The field of mechanochemistry is reviewed. A large number of mechanochemical reactions are described as well as industrial applications. INTRODUCTION At the beginning of this century, W. Nernst classified the different fields of chemistry according to the type of energy supplied to the system: thermochemistry, electrochemistry, photochemistry, etc. The name mechanochemistry was applied to the f...

Molecular manufacturing requires more than mechanochemistry. A single nanoscale fabricator cannot build macro-scale products. This paper describes the mechanisms, structures, and processes of a prototypical macro-scale, programmable nanofactory composed of many small fabricators. Power requirements, control of mechanochemistry, reliability in the face of radiation damage, convergent assembly pr...

Covalent polymer mechanochemistry offers promising opportunities for the control and engineering of reactivity. To date, covalent mechanochemistry has largely been limited to individual reactions, but it also presents potential for intricate reaction systems and feedback loops. Here we report a molecular architecture, in which a cyclobutane mechanophore functions as a gate to regulate the activ...

Most historical reviews of mechanochemistry mention the papers of Matthew Carey Lea as the first systematic investigations on the chemical effects of mechanical action. Yet, very little is known about the person, his motivation and the details of his results. The original literature is not easily accessible and the two existing biographies (1, 2) focus on his results in photochemistry and the s...