What you always wanted to know about conjugated macrocycles, including concepts and applications, and optical and magnetic properties, is explained in the Review by M. Iyoda et al. How do these substances become excellent materials? In a Minireview, B. Chen et al. discuss functional mixed metal-organic frameworks with metalloligands. The Highlights deal with the enzymatic methylation of sp2-hybridized electrophilic carbons (W. Buckel and R. K. Thauer), alkene dihydroxylation with cyclic peroxides (M. Schwarz and O. Reiser), and the noninnocence of cyanide ligands in redox reactions (W. Kaim). In an Essay, C. H. Christensen et al. assess the opportunities of a chemical industry based on renewable resources.
In the Communications section, Y. Xia et al. report the synthesis of copper nanocrystals with various shapes by reduction of CuCl2 with glucose in aqueous solution (see picture). D. O’Hagan et al. investigated the influence of CF2 groups on the conformation of cyclodecane structures. M. C. Willis et al. succeeded in the synthesis of highly substituted furanes by alkyne hydroacylation.
