Chemical Communications Blog

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 Saurabh Chitnis (Dalhousie University) below!

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Saurabh Chitnis obtained his PhD with Neil Burford at the University of Victoria (2015) as an NSERC and Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar, where his doctoral thesis was recognized with a Governor General’s Gold Medal. He then performed postdoctoral research with Ian Manners at the University of Bristol as a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow (2015-2017) and later with Doug Stephan at the University of Toronto (2017-2018). He started his independent career in main group chemistry at Dalhousie University in July 2018, where in 2023 he received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor. He has been profiled in Chemical Communications as an Emerging Investigators (2020) and in Dalton Transaction as a New Talents (2020). More recently, he recieved the Dalhousie Faculty of Science Killam Prize (2023), the CNC-IUPAC Travel Award (2023), and the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (2023). In his free time, Saurabh enjoys exploring the coastline of Atlantic Canada with his partner and pretending that he is a master chef, despite evidence to the contrary.

How have you seen ChemComm evolve over the years, and what aspects do you find most noteworthy?

ChemComm has consistently kept up with the latest developments in the publishing and peer review process, whether it be adopting double-anonymized review, or permitting pre-prints, ChemComm, along with other RSC journals, is continually pushing the community towards better and faster publication practices.

What is your favourite thing about ChemComm?

The fast review process and wide range of expertise represented on the editorial board.

In what ways do you think ChemComm stands out among other journals in your field?

ChemComm really stands out because it has the word “communications” directly in its name. At a time when most journals expect researches to cram in as much as possible in each article to meet the bar for significance and novelty and reviewer demands, ChemComm’s focus on the communication format reminds reviewers and editors that brief and accurate descriptions of impactful science are more valuable to the community than (often unnecessarily) lengthy articles where it can be difficult to find the most important parts quickly.

How would you describe the peer review process and interaction with the editorial team at ChemComm?

Excellent!

Are there ways in which the journal can further support and engage with future generations of scientists?

I was fortunate to have a cover selected for one of my early papers. This provided higher visibility for work at a critical stage. The cost of the cover was quite high and while I was able to secure funds, I think early career researchers should not be charged for covers.

Could you provide a brief summary of your recent ChemComm publication?

We showed that the phosphine-azide Staudinger reaction can be used to make phosphorus-nitrogen cages that can be subsequently used to assemble crystalline metal-inorganic frameworks, or amorphous networks that show solvent and gas porosity. This represents a major step in our exploration of how hard and soft matter with differing long-range order can be accessed from simple phosphorus-nitrogen cages and reliable reactions.

In your opinion, what are the next steps or potential areas of research that could build upon the findings in this paper?

While this research dealt with the synthesis of crystalline or amorphous networks starting with phosphorus-nitrogen cages, we believe that linear polymers could also be accessed, diversifying the family of macromolecules accessible form the same basis set of PN cages and reliable Staudinger reaction. One of the key molecules in the paper, a rigid 3-dimensional di-carboxyllic acid is also being used for assembling new classes of functional porous materials.

Be sure to read Saurabh’s Communication, “Rigid PN cages as 3-dimensional building blocks for crystalline or amorphous networked materials” to learn more!

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 Yang Yang (University of Central Florida) below!

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Prof. Yang Yang studied energy conversion & storage and obtained his Ph.D. from Tsinghua University in 2010. From 2010 to 2012 he was supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship and worked on solar energy harvesting and energy storage materials at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. From 2012 to 2015 he was supported by the Peter M. & Ruth L. Nicholas Postdoctoral Fellowship and worked on battery and catalysis at the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Sci. & Tech., Rice University. Since 2015 he has been a principal investigator at the University of Central Florida. His research focuses on materials chemistry and electrochemistry at the nanoscale solid-gas-liquid interfaces for clean energy generation and storage, electrification, and decarbonization applications. He has been dedicated to resolving the challenges in many emerging areas, including but not limited to energy, sustainability, environmental issues, agriculture, artificial intelligence, and so forth. His research effort has made a significant impact on the environmentally benign nanomanufacturing of functional materials for green catalysis, clean energy conversion, and renewable energy storage. He has made many seminal breakthroughs in understanding the materials chemistry and interface engineering of new materials. His significant contributions to the communities have been demonstrated by publishing more than 140 peer-reviewed research articles, including Nature Energy, Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Chemistry, Chemical Reviews, etc.

How have you seen ChemComm evolve over the years, and what aspects do you find most noteworthy?

My first ChemComm paper was published almost 13 years ago in 2011 when I was a postdoc and till now I have published 7 articles in ChemComm. I do see a steady growth of this journal.

What is your favourite thing about ChemComm?

I changed my research directions slightly over the years but I can always submit my manuscripts to ChemComm. Because the journal covers almost all areas of chemistry-related energy and sustainability.

In what ways do you think ChemComm stands out among other journals in your field?

The editorial handling time and peer-review process are pretty quick to publish very important articles that may change the fields

How would you describe the peer review process and interaction with the editorial team at ChemComm?

The reviewers always gave us very professional and in-depth suggestions to improve the manuscripts. The whole reviewing process is fantastic.

Are there ways in which the journal can further support and engage with future generations of scientists?

Organize or sponsor conferences, hold workshops or seminars, and have campus visits to universities.

