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The structure–activity relationship is a cornerstone topic in catalysis, which lays the foundation for the design and functionalization of catalytic materials. Of particular interest is the catalysis of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by palladium (Pd), which is envisioned to play a major role in realizing a hydrogen‐based economy. Interestingly, experimentalists observed excess heat generation in such systems, which became known as the debated “cold fusion” phenomenon. Despite the considerable attention on this report, more fundamental knowledge, such as the impact of the formation of bulk Pd hydrides on the nature of active sites and the HER activity, remains largely unexplored. In this work, classical electrochemical experiments performed on model Pd(hkl) surfaces, “noise” electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (n‐EC‐STM), and density functional theory are combined to elucidate the nature of active sites for the HER. Results reveal an activity trend following Pd(111) > Pd(110) > Pd(100) and that the formation of subsurface hydride layers causes morphological changes and strain, which affect the HER activity and the nature of active sites. These findings provide significant insights into the role of subsurface hydride formation on the structure–activity relations toward the design of efficient Pd‐based nanocatalysts for the HER.

Favipiravir is found to show excellent in-vitro inhibition activity against Nipah virus. To explore the structure–property relationship of Favipiravir, in silico designing of a series of piperazine substituted Favipiravir derivatives are attempted and computational screening has been done to evaluate its bimolecular interactions with Nipah virus. The geometrical features of all the molecules have been addressed from Density Functional Theory calculations. Chemical reactivity descriptor analysis was carried out to understand various reactivity parameters. The drug-likeness properties were estimated by a detailed ADMET study. The binding ability and the mode of binding of these derivatives into the Nipah virus are obtained from molecular docking studies. Our calculations show greater binding ability for the designed inhibitors compared to that of the experimentally reported molecule. Overall, the present work proves to offers new insights and guidelines for synthetic chemists to develop new drugs using piperazine substituted Favipiravir in the treatment of Nipah virus.

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The tribal communities in South India, especially those in the Wayanad region in the proximity of Kerala state, have low literacy rates and occupy a socio-culturally marginalized status among various demographic clusters in India. The pedagogies employed through mainstream schooling do not appeal to the students in the tribal community, resulting in high dropout rates. Therefore, Madras Christian College, Chennai, has identified tribal communities as an underrepresented group in Indian science education proposing to engage them through “Service Learning Science Camps”. Herein we document our activities as formative assessment through teaching chemistry to tribal school children and consolidate the experiences gained by both the student volunteers and tribal students for prospective research. The program enabled the student mentors to explore their leadership skills while administering the science camps. In addition to this, the camps created a pleasurable environment for learning chemistry for the tribal children and increased their inclination toward science. This exercise helps students to change their perception toward tribals and bridge the gap between them by providing a welcoming and supportive environment for pleasurable learning. We propose these camps as a model to reach out and popularize chemistry among the overlooked communities, simultaneously nurturing the minds of college students toward creating an inclusive future.