A chemical path to quantum information

Nanoscale graphene can be designed to function as a molecular qubit The second quantum revolution is rapidly transforming fields like structural biology, cryptography, and condensed matter physics. The core quantum unit is the qubit, which has an infinite number of possible configurations through the superposition of its quantum states. This quantum property provides a singular approach for solving problems in computing, sensing, and metrology ( 1 , 2 ). Creating and manipulating qubits is a grand challenge, leading to a plethora of viable approaches ( 3 ). Spin-based molecular qubits are promising because they unify atomicscale spatial precision with structural customization for systems integration ( 4 ). On page 1107 of this issue, Lombardi et al. ( 5 ) exemplified this approach by constructing an electronic spin-based molecular qubit from a carefully engineered state in nanoscale graphene, providing an elegant example of atomic control over qubit design.