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Directing Biosynthesis III – final call for oral abstracts

LAST CALL FOR ORAL ABSTRACTS – DEADLINE THIS FRIDAY 11TH MAY 2012


Directing Biosynthesis III (DBIII), 19 – 21 September 2012, University of Nottingham, UK

Please don’t miss this last opportunity to submit an oral abstract now to be part of a high profile conference featuring contributions from the most active groups in the UK, Europe, the USA and Japan working in this rapidly developing area.

This meeting builds on the two previous extremely successful conferences in a subject area which remains highly topical. As significant opportunities exist for engineering biosynthetic pathways in bacteria, fungi and plants for the directed biosynthesis of new natural products with new and beneficial properties. We expect the programme this year to generate a high profile event that you will not want to miss.

Confirmed Invited speakers:

Ikuro Abe, University of Tokyo, Japan
Mervyn Bibb
, John Innes Centre, UK
David W. Christianson
, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Christian Hertweck
, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
Ben Liu
, The University of Texas at Austin, USA
Professor Jim Naismith
, University of St Andrews, UK
Joern Piel
, University of Bonn, Germany
Professor Chris Schofield
, University of Oxford, UK
David H Sherman
, University of Michigan, USA
Dr David R Spring
, University of Cambridge, UK
Tom Simpson
, FRS, University of Bristol, UK
Yi Tang
, UCLA, USA
NOW CONFIRMED – Craig Townsend
, John Hopkins University, USA

A special symposium will take place within the Directing Biosynthesis III programme, recognising the achievements of three 2011 RSC award winners. Each of the winners will give a keynote lecture within the symposium.

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Free ChemComm inorganic and supramolecular content

The ChemComm–RSC Prizes & Awards Symposium jointly organised with the Dalton Division takes place at the University of Oxford on 23rd May with the theme of inorganic and supramolecular chemistry.

This is ChemComm’s second UK-based symposium and to celebrate we’ve made some of our best content free to access for a limited period.

We hope you enjoy these articles – but don’t delay! Free access only runs until 30th May.

Germanium/phosphorus cage compounds with germanium in three different oxidation states
Stefan Almstätter, Gábor Balázs, Michael Bodensteiner and Manfred Scheer
Chem. Commun., 2011, 47, 9998-10000
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC13937A

Selective gas sorption in a [2+3] ‘propeller’ cage crystal
Shan Jiang, John Bacsa, Xiaofeng Wu, James T. A. Jones, Robert Dawson, Abbie Trewin, Dave J. Adams and Andrew I. Cooper
Chem. Commun., 2011, 47, 8919-8921
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC12460A

Reversible anion-templated self-assembly of [2+2] and [3+3] metallomacrocycles containing a new dicopper(I) motif
Emily F. V. Dry, Jack K. Clegg, Boris Breiner, Daniel E. Whitaker, Roman Stefak and Jonathan R. Nitschke
Chem. Commun., 2011, 47, 6021-6023
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC11206F

Cleavage of dinitrogen to yield a (t-BuPOCOP)molybdenum(IV) nitride
Travis J. Hebden, Richard R. Schrock, Michael K. Takase and Peter Müller
Chem. Commun., 2012, 48, 1851-1853
DOI: 10.1039/C2CC17634C

Metal-free diastereoselective catalytic hydrogenations of imines using B(C6F5)3
Zachariah M. Heiden and Douglas W. Stephan
Chem. Commun., 2011, 47, 5729-5731
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC10438A

Activation of phosphorus by group 14 elements in low oxidation states
Shabana Khan, Sakya S. Sen and Herbert W. Roesky
Chem. Commun., 2012, 48, 2169-2179
DOI: 10.1039/C2CC17449A

Twisted molecular magnets
Ross Inglis, Constantinos J. Milios, Leigh F. Jones, Stergios Piligkos and Euan K. Brechin
Chem. Commun., 2012, 48, 181-190
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC13558A

Luminescent metal complexes of d6, d8 and d10 transition metal centres
Vivian Wing-Wah Yam and Keith Man-Chung Wong
Chem. Commun., 2011, 47, 11579-11592
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC13767K

Uranium-mediated activation of small molecules
Polly L. Arnold
Chem. Commun., 2011, 47, 9005-9010
DOI: 10.1039/C1CC10834D

Also of interest: Take at look at our web themes on Supramolecular Chemistry and Frontiers in Molecular Main Group Chemistry.

