Connecting chemical worlds for a sustainable future.

Chemistry plays a central role in science and is the basis of one of the major, more impactful, and diverse industries. However, to address the most pressing global challenges, we must learn to create connections in an effective and meaningful way, with other disciplines, industries, and society at large. Here, we present the IUPAC Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry as an example of an initiative that highlights the value of the most promising advances in chemistry and contributes to creating connections to accelerate sustainable solutions for our society and our planet.

Language of Chemistry: Making IUPAC Nomenclature Available in Spanish.

Science, including mathematics, physics, and, of course, chemistry, has its own language and symbols and names we learn in school. However, to teach it, communicate it, and use it, we use our own native languages. Most of the scientific literature, including this article, is in English, as are the texts published by the various scientific unions, including the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), to define scientific nomenclature, terminology, and presentation.

Blue-LED activated photocatalytic hydrogenation of nitroarenes with CuO/CuO heterojunctions.

This study describes how the optimization of CuO/CuO heterostructures can enhance their (photo)catalytic performance. More specifically, the evaluation of catalysts with different CuO/CuO molar ratios was used to optimize their performance for the hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol under both blue-LED light and dark conditions. For the first time, we analyzed the effect of blue LED irradiation on this reaction and found that when blue LEDs are used as the light source, a CuO/CuO ratio of 0.

Chemical Solutions to the Current Polycrisis.

In the past 15 years, we've experienced an unprecedented series of crises, including financial (2008), health (2020), and most recently the supply chain disruptions and the energy emergency in Europe, caused by the war in Ukraine (2022). On top of that, climate change still poses a serious threat to our lives and our planet. These interconnected challenges create tremendous societal problems and compromise the viability of the chemical industry in an environment of price volatility and high inflation.

Tunable hybrid zeolites prepared by partial interconversion.

Zeolite interconversion is a widely used strategy due to its unique advantages in the synthesis of some zeolites. By using a long-chain quaternary amine as both a structure-directing agent and porogen, we have produced superior catalysts, which we named Hybrid Zeolites, as their structures are made of building units of different zeolite types. The properties of these materials can be conveniently tuned, and their catalytic performance can be optimized simply by stopping the interconversion at different times.

Cooperative Surface Passivation and Hierarchical Structuring of Zeolite Beta Catalysts.

We report a method to prepare core-shell zeolite beta (*BEA) with an aluminous core and an epitaxial Si-rich shell. This method capitalizes on the inherent defects in *BEA crystals to simultaneously passivate acid sites on external surfaces and increase intracrystalline mesoporosity through facile post-hydrothermal synthesis modification in alkaline media. This process creates more hydrophobic materials by reducing silanol defects and enriching the shell in silica via a combination of dealumination and the relocation of silica from the core to the shell during intracrystalline mesopore formation.

How Reproducible are Surface Areas Calculated from the BET Equation?

Porosity and surface area analysis play a prominent role in modern materials science. At the heart of this sits the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) theory, which has been a remarkably successful contribution to the field of materials science. The BET method was developed in the 1930s for open surfaces but is now the most widely used metric for the estimation of surface areas of micro- and mesoporous materials.

Hierarchical Catalysts Prepared by Interzeolite Transformation.

Interzeolite transformation has been used to produce a novel family of hierarchical catalysts featuring excellent textural properties, strong acidity, and superior catalytic performance for the Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indole with benzhydrol, the Claisen-Schmidt condensation of benzaldehyde and hydroxyacetophenone, and the cracking of polystyrene. Intermediate solids of the FAU interzeolite transformation into BEA display both increased accessibility─due to the development of mesoporosity─and strong acidity─caused by the presence of ultrasmall crystals or zeolitic fragments in their structure. The use of surfactants allows for the development of the hierarchical catalysts with very narrow pore size distribution.

Accelerating the Crystallization of Zeolite SSZ-13 with Polyamines.

Tailoring processes of nucleation and growth to achieve desired material properties is a pervasive challenge in synthetic crystallization. In systems where crystals form via nonclassical pathways, engineering materials often requires the controlled assembly and structural evolution of colloidal precursors. In this study, we examine zeolite SSZ-13 crystallization and show that several polyquaternary amines function as efficient accelerants of nucleation, and, in selected cases, tune crystal size by orders of magnitude.

Micelle Formation inside Zeolites: A Critical Step in Zeolite Surfactant-Templating Observed by Raman Microspectroscopy.

Micelle formation inside faujasite (FAU) zeolite, a critical step in the introduction of mesoporosity in zeolites by surfactant templating, has been confirmed by both C NMR and Raman spectroscopy. Here we provide unambiguous evidence of the incorporation of surfactant molecules inside zeolites during the first step of the surfactant-templating process followed by their self-assembly into micelles after hydrothermal treatment. The homogeneous presence of these micelles throughout zeolite crystals has been directly observed by Raman microspectroscopy, confirming the uniform incorporation of mesoporosity in zeolites by surfactant templating.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants - Your Mentors and Role Models Will Shape Your Career.

