Nature synthesisPub Date : 2026-07-29DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01125-1
Zhihao Wang, Xiaonan Wang
{"title":"Scale-aware self-driving laboratories for multiscale process development","authors":"Zhihao Wang, Xiaonan Wang","doi":"10.1038/s44160-026-01125-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44160-026-01125-1","url":null,"abstract":"Self-driving laboratories (SDLs) can accelerate scientific discovery, but their broader value lies in supporting scale translation for multiscale process development. SDLs should generate scale-aware candidate landscapes that link laboratory-scale experimental results to representative-device and process-development stages, distinguishing candidate regions as validated for next-scale testing, or excluded by industrial constraints, or requiring targeted exploration to reduce scale-dependent uncertainty.","PeriodicalId":74251,"journal":{"name":"Nature synthesis","volume":"5 10","pages":"1469-1471"},"PeriodicalIF":22.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149126006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature synthesisPub Date : 2026-07-29DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01136-y
Bei Zhang
{"title":"Orbital order observation in intermetallic crystals","authors":"Bei Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s44160-026-01136-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44160-026-01136-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":74251,"journal":{"name":"Nature synthesis","volume":"5 8","pages":"1137-1137"},"PeriodicalIF":22.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148696728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature synthesisPub Date : 2026-07-27DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01119-z
Nilotpal Kapuria, Ekta Verma, Nabojit Kar, Xingchen Ye, Sara E. Skrabalak
{"title":"Guiding principles for seeded electrochemical synthesis of multimetallic nanocrystals","authors":"Nilotpal Kapuria, Ekta Verma, Nabojit Kar, Xingchen Ye, Sara E. Skrabalak","doi":"10.1038/s44160-026-01119-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-026-01119-z","url":null,"abstract":"Electrodeposition offers control over nanocrystal growth through modulation of applied current or potential, which governs precursor reduction kinetics, nucleation behaviour and local ion concentrations. However, conventional electrodeposition often yields ill-defined morphologies and aggregated nanocrystals. Here seed-assisted electrodeposition is used to overcome these limitations, enabling growth of structurally complex and compositionally well-defined multimetallic nanocrystals. We identify lattice mismatch and metal–metal bond dissociation energy as key parameters dictating the growth mode; high values of either parameter promote island-like overgrowth, while low lattice-mismatch favours layer-by-layer growth. Guided by these mechanistic insights, uniform metal shell deposition is achieved across diverse bimetallic systems, including those with substantial interfacial strain, enabling synthesis of multilayered trimetallic nanocrystals. Furthermore, the formation of hollow-shell nanocrystals is demonstrated by selective interfacial etching achieved by dynamically modulating the redox environment during growth. Collectively, these findings establish design principles for the electrochemical synthesis of core–shell nanocrystals, including multimetallic variants and hollow architectures.","PeriodicalId":74251,"journal":{"name":"Nature synthesis","volume":"43 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148612633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature synthesisPub Date : 2026-07-27DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01123-3
Qiang Gao, Guoxing Jiang, Xiang Liu, Mingzi Sun, Cheng Qian, Chuting Yuan, Walter P. D. Wong, Jing Niu, Yipu Xu, Shutao Xu, Guijun Ma, Ziyi Li, Jia-Wei Hu, Peiyu Zhang, Bolong Huang, Wei Wei, Xing Li
{"title":"Selective pore modulation in layered molecular crystals","authors":"Qiang Gao, Guoxing Jiang, Xiang Liu, Mingzi Sun, Cheng Qian, Chuting Yuan, Walter P. D. Wong, Jing Niu, Yipu Xu, Shutao Xu, Guijun Ma, Ziyi Li, Jia-Wei Hu, Peiyu Zhang, Bolong Huang, Wei Wei, Xing Li","doi":"10.1038/s44160-026-01123-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-026-01123-3","url":null,"abstract":"Multi-porous reticular materials, featuring various pore sizes and shapes, have gained increasing attention due to their structural properties that facilitate mass transport. However, the rational design of such materials remains challenging, particularly when selectively modulating pore sizes. Here we present a synthesis strategy that enables selective pore modulation in dual-porous layered double-walled hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks using triskele-shaped building units. We uncovered an unusual syn conformation of acylhydrazone, which forms hydrogen bonding with carboxyl groups, thereby allowing the rapid, scalable synthesis of a series of single crystals with exceptional stability, including resistance to aqua regia. Harnessing the enriched proton-hopping sites and acid robustness of the double-walled framework, we demonstrate that incorporating superacids into these dual-porous crystals effectively enhances proton conductivity, which reaches 4.25 × 10−3 S cm−1 at 30 °C. Furthermore, we elucidate the formation mechanism of double-walled hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks via a combination of experimental and computational approaches. This work opens avenues for the tailored design of multi-porous materials with independently tunable pore architectures and functionalities.","PeriodicalId":74251,"journal":{"name":"Nature synthesis","volume":"58 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148612635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature synthesisPub Date : 2026-07-24DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01128-y
Yanwei Wang, Yushi Jiang, Weikang Qi, Youai Qiu
