Archive for August, 2018

Chemical Science poster prize winner at the Fourth International Conference on Advanced Complex Inorganic Nanomaterials (ACIN 2018)

Fabian Fürmeyer in front of his poster with PhD supervisor Prof. Dr. Eva Rentschler.

Fabian Fürmeyer in front of his poster with PhD supervisor Prof. Dr. Eva Rentschler.

Congratulations to Fabian Fürmeyer (University of Mainz, Germany) who won the Chemical Science poster prize at the Fourth International Conference on Advanced Complex Inorganic Nanomaterials (ACIN 2018). Fabian’s poster was on ‘Dinuclear iron(II) spin crossover compounds based on 1,3,4-thiadiazole bridging ligands’.

The conference took place from 16-20th July in Namur, Belgium, and is jointly organised by the University of Namur, Wuhan University of Technology and Université Catholique de Louvain.

Well done to Fabian from everyone at Chemical Science!

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HOT Chemical Science articles for July

We are happy to present a selection of our HOT articles over the past month. To see all of our HOT referee-recommended articles from 2018, please find the collection here.

As always, Chemical Science articles are free to access.

Disarming the virulence arsenal of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by blocking two-component system signalling
Manibarsha Goswami, Adeline Espinasse and Erin E. Carlson
Chem. Sci., 2018, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C8SC02496K, Edge ArticleDisarming the virulence arsenal of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by blocking two-component system signaling; 10.1039/C8SC02496K; Manibarsha Goswami, Adeline Espinassea and Erin E. Carlson

 

Dynamically imaging collision electrochemistry of single electrochemiluminescence nano-emitters
Cheng Ma, Wanwan Wu, Lingling Li, Shaojun Wu, Jianrong Zhang, Zixuan Chen and Jun-Jie Zhu
Chem. Sci., 2018,9, 6167-6175
DOI: 10.1039/C8SC02251H, Edge Article

Dynamically imaging collision electrochemistry of single electrochemiluminescence nano-emitters; 10.1039/C8SC02251H; Cheng Ma, Wanwan Wu, Lingling Li, Shaojun Wu, Jianrong Zhang, Zixuan Chen and Jun-Jie Zhu

 

Replacing H+ by Na+ or K+ in phosphopeptide anions and cations prevents electron capture dissociation
Eva-Maria Schneeberger and Kathrin Breuker
Chem. Sci., 2018, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C8SC02470G, Edge Article

Replacing H+ by Na+ or K+ in phosphopeptide anions and cations prevents electron capture dissociation; 10.1039/C8SC02470G; Eva-Maria Schneeberger and Kathrin Breuker

 

Reversible coordination of N2 and H2 to a homoleptic S = 1/2 Fe(I) diphosphine complex in solution and the solid state
Laurence R. Doyle, Daniel J. Scott, Peter J. Hill, Duncan A. X. Fraser, William K. Myers, Andrew J. P. White, Jennifer C. Green and Andrew E. Ashley
Chem. Sci., 2018, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C8SC01841C, Edge Article

Reversible coordination of N2 and H2 to a homoleptic S = 1/2 Fe(I) diphosphine complex in solution and the solid state; 10.1039/C8SC01841C; Laurence R. Doyle, Daniel J. Scott, Peter J. Hill, Duncan A. X. Fraser, William K. Myers, Andrew J. P. White, Jennifer C. Green and Andrew E. Ashley

 

Unraveling reaction networks behind the catalytic oxidation of methane with H2O2 over a mixed-metal MIL-53(Al,Fe) MOF catalyst
Ágnes Szécsényi, Guanna Li, Jorge Gascon and Evgeny A. Pidko
Chem. Sci., 2018, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C8SC02376J, Edge Article

Unraveling reaction networks behind the catalytic oxidation of methane with H2O2 over a mixed-metal MIL-53(Al,Fe) MOF catalyst; 10.1039/C8SC02376J; Ágnes Szécsényi, Guanna Li Jorge Gascon and Evgeny A. Pidko

 

Multi-omics and temporal dynamics profiling reveal disruption of central metabolism in Helicobacter pylori on bismuth treatment
Bingjie Han, Zhen Zhang, Yanxuan Xie, Xuqiao Hu, Haibo Wang, Wei Xia, Yulan Wang, Hongyan Li, Yuchuan Wang and Hongzhe Sun
Chem. Sci., 2018, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C8SC01668B, Edge Article

Multi-omics and temporal dynamics profiling reveal disruption of central metabolism in Helicobacter pylori on bismuth treatment; 10.1039/C8SC01668B; Bingjie Han, Zhen Zhang, Yanxuan Xie, Xuqiao Hu, Haibo Wang, Wei Xia, Yulan Wang, Hongyan Li, Yuchuan Wang and Hongzhe Sun

 

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Gaunt Lab and the Holy Grail: Synthesis of Lactams via C-H Activation

A small consolation when marking undergraduate organic chemistry exams is that occasionally you come across an answer so ridiculous it is almost brilliant. Penned to complete a far-fetched synthesis, the student managed to propose a reaction that is completely without precedent, not only in the course, but in the chemistry literature as a whole. Sadly for the student it is completely wrong, 0 marks.

