In this issue, T. F. Fässler et al. discuss Zintl ions, cage compounds, and intermetalloid clusters of Group 14 and 15 elements. What compounds are accessible today thanks to the functionalization of Zintl ions with organic groups, by oxidative coupling reactions, or by encapsulation of metal ions with the formation of endohedral clusters and intermetalloid compounds? In a Minireview, L. Addadi et al. describe the characterization and biological role of crystalline lipid domains. In their Correspondence, T. W. Bently and H. Mayr debate theories of nucleophilicity. The Highlights deal with photothermal contrast sensitivity (T. Basché) and one-pot reactions in the syntheses of drugs (M. Christmann et al.).
In the Communications section, Y. Hayashi et al. describe an organocatalyzed one-pot four-component coupling for the synthesis of substituted tetrahydropyrans. L. Cronin et al. succeeded in the real-time monitoring of the self-assembly of hybrid polyoxometalates by mass spectrometry (see picture). M. Poliakoff et al. report on a self-optimizing continuous reaction in supercritical CO2.
