Reactions Catch-up: Stephen Davey

Stephen DaveyStephen Davey is the Chief Editor for Nature Reviews Chemistry. Steve was originally interviewed on Reactions in July 2008; given that Nature Reviews Chemistry will release its first issue next week, we thought we would check in and see what’s changed recently.

1. What has changed in your role since you last appeared on Reactions?

When I was last interviewed, I had just started working at Nature Chemistry – which hadn’t launched. I spent almost eight years handling (mostly) the organic chemistry content for the journal during which time I moved across the Atlantic to live in Boston, and then back to live in London. For most of that my time in America there was a science-literate/appreciative president, something which is wildly undervalued.

In that time, I’ve read a huge number of papers. Some of them I got to publish and contrary to what many may think accepting papers (not rejecting them) is definitely the best part of my job — and if I’ve contributed in any way to making them better that’s really satisfying.

In February this year I left to begin my new role launching Nature Reviews Chemistry. This will be second Nature journal I’ve been involved with launching, with the added excitement/pressure that the buck stops with me this time. With a little luck my hair won’t be as grey as Stu’s in a few years.

2. What do you think is the most important aspect of your new journal?

I think reviews can be a really valuable part of the literature, but only if they provide something more than a ready-made reference list. I read reviews to find out about important developments, but more importantly I read them to get insight from experts and hear their opinions on where we should go next. I think the majority of review articles are too long, and that too often review articles are either targeted at experts or at novices (both are in need of good reviews) but believe that it is possible to target both demographics in one article. I’m not saying it’s easy – just possible.

Also important, Nature Reviews Chemistry is one part of a wider commitment to chemistry at Nature Research Group. I’ve often said that I never read Nature as a graduate student (there was next to nothing in it that would have interested me). Now I look at it every week – and not just because I work here! There is more chemistry and that’s a good thing – it deserves to get the attention.

3. Which is your favourite element — or if not an element, favourite molecule and why?

steve molecule_formattedN,N-diethyl-5-(2-phenylnaphthalen-1-yl)pyridin-3-amine. First off, I’m fairly certain I was the first person to make it. It’s not an especially useful molecule. In fact it’s a by-product – from a reaction that I ran towards the end of my PhD. It was made in something of a ‘hail Mary’ attempt to complete a synthesis that wouldn’t work any other way. I think I’m right in saying that my PhD advisor didn’t really have a great deal of confidence in the reaction working and the fact that this product was formed confirmed that the reaction worked the way I thought it might. I still remember his response when I told him the outcome (NSFW).

4. Imagine that your inbox is empty, there is nothing in need of writing, and there are no experiments that need attention: how would you spend this free time?

Firstly, let me say I’d need a really good imagination. I guess it depends on how long the inbox will be empty for! I like to play snooker1 — even though I’m not very good. I’d like to be better but it takes a lot of practice. If it’s just a couple of hours off, a snooker club is where I’m headed. After that the cinema and then spend some time cooking. I think I’m quite a good cook, but I don’t spend nearly enough time doing it.

If there’s more time, then I refer you to question 6.

5. If you were given $1 million as you stepped out of your office to do with what you will, what would you use it for?

I’m assuming that “pay of my mortgage and buy a fast car” is too glib? I’ve often idly wondered if I could go back to research if I didn’t have to concern myself with applying for funding to just do what I wanted. But I’m not sure that I’d really want to do that. It’s just nostalgia for time in the lab and I’ve forgotten just how hard it is. Also, $1 million is not nearly as much as it seems to do research with.

I think it would be great to use the money to advance public understanding/enjoyment of chemistry. I won’t be the first person to recount that when I tell people that I’m a chemist they respond with “I hated chemistry at school” or something similar. That’s where the problems start. Perhaps there’s too much information overload and not enough time for students to just explore and find out what interests them? The system as it is worked OK for me, but I worry that our subject misses out on some really creative people in this way. And even if people don’t go on to work in chemistry, a generally more science literate public would be a very good thing.

I’d have to think really exactly to spend the money though. I don’t think that many of the current approaches to the problem are all that successful — I think we spend too much time preaching to the converted.

6. Where would you most like to travel to, but have never been — and why?

My first reaction is to say India. Really though, there are too many places to list. I picked India because I love to try new food and Indian food is one of my favourites. I’d like to get the authentic experience though.

