Author Archive

Some current hot NJC papers!

The following articles are free for you to read for a limited time only!

Synthesis of a functionalized europium complex and deposition of luminescent Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films by Renata D. Adati, Felippe J. Pavinatto, Jorge H. S. K. Monteiro, Marian R. Davolos, Miguel Jafelicci and Osvaldo N. Oliveira, New J. Chem., 2012, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C2NJ40199AThis paper will be a cover of NJC‘s October 2012 issue.
An amorphous array of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) brush-coated silica particles for thermally tunable angle-independent photonic band gap materials by Yoshie Gotoh, Hiromasa Suzuki, Naomi Kumano, Takahiro Seki, Kiyofumi Katagiri and Yukikazu Takeoka, New J. Chem., 2012, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C2NJ40368DThis work will be featured as a cover of the November 2012 issue.
Impact of maltose modified poly(propylene imine) dendrimers on liver alcohol dehydrogenase (LADH) internal dynamics and structure by Michal Ciolkowski, Inessa Halets, Dzmitry Shcharbin, Dietmar Appelhans, Brigitte Voit, Barbara Klajnert and Maria Bryszewska, New J. Chem., 2012, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C2NJ40406K
Highly efficient polymer solar cells based on poly(carbazole-alt-thiophene-benzofurazan) by Bin Zhang, Xiaowen Hu, Minquan Wang, Huiping Xiao, Xiong Gong, Wei Yang and Yong Cao, New J. Chem., 2012, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C2NJ40309A
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Summer continues with 6 NJC partner conferences!

Following a busy July, NJC will continue to be visible on the conference scene this month and next. Below are the 6 meetings that NJC is sponsoring.

XXVth European Colloquium on Heterocyclic Chemistry logo Next week Assistant Editor Laurent Vial will represent NJC at the XXVth European Colloquium on Heterocyclic Chemistry (ECHC25) chaired by Prof. Laurence M Harwood. The conference takes place on the beautiful campus of Reading University (UK) from August 13–17.
53ème Groupe d'Etudes de Chimie Organique logo The Groupe d’Etudes de Chimie Organique (GECO) will meet for the 53rd time in Sévrier on the banks of Annecy Lake in France the last week of August (26th to 31st). Twelve renowned organic chemists from around the world have been invited to animate this in-residence week of seminars.
3rd Biological Applications of Dendrimers logo In September Managing Editor Denise Parent will be in Spain for two back-to-back conferences.
First up, the 3rd International Symposium on Biological Application of Dendrimers organized by Dr. Mª Angeles Muñoz-Fernández. The Biodendrimer symposium will be held in Toledo (Spain) September 5–7 and two NJC Poster Prizes will be awarded at the end of the meeting.
40th Int'l Conference Coordination Chemistry logo Then Denise will be off to Valencia (Spain) for the 40th International Conference on Coordination Chemistry (ICCC40) co-organized by Eugenio Coronado and Santiago Alvarez. Coordination chemists from around the world will take over the Conference Center from September 9–13. NJC is sponsoring the Metals in Medicine (D1) microsymposium taking place on Monday the 10th. The June 2011 themed issue on molecular materials will be available for delegates to take home. You can browse the contents list here.
2012 Suprachemistry logo At the same time, Laurent will be attending the 6th International Symposium “Supramolecular Systems in Chemistry and Biology”, taking place in Strasbourg September 5–8. This series of biennial symposia involves research groups from France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine. Two NJC Poster Prizes will be awarded at the end of the meeting.
Journées André Collet de la Chiralité logo The month will end with the 2nd edition of the Journées André Collet de la Chiralité (JACC). This conference, covering all aspects of chirality, will take place at the Manoir de la Vicomté in Dinard, on the Brittany beach in France, from September 30th to October 4th. NJC is sponsoring a Poster Prize at this conference as well.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you will be attending one of these conferences. We’d be delighted to meet you!

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Read the August issue of NJC

Welcome to the August 2012 NJC issue!

