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Chemical Science Reviewer Spotlight – February 2024

To further thank and recognise the support from our excellent reviewer community, we are highlighting reviewers who have provided exceptional support to the journal over the past year.

This month, we’ll be highlighting Dr William Unsworth, Professor Kara Bren, Professor Grace Han and Professor David Harding. We asked our reviewers a few questions about what they enjoy about reviewing, and their thoughts on how to provide a useful review.

 

Picture of Dr William Unsworth

Dr William Unsworth, University of York. Dr William Unsworth focused on the development of new method in organic synthesis, with a particular focus on ring expansion reactions, large ring synthesis, spirocycle synthesis and biocatalysis.

 

Picture of Professor Kara Bren

Professor Kara Bren, University of Rochester. Professor Kara Bren’s group is developing systems for artificial photosynthesis. In particular, we focus on creating and studying biomolecular and bioinspired fuel-forming catalysts as well as biological modules for charge transfer.

 

Picture of Professor Grace Han

Professor Grace Han, Brandeis University. Professor Grace Han’s research centers on the interaction of light with organic molecules including photoswitches in condensed phases with the goal of promoting sustainable solar energy storage and efficient industrial chemical recycling.

 

Picture of Professor David Harding

Professor David Harding, Suranaree University of Technology. Professor David Harding’s research is concerned with the design and discovery of molecular magnetic switches with applications in sensing and next generation data storage.

 

 

What encouraged you to review for Chemical Science?

Professor Grace Han: First off, I enjoy reading and publishing papers in Chemical Science because of its interdisciplinary nature and strong emphasis on novelty, so I also value contributing to the review process as a member of the community.

Professor Kara Bren: When I receive a paper well within my expertise, I am motivated to provide comments that I hope will yield the best possible final publication. I appreciate it when I get constructive comments on my manuscripts from reviewers, and I hope to provide the same to others.

Professor David Harding: Chemical Science publishes insightful studies and has a great reputation for robust, but fair peer review. As it’s Diamond Open Access this really helps those of us who work in developing countries to showcase our work.

Dr William Unsworth: I do my best to review papers for as many journals as I am able, as good peer review is so important across the sciences. Also, as a long term RSC member and elected member of the RSC Organic Community Committee, I always am especially happy to be invited to review for the RSC’s flagship journal!

What do you enjoy most about reviewing?

Professor Grace Han: Many times I get inspired by the cool ideas and techniques that are illustrated in the manuscripts, and I also have learned a lot by observing how professionally authors respond to the reviewers’ requests by improving the quality of their work.

Dr William Unsworth: Taking the time to read a paper in detail – something I find I have frustrating little time to do outside of reviewing. Having an early preview of exciting new results before they are published is nice too, and it can be very satisfying to see first hand the improvements made to papers as a result of the peer review process.

Professor David Harding: This might sound odd, but I’d say being helpful. I often read papers where there’s a good story there, but it’s hidden. I see it as my job to help the authors tell it, even if I end up recommending against publication in Chemical Science.

What are you looking for in a paper that you can recommend for acceptance in Chemical Science?

Professor Grace Han: I consider two main factors. (i) Novelty of the research work. (ii) Quality of the research work.

Dr William Unsworth: A good idea, that has been well executed and is well described. I also really value balance in a paper – I am far more likely to accept a paper in which the strengths AND limitations of the research are explained in a clear and open manner.

Do you have any advice to our readers seeking publication in Chemical Science on what makes a good paper?

Professor Grace Han: I believe that a good paper tells a story that is not only technically rigorous but also inspirational to readers from various backgrounds.

What makes a paper truly stand out for you when reviewing a paper?

Professor Kara Bren: My favorite papers report results that make me say, wow, how did we not think of that before? I especially appreciate work that yields important fundamental advances by taking a creative new approach.

Professor David Harding: The best papers are those that provide new directions in chemistry telling the story of the work in a clear and accessible manner. All too often authors, and reviewers, get lost in the technical details of the study, such that the key findings are lost.

How do you balance reviewing with your other activities?

Dr William Unsworth: With difficulty – the polite reminders sent by patient editorial staff when deadlines are approaching/have been missed certainly help!

What single piece of advice would you give to someone about to write their first review?

Professor Grace Han: I would suggest keeping an open mind when reviewing science that departs from a traditional approach or method. I believe that it is an important role of reviewers to promote innovations.

Did reviewing for Chemical Science affect how you approached preparation of your recent publication with us?