7. Which chemist do you look up to most, living or otherwise — and why?

I was going to call you out for being over-delicate and saying “otherwise” rather than just “dead”, and then I realized that I could go fictional. Severus Snape. Potions is obviously chemistry, and Alan Rickman was one of the best actors of his generation. 2016 got off to a bad start when he died and went downhill from there.

Stay tuned next week for more Nature Reviews Chemistry-related content! We’ll be featuring authors of reviews in NRC on Reactions on a regular basis, so be sure to email nchem —at— nature.com if you’d like us to feature the author of your favourite review!

[1] For our non-British readers, snooker is a billiards game similar to pool, but (to oversimplify, perhaps) is typically played on a larger table with a different scoring system (among other differences). I’ll save you a click to Wikipedia here.

Reactions: Bryan Dickinson

Bryan Dickinson is in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Chicago, and works on developing both small molecule and synthetic biology technologies to measure and control chemistry in living cells. Bryan recently published a paper entitled “A fluorescent probe for cysteine depalmitoylation reveals dynamic APT signaling” in Nature Chemical Biology.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

As I explored different types of science through courses and research experiences in college, I found chemistry approaches science with what I believe is a perfect balance of molecular understanding and real-world applicability. Our ability as chemists and bioengineers to build molecules that actually do something continues to fascinate me, and is the ultimate motivation behind every project I pursue.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be — and why?

One of my current hobbies is woodworking, both art pieces and furniture. If I could build all day I think I would be pretty happy. I like crafting something with my hands that never existed before and would not have except for my hard work. In that regard, research in my lab is quite similar. Whether your building a table, synthesizing a small molecule, or engineering a protein, success comes from focus, persistence, and creativity. The latter is especially important to me, because in design and art, as well as technology, I find beauty in creative approaches that impart functionality.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

Two project areas in the group just had some nice breakthroughs. In one area, we came up with a very general small molecule strategy to measure cysteine PTM “eraser” enzymes in live cells and used it to discover that cysteine lipidation status is dynamically regulated. We hope these tools will lead to a better understanding of how cysteine PTMs are regulated, and how alterations in that regulation effect cell physiology. In a second project area, we just developed a split RNAP-based biosensor engineering platform. This approach is opening up a variety of new directions in my group, including new evolution systems, mammalian synthetic biology tools, and new ways to measure endogenous biochemistry.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with — and why?

I would love to have dinner with Rosalind Franklin, who was actually my current age (32) when she gathered the first X-ray diffraction image of DNA. That single image lead to the elucidation of the double helix structure of DNA and the discovery of the biophysical basis for the central dogma. She of course tragically passed away just five years after gathering that data. I imagine a dinner with Rosalind would be immensely interesting, during which she could explain what it was like to be a scientist during the beginnings of modern molecular biology, and maybe reveal how she was able to be so successful at such a young age while facing so many challenges. Moreover, I would really enjoy explaining to her what we can do with DNA today in terms of synthetic biology, which I imagine would sound like science fiction.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab — and what was it?

I actually really enjoy being in lab and try to help with experiments as much as possible. Most of the time I do the stuff in lab that no one else wants to do, like making cell media and molecular biology reagents. Last week I assisted with a confocal imaging experiment, which was lots of fun. When I have a few extra minutes, I enjoy designing primers for new cloning projects, which I am still quite good at. I refer to members of my team that surpass me in their cloning abilities as “cloning ninjas”, of which I have a few now, but I am still the “cloning sensei” and work hard to keep that rank.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

The Great Gatsby is the one book I can read over and over again and still enjoy. Music is a tough one to choose. I think if I were exiled to an island by society for some reason that I’d be feeling pretty angsty, and Green Day’s Dookie has been one of my go-to soundtracks for that mood since I was in third grade.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions — and why?

I would like to see Carolyn Bertozzi interviewed. She has a great perspective on the field of chemistry and is always full of excellent advice, especially for young scientists.

Nature Chemistry’s Altmetric top 10 for 2016

Altmetric recently posted its usual top-100 list and, as usual, there was very little chemistry to be found on it (maybe the reasons behind that should be the subject of a long soul-searching post or editorial, but that’s for another day year). After I had a little moan on Twitter, @nunobimbo asked if we’d post Nature Chemistry‘s top 10 as we did back in 2013. So, here goes… (note: I only considered Articles that appeared in 2016 print issues and these numbers are correct as of Dec 14th, 2016).