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Optical chemosensors for sensing explosives

Peroxide-based explosives, such as triacetone triperoxide (TATP), have been increasingly used in criminal activities as they can be easily obtained and are highly sensitive (TATP has 88% the explosive equivalence of TNT). However, detecting TATP is not easy, despite its considerable vapour pressure at room temperature (7.87Pa), This is mainly because of its lack of nitro- or aromatic-groups, which could be revealed in UV absorbance or fluorescence spectra.

Here, researchers in China have demonstrated a new strategy to detect explosive peroxide vapor via deboronation reaction induced fluorescence quenching with good sensitivity (the detection limit of TATP vapour was estimated to be ~0.5ppm), selectivity and fast response.


 

Link to journal article
Highly Efficient Fluorescent Sensor of Explosive Peroxide Vapor via ZnO Nanorod Array Catalyzed Deboronation of Pyrenyl borate

C He et al
Chem. Commun.,
2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2cc31386c

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Ionic liquid drugs hit the spot

Robin-Rogers_ionic-liquid-research_250_tcm18-216842

Biologically active ionic liquids supported on mesoporous silica provide solid handling with fast and complete release in an aqueous environment © Andreea Cojocaru and Gabriela Gurau/The University of Alabama

Pharmaceutically active ionic liquids have been immobilised onto solid supports to enable liquid drugs to be administered in solid form. Scientists from the US and Europe hope that their work will make the pharmaceutical industry consider ionic liquids as a viable alternative to solid drugs.

Pharmaceutically active ionic liquids are more soluble and stable than solid drugs and they are better at getting across cell membranes. But they are difficult to prepare and are not easy to handle. Robin Rogers from the University of Alabama in the US and colleagues immobilised the liquids onto mesoporous silica to improve preparation and handling.

The team combined known active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) into new dual functioning liquid salts in two ways. ‘In the first, we combined an acidic API with a basic API simply by grinding or mixing them together,’ explains Rogers. ‘This produces a salt in which the proton has transferred from the acid to the base.’ In the second, they started with a cationic API and an anionic API and exchanged the inert counterions to produce a new salt of API1+ and API2-.

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Link to journal article
Pharmaceutically Active Ionic Liquids with Solids Handling, Enhanced Thermal Stability, and Fast Release

Katharina Bica ,  Hector Rodriguez ,  Gabriela Gurau ,  O. Andreea Cojocaru ,  Anders Riisager ,  R Fehrmann and Robin D. Rogers
Chem. Commun.,
2012, Accepted Manuscript, DOI: 10.1039/C2CC30959A

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Novel synthesis of iron catalyst complexes via C-H activation of imidazolium salts

Researchers from Lisbon have developed a mild and efficient catalytic system for reducing sulfoxides. They made the iron-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysts (2) via C–H activation of an imidazolium pro-ligand (1) with commercially available Fe3(CO)12. This advance precludes the requirement for the strong bases traditionally employed in the synthesis of similar complexes. Additionally, iron is an economically attractive metal for use in catalysis owing to its abundance and is also non-toxic and therefore more environmentally friendly than other transition metals.

The combination of iron(ll) complex (2) with a silver salt and a silane reducing agent led to the conversion of a range of sulfoxides into the corresponding sulfides in good to excellent yields. Initial mechanistic probes suggest the existence of a free-radical based reaction pathway, although further studies are ongoing.

In this publication, Beatriz Royo’s group have demonstrated an interesting advance for the synthesis of iron-NHC complexes, which may find further utility in other catalytic processes.

Download the communication >

Posted on behalf of Alice Williamson, ChemComm web writer.

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Shining a light on fingerprint detection

Scientists in China have discovered a method for visualising latent fingerprints found at the scene of a crime, which they say is very simple, rapid, does not require professional forensic treatment and does not destroy the print.

Bin Su and co-workers from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, noticed that the conjugated compound tetraphenylethene (TPE) adhered to the greasy ridges of fingerprints via a hydrophobic interaction. TPE is non-fluorescent in acetonitrile solution, but when light with a 365nm wavelength is shone onto the solution, the compound can lose the extra energy by rotating. However, when TPE sticks to the fingerprint, its molecules clump together (or aggregate). The aggregated molecules can no longer rotate, so instead, they release the energy as light. This phenomenon is known as aggregation induced emission (AIE) and has been used in sensors, but never as a means of detecting fingerprints.