Could you provide a brief summary of your recent ChemComm publication?

My most recent review article published in ChemComm gave a comprehensive overview of the research progress in the electrosynthesis of H2O2 via a two-electron oxygen reduction reaction.

In your opinion, what are the next steps or potential areas of research that could build upon the findings in this paper?

H2O2 is a very important industrial chemical. My next step will be to consider developing a method that combines H2O2 production with energy storage and conversion.

Be sure to read Yang’s Highlight article, “Recent advances in electrosynthesis of H2O2via two-electron oxygen reduction reaction” to learn more!

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 Ashlee Howarth (Concordia University) below!

Ashlee J. Howarth is an Associate Professor and Concordia University Research Chair at Concordia University in Montréal. She was born and raised in London, Ontario. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario in 2009, and then went on to do her PhD in inorganic materials chemistry at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Michael O. Wolf. Before joining the faculty at Concordia, she completed an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship at Northwestern University with Joseph T. Hupp and Omar K. Farha. At Concordia, the Howarth group is focused on the design and synthesis of rare-earth cluster-based metal–organic frameworks targeting applications in pollution remediation, catalysis, drug delivery, X-ray detection, and chemical sensing.

What is your favourite thing about ChemComm?

My favourite thing about ChemComm is the communication format. I prefer reading short and high impact communications and I also prefer writing that style of manuscript. This also goes hand-in-hand with the fast review process at ChemComm, which is a bonus!

In what ways do you think ChemComm stands out among other journals in your field?

ChemComm has a strong reputation in the field of chemistry that has lasted many years. I remember researchers being very excited to publish in ChemComm when I was a graduate student, and that is still the case today 10-15 years later. ChemComm will always have name brand recognition in the field.

How would you describe the peer review process and interaction with the editorial team at ChemComm?

The editors at ChemComm are always very fair and professional. I often receive very useful comments from reviewers at ChemComm too, comments that are critical but fair and make our manuscript better.

Are there ways in which the journal can further support and engage with future generations of scientists?

I think ChemComm is already doing a great job of this with their “emerging investigator” special issues, and blog/social media posts when researchers publish their first article in ChemComm. Perhaps another way to engage with future generations would be to also feature senior PhD students and postdocs who are publishing their work in ChemComm. A special issue or blog/social media post for emerging researchers that are not fully independent yet.

Could you provide a brief summary of your recent ChemComm publication?

In our most recent ChemComm publication, we show that rare-earth acetates can be used as precursors for the synthesis of rare-earth cluster-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Traditionally, rare-earth nitrate precursors are used to make these MOFs, but it’s important to explore alternatives that are safer but also easier to handle (nitrates are very hygroscopic).

Be sure to read Ashlee’s Communication article, “Rare-earth acetates as alternative precursors for rare-earth cluster-based metal–organic frameworks” to learn more!

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.

For the first of these interviews, we caught up with Professor Youhei Takeda (Osaka University). Read the full interview below!

Youhei Takeda received his Ph.D. from Kyoto University in 2010 and thereafter joined the Timothy Swager group at MIT as a JSPS post-doctoral research fellow. He started his academic career as Assistant Professor at Osaka University in 2011, and he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2015. He received Incentive Award in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan (2019), The Young Scientists’ Prize from the MEXT (2020), The Nozoe Memorial Award for Young Organic Chemists (2020), and Thieme Chemistry Journals Award (2021). His research interests include the design, synthesis, and interdisciplinary applications of hetero-atom-embedded exotic π-conjugated organic compounds.

How have you seen ChemComm evolve over the years, and what aspects do you find most noteworthy?

I believe that ChemComm has always been a source of cutting-edge research in the field of chemistry, continually inspiring researchers. The most noteworthy aspect is its publication of pioneering research.

What is your favourite thing about ChemComm?

The process from submission to publication is handled very professionally and swiftly.

In what ways do you think ChemComm stands out among other journals in your field?

The journal provides an approach that is attentive to the needs of the authors.

How would you describe the peer review process and interaction with the editorial team at ChemComm?

The peer review process at ChemComm is quick and scientifically fair, which helps maintain the quality of the journal. Additionally, the editorial team does its best to smooth the process from paper acceptance to publication.

Are there ways in which the journal can further support and engage with future generations of scientists?

Of course, there are ways. To support the next generation of scientists, ChemComm could feature early-stage researchers, such as doctoral students and postdocs, who have published papers in the journal, in its articles.

Could you provide a brief summary of your recent ChemComm publication?

The recent paper I published in ChemComm discusses the development of luminescent π-conjugated molecules with an electron donor-acceptor-donor structure, which demonstrate good dispersibility in water. By utilizing this dispersibility, dispersion of the luminophore into hydrophilic polymers is also possible, and we were able to demonstrate humidity-responsive changes in the emission color in the thin films produced from the fabrication process.

In your opinion, what are the next steps or potential areas of research that could build upon the findings in this paper?

I believe that by further improving dispersibility in water and luminescence efficiency, it would be possible to apply the findings to humidity-responsive sensors and highly sensitive bioimaging within cells.

Be sure to read Youhei’s Open Access Communication, “Water-dispersible donor–acceptor–donor π-conjugated bolaamphiphiles enabling a humidity-responsive luminescence color change” to learn more!