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1. Fast and selective ring-opening polymerizations by alkoxides and thioureas
Xiangyi Zhang, Gavin O. Jones, James L. Hedrick & Robert M. Waymouth

nchem.2574-TOC
(Altmetric score for this list = 694)
(Page views as of the date of this list = 7,746)

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2. Imaging single-molecule reaction intermediates stabilized by surface dissipation and entropy
Alexander Riss, Alejandro Pérez Paz, Sebastian Wickenburg, Hsin-Zon Tsai, Dimas G. De Oteyza, Aaron J. Bradley, Miguel M. Ugeda, Patrick Gorman, Han Sae Jung, Michael F. Crommie, Angel Rubio & Felix R. Fischer

nchem-TOC-Fischer
(Altmetric score for this list = 447)
(Page views as of the date of this list = 7,553)

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3. Molecular rectifier composed of DNA with high rectification ratio enabled by intercalation
Cunlan Guo, Kun Wang, Elinor Zerah-Harush, Joseph Hamill, Bin Wang, Yonatan Dubi & Bingqian Xu

nchem.2480-TOC
(Altmetric score for this list = 343)
(Page views as of the date of this list = 4,136)

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4. Self-assembling biomolecular catalysts for hydrogen production
Paul C. Jordan, Dustin P. Patterson, Kendall N. Saboda, Ethan J. Edwards, Heini M. Miettinen, Gautam Basu, Megan C. Thielges & Trevor Douglas

Douglas_nchem.2416
(Altmetric score for this list = 331)
(Page views as of the date of this list = 8,092)

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5. A highly stretchable autonomous self-healing elastomer
Cheng-Hui Li, Chao Wang, Christoph Keplinger, Jing-Lin Zuo, Lihua Jin, Yang Sun, Peng Zheng, Yi Cao, Franziska Lissel, Christian Linder, Xiao-Zeng You & Zhenan Bao

nchem-TOC-Bao
(Altmetric score for this list = 285)
(Page views as of the date of this list = 27,427)

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6. The structural and chemical origin of the oxygen redox activity in layered and cation-disordered Li-excess cathode materials
Dong-Hwa Seo, Jinhyuk Lee, Alexander Urban, Rahul Malik, ShinYoung Kang & Gerbrand Ceder

nchem.2524-TOC
(Altmetric score for this list = 167)
(Page views as of the date of this list = 5,108)

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7. Neutral zero-valent s-block complexes with strong multiple bonding
Merle Arrowsmith, Holger Braunschweig, Mehmet Ali Celik, Theresa Dellermann, Rian D. Dewhurst, William C. Ewing, Kai Hammond, Thomas Kramer, Ivo Krummenacher, Jan Mies, Krzysztof Radacki & Julia K. Schuster

nchem.2542-TOC
(Altmetric score for this list = 157)
(Page views as of the date of this list = 3,610)

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8. A supramolecular ruthenium macrocycle with high catalytic activity for water oxidation that mechanistically mimics photosystem II
Marcus Schulze, Valentin Kunz, Peter D. Frischmann & Frank Würthner

nchem.2503-TOC
(Altmetric score for this list = 156)
(Page views as of the date of this list = 6,202)

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9. Force-induced tautomerization in a single molecule
Janina N. Ladenthin, Thomas Frederiksen, Mats Persson, John C. Sharp, Sylwester Gawinkowski, Jacek Waluk & Takashi Kumagai

nchem.2552-TOC
(Altmetric score for this list = 145)
(Page views as of the date of this list = 4,035)

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10. Diindeno-fusion of an anthracene as a design strategy for stable organic biradicals
Gabriel E. Rudebusch, José L. Zafra, Kjell Jorner, Kotaro Fukuda, Jonathan L. Marshall, Iratxe Arrechea-Marcos, Guzmán L. Espejo, Rocío Ponce Ortiz, Carlos J. Gómez-García, Lev N. Zakharov, Masayoshi Nakano, Henrik Ottosson, Juan Casado & Michael M. Haley

nchem.2518-TOC
(Altmetric score for this list = 144)
(Page views as of the date of this list = 5,248)

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(Note: it seems as though the page views on the metrics pages only go up to Dec 2… we’ll maybe have someone look into that…)

Reactions: Ed Boyden

boyden

Bryce Vickmark, MIT

Ed Boyden is in the MIT Media Lab and McGovern Institute, and a professor in the Departments of Biological Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences, where he directs a group that develops and applies new molecular and optical tools to neural circuit analysis. Ed recently published a paper entitled “Engineering genetic circuit interactions within and between synthetic minimal cells” in Nature Chemistry.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

Even as a kid, I was very philosophical — wondering what was the meaning of life, and what it meant to be human, and what was the nature of consciousness. At age 14, I entered a program at the University of North Texas that let students directly begin college instead of finishing high school. I joined Prof. Paul Braterman’s chemistry lab as a research assistant, working on a project to create the building blocks of life from scratch. I worked on a project where we tried to insert ferrocyanide into layered double hydroxides, and then to drive reactions that would convert ferrocyanide into nucleic acids like adenine. Immediately this struck me as amazing — a philosophically interesting experiment, which was at its heart a chemical project, and chemistry would give you the tools to confront it.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be — and why?

