study of micrometer-sized polymer beads bound to photosensitizers and HaCaT keratynocytes previously incubated with a photosensitizer.

dlvr.it

Ligands, orbitals, and applications across the f-block

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02143-yCommunications Chemistry is pleased to present a Collection of research that explores the chemistry of the rare earths and the actinides. Here, Guest Editor Conrad Goodwin highlights key themes and looks towards the future of this field.

dlvr.it

Single-pot nanoparticle-enzyme integration enables synergistic PEG valorization for bioethanol production

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02134-zAlthough polyethylene glycol (PEG) is commonly utilized to stabilize iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles and enhance enzyme performance, its degradation into valuable chemicals remains underexplored. Here, the authors present a proof-of-concept platform for the degradation and valorization of PEG that combines a Fe3O4 / H2O2 system for generating hydroxyl radicals that initiate depolymerization with a catalytic system based on recombinant carboxylesterase/lipase, demonstrating its application to bioethanol production.

dlvr.it

Ultrafast chemistry

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02103-6Communications Chemistry is delighted to present a Collection of research articles highlighting recent developments in the field of ultrafast chemistry. Here, Editorial Board Member Professor Haiwang Yong introduces the topic and outlines the themes covered by the Collection.

dlvr.it

Human carbonic anhydrase II as a versatile biocatalyst for the synthesis of chiral aryl-1,2-diols

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 28 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02120-5Enantiopure anti- and syn-1,2-diols are important intermediates in the synthesis of numerous industrial chemicals, yet methods for their efficient and scalable synthesis remain limited. Here, the authors report human carbonic anhydrase II as a versatile biocatalyst for the production of aryl- and heteroarylpropanediol stereoisomers with high regio- and enantio-selectivity from readily available diketones.

dlvr.it

Critical size for metallization in core-derived epitaxial growth of thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters studied through Au171(SR)65 and Au207(SR)80 assembly

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 28 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02147-8Icosahedral structures influence the formation of thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters (RS-AuNCs), but whether different sharing modes of these units can lead to multi-shell large-sized clusters remains underexplored. Here, the authors propose a core-derived epitaxial growth strategy based on the structural characteristics of isolated icosahedral cores in Au133(SR)52, Au138(SR)48, and Au144(SR)60 clusters, showing that two giant gold clusters, Au171(SR)65 and Au207(SR)80, can be constructed by using intercross-sharing Au19 and vertex-sharing Au25 as the initial cores.

dlvr.it

MolDualNet as a multi-modal architecture for small-data analog-space molecular property prediction

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 28 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02142-zAccurately prioritizing compounds across diverse molecular tasks is challenging due to sparse data and shifting chemical distributions. Here, the authors introduce MolDualNet, a multitask model leveraging multimodal inputs through gated bidirectional cross-attention, achieving superior performance over baselines in key molecular-property predictions, particularly under conditions of distribution shift and heterogeneous evidence.

dlvr.it

Intracellular bismuth coordination of peptides and miniproteins enables functional screening of stable cyclic architectures

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 27 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02148-7Cyclisation of peptides and proteins enhances stability and efficacy, but achieving this within living cells is challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate bismuth (III)-thiolate coordination chemistry within living cells during recombinant expression in E. coli, enabling intracellular cyclisation of peptides and miniproteins, which enhances stability and expands the potential for live-cell screening of constrained peptide libraries.

dlvr.it

Identifying viable synthetic routes from side channels in automated reaction-path searches

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 23 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02114-3Automated reaction-path search methods based on quantum chemical calculations from a single equilibrium structure can provide novel synthetic information. Here, the authors propose a network editing strategy to identify masked side reactions by removing kinetically dominant pathways, demonstrating its application to the development of synthetic routes that replace a reactive substituent with an unreactive one to trigger the formation of the desired byproduct, such as the arylcarboxylation of N-allylaniline derivatives via the CO2 radical anion to access five- and six-membered N-heterocycles.

dlvr.it

ZrO2-enhanced Ni@C catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of maleic anhydride to γ-butyrolactone

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 23 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02111-6The direct hydrogenation of maleic anhydride represents an advantageous route to synthesize γ-butyrolactone for high-performance solvents, pharmaceutical precursors, and lithium-ion battery electrolytes. Here, the authors synthesize Ni@C catalysts modified with ZrO2 and evaluate their performance for the liquid-phase hydrogenation of maleic anhydride to γ-butyrolactone, showing that the formation of oxygen vacancies on the catalyst surface enhance the C = C hydrogenation and C=O hydrogenolysis activities.

dlvr.it

Carbamoyl phosphate-mediated peptide formation in mild prebiotic environment

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 23 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02149-6The abiotic formation of peptides in water is a key challenge in origin-of-life research due to thermodynamic constraints. Here, the authors demonstrate a mild aqueous pathway for peptide synthesis using carbamoyl phosphate (CAP), revealing a dual-activation mechanism with magnesium ions, suggesting CAP as an evolutionary link to early biochemical processes.

dlvr.it

Rapid and energy-efficient ultra-large library screening for drug discovery on a SpiNNaker2 neuromorphic chip

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 21 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02122-3The challenge of efficiently exploring ultra-large chemical libraries for drug discovery is exacerbated by the prohibitive costs and energy demands of exhaustive screening. Here, the authors demonstrate the implementation of a ligand-based screening pipeline on a 152-core SpiNNaker2 chip, achieving 60% higher throughput and 86% lower energy consumption than an NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano system.

dlvr.it

Streamlined synthesis of β-elemene using a spatially organized multi-enzyme machinery

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 21 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02135-yTerpenoids, with their diverse structures and significant pharmaceutical and industrial applications, face production challenges due to inefficient plant extraction and synthesis methods. Here, the authors explore microbial engineering strategies to enhance terpenoid production, leveraging enzyme complexes for improved substrate channeling.

