Author Archive

A warm welcome to Sandeep Verma, our new ChemComm Associate Editor

We are excited to welcome new Associate Editor Sandeep Verma (Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur) to the ChemComm Editorial Board

Professor Sandeep Verma

Sandeep Verma holds the positions of Professor of Chemistry and Shri Deva Raj Endowed Chair Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, which he joined in 1997. His work has been recognized by numerous awards such as Swarnajayanti Fellowship (2005), Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Chemical Sciences (2010), Department of Atomic Energy-Science Research Council Outstanding Investigator Award (2012), Ranbaxy Research Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2013), J C Bose National Fellowship (2013), Silver Medal, Chemical Research Society of India (2017), and National Prize for Research on Interfaces between Chemistry and Biology (2017).

His main research interests include peptide/protein assemblies for disease modeling, soft biomaterials, bioimaging, and surface chemistry of metal complexes. In particular, his group focuses on heterogeneous catalysts designed by developing polymeric templates based on nucleobase frameworks for application to interesting chemical and biochemical reactions. His work also focuses on the construction of architectures mimicking biological assemblies and metal-organic frameworks.

As a ChemComm, Sandeep will be handling submissions to the journal in the above areas. Why not submit your next paper to his Editorial Office?

Read Professor Verma’s recent articles published in ChemComm and its sister journals:

Chemical sensing in two dimensional porous covalent organic nanosheets
Gobinda Das, Bishnu P. Biswal, Sharath Kandambeth, V. Venkatesh, Gagandeep Kaur, Matthew Addicoat, Thomas Heine, Sandeep Verma and Rahul Banerjee
Chem. Sci., 2015, 6, 3931-3939

Organostannoxane-supported nucleobase arrays: synthesis and supramolecular structures of polymeric and molecular organotin complexes containing guanine, uracil and 2-aminopurine
Subrata Kundu, N. Nagapradeep, Balaram Mohapatra, Sourav Biswas, Sandeep Verma and Vadapalli Chandrasekharn
CrystEngComm, 2016, 18, 4807-4817

Assembly, postsynthetic modification and hepatocyte targeting by multiantennary, galactosylated soft structures
Anisha Thomas, Akansha Shukla, Sri Sivakumarb and Sandeep Verma
Chem. Commun., 2014, 50, 15752-15755

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Congratulations to the 2017 Cram Lehn Pedersen Prize winner: Tom de Greef

ChemComm is pleased to announce Dr.ir. Tom de Greef, of the Biomedical Engineering department of Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, as the recipient of this year’s Cram Lehn Pedersen award in Supramolecular Chemistry, a prestigious prize awarded annually by the ISMSC International Committee to young researchers. Our warm congratulations to Tom!

Dr.ir. Tom de Greef

The prize, sponsored by ChemComm and named in honour of the winners of the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, recognises significant, original and independent work in supramolecular chemistry by emerging investigators. Scientists who gained their PhD less than ten years previous are eligible for the prize.




Tom is an associate professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology and FMS member, and will receive the award during the 2017 International Symposium on Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry (ISMSC) which will take place in Cambridge (U.K.).



We are also delighted to announce that the 2017 International Symposium on Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry (ISMSC) will be held in conjuction with ISACS: Challenges in Organic Materials & Supramolecular Chemistry.

Our plenary speakers will be:

Full details of all the confirmed speakers may be found on the event website.

We hope you can join us in Cambridge, UK – save the dates 2–6 July 2017!




Tom will also be speaking at the first biannual International Conference on Molecular Systems Engineering (ICMSE) in Basel 27 to 29 August 2017, in Basel, Switzerland.

ICMSE is a unique event in the emerging field of molecular systems engineering, and has the potential of leading to a long-term paradigm shift in molecular sciences. The three-day conference will be held at the University of Basel (Kollegienhaus, Petersplatz 1).

Download the conference flyer (pdf) for more details and book your place now!

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ChemComm poster prize winner at UCCS 2017

The 2017 University of California Symposium for the Chemical Sciences (UCSCS) was held on March 27-29, 2017 at the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Center and was attended by over 100 University of California graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

The UCCS is a symposium for current graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in all fields of chemistry from all campuses of the University of California. The whole conference is organised by graduate students and postdocs from the UC campuses. The first UCCS meeting was held in March 2016, at the Lake Arrowhead conference center in Lake Arrowhead.

ChemComm is proud to announce that the ChemComm Poster Prize was awarded to Dr Emilia Pecora de Barros from the University of California San Diego (Chemical Biology/Biochemistry division). Dr Jennifer Griffiths awarded the prize on behalf of the journal.