After two years at the University of North Texas, I transferred to MIT, where I completed degrees in electrical engineering and computer science, and physics. At that point I felt like I completed my “skill” training, and then decided it was time to pick some hard problems work on, and that was the point where I switched into neuroscience, entering the Stanford neuroscience PhD program where I worked in the labs of Richard Tsien and Jennifer Raymond on learning and memory (and, in parallel, co-launched optogenetics with Karl Deisseroth, as a side project done in parallel to my PhD). So I would have to say that I’m not only a chemist, although the focus of my group is largely on molecular strategies for understanding biological complexity. I would have to say that I think backwards from problems, try to survey every possible angle of attack on them (whether chemical, physical, electrical, or computational), and then take the best approach. Much of the time, that does mean a molecular tool, but we also do work in robotics, optics, and computational modeling. So I would have to say I’d want to continue to be a problem solver, tackling problems with whatever discipline is the best one for the job. If I had to leave science entirely, though, I’d probably want to write novels or movie screenplays — I like to write.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

Right now, we are working on a way to image biological specimens, like cells and tissues, in 3D with nanoscale resolution. We achieve that by synthesizing a polyelectrolyte gel evenly throughout a preserved specimen, anchoring key biomolecules or labels to the specimen, and then adding water so the polyelectrolyte gel swells and takes the biomolecules along for the ride. The net effect is like drawing a picture on a balloon and then blowing up the balloon — except in 3-D. We call the technology expansion microscopy. The idea of embedding a preserved tissue in a hydrogel is an old one, dating perhaps back to 19951. In 2015 we showed the basic concept of expansion microscopy2. Then in 2016 we revealed powerful and easy protocols for analyzing proteins3  and nucleic acids4. The net impact is that people can map the identity and locations of biomolecules through complex systems like brain circuits, cancer biopsies, and so forth — helping reveal how molecules are configured to implement biological processes, and how they go wrong in disease states. I hope that a wealth of biological insight, as well as better disease targets, will emerge.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with — and why?

Hmm… probably Archimedes. First, we just don’t know much about him, at least not compared to modern scientists — much about him remains cloaked in myth or legend. Second, he anticipated quite a bit of mathematics and physics that followed him, and was in some ways far ahead of his time. And developed many practical inventions. It would be great to find out what his influences were, and how he thought about his culture and time.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab — and what was it?

For the first few years I was a professor at MIT, I often would teach students how to do experiments — preparing cells with optogenetic tools expressed, performing patch clamp electrophysiology, aligning optics — and then do experiments side-by-side with them. The last set of experiments I did from start to finish, that resulted in a paper, were the optogenetics experiments for the 2005 paper that kicked off the modern excitement about controlling neurons with light5.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

I suppose How to Survive on a Deserted Island wouldn’t really count? (Apparently it is a real book, and has at least some good reviews.) So I suppose it should be a really long book, and a really long album. (As opposed to a life-changing book or album that might have such impact, that reading it or hearing it too often becomes unnecessary or even tiresome.) So maybe for the book, I’d pick the Encyclopedia Brittanica (if you can still buy that). For an album — I never seem to tire of Chopin’s piano works, so maybe a collection of those.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions – and why?

A living chemist, or any chemist ever? If the latter, it could be interesting to interview Lavoisier as it seems like he had an interesting life. (Lots of chemists did, it seems.) If living, there are so many great folks who could be fun to interview, but if I just had to pick one, how about Ferran Adrià, a chef who is one of the pioneers of bringing chemistry-driven techniques into modern cooking?

 

[1] Microscopy Research and Technique 30, 513–520 (1995)

[2] Science 347, 543–548 (2015).

