The Complex Chemistry of Diversity and Inclusion: A 30-Year Synthesis

Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour’s career as a research chemist, educator, and advocate spanned more than forty years. Much of her work took place within a disciplinary culture ignorant of the scholarship supporting organizational change towards inclusive excellence. Her contributions are extensively covered in other articles in this special issue, and her achievements are all the more remarkable given that her colleague, Dr. Gordon Freeman, held gender-biased attitudes which he shared in a peer reviewed article in a national science journal. Three decades later another Canadian chemist, Dr. Tomáš Hudlický, published a peer reviewed essay in an international chemistry journal which included his views on the negative impacts of diversity initiatives on organic synthesis research. Both articles were retracted, but clearly a faulty and pervasively biased peer review system enabled the distribution of prejudiced opinions which were not informed by demonstrated expertise, nor supported by data. These two events are reflective of challenges that Dr. Armour faced in her efforts to diversify chemical sciences. We need to build on her critical work to increasing awareness about inclusive excellence in chemistry, as well as educating scientists on what constitutes an informed opinion. Here, we use Freeman and Hudlický incidents as case studies to indicate how pervasive bias can be superficially perceived as scientific scholarship. Furthermore, we use analogies of analytical processes to illustrate how talent gets systemically excluded. Finally, we provide recommendations to chemistry community members for improving outcomes in terms of synthesis of new knowledge, ideas and solutions, toward leveraging all the available human talent and creating an environment that is both excellent and inclusive.

PhysChem: A New Physical Chemistry Journal

Physical chemistry is broadly defined as the branch of chemistry devoted to the study of how matter behaves on a molecular and atomic level and how chemical reactions occur [...]

Intellectual authorities and hubs of Green Chemistry

Green Chemistry is a self-organized movement of chemists intended to prevent and minimize the use and production of dangerous substances and processes. The current output and growing rate of the field hinders descriptive analysis of its contents, innovations (if any), and dynamics. Therefore, new methodologies must be sought. This research aims at broadening the understanding on the structure of Green Chemistry by pointing out its intellectual hubs (researchers important to the spread and consolidation of knowledge) and its intellectual authorities, the sources of that knowledge. Documents (N=14,142) either containing the term “green chemistry” or published in the Green Chemistry Journal and the Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews between 1990 and 2017 were analyzed by co-citation and network analysis. Sixteen clusters were grouped in six big specialties, from which 14 hubs and 21 authorities were found. Results corroborate previous analyses of the field, but this research has the advantage of stemming from the dynamics of scientific production, rather than from previously defined qualitative categories of the field itself.

Editorial

We would like to welcome you to the first issue of CCS Chemistry, the new flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS). The goal for CCS in creating CCS Chemistry is to create a high-profile, international chemistry journal published in English that reports truly inspiring research in all areas of the chemical sciences, as well as exceptional advances in related interdisciplinary fields of chemistry.

Thieme Chemistry Journal Awardees – Where are They Now? The Influence of Electron-Withdrawing Groups at the 2- and 2′-Positions of Dibenzothienylethenes on Molecular Switching

Three dibenzothienylethenes that carry a methyl, a trifluoromethyl, or a fluoro substituent in the 2- and 2′-position were synthesised in short multistep syntheses, respectively. The trifluoromethyl and fluoromethyl substituents significantly improve the absorption properties of the corresponding open and closed isomers (both in the UV-A and in the visible range). The increasing electron deficiency (i) enlarges the portion of the closed and coloured diarylethene isomer in the corresponding photostationary states and slows down the closing and opening isomerisation, (ii) the switching reactions, both closing and opening, are slowed down, and (iii) the switching quantum yields are lowered.