Multicomponent molecular brushes containing amphiphilic polymer moieties are promising objects of research of macromolecular chemistry. The development of stimulus-responsive systems sensitive to changes in environmental parameters, based on the molecular brushes, opens up new possibilities for their applications in medicine, biochemistry and microelectronics. The review presents the current understanding of the structures of main types of amphiphilic multicomponent brushes, depending on the chemical nature and type of coupling of the backbone and side chains. The approaches to the controlled synthesis of multicomponent molecular brushes of different architecture are analyzed. Self-assembly processes of multicomponent molecular brushes in selective solvents are considered.The bibliography includes 259 references.

Advances in the development of water-soluble nonstoichiometric polyelectrolyte complexes, which are characterized by high stability and can be involved in competitive interpolyelectrolyte reactions, are summarized and analyzed. The complexes remain stable over a wide range of external conditions (pH, ionic strength, temperature), but show a rapid, reversible and highly sensitive response to environmental changes outside this range by changing the phase state. The review considers methods of preparation and properties of nonstoichiometric polyelectrolyte complexes formed by interactions between oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. These reagents can be used for controlled modification of various surfaces, the preparation of soluble complexes functionalized by different molecules, the suppression and prevention of protein aggregation. The review briefly summarizes new types of soluble polyelectrolytes and polyelectrolyte complexes of different nature and with different structures, including biopolymers and dendrimers, suitable for solving problems in medicine and agricultural biotechnology. In order to evaluate the results achieved, there is a need to integrate and analyze the data on interpolyelectrolyte reactions, which are of most interest for a wide range of researchers.The bibliography includes 118 references.

Published data on the synthesis and catalytic properties of metal complexes with chiral ligands containing a terpene moiety are integrated and systematized. The stereochemical features of transition metal complexes with terpene ligands are discussed. Structures of stable complexes of this type and the initial chiral ligands are presented. In view of the enormous structural diversity of the analyzed data, classification is based on the chemical functionality of terpene ligands. The results of application of terpene ligands in asymmetric transition metal catalysis are considered; the data are classified in terms of the type of chemical reaction. Data on the biological activity of some metal complexes with terpene ligands are presented.The bibliography includes 228 references.

This review deals with applications of chiral α-amino diazoketones, α-amino acid derivatives, in the synthesis of various biologically active compounds. General approaches to the synthesis of chiral α-amino diazoketones, including the Arndt – Eistert reaction, acylation of trimethylsilyldiazomethanes, etc., are discussed. Due to the presence of three functional groups, these building blocks can be used to produce a wide range of organic compounds with potential physiological activity, ranging from various heterocyclic compounds to peptidomimetics. Methods for the synthesis of β-amino acid-containing peptides and depsipeptides, amino acid derivatives and heterocyclic compounds with three- to seven-membered rings are considered.The bibliography includes 226 references.

Published data on the preparation methods, properties and chemical transformations of linear- and cross-conjugated enynones are integrated. The molecular and crystal structures, spectral characteristics and non-linear optical properties of these compounds are considered. Data on the reduction of enynones to alcohols and on electrophilic, nucleophilic and pericyclic reactions involving them are described systematically. Primary attention is paid to the regioselectivity and mechanisms of transformations of conjugated enynones. Examples of their application in the targeted organic synthesis of carbo- and heterocyclic compounds are given.The bibliography includes 250 references.

Aspartoacylase is a key enzyme in the human central nervous system. Catalytic deficiency of aspartoacylase is associated with several neurodegenerative disorders, which accounts for the enhanced interest in description of the catalytic action and regulatory mechanisms of this enzyme. This review focuses on molecular modelling of the catalytic function of aspartoacylase and the ways of its allosteric regulation in terms of modern theoretical chemistry approaches. The conclusions based on experimental data on the structure and functions of aspartoacylase accumulated during the last 20 years and conclusions drawn from computer modelling results of the last 5 years are analyzed in detail.The bibliography includes 109 references.

The methods for synthesis of promising norbornene monomers from norbornadiene and quadricyclane are summarized. A strategy for their synthesis is discussed, combining theoretical and experimental approaches to the selection of catalysts and the conditions for carrying out stereoselective reactions. The mechanisms of catalytic reactions of synthesis of norbornene monomers, as well as the progress in the macromolecular design of functional polymeric materials based on them, are considered. The data on industrial processes of production of polynorbornenes and areas of their use are presented.The bibliography includes 297 references.

The review concerns the state of the art, the advances in and prospects for application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in chemical analysis. Key advantages (nondestructive origin, high sensitivity and selectivity, easiness of sample preparation) and drawbacks (a relatively small number of analytes, insufficient metrological characteristics of certain objects) of the method are pointed out. Particular attention is paid to the development of novel chemical approaches and to the design of versatile optical sensors to significantly enhance the analytical potential of the method and to extend the range of analytes. Examples are given of the application of SERS in key branches of science and technology that require both qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis of complex objects, viz., environmental monitoring, fuel and energy area, medical diagnosis, biology and biochemistry.The bibliography includes 502 references.

Data on the electronic structure and redox, magnetic, luminescent, nonlinear optical and catalytic properties of tri- and tetranuclear molybdenum and tungsten chalcogenide clusters are analyzed and integrated. The prospects for the applications of this family of clusters for the design of new materials for molecular electronics, nonlinear optics and catalysis are considered.The bibliography includes 202 references.

The main approach to the synthesis of aromatic and heteroaromatic amines is based on palladium- and copper-catalyzed N-arylation reactions. Although these methods are highly efficient and provide extensive opportunities for the synthesis of (het)arylamines with various structures and properties, they have some limitations related to the catalysts used and reaction conditions. This review addresses alternative approaches to N-(het)arylation that have been extensively developed in the past decade and are based on the use of arynes, diaryliodonium salts and azine N-oxides as electrophilic (het)arylating agents. Because of mild reaction conditions and no need for catalysts and strong bases, these N-(het)arylation methods are attractive for various synthetic applications and open up new possibilities for the preparation of valuable organic compounds inaccessible via traditional catalytic methods. The attention is focussed on publications of the last decade. The bibliography includes 112 references.