Professor David Harding: Absolutely! I’ve found that reviewing for the journal causes me to more critically assess what I write and ask questions like “Is the data convincing? Are there other interpretations? Is this the clearest way that I can say that?”

 

Tune in next month to meet our next group of #ChemSciReviewers!

If you want to learn more about how we support our reviewers, check out our Reviewer Hub.

Interested in joining our ever-growing reviewer community? Apply here now!

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Themed collection on Emerging Frontiers in Aromaticity

We are delighted to announce our themed collection in Chemical Science on Emerging Frontiers in Aromaticity. Guest edited by Prof. Gabriel Merino, Cinvestav Mérida (Mexico), Prof. Miquel Solà, Universitat de Girona (Spain), and Prof. Israel Fernández, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain), this collection highlights the most recent methodological developments and unique aspects of aromaticity.

Read the guest editor’s insights and summary of the collection in the accompanying editorial.

The collection features a combination of Review, Perspective, Focus and Edge articles covering a variety of topics within the field of aromaticity, including metalla-aromaticity, macrocyclic aromaticity, 3D-aromaticity, Möbius aromaticity, and the aromaticity of polycyclic conjugated hydrocarbons and nanographenes.

 

Browse the collection, including:

Aromaticity: Quo Vadis
Gabriel Merino, Miquel Solà, Israel Fernández, Cina Foroutan-Nejad, Paolo Lazzeretti, Gernot Frenking, Harry L. Anderson, Dage Sundholm, Fernando P. Cossío, Marina A. Petrukhina, Jishan Wu, Judy I. Wu and Albeiro Restrepo
Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 5569-5576, DOI: 10.1039/D2SC04998H

In this Perspective article, the authors aim to reflect where the aromaticity community is currently, and where it is going.

Synthesis of octagon-containing molecular nanocarbons

Greco González Miera, Satoshi Matsubara, Hideya Kono, Kei Murakami and Kenichiro Itami
Chem. Sci., 2022,13, 1848-1868, DOI: 10.1039/D1SC05586K

This Review describes the synthetic achievements that the scientific community has performed to obtain curved polycyclic nanocarbons with 8-membered rings, building blocks that could potentially give access as templates to larger nanographenes, and eventually to Mackay-Terrones crystals.

A focus on aromaticity: fuzzier than ever before?

Henrik Ottosson

Chem. Sci., 2023,14, 5542-5544, DOI: 10.1039/D3SC90075D

In this Focus article, the author poses the question: Who utilises the aromaticity concept, and who benefits from it? Especially, who benefits from it being overly fuzzy, and who goes the opposite?

The smallest 4f-metalla-aromatic molecule of cyclo-PrB2 with Pr–B multiple bonds

Zhen-Ling Wang, Teng-Teng Chen, Wei-Jia Chen, Wan-Lu Li, Jing Zhao, Xue-Lian Jiang, Jun Li, Lai-Sheng Wang and Han-Shi Hu

Chem. Sci., 2022,13, 10082-10094, DOI: 10.1039/D2SC02852B

The authors report the discovery of a doubly aromatic triatomic lanthanide-boron molecule PrB2based on a joint photoelectron spectroscopy and quantum chemical investigation in this Edge article.

Aromatic heterobicycle-fused porphyrins: impact on aromaticity and excited state electron transfer leading to long-lived charge separation

Austen Moss, Youngwoo Jang, Jacob Arvidson, Vladimir N. Nesterov, Francis D’Souza and Hong Wang

Chem. Sci., 2022,13, 9880-9890, DOI: 10.1039/D2SC03238D

This Edge article reports a new synthetic method to fuse benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-a]isoindole to the porphyrin periphery at the β,β-positions, and its impact on the aromaticity and electronic structures is investigated.

Substituent effects on aromatic interactions in water

Gloria Tobajas-Curiel, Qingqing Sun, Jeremy K. M. Sanders, Pablo Ballester and Christopher A. Hunter

Chem. Sci., 2023,14, 6226-6236, DOI: 10.1039/D3SC01027A

In this Edge article, the authors describe a supramolecular system for measuring aromatic interactions in water and show that substituents have a remarkable effect on interaction strength, with an increase of three orders of magnitude in the stability of a complex when a single nitro group is added to one of the aromatic rings.

Mining anion–aromatic interactions in the Protein Data Bank

Emilia Kuzniak-Glanowska, Michał Glanowski, Rafał Kurczab, Andrzej J. Bojarski and Robert Podgajny

Chem. Sci., 2022,13, 3984-3998, DOI: 10.1039/D2SC00763K

The authors of this Edge article introduce the first comprehensive analysis of non-redundant Protein Data Bank (PDB) macromolecular structures investigating anion distributions around all aromatic molecules in available biosystems, including ligands.

