Scientific community articles within Nature Chemistry

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  • Meeting Report |

    Chirality is fundamental to chemistry, molecular biology and photonics, but chirality itself is not often in the spotlight. Lewis E. MacKenzie and Patrycja Stachelek report on the 2021 Chiral Materials meeting, which explored how chirality manifests in functional materials, and how it can lead to new technological applications.

    • Lewis E. MacKenzie
    •  & Patrycja Stachelek

  • Comment |

    Statistical tools based on machine learning are becoming integrated into chemistry research workflows. We discuss the elements necessary to train reliable, repeatable and reproducible models, and recommend a set of guidelines for machine learning reports.

    • Nongnuch Artrith
    • , Keith T. Butler
    •  & Aron Walsh

  • Q&A |

    Gemma Tracey talks to Nature Chemistry about ingrained inequalities in the research community and the role of funders in replacing privilege with equitable and transparent systems.

    • Anne Pichon

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl wonders what the future will think of her office.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Q&A |

    The career paths of Alveda Williams and Cory Valente have closely mirrored each other — perhaps surprisingly so for a straight Black woman and a gay white man with very different childhoods. They talk to Nature Chemistry about their journeys from research and development roles to Dow’s inclusion and diversity team.

    • Anne Pichon

  • Comment |

    Ingrained prejudices and a lack of action addressing discrimination are some of the main reasons why academic chemistry is overwhelmingly white. Data and discussions on racial inequalities are often greeted with scepticism and cynicism within the community, yet they are necessary to fight racism — and anti-Black racism in particular.

    • Binuraj R. K. Menon

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl wonders if scientists ought to pen poetry.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Q&A |

    Ayanna Jones, Samantha Mensah and Devin Swiner, three of the #BlackInChem co-founders, talk to Nature Chemistry about the origins, goals, initiatives and joy of this movement.

    • Anne Pichon

  • Meeting Report |

    The #ScienceTwitter community was recently treated to a virtual campaign under the hashtags #BlackInChem and #BlackChemistsWeek. This event highlighted past and present contributions from Black people in the field and offered unique opportunities for networking, mentorship, and recognition, say Abraham Beyene and Priera Panescu.

    • Abraham G. Beyene
    •  & Priera Panescu

  • Comment |

    Valuing diversity leads to scientific excellence, the progress of science and, most importantly, it is simply the right thing to do. We must value diversity not only in words, but also in actions.

    • César A. Urbina-Blanco
    • , Safia Z. Jilani
    •  & Ying-Wei Yang

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl worries about the long-term effects of playing by pandemic rules.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Comment |

    Chemistry is now starting to embrace preprints, with more and more researchers in chemical and materials sciences posting their manuscripts online prior to peer review. Preprints can speed up the dissemination of scientific results and lead to more informal exchanges between researchers, hopefully accelerating the pace of research as a whole.

    • François-Xavier Coudert

  • Meeting Report |

    The use of automation for chemical research and reaction discovery has seen significant advances in recent years, but there are still problems that need to be solved. Ella M. Gale and Derek J. Durand discuss limitations in the field and how researchers are working to address these issues.

    • Ella M. Gale
    •  & Derek J. Durand

  • Q&A |

    Yujia Qing, an early-career researcher at the University of Oxford, talks to Nature Chemistry about winning the Dream Chemistry Award 2019, her chemistry dream of ‘Sequencing Life’, and the challenge this represents.

    • Russell Johnson

  • Thesis |

    Bruce C. Gibb takes a look at the dark side of academia and considers a multitude of sins.

    • Bruce C. Gibb

  • Comment |

    Academic labs can be difficult places to work — but why is that the case and what can be done to address the issues that lead to harmful working environments?

    • David K. Smith

  • Meeting Report |

    Synthetic organic chemistry is increasingly automated, data rich and intelligent. At the Automated Synthesis Forum, industry and academia showcased their recent progress towards this augmented future.

    • David M. Heard
    •  & Alastair J. J. Lennox

  • Editorial |

    Two Q&As in this issue consider aspects of chemical safety in industry and academia. And when it comes to the latter, a Review Article concludes that much more research is required to better understand — and improve — safety in academic laboratories.

  • Q&A |

    Dave Laffan, a Director in Chemical Development at AstraZeneca, talks to Nature Chemistry about safety in industry labs and his role on the Safety, Health and Environment committee.

    • Katherine Geogheghan

  • Q&A |

    Marc Reid, a researcher at the University of Strathclyde and co-founder of Pre-Site Safety, talks to Nature Chemistry about safety, both as an academic scientist and as a director of a safety-focused company.

    • Katherine Geogheghan

  • Comment |

    A curious chemical structure from the imagination of a child will forever be connected with a cancer diagnosis for one particular family. And now the challenge is on to make this molecule a reality.

    • Filucca Sophia Bjørnskov
    •  & Thomas Bjørnskov Poulsen

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl considers the long-lost art of the reprint card and the debate that once raged about its use and misuse.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Editorial |

    As the International Year of the Periodic Table draws to an end, we reflect on how it has prompted chemists to explore the past, present and future of this chemical icon.

