Chemical Science Blog

Chemical Science is pleased to welcome Christopher Hunter as Associate Editor for Physical Organic chemistry.  

Biography
Christopher Hunter is Herchel Smith Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. Originally from New Zealand, he moved to Northern Ireland at the age of four and completed his early education there.  After receiving his undergraduate degree and PhD from Churchill College, Cambridge, he returned to his native New Zealand for a couple of years to lecture at the University of Otago. In 1991 he moved back to the UK, joining the University of Sheffield first as Lecturer and then as Professor, before taking up his current post at the University of Cambridge in September 2014.  

Research
The Hunter Group’s aim is to establish a reliable set of rules that can be used for the design of non-covalent systems. Their research focuses on four main areas of development:
1. Fundamental investigations of the nature of intermolecular interactions
2. Molecular design of functional assemblies
3. Development of new methods for studying solvation and co-operativity
4. Computer modelling of intermolecular interactions  

Awards
Chris’s recent awards include the RSC Physical Organic Chemistry Award (2011) and the RSC Tilden Prize (2009). In 2008 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.  

Publications
You can read some of the most recent work from the Hunter group in Chemical Science – click on the links below to get to the articles. All are either Open Access or free to access until 24th March: 

Open Access

Open Access

Open Access

Open Access

Open Access

A surface site interaction model for the properties of liquids at equilibrium
Christopher A. Hunter  
Chem. Sci., 2013, 4, 1687-1700
DOI: 10.1039/C3SC22124E, Edge Article
From themed collection Physical Chemistry  

van der Waals interactions in non-polar liquids
Christopher A. Hunter  
Chem. Sci., 2013, 4, 834-848
DOI: 10.1039/C2SC21666C, Edge Article
From themed collection Physical Chemistry  

Chris is now accepting submissions to Chemical Science in the area of physical organic chemistry.  Submit your high-impact research to his Editorial Office.  

Chemical Science is delighted to welcome Vy Dong of UC Irvine as Associate Editor in the area of Organic Chemistry.

Biography
Vy Dong grew up in Big Spring, Texas and Anaheim, California. After graduating from the University of California, Irvine, she joined David MacMillan‘s group at UC Berkeley, moving with his group to Caltech to complete her doctoral studies. She began her independent academic career at the University of Toronto in 2006, where she was promoted with tenure and named the Adrian Brook Professor. After six years in Canada, Vy returned to the United States to assume a professorship at her alma mater, UC Irvine.

In 2013 we interviewed Vy for Chemistry World – read the full interview to find out why Vy chose to pursue a career in chemistry, how she comes up with ideas for new projects, and what she loves about her job.

Research
Professor Dong’s research group at UC Irvine is interested in new reaction methods, enantioselective catalysis, and natural product synthesis. Specifically, the group looks at finding ways to directly convert carbon-hydrogen bonds into other functional groups, use carbon dioxide as a raw material, and make biologically active heterocycles.

Publications
We’ve made some of the Dong Research Group’s Chemical Science articles free to access until 18th March – click on the titles below to get to the articles*:

Open Access

β-hydroxy ketones prepared by regioselective hydroacylation
Stephen K. Murphy, Matthew M. Coulter and Vy M. Dong
Chem. Sci., 2012,3, 355-358, DOI: 10.1039/C1SC00634G, Edge Article

Ru-catalyzed activation of sp3 C–O bonds: O– to N-alkyl migratory rearrangement in pyridines and related heterocycles
Charles S. Yeung, Tom H. H. Hsieh and Vy M. Dong
Chem. Sci., 2011,2, 544-551, DOI: 10.1039/C0SC00498G, Edge Article

Nitrogen-directed ketone hydroacylation: Enantioselective synthesis of benzoxazecinones
Hasan A. Khan, Kevin G. M. Kou and Vy M. Dong
Chem. Sci., 2011,2, 407-410, DOI: 10.1039/C0SC00469C, Edge Article

Vy is now accepting submissions to Chemical Science in the area of organic chemistry. Submit your high-impact research to her Editorial Office.

*Access is free through a registered RSC account