{"title":"Electrochemical C(sp3)–C(sp3) cross-coupling of alcohols","authors":"Yanwei Wang, Yushi Jiang, Weikang Qi, Youai Qiu","doi":"10.1038/s44160-026-01128-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-026-01128-y","url":null,"abstract":"The preparation of C(sp3)–C(sp3) bonds is of great importance for the construction of molecular frameworks found in pharmaceuticals and natural products. Alkyl alcohols, which are commercially available and naturally abundant alkylation precursors, offer direct conversion into C(sp3)-rich molecules by C(sp3)–C(sp3) cross-coupling, however, such transformations remain challenging in synthesis due to the inertness of the C(sp3)–O bond. Here we report a modular, versatile and selective electrochemical strategy that achieves C(sp3)–C(sp3) cross-coupling of alkyl alcohols by means of a doubly dehydroxylative cross-coupling process under nickel catalysis. The highly selective cross-coupling strategy eliminates the need for prefunctionalization of alcohols, providing a general platform for the modification of hydroxyl-containing bioactive molecules. This protocol demonstrates good functional group compatibility and is well-suited for late-stage functionalization, with the potential to streamline the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and drug analogues that would typically necessitate multi-step processes.","PeriodicalId":74251,"journal":{"name":"Nature synthesis","volume":"262 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148587334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature synthesisPub Date : 2026-07-24DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01121-5
Dongyang Han, Xianglai Zhu, Guiyu Deng, Wei He, Tianyi Zhang, Huasong Ai, Guo-Chao Chu, Lei Liu
{"title":"Ferricyanide-mediated direct ligation of peptide hydrazides in neutral water","authors":"Dongyang Han, Xianglai Zhu, Guiyu Deng, Wei He, Tianyi Zhang, Huasong Ai, Guo-Chao Chu, Lei Liu","doi":"10.1038/s44160-026-01121-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-026-01121-5","url":null,"abstract":"Hydrazide-based native chemical ligation has emerged as one of the most widely used methods in modern chemical protein synthesis, but its traditional two-step, dual-environment workflow complicates operations and limits small-scale reactions. Here we present a ferricyanide-mediated system that enables chemoselective activation of peptide hydrazides and their ligation with N-terminal cysteine peptides in a single neutral buffer. This approach obviates the need for pH adjustment and intermediate isolation, thereby reducing labour, minimizing operational errors and expanding compatibility across a broader range of synthetic scales. We validate this method via the streamlined synthesis of biochemically or pharmaceutically relevant targets, including the antimicrobial protein Dptb, D-enantiomer of human interleukin-8 and glycosylated histone H4. In addition, this versatile chemistry can be repurposed for rapid one-step peptide cyclization and efficient C-terminal functionalization of recombinant proteins. Collectively, ferricyanide-mediated hydrazide ligation establishes a robust and generalizable platform for chemical protein synthesis.","PeriodicalId":74251,"journal":{"name":"Nature synthesis","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148587335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature synthesisPub Date : 2026-07-23DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01112-6
Wan-Chen Cindy Lee, Yi Wang, Andrew J. Ressler, Song Lin
{"title":"Electrochemical cross-electrophile coupling for carbon–heteroatom and heteroatom–heteroatom bond formation","authors":"Wan-Chen Cindy Lee, Yi Wang, Andrew J. Ressler, Song Lin","doi":"10.1038/s44160-026-01112-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44160-026-01112-6","url":null,"abstract":"Electrochemical cross-electrophile coupling (eXEC), the union of two distinct electrophiles by means of electrochemical activation, has experienced substantial growth in recent years. This Review specifically focuses on eXEC reactions that enable C–X and X–X bond formation (X = heteroatom), providing an overview of recent advances in synthetic strategies and reaction development. We also discuss remaining challenges and future opportunities in this rapidly growing subarea of organic electrosynthesis, including broadening the scope of electrophile partners, enhancing selectivity, enabling scalable processes and expanding catalytic systems. The sections are organized according to the types of bond formed, as classified by the heteroatom elements involved. Overall, this Review outlines the current state of the field and offers perspectives on future directions for the development and application of eXEC in synthetic chemistry. Electrochemical cross-electrophile coupling (eXEC) has expanded the scope of available reaction tools for carbon–heteroatom and heteroatom–heteroatom bond formation. This Review surveys recent advances in methodology development, catalysis design and mechanistic investigation, while highlighting future opportunities in unconventional electrophile activation, asymmetric synthesis and scalable applications.","PeriodicalId":74251,"journal":{"name":"Nature synthesis","volume":"5 8","pages":"1144-1158"},"PeriodicalIF":22.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148696730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature synthesisPub Date : 2026-07-23DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01135-z
Eric Piechota
{"title":"Cations control CO2 electroreduction","authors":"Eric Piechota","doi":"10.1038/s44160-026-01135-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44160-026-01135-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":74251,"journal":{"name":"Nature synthesis","volume":"5 8","pages":"1136-1136"},"PeriodicalIF":22.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148696736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature synthesisPub Date : 2026-07-22DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01120-6
Linjiang Chen, Xiaobo Li, Quan Lin, Jun Jiang
{"title":"Self-driving laboratories need an autonomy safety harness","authors":"Linjiang Chen, Xiaobo Li, Quan Lin, Jun Jiang","doi":"10.1038/s44160-026-01120-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44160-026-01120-6","url":null,"abstract":"Industrial self-driving laboratories need more than safe robots and instruments. They need an autonomy safety harness that defines how AI-generated intent becomes executable experiments, monitored actions and trustworthy evidence for downstream research and development (R&D).","PeriodicalId":74251,"journal":{"name":"Nature synthesis","volume":"5 10","pages":"1475-1477"},"PeriodicalIF":22.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149125992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature synthesisPub Date : 2026-07-20DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01122-4
Wei Jiang, Huadong Peng
{"title":"Membranes tame methanol in yeast","authors":"Wei Jiang, Huadong Peng","doi":"10.1038/s44160-026-01122-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44160-026-01122-4","url":null,"abstract":"Membrane lipid remodelling enables methylotrophic yeast Komagataella phaffii to tolerate high methanol concentrations and produce lipids under non-sterile fed-batch fermentation.","PeriodicalId":74251,"journal":{"name":"Nature synthesis","volume":"5 10","pages":"1486-1487"},"PeriodicalIF":22.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149125954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}