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Abstract Hydrogen-isotope storage materials are essential for the controlled nuclear fusion. However, the currently used smelting-ZrCo alloy suffers from rapid degradation of performance due to severe disproportionation. Here, we reveal a defect-derived disproportionation mechanism and report a nano-single-crystal strategy to solve ZrCo’s problems. Single-crystal nano-ZrCo is synthesized by a wet-chemistry method and exhibits excellent comprehensive hydrogen-isotope storage performances, including ultrafast uptake/release kinetics, high anti-disproportionation ability, and stable cycling, far superior to conventional smelting-ZrCo. Especially, a further incorporation of Ti into nano-ZrCo can almost suppress the disproportionation reaction. Moreover, a mathematical relationship between dehydrogenation temperature and ZrCo particle size is established. Additionally, a microwave method capable of nondestructively detecting the hydrogen storage state of ZrCo is developed. The proposed disproportionation mechanism and anti-disproportionation strategy will be instructive for other materials with similar problems.

Hydroamidation of unactivated alkenes is an efficient way to introduce nitrogen-based functional groups to alkenes, however the regioselectivity requires directing groups. Here, the authors report the ligand-controlled NiH-catalyzed anti-Markovnikov intermolecular hydroamidation of unactivated alkenes with dioxazolones for the direct synthesis of N-alkyl amides.

Macadamia is a recently domesticated nut crop. Here, the authors report the genome assembly of Hawaiian cultivar ‘Kau’ and conduct population genomic analyses to reveal the origin of Hawaiian cultivars and the genomic basis for one-step operation for the clonal crop domestication.

Furanocembranoid-like natural products with the alkene-substituted furan scaffold display a range of biological activities, but are difficult to access. Here, the authors report a modular biomimetic strategy to synthesise diverse alkene-substituted furan-containing macrolactams via palladium-catalysed unactivated Csp3-H olefination.

The gem-difluoroalkene functionality is relevant to drug design as it is a bioisostere of a carbonyl group. Here, the authors report the synthesis of 2,2-difluorovinyl benzoates as versatile building blocks for modular synthesis of gem-difluoroenol ethers and gem-difluoroalkenes by nickel-catalyzed cross coupling.

Coordination complexes based on polydentate ligands that contain both nitrogen and carbon ligating atoms are ubiquitous, but design of those with planar cores remains challenging. Here the authors show that complexes with planar CCCN, CCCCN and NCCCN cores can be accessed by modification of the coordinating atoms in CCCC core complexes.

Axially chiral allenes that are normally present in natural products, bioactive molecules, organocatalysts, and functional materials are usually produced from propargylic derivatives. Here, the authors show direct use of propargylic alcohols for catalytic asymmetric allene synthesis.