ChemComm is publishing its 60th volume in 2024. Over the past 60 years, ChemComm has been the RSC’s most cited journal, and one of the most trusted venues for rapid publication of short communications. In our anniversary year, we recognise the important contributions ChemComm has made, and continues to make, in advancing the chemical sciences.
As part of our anniversary celebrations, we’ve brought together a collection featuring the latest research from some of our most loyal and dedicated authors. From those marking the beginning of their independent academic career by publishing their first article with us, to the rising stars and established leaders publishing in our yearly ‘Emerging Investigators’ and ‘Pioneering Investigators’ collections, this collection champions the contributions of our worldwide author community. We are proud many authors choose to support our journal by regularly publishing their best work with us. This collection also features papers from our ChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship winners, and our Outstanding Reviewer awardees, whose invaluable feedback has shaped our published content through the years.
To accompany the collection, we’ll be publishing interviews with contributing authors where they provide further insight into their research and reflect on their journey with ChemComm.
Check out our interview with Dr Joao M. Batista Jr. (Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil) below!
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João M. Batista Jr. received a BSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2007) and a PhD in Chemistry (2012) from UNESP, Brazil. During 2009-2010 he was appointed Visiting Research Scholar at Syracuse University, USA. He then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at UNESP (2012-2015) with a period as Visiting Scientist at the University of Manchester (2012-2013). In 2015, he joined UFSCar, Brazil, to lead the first Vibrational Optical Activity research group in South America. Currently, he works as an assistant professor of chemistry at UNIFESP, in São José dos Campos, Brazil. His research involves stereochemical studies of small molecules and macromolecules using chiroptical methods and quantum-chemical calculations. |
What is your favourite thing about ChemComm?
The time to first decision.
In what ways do you think ChemComm stands out among other journals in your field?
ChemComm is a dependable source of cutting-edge research across the chemical sciences. Regardless of specific impact factor numbers, which obviously fluctuates, you can always rest assured that any paper published will be of sufficient quality and novelty. Additionally, the four-page format makes it easier and more enjoyable to read, even though it may be a challenging requirement to meet as an author.
Could you provide a brief summary of your recent ChemComm publication?
The determination of the absolute configuration (exact spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule) is one of the most challenging steps during the structural elucidation process of natural products. As a result, significant numbers of misassignments are still reported in the literature every year. Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), which was first reported 50 years ago, represents one of the most powerful chiroptical spectroscopic methods available to unambiguously assess both the absolute configuration and conformations of chiral molecules directly in solution, and even for those devoid of UV-vis chromophores. Despite its potential, VCD is still largely underutilized by the natural product community worldwide for varying reasons. In the Highlight article recently published in ChemComm we presented the evolution of the application of VCD to natural product chemistry, focusing on its strengths as well as points that still need improvement, along with general experimental and computational guidelines for its correct application. With this paper, we hope more researchers will feel encouraged and confident to use VCD to solve stereochemical problems.
Be sure to read Joao’s full Highlight article, “Stereochemistry of natural products from vibrational circular dichroism” to learn more!
