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From the 30th of June until the 5th of July 2019, the 9th Molecular Quantum Mechanics conference (MQM 2019) took place in the 'Kongresshaus Stadthalle' in Heidelberg, Germany. The conference had been organised to celebrate the 'German School' of quantum chemistry by honouring four quantum chemists that had pioneered the field in Germany. In particular, the 9th MQM conference was held to the memory of Reinhart Ahlrichs and in honour of Werner Kutzelnigg, Wilfried Meyer, and Sigrid Peyerimhoff. The authors of this article are very thankful to have had the opportunity to chair the historical session, respectively, to deliver the laudation for Werner Kutzelnigg. In what follows, we would like to give a few biographical notes on the life of Werner, say a few words about his personality, and highlight his most important and pioneering contributions to the field of quantum chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research done on academic papers that went for decades before they were recognized and considered as important. It references a study by Q. Ke and colleagues, published in the 2015 issue of the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA." Information is presented on the relevance of research done by German chemist and colloid pioneer Herbert Freundlich that was published in 1906.

Continuous crystallization technology has attracted rising attention from chemists and material scientists. In this paper, cefminox sodium is selected as a model drug for consecutive antisolvent crystallization using a multistage mixed suspension mixed product removal (MSMPR) crystallizer. The effects of operating parameters on the product crystal particle size, crystal habit, and yield under steady‐state conditions are investigated in detail: operating parameters such as the initial concentration of the crystallization solution, the volume ratio of the crystallization solution to antisolvent, the total flow rate, the amount of seed crystals added, the crystallization temperature, and the mixing rate. The kinetic solubility data of cefminox sodium in two binary aqueous mixed solvents at 278.15–303.15 K are determined by laser dynamic method, and two empirical models are subsequently borrowed to fit the obtained data. This work provides a new crystallization process for cefminox sodium. After optimization, the mass yield is increased to 89.11%, the average particle size Dv(50) is about 164 µm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What kind of "war" did Japanese chemists fight during World War I, and what impact did their experiences have on Japanese chemistry in its aftermath? By focusing on the role of Jo ji Sakurai (1858-1939), this paper attempts to answer these questions by looking at the drastic changes in the international relationships of the Japanese chemical community caused by the war. It examines how the Japanese National Research Council was established in 1920 as part of the International Research Council, a product of the reconfiguration of international scientific powers triggered by World War I. This paper argues that Sakurai advocated the establishment of the National Research Council after the American model of wartime mobilisation of science, coordinated fractured Japanese chemical communities for international functions, and facilitated Japan's participation and increased influence in international scientific associations such as the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, established in 1919. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces the publication of a special issue of the journal "Molecular Physics" in honor of Professor Pulay, a highly known chemist and author. The issue is being coordinated with an international conference in Hungary on May 29-June 3, 2007. Papers must be submitted before June 1, 2007 and need not be presented at the conference and should be submitted in electronic format and must be labeled "Peter Pulay Special Issue."

The article offers information about the Chemistry Unpublished Papers Forum from the University of Pisa in Italy. The rationale behind the forum states that flops in chemical reactions, though seldom end up in papers, can be instructive for other researchers who attempts to duplicate synthesis. In the forum, chemists reports chemical reactions that faltered or that brought out surprising products. Visitors can join discussions of troublesome reactions or share their laboratory problems. The "Fake Chemistry" section of the forum allows users identify papers that shows high yields.

