Chemical Society Reviews Blog

Nominate a colleague before 15 December – Deadline approaching for Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Lectureship 2014

09 Dec 2013

This week is your last chance to nominate a colleague for the Chem Soc Rev 2014 Emerging Investigator Lectureship.

Nominate by 15th December 2013

This annual lectureship is given to recognise an emerging scientist who has made a significant contribution to their research field.

Qualifying details

To be eligible for the Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Lectureship, the candidate should have completed their PhD on or after 15^th September 2005.

Award details

The recipient of the lectureship will be asked to present a lecture at an international meeting. The Chem Soc Rev Editorial Office will provide the sum of £1000 to the recipient for travel and accommodation costs. The recipient will be presented with a certificate and will also be asked to contribute a review to the journal.

Nominations

Those wishing to make a nomination should send details of the nominee, including a brief CV together with a letter supporting the nomination, to the Chem Soc Rev Editorial Office by 15^th December 2013.

Please note that self nomination is not permissible.

Following the close of nominations, nominees will be contacted and asked to summarise their key achievements and identify up to 5 of their top independent publications. They will also be asked to highlight the impact of their work and discuss how their research has evolved from their previous supervisor’s.

Selection

The recipient of the lectureship will be selected and endorsed by the Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board.

Previous winners include:

	2013 – Xile Hu from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland
	2012 – Xiaogang Liu from the National University of Singapore and Institute of Materials Research Engineering, A*STAR
	2011 – Cristina Nevado from the University of Zurich in Switzerland
	2010 – Shu-Hong Yu from the University of Science and Technology of China, in Hefei
	2009 – Matt Gaunt from the University of Cambridge in the UK
	2008 – Kazuya Kikuchi from Osaka University in Japan

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Mario Pagliaro joins Chem Soc Rev Advisory Board

05 Dec 2013

By Jeanne Therese Andres.

We warmly welcome Dr Mario Pagliaro (National Research Council (CNR), Italy) as a new member of the Chem Soc Rev Advisory Board.

Mario is a chemistry, solar energy and management scholar who leads a research group whose work focusses on the overlap of organic chemistry and materials science, for which he has been frequently cited. He is the co-founder of Sicily’s Photovoltaics Research Pole. His research interests are in the broad area of nanochemistry, and span from sol-gel materials to biomass valorization and solar energy. He has also had a long-term interest in sustainability and management topics.

His research group works in close partnership with researchers based in 11 countries at the development of new functional materials and chemical processes for a multiplicity of applications, ranging from synthetic organic chemistry to foul release coatings through solar energy and photocatalysis. Their studies have a strong theoretical input and are aimed at producing devices as well as new chemical processes based on the understanding of the relations between structure and activity of materials and reactants involved.

Read more about Mario’s research in his latest Chem Soc Rev article:

Sol–gel microencapsulation of odorants and flavors: opening the route to sustainable fragrances and aromas
Rosaria Ciriminna and Mario Pagliaro
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 9243-9250
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60286A, Tutorial Review

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Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Lectureship 2014 – nominations open

13 Nov 2013

By Jeanne Therese Andres.

Nomination deadline: 15th December 2013 – Nominate now!

Chem Soc Rev is pleased to invite nominations for the 2014 Emerging Investigator Lectureship. This annual lectureship is given to recognise an emerging scientist who has made a significant contribution to their research field.

Previous winners include:

	2013 – Xile Hu from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland
	2012 – Xiaogang Liu from the National University of Singapore and Institute of Materials Research Engineering, A*STAR
	2011 – Cristina Nevado from the University of Zurich in Switzerland
	2010 – Shu-Hong Yu from the University of Science and Technology of China, in Hefei
	2009 – Matt Gaunt from the University of Cambridge in the UK
	2008 – Kazuya Kikuchi from Osaka University in Japan

Qualifying details

To be eligible for the Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Lectureship, the candidate should have completed their PhD on or after 15^th September 2005.

Award details

Nominations

Please note that self nomination is not permissible.

Selection

The recipient of the lectureship will be selected and endorsed by the Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board.

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Top 10 most accessed Chem Soc Review articles July-September 2013

04 Nov 2013

By Judy Allen, Publishing Assistant.