Shining a light on fingerprint detection
The fingerprints were enhanced by aggregation induced emission of tetraphenylethene
© iStockphoto

Read the full story in Chemistry World

Link to journal article
Aggregation induced emission for the recognition of latent fingerprints
Yan Li ,  Linru Xu and Bin Su
Chem. Commun., 2012, 48, 4109-4111, DOI: 10.1039/C2CC30553D

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Mass spectrometry imaging: the new tool in counterfeit security

The ever-increasing sophistication of the counterfeit trade is a growing economic problem, and when applied to pharmaceuticals, dangerous to human health. More covert strategies are required to combat the trade and US researchers have developed a potentially vital tool in the battle against counterfeiting.

A group at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, led by Vincent Rotello, incorporated gold nanoparticles into ink by straightforward inkjet printing. This ‘barcode’ can be detected in an ambient and non-destructive manner by laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry imaging – a method to determine the spatial distribution of particles based on their mass. More conventional methods, such as chromatography, require sample destruction for analysis, and non-destructive analytical techniques usually do not give specific chemical information.

Mass-spec-money_c2cc30499f_180_tcm18-216317
Nanoparticle barcode: a mass spectrometry image of different printed gold nanoparticles, overlapping. When scanned, the blue letters of one nanoparticle were detected at m/z = 548; the green letters of another nanoparticle were detected at m/z = 422; and the red pattern from Au+ was detected at m/z = 197

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Link to journal article
Laser desorption ionization mass spectrometric imaging of mass barcoded gold nanoparticles for security applications
B Creran et al
Chem. Commun., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2cc30499f

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Magneto-chiral dichroism observed in light-harvesting antenna

Artificial light-harvesting antennas absorb light travelling parallel to a magnetic field differently from light travelling anti-parallel to the field, according to Japanese researchers. 

Magneto-chiral dichroism in artificial light-harvesting antenna

This effect – known as magneto-chiral dichroism (MChD) – is proposed to have played a role in the origin of homochirality in life and is important for the development of new magneto-optical devices.

This is only the second example of MChD reported in organic compounds. It indicates that MChD may occur during the light-harvesting process, says the team, which is important not only for learning more about photosynthesis but also for clarifying the origin of asymmetry in biological systems.

Read the communication:
Magneto-chiral dichroism of artificial light-harvesting antenna
Yuichi Kitagawa, Tomohiro Miyatake and Kazuyuki Ishii
Chem. Commun., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2CC30996C

Also of interest:
Nanoscale spectroscopy with optical antennas
Palash Bharadwaj, Ryan Beams and Lukas Novotny, Chem. Sci., 2011, 2, 136-140

Artificial Photosynthesis – a ChemComm web theme

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Abstracts invited for International Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry

Good news!

There’s still a chance to submit your oral abstract to ICPOC 21: 21st IUPAC International Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry organised by the Organic Division of the RSC on behalf of IUPAC, to be held 9 – 13 September 2012 at Durham University.

The Scientific Committee is currently reviewing all submissions, and has agreed to accept contributions up to Friday 13 April to allow for the Easter holiday break.

Why join ICPOC 21?

Professor Hiromitsu Maeda, Ritsumeikan University, Japan has won the 2012 ChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship and will deliver his lecture at ICPOC 21.

This annual award recognises an emerging scientist in the early stages of their independent academic career. Professor Maeda’s has been particularly commended for his contributions to the fields of organic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry and materials science.

In addition to the outstanding plenary sessions, there will be three parallel sessions over the five days comprising invited lectures and contributed talks, as well as poster sessions.

A broad range of scientists from across the whole community who share a quantitative perspective on chemistry will be there, providing an opportunity to discuss and celebrate the current status, development, and the future of physical organic chemistry.

Make sure you are one of them! Don’t miss the oral abstract submission deadline – 13 April.

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Announcing the ChemComm Emerging Investigators issue 2013

2012 Emerging Investigators issue coverFollowing the amazing successes of the 2011 and 2012 ChemComm Emerging Investigators issues, we are delighted to announce the forthcoming 2013 Emerging Investigators issue. All interested parties should contact the ChemComm Editorial Office in the first instance.

This issue is dedicated to profiling the very best research from scientists in the early stages of their independent careers from across the chemical sciences. We hope to feature principal investigators whose work has the potential to influence future directions in science or result in new and exciting developments.

Also of interest:
ChemComm Emerging Investigators Issue 2012

ChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship 2012: The winner is….

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