Chemical Society Reviews Blog

Chem Soc Rev in a nutshell

15 Nov 2011

In anticipation of Chem Soc Rev moving to 24 issues per year, we will be posting 24 facts about the journal – some well known, some not so well known, and some a little peculiar. Keep up-to-date with the blog page as we approach 2012, to ensure you don’t miss out on any Chem Soc Rev trivia!

And starting with Fact Number One…

Chem Soc Rev started life under two different names. In 1972, Quarterly Reviews, Chemical Society and Royal Institute of Chemistry, Reviews joined to become Chemical Society Reviews. To browse all of our review articles dating back to 1947, visit the journal archive.

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Small but mighty – silver nanodots in bioapplications

14 Nov 2011

By Fiona McKenzie, Executive Editor.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of research effort in developing optical probes for biological applications. It seems that the conventional organic fluorophore is under threat from highly luminescent, nano-sized metallic rivals.

The wide range of organic fluorophores and the ease at which they can be conjugated to biomolecules still makes these a first choice in standard labelling procedures; however, their drawbacks, in particular their propensity to photobleaching, can be frustrating when conducting lengthy imaging experiments.

Many researchers are now looking to nanodots (well defined, encapsulated clusters that are free in solution) for the answer. In their Critical Review, Junhua Yu and co-workers focus on the imaging and sensing applications of silver nanodots and the advantages they have to offer over other materials. Like quantum dots, nanodots exhibit remarkable optical properties but also provide additional benefits such as being smaller in size and presenting fewer toxicological concerns.

Although their exceptionally small size is a plus, this also means that nanodots suffer from oxidation and have a tendency to aggregate, which needs to be overcome by encapsulating the nanodots within a protective layer. Yu and colleagues discuss the different strategies that are employed to this effect, namely solid matrices, synthetic polymers, small molecule ligands, peptides and single-stranded DNA. With a helping hand from these surface passivators, silver nanodots can be used as imaging agents and to detect metal ions, cysteine, and specific DNA sequences.

To read more about the recent progress in this field, download Junhua Yu’s review today.

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A focus on biological mass spectrometry

25 Oct 2011

By Joanne Thomson.

Mass spectrometry can provide valuable insight into the structure, function, kinetics and dynamics of biomolecules, as demonstrated in this selection of recent reviews published in Chem Soc Rev.

Enjoy!

Ion mobility mass spectrometry of proteins and protein assemblies
Charlotte Uetrecht, Rebecca J. Rose, Esther van Duijn, Kristina Lorenzen and Albert J. R. Heck
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2010, 39, 1633–1655

Nanoparticle-based mass spectrometry for the analysis of biomolecules
Cheng-Kang Chiang, Wen-Tsen Chen and Huan-Tsung Chang
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2011, 40, 1269–1281

Hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry for studying protein structure and dynamics
Lars Konermann, Jingxi Pan and Yu-Hong Liu
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2011, 40, 1224–1234

Capturing protein structural kinetics by mass spectrometry
Gili Ben-Nissan and Michal Sharon
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2011, 40, 3627–3637

Systems level studies of mammalian metabolomes: the roles of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Warwick B. Dunn, David I. Broadhurst, Helen J. Atherton, Royston Goodacre and Julian L. Griffin
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2011, 40, 387–426

Did you know…..?
Hubert Girault is the Associate Editor for Analytical Science for Chem Soc Rev’s sister journal, Chemical Science. He is welcoming the most exceptional analytical research articles. Visit the Chemical Science website for more information or submit your best work today.

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Honouring the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

29 Sep 2011

By Joanne Thomson.

Graphical abstract: Front cover In its latest issue, Chem Soc Rev is honouring the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winners: Professors Richard F. Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki.

The issue, guest edited by Professor Matthias Beller (Rostock University, Germany), includes 18 reviews highlighting recent key developments in cross-coupling reactions in organic synthesis. Authors include Stephen Buchwald, Lukas Goossen and Steven Nolan.

Read the issue >

Also of interest: OBC Perspective: Tandem reactions initiated by copper-catalyzed cross-coupling: A new strategy towards heterocycle synthesis

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Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Award 2012 – nominations open

16 Sep 2011

By Fiona McKenzie, Executive Editor.

Chem Soc Rev is pleased to invite nominations for the 2012 Emerging Investigator Award. This annual award is given to recognise an emerging scientist who has made a significant contribution to their research field.

Previous winners include:

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 Award, the candidate should have completed their PhD on or after 15^th September 2003.

Award details

The recipient of the award 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 award recipient will be presented with a certificate and will also be asked to contribute a review to the journal.

Selection

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

Nominations

Those wishing to make a nomination should send details of the nominee, including a brief C.V. together with a letter supporting the nomination, to the Chem Soc Rev Editorial Office by 15^th December 2011. 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 their top 5 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.

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Synthetic gene networks

15 Sep 2011

By Fiona McKenzie, Executive Editor.

The term ‘synthetic biology’ is used to describe the combination of engineering and biology. By rationally designing systems using biological building blocks, we can gain a better understanding of existing biological life, enabling new therapeutic solutions to be found.

Professor Wilfried Weber and colleagues from the University of Freiburg discuss in their Chem Soc Rev article recent synthetic biology technologies that have been developed for the treatment of disease, such as cancer and gouty arthritis, and also for creating functional materials.

Synthetic biological systems can be thought of as molecular circuits in which an external signal is received and processed, providing an output response. Many of the systems Weber describes involve ways to control the expression of certain genes. In one such example, protein molecules bind to a specific DNA sequence and interrupt the action of the RNA polymerase enzyme, stopping the gene from being expressed. By introducing a small ligand molecule that can bind to the protein, the protein changes its shape and no longer binds to the DNA, providing an on/off switch.

Upon binding of tetracycline, the regulator protein is released from the DNA sequence allowing transcription of the gene.

Weber also summarises how DNA, RNA and protein building blocks can be used to produce stimulus-responsive hydrogels which can also be applied for therapeutic use.

To find out more, download the Chem Soc Rev review article.

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Rapid determination of enantiomeric excess

06 Sep 2011

By Joanne Thomson.

Synthesising compounds asymmetrically has obvious advantages – scientists don’t have to go through the laborious and wasteful process of separating then discarding the ‘wrong’ enantiomer. Huge libraries of compounds can be tested for their ability to catalyse a reaction of interest but determining the enantiomeric excess (ee) of the products is a bottleneck in the process.

So researchers have been developing high-throughput ee screening methods that can analyse samples as quickly as they are generated, ideally at a rate of a thousand or more per day.

Eric Anslyn and colleagues explore this topic in their Chem Soc Rev critical review, specifically focusing on optical methods. Download the review to find out about the advantages and drawbacks of a variety of techniques.

Also of interest:
Discrimination of flavonoids and red wine varietals by arrays of differential peptidic sensors
Alona P. Umali, Sarah E. LeBoeuf, Robert W. Newberry, Siwon Kim, Lee Tran, Whitney A. Rome, Tian Tian, David Taing, Jane Hong, Melissa Kwan, Hildegarde Heymann and Eric V. Anslyn, Chem. Sci., 2011, 2, 439-445

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Chemical Society Reviews Blog

Chem Soc Rev in a nutshell

Small but mighty – silver nanodots in bioapplications

A focus on biological mass spectrometry

Honouring the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Award 2012 – nominations open

Synthetic gene networks

Rapid determination of enantiomeric excess

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