We hope you enjoy reading this themed collection in Chemical Science!

 

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How can Chemical Science increase confidence in research?

Publishing practices you can rely on

Open access research benefits everyone around the planet. It makes research more widely accessible, which can lead to positive change in many areas of daily life. As a diamond open access journal, Chemical Science makes this form of publishing an easy option. We cover all publication costs, so our community can read and publish with us for free.

We are real advocates for open access, and in this blog post, we will explain how it can improve research culture and benefit every single one of us. Interested in learning more? Explore our research or submit your article today.

 

Discover what you could achieve with open access

Greater impact for you

As a researcher, you will find that the biggest benefit of publishing open access is increasing the discoverability of your work. The number of potential readers of your publications increases significantly with open access. If anyone can access your research – including other scientists, funders, policymakers and the general public – then it is more likely to be cited and make an impact.

Every article we publish is diamond open access, but we don’t only rely on our publications being available to all to make an impact. We celebrate our community, offering promotional opportunities like #ChemSciVoices where our authors can discuss their research in a video or blog post. When you publish with us, you can trust that your research will find the communities it needs to.

Better research culture for all

The benefits of open access for individual researchers are clear – but how can it improve research culture too? Open access helps make sure that publications are visible, reliable and reproducible. Ensuring research findings are available to everyone, in any part of the world is the key to building a fairer, more equitable society – one where everyone can access and benefit from discoveries. Open access can also encourage greater multi-disciplinary collaboration, as scientists in all disciplines and subjects can access and inspire each other, so driving scientific progress faster. Chemical Science harnesses these benefits of open access for everyone, by publishing leading-edge articles that have undergone rigorous peer review, at no cost to the author.

 

What makes Chemical Science different?

Our diamond open access policy sets us apart from other journals. This policy means that our community can read our articles and publish with us for free. We cover all of the publication costs, so everyone can choose an open access path for their research. And this is only a possibility because we are a society publisher with a mission to disseminate scientific knowledge.

Fair and rigorous peer review

We see open access as part of a larger vision to improve research culture. It’s not enough to increase the accessibility of articles – we need to make sure that our publications are reliable and reproducible too. Providing a robust peer review process is one way we make sure our publications are reliable. In every submission, our peer reviewers are looking for novel ideas, progressive thinking and research that can make a real-world difference. This approach means that Chemical Science is a home to both accessible and impactful work.

The choice of transparent peer review

We are continually looking for ways in which we can increase the quality of our peer-review. For this reason, we now offer our authors the choice of transparent peer review, which aims to cultivate a more open and robust peer-review process. If an author chooses this option, the peer reviewers’ reports, authors’ responses and editors’ decision letters are published alongside the accepted article. Transparent peer review can:

  • encourage fair and rigorous peer review
  • amplify the hard work of our editors and reviewers
  • allow scientists to learn from the published reports
  • promote more constructive reviewer comments

Transparent peer review is compatible with both single- and double-anonymised peer review. And if you are a reviewer, you will stay anonymous during the process by default. As an author, you can opt in for transparent peer review at any stage before publication.

FAIR publications

Reproducibility is a key part of the open access picture for Chemical Science. We encourage our authors to make sure that the data in publications is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable), and we also ask authors to provide a data availability statement in their article. This can improve research culture by:

  • supporting the validity of data and maintaining research reproducibility
  • increasing transparency and encouraging trust in the scientific process
  • enabling and encouraging the reuse of new findings
  • giving authors credit through the formal citation of data

Author Contributions

We also ask all authors to provide an Author Contribution Statement as part of their article as standard. Author contribution statements are important as they can:

  • provide transparency about who contributed to the research and in what capacity. It allows readers to understand the specific roles of each author in the study, which can be helpful for assessing the validity and reliability of the research findings. 
  • promote inclusion and diversity by acknowledging the different types of contributions made by each author. 
  • ensure that all authors are given credit for their work, and that those who did not contribute significantly are not listed as authors. 

Start your journey

We are ready when you are. Explore some of these resources to get started with confidence and inspire a global audience.

 

Read our how to publish guide Learn more about open access Watch #ChemSciVoices

 

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Chemical Science Reviewer Spotlight – May 2023

To further thank and recognise the support from our excellent reviewer community, we are highlighting reviewers who have provided exceptional support to the journal over the past year.