The outside front cover was created by Dr Frederic Goettmann and co-workers on organic reactivity of alcohols in superheated aqueous salt solutions.

Organic reactivity of alcohols in superheated aqueous salt solutions: An overview”

by Dr Frederic Goettmann et al.

On the inside front cover, Anna Dolega and colleagues illustrate their research on imidazolium silanethiolates relevant to the active site of cysteine proteases with cooperative effect in a chain of NH+—S hydrogen bonds.

“Imidazolium silanethiolates relevant to the active site of cysteine proteases. Cooperative effect in a chain of NH+—S hydrogen bonds”

by Dr Anna Dolega et al.

You can access and read the whole issue 8 of NJC here. Leave us a comment and let us know what you think!

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Meet Our Authors — July 2012

Here is a selection of young author profiles from the 2012 July issue of NJC. We thank them most warmly for accepting our invitation and having kindly taken their time to answer a few questions for us.

Chemist at University of Western AustraliaOur first author is Dr K. Swaminathan Iyer, who is currently an ARC Australian Research Fellow at the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the University of Western Australia. He is interested in nanobiotechnology and his contribution to this issue reports a method to develop a nanoscale drug-delivery agent using a block copolymer, with insight into how the drug-delivery vehicle can be monitored via two different imaging techniques, namely MRI and fluorescence imaging. “The most exciting moment in my research is to see a concept germinating into an experimentally verified reality” says Swaminathan. When asked for what the coolest thing about science is, he answered “A never ending opportunity to learn.” After work, cooking is a favoured leisure activity for Swaminathan.

“Multimodal and Multifunctional Stealth Block Copolymer Nanospheres for Sustained Drug Delivery” Cameron W. Evans,  Melissa J. Latter,  Diwei Ho,  Saquib Ahmed M. A. Peerzade,  Tristan D. Clemons,  Melinda Fitzgerald,  Sarah A. Dunlop and K. Swaminathan Iyer, New J. Chem, 2012 , 36, 1457–1462. DOI: 10.1039/C2NJ40016B.

Chemist at East China University of Science and Technology
Dr Lin Xu is a young lecturer in the Chemistry Department at East China Normal University. His research focuses on the field of fluorescent probes and sensors as well as small molecular inhibitors. As a first co-author, he contributed a paper in this issue on a new rhodamine-based fluorescent probe for Hg2+. The relevant ensemble can serve as a fluorescent probe for iodide and bromide by metal ion removal and anion ligand exchange, presenting a novel fluorescence sensing mechanism. “Teaching is a holy career. My passion motivates myself to be a good supervisor and a qualified researcher”. Besides teaching and research, he enjoys playing Ping-Pong, a national sport in China. For Dr. Xu, the coolest thing about science is that there is no end to science.

“Fluorescence sensing of iodide and bromide in aqueous solution: anion ligand exchanging and metal ion removing” L. Xu,  Y. Xu,  W. Zhu,  Z. Xu,  M. Chen and X. Qian, New J. Chem., 2012, 36, 1435–1438. DOI: 10.1039/C2NJ40102A.

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Busy conference season for NJC Editors begins

The summer conference season is about to get into full swing, with NJC editors attending 4 conferences this July. (Next month I’ll write about the conferences coming up later in the summer.)

Logo for 2012 Molecular Materials Conference in Barcelona Assistant Editor Yannick Guari will represent NJC at the Vth International Conference on Molecular Materials (MolMat), chaired by Dr Guillem Aromí in Barcelona, Spain from July 3–6. NJC will have a stand, where delegates can pick up copies of the June 2011 themed issue on molecular materials. You can browse the contents list here
Logo of the 2012 International Symposium on Homogeneous Catalysis in Toulouse Yannick will then be going on to Toulouse, France for the 18th International Symposium of Homogeneous Catalysis, which will take place July 9–13 with chairs Professors Rinaldo Poli and Philippe Kalck. Contact Yannick if you wish to meet him there, as he’ll only be there for a day or so. 
Logo of the 2012 International Conference on Phosphorus Chemistry in Rotterdam As for Assistant Editor Laurent Vial, he’ll be attending the 19th International Conference on Phosphorus Chemistry, being organized by Prof. Koop Lammertsma in Rotterdam, The Netherlands from July 8–12. 
 

