Wednesday, as a half day, had a lighter schedule of “only” 10 talks. Some highlights included the following presentations.
- Enzo Alessio (University of Trieste), in his plenary lecture, reviewed his group’s work on porphyrins in supramolecular chemistry (a variety of geometries can be obtained, including some very large constructs) and in medicinal chemistry (ruthenium anticancer complexes).
- Multimetallic systems were a recurring theme this morning, as Marius Andruh (University of Bucarest), James Wilton-Ely (Imperial College London) and Enrique Colacio (University of Granada) all presented their results in this area.
- In a good complement to a previous day’s lecture, Joan Aguiló Carreras (Autonomous University of Barcelona) addressed the production of hydrogen as the energy of the future, using Ru catalysts (electropolymerized or covalently anchored for the water splitting reaction).
After the morning’s session, a delicious buffet lunch awaited the delegates. And wait we did, if we were slow to get in line…providing a good occasion for further discussions with fellow delegates.
The 2nd poster session followed lunch—with the poster prizes in play—check back here soon to find out who the winners are!
In the afternoon came the eagerly awaited visit to the Alhambra. Busloads of chemists invaded the grounds, surely looking for inspiration in the intricate structures to be found everywhere one looked!
- The Nasrid Palace itself was not as impressive as in my memories of my previous visit 35 years ago, in 1976. Perhaps because back then we were free to wander around more of the palace (or so I recall) and the famous Court of the Lions had its 12-lion fountain in place. (It is currently being restored and so we can only hope to see it in place once again in the near future.)
- For me, the highlight of the Alhambra complex is its gardens—vast formal ones and small intimate ones—with water and fountains filling the air with their music. These gardens are a real oasis in the desert and a treat for the senses.
Don’t forget to visit us soon for the last day’s update and close of the 5th EuCheMS Conference on Nitrogen Ligands!
