Addition of molecular cross-links to polymers increases mechanical strength and improves corrosion resistance. However, it remains challenging to install cross-links in low-functionality macromolecules in a well-controlled manner. Typically, high-energy processes are required to generate highly reactive radicals in situ, allowing only limited control over the degree and type of cross-link. We rationally designed a bis-diazirine molecule whose decomposition into carbenes under mild and controllable conditions enables the cross-linking of essentially any organic polymer through double C–H activation. The utility of this molecule as a cross-linker was demonstrated for several diverse polymer substrates (including polypropylene, a low-functionality polymer of long-standing challenge to the field) and in applications including adhesion of low–surface-energy materials and the strengthening of polyethylene fabric.

A series of cyclopeptoid-based iminosugar clusters has been evaluated to finely probe the ligand content-dependent increase in α-mannosidase inhibition. This study led to the largest binding enhancement ever reported for an enzyme inhibitor (up to 4700-fold on a valency-corrected basis), which represents a substantial advance over the multivalent glycosidase inhibitors previously reported. Electron microscopy imaging and analytical data support, for the best multivalent effects, the formation of a strong chelate complex in which two mannosidase molecules are cross-linked by one inhibitor.

Straightforward radiosynthesis protocols for F-labeled radiopharmaceuticals are an indispensable but often overlooked prerequisite to successfully perform molecular imaging studies in vivo by PET. In recent years, thanks to the expansion of theF chemical toolbox, structurally diverse and novel clinically relevant radiopharmaceuticals have been synthesized with both high efficiency and ready implementation. This article provides an overview of recent F-labeling methodologies, specifically for B-F, Si-F, Al-F, and iodine (III)-mediated radiofluorination via the spirocyclic iodonium ylide technology.