Chem-istry Is a Force for Good

Abstract

I would like to welcome you to the first issue of Chem, the newest journal in the Cell Press portfolio and the first in the physical sciences. This significant launch is the culmination of a large team effort over the last few years, and I am excited to have been part of it since September 2015. Before I go into detail about the aims and scope of Chem, I’d like to provide some insight into why we are launching a general chemistry journal. Cell Press is a world-renowned publisher of life science journals with titles that include Cell, Neuron, and Immunity. All Cell Press titles have the same mission to drive science forward and promote cross-pollination of ideas through the passion and commitment of the people involved in producing them. So why are we branching out into chemistry? Quite simply, because we think it's important. In our view, chemistry is central to numerous future challenges facing mankind. There are a number of quality journals in the chemistry field with long illustrious histories, but currently few report groundbreaking science and provide authors with broad visibility. Life science, by comparison, is quite well served by journals that adopt this format and style. It seems to us that at least in this respect, chemistry is not getting the recognition it deserves. So, we want to bring our experience and passion for science publishing to chemistry and do what we do best: push the science forward and showcase how chemistry truly is a “force for good.” Why is Chem special, and why should you submit your best research to us? Our goals for Chem are lofty. We aim to establish ourselves as the leading journal in the field so we can serve the chemistry community in the way that Cell does for the life sciences. To achieve our objective of becoming a premium-quality journal, we must deliver content of exceptional quality and ensure that our author service, ethical standards, and end product are all exemplary as well. Chem’s vision and ideals are summed up beautifully by the inaugural cover, tied to the research article authored by Makoto Fujita and colleagues (page 91). Here, designed flexible ligands self-assemble with palladium into an incredible M30L60 spherical metal polyhedron with icosidodecahedron geometry. Chem is similar in many ways; its unique monthly mix of exciting research articles, topical reviews, and front matter, highlighting both editorial expertise and Cell Press qualities, create a journal that will showcase the true value and impact of chemical research. Each month, we will publish research articles from across the full breadth of chemistry and its sub-disciplines. We will focus on selecting articles that report a new concept or discovery that is of broad interest to the general chemistry community. Published research articles will benefit from a new one-column layout, designed for ease of reading, and feature a “Bigger Picture” box. Our aim for this box is to give authors an opportunity to describe their research in layman’s terms and highlight how it may positively affect society in the future. To further illustrate the importance of the chemistry reported, we have also aligned Chem with 10 of the 17 announced United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs, https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org). Although our primary criterion for consideration is an exceptional development in fundamental chemistry, we believe the link to the UN SDGs will further illustrate the importance of chemical research in tackling the major global challenges of today and tomorrow. Each article’s cover page will therefore include at least one of the ten UN SDG icons to further highlight this connection to our readers. In the front of the journal, in addition to publishing topical reviews, we will also feature a broad mix of invited contributions in different formats. A key aim for Chem is our focus on building a community around the journal, both at the established researcher level and also with the next generation of scientists who will shortly be embarking on their independent academic career. With this in mind, we have created Potential Energy, a new platform where a junior investigator can discuss their overall research project and future career aspirations in more detail. To further illustrate our commitment to researchers at this level, we have also appointed our Next-Generation Advisors. This group of outstanding, emerging scientists will function in a similar way to the Advisory Board, working with the in-house editorial team to help shape a chemistry community for the future. Also appearing monthly in Chem will be Catalysis, a new opinion-style piece focusing on the role of chemistry in tackling a specific UN SDG or other important questions where chemical research is central to the discussion. A key feature of Catalysis will be the unique format and approach. Although the goal is to highlight chemistry as central and enabling, to have true value, the discussions must be balanced. Each initial “catalyst” piece will have associated “reaction” comments from relevant academic and industrial experts. We hope you will enjoy this unique discussion, and we welcome ideas for discussion topics in the coming months. Completing our front section is Synergy, an essay written by an industrial scientist or academic with links to industry. The objective of each Synergy piece is to cover topics that are of broad interest to both industry and academia by highlighting new developments, challenges, or opportunities that may benefit research and society. Central to Chem’s success is the editorial team, who will work closely with our authors, reviewers, and readers. Covering both physical chemistry and materials science is Dr. Ilaria Cianchetta. Ilaria has a very broad academic background, which started in Italy and continued at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Joining her on Chem is Vjekoslav Dekaris, whose expertise is in the field of synthetic organic chemistry. Vjekoslav undertook both his undergraduate and graduate studies in Germany before completing two postdocs in Princeton University and the City University of New York. Joining both Ilaria and Vjekoslav in 2016 will be a third scientific editor, who we hope will be based in Beijing, China. I am delighted to have assembled such a great team, and with the expertise I gained from working as Executive Editor at the Royal Society of Chemistry, where I led Chemical Society Reviews and Chemical Communications and launched Chemical Science, we are perfectly positioned to achieve our vision for Chem. Supporting us in our efforts will be the Chem Advisory Board. The Advisory Board’s makeup is truly diverse with a blend of emerging and senior scientists from around the world with expertise spanning all of chemistry and its sub-disciplines. It’s my view, therefore, that the Chem team has the perfect blend of both experience and scientific expertise. Before closing this Editorial, let me provide you with a taste of some of the exceptional content we have in issue one. First up is our inaugural Synergy article. Written by Dr. Tim Cernak (Merck), it explores synthesis in chemical space. Following this piece is our broad introductory Catalysis opinion piece, written by Paul Anastas and Julie Zimmerman. This is a key contribution to the first issue because it sets the scene for future Catalysis discussions by focusing on the role of chemistry in creating a sustainable world. I can think of no better way to start Chem’s journey. Next is our first Potential Energy article, written by one of our Next-Generation Advisors, Dr. Alyssa-Jennifer Avestro, a recent recipient of the prestigious Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellowship. Finally, before you transition into the reviews, written by Hua Zhang and Dean Toste, both pioneers in their respective fields, and research articles, please take a minute to read our research-article Previews written by world-leading scientists, including Jonathan Nitschke (page 19), William Dichtel (page 21), and Rory Waterman (page 27). All do a fantastic job of putting the Chem research articles into context. At this stage, I won’t say anything about the research papers themselves because I am convinced you will have already seen enough to read the whole issue, especially after those scene-setting Previews! I hope you enjoy what we have to offer in our first issue, and although not all aspects of chemistry are covered, I am positive you will find something of interest. Looking forward, we have some really exciting stories coming up in subsequent issues, and I genuinely believe that Chem will showcase the best in chemistry research and demonstrate its true value as a force for good in the years ahead. If you have any questions about Chem or would like to discuss a potential submission, please email my colleagues and me at [email protected], or visit Chem’s website (www.cell.com/chem/home).