Scientific community articles within Nature Chemistry

Featured

  • In Your Element |

    Serotonin is known by many names — in science as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) or enteramine, and in popular culture as the ‘feel good’ chemical or the ‘happy hormone’. Cameron Movassaghi and Anne Andrews discuss the knowns and unknowns of this well-studied yet elusive neurotransmitter.

    • Cameron S. Movassaghi
    •  & Anne Milasincic Andrews

  • Perspective |

    Lack of standardization, transparency and interaction creates information gaps in scientific publications. Through strategies such as voluntary information management, standardization of reaction set-ups, and smart screening approaches, this Perspective gives guidelines on how to improve data management in publications reporting chemical reactions, focusing on reproducibility, standardization and evaluation of synthetic transformations.

    • Malte L. Schrader
    • , Felix R. Schäfer
    •  & Frank Glorius

  • Thesis |

    Becoming an assistant professor brings with it several challenges, one of which is developing new relationships that can be professionally and personally beneficial. Shira Joudan reflects on getting to know people at a new institution, having different types of relationships, and how they help with happiness and success.

    • Shira Joudan

  • News & Views |

    Single-particle cryo-electron microscopy and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations provide atomic details of ATP hydrolysis in the multimeric enzyme p97.

    • Nadia Elghobashi-Meinhardt

  • In Your Element |

    Daniel Rabinovich outlines the story of insulin, the essential drug for the treatment of diabetes during the past century.

    • Daniel Rabinovich

  • Meeting Report |

    Organic chemists meet biennially to present exciting developments in the realm of synthesis. Thomas Barber discusses the standout themes of this year’s international synthesis in organic chemistry symposium.

    • Thomas Barber

  • In Your Element |

    Few explosives are better-known to non-chemists than trinitrotoluene (TNT). Thomas M. Klapötke reflects on the enduring appeal of TNT and whether its starring role as an explosive is nearing its end.

    • Thomas M. Klapötke

  • Thesis |

    Teaching the history of science along with the science itself can give students greater context about the topic they are learning and a wider perspective on how it has developed. Michelle Francl, who has wrestled with how much time to spend on teaching history in the chemistry classroom for years, considers how unconventional histories can shift the curriculum.

    • Michelle Francl

  • In Your Element |

    Clinton Veale and Fanie van Heerden discuss the story of natamycin. From its humble telluric origins in Pietermaritzburg, this unique antimicrobial agent has risen to become a mainstay of the food and beverages industry.

    • Clinton G. L. Veale
    •  & Fanie R. van Heerden

  • Thesis |

    There are lots of expectations for assistant professors, and many opportunities that are good for your career. Shira Joudan reflects on making a personalized reference document for how to decide which opportunities are best to pursue, and to which to say ‘no’.

    • Shira Joudan

  • Comment |

    Critical realism distinguishes the ‘real’ world from the ‘observable’ one, which scientists explore as actors rather than as passive, neutral observers. Through this lens, it is clear that a diverse community that interrogates the world from different angles is an asset to the practice of chemistry itself.

    • Margaret A. L. Blackie

  • Comment |

    Critical race theory — an academic framework that serves to understand systemic racism in the USA and beyond — can help inform endeavours to advance justice and equity in the chemistry community.

    • Terrell R. Morton

  • Comment |

    Fires are relatively common yet underreported occurrences in chemical laboratories, but their consequences can be devastating. Here we describe our first-hand experience of a savage laboratory fire, highlighting the detrimental effects that it had on the research group and the lessons learned.

    • Mitchell P. Jones
    • , Kathrin Weiland
    •  & Alexander Bismarck

  • Thesis |

    Large language models such as ChatGPT have been predicted to lighten the load for some workers but make some roles obsolete. Michelle Francl explores what they can do for chemistry professors.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Thesis |

    Getting started at a new institution and building a research programme can be an exciting period, but there is much to do in a short space of time. Shira Joudan reflects on her first month as an assistant professor, discussing the stresses of setting up a new lab and how it’s easier with a little help from your (new) friends.

    • Shira Joudan

  • In Your Element |

    Organisms that glow are perhaps eerie. Vadim Viviani ponders on the luciferin–luciferase systems responsible for their intriguing bioluminescence.

    • Vadim R. Viviani

  • Thesis |

    Bifurcating the population as either verbal or visual thinkers is one of the simplest ways to classify intelligence. Bruce Gibb argues that visual thinking is key to chemistry, and that teaching and testing must focus on this type of thinking rather than traditional approaches promoting verbal thinking skills.

    • Bruce C. Gibb

  • Comment |

    Does the pursuit of scientific research based on a well-defined technological outcome hamper our ability to be creative? And does it limit opportunities to explore and develop fundamental areas of science that may ultimately lead to applications we hadn’t even thought of yet?

    • Ksenija D. Glusac
    •  & Radomir N. Saicic

  • Q&A |

    Zafra Lerman talks to Nature Chemistry about embedding art in science education, and science in the pursuit of peace on Earth.

    • Anne Pichon

  • Thesis |

    The time between accepting a position as an assistant professor and taking the role is exciting and unique. But how much work is required before you even start? Shira Joudan ponders which tasks are necessary and how many times one should interrupt a very well-deserved break.

    • Shira Joudan

  • Meeting Report |

    Kemi Oloyede reflects on the importance of having LGBTQ+ STEM events, and their role in combatting inertia in the scientific community.

