In the first of this issue's Emerging Areas, also featured on the front cover, Xinhong Yu (East China University of Science & Technology, China) and Wei Wang (University of New Mexico, USA) describe recent advances in organocatalytic asymmetric cascade reactions promoted by chiral secondary amines. 

                  Outside front cover

Organocatalysis is also the theme for the second Emerging Area, by Li-Wen Xu and Yixin Lu (National University of Singapore). This article describes how the use of primary amino acids as organocatalysts can provide unique reactivity and stereoselectivity in asymmetric aldol and Mannich reactions. This article is featured on the inside front cover. 

                      Inside front cover

Blebbistatin is a small molecule used as a tool to study an important class of proteins known as the myosins. Nicholas Westwood (University of St Andrews, UK) and colleagues believe that tools more potent and specific than blebbistatin can be synthesised. In this issue's hot paper, Westwood performs a combination of chemical and biological studies to identify which structural modifications can and cannot be accommodated in one of the aromatic rings of blebbistatin.