[3] Nature Biotechnology 34, 987–992 (2016)

[4] Nature Methods 13,679–684 (2016)

[5] Nature Neuroscience 8, 1263–1268 (2005)

Reactions: Katherine Mirica

KMirica pictureKatherine Mirica is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Dartmouth College. The Mirica group works on the design and synthesis of stimuli-responsive materials for portable chemical sensing and microelectronics.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

While I grew up among chemists (my mother is a chemist) in a small industrial town of Ukraine, and enjoyed chemistry in high school, it was not until my involvement in research during my sophomore year at Boston College that I had solidified my decision to study chemistry. I became fascinated with organic and materials chemistry and the potential of these fields in solving global challenges in healthcare.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be — and why?

An architect — I’ve always loved designing and making things.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

My group focuses on the design of conductive multifunctional nanomaterials for gas-phase sensing to enable portable and personalized diagnosis and monitoring of diseases. We are particularly interested in designing sensors for a class of molecules known as gasotransmitters (e.g., nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide), to attain fundamental understanding of the role of these physiological modulators in human disease. Materials and methods developed in the group may also be applicable to information storage, and energy storage, conversion, and catalysis.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with — and why?

Richard Feynman. His vision for nanotechnology at the time was extraordinary, and his ability to communicate complex concepts with such clarity was truly remarkable. I regularly watch videos of him on YouTube, and greatly admire both his work and ability to question and explain things.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab — and what was it?

I did a sensing experiment for my first paper as an independent investigator, which was recently published in Chemistry of Materials.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

The book would have to be War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (in original Russian), and the music would be Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. One is bound to discover new meaning in these classics every time they are revisited.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions — and why?

My PhD advisor, George Whitesides. I bet he would have very interesting answers.

Reactions: Thomas Poulsen

TBPresizeThomas B. Poulsen is in the Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University in Denmark, and works on bioactive natural products, total synthesis and biological investigations. Thomas recently published “Synthesis of ent-BE-43547A1 reveals a potent hypoxia-selective anticancer agent and uncovers the biosynthetic origin of the APD-CLD natural products” in Nature Chemistry.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

At the start of my studies I actually wanted to be a molecular biologist, but progressively found that detailed molecular explanations for most topics were pretty scarce. This was a key factor making me change my studies to organic chemistry. As I am now working on biological problems again, the cycle is somehow complete. What made me study science in the first place I can only attribute to a stint in the army. Before that I was actually mostly interested in literature and philosophy — how that interest was reduced by camouflage clothes and APCs is still not clear.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be — and why?

Hard to think of one actually, but having to make a choice I think my latent fascination with weather phenomena and – I guess – climate would have to be activated. So, if my hypothetical job opening is in 2016, I would like to become a climate scientist. Had I been 10 years younger (and without a family to take care of) then I think my answer would have been “storm chaser.”

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

One of the things we are working on is mode-of-action studies of the target compounds from our first synthesis projects. I find these types of studies to be really exciting (but also quite tricky). As anyone involved in such studies, our hope is that by using the molecules as research tools, we may discover interesting biology – hopefully something of therapeutic relevance. We are generally interested in developing new protein reactive weak electrophiles; the crazier the structures, the better.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with — and why?

I think that would be Douglas Adams. Having dinner with him would certainly not be boring and we would have no problem filling the time in our discussions. I like good wine and food but I am actually not very driven to knowing everything about wine nor investigating all local restaurants to find the gems. I am pretty sure that Mr. Adams would be able to recommend a good place to eat even beyond our solar system.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab — and what was it?

I guess it was some months ago when I helped out extracting compounds from many liters of a bacterial fermentation. This was actually part of the studies that we recently published in Nature Chemistry. The ability to shake big flasks and to pour liquids without spilling is the chemical equivalent of riding a bicycle – not easily forgotten.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

While waiting for a cruise ship to come pick me up I would read a collection of David Foster Wallace’s novelles. Especially the short story “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again” would seem to (mis)match the situation well – at multiple levels. For the music album, this would be Fables of the Reconstruction by R.E.M., no doubt.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions — and why?

Xiaoguang Lei. I like much of the stuff that his lab is doing these years. Would be interesting to get some more background knowledge.

Reactions: Catching up with Sason Shaik

sasonSason Shaik is in the Institute of Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and works on bonding, chemical catalysis, and structure and reactivity of metalloenzymes. Sason was originally interviewed on Reactions in May 2011; given his recent paper in Nature Chemistry titled “Oriented electric fields as future smart reagents in chemistry,” we thought we would check in and see what’s changed recently.

