Nature Nanotechnology, Published online: 13 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41565-026-02223-zMark A. Ratner (1942–2026)

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41557-026-02175-wExtreme reactivity has long hindered the study of linear atomic carbon chains (carbyne). Now it has been shown that transmetallation of suitable precursors overcomes stability issues, delivering 1D Au|Cn|Au junctions that sustain high currents through a cumulene ⋯C=C=C=C⋯ valence structure with 12 or more carbon atoms and enabling their potential for 1D electronics.

Atomic-scale manipulation of chemical bond cleavage and formation offers significant advantages of extending the reaction controllability to the single-molecule regime and enabling the elucidation of fundamental reaction mechanisms. Herein, we drive reactions between two chemical species, open-shell monomeric radicals and closed-shell dimers in single-molecule junctions. Both monomers and dimers form a C−Au covalently linked highly conducting junction in situ, with the conductance being about 100× higher than that of the dimer junction. First-principles calculations suggest that the substitution groups on the carbon in the C(sp3)−Au linkage bond effectively tunes the molecular junction conductance. Notably, captodative radicals enable the formation of weakly bonded spin–spin interactions in solution, yielding diamagnetic dimers, and we can reversibly switch between the dimer and the weakly bonded radical pair by mechanically controlling the gap between the two electrodes.

Hydrazobenzenes cannot form single-molecule devices with gold electrodes in a nonpolar solvent, but with the addition of trifluoroacetic acid, robust single-molecule junctions are created. Hydrazoben....

While imine (C [[double bond, length as m-dash]] N) groups are renowned for their role in dynamic chemistry, whether imine binds to Au electrodes for forming single-molecule junctions and their electr...

While azobenzene has been studied extensively for its single-molecule charge transport properties, its complexation with guest ring molecules may significantly influence charge transport that is not y...

Job #AJO30338, WDR-00054776 Assistant Professor - Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, US

Integrating coding skills into chemistry education is crucial for preparing students to meet the demands of modern research. However, the technical challenges associated with installing computational ...

Molecules where the lowest excited singlet state is lower in energy than the lowest triplet are highly promising for a number of organic materials applications as efficiency limitations stemming from ...