The 10 most accessed Chem Soc Rev articles between July and September 2013 were as follows:

The chemistry of graphene oxide
Daniel R. Dreyer, Sungjin Park, Christopher W. Bielawski and Rodney S. Ruoff
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2010,39, 228-240
DOI: 10.1039/b917103g

Heterogeneous photocatalyst materials for water splitting
Akihiko Kudo and Yugo Miseki
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2009,38, 253-278
DOI: 10.1039/b800489g

Nanostructured sulfur cathodes
Yuan Yang, Guangyuan Zheng and Yi Cui
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013,42, 3018-3032
DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35256g

Graphene-based composites
Xiao Huang, Xiaoying Qi, Freddy Boey and Hua Zhang
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2012,41, 666-686
DOI: 10.1039/c1cs15078b

A review of electrode materials for electrochemical supercapacitors
Guoping Wang, Lei Zhang and Jiujun Zhang
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2012,41, 797-828
DOI: 10.1039/c1cs15060j

Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip platforms: requirements, characteristics and applications
Daniel Mark, Stefan Haeberle, Günter Roth, Felix von Stetten and Roland Zengerle
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2010,39, 1153-1182
DOI: 10.1039/b820557b

Metal–organic framework materials as catalysts
JeongYong Lee, Omar K. Farha, John Roberts, Karl A. Scheidt, SonBinh T. Nguyen and Joseph T. Hupp
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2009,38, 1450-1459
DOI: 10.1039/b807080f

Nanochemistry and nanomaterials for photovoltaics
Guanying Chen, Jangwon Seo, Chunhui Yang and Paras N. Prasad
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013,42, 8304-8338
DOI: 10.1039/c3cs60054h

Self-healing polymeric materials
Ying Yang and Marek W. Urban
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013,42, 7446-7467
DOI: 10.1039/c3cs60109a

Inorganic nanostructures for photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic water splitting
Frank E. Osterloh
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013,42, 2294-2320
DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35266d

Please take a look at the articles, and then let us know your thoughts and comments below.

Fancy submitting your own work to Chem Soc Rev? Why not submit online today, or alternatively email us with your suggestions.

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Electrons in the wild – Synthetic highways and extreme delocalisation

29 Oct 2013

By Kevin Murnaghan, web writer.

Organic polymers with metal-like properties have been an active area of chemical research for nearly seventy years. In this HOT Chem Soc Rev review, Adam Pron, Piotr Bujak, and colleagues from the Warsaw University of Technology and the Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble give an accessible and detailed account of the current state of the art in delocalised polymeric organic materials, focussing on neutral polymers which function as semiconductors. The application of semiconducting organic materials in devices such as FETs, LEDs, photovoltaic cells, photodiodes and magnetic photoswitches is described.

The synthesis, by Grignard reaction, transition metal or boron catalysed coupling reactions, and basic chemical characterisation of the major classes of organic semiconducting polymer are summarised. This is followed by a detailed review of the chemistry and application of 4 classes of polymer in various electronic devices over the last three years. The classes described are: polymeric semiconductors with n-type and with p-type conductivity, low-band gap semiconductors and also high-spin macromolecules.

Possible packing patterns in poly-3-hexylthiophene polymers

Methods of delivering highly ordered phases of polymers via solution processing are given, along with relevant electrochemical and magnetic information such as electron affinity, ionization potentials and magnetic moments. High-spin materials are of interest in spintronics, due to their potential for lower power consumption and faster information transfer than classical electronic components.

This is a very detailed review that successfully gives a comprehensive picture of the history, synthesis, characterisation, development and current state of the art of neutral semiconducting and high-spin polymers, and their application in modern electronics.

Read this HOT Chem Soc Rev article today!

Polymers for electronics and spintronics

Piotr Bujak, Irena Kulszewicz-Bajer, Malgorzata Zagorska, Vincent Maurel, Ireneusz Wielgusa and Adam Pron

Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article,

DOI: 10.1039/c3cs60257e

Kevin Murnaghan is a guest web-writer for Chemical Society Reviews. He is currently a Research Chemist in the Adhesive Technologies Business Sector of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, based in Düsseldorf, Germany. His research interests focus primarily on enabling chemistries and technologies for next generation adhesives and surface treatments. Any views expressed here are his personal ones and not those of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

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Shunichi Fukuzumi joins Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board

15 Oct 2013

By Jeanne Therese Andres.

We warmly welcome Professor Shunichi Fukuzumi (Osaka University, Japan) as a new member of the Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board.

