Physicochemical Principles of AC Electrosynthesis: Reversible Reactions.

Electrolysis integrates renewable energy into chemical manufacturing and is key to sustainable chemistry. Controlling the waveform beyond direct current (DC) addresses the long-standing obstacle of chemoselectivity, yet it also expands the parameter set to optimize, creating a demand for theoretical predictions. Here, we report the first analytical theory for predicting chemoselectivity in an alternating current (AC) electrosynthesis. The mechanism is a selective reversal of the unwanted redox reaction during periods of opposite polarity, reflected in the final reaction outcome as a time-averaged effect. In the ideal scenario of all redox reactions being reversible, square AC waveform biases the outcome toward more overoxidation/over-reduction, whereas sine AC waveform exhibits the opposite effect. However, in a more realistic scenario of some redox reactions being quasi-reversible, sine AC may behave mostly like square AC. These predictions are in numerical agreement with model experiments employing acetophenone and align qualitatively with the literature precedent. Collectively, this study provides theoretical proof for a growing trend that promotes changing waveforms to overcome limitations challenging to address by varying canonical electrochemical parameters.

Chiral edge waves in a dance-based human topological insulator.

Topological insulators are insulators in the bulk but feature chiral energy propagation along the boundary. This property is topological in nature and therefore robust to disorder. Originally discovered in electronic materials, topologically protected boundary transport has since been observed in many other physical systems. Thus, it is natural to ask whether this phenomenon finds relevance in a broader context. We choreograph a dance in which a group of humans, arranged on a square grid, behave as a topological insulator. The dance features unidirectional flow of movement through dancers on the lattice edge. This effect persists when people are removed from the dance floor. Our work extends the applicability of wave physics to dance.

Alternant Hydrocarbon Diradicals as Optically Addressable Molecular Qubits.

High-spin molecules allow for bottom-up qubit design and are promising platforms for magnetic sensing and quantum information science. Optical addressability of molecular electron spins has also been proposed in first-row transition-metal complexes via optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) mechanisms analogous to the diamond-nitrogen-vacancy color center. However, significantly less progress has been made on the front of metal-free molecules, which can deliver lower costs and milder environmental impacts. At present, most luminescent open-shell organic molecules are π-diradicals, but such systems often suffer from poor ground-state open-shell characters necessary to realize a stable ground-state molecular qubit. In this work, we use alternancy symmetry to selectively minimize radical-radical interactions in the ground state, generating π-systems with high diradical characters. We call them m-dimers, referencing the need to covalently link two benzylic radicals at their meta carbon atoms for the desired symmetry. Through a detailed electronic structure analysis, we find that the excited states of alternant hydrocarbon m-diradicals contain important symmetries that can be used to construct ODMR mechanisms leading to ground-state spin polarization. The molecular parameters are set in the context of a tris(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl (TTM) radical dimer covalently tethered at the meta position, demonstrating the feasibility of alternant m-diradicals as molecular color centers.

Stepwise Evolution of Fragment Hits against MAPK Interacting Kinases 1 and 2.

Dysregulation of translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) activity occurs in various cancers. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) interacting kinases 1 and 2 (MNK1 and MNK2) play a fundamental role in activation of eIF4E. Structure-activity relationship-driven expansion of a fragment hit led to discovery of dual MNK1 and MNK2 inhibitors based on a novel pyridine-benzamide scaffold. The compounds possess promising in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles and show potent on target inhibition of eIF4E phosphorylation in cells.