Significant progress has been made in the past decades in the capture, storage, and utilization of greenhouse gases, particularly CO2. In general, the synthesis of most of the available CO2 sorbents is not ecofriendly and can require multistep synthesis in order to prepare and/or activate, which is considered a strict violation of green chemistry principles (GCPs). Therefore, thinking of green frameworks to design chemical products and processes becomes essential to mitigate these challenges. This paper provides an in‐depth review of available green sorbents for CO2 capture with an emphasis on those prepared from biorenewable materials and ionic liquids. A new metric is presented to classify these sorbents based on their degree of compliance to the GCPs, which could be a useful tool in selection of green alternatives. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of this research topic, a wide range of literature is available in multiple areas including but not limited to chemistry and engineering. Hence, this review targets a wide range of scientists including chemists, biotechnologists, material scientists, and meteorologists, as well as green industrial corporations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformations of cyclopropenes have attracted the attention of organic chemists for decades. As readily accessible strained carbocycles, cyclopropenes show a diverse range of reactivities. This feature article focuses on the developments of cyclopropenes from 2016 until the end of 2019, including reactions through vinylmetal carbenes, reactions through metal complex insertion, addition reactions with 1,3-dipole, radical reactions of cyclopropenes, and reactions of highly reactive in situ generated cyclopropenes. In addition, several new synthetic methods and applications of cyclopropenes are also disclosed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the review paper, we attempt to point out the importance of the directing group in the transition metal‐catalyzed C‐H bond activation/transformations, especially in the site‐selectivity and reactivity. The employment of the directing groups in the type of reaction can enable a chemist to straightforwardly approach the desired molecular skeletons. Thus, understanding the role of the directing groups in the C‐H bond activation/transformations would benefit chemists to design better auxiliary groups and develop more efficient and practical synthetic methodologies. We believe that the synthetic strategy based on the utility of the directing group to assist in the transition metal‐catalyzed C‐H bond activation/transformations will keep playing as a mainstream role in the research field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent renaissance of electrochemical methods for organic synthesis has also attracted increased interest towards flow electrochemistry as the most suitable scale-up strategy. Many electrochemical methods using flow cells are based on recirculation of the electrolyte solution. However, single-pass processing is very attractive as it permits integration of the electrochemical reaction with other synthetic or purification steps in a continuous stream. Translation of batch electrochemical procedures to single-pass continuous flow cells can be challenging to beginners in the field. Using the electrochemical methoxylation of 4-methylanisole as model, this paper provides newcomers to the field with an overview of the factors that need to be considered to develop a flow electrochemical process, including advantages and disadvantages of operating in galvanostatic and potentiostatic mode in small scale reactions, and the effect of the interelectrode gap, supporting electrolyte concentration and pressure on the reaction performance. A comparison of the reaction efficiency in batch and flow is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates the results of the diagnostic analyses aimed at the knowledge and characteriza-tion of the plasters and paint on the main front of the Cathedral de la Asunción de León in Nicaragua, which since 2011 has been granted World Heritage status by UNESCO. In addition to a knowledge nature, the diagnostic campaign has set itself the goal of providing useful information to develop a proper conservation project capable of introducing a working method (based on the close relationship between architect, chemist, geologist and restorer) not yet widespread in a country like Nicaragua. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the life and scientific career of Paolo Chini (1928–1980), an Italian chemist with a great experimental ingenuity. In Italy and abroad he really represented a key figure for his fundamental industrial and academic research. He took an active part on the development of polypropylene polymer synthesis pathway together with Giulio Natta and he has been a pioneer for the synthesis and characterization of high nuclearity metal carbonyl clusters: a borderline discipline between molecular and solid-state chemistry. This work also includes eyewitness testimonies of Chini's close friends and relatives, in order to give the reader an accurate biography of this scientist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this essay is to examine the iconic nature of Mendeleev's periodic table in light of the philosophy of the American pragmatist Charles Sanders Peirce. Mendeleev and Peirce lived at approximately the same time during the 19th and early 20th centuries. They both trained as chemists and, in 1869, the year of Mendeleev's first arrangement of the chemical elements, Peirce published his own arrangement, also based on atomic weights. Peirce developed a theory of iconicity as part of his wider semiotics, an important characteristic of an icon being its epistemic fruitfulness. The periodic table proved to be epistemically fruitful in predicting new relations—new knowledge—such as revised atomic weights and novel elements. By viewing the periodic table through the lens of Peirce's iconicity, I will show how Mendeleev was able both to