Shunichi was born in Nagoya, Japan, and received his BSc and PhD degrees from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1973 and 1978, respectively. After a post-doctoral position at Indiana University, he joined the faculty at Osaka University in 1981, where he was promoted to full professor in 1994. In 2013, he was selected as a special distinguished professor at Osaka University, where he served as Director of a Global COE program from 2007 to 2011 and where he is currently the Director of an ALCA (Advanced Low Carbon Technology Research and Development) project of Japan Science Technology Agency (JST).

Work within the Fukuzumi lab at Osaka University focusses on artificial photosynthesis and electron transfer chemistry. Shunichi has published over 900 articles with over 25,000 citations and holds 43 patents. He was the recipient of the 2004 Chemical Society of Japan (CSJ) Award, and was awarded a Medal with Purple Ribbon by the Emperor of Japan in 2011.

Read more about Shunichi’s research in some of his latest articles and a recent ChemComm interview:

Interview with Shunichi Fukuzumi
Chem. Commun., 2013,49, 7374-7375
DOI: 10.1039/C3CC90185H, Profile
From themed collection ChemComm Interviews

Tetrathiafulvalene-annulated [28]hexaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.1): a multi-electron donor system subject to conformational control
Atanu Jana, Masatoshi Ishida, Kevin Cho, Sudip Kumar Ghosh, Kyuju Kwak, Kei Ohkubo, Young Mo Sung, Christina M. Davis, Vincent M. Lynch, Dongil Lee, Shunichi Fukuzumi, Dongho Kim and Jonathan L. Sessler
Chem. Commun., 2013,49, 8937-8939
DOI: 10.1039/C3CC44934C, Communication
From themed collection J400: Celebrating the 400th year of Japan-UK relations

A mononuclear nonheme iron(III)–peroxo complex binding redox-inactive metal ions
Yong-Min Lee, Suhee Bang, Yun Mi Kim, Jaeheung Cho, Seungwoo Hong, Takashi Nomura, Takashi Ogura, Oliver Troeppner, Ivana Ivanović-Burmazović, Ritimukta Sarangi, Shunichi Fukuzumi and Wonwoo Nam
Chem. Sci., 2013,4, 3917-3923
DOI: 10.1039/C3SC51864G, Edge Article

Ionic conductivity of [Li⁺@C₆₀](PF₆⁻) in organic solvents and its electrochemical reduction to Li⁺@C₆₀˙⁻
Hiroshi Ueno, Ken Kokubo, Yuji Nakamura, Kei Ohkubo, Naohiko Ikuma, Hiroshi Moriyama, Shunichi Fukuzumi and Takumi Oshima
Chem. Commun., 2013,49, 7376-7378
DOI: 10.1039/C3CC43901A, Communication
Open Access

Submillisecond-lived photoinduced charge separation in inclusion complexes composed of Li⁺@C₆₀ and cyclic porphyrin dimers
Takuya Kamimura, Kei Ohkubo, Yuki Kawashima, Hirofumi Nobukuni, Yoshinori Naruta, Fumito Tani and Shunichi Fukuzumi
Chem. Sci., 2013,4, 1451-1461
DOI: 10.1039/C3SC22065F, Edge Article
Open Access

Selective photocatalytic reactions with organic photocatalysts
Shunichi Fukuzumi and Kei Ohkubo
Chem. Sci., 2013,4, 561-574
DOI: 10.1039/C2SC21449K, Perspective

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Mid-IR sensing– not middle of the road

08 Oct 2013

By Sarah Brown.

You wouldn’t think it, but mid-infrared (IR) optical sensing technologies and I have a lot in common. I know. Unlikely as it seems that I – a small, Scottish, Beyoncé-wannabe – can overlap with a spectral regime known for its ability to directly characterise the structure of molecular species with finger print specificity, it is true. We are both children of the 80s and we are both suffering from ‘middle (child) syndrome’. As such, our potential often goes unnoticed and we are often overlooked by our bookends (visible and near IR in mid IR’s case; the 25-year-old ‘baby’ of the family and the first-born in my case). In this recent Chem Soc Rev article, Boris Mizaikoff at the University of Ulm in Germany champions the case for mid-IR sensors.

Miziakoff discusses how and why the field of mid-IR sensing has matured more slowly than visible and near IR technologies, as it requires a variety of optical components and materials compatible with its spectral range, ultimately making it more costly than near IR. However, mid-IR offers unrivalled advantages in the level of molecular specificity, and discrimination and quantification of the components of complex mixtures.