This month, we’ll be highlighting Owen Curnow, Jenny Zhang, Shuichi Hiraoka and Niveen Khashab. We asked our reviewers a few questions about what they enjoy about reviewing, and their thoughts on how to provide a useful review.

Image of Owen Curnow

Owen Curnow, University of Canterbury. Professor Curnow’s research focusses on novel materials, most recently ionic liquids (and their applications). He also has an interest in simple inorganic species such as polyhalides and chloride hydrates.

 

Image of Jenny Zhang

Jenny Zhang, University of Cambridge. Dr Zhang’s team develops new toolsets to more effectively exchange energy with living systems, in particular those that perform photosynthesis. They do this to probe into complex biological processes, and to build green energy generation technologies.

 

Image of Shuichi Hiraoka

Shuichi Hiraoka, University of Tokyo. Professor Hiraoka’s research interests are in revealing molecular self-assembly mechanisms to find general principles underlying self-assembly, and in the kinetic control of self-assembly to generate complicated, metastable assemblies that cannot be obtained under thermodynamic control.

 

Image of Niveen Khashab

Niveen Khashab, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Professor Khashab’s research focuses on the design and synthesis of stimuli responsive materials that utilise self-assembly and molecular recognition to be used in smart encapsulations, separations, and composites.

 

 

What encouraged you to review for Chemical Science?

Jenny Zhang: I have a lot of respect for Chemical Science as a journal. It publishes work that is truly value-adding and of high standard, rather than work that is trendy or easy to sell. I feel honoured to play a role in helping it to maintain its high integrity and standing.

Shuichi Hiraoka: Peer review is one of the important activities in science to improve research and papers by receiving opinions from other researchers. I look forward to the papers submitted to Chemical Science because they give me a glimpse of new trends in chemistry.

Niveen Khashab: Chemical Science always publishes cutting edge research and it is a journal that I strive to publish in as well so really reviewing for Chemical Science is a treat!

 

What do you enjoy most about reviewing?

Owen Curnow: Learning about the latest research, but also the intellectual challenge of critically assessing a manuscript.

Shuichi Hiraoka: The level of papers submitted to Chemical Science is high, so of course I enjoy the content of the papers themselves, but I sometimes enjoy thinking about what other experiments I would come up with if I were one of the authors of this paper, and what other conclusions I could draw from the results.

Niveen Khashab: The story! Manuscripts that take you through their story and their data are the best and easiest to follow.

 

What makes a paper truly stand out for you when reviewing a paper?

Owen Curnow: Aside from the novelty, competency and clarity of the work, honesty in the authors presentation and critical assessment of their own work. A conclusion that also identifies any uncertainties and deficiencies that can lead to further research.

Shuichi Hiraoka: While novelty and impact go without saying, I would like to especially recommend the publication of papers that are not bound by current trends in chemistry but are expected to contribute to the future development of chemistry, such as the establishment or discovery of new concepts, methods, or principles.

 

What advice would you give a first-time author looking to maximise their chances of successful peer review?

Jenny Zhang: Take time to make clear, well balanced, and easy-to-understand figures. Figures are the most important features of a paper, and some people will not bother reading the text. Producing effective figures (to show results) and schemes (to explain results) that are concise yet communicates necessary details should be prioritised.

Niveen Khashab: Keep it simple! We have probably heard this line a million times but really this works! Also invest more in figures and visuals as this can make the science more visible.

 

How do you typically prepare to write a review for Chemical Science?

Owen Curnow: When writing the report I start with a very brief description of the work and then summarise how competent the experimental work appears to be and whether the manuscript is well-written or not. I will then detail any major issues. Checking that the discussion and conclusions make sense in terms of the results is critical. I will then summarise my reason(s) for rejecting or accepting the manuscript. If I’m going to reject a paper, I will make suggestions on how it can be improved for publication in this or some other journal. I list the minor corrections at the end.

 

Are there any steps that reviewers can undertake to improve the quality of their review?

Jenny Zhang: I find it highly valuable to involve students and/or postdocs in the review. After everyone has reached a decision, I like to have a discussion together about the strengths and weaknesses of the paper. It’s a good learning experience for them to better understand how to judge the quality of a piece of work and how to write a paper. I find that they would often read the paper more carefully and in complementary ways to me and will pick up all sort of things that I would have otherwise missed.

 

Tune in next month to meet our next group of #ChemSciReviewers!

 

If you want to learn more about how we support our reviewers, check out our Reviewer Hub.

Interested in joining our ever-growing reviewer community? Apply here now!

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How can you publish in Chemical Science for free?