  • Q&A |

    Jadambaa Khuyagbaatar from the Helmholtz Institute Mainz and the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research talks to Nature Chemistry about superheavy element studies and why creating and exploring these fleeting nuclei matters.

    • Anne Pichon

  • Review Article |

    Despite the regular occurrence of high-profile accidents leading to serious injuries or deaths among lab personnel, the state of academic lab safety research has languished. Existing studies in this area are summarized and critiqued in this Review and suggestions are made for future research directions.

    • A. Dana Ménard
    •  & John F. Trant

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl wonders if there is a risk to making yourself at home in the lab.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Comment |

    The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry — whose 100th anniversary fittingly falls during the International Year of the Periodic Table — is most recognized for its role in the naming of new elements. This is part of a wider effort to help create a common chemistry language for humans and machines alike.

    • Javier García-Martínez

  • Meeting Report |

    To celebrate the centenary of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry in July 2019, the 47th IUPAC World Chemistry Congress took place in Paris. Its programme reflected how chemistry can help to address today and tomorrow’s most challenging issues, in particular, those relevant to human well-being and sustainable development.

    • Yi Yan Yang
    •  & Julien Nicolas

  • Thesis |

    M. Pilar Gil and Eli Zysman-Colman look back at the history of two periodic tables that date from the late nineteenth century.

    • M. Pilar Gil
    •  & Eli Zysman-Colman

  • Comment |

    Chemistry’s lack of visibility in relation to other disciplines, such as astronomy and life sciences, means it is in danger of becoming the forgotten science. How can chemists discuss their work with the public so that we retain our position as the central science for future generations?

    • Renée Webster
    •  & Margaret C. Hardy

  • Meeting Report |

    The Women in Chemistry conference held on International Women’s Day was an opportunity to celebrate the varied careers of female chemists and showcase every step along the way. Suze Kundu emphasizes that successes, failures — and everything in between — are all intrinsically valuable.

    • Suze Kundu

  • Meeting Report |

    The contributions of women to the development of the periodic table have long been overlooked. Claire Murray relates how the recent ‘Setting their table’ conference set out to highlight their prominent role in element discovery and use.

    • Claire A. Murray

  • Comment |

    The periodic table is immensely powerful for rationalizing many different properties of the chemical elements, but would turning it on its head make some important aspects easier to understand and give everyone a new perspective on chemistry?

    • Martyn Poliakoff
    • , Alexis D. J. Makin
    •  & Ellen Poliakoff

  • Thesis |

    After a PhD in Canada, a post-graduate career in the USA and fellowships in Japan and Austria, Reuben Hudson discusses how a universal language enables the meaningful pursuit of chemistry across cultures.

    • Reuben Hudson

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl suggests that we should expand our view of the periodic table to new dimensions.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Thesis |

    The elements of the periodic table are more integral to our daily lives now than they have ever been before. Bruce C. Gibb takes a look at the factors used to decide just how critical the supply of any given mineral is.

    • Bruce C. Gibb

  • Editorial |

    The United Nations has declared 2019 to be the International Year of the Periodic Table to coincide with this iconic chemical chart turning 150 years old. We join in with the celebrations by publishing a collection of articles that explore the edges of the periodic system and look at some of the elements that do — and don’t — make up the table.

  • Comment |

    Scientists and non-scientists alike have long been dreaming of elements with mighty properties. Perhaps the fictional materials they have conjured up are not as far from reality as it may at first seem.

    • Suze Kundu

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl considers how metaphor breathes life into chemistry.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Thesis |

    To appreciate women’s contribution to science, Michelle Francl suggests it’s time to stop talking about the most famous one.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Thesis |

    As another semester of organic chemistry comes to a close, Bruce Gibb looks back on what he has learned about learning.

    • Bruce Gibb

  • Interview |

    Suzanne Bart from Purdue University talks to Nature Chemistry about her investigations into the chemistry of actinides, and why she finds them both challenging and rewarding.

    • Anne Pichon

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl reminds us that you don't need to look like Einstein to be a scientist.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Editorial |

    The launch of Nature Chemistry in 2009 prompted some criticism of journal proliferation, but 100 issues later this young offender has matured into an accepted part of the publishing landscape.

  • Thesis |

    Louis Pasteur was a scientific giant of the nineteenth century, but, as Joseph Gal asks, was his most famous contribution to the understanding of chemistry — chirality — influenced more by his artistic talents?

    • Joseph Gal

  • Thesis |

    Tenure is vitally important when it comes to the creation and promotion of knowledge — and Bruce Gibb explains why.

    • Bruce C. Gibb

  • In Your Element |

    Alasdair Skelton and Brett F. Thornton examine the twisting path through the several discoveries of ytterbium, from the eighteenth century to the present.

    • Alasdair Skelton
    •  & Brett F. Thornton

  • In Your Element |

    From grand challenges of nineteenth century chemistry to powerful technology in small packages, Brett F. Thornton and Shawn C. Burdette explain why neodymium is the twin element discovered twice by two Carls.

    • Brett F. Thornton
    •  & Shawn C. Burdette

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