Alkyl groups modulate π-stacking interactions: size is not the only thing that matters.

The group of  Ken Shimizu at University of South Carolina reported a very interesting finding: the strength of repulsive and/or attractive interactions between π-stacked aromatics can be non-trivially influenced by the alkyl substituents.  Should the interacting area (surface contact area) between aromatics be large enough, even those bearing tBu substituents can display stronger attraction than those bearing Me one!

Does methanol dissolve silica?  Maybe not, suggested by Biotage.

This is an age-old question for people using MeOH in their flash chromatography.  I guess the answer/result might have something to do with the pore size of the frit of your column.  Anyhow, have a look at an interesting study conducted in Biotage.

Singlet fission in multi-crystalline diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) derivatives observed

The nice work of Pat reports the one of the first observation and thorough study of singlet fission processes in DPP materials, a common class of industrial pigments.  This work opens a new direction of SF study.  (DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b10565)

Photo-induced charge transfer in G-quadruplexes continues to fascinate the JACS readers

After our first G-quadruplex paper in 2013, photoinduced charge transfer in self-assembled, monodispersed G-quadruplex of a donor-acceptor triad was highlighted again in JACS Spotlight (DOI:10.1021/jacs.5b02864 , and DOI:10.1021/ja4093727 for the 2013 paper)! The combined transient absorption, stimulated Raman, and electron paramagnetic spectroscopies suggested the hole delocalization in the H-bonded cyclic guanine moieties (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b00977) .