Chapter One - The Author's Choice of 2016–2017

Abstract

In this chapter, the most interesting topics from 2016 to 2017 were chosen by the author. In Section 1.1, the author chose an important topic that helium (He) makes a stable compound, meaning that from now on, all the textbooks must be changed. Although this is a topic of inorganic chemistry, the author still felt this topic to be relevant. In Section 1.2, an interesting “chemo-octopus” was chosen; it is in fact not a living octopus, but an organic chemical molecule made of an octasilsesquioxane body and eight metallacarborane arms. From this molecule, we can learn many things regarding boron and carboran compounds. As boron is very important in inorganic and organic chemistry as well as materials sciences, the molecules of boron are discussed in Sections 1.2–1.5. In Section 1.3, the synthesis of heterocycle missing link, B3NO2, is chosen. This is also an organic chemistry topic, but very significant regarding boron. Section 1.4 focuses on boron nitride, which is a catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane. This new catalyst could be very important in industry. Section 1.5 sets out a new technique in organic chemistry: decarboxylative borylation. The researchers worked on related topics got a Novel Prize, thus boron is very important in organic chemistry. Boron materials are becoming more and more important in materials sciences. Using this technique, boron-containing anticancer drugs were synthesized. In Section 1.6, an inorganic double helix is picked up as a new material made of SnIP. In Section 1.7, an important biochemical material, antibiotic is chosen. The ultimate vancomycins were synthesized by chemical modification of the vancomycin. Section 1.8 investigates why the tardigrade can survive slow drying.