J. Gong, Q. Wang & J. Zhu*

Nature 2026 (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-11091-5)

The authors report a Pd-catalysed decarboxylative rearrangement of β-hydroxy carboxylic acids that enables one-carbon homologation of ketones and aldehydes. The reaction proceeds through a concerted Pd(II)/Pd(IV) pathway, providing high migrating-group selectivity while retaining the configuration of the migrating carbon and inverting the α-stereocentre. Its utility was demonstrated in the concise synthesis of (+)-rupestine D.

H. Jiang,^† Y. Dai,^† K. Tang, B. Pan, H. Jin,* X. Chen* & Y. Yang*

Nat. Synth. 2026 (DOI: 10.1038/s44160-026-01149-7)

The authors report a modular strategy for the synthesis of diverse azabicyclo[x.1.1]alkanes (ABCAs), enabled by highly strained azatricycloalkane intermediates. Stereocontrolled C–N bond transformations provide broad access to structurally diverse ABCA motifs, including applications in the synthesis of orexin receptor antagonists and bioisosteres.

W. Lee,^† J. Kim,^† H. Lee, Y. Hwang, J. Park, S. Lee, J. Lim & S. Y. Hong*

Nat. Catal. 2026 (DOI: 10.1038/s41929-026-01602-y)

The authors report a four-centred organosulfur catalyst in which through-space orbital interactions between four sulfur atoms give rise to pronounced reactivity. The catalyst enables halogen transfer from N-halosuccinimides to a broad range of arenes and heteroarenes, including challenging substrates and complex drug-like molecules. Mechanistic studies reveal that multi-atom cooperativity enhances both halogen capture and transfer.

Y.-L. Li, J. Z. Wang & D. W. C. MacMillan*

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, ASAP (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c14333) 🔓

The authors report a radical hydroarylation platform that couples aryl bromides with alkenes under mild photoredox conditions via halogen-atom transfer (XAT) to generate aryl radicals. This XAT–Heck manifold accommodates terminal, internal and gem-disubstituted alkenes alongside diverse (hetero)aryl bromides, enabling deuterium incorporation, medium-ring formation, late-stage functionalisation and PROTAC library synthesis.

J. Han, E. A. Jacobsen & Y.-A. Zhang*

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, ASAP (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c11666) 🔓

The authors report a core-regenerating atom-pair exchange strategy for carbon isotope incorporation into pyridines. The two-step sequence proceeds through pyridine dearomatization followed by a [4+2]/retro-[4+2] cycloaddition cascade with an isotopically labelled sulfonyl cyanide, enabling selective incorporation of a carbon isotope into the pyridine core. The method provides rapid access to diverse ¹³C-labelled pyridine building blocks and bioactive molecules, with high regioselectivity and broad tolerance of pyridine substitution patterns.

A. Osawa,* K. Uemura & Y. Nakao*

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, ASAP (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c07079)

The authors report a photocatalytic denitrative cyanation that directly converts nitroalkanes into nitriles under mild conditions with broad functional-group tolerance. Mechanistic studies support an anion–radical coupling pathway involving an α-nitro radical and cyanide, proceeding through a distinctive α-nitronitrile radical anion that transiently incorporates both an incoming nucleophile and a leaving group.

J. He,^† O. P. Lambert,^† Y. Lai & P. J. Milner*

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, ASAP (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c10952) 🔓

The authors report a visible-light-induced Ni-catalyzed platform for the directing-group-free 1,2-dicarbofunctionalization of unactivated alkenes. The method combines diverse alkyl radical precursors with aryl, vinyl, acyl, alkynyl and alkyl coupling partners, enabling the rapid construction of sp³-rich architectures from simple feedstocks. Notably, a metal–organic framework enables the safe delivery of gaseous radical precursors while improving reaction efficiency.

