After a little while out of the office, what better to start the week than bring you all some fresh Research Highlights…

In a nifty link to Catherine’s post on pi interactions, Steve highlights some people measuring arene–arene face-to-face inteactions.

Ros has written about rotaxane molecules whose muscle-like contraction can be controlled by different wavelenghts of light.

And finally, Jane features some work by Ben Feringa and colleagues, who have speeded up a molecular rotary motor based on cyclopentane – it now speeds round at megahertz frequencies, thanks to a picosecond photochemical isomerisation.

As it’s the start of a new month, why not go and check what’s Astromolecule of the Month over at The Astrochymist?

Neil

Neil Withers (Associate Editor, Nature Chemistry)