We demonstrate an abundance of useful properties in particular combinations of period-7 elements.

We demonstrate an abundance of useful properties in particular combinations of period-7 elements.

An appraisal of the various species of rex.

Ghost hunting has yet to consider the realm of laboratory instrumentation for detection and visualization of ghosts. Here I describe the potential application of a ubiquitous piece of equipment in research settings, the mass spectrometer, that can be co-opted for detection of apparitions.

The Smythe reagent is an approximately 1.6 M suspension of LiOH in hexane, and is ubiquitous in synthetic chemistry laboratories worldwide. While commercially available, it is more frequently prepared from n-butyllithium, usually by accident. We describe a range of applications for this reagent, such as the O-lithiation of carboxylic acids, hydrolysis of ethyl esters and chlorophosphines, racemisation of alpha-stereocenters and poly-Claisen condensations.

The detection of phosphine (PH3) in the clouds of Venus kindled interest in the possibility of life in the planet’s atmosphere. With data acquired during the Aphrodite Probe’s pass through the upper Venusian atmosphere, we report the detection of triphenylphosphine oxide in the clouds of our closest planetary neighbour. This data implies the possibility of synthetic chemists on the planet Venus.

We report the preparation of a PtO-pentazole Metal Inorganically Linked Framework (MILF). This MILF was characterised by PXRD and elemental analysis, and exhibits pronounced host-guest interactions, stimulus-response behaviour, and high internal surface area. The material also shows promise as a catalyst for the conversion of CO2 to octane.

An editorial on the merits of just chucking it all in, evolutionarily. 

An elegant procedure for the progression towards the total synthsis of Impracticatechol is presented. The importance of this work is such that we reserve the right for further miscommunications in this field.

A song about PhD supervisors, to the tune of “Hey There Delilah” by The Plain White T’s.

Some troubling results from the analysis lab.

A guide to pairing the right alcohol to your grant application.

We provide foundational theoretical and experimental outlines for the development of a new science of dumbassery.

Eveyone who has spent more than a year in the field of organic chemistry has heard the refrain: methyl ethyl butyl futile. This joke underligns the point of diminishing returns which is reached when making analogues of the same molecule. Because of this joke, the versatile chemistry of the futyl group has been overshadowed. This review highlights some examples in the history and applications of the futyl group.

The first ever paper in The Journal of Immaterial Science.

3A synthesis of 8-unethoxy-discombobulannulene, a wtfwereyouthinkingolide-type natural product which was recently isolated from a mould found growing on a cheese omelette in Kent. 

Burnie Urethra’s group have set themselves a Herculean task: the total synthesis of Impracticatechol (1). The highly complicated structure features a dozen stereocenters and a raft of functional groups including a pentavalent carbon. This malevolent moiety constitutes a significant challenge to the synthetic chemist, as until now, no methodology has been reported pertaining to their preparation. Herein, we describe an easy and promiscuous protocol for generating pentavalent carbon centers via a one-pot curse-transfer cyclisation reaction, inspired by r/cursed_chemistry.

A method for quantifying proteins employing a novel ligand and some chemistry woo.

Utilisation of CO2 has historically been done via catalytic conversion into methane or syngas. Such a process involves the use of inorganic and potentially environmental-unfriendly metals while the products are also not biodegradable. Much safer alternatives are proposed in this paper. It is discovered that the introduction of trace Mg2+ into a solution of Chlorin A (Figure 1) results in a catalyst capable of reducing CO2 into various polyalcohols, the latter being energy sources for many organisms.

We have tested a range of recreational drugs as organocatalysts in the Fukovski Combobulation. Most of the tested drugs are detrimental to the reaction, but cocaine shows promise as a catalyst, with the appropriate dosage. The mechanistic roles of these molecules are probed with chemical frenetic measurements and Density Dysfunctional Theory (DDT).