The isolation of a crystalline radical cation carbon(I) species, generated via single-electron transfer between a carbodicarbene and a nitroaromatic compound, is reported. The resulting radical ion pair can mediate various C–O and C–C cross-coupling reactions with electron-deficient arenes bearing a leaving group.

An enantioconvergent approach for direct asymmetric insertion of racemic carbon-, oxygen-, nitrogen-, sulfur- and silicon-substituted carbenoids into carbon–boron bonds is reported, enabled by a class of chiral β-amino alcohol auxiliaries. In addition, iterative asymmetric homologation offered by this method simplifies syntheses of complex molecules containing multiple stereocentres.

Synthesizing topologically complex interwoven molecules with high yield remains challenging due to structural preorganization demands. Here face-bridging ligands on metal–organic cage frameworks are shown to enable high-yield synthesis of knotted cages that mechanically trap guests inside, enhancing guest retention and structural robustness.

Commercial lutein is mainly extracted from marigold flowers, which is an inefficient process. Now a gram-per-litre-scale process for microbial production of lutein is reported using metabolically engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum. By integrating flux optimization, engineered cytochrome P450 enzymes, electron-channelling scaffolds and fermentation strategies, this approach provides a microbial platform for lutein biosynthesis.

Cobalt-based subsurface dopants induce a shift in the rate-determining step of electrochemical CO₂ reduction on copper to the chemical step: OCCO* + H* → OCCHO* + *. Electrochemical production of ethylene over the optimized catalyst is achieved at low voltage and high current in a membrane electrode assembly system.

An adaptive supramolecular system is designed which exhibits complex droplet growth and phase behaviours, driven by the interplay between environmental factors (light input) and intrinsic chemical activity. This process is powered by light-induced bond scission of strained cyclic disulfides in monomers and the formation of diverse oligomers with linear disulfide linkages.

Potassium tert-butoxide is used in a precious-metal-free alkyl transfer strategy for synthesizing azaarenes and polyazaarenes from alkenes and nitriles via carbon–carbon bond cleavage. This method produces aryl methanes as the sole by-product and allows divergent synthesis of functionalized azaarenes, some of which exhibit visible-light photocatalytic reactivity.

The selectivity of a catalytic reaction is manipulated by straining a polymer support to which the catalyst is covalently bound. Enantioselective rhodium-catalysed hydrogenation of a series of 2-acetamidoacrylates is shown to increase with macroscopic strain, with enantiomeric ratios reaching twice their initial values.

A topochemical oxidation process is developed to exfoliate metal oxyhydroxides, in which active oxygen species and alkali cations modulate interlayer repulsion. The resulting Cs⁺-CoFeOOH nanosheets demonstrate exceptional electrocatalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction.

Commercial lutein is mainly extracted from marigold flowers, which is an inefficient process. Now a gram-per-litre-scale process for microbial production of lutein is reported using metabolically engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum. By integrating flux optimization, engineered cytochrome P450 enzymes, electron-channelling scaffolds and fermentation strategies, this approach provides a microbial platform for lutein biosynthesis.