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Inaugural Chemical Science Lectureship announced

30 Jul 2013

We are delighted to announce the winner of the inaugural Chemical Science Lectureship – Professor Kevan Shokat.

The 2013 Chemical Science Lectureship was awarded in the area of chemical biology and the award lecture was given at Challenges in Chemical Biology (ISACS11) in Boston, USA, in July. Professor Shokat was presented with his award by Chemical Science Associate Editor, Professor Tom Muir.

Tom Muir presenting Kevan Shokat with his Chemical Science Lectureship at ISACS11

Professor Shokat obtained his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and following appointments at Stanford University and Princeton University, in 1999 he moved to UC San Francisco to his current appointment as Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology.

The Shokat Lab’s research is focused on using the tools of synthetic organic chemistry, structural biology, genetics, and mathematical modelling to gain insight into how signalling networks transmit information in normal and disease settings. Their guiding principle is to use chemistry to answer questions that cannot be addressed by the use of biochemistry or genetics— they seek to provide tools, which fill in the gaps left behind by more traditional approaches.

Award Details
The lectureship, which will be awarded annually, will recognize sustained excellence in research by a mid-career scientist within the chemical sciences. The recipient of the Lectureship is selected and endorsed by the Chemical Science Editorial Board.

The recipient will be invited to present a plenary lecture at a relevant International Symposia on Advancing the Chemical Sciences (ISACS); they will also receive a certificate, $2000 and will be invited to contribute to Chemical Science.

The 2014 Chemical Science Lectureship winner will give a plenary lecture at one of the 2014 ISACS meetings:

ISACS 13: Challenges in Inorganic Chemistry and Materials Chemistry – July 2014, Dublin, Ireland
ISACS 14: Challenges in Organic Chemistry (Synthesis) – August 2014, Shanghai, China
ISACS 15: Challenges in Nanoscience – August 2014, San Diego, USA

More information about these conferences will appear on the ISACS website soon.

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Challenges in Chemical Renewable Energy (ISACS12) – final registration 5 Aug

30 Jul 2013

Final Registration Deadline – 5 August 2013

You have just a few days left to secure a place at the 12th conference in the International Symposia on Advancing the Chemical Sciences (ISACS) series as registration for Challenges in Chemical Renewable Energy (ISACS12) closes on Monday 5 August 2013.

Don’t miss your opportunity to join outstanding researchers from across the globe to explore the themes of photovoltaics, solar fuels, new battery materials, fuel cells and molecular catalysis.

Registration is quick and simple via the online booking system and spaces are filling up fast so be sure to guarantee yours now.

Programme Live

We are pleased to announce that the ISACS12 programme is now available to view online. Take a look at the schedule to discover the full speaker line up and stimulating lecture titles over the entire four days.

Find Out More

For the latest information on Challenges in Chemical Renewable Energy (ISACS12) or any of the conferences in the series, please follow ISACS on twitter or visit the dedicated webpage.

We look forward to welcoming you to Cambridge.

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Two labels, two locations, one protein

25 Jun 2013

Research reported in Chemical Science describes a new method for labelling proteins with two different chemical components at two separate, selected locations on the protein structure.

Scientists in the UK used the local protein microenvironment to control the outcome of reactions between cysteine residues on the surface of a double cysteine mutant of green fluorescent protein (GFP).

They formed sulfonium salts of the two cysteine residues and found that, dependent on the different environments of their α-protons, one underwent an elimination reaction to form a dehydroalanine while the other residue was protected from elimination by another part of the protein. They were able to convert this second sulfonium salt to an azide, presenting two different functional groups on the protein that could react in different ways to label the protein surface.

The team demonstrated that they could successfully label the protein with both an alkyne dye via the azide and a simple thiol via the dehydroalanine, presenting a simple method for site-selective dual labelling of proteins.

Read this ‘HOT’ Chemical Science article today for free:

A novel approach to the site-selective dual labelling of a protein via chemoselective cysteine modification
Ramiz I. Nathani, Paul Moody, Vijay Chudasama, Mark E. B. Smith, Richard J. Fitzmaurice and Stephen Caddick*
Chem. Sci., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3SC51333E

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Chemical Science Impact Factor rises to 8.3

19 Jun 2013

Chemical Science is dedicated to publishing research of exceptional significance from across the chemical sciences. For us, it’s all about giving our authors the visibility and recognition their research deserves.

So we are delighted to announce that our 2012 Impact Factor* has risen to an impressive 8.314. This fantastic result further demonstrates that Chemical Science is one of the leading general chemistry journals.

