Chlorophyll is one of the most efficient light-absorbing materials known to science. It also happens to be remarkably stable and abundant beyond imagination.

Researchers studying ways to capture and exploit photons view the amazing capabilities of chlorophyll with green-eyed wonder. Indeed, they

The demand for vanilla flavouring exceeds the supply from natural vanilla pods by as much as ten to one. So there is huge interest in finding cheap and easy ways to synthesise vanillin, the phenolic aldehyde that is the active ingredient in this flavouring.

One long-standing approach is to make