I imagine that 50 years ago if an undergraduate student had proposed a one-step synthesis of γ-lactams starting with a linear alkylamine, which proceeded by clipping off an N-H bond and a C-H bond, then stitching it together with a carbon monoxide molecule at the junction, they too may have got 0 marks. Yet Matthew Gaunt and researchers in his laboratory at the University of Cambridge have achieved just this via palladium-catalysed C-H activation.

Transition metal-catalysed C-H activation refers to the cleavage of a C-H bond by a transition metal, followed by functionalisation of the metal-bound organic fragment and regeneration of the catalyst. This strategy is counter to the classical approach of organic synthesis: construction of molecular complexity by installing and manipulating reactive functional groups. The object of pre-functionalisation is two-fold: it makes a molecule more reactive (for example, installation of a halide can enable oxidative addition to a transition metal or substitution by a nucleophile) and it directs reactivity to a specific location in the molecule under construction. For C-H activation the challenge is to promote reaction of thermodynamically and kinetically stable C-H bonds, and achieve site-selectivity in a molecule containing many chemically-similar C-H bonds.

Figure 1: Optimised reaction conditions and selected products of the C-H activation of linear alkylamines for the synthesis of lactams by palladium catalyzed C-H activation

Figure 1: Optimised reaction conditions

The authors found that a catalytic system consisting of palladium pivalate and copper acetate, in combination with acidic and basic additives under a CO/air atmosphere, transformed a variety of secondary amines with primary C-H bonds at the γ-position into 5-membered lactones (Figure 1). Good yields and diastereoselectivities were obtained, and a variety of substituents such as carbocycles, tetrahydropyran, piperadine, fluorocycloalkanes and dioxolanes were well tolerated.

Figure 2: Mechanistic hypothesis illustrating: C-H activation step, H-bond between the amine and pivalate, intramolecular base-assisted deprotonation, and preference for formation of the trans diastereomer.

Figure 2: Mechanistic hypothesis showing organisation of the transition state and C-H activation.

The reacting components in the C-H activation step are highly organised in the transition state by coordination of the amine to the palladium centre, and formation of a hydrogen bond between the amine and the carbonyl group of a pivalate ligand bound to palladium (Figure 2). Palladium insertion into the C-H bond (one of the pivalate ligands serves as an intramolecular base) forms a palladacycle with the entropic and enthalpic preference for a 5-membered ring, necessitating abstraction of a proton in the γ-position with respect to the amine directing group.

C-H activation has been referred to as the ‘holy grail’ of catalysis, and the efficiency gains are clear: reduction in reaction steps and use of catalysis minimises energy use, formation of stoichiometric by-products and waste from isolation and purification processes, excess reagents, solvents and additives. This aside, the most exciting thing about the development of C-H activation methods is the promise of discovery: novel reactivity can lead to novel products, inaccessible by other means.

 

 

To find out more please read:

Diastereoselective C-H carbonylative annulation of aliphatic amines: a rapid route to functionalized γ-lactams

Png Zhuang Mao, Jaime R. Cabrera-Pardo, Jorge Piero Cadahia and Matthew J. Gaunt.
Chem. Sci., 2018, Edge Article
DOI: 10.1039/c8sc02855a

About the author

Zoë Hearne is a PhD candidate in chemistry at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, under the supervision of Professor Chao-Jun Li. She hails from Canberra, Australia, where she completed her undergraduate degree. Her current research focuses on transition metal catalysis to effect novel transformations, and out of the lab she is an enthusiastic chemistry tutor and science communicator.

 

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Meet Luis M. Campos: Chemical Science Associate Editor

We are pleased to announce that Professor Luis M. Campos has joined Chemical Science as an Associate Editor.

Luis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Columbia University. He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and moved at the age of 11 to Los Angeles, California. He received a B.Sc. in Chemistry from CSU Dominguez Hills in 2001, and a Ph.D. from the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UCLA in 2006 working under the supervision of M. A. Garcia-Garibay and K. N. Houk. At UCLA, he was awarded the NSF Predoctoral Fellowship, Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship, and the Saul & Silvia Winstein Award for his graduate research in solid-state photochemistry. Switching to materials chemistry, he went to UCSB as a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow to work under the supervision of C. J. Hawker at the Materials Research Laboratory.

At Columbia, his group’s research interests lie in polymer chemistry, self-assembly, and organic electronic materials. To date, he has co-authored over 80 articles and 12 patents; and he has received various awards, including the ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, ONR Young Investigator Award, NSF CAREER Award, 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, I-APS Young Faculty Award, the Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry Award for Early Excellence, and the Polymers Young Investigator Award. In addition to these research accolades, Luis has been recognized for his pedagogical contributions by the Cottrell Scholar Award, Columbia University Presidential Teaching Award, and the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award.

Luis is keen to receive submissions in his area of expertise, particularly in polymer science, physical macromolecular chemistry, and macromolecular self-assembly. Below is a list of articles published in Chemical Science which Luis would like to highlight – all free to read! We hope you enjoy them.