GA?id=C3CS60173K

Leading us through the developments in mid-IR sensing devices, Mizaikoff demonstrates that widespread use of these technologies is not only possible, but could enhance many emerging scientific concepts, together with practical applications such as security and surveillance, the monitoring of water quality, as well as use in the medical field.

As Mizaikoff writes, the future is promising for this sensing concept with its potential impact on the fields of environmental analysis and bioanalytics.

Read this HOT Chem Soc Rev article now in full:

Waveguide-enhanced mid-infrared chem/bio sensors
Boris Mizaikoff
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60173K, Review Article

Sarah Brown is a guest web-writer for Chem Soc Rev. Sarah hung up her lab coat after finishing her PhD and post-doctorate in nanotechnology for diagnostics and therapeutics, and now works in scientific publishing. When not trying to explain science through ridiculous analogies, you can often find her crocheting, baking or climbing, but not all at once. All views are her own.

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Optoelectronic noses – visualising the smelly

04 Oct 2013

By Iain Larmour, web science writer.

Some people complain that modern life is too focussed on looks; while this may be true we can not ignore the fact that we are visual creatures. However, we have four other senses (sound, touch, smell and taste) which we can exploit. This Chem Soc Rev review by Kenneth Suslick and colleagues from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Tehran University of Medical Sciences investigates how the sense of smell has led to developments in optical sensor arrays.

When you smell freshly mown grass, you are not identifying every chemical species, rather the smell originates from recognition of the pattern of responses of several hundred receptors. This response is what you ultimately recognise as freshly mown grass. Rather than using olfactory receptors, it is possible to use chemoresponsive colorants to generate unique optical fingerprints of any odorant or mixture of odorants. Such an approach combines the benefits of the olfactory sensing system with our preference for a visual display.

This very readable review introduces the concept and advances in the use of cross-reactive sensor arrays which allow molecular recognition via recording of unique patterns of response. Such arrays can probe a variety of chemical properties, such as: hydrophilicity, solubility, redox, hydrogen bonding, Lewis donor-acceptor and proton acidity and basicity. The variety of chemical properties that can be probed allows impressive discrimination between similar analytes.

The optoelectronic nose response to a range of volatile organic compounds.

Cross-reactive sensor array patterns can be very complex in nature. This complexity requires the use of more sophisticated statistical analysis than most chemists are comfortable with. However, an overview of the three most common statistical approaches is provided which is both informative and readily digestible by the non-expert.

Having reviewed the fundamentals of the optoelectronic nose the authors turn their attention to a myriad of applications, from the detection of toxic industrial chemicals and explosives to foods and beverages. The final section highlights how the primary limitation of sensor arrays is also their primary strength– but you will have to read the review to find out what that is!

I would strongly recommend this review on the statistical analysis section alone but I can confidently say that there will be something here for everyone.

Read this HOT Chem Soc Rev Review in full now:
Optical sensor arrays for chemical sensing: the optoelectronic nose
Jon Askim, Morteza Mahmoudi and Kenneth Suslick
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60179J

Iain Larmour is a guest web writer for Chem Soc Rev. He has researched a wide variety of topics during his years in the lab including nanostructured surfaces for water repellency and developing nanoparticle systems for bioanalysis by surface enhanced optical spectroscopies. He currently works in science management with a focus on responses to climate change. In his spare time he enjoys reading, photography, art and inventing.

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The Natural Flow

01 Oct 2013

By Alice E. Williamson.

Friedrich Wöhler’s early syntheses of oxalic acid and urea heralded the age of synthetic organic chemistry. These reactions demonstrated the potential for man to generate compounds that had previously only been obtained from the extraction of biological substances. Remarkably, despite huge advances in chemical synthesis, almost all natural products synthesised to date have relied upon similar apparatus and techniques to those used by Wöhler in the 1820s. Steve Ley and his group are among the pioneers of the use of flow chemistry in synthesis, and have demonstrated the use of machines in place of the antiquated round-bottomed flasks still used in chemistry labs the world over.

GA?id=C3CS60246J The number of sequential operations required in traditional approaches to making molecules can make synthesis time-consuming. In particular, downstream processes such as purification of the desired compound from waste products can take much longer than the actual reaction. Importantly, flow chemistry can also offer significant improvements to work health and safety as hazardous chemicals can be manipulated in a closed system and therefore, risks associated with exposure are reduced.