Dr Pecora de Barros’ poster title was Electrostatic interactions as mediators in the allosteric activation of PKA RI alpha.
Well done Emilia!

Dr Jennifer Griffiths (left) awarding the ChemComm prize to Dr Emilia Pecora de Barros (right)

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ChemComm symposia on energy science and materials

Organized jointly by ChemComm and local institutes in China, the ChemComm symposia on energy science and materials consist of a series of one-day symposia to be held in three different cities ‒ Beijing, Tianjin and Dalian (please see the linked events below).

 




The theme of the symposia is energy science and materials, with a particular focus on sustainable energy and fuels, and will feature leading researchers from around the world.

Speakers at each symposium include leading international speakers and renowned scientists from institutions in China. These symposia are devoted to recent advances and new trends in energy science as well as interdisciplinary studies at its interfaces with other subjects, like new materials, nanotechnology, photocatalysis, CO2 conversion, photonics and biotechnology. The symposia are free to attend for all, however, we ask participants to register.

Together with our local hosts, ChemComm warmly invites you to take part in these symposia ‒ we look forward to welcoming you in Beijing, Tianjin and Dalian.


The standard registration deadline is set for the 17th September 2017. Please find out more for each event on the symposia’s respective websites.

ChemComm Symposia on Energy Science and Materials

 

Beijing Symposium
9 October 2017
Beijing, ChinaChaired by Professor Suojiang Zhang

Prof. Zhang

Tianjin Symposium
11 October 2017
Tianjin, ChinaChaired by Chem Soc Rev Advisory Board Member Professor Jinlong Gong

Prof. Gong

Dalian Symposium
13 October 2017
Dalian, ChinaChaired by ChemComm Associate Editor          Professor Can Li

Prof. Li

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet our ChemComm Associate Editors Professor Amy Prieto and Professor Dan Gamelin, ChemComm Advisory Board Member Professor Douglas MacFarlane, and Nanoscale Associate Editor Dr Serena Corr at the symposia!

Profs. Prieto, Gamelin, MacFarlane and Corr (left to right)

Our Deputy Editor Dr. Jeanne Andres will also be there at the conference. Ask her about ChemComm at the symposia!

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Hydrogen bonds in water clusters catalyse acid rain formation

Hydrogen bonds in water clusters help catalyse acid rain formation via a mechanism more typically found in organic synthesis, new research shows.

Burning fossil fuels, volcanic eruptions and soil bacteria release oxides of sulfur and nitrogen into the air. High in the atmosphere, these oxides transform into sulfuric acid and nitric acid – which falls as acid rain.

Source: © Royal Society of Chemistry
Comparison between a typical bifunctional catalyst in synthetic organic chemistry (left) and the embedded water molecules in the supramolecular complexes (H2O)2⋯SO3 (middle) and (H2O)3⋯SO3 (right). Red = oxygen, grey = carbon, blue = nitrogen, yellow = sulfur, white = hydrogen

 

Sulfuric acid, in particular, forms when sulfur trioxide reacts with atmospheric water. During the reaction, hydrogen bonds organise sulfur trioxide and water into a stable supramolecular complex called an adduct, which facilitates an unusual nucleophilic attack by water. However, the precise mechanism behind this nucleophilic behaviour has long been unclear.

 

Read the full story by Thomas Foley in Chemistry World.


This article is free to access until 17 April 2017.

E Romero-Montalvo et al., Chem. Commun., 2017, DOI: 10.1039/c6cc09616f

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RSC Conference Abstract Prize 2016 ICOS


The Royal Society of Chemistry was delighted to sponsor two Chemical Communications and five Organic Chemistry Frontiers Prizes for “Best Conference Abstracts” at the International Conference on New Challenges in Organic Synthesis which was held on 26-29 November at Guangdong University of Technology in Guangzhou, China. 500 participants joined the discussion, thus making the conference exciting and successful.

Participants of ICOS 2016 (click to enlarge)


Professor Ang Li, winner of the 2016 ChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship, delivered his Lectureship talk during this conference.