dlvr.it

A DFT-based Raman spectral atlas and vibrational assignment of aqueous glucose structures and derivatives

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 20 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02118-zAlthough the application of Raman spectroscopy to the detection of glucose blood levels is a promising noninvasive alternative to traditional methods, its actual implementation has been hampered by the oversimplification of glucose structures in solution and unresolved band assignments. Here, the authors report a Raman spectral atlas and vibrational assignments of glucose bands across all physiologically relevant tautomers and derivatives, identifying spectral markers for distinguishing pyranose and furanose rings, anomeric configurations, hydration states, and the bicyclic features of 1,5-Anhydroglucitol.

dlvr.it

Metal-free strategy for C–N cross-coupling of benzamide with sulfonamide enabled by a Smiles rearrangement

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 20 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02131-2N-substituted anilines are crucial in synthesizing pharmaceuticals and functional materials, yet developing mild synthetic protocols to access these compounds remains challenging. Here, the authors introduce a transition-metal-free C–N cross-coupling method, enabling the synthesis of valuable biarylamines and alkylarylamines, with broad substrate scope and scalability.

dlvr.it

Integrating chemical priors and physical laws to mitigate hallucinations in structure-based drug design

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 18 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02115-2Generative AI in structure-based drug design often faces “structural hallucinations,” producing molecules that defy chemical and physical principles. Here, the authors introduce DrugRPG, a framework integrating deep-learned chemical priors with physical laws, significantly reducing steric clashes and enhancing the generation of viable drug candidates, thus advancing realistic lead discovery.

dlvr.it

Inorganic benzenes with inverted singlet-triplet gaps

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 18 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02141-0Inorganic benzenes are theoretically shown to possess inverted singlet–triplet (iST) gaps, enabling efficient triplet-to-singlet conversion with large optical gaps suitable for ultraviolet electroluminescence. Among iST compounds in this study, several borazinebased frameworks exhibit fluorescence rate constants up to 107–108 s-1, highlighting their potential as highly efficient iST emitters and as wide-gap host materials for future organic light-emitting diodes.

dlvr.it

Characterization of immunomodulatory dialkylresorcinols from the human-associated HACEK bacteria

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 18 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02126-zEndogenous metabolites from the human microbiome are pivotal in immune regulation, yet their specific roles remain largely undefined. Here, the authors identify ketoacyl synthases from Eikenella spp. that produce dialkylresorcinols, which act as aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists, potentially revealing a mechanism for microbiota-driven immunomodulation and advancing therapeutic development.

dlvr.it

AI-assisted fragment-based drug discovery of SARS-CoV-2 macrodomain binders validated by NMR and X-ray crystallography

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 17 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02138-9Artificial intelligence and machine learning have recently accelerated fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) processes through structure-based optimization and generative compound design. Here, the authors present an AI-assisted FBDD workflow applied to the SARS-CoV-2 macrodomain, designing and experimentally validating novel Mac1 binders.

dlvr.it

Reconstructing high-order SERS transitions in an overlooked spectral region reveals surface complex formation

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 17 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02136-xConventional surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) studies focus on the spectral window below 2000 cm⁻¹, while high-order transitions have received limited attention despite their potential to reveal detailed insights into molecular surface interactions. Here, the authors study such high-order transitions using 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) as a model system, showing that they are a direct spectroscopic marker of molecule-metal surface complex formation and originate from 4,4′-dimercaptoazobenzene (4,4′-DMAB) photochemically formed on the surface.

dlvr.it

Self-healing ion blocking via adaptive surface fluorination of graphene lamellas

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 17 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02139-8Safety failures in high-energy lithium-ion batteries often originate from uncontrolled interfacial transport and electrolyte decomposition at elevated voltages, with coatings and artificial interphases providing limited protection due to chemical degradation by LiPF6-based electrolytes. Here, the authors show that hot-pressed graphene foils operate as self-healing chemical systems in which electrolyte decomposition products are converted in operando into a stable, self-limiting fluorinated surface layer, with interfacial reactions triggering adaptive chemical passivation that restores and preserves interfacial function rather than being detrimental.

dlvr.it

Synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction validation of real-time in situ terahertz-Raman monitoring of resonant acoustic mixing cocrystallization

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 16 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02072-wSynchrotron-based X-ray powder diffraction is the benchmark for monitoring transformations of crystalline phases, but terahertz Raman spectroscopy offers a promising laboratory alternative. Here, the authors integrate synchrotron XRPD and THz-Raman spectroscopy under resonant acoustic mixing conditions, demonstrating strong agreement in rate constants and phase detection, validating THz-Raman as a versatile tool for real-time in situ tracking of changes in material structure.

dlvr.it

Light-switchable enzyme-mimetic organocatalysis in water via supramolecular assembly

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02117-0Light-regulated control over catalytic activity is a key step toward adaptive and programmable chemical systems. Here, the authors report a minimalistic supramolecular organocatalytic platform that enables reversible spatiotemporal regulation of enzyme-mimetic activity in water using light as a non-invasive trigger.

dlvr.it

Asymmetric radical type 1,2-aryloxy-phosphinolylation of vinylarenes catalyzed by chiral vanadyl complexes

Communications Chemistry, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s42004-026-02132-1The direct 1,2-oxidative difunctionalization of olefins using in-situ-generated phosphinoyl radicals has seen significant advances, yet benzylic or propargylic aryloxylation remains underexplored. Here, the authors achieve the enantioselective three-component, 1,2-aryloxy-phosphinoylation of vinylarenes and enyne with various functional phenol derivatives catalyzed by chiral vanadyl(V) complexes, leading to β-aryloxy-phosphine oxides in up to 96% ee.

dlvr.it