In flow chemistry (at its most basic), a reaction is performed in a continuous flowing stream where substrates and reagents are combined inside inert tubing and pumped around a coil of tubing before being quenched or treated with the chemical required for the next stage of the transformation.

Ley and coworkers have recently published a review that presents some highlights from the use of flow chemistry in natural product synthesis. One of the notable examples featured in this review is the continuous flow, semi-synthesis of artemisinin by Seeberger and Lévesque. Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene that represents the frontline treatment for plasmodium falciparum malaria when used in combination with other therapeutics. The supply of artemisinin from natural sources is problematic as is the scalability of existing synthetic approaches.

Dihydroartemisinic acid 2, (derived from artemesinic acid 1) represents the starting point for this flow synthesis and first undergoes photooxidation to yield hydroperoxide 3. Subsequent treatment of 3 with strong acid, followed by oxidation provided hydroperoxide 5, which underwent a spontaneous cycloaddition sequence, leading to the generation of artemisinin 6.

The use of a continuous flow reactor particularly enhanced the challenging photochemical transformations associated with the synthesis. Issues such as low mass transfer of oxygen gas into solution and low penetration of light were resolved by coiling the reaction tubing around a lamp to enabled effective generation of the singlet-oxygen required for the reaction. Additionally, improved mixing and temperature control could also be achieved. Crucially, this synthesis provides a low cost method to meet the escalating demand for artemisinin at affordable prices for patients in the developing world.

The elegant syntheses described in this review span a range of natural product classes and highlight the advantages that mechanisation of chemical processes can offer. As chemists seek to address medicinal and environmental challenges, perhaps greater emphasis should be placed on rational design rather than labour-intensive and repetitive tasks. The effective implementation of flow systems and technology could revolutionise the chemical sciences, and this review provides some exciting food for thought.

For more, read this HOT Chem Soc Rev article in full:

Flow chemistry syntheses of natural products
Julio C. Pastre, Duncan L. Browne and Steven V. Ley
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60246J

Alice Williamson is a guest web-writer for Chem Soc Rev. She is currently a postdoc for the OSDDMalaria Project in Dr. Matthew H Todd’s group at the University of Sydney.

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HOT Chem Soc Rev articles for June-August 2013

23 Sep 2013

By Bethany Johnson.

Here are our referee-recommended HOT Chem Soc Rev articles for June-August 2013– download them for FREE for a limited time!

Photonic crystal fibres for chemical sensing and photochemistry
Ana M. Cubillas, Sarah Unterkofler, Tijmen G. Euser, Bastian J. M. Etzold, Anita C. Jones, Peter J. Sadler, Peter Wasserscheid and Philip St.J. Russell
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60128E, Review Article
Part of our upcoming themed issue: Chemical and biological detection

Free to access until 20th October 2013

Magnetic nanoparticles as contrast agents in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer
Juan Gallo, Nicholas J. Long and Eric O. Aboagye
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013,42, 7816-7833
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60149H, Review Article

Free to access until 20th October 2013

Salt melt synthesis of ceramics, semiconductors and carbon nanostructures
Xiaofeng Liu, Nina Fechler and Markus Antonietti
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60159E, Review Article

Free to access until 20th October 2013

Be squared: expanding the horizon of squaric acid-mediated conjugations
Frederik R. Wurm and Harm-Anton Klok
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60153F, Review Article

Free to access until 20th October 2013

Chemistry and formulations for siRNA therapeutics
Andrzej Gallas, Cameron Alexander, Martyn C. Davies, Sanyogitta Puri and Stephanie Allen
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS35520A, Tutorial Review

Free to access until 20th October 2013

Breaking the concentration limit of optical single-molecule detection
Phil Holzmeister, Guillermo P. Acuna, Dina Grohmann and Philip Tinnefeld
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60207A, Tutorial Review
Part of our upcoming themed issue: Single-molecule optical spectroscopy

Free to access until 20th October 2013

THAT’S NOT ALL! Click here for more free HOT Chem Soc Rev articles for June-August!

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Chemical Society Reviews Blog

Nominate a colleague before 15 December – Deadline approaching for Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Lectureship 2014

Mario Pagliaro joins Chem Soc Rev Advisory Board

Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Lectureship 2014 – nominations open

Electrons in the wild – Synthetic highways and extreme delocalisation

Shunichi Fukuzumi joins Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board

Mid-IR sensing– not middle of the road

Optoelectronic noses – visualising the smelly

The Natural Flow

HOT Chem Soc Rev articles for June-August 2013

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