Get to know our flagship journal

In this blog post, we explain how our journal, Chemical Science, can support you as a member of the scientific community. Learn more about our diamond open access policy, our video series, ChemSci Voices, and our blog series, Reviewer Spotlight.

What does it mean to be diamond open access?

Chemical Science is an innovative journal made up of people who are passionate about chemistry. We are always thinking of new ways to support you and build upon our purpose – to help the chemical science community make the world a better place.

To aid this mission, we believe that opening up research to everyone is crucial. The work we publish is impactful. It can inspire new discoveries, change how people look at the planet, and challenge standard thinking. Everyone deserves to have access to this research as it could benefit us all, and this is why Chemical Science has been open access since 2015.

We also take things one step further. Our diamond open access policy means that you can publish in Chemical Science for free. The submission process remains the same as any other Royal Society of Chemistry journal. We cover any article processing charges if your work is accepted, so you can make an impact without any barriers.

This is ChemSci’s back story, and why we publish your research diamond open access.

Get to know more about ChemSci.

How can diamond open access benefit you?

Diamond open access publishing benefits everyone. It means that you can read all of our articles and publish with us for free. By removing barriers, we foster collaboration between disciplines and welcome anyone around the world to publish with us.

Need extra information? Learn more about diamond open access.

Introducing ChemSci Voices

The chemical science community is a thriving network of incredible scientists. We publish work in a broad range of areas and from researchers all over the world. But how can we make sure that everyone has a chance to be heard?

ChemSci Voices is a new video series that gives researchers a platform to talk about their discoveries. We are interested in hearing every voice from around the globe. Help us celebrate and promote your future discoveries.

Watch our new ChemSci Voices videos.

What is our Reviewer Spotlight?

Our peer reviewers have a significant impact on the work we publish, helping us make sure that every article is accurate and of high quality. Our blog series, Reviewer Spotlight, recognises this important work and highlights some of the benefits of being a reviewer.

If you have ever been interested in becoming a reviewer, we recommend reading some of our blog posts. You can learn what our reviewers enjoy about assessing research and how this work contributes to their career paths.

Read our Reviewer Spotlight blog.

Become a peer reviewer.

 

We want to thank everyone – our authors and peer reviewers – for being part of our journey to an open, equitable society where science can thrive.

 

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Wishing you a happy Year of the Rabbit!

From all of us here at Chemical Science, we would like to wish you a Happy Year of the Rabbit! In celebration we are delighted to present a special collection of our most popular recent articles, highlighting the work of authors from across China.

Chemical Science Happy New Year

You can find the full collection here and we have highlighted a selection of these below.

Read our Chinese New Year collection here

We also have four dedicated Chinese Associate Editors: Prof. Jinlong Gong at Tianjin University, Prof. Zaiping Guo at the University of Adelaide, Prof. Ning Jiao at Peking University and Prof. Yi-Tao Long at Nanjing University.

Professor Gong is interested in heterogeneous catalysis and kinetics with a focus on catalytic conversions of small molecules, production of hydrogen energy, and syntheses and applications of nanostructured catalytic materials. Professor Guo’s research interests include the design and application of electrode materials and electrolyte for energy storage and conversion, including rechargeable batteries, hydrogen storage, and fuel cells. Professor Jiao’s current research efforts are focused on new methodology development in atom-incorporation reactions, first-row transition metal catalysis and inert chemical bonds functionalization, and the synthesis of bioactive compounds and drug discovery. Professor Long is interested in the development of new electrochemical measurement methods to reveal the characteristics and dynamics of single entities.

 

Prof. Jinlong Gong Prof. Zaiping Guo
Prof. Jinlong Gong Prof. Zaiping Guo
Prof. Ning Jiao Prof. Yi-Tao Long
Prof. Ning Jiao Prof. Yi-Tao Long

 

We are pleased to send along their best wishes to our authors, reviewers, and readers.

 

Prof. Jinlong Gong: 衷心感谢各位读者、作者、编委和朋友对Chemical Scienc

e的厚爱与支持,何其有幸,年岁并进!启一元复始,待四序更新,衷心祝福大家大展宏兔,兔步青云,奋发兔强,万事顺遂!

Prof. Zaiping Guo: 副主编郭再萍向大家拜年了,感谢作者,审稿人,以及读者朋

友们一直以来对Chemical Science的支持, 在兔年到来之际,我们衷心的期待与您的进一步合作,携手再创一个丰收的2023!祝大家新年快乐,身体健康,工作顺利,万事如意!