M. Czuba, K. Barnowski, K. Molga, Z. Pławecka, A. Wołos, S. Stodółkiewicz, S. Baś, W. Petrykowski, W. Beker, E. Saillard, K. Łęgowski, R. Roszak, P. Kowalczyk, B. Mikulak-Klucznik, P. Janasz, E. Mielke, P. Pietruszewska, M. Łazuchiewicz, S. Wójcik, J. Zabielski, D. Nostkiewicz, G. Smaga, A. Makkawi, L. P. J.-L. Gadina, J. Skoczek, T. Klucznik, M. Deschamps, A. Żądło-Dobrowolska, M. Michalak, S. Szymkuć,* D. T. Gryko,* Y. Bilgi-Gadina* & B. A. Grzybowski*

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, ASAP (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c08434) 🔓

The authors report AbSynth, a machine-readable collection of 3,077 classical total syntheses comprising nearly 60,000 steps. Analysis reveals that synthesis planning cannot be reduced to one-step-at-a-time decision-making: nearly half of synthetic steps do not reduce skeletal complexity but instead constitute strategically necessary “plateaus” that prepare for key disconnections. The authors identify multistep heuristics underlying these strategies, highlighting the need for retrosynthetic algorithms to move beyond incremental scoring towards more human-like synthesis planning.

A. Vaezghaemi, S. I. Khan, M. D. Martínez, B. Altamimi & S. G. Newman*

ACS Catal. 2026, ASAP (DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.6c04640)

Previously: ChemRxiv (DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv.15003005/v1) 🔓

The authors report the direct use of ketones as coupling partners in the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction to access alkenyl arenes using a Ni/bipyridine catalyst, Piv₂O and KOt-Bu. Mechanistic studies suggest that ketones undergo rapid in situ activation to form alkenyl pivalate intermediates, with the success of the transformation relying on the compatibility of the base, activating agent and low-valent nickel catalyst to enable concurrent ketone activation and cross-coupling.

G. A. Oliver,^† K. Günther,^† C. Sebastianelli-Schoditsch, S. Woolford, I. Ludwig, H. H. Sitte & N. Maulide*

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2026, Early View (DOI: 10.1002/anie.8092854) 🔓

The authors report a redox-neutral hydroaminoalkylation strategy for the synthesis of 1,1-disubstituted aminocyclopropanes from alkenes and alkynes. The reaction employs a bench-stable hemiaminal precursor under mild, solvent-mediated conditions and exhibits broad functional-group tolerance. The method was further applied to the synthesis of aminocyclopropane bioisosteres of pharmacologically active gem-α-dimethylamines, providing compounds with improved biological properties.

S. Mori,^† C. Zhao,^† T. Wang,^† Y. Wang, Y. Nishio, M. D. Disney & M. Wasa*

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2026, Early View (DOI: 10.1002/anie.6711809)

The authors report a flavin-photocatalysed platform for the late-stage diversification of piperazine-based pharmaceuticals via tetrahydropyrazine intermediates, which can be isolated or directly engaged in downstream reactions to provide rapid access to diverse α- and β-substituted piperazine analogues. Its utility is demonstrated through the rapid preparation of diverse piperazine-based pharmaceutical analogues and a preliminary structure–activity relationship study of erastin, revealing that piperazine-core substitution and stereochemistry can substantially influence cellular activity.

🎉 The Science of Silliness. The 36^th annual Ig Nobel Prizes, otherwise known as science’s silliest awards, were handed out this week in Zürich, marking the first time the ceremony has been held outside the US. The Ig Nobels celebrate research that “first makes people laugh, then makes them think”, and bear some similarities to the real Nobel Prize, including the fact that a few recipients thought the message telling them they had won was a prank or scam — the traditional $10 trillion Zimbabwean banknote prize probably didn't do much to dispel the suspicion.

For Biology, the prize went to a team who repeatedly stepped on venomous snakes to investigate what does and does not make them bite, while for Chemistry, the prize went to researchers who discovered that proteins in cockroach milk contain more than three times the energy of an equivalent amount of dairy milk.

Other notable winners worth checking out:

Last year, the Chemistry Ig Nobel went to a team who tested whether Teflon could act as a zero-calorie food additive to promote weight loss, prompting a patent for its use as a satiety enhancer. This year, we got cockroach milk. What will 2027 bring?