reveal and to make perspicuous the relations between the chemical elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiments of M. Carey Lea (1823–1897) are usually considered the first systematic investigations on the chemical effects of mechanical action. This paper collects the most important facts about Lea's life and discusses his research from the point of view of mechanochemistry. Lea was born into a family of considerable privilege and exceptional achievements. He suffered from weak health throughout his life. Consequently, he was educated at home by a tutor and later worked in the private laboratory of his home in Philadelphia. Lea was primarily a photochemist, his first mechanochemical observation in 1866 concerned the pressure sensitivity of photographic plates. Later in his life, he investigated the effect of various kinds of energy—heat, light, mechanical action—on allotropic (colloidal) silver and silver halides. The “parallelism” of the results motivated Lea to study the mechanochemical decomposition of dozens of stable compounds between 1892 and 1894. He observed the decomposition of silver and mercuric chlorides by trituration in a mortar, although the same compounds are known to melt or sublime undecomposed when heated. Lea was elected member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1892. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reaction of lightly stabilized osmium carbonyl [Os x (CO) y (MeCN) n ] and organotin/germayl hydrides afford a variety of bimetallic Os-Sn/Ge carbonyl complexes/clusters. The salient features of the manuscript are. It is a comprehensive report on the synthesis and bonding on bimetallic osmium–tin and osmium–germanium carbonyl complexes which are now ripened to investigate their applications as heterogeneous catalysis and sources of bimetallic nanoparticles. The novelty of this paper is that there is no review published on bimetallic osmium–tin and osmium–germanium carbonyl complexes so far. The synthesis and structure of Os–Sn and Os–Ge bimetallic carbonyl complexes bearing both rigid and flexible diphosphine ligands are also collected in the review. The structures and mechanisms of formation of some of these complexes which were not reported in the original papers are proposed in this review. We believe that this paper will attract diverse readers like inorganic, cluster, organometallic and coordination chemists along with the materials scientists. Thus, surely it will be cited by a diverse scientific community. [Display omitted] Over the past few years, there have been several reports on bimetallic di–, tri–, tetra–, and polynuclear osmium–tin and osmium–germanium carbonyl complexes. This review describes recent studies on the synthesis and characterization of these carbonyl complexes of varying nuclearity and some of their reactivities. Albeit, the studies of their applications have barely been reported or virtually ignored, the salient features on their formation, structure and bonding are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dr David Nelson talks about his motivation for being a chemist, his viewpoints on the research field of homogeneous catalysis, as well as his experience of being an Editorial Board Member for Communications Chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The table of contents for June 2016 issue of "New Journal of Chemistry" is presented.

Uranium metal and its compounds have been of great interest to physicists and chemists due to its use for both civil and military applications, e.g. production of electricity, use in the medical field and for making nuclear weapons. This review paper describes the occurrence, chemistry and metallurgy of the element 'uranium', its conversion to stable compounds such as yellow cake, uranium tetrafluoride and uranium hexafluoride and the enrichment technologies and uses for both civil and military purposes. The paper is meant for ready reference for students and teachers in connection with the recent spate of interest shown in nuclear power generation in Pakistan and abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the definition of mole, the unit of the amount of substance, has changed to have the base units of the International System defined by “explicit-constant” formulations. The old definition, by referring explicitly to both mass and elementary units, suggests that the mole is a bridge between the macroscopic and microscopic registers. Conversely, the new definition emphasizes the aspect of counting, referred to any kind of elementary unit. Paradoxically, this results in the disappearance of the notion of substance from the very unit of the quantity amount of substance. This change of definition elicited both positive and negative remarks from various authors, in relation to its epistemological, disciplinary, lexical and educational implications. In the present paper, we analyze some of these issues, highlighting the (conflicting) motivations of metrologists and chemists. We argue that the new definition of mole reflects a view of chemistry according to which the microscopic perspective prevails, possibly entailing the loss of reference to the macroscopic register; this could be related with the profound change undergone by the cognitive practices of chemistry along this last century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2024 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award has been given to Joel Habener and Svetlana Mojsov for their discovery of a new hormone GLP-1(7-37) and to Lotte Knudsen for her role in developing sustained acting versions of this hormone as a treatment for obesity. Each of the three had a distinct set of skills that made this advance possible; Habener is an endocrinologist and molecular biologist, Mojsov is a peptide chemist, and Knudsen is a pharmaceutical scientist. Their collective efforts have done what few thought possible--the development of highly effective medicines for reducing weight. Their research has also solved a mystery that began more than a century ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interfacial solar water evaporation has emerged as an effective technique for converting solar energy to thermal energy, which can then be applied to clean water production and sewage treatment. This review discusses the primary characterization techniques used to evaluate the key aspects of interfacial solar water evaporators: the intrinsic and performance evaluation. Each technique is discussed with a brief explanation of its foundations, followed by carefully selected examples. This review is aimed at assisting materials chemists and physicists, particularly students, in choosing the most appropriate techniques for characterizing photothermal materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article is focused on the progress made in the synthesis of 5′-α-P-modified nucleoside triphosphates (α-phosphate mimetics). A variety of α-P-modified nucleoside triphosphates (NTPαXYs, Y = O, S; X = S, Se, BH3, alkyl, amine, N-alkyl, imido, or others) have been developed. There is a unique class of nucleoside triphosphate analogs with different properties. The main chemical approaches to the synthesis of NTPαXYs are analyzed and systematized here. Using the data presented here on the diversity of NTPαXYs and their synthesis protocols, it is possible to select an appropriate method for obtaining a desired α-phosphate mimetic. Triphosphates' substrate properties toward nucleic acid metabolism enzymes are highlighted too. We reviewed some of the most prominent applications of NTPαXYs including the use of modified dNTPs in studies on mechanisms of action of polymerases or in systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). The presence of heteroatoms such as sulfur, selenium, or boron in α-phosphate makes modified triphosphates nuclease resistant. The most distinctive feature of NTPαXYs is that they can be recognized by polymerases. As a result, S-, Se-, or BH3-modified phosphate residues can be incorporated into DNA or RNA. This property has made NTPαXYs a multifunctional tool in molecular biology. This review will be of interest to synthetic chemists, biochemists, biotechnologists, or biologists engaged in basic or applied research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We herein report radical hydroazidation and hydrohalogenation of mono-, di- and trisubstituted alkenes through iron catalysis. The alkene moiety that often occurs as a functionality in natural products is readily transformed into useful building blocks through this approach. Commercially available tosylates and α-halogenated esters are used as radical trapping reagents in combination with silanes as reductants. The reported radical Markovnikov hydroazidation, hydrobromination, hydrochlorination, and hydroiodination occur under mild conditions. These hydrofunctionalizations are valuable and practical alternatives to ionic hydrohalogenations with the corresponding mineral acids that have to be run under harsher acidic conditions, which diminishes the functional group tolerance. Good to excellent diastereoselectivities can be obtained for the hydrofunctionalization of cyclic alkenes. Alkenes are attractive building blocks for synthetic organic chemists as they are widely available and can be functionalized in ways that enable manifold further transformations. Here, the authors present a suite of hydrofunctionalizations of alkenes that lead to regioselective delivery of azides and halogens, under mild conditions, with iron catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical reactions via carbocation intermediates remain fundamental transformations that build up molecular functionality and complexity in a sustainable manner. Enantioselective control of such processes is a great challenge in a highly ionic electrolyte solution. Here, we report an anodic generation of chiral α-imino carbocation intermediates by enamine catalysis. The chiral carbocation intermediates can be intercepted by a variety of nucleophiles such as alcohols, water and thiols with high stereoselectivity. The key SN1 step proceeds via a tertiary amine-mediated proton shuttle that facilitates facial selection in reacting with carbocation. Carbocations are useful synthetic intermediates which enable direct functionalization of carbon centers, but their generation in a manner that uses mild conditions and enables stereoselective interception remains a longstanding goal of organic chemists. Here, the authors use electrochemical enamine oxidation to synthesize chiral scaffolds from racemic α-branched aldehydes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding organic reaction mechanisms is crucial for interpreting the formation of products at the atomic and electronic level, but still remains as a domain of knowledgeable experts. The lack of a large-scale dataset with chemically reasonable mechanistic sequences also hinders the development of reliable machine learning models to predict organic reactions based on mechanisms as human chemists do. Here, we present a high-quality and the first large-scale reaction dataset, denoted as mech-USPTO-31K, with chemically reasonable arrow-pushing diagrams validated by synthetic chemists, encompassing a wide spectrum of polar organic reaction mechanisms. We envision this dataset curated by applying a simple and flexible method that automatically generates reaction mechanisms using autonomously extracted reaction templates and expert-coded mechanistic templates to become an invaluable tool to develop future reaction outcome prediction models and discover new reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition-metal-catalyzed directed C–H functionalization with various carbene precursors has been widely employed for constructing a wide range of complex and diverse active molecules through metal carbene migratory insertion processes. Among various carbene precursors, iodonium ylides serve as a novel and emerging carbene precursor with features including easy accessibility, thermal stability and high activity, which have attracted great attention from organic chemists and have achieved tremendous success in organic transformation. In this review, recent progress on the application of iodonium ylides with multifunctional coupling characteristics in C–H bond activation reactions is summarized, and the potential of iodonium ylides is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a brief write-up on the Nobel Prize winning paper of Lars Onsager which appeared in Physical Review, Vol.37, 1931. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the theory of chemical graphs, several topological indices were defined or expanded or generalized by Wiener, Gutman and mathematicians and other chemists [1]. In this paper, we will calculate the indices of Szeged and vertex-PI for 4k-cycle polyomino chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury oxide does not contain two simple bodies, a gas and a metal, but two elements, mercury and oxygen, which, when free, are a gas and a metal. A Collection of Essays by Chemists, Philosophers, Historians, and Educators: edited by Eric Scerri and Elena Ghibaudi, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2020, 312 pp., ISBN: 9780190933784, £65.00 To wit, the number of known elements grew from 33 elements in Lavoisier's time to no less than 63 elements in Mendeleev's time. [Extracted from the article]

Around the start of the 1920s, the situation of female chemists in the photographic manufacturing industry was literally and figuratively explosive, for their record in conducting hazardous organic syntheses made the research director of the largest photographic firm conclude that chemistry was not an appropriate field for women. About two decades later, by contrast, the photographic industry had developed into one of a relatively small number of industries where female chemists had obtained recognition and promotions not only as librarians, patent professionals, and chemical analysts but also as experimental and theoretical investigators in research and development laboratories. This article suggests that to make sense of this turnabout, it is crucial to carefully examine the position of women chemists in corporate organisational structures and hierarchies, including the possible unintended consequences of segregating women into separate scientific labs and/or teams. This study's findings also point to the value of using scientific groups and labs as units of analysis in historical research on women scientists in industry, an approach that could be extended to other cases and might help stimulate more dialogue between historians of corporate science and R&D on one hand and historians of women and gender in science on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of a quantitative analysis of speeches by Nobel laureates in the sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Medicine) at the Prize gala dinner throughout the whole history of the Prize, 1901–2018. The results outline key themes and historical trends. A dominant theme, common to most speeches, is the exaltation of science as a profession by the laureate. Since the 1970s, especially in chemistry, this element becomes more domain-specific and less related to science in general. One could speculate whether this happens chiefly in chemistry because its area of activity has been perceived to be at risk of erosion from competing fields (e.g. physics, biology). Over time, speeches become more technical, less ceremonial and more lecture-oriented. Emphasis on broad, beneficial impact of science for humanity and mankind (as emphasised in Nobel’s will) is more present in laureates’ speeches during the first half of the XXth century, while its relevance clearly declines during the last decades. Politics and its relationship with science is also a relevant topic in Nobel speeches. Particularly between the two World Wars, science is seen as terrain where nationalistic stances and fights among nations could actually find a context for peaceful competition and even cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic light scattering (DLS) is a useful tool for the study of the solution-based behavior of colloids and molecular assemblies. The aim of this methods paper is to provide perspective on how this technique can be used by supramolecular chemists. As this technique is not extensively used within the field, we also provide a historical background of its development, summarize data interpretation and the strengths and limitations of the technique, and provide a perspective on some of the important features for supramolecular chemists that can be found in an instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The letters of Humphry Davy and his circle, to be published shortly, shed new light on his marriage to Jane Apreece. This paper examines the journeys undertaken by the couple, together and separately, with particular attention to the therapeutic benefits they sought from travel. I argue that their increasingly divergent itineraries reflected a growing understanding that Humphry and Jane had different humoral temperaments or constitutions, leading them to seek different climatic conditions to cure their ailments. While Jane's temperament was classified as melancholic, requiring her to travel to warmer and sunnier climes during the English winter, Humphry's was believed to be sanguine, meaning he had to avoid excessive heat along with stimulating food and drink. He relied on classical ideas about individuals' different humoral constitutions, and the therapies appropriate to them, while measuring atmospheric variables to determine the best places to restore his health. The Davys' letters reveal the beliefs about bodily differences and atmospheric conditions that shaped their therapeutic travels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper's primary goal is to compare the personalities, values, and influence of August Wilhelm Hofmann and Emil Fischer as exemplars and acknowledged leaders of successive generations of the German chemical profession and as scientists sharing a 19th-century