The 18th century cleric Thomas Bayes gave his name to an elegant statement of the probability of an event – in this case identification of an odour – given some evidence: output from a number of metal oxide semiconductor sensors. Knowing the distributions of outputs for target odours, we assign the probabilities of an unknown odour. The greatest probability wins! (Image credit: E-nose Pty Ltd and D. B. Hibbert.)

This article belongs to the 10th Anniversary Collection of RACI and AAS Award papers.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) allow surfaces to be modified with molecular-level control to give surface-specific functionality. SAMs have provided fundamental insight into surface phenomena and found utility in a range of applications. This account outlines a variety of different SAM systems and their application in sensing. (Image credit: Essam M. Dief.)

This article belongs to the 10th Anniversary Collection of RACI and AAS Award papers.

Biomass offers a sustainable alternative source of carbon to existing fossil resources that underpin the global chemical industry – on which we rely for fuels, plastics and pharmaceuticals. Combining ruthenium metal with Earth-abundant magnesium oxide creates an efficient catalyst for transforming sugar components of waste biomass into a valuable precursor for the sustainable manufacture of plastics. (Image credit: Priya Lokhande.)

This article belongs to the 10th Anniversary Collection of RACI and AAS Award papers.

Rewearable colourimetric dosimeters offer an efficient, low cost and reusable solution to educate people on their risk from ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun. Molecular photoswitches are a simple chemical technology for creating UVR dosimeters. Key to their translation are enhanced photochemical stability, reusability and overall stability. Beyond the chemistry, it is necessary to design these devices for the needs of all users in our community, to offer equitable protection. (Image credit: Nathan Boase.)