Thank you to all who have contributed to the journal’s success so far – our authors, referees, readers and Editorial and Advisory Boards – we are very grateful for your support.

Our unique combination of high quality articles, flexible format and excellent Associate Editors, makes it clear why so many leading scientists have already chosen to publish in Chemical Science. You can see our most highly cited articles listed below.

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

Publishing your research in Chemical Science means your article will have excellent visibility and will be read and cited by your colleagues. See the citation profile of Chemical Science articles compared to other leading general chemistry journals.

Find out how other Royal Society of Chemistry journals are ranked in the latest Impact Factor release

Top cited Chemical Science articles:

Perspectives

Dialkylbiaryl phosphines in Pd-catalyzed amination: a user’s guide
Author(s): Surry, David S.; Buchwald, Stephen L.

Diamine ligands in copper-catalyzed reactions
Author(s): Surry, David S.; Buchwald, Stephen L.

Exploiting single-ion anisotropy in the design of f-element single-molecule magnets
Author(s): Rinehart, Jeffrey D.; Long, Jeffrey R.
DOI: 10.1039/c1sc00513h Published: 2011

Minireviews

Continuous flow multi-step organic synthesis
Author(s): Webb, Damien; Jamison, Timothy F.

Modifying MOFs: new chemistry, new materials
Author(s): Cohen, Seth M.

Reactivity modulation in container molecules
Author(s): Breiner, Boris; Clegg, Jack K.; Nitschke, Jonathan R.

Carbocatalysis: Heterogeneous carbons finding utility in synthetic chemistry
Author(s): Dreyer, Daniel R.; Bielawski, Christopher W.

Graphene-based electronic sensors
Author(s): He, Qiyuan; Wu, Shixin; Yin, Zongyou; et al.

Edge Articles

Hydrogen storage and carbon dioxide capture in an iron-based sodalite-type metal-organic framework (Fe-BTT) discovered via high-throughput methods
Author(s): Sumida, Kenji; Horike, Satoshi; Kaye, Steven S.; et al.

Chemical tuning of CO2 sorption in robust nanoporous organic polymers
Author(s): Dawson, Robert; Adams, Dave J.; Cooper, Andrew I.

*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 2012 Journal Citation Reports^®, (Thomson Reuters, 2013).

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Final chance to register for ISACS11 – don’t miss Shokat, Trauner, Yonath and many more!

13 Jun 2013

Registration Deadline – Friday 21 June 2013

You have just a few days left to secure your place at the 11th conference in the International Symposia on Advancing the Chemical Sciences (ISACS) series as registration for Challenges in Chemical Biology (ISACS11) closes on Friday 21 June 2013.

Don’t miss your opportunity to join outstanding researchers from across the globe to explore the themes of immunology, microbiology, chromatin biology, epigenetics, cancer biology, systems biology and neuroscience.

Registration is quick and simple via the online booking system and spaces are filling up fast so be sure to guarantee yours now.

Programme Live

We are pleased to announce that the ISACS11 programme is now available to view online. Take a look at the schedule to discover the full speaker line up and stimulating lecture titles over the entire four days.

Find Out More

For the latest information on Challenges in Chemical Biology (ISACS11) or any of the conferences in the series, please sign up for the exclusive newsletter, follow ISACS on twitter or visit the dedicated webpage.

I look forward to welcoming you to Boston.

Best regards

Professor Ben Davis
Chairman of the Conference Committee
isacs@rsc.org

The International Symposia on Advancing the Chemical Sciences (ISACS) partner the RSC’s flagship journal Chemical Science – Winner of the ALPSP Award for Best New Journal 2011.

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Sensing zinc beyond the cell

03 Jun 2013

Research published in Chemical Science describes the design of a new fluorescent probe that can sense ‘mobile’ zinc outside cells by using a targeting peptide that delivers the probe to the extracellular side of the plasma membrane.

Understanding zinc signalling is a significant area of interest in biological studies. Readily-exchangeable or ‘mobile’ zinc is important in human health and has been shown to have a role in the function of the pancreas, prostate and central nervous system. Current fluorescent zinc sensors tend to be based on small molecules that readily diffuse across cell membranes to give information on zinc in the intracellular environment, but it is difficult to predict how these sensors are distributed beyond the cell membrane where it would be useful to monitor zinc ions released by cells.