Prof. Ning Jiao: 感谢大家长期以来对 Chemical Science的支持和帮助!兔年就要到了,衷心祝愿所有关心 Chemical Science的朋友们新的一年大展宏“兔”、工作“兔”飞猛进!恭祝大家新春愉快!身体健康!阖家幸福!皆得所愿!

Prof. Yi-Tao Long: 感谢Chemical Science的读者、作者、编委及广大朋友的厚爱,新的一年我们将更加努力,期待大家的继续关注和支持。恭祝各位老师兔年吉祥,身体健康,万事如意!

 

Stay up to date with Chemical Science by signing up to receive news and issue alerts here

 

Chinese New Year Special Collection Highlights:

 

NIR TADF emitters and OLEDs: challenges, progress, and perspectives
Xiao, Yuxin; Wang, Hailan; Xie, Zongliang; Shen, Mingyao; Huang, Rongjuan; Miao, Yuchen; Liu, Guanyu; Yu, Tao; Huang, Wei
Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 8906-8923
Review Article

Cu-catalyzed enantioselective decarboxylative cyanation via the synergistic merger of photocatalysis and electrochemistry
Yuan, Yin; Yang, Junfeng; Zhang, Junliang
Chem. Sci., 2022, 14, 705-710
Edge Article

Surfactant-chaperoned donor–acceptor–donor NIR-II dye strategy efficiently circumvents intermolecular aggregation to afford enhanced bioimaging contrast
Han, Tianyang; Wang, Yajun; Xu, Jiajun; Zhu, Ningning; Bai, Lang; Liu, Xiangping; Sun, Bin; Yu, Chenlong; Meng, Qinglun; Wang, Jiaqi; Su, Qi; Cai, Qing; Hettie, Kenneth S.; Zhang, Yuewei; Zhu, Shoujun; Yang, Bai
Chem. Sci., 2022, 14, 13201-13211
Edge Article

Exhaustive Baeyer–Villiger oxidation: a tailor-made post-polymerization modification to access challenging poly(vinyl acetate) copolymers
Ma, Pengfei; Plummer, Christopher M.; Luo, Wenjun; Pang, Jiyan; Chen, Yongming; Li, Le
Chem. Sci., 2022, 14, 11746-11754
Edge Article

We hope you enjoy reading this selection of articles from our collection celebrating the Chinese New Year.

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Highlighting our #MyFirstChemSci

Recently, Chemical Science author Professor E. W. Bert Meijer (Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands) sent us a video which showcased his first paper published in Chemical Science ‘Macrocyclization of enzyme-based supramolecular polymers, Chem. Sci., 2010,1, 79-88’ (https://doi.org/10.1039/C0SC00108B).

His paper was also the first paper published online in Chemical Science when the journal launched in 2010.

 

Thanks to Professor Meijer for sharing the video with us!

 

Chemical science logo

Keep up to date with our latest articles, reviews, collections & more by following us on Twitter. You can share your first Chemical Science publication by posting on Twitter with the hashtag #MyFirstChemSci.

 

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Multifunctional materials from tuneable nanoparticles

Metal-organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles combine with carbon microfibres to make large-scale materials with many possible applications

Assembling very small-scale nanoparticles into larger structures, commonly known as macroarchitectures, offers opportunities to exploit the nanoparticles’ unique chemical and physical properties while they are embodied within much larger components. Researchers in China, Australia and Japan developed a method that readily combines nanoparticles called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and micron-sized carbon fibres into versatile macroarchitecture materials.

The team, at Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China, the University of Queensland, Australia and the JST-ERATO Yamauchi Materials Space Tectonics Project, Japan, report their innovation in an article in the open access journal Chemical Science.

“While retaining the characteristics of the nanomaterial they are built from, our macroarchitectures also add in many new kinds of features such as high surface areas, high mechanical strength and low density,” says Professor Yusuke Yamauchi of the University of Queensland group.

From nano to macro in a simpler process

The manufacturing procedure begins with the MOF nanoparticles, which consist of metal ions or metallic clusters connected by organic (carbon-based) linker groups. Varying the metallic and organic components can generate a wide variety of MOFs with different chemical and physical properties.

The MOFs are then combined with hollow carbon-based fibres to form much larger centimetre-scale aerogels, which are highly porous and have extremely low densities. These unique materials can be generated in a variety of desired shapes, and possess great elasticity and compressibility, combined with chemical stability and physical strength.

Existing methods for making similar materials are problematic as their assembly usually yields products with relatively poor mechanical properties, and requires the use of adhesives or templates which have to be removed in additional steps. In contrast, the new method causes ‘zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8)-polyacrylonitrile nanofibers’ to directly assemble into centimetre-sized aerogels with controllable shapes and tuneable properties.