liberal, internationalist outlook from the German wars of unification in the 1860s to Fischer's death in 1919 in the aftermath of German defeat in World War I. The paper will consider the influence of Hofmann and Fischer on the shaping of national scientific institutions in Germany, from founding of the German Chemical Society in 1867 to the first institutes of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society founded in 1911, their academic leadership in other areas including the shaping of a successful academic-industrial symbiosis in organic chemistry, and finally their response to war as a force disruptive of scientific internationalism. All of these developments posed serious dilemmas, exacerbated by emerging strains of nationalism and anti-Semitism in German society. Whereas Hofmann's lifework came to a relatively successful end in 1892, Fischer was not so fortunate, as the war brought him heavy responsibilities and terrible personal losses, but with no German victory and no peace of reconciliation – a bleak end for Fischer and the 19th-century liberal ideals that had inspired him. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The three mineral species that constitute the common “calamines,” or non-sulphurous ores of zinc, were first definitively identified in 1803 by the British chemist and mineralogist James Smithson. The present article proposes a close exegesis of Smithson’s argument, which has not previously been studied in any detail. His reasoning integrated chemical, natural historical, and crystallographic considerations, and illustrates important features of the practice of mineral chemistry at this time. Whereas zinc ore was an essential component of the rapidly expanding brass industry, the context for Smithson’s work was not commercial, but rather that of mineral collecting and natural history. Appreciating this fact, and the role of crystallography within this setting, helps to shed light on the interesting theoretical speculations about chemical combination that he included in the paper. Smithson’s ideas about chemical combination were informed by a structural way of thinking about materials, and his argument illustrates some of the ways that crystallog-raphy influenced chemistry in this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This issue of EurJIC highlights coordination chemistry research 100 years after the first proposal of the structure of [Co(NH3)6]Cl3 as we know it today by Alfred Werner, which formed the foundation of Coordination Chemistry. Our Guest Editors, Debbie Crans and Ebbe Nordlander, invited selected participants of the 4th Zing Coordination Chemistry Conference held in Cancun in December 2013 to submit papers for this Cluster Issue. This issue of EurJIC highlights coordination chemistry research 100 years after the first proposal of the structure of [Co(NH3)6]Cl3 as we know it today by Alfred Werner, which formed the foundation of Coordination Chemistry. Our Guest Editors, Debbie Crans and Ebbe Nordlander, invited selected participants of the 4th Zing Coordination Chemistry Conference held in Cancun in December 2013 to submit papers for this Cluster Issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monomeric organolithium (LiR) complexes could provide enhanced Li–C bond reactivity and suggest mechanisms for a plethora of LiR-mediated reactions. They are highly sought-after but remain a synthetic challenge for organometallic chemists. In this work, we report the synthesis and characterisation of a monomeric (trimethylsilyl)methyl lithium complex, namely [Li(CH2SiMe3)(κ3-N,N′,N′′-Me6Tren)] (1), where Me6Tren is a tetradentate neutral amine ligand. The structure of 1 was comprehensively examined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, variable temperature NMR spectroscopy and electron absorption spectroscopy. Complex 1 decomposes via ligand C–H and C–N activations to produce a Li amide complex 2. Preliminary reactivity studies of 1 reveal C＝O insertion and C–H activation reaction patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carl Schorlemmer (1834-1892), the first professor of organic chemistry in the Owens College, Manchester (and in England), was the prominent Anglo-German chemist and historian of chemistry of the second half of the 19th century. He studied the constitution of paraffinic hydrocarbons. The purpose of this paper is to familiarize readers with the important events in the life of Schorlemmer and his research activities and writing, in particular some of his experimental results, as well as his selected publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article profiles chemistry researcher Louis Nadjo and focuses on his contributions to electrochemistry and electrocatalysis. The relevance of his research to the development of environmentally friendly and efficient photo-electro-catalysts based on polyoxometalates is mentioned. His publication of about 280 research papers, reviews, book chapters and patents with approximately 80 % of which are related to the field of polyoxometalates is highlighted.

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B In her guest editorial b , Prof. Myunghyun Paik Suh reflects on her 50-year-long career devoted to chemistry, and the many challenges she had to overcome in order to become a world-leading scientist in South Korea. I devoted myself to studying chemistry and conducting chemical research for 50 years since I entered the department of chemistry, Seoul National University, in March 1967 as a college student until I eventually retired as a university professor in February 2017. For this, we both got admission from the University of Chicago, married at the age of 22, and went for the U.S. Since then, I had changed my maiden name, Myunghyun Paik, to Myunghyun P. Suh (MP Suh), which I have used as my international name in all my publications. There are many young chemists, in particular, many female chemists in the academic and industrial fields in Korea, and they are highly talented and active. [Extracted from the article]