    • Kemi Oloyede

  • In Your Element |

    Rahul Dev Mukhopadhyay and Kimoon Kim consider how cucurbiturils — pumpkin-shaped macrocycles — went from curiosities to compelling cavitands for a host of applications.

    • Rahul Dev Mukhopadhyay
    •  & Kimoon Kim

  • Q&A |

    Matthew Horwitz, creator of the Synthesis Workshop video podcast, talks to Nature Chemistry about using podcasting as a driver of professional-level education in the chemistry community.

    • Katherine Geogheghan

  • In Your Element |

    Methane hydrate clogs pipelines, is difficult to extract profitably, and exists in quantities sufficient to screw up Earth’s climate. Brett Thornton and Christian Stranne consider this confounding cage compound.

    • Brett F. Thornton
    •  & Christian Stranne

  • Q&A |

    Amilra Prasanna (AP) de Silva talks to Nature Chemistry about his path in chemistry, from photochemistry to sodium sensors to logic gates, through connections between people and between two places that share more than it may seem, Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland.

    • Anne Pichon

  • In Your Element |

    Carina Crucho and Maria Teresa Barros consider the rich chemistry of sucrose, a carbohydrate that makes life sweeter.

    • Carina I. C. Crucho
    •  & Maria Teresa Barros

  • Thesis |

    Introduced in response to growing numbers of scientists and conferences, posters gave an outlet to those not invited to give oral presentations. But why are poster sessions still the purview of students?

    • Michelle Francl

  • In Your Element |

    Abhik Ghosh explores the structure, chemistry and applications of corroles, a class of sterically constrained macrocyclic tetrapyrroles.

    • Abhik Ghosh

  • Comment |

    Governments worldwide are committing more funding for scientific research in the face of the ongoing pandemic and climate crises. However, the funding process must be restructured to remove the barriers arising from conscious and unconscious biases experienced by minoritized groups, including women, and particularly women of colour.

    • J. M. Jebsen
    • , K. Nicoll Baines
    •  & I. Jayasinghe

  • Thesis |

    Decisions, decisions. There’s a lot to think about when moving on from a postdoctoral position and Shira Joudan takes us through the considerations that led to her ultimately taking a tenure-track position in a new city.

    • Shira Joudan

  • In Your Element |

    Tova N. Williams explores the history of madder, its components and the perhaps confusing terminology that surrounds this long-known source of red colour.

    • Tova N. Williams

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl explores how glass revolutionized chemistry.

    • Michelle Francl

  • In Your Element |

    Claire Murray ponders on the attraction benzene — a small, seemingly simple molecule — has long exerted on scientists, some of the insights gained through its exploration, and the varied applications found for this hexagonal ring and its derivatives.

    • Claire Murray

  • Perspective |

    A substantial proportion of the data generated in chemistry research is captured non-digitally and reported in ways that non-accessible to both humans and computers. A variety of tools do exist to capture, analyse and publish data in an open, reusable, machine-actionable manner — they should be connected to create an open-science platform for chemistry.

    • Kevin Maik Jablonka
    • , Luc Patiny
    •  & Berend Smit

  • Q&A |

    Athina Anastasaki from ETH Zürich talks to Nature Chemistry about her career, her research in polymer chemistry and the challenges she dealt with in her academic pathway.

    • Kathryn Ashe

  • Q&A |

    Miao Hong, based at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, tells Nature Chemistry about her work in sustainable polymer design and her thoughts about the future of this field.

    • Kathryn Ashe

  • Q&A |

    Lara Mosunmola Lalemi, PhD student at the University of Bristol and founder of the Creative Tuition Collective, shares with Nature Chemistry some of her projects — from climate chemistry to social justice — to improve our environment in all senses of the term.

    • Anne Pichon

  • Comment |

    Chemistry plays a key role in tackling today’s challenges and ensuring a sustainable future. Since 2019, IUPAC has been identifying technologies with the potential to advance our society and improve our quality of life.

    • Fernando Gomollón-Bel
    •  & Javier García-Martínez

  • Thesis |

    Bruce C. Gibb suggests it’s time to put student testing to the test and that everyone should be given the space they need to succeed.

    • Bruce C. Gibb

  • Q&A |

    Jennifer Leigh and Jennifer Hiscock, both from the University of Kent, UK, share with Nature Chemistry the origins of the Women In Supramolecular Chemistry (WISC) network, as well as some of the projects underway to try to help change the culture of this area of chemistry from the bottom up.

    • Anne Pichon

  • Meeting Report |

    The recent Empowering Women in Organic Chemistry meeting was its most dynamic yet. Shanina Sanders Johnson discusses how this meeting exhibited inclusivity and examined strategies such as mentoring and forming allies to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in organic chemistry.

    • Shanina Sanders Johnson

  • Q&A |

    Sibusiso Biyela, science communicator and journalist in South Africa, talks to Nature Chemistry about the decolonization of science through science communication.

    • Anne Pichon

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl reminds #ChemistsWhoCook to look at the chemistry behind the cooking.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Thesis |

    The periodic table of elements should be celebrated not only for the order it brings, but also for the fascinating stories underlying this icon of science, suggests Juris Meija.

    • Juris Meija

  • Thesis |

    A diverse group of people with a range of skills is required to be successful in academia, just as it is in team sports, argues Bruce C. Gibb.

    • Bruce C. Gibb

  • Thesis |

    Ellis McCarver and Michelle Francl want to turn up the volume of the voices of marginalized chemists.

    • Michelle Francl
    •  & Ellis McCarver

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