Logo of the 2012 IUPAC Photochemistry Symposium in Coimbra

 

Managing Editor Denise Parent will be in Coimbra, Portugal for the XXIV IUPAC Symposium on Photochemistry from July 15-20, which is organized under the direction of Professor Hugh Burrows.

NJC is a sponsor of the first three conferences in the list; please don’t hesitate to contact any of us if you will be attending any these conferences. We’d be delighted to meet you!

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NJC’s Most Cited Papers from 2011

Hurry! These articles are free to access until 5th June 2012…

“Preparation of graphene-TiO2 composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity”
K. Zhou, Y.  Zhu, X. Yang, X. Jiang and C. Li
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(2), 353–359. DOI: 10.1039/c0nj00623h — 30 cites

“Development of luminescent iridium(III) polypyridine complexes as chemical and biological probes”
K. K.-W. Lo, S. P.-Y. Li and K. Y. Zhang
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(2), 265-287. DOI: 10.1039/c0nj00478bPerspective review — 21 cites

“Facile synthesis of an ultramicroporous MOF tubular membrane with selectivity towards CO2
S. Aguado, C.-H. Nicolas, V. Moizan-Basle, C. Nieto, H. Amrouche, N. Bats, N. Audebrand and D. Farrusseng
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(1), 41-44. DOI: 10.1039/c0nj00667j — 16 cites

“Multifunctional ligands in transition metal catalysis”
R.H. Crabtree
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(1), 18-23. DOI: 10.1039/c0nj00776eFocus review — 12 cites

“Fabrication of free-standing graphene/polyaniline nanofibers composite paper via electrostatic adsorption for electrochemical supercapacitors”
S. Liu, X. Liu, Z. Li, S. Yang and J. Wang
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(2), 369-374. DOI: 10.1039/c0nj00718h — 10 cites

“Guest-induced gate-opening of a zeolite imidazolate framework”
S. Aguado, G. Bergeret, M. P. Titus, V. Moizan, C. Nieto-Draghi, N. Bats and D. Farrusseng
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(3), 546-550. DOI: 10.1039/c0nj00836b — 9 Cites

“Application of ferrocene and its derivatives in cancer research”
C. Ornelas
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(10), 1973-1985. DOI: 10.1039/c1nj20172gPerspective review — 8 cites

“Synthesis, characterisation and ethylene oligomerization behaviour of N-(2-substituted-5,6,7-trihydroquinolin-8-ylidene)arylaminonickel dichlorides”
J. Yu, X. Hu, Y. Zeng, L. Zhang, C. Ni, X. Hao and W.-H. Sun
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(1), 178-183. DOI: 10.1039/c0nj00516a — 8 cites

“Rare earths: jewels for functional materials of the future”
S. V. Eliseeva and J.-C. G. Bünzli
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(6), 1165-1176. DOI: 10.1039/c0nj00969ePerspective review — 7 cites

“Tapping the near-infrared spectral region with bacteriochlorin arrays”
J. S. Lindsey, O. Mass and C.-Y. Chen
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(3), 511-516. DOI: 10.1039/c0nj00977fFocus review — 7 cites

“A fluorometric/colorimetric dual-channel Hg2+ sensor derived from a 4-amino-7-nitro-benzoxadiazole (ANBD) fluorophore”
Z. Xie, K. Wang, C. Zhang, Z. Yang, Y. Chen, Z. Guo, G.-Y. Lu and W. He
New J. Chem., 2011, 35(3), 607-613. DOI: 10.1039/c0nj00773k — 7 cites


Citation data were taken from Thomson Reuters’ Web of Science® on May 22, 2012.