“The materials integrate the properties of one-dimensional nanofibers and three-dimensional carbon aerogels,” says Yamauchi.

Many possible uses

The macroarchitectures composed of three-dimensional porous interconnected networks could have commercial applications in many fields. The initial key to unlocking a wide range of practical uses is to design MOF structures that will achieve specific functions in each resulting aerogel. These could involve adsorbing specific chemicals into the pores of the final structure, catalysing chemical processes, or converting and storing energy, including electrical energy within capacitors.

Laboratory-scale trials have already demonstrated that some of the porous structures – which the researchers describe as “somewhat resembling that of a loofah sponge” – have impressive oil-retaining properties when exposed to mixtures of oil and water. This effect could be exploited to clean oil from polluted water. One version of the materials also has catalytic properties that could be useful for chemically degrading a variety of other pollutants.

The aerogels also have an impressive ability to absorb light and convert it into heat at high efficiency, which could be used to prepare drinkable water by desalinating seawater. “We believe that in the future our materials could be used for several large-scale and cost-effective water purification applications,” says Yamauchi.

The researchers now aim to develop the potential for moving from laboratory scale proof-of-concept demonstrations to commercially useful applications.

Chemical Science is open and free for both readers and authors.

Article details:

Zhang, Z. et al: “Modular assembly of MOF-derived carbon nanofibers into macroarchitectures for water treatment.” Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 9159-9164

nano particles to new multifunctional macroarchitectures infographic

 

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Chemical Science Reviewer Spotlight – September 2022

To further thank and recognise the support from our excellent reviewer community, we showcase reviewers who have provided exceptional support to the journal over the past year.

This month, we are highlighting Christoforos Kokotos, Joanna Wencel-Delord, Rosana Álvarez Rodríguez and Joaquin Barroso. We asked our reviewers a few questions about what they enjoy about reviewing, their experiences with Chemical Science and also for some tips about how to provide a useful review and also what they look for in a manuscript.

Christoforos Kokotos, University of Athens.  The research group of Christoforos focuses on asymmetric organocatalysis, the organocatalytic activation of small molecules, like H22, for oxidation reactions and organic photochemistry, especially applications in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, or the discovery of novel medicinal agents.

Joanna Wencel-Delord, University of Strasbourg. Joanna is interested in developing original, straightforward, and efficient synthetic routes to construct complex (chiral) molecules. Her research focuses on various approaches such as C-H activation, 3d-metal catalysis, and the chemistry of rare hypervalent compounds.

Rosana Álvarez Rodríguez, University of Vigo.  Rosana’s research focuses on stereoselective synthesis of biologically active natural products through the use of novel synthetic tools with their mechanisms studied through both experimental and computational techniques.

Joaquin Barroso, National Autonomous University of Mexico. Joaquin’s group uses computers to pose and solve the appropriate equations that describe the chemical reality of various phenomena, with an emphasis in trying to understand how molecules transfer energy between them once they absorb sunlight during photosynthesis.

 

What encouraged you to review for Chemical Science?

Christoforos Kokotos:  Chemical Science is a high-quality interdisciplinary journal that publishes cutting edge research, and usually publishes research that I am highly interested in. Reviewing gives you the opportunity to help the authors improve their work and as a reviewer you can ask for clarifications in points that are not clear in the original submission. Also, I have a special connection to Chemical Science, since I was a member of David MacMillan’s group during the period that Chemical Science was preparing to get launched and I remember the excitement and thrill in the research group. [Editor’s note: David MacMillan was the first Editor-in-Chief of Chemical Science and worked closely with the team for the launch of the journal]

Rosana Álvarez Rodríguez: Chemical Science is a scientific journal of international prestige that publishes full articles of high impact. I especially like the Edge article format and the broad selection of published articles.

 

What do you enjoy most about reviewing?

Joanna Wencel-Delord: What I enjoy the most is to take time to carefully think about projects of other people and having the possibility to give some suggestions and request additional explanations. I also find that the reviewing process also helps you to grow as scientist and gain more experience.

 

What are you looking for in a paper that you can recommend for acceptance in Chemical Science?

Joanna Wencel-Delord: What I’m really looking for, is to be somehow surprised by the originality of concepts and unprecedented reactivity or properties presented in a clear manner and supported by solid experimental evidence. And, I would say that a well written and nicely illustrated introduction specifying the underlying project is one of the cornerstones.

