Mechanochemistry: A Force of Synthesis

The past decade has seen a reawakening of solid-state approaches to chemical synthesis, driven by the search for new, cleaner synthetic methodologies. Mechanochemistry, i.e., chemical transformations initiated or sustained by mechanical force, has been advancing particularly rapidly, from a laboratory curiosity to a widely applicable technique that not only enables a cleaner route to chemical transformations but offers completely new opportunities in making and screening for molecules and materials. This Outlook provides a brief overview of the recent achievements and opportunities created by mechanochemistry, including access to materials, molecular targets, and synthetic strategies that are hard or even impossible to access by conventional means.