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NJC in China: 3rd Stop Beijing

After Hong Kong and Shanghai, the last day of the 2012 NJC Symposium: New Directions in Chemistry took place at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Chemistry (ICCAS) in Beijing.

The day began with a repeat of my presentation to the students on preparing and publishing scientific manuscripts. Two attendees were the winners of the drawing for the classic books “Elements of Style” (William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White) and “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” (Lynne Truss) offered by NJC.

Professor Jiannian Yao (Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and NJC Board member) and ICCAS Vice-Director Zhen-Zhong Yang made the opening remarks on behalf of the Institute, while NJC co-Editor-in-Chief Wais Hosseini presented the journal.

A full day of 10 presentations included ones by Profs Deqing Zhang (Laboratory of Organic Solids, ICCAS), Buxing Han (Thermodynamics and Thermochemistry Laboratory, ICCAS), and Zhongfan Liu (Center for Nanochemistry, Peking University).

Prof. Deqing Zhang presents an overview of the Institute to the NJC team.

The scientific attaché of the French Embassy and the director of the CNRS office in Beijing honored us with their presence. I also had the pleasure of meeting the staff of the RSC office in Beijing, who are housed in the Institute.


Deqing Zhang makes a point to Zhen-Zhong Yang and I during dinner.


While our very busy week officially ended with a lovely Chinese banquet with our hosts, some of us were up bright and early the next morning for an expedition to the Great Wall at Badaling, northwest of Beijing. The outing was organized by the Institute and two of the graduate students accompanied us to facilitate the visit. Many thanks to them!

 

Thus ends our week-long visit to Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China. All in our group enjoyed it immensely and we were greatly impressed by what we heard and saw in the institutions that we visited.  

We thank our hosts and all who participated in one way or another in these three NJC New Directions in Chemistry Symposia. We are very grateful to them for their kindness and hospitality.

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NJC in China: 2nd Stop Shanghai

After 2 days in Hong Kong, 9 of us continued on to Shanghai for the 2nd stop on the NJC China tour

We were thrilled to see our name in lights on the front of the East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) building where the symposium was held. 

 

ECUST President Xu Hong Qian (in the middle of the front row) and his colleagues, Professors Bozhong Mu (at the left in the back row) and Chunyan Bao (at the right end of the front row), made us feel like visiting royalty with their welcome. 

The programming was top-notch, with interesting lectures on a diverse variety of topics by NJC Board members and invited speakers Professors Yi Yang (ECUST), Guoxin Jin (Fudan University) and Dawei Ma (Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry). 

Biological chemistry, chemical methodology & reactivity, organization were the themes of the session. 

Before the symposium opening, I gave a course for the students and younger researchers on writing up their research results for publication in scientific journals. 

After the serious scientific business began, the non-less-serious business of socializing, at a lovely Chinese banquet (with numerous toasts) hosted by Prof. Qian. For those of us who were still feeling energetic, our hosts took us for a visit to the famous Bund area of Shanghai, where we admired the night lights. 

 

Thursday was our “day off” and a chance to do a little sightseeing. Two lovely ladies from ECUST were our guides for the morning. We bargained in the souvenir shops, visited the famous Yu Yuan Garden, then lunched in a nearby restaurant, before flying to our next, and last, stop of Beijing. 

Left to right: NJC Board members Len Barbour, Odile Eisenstein, Peter Junk and Helen Hailes near the entrance to the Yu Yuan Garden. 

Check back soon to read about Beijing!

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NJC in China: 1st Stop Hong Kong

Our group of 11 NJC Board members and editors arrived in Hong Kong at the beginning of the week for the first of 3 stops on our 2012 China tour. About half of us are China “virgins” so we are quite excited and are looking forward to the week that awaits us.

University of Hong Kong Professor of Chemistry, Vivian Yam and her group were our hosts; they did such a great job, taking care of us and making sure we didn’t get lost in the 3D topology of the University!