Joaquin Barroso: Clarity. We all do research based on our own interests and ideas, so for me it’s never about ranking or comparing manuscripts for which one is better. Thus, when a manuscript is written in such a way that one can trek and journey along with the authors through their train of thought, and become convinced about their conclusions, that’s when I become excited about reading a manuscript.

 

What advice would you give a first-time author looking to maximise their chances of successful peer review?

Christoforos Kokotos:  First-time authors are always helped by advice given by senior colleagues. This helped me a lot at the beginning of my career. So, do seek advice from senior colleagues. The introduction part is extremely crucial and authors should provide a thorough overview of the field and present, in a clear manner, the goals of their study and how it correlates with existing knowledge. Also, I usually find a scheme at the beginning which summarizes previous work and current work extremely helpful, especially if it shows how current work improves and solves problems existing in the literature.

Rosana Álvarez Rodríguez: I think that the most important thing in a good article is scientific rigour, clarity when describing the result, and novelty. A good article should also be easy to read.

 

How has your approach to peer reviewing changed over time?

Joanna Wencel-Delord:  Over time I have been putting growing importance on fair and balanced citations of the previous contributions in the field and clear statements of the novelty and originality of the submitted manuscripts.

 

A final specific question for Joaquin Barroso, whose blog helped me immensely when I was studying for my PhD in computational chemistry; Have you found the experience of providing information, tutorials and guides on your blog helpful when reviewing papers? For example, with determining how to communicate points or suggest improvements for a paper?

Joaquin Barroso: Absolutely, I know how hard it is to make a point come across. In my blog I try to teach people how to perform various kinds of calculations in computational chemistry, so clarity, brevity, and specificity are key.

 

Tune in next month to meet our next group of #ChemSciReviewers!

 

If you want to learn more about how we support our reviewers, check out our Reviewer Hub.

Interested in joining our ever-growing reviewer community? Apply here now!

 

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A big shift for understanding molecular structure

A single molecule magnet could help us understand the biochemistry of health and disease

 

A single molecule that behaves like a powerful magnet could help chemists determine the structure of many other molecules. Researchers based in Italy and Brazil describe the development and potential of their unusually powerful Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) shift agent in the open access journal Chemical Science.

NMR uses a strong magnetic field to split the spin levels of the nuclei at the centre of some atoms. Monitoring the splitting can reveal the chemical environment surrounding individual atoms, allowing the structure of entire molecules, including large biological macromolecules to be determined.

NMR is based on the same physical principles as medical MRI imaging, but instead of generating images of bodies it creates graphical read-outs of atomic interactions that can be readily deciphered by experts. It has been a fundamental tool of chemistry research since long before the widespread application of MRI imaging.

One problem, however, is that the signals from atoms in large molecules can overlap and interfere in ways that blur the data. This can be resolved by introducing a tiny magnetic tag into a region of interest within a large molecule. The magnetism of the tag shifts the signals from nearby atoms in a predictable way, separating them out from signals from other regions that are not of immediate interest.

The tags are called shift agents and many are available, but researchers are seeking more powerful and effective shift agents to make NMR signals ever clearer and allow them to reveal new details of molecular structure within larger molecules.

The researchers in Italy and Brazil found inspiration for their new shift agent in an unusual place – chemicals used in research towards quantum technologies.

“By searching molecular materials designed for the miniaturisation of information storage and quantum technologies, we have identified and re-designed a molecule that shifts the NMR signals of the neighbouring atoms twice as much as the currently used molecules,” says researcher Roberta Sessoli at the University of Florence. Sessoli and her colleagues in Italy collaborated with researchers at the Federal University of Parana, Brazil.

The molecule they devised has a cage-like arrangement of organic (carbon-based) chemical groups holding an atom of the rare-earth element dysprosium at its centre. It was produced by a relatively simple chemical modification that hugely increased the desirable magnetic properties of the molecule the team began with. Experiments and computational modelling showed that this design modification ensures the new shift agent has a very high and directional magnetic field while being sufficiently stable to be used in solution at room temperature.

The researchers hope that their shift agent can contribute to the worldwide effort to understand the structure of the very complex biomolecules that control the chemistry of life.

“The more we can learn about the structure and functions of proteins, for example, the better and faster we will be able to design new therapies for old and new diseases,” Sessoli says.

Chemical Science is open and free for both readers and authors.

 

Article details:

Santana, F. S. “A dysprosium single molecule magnet outperforming current pseudocontact shift agents.” Chemical Science, 2022, 13, 5680-5871

 

 

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