Choosing the right mentors and role models has a profound impact in both our lives and professional careers; however, most often, not enough time or thought is given to this important decision. Because of that, we may miss some great opportunities and limit the potential benefits. In this invited contribution, I share my personal experience on nurturing the relationship with mentors and on choosing role models with my same values and a strong sense of service.

Spontaneous Pillaring of Pentasil Zeolites.

Conventional methods to prepare hierarchical zeolites depend upon the use of organic structure-directing agents and often require multiple synthesis steps with limited product yield and Brønsted acid concentration. Here, it is shown that the use of MEL- or MFI-type zeolites as crystalline seeds induces the spontaneous formation of self-pillared pentasil zeolites, thus avoiding the use of any organic or branching template for the crystallization of these hierarchical structures. The mechanism of formation is evaluated by time-resolved electron microscopy to provide evidence for the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of sequentially branched nanosheets from amorphous precursors.

Thermochemistry of Surfactant-Templating of USY Zeolite.

With the aim of understanding the thermochemistry of the introduction of mesoporosity in zeolites by using surfactants, high temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry was used to determine the change in the enthalpy of formation of USY zeolite before and after the introduction of mesoporosity. Our results confirm that this process only slightly destabilizes the zeolite by the additional surface area. However, this can be overcome by the stabilizing effect of the interactions between the surfactant and the zeolite framework.

Intralesional Triamcinolone for Fistulous Tracts in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: An Uncontrolled Prospective Trial with Clinical and Ultrasonographic Follow-Up.

Background: There is little evidence on the use of intralesional triamcinolone (ILT) for managing fistulous tracts in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).

Objective: To assess the clinical and ultrasound response to ILT for single fistulous lesions in HS patients.

Methods: A prospective open-label study was conducted to assess response to ILT (40 mg/mL) for fistulous tracts in HS.

Ultrasmall Zeolite L Crystals Prepared from Highly Interdispersed Alkali-Silicate Precursors.

The preparation of nanosized zeolites is critical for applications where mass-transport limitations within microporous networks hinder their performance. Often the ability to generate ultrasmall zeolite crystals is dependent upon the use of expensive organics with limited commercial relevance. Herein, we report the generation of zeolite L crystals with uniform sizes less than 30 nm using a facile, organic-free method.

The Energetics of Surfactant-Templating of Zeolites.

Mesoporosity can be conveniently introduced into zeolites by treating them in basic surfactant solutions. The apparent activation energy involved in the formation of mesopores in USY by surfactant-templating was determined using a combination of in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and ex situ gas adsorption. Additionally, techniques such as pH measurement and thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis were employed to determine OH evolution and cetyltrimethylammonium ion (CTA ) uptake during the development of mesoporosity, thereby providing information about the different steps involved.

Visible-Light-Activated Black Organotitanias: How Synthetic Conditions Influence Their Structure and Photocatalytic Activity.

A series of low-temperature, visible-light-activated black organotitanias were synthesised through a sol-gel strategy that allowed the in situ incorporation of p-phenylenediamine (PPD) into the framework of anatase nanoparticles. The effect of the synthetic conditions on the crystalline structure and photocatalytic activity of these materials was assessed by several characterisation techniques, which revealed a small crystalline domain size (4.6-5.

Ultrasound Evaluation as a Complementary Test in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Proposal of a Standarized Report.

Background: Staging and monitoring of patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) have been traditionally based on clinical findings. However, the physical examination may show important limitations because of its poor sensitivity for differentiating between different lesion subtypes, and its low sensitivity to define the disease's activity.

Objective: To develop a consensus ultrasound (US) report that could summarize the relevant anatomical characteristics and staging of patients considering the experience of radiologists and dermatologists working on imaging of HS.

Recent advances in the textural characterization of hierarchically structured nanoporous materials.

This review focuses on important aspects of applying physisorption for the pore structural characterization of hierarchical materials such as mesoporous zeolites. During the last decades major advances in understanding the adsorption and phase behavior of fluids confined in ordered nanoporous materials have been made, which led to major progress in the physisorption characterization methodology (summarized in the 2015 IUPAC report on physisorption characterization). Here we discuss progress and challenges for the physisorption characterization of nanoporous solids exhibiting various levels of porosity from micro- to macropores.

Titania-Silica Materials for Enhanced Photocatalysis.

Mesoporous titania-organosilica nanoparticles comprised of anatase nanocrystals crosslinked with organosilica moieties have been prepared by direct co-condensation of a titania precursor, tetrabuthylortotitanate (TBOT), with two organosilica precursors, 1,4-bis(triethoxysilyl) benzene (BTEB) and 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl) ethane (BTEE), in mild conditions and in the absence of surfactant. These hybrid materials show both high surface areas (200-360 m(2)  g(-1) ) and pore volumes (0.3 cm(3)  g(-1) ) even after calcination, and excellent photoactivity in the degradation of rhodamine 6G and in the partial oxidation of propene under UV irradiation, especially after the calcination of the samples.