The first symposium was a full program of 14 presentations by NJC board members/editors and Hong Kong chemists. Listening to these, I was struck by the connections between talks that, at first glance, had no relationship. Some of these were:

  • ion channels (for biology and batteries by Dan Yang and Takashi Kato, respectively)
  • use of porous materials (Len Barbour and JN Moorthy)
  • the effects of aggregation (Kato again and Ben Zhong Tang)
  • separating similar species (Michael Scott and Moorthy)
  • fluorine containing systems (Odile Eisenstein and Peter Junk)
  • transaminases (Helen Hailes and Ling Peng)

At the end of a long day, Niamh O’ Connor and Jamie Humphrey (of the RSC Publishing office in Cambridge) hosted the board members, editors and Vivian Yam for a lovely dinner. While sipping a velvety Australian Shiraz wine provided by Vivian, we tasted Shanghai-style delicacies, to give us a fore-taste of our upcoming stop.

Left to right: Vivian Yam welcoming NJC members; Editor-in-chief Mir Wais Hosseini breaking the chicken; tea service. (Thanks to Debbie Crans for these photos.)

Thanks to Vivian and her team, all the participants, and the French Consulate of Hong Kong and Macau (who gave financial support) for making this event such a scientific success and a delight for all of us, who came such a long way!

Next stop: Shanghai!

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Catalyst expert named to NJC Advisory Board

The Editors-in-Chief of NJC welcome 3 new members to the boards. Earlier this year Len Barbour of Stellenbosch University in South Africa and Takashi Kato of the University of Tokyo were appointed to the Editorial Board, while Davit Zargarian, at the University of Montreal in Québec, Canada, has joined the International Advisory Board.

In this post, I present Professor Davit Zargarian, who has been at the University of Montreal since 1993.

Davit Zargarian began his studies at the University of Toronto as an undergraduate in the group of Professor Martin Moskovits, working on the oxidation of ethylene. After his B. S. degree, he moved to the University of Waterloo to join the new organometallic chemistry/homogenous catalysis laboratory led by Professor Todd Marder. His M. S. studies centered on the preparation of Rh-alkynyl complexes. The University of Ottawa was his next home, where Davit prepared his Ph. D. thesis with Professor Howard Alper on the Ni- and Pd-catalyzed carbonylation of alkenes and alkynes. In 1991, Davit moved to the Scripps Institute for his first postdoctoral stint. After working on Os-catalyzed dihydroxylation of olefins in the group of Professor Barry Sharpless, Davit moved across the street to the San Diego campus of the University of California to work in the research group of Professor Don Tilley, studying the chemistry of Hf-silyl complexes.

Davit returned to Canada in 1993 to take up a position as Assistant Professor at the University of Montreal, where he learnt to teach inorganic and organometallic chemistry in French and moved up the ranks to become Full Professor in 2004. The Zargarian research group typically consists of a small group of enthusiastic students focused on the coordination and organometallic chemistry of first-row transition metals (primarily nickel) featuring ligands such as indenyls, bis- and tris(pyrazolyl)alkanes, and various types of pincer ligands. The main theme of their studies is homogeneous catalysis promoted by new complexes designed and synthesized by the group.

Davit has a message to address to the chemistry community worldwide: “I look forward to joining my colleagues on the international advisory  board in their efforts to strengthen New Journal Chemistry as a society publication that will contribute to the advancement of the chemical sciences. With the rapid worldwide growth of chemical research over the past two decades, it is incumbent on all of us to take steps to avoid fragmentation of our research results, strive to interpret the avalanche of new data being generated worldwide, and formulate this data into new knowledge that can be communicated to the research community and the society at large. In this spirit, I urge my fellow inorganic and organometallic chemists to consider publishing their latest research results in the form of articles and perspectives in NJC.”

We wish a warm welcome to Davit and look forward to a fruitful collaboration with him as a representative of the Canadian chemistry community.

 

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