Block copolymers: controlling nanostructure to generate functional materials – synthesis, characterization, and engineering
Thomas H. Epps, III and Rachel K. O’Reilly
Chem. Sci., 2016,7, 1674-1689
DOI: 10.1039/C5SC03505H, Perspective

Fully conjugated ladder polymers
Jongbok Lee, Alexander J. Kalin, Tianyu Yuan, Mohammed Al-Hashimi and Lei Fang
Chem. Sci., 2017,8, 2503-2521
DOI: 10.1039/C7SC00154A, Perspective

Polymerization-induced thermal self-assembly (PITSA)
C. Adrian Figg, Alexandre Simula, Kalkidan A. Gebre, Bryan S. Tucker, David M. Haddleton and Brent S. Sumerlin
Chem. Sci., 2015,6, 1230-1236
DOI: 10.1039/C4SC03334E, Edge Article

Reversibly tuning hydrogel stiffness through photocontrolled dynamic covalent crosslinks
Joseph V. Accardo and Julia A. Kalow
Chem. Sci., 2018,9, 5987-5993
DOI: 10.1039/C8SC02093K, Edge Article

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4th International Conference on Energy and Biological Materials

Chemical Science is proud to sponsor the 4th International Conference on Energy and Biological Materials (ICEBM). This year’s conference will take place on 16 – 18 September 2018 at University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei.

Topics will include materials for energy storage and conversion, catalysis and medicine, and bio-inspired materials. There will talks by Charles Lieber (Harvard University), Peidong Yang (UC Berkeley), Lei Jiang (Beihang University) and many more. In celebration of the 60th anniversary of USTC, there will also be a USTC alumni symposium.

For more information and to register, visit http://icebm.ustc.edu.cn/dct/

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Chemical Science Impact Factor rises to 9.1

At the end of June, Clarivate Analytics announced their 2017 Impact Factors via Journal Citation reports®. We were delighted to see that the Impact Factor of our flagship journal Chemical Science increased by 4.6% to 9.1! For us, it is all about giving our authors the visibility and recognition their research deserves and this increase in Impact Factor helps demonstrate this. As we move through 2018 we have also launched our ChemSci Picks and promoted selected articles through video abstracts – see here for the latest of these – giving our published content a wider reach.

Thank you to all our authors, referees, Associate Editors, and Editorial and Advisory Board members for contributing to the journal’s continued impact and success – this achievement would not have been possible without your support and trust. Chemical Science remains dedicated to publishing research of exceptional significance from across the chemical sciences.

Chemical Science became a gold open access journal in January 2015, giving the global community free access to high quality research while paying all Article Processing Charges (APCs) on behalf of our authors, keeping articles free to publish.  This unique combination of open access, top quality articles, a flexible format and world-class Associate Editors makes it clear why so many leading scientists choose to publish in Chemical Science.

We invite you to submit your exceptional research to Chemical Science today.

Take a look at some of the highest cited papers and reviews from 2017:

Perspectives

Recent developments in and perspectives on three-coordinate boron materials: a bright future
Lei Ji, Stefanie Griesbeck and Todd B. Marder
Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 846-863

Luminescent chemosensors by using cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes and their applications
Dik-Lung Ma, Sheng Lin, Wanhe Wang, Chao Yang and Chung-Hang Leung
Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 878-889

Minireviews

How molecular motors work – insights from the molecular machinist’s toolbox: the Nobel prize in Chemistry 2016
D. Astumian
Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 840-845

Peptide-templated noble metal catalysts: syntheses and applications
Wei Wang, Caleb F. Anderson, Zongyuan Wang, Wei Wu, Honggang Cui and Chang-Jun Liu
Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 3310-3324

Edge Articles

The IPEA dilemma in CASPT2
Patrick Zobel, Juan J. Nogueira and Leticia González
Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 1482-1499

Hydroxide-bridged five-coordinate DyIII single-molecule magnet exhibiting the record thermal relaxation barrier of magnetization among lanthanide-only dimers
Jin Xiong, Hai-Yan Ding, Yin-Shan Meng, Chen Gao, Xue-Jing Zhang, Zhao-Sha Meng, Yi-Quan Zhang, Wei Shi, Bing-Wu Wang and Song Gao
Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 1288-1294

Single-atom catalysts for CO2 electroreduction with significant activity and selectivity improvements
Seoin Back, Juhyung Lim, Na-Young Kim, Yong-Hyun Kim and Yousung Jung
Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 1090-1096

Read more Impact Factor highlights for the Royal Society of Chemistry’s leading journals, including Chemical Communications and Chemical Society Reviews.

Find out how other RSC journals are ranked in the latest Impact Factor release

Chemical Science is the world’s first high-quality gold open access chemistry journal (open access from January 2015).

*The Impact Factor provides an indication of the average number of citations per paper. Produced annually, Impact Factors are calculated by dividing the number of citations in a year, by the number of citeable articles published in the preceding two years. Data based on 2017 Journal Citation Reports®, (Clarivate Analytics, 2018).

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