Scientists in the United States have developed a design for a zinc sensor that is directed the extracellular plasma membrane by attaching the zinc-signalling fluorophore to a membrane-targeting peptide scaffold. The probes can be readily prepared by solid-phase synthesis to insert the targeting peptide between the fluorophore and a fatty acid that anchors the probe to the cell membrane. The scientists conducted live cell imaging experiments that gave a positive signal for zinc in the plasma membranes of the cells.

zinc signal

Read the ‘HOT’ article for free today:

Peptide-based targeting of fluorescent zinc sensors to the plasma membrane of live cells
Robert J. Radford,a Wen Chyana and Stephen J. Lippard*a
Chem. Sci., 2013, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C3SC50974E

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Dynamic and bio-orthogonal protein assembly along a supramolecular polymer

13 May 2013

Scientists from the Netherlands show how supramolecular polymers can be used to steer the assembly of proteins in a reversible, dynamic manner.

Synthetic supramolecular polymers have already shown great potential in the materials field, but their potential to target biological systems has been underexplored until now. This is surprising considering their self-assembling nature, providing access to structures and molecular properties analogous to biological systems.

The synthesis of a mono-functional discotic molecule, forming supramolecular columnar polymers, allows for the site-selective, covalent attachment of proteins. The supramolecular polymer, displaying the proteins along the columns, acts as a dynamic framework; the simultaneous conjugation of two different proteins enables their assembly in close proximity, resulting in efficient energy transfer. The dynamic nature of the protein-conjugated discotic monomers in the supramolecular polymers allows the exchange of supramolecular building blocks between the columns and tuning of protein density.

The concept of supramolecular polymers displaying proteins could bridge the gap between synthetic and biological systems, providing entry to create dynamic multi- and heterovalent protein assemblies with a responsive nature.

Read the ‘HOT’ Chemical Science article:

Dynamic and bio-orthogonal protein assembly along a supramolecular polymer
Katja Petkau-Milroy, Dana A. Uhlenheuer, A. J. H. Spiering, Jef A. J. M. Vekemans and Luc Brunsveld
Chem. Sci., 2013, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C3SC50891A

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Controlling the bonding/debonding of polymer systems

02 May 2013

Controlling polymer debonding/rebonding properties using responsive materials is an exciting emerging area of chemistry and it is widely accepted that control of these properties can be achieved by engineering the functional end-groups responsible for monomer dynamic bonding.

Scientists in Germany and Australia report that the control of the bonding/debonding properties in materials obtained by Diels–Alder reactions between difunctional polymeric building blocks can also be governed by entropy considerations such as chain length and branching of the building blocks. They have shown this theoretically and experimentally for two Diels–Alder polymer systems, each based on a different difunctional diene and a common difunctional dienophile.

This interesting finding will help polymer and materials chemists transform the approach they take to designing reversibly/dynamically bonding materials and could aid the development of self-healing materials.

Read this ‘HOT’ Chemical Science article, hot off the press:

Harnessing entropy to direct the bonding/debonding of polymer systems based on reversible chemistry
N K Guimard et al, Chem. Sci., 2013, DOI: 10.1039/c3sc50642h

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HX-splitting photocatalysis for solar fuels

30 Apr 2013

Photochemical HX splitting reactions (X = halogen) provide a route for solar-to-fuel energy conversion and halogen photoelimination is a critical step in the process.

Scientists in the US have investigated the photoreduction mechanism of a pair of valence-isomeric dirhodium phosphazane complexes and suggest that a common intermediate is accessed in the photochemistry of both mixed-valent and valence-symmetric complexes.

They conclude that halogen photoelimination proceeds by two sequential photochemical reactions: ligand dissociation followed by subsequent halogen elimination, and they hypothesise that complexes that can directly assume a halide-bridged structure will have the highest quantum efficiencies for energy conversion.

Read the ‘HOT’ article for free today:

Halogen Photoelimination from Dirhodium Phosphazane Complexes via Chloride-Bridged Intermediates
David C Powers, Matthew B Chambers, Thomas S Teets, Noémie Elgrishi, Bryce L Anderson and Daniel G Nocera
Chem. Sci., 2013, DOI: 10.1039/C3SC50462J

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Excellent visibility for your research

22 Apr 2013

Chemical Science is dedicated to publishing findings of exceptional significance from across the chemical sciences. We want our authors’ research to get the visibility and recognition it deserves.

The graph below shows the number of citations to articles published in 2012 in Chemical Science and other leading general chemistry journals.

It’s clear to see from this data that articles in Chemical Science are less likely to receive no citations and after just a few months of publication articles will be highly cited – 30% of 2012 Chemical Science articles have already received 5 or more citations.

Publishing your research in Chemical Science means your article will have excellent visibility and will be read and cited quickly by your colleagues.

Citations to articles published in 2012 (Data downloaded from ISI Web of Science on 4 April 2013)

Learn more about Chemical Science

Browse the latest articles from Chemical Science

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