Communicating with logical chemistry

Alberto Credi of the University of Bologna, Italy, and colleagues have built a simple glowing molecule that can do logical operations of the kind used in encoding the data transmitted down fibre-optic cables for telephone and Internet connections.¹ The work could eventually lead to the development of photonic devices that are smaller and faster signal processors and transmitters than those currently used in communications technology. In the short term, molecular logic systems could be used to perform relatively simple computing tasks that, however, cannot be accomplished with silicon-based devices, eg in nanoscale spaces or living things.