Matthijs ter Harmsel

Continuous addition of a chemical fuel allows for the autocatalytic formation of surfactant that aggregate into vesicles. These vesicles can be maintained out‐of‐equilibrium by adding a catabolic catalyst to introduce a second, coupled reaction cycle into the metabolic network.

Abstract

We report chemically fuelled out‐of‐equilibrium self‐replicating vesicles based on surfactant formation. We studied the vesicles’ autocatalytic formation using UPLC to determine monomer concentration and interferometric scattering microscopy at the nanoparticle level. Unlike related reports of chemically fuelled self‐replicating micelles, our vesicular system was too stable to surfactant degradation to be maintained out of equilibrium. The introduction of a catalyst, which introduces a second catalytic cycle into the metabolic network, was used to close the first cycle. This shows how coupled catalytic cycles can create a metabolic network that allows the creation and perseverance of fuel‐driven, out‐of‐equilibrium self‐replicating vesicles.

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 21 October 2019; doi:10.1038/s41557-019-0346-2

Asymmetric Sonogashira C(sp3)–C(sp) couplings provide complementary approaches to established C(sp3)–C(sp2/sp3) couplings for chiral C–C bond formation; however, relatively few reactions have been developed. Now, a versatile, enantioconvergent Sonogashira coupling via a radical intermediate has been developed. The approach uses a copper catalyst featuring a multidentate electron-rich cinchona alkaloid-derived ligand.

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 24 July 2019; doi:10.1038/s41557-019-0296-8

When lightning strikes, Bruce C. Gibb reminds us that not only do sparks fly, but there’s also some chemistry going on too.