Professor Ang Li

The conference was chaired by Professor Keiji Maruoka, who is an Advisory Board member for Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry. The winner list of the RSC Conference Abstract Prize is as follows:

ChemComm Conference Abstract Prize:

  • Junliang Zhang from East China Normal University‘s poster was called “Highly Chemo- and site-selective C-H functionalizations of Phenols with α-Aryl-α-diazoesters
  • Fengtao Zhou from Northwestern Polytechnical University‘s poster was called “Design of Stronger Brønsted Acid Catalyts for Highly Enantioselective Mukaiyama-Mannich Reactions

Organic Chemistry Frontiers Conference Abstract Prize:

  • Chang-Qiu Zhao from Liaocheng University‘s poster was called “Non-epimerizative Alkylation of H-P Species to Stereospecifically Generate P-Stereogenic Phosphine oxides: Extreme Shortcut to Bis- or Functional Tertiary Phosphine Ligands
  • Hui Xing from the University of Queesnland‘s poster was called “Cubane as a Bezene Isostere: Entomological Evaluation
  • Yiyong Huang from Wuhan University of Technology‘s poster was called “Asymmetric Synthesis of 1,3-Butadienyl-2-carbinols by the Homoallenylboration of Aldehydes with a Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyst
  • Xianghua Yang from Guangdong University of Technology‘s poster was called “Push-pull olefins as potential organocatalysts: design, synthesis and reactivity
  • Yan Liu from Guangdong University of Technology‘s poster was called “Hypervalent Iodine-mediated Chemoselective and Efficient Iodination of Alkynes

 

Professor Keiji Maruoka (centre) and the poster prize winners

 

We would like to congratulate our prize winners! Well done!

 

Finally, Professor Véronique Gouverneur, Chair of the ChemComm Board, Professor Yong-Qiang Tu, ChemComm Associate Editor, and former Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board Member Helma Wennemers gave presentations at this conference.

Prof. Gouverneur, Tu & Wennemers (left to right)

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Traffic light label indicates food freshness

 

Ammonia gas diffusion basis for inexpensive colour-changing food freshness label.


Ever rummaged through the fridge and wondered, ’Is this meat still ok to eat?’ A cheap colour-changing label can now help answer this question.


Most commercial indicators that help customers evaluate their food’s freshness, such as MonitorMark and Timestrip, are expensive to manufacture or must to be stored at very low temperatures in order to prevent them from going off before being placed on the food. A new indicator developed by Andrew Mills and his team at Queen’s University Belfast, UK, overcomes these problems as it is made from very cheap materials, can be stored at room temperature, and activated when and where it’s needed.


Read the full story by Abigail Hallowes in Chemistry World.



This article is free to access until 25 January 2017.

A. Mills et al, Chem. Commun., 2016, 52, 13987. DOI: 10.1039/C6CC07906G

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Royal Society of Chemistry and ACS Publications commit to ORCID integration

On 28 November 2016, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Chemical Society Publications Division, ACS Publications, both signed the ORCID Open Letter committing to unambiguous identification of all authors that publish in our journals.

The official press release can be found here: http://rsc.li/orcid

In brief, this partnership with ORCID will resolve ambiguity in researcher identification caused by name changes, cultural differences in name presentation, and the inconsistent use of name abbreviations, thereby ensuring their contributions are appropriately recognized and credited.

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International Conference on New Challenges in Organic Synthesis (ICOS)

Prof. Ang Li

Prof. Ang Li

International Conference on New Challenges in Organic Synthesis
26-29 November 2016
Guangzhou, China

Professor Ang Li, the winner of our 2016 ChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship, will deliver his inaugural lectureship talk at the International Conference on New Challenges in Organic Synthesis in Guangzhou, China on 26-29 November 2016. This significant meeting gathers experts and early-career researchers in synthetic methodology, total synthesis, chemical biology and organic functional materials and is proudly supported by ChemComm and Organic Chemistry Frontiers.



Our ChemComm Editorial Board Chair Professor Véronique Gouverneur and Associate Editor Professor Yong-Qiang Tu will be speakers at the meeting, while our Advisory Board Member Professor Keiji Maruoka will be Chair of the meeting.

Prof. Véronique GouverneurProf. Yong-Qiang TuProf. Keiji Maruoka

Prof. Gouverneur, Tu & Maruoka (left to right)

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Soft drinks power origami cell

Graphical Abstract

Source: © Royal Society of Chemistry - The tiny fuel cell is made from a folded sheet of filter paper that holds the anode and cathode

Miniature fuel cell made from folded filter paper runs on sugary drinks.

Researchers in China have found a way to integrate the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, origami, into a miniature biofuel cell that can generate energy from soft drinks.

Biofuel cells use enzymes, instead of precious metals, as catalysts to oxidise their fuel. Miniature versions have excited researchers because they are portable and have high efficiency. They could provide power for implants or electronic contact lenses or harvest energy from perspiration. However, designing these small biofuel cells is difficult due to complicated assembly and high costs.


Read the full article in Chemistry World >>>


A miniature origami biofuel cell based on a consumed cathode
You Yu, Yujie Han, Baohua Lou, Lingling Zhang, Lei Hana and Shaojun Dong
Chem. Commun., 2016, 52, 13499-13502
DOI: 10.1039/C6CC07466A, Communication

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