Mastering the synthesis of hierarchical molecular assemblies at the mesoscale—mimicking the precision of biomolecular assembly—has been challenging due to the lack of well-defined methodologies for controlling non-covalent interactions at multiple levels. In this Review, secondary nucleation is presented as a promising strategy for constructing mesoscale hierarchical structures.

Did meteorites fall between the interdisciplinary cracks? Michelle Francl tells the nineteenth-century tale of the extraterrestrial origin of meteorites and suggests that there are lessons for those studying topics that involve multiple disciplines today.

Zoe Hoffpauir and Audrey Lamb outline the history and prospects of riboflavin, also known as vitamin B₂, a molecule found in food that is required for the formation of coenzymes involved in metabolic processes.

Atomically dispersed heterogeneous catalysts impact diverse areas of chemistry through the design of active sites with molecular precision, but this vision is not fully realized. This Perspective presents the fundamental principles and methodological framework to guide progress in the field.

Nucleobase deamination can be used to map N⁶-methyladenosine in RNA, but existing deamination methods are harsh, limiting applications. Now a method for the N-nitrosation of RNA based on organocatalyst and Lewis acid co-catalysis has been shown to enable sensitive N⁶-methyladenosine mapping with minimal background noise and high detection efficiency.

The reaction between Criegee intermediates and water vapour greatly impacts atmospheric chemistry and climate, yet its dynamics remain poorly understood. Now it has been shown that syn-CH₃CHOO reacts with water vapour at rates much higher than previously estimated, through a roaming mechanism that enhances reactivity and challenges conventional understanding of atmospheric OH radical production.

Superatoms are metal clusters that collectively behave like an atom, but they usually require metal–metal bonding and thus they are based on main group or transition metals. Now it has been shown that trithorium nanoclusters with delocalized three-centre-one-electron thorium–thorium bonding exhibit exalted diamagnetism. This unveils actinide superatoms that exhibit open-shell jellium aromaticity.

Membranization of membraneless coacervates and condensates offers a solution to their inherent instability, but current strategies are system specific. Now, it has been shown that condensate-amphiphilic block polymers provide robust and versatile membranization for a wide range of coacervates and condensates, substantially enhancing their mechanical stability and tolerance to extreme conditions.

Switchable skeletal editing is valuable in drug discovery, but controllable methods for chemodivergent modifications of azaarenes are challenging. Now transformations of quinolines have been achieved by leveraging cyclizative rearrangement strategies, enabling the construction of four different frameworks, including the enantioselective skeletal editing of quinolines into benzazepines.

Observing spin-changing atom–molecule collisions with quantum-state precision provides clues of short-range interactions. Now it is shown that the outcomes of the KRb + Rb collision only align with a statistical model after assuming the non-conservation of mechanical angular momentum. The observations also contradict coupled-channel calculations that neglect vibrations and conical intersections.

Zoe Hoffpauir and Audrey Lamb outline the history and prospects of riboflavin, also known as vitamin B₂, a molecule found in food that is required for the formation of coenzymes involved in metabolic processes.

Did meteorites fall between the interdisciplinary cracks? Michelle Francl tells the nineteenth-century tale of the extraterrestrial origin of meteorites and suggests that there are lessons for those studying topics that involve multiple disciplines today.

Elena De Vita and Rebecca Page reflect on the unique properties of phosphate, an essential building block with versatile functions in living systems. Modulating protein phosphorylation is an effective therapeutic strategy, with emerging approaches highlighting the continuous development in this area of drug discovery.

There are many steps to preparing a research article for publication, from generating the figures and writing the draft, to responding to reviewers. Shira Joudan explains how their group approaches this task, specifically during the preparation of the research group’s first paper.

Niki Mavragani and Muralee Murugesu discuss the discovery, structure and properties of Mn₁₂, a prototypical single-molecule magnet.

Artificial intelligence is being used in many aspects of chemical research. Bruce Gibb discusses top-down and bottom-up approaches to the development of AI, highlighting the issues with cultural divides and the challenges of data quality. He also introduces 'Eric', a potential AI research assistant for the future chemist.