1. What has changed in your research since you last appeared on Reactions?

Firstly, our research on bonding has intensified since we predicted the quadruple bond in C2. We are now working on other molecules with these bonding features. Our work on charge shift bonding published in Nature Chemistry1, is branching too, because there might be the first experimental verification of this bonding type. This caused us to branch to metallomics, where this bond may be prevalent. Secondly, our enzyme work has been enriched and upgraded once we took molecular dynamics (MD) seriously. Now we are able to predict enantioselectivity and regioselectivity using MD and QM/MM calculations. And finally, our work on electric fields effects in reactivity has been boosted by the experimental support provided by the Spanish-Australian teams this year. So we are going very strong in a few fronts!

2. What do you think is the most important aspect of your recent Nature Chemistry paper?

I feel that this paper makes predictions and tries to teach the reader how to think about the effects of oriented electric fields on chemical reactivity, and how to design appropriate experiments. If this activity catches on, this will affect the science of chemistry in a serious manner.

3. Which is your favourite element — or if not an element, favourite molecule and why?

My favourite element is iron — it is so reactive in many interesting manners due to its many close lying spin-states. My favourite molecule is benzene. It’s so simple looking, and yet it has been serving as a springboard of many influential concepts in chemistry.

4. Imagine that your inbox is empty, there is nothing in need of writing, and there are no experiments that need attention: how would you spend this free time?

I would write poetry and maybe some history…

5. If you were given $1 million as you stepped out of your office to do with what you will, what would you use it for?

The first thing would be to take a trip around the world. Then back to paper writing.

6. Where would you most like to travel to, but have never been — and why?

Antarctica.

7. Which chemist do you look up to most, living or otherwise — and why?

My mentor Roald Hoffmann. I learned from Roald how to handle myself in science. I admire his grand knowledge and thoughtful wisdom.

 

[1] Nature Chem. 1, 443–449 (2009).

Reactions: Bryden Le Bailly

IMG_0517Bryden Le Bailly worked on iron catalysis and molecular communication devices before moving to London, where he was at Nature Nanotechnology. He is now an Associate Editor for Nature.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

I think when I realised that not quite understanding what was going on is half the point! I was lucky enough to have some inspirational teachers along the way, through school and university, to nudge me in the right direction.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be — and why?

I’d love to make my own wine, hopefully an ambition I may still fulfill later in life. It seems like a great mix of chemistry and working with your hands — both things I used to enjoy about being in the lab. And of course lots of tasting.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

Well, as I’ve just started at Nature I’m looking forward to meeting a lot of people in the organic chemistry and chemical biology communities and seeing what they’re up to!

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with — and why?

After serious consideration and whittling down a shortlist, I would say Ernest Hemingway. You know you’re getting a great character, incredible stories and a solid drinker. It’s the perfect, heady combination.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab — and what was it?

My last experiment in the lab was using a photoacid to mediate a conformational relay. It ended up being photographed and was used to promote the work, thus fulfilling my lifetime ambition as a hand model.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

Choosing one album is an almost impossible choice to make because I listen to a lot of music, but if I was stuck with The Lyre of Orpheus/Abattoir Blues by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for the rest of my days I think I’d be okay with it. For a book I’d have to go with something from my favourite author, Haruki Murakami, probably The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. Murakami has such a unique and vivid writing style that so many of his novels would be an ideal companion to a desert island.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions — and why?

Daniele Leonori — I never got around to asking these questions while we were both at Manchester.

Reactions: Catching up with Andrei Yudin

Yudin-photoAndrei K. Yudin is in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto and works on developing synthetic tools to study biological processes. Andrei was originally interviewed on Reactions in August 2011; given his recent paper in Nature Chemistry titled “Oxadiazole grafts in peptide macrocycles,” we thought we would check in and see what’s changed recently.

1. What has changed in your research since you last appeared on Reactions?

During my 2013 sabbatical, I got interested in protein crystal structure determination and the role of synthetic molecules in mediating this process. During that time, we initiated several projects that have led to the emergence of synthetic tools to develop molecular probes of protein function. This area of research is still in its infancy and we have yet to publish our results. But the tangible outcome has been profound: our interest in functional significance of molecules now influences the way we go about reaction design. I would not have predicted that structural biology could have a measurable bearing on how we attempt to innovate in chemical synthesis, but it sure does.

2. What do you think is the most important aspect of your recent Nature Chemistry paper?

This work has everything from an interesting mechanistic insight into how macrocycles are made to the ultimate application of our molecules. I think the capability to control the structure of macrocycles using oxadiazole grafts is something other labs will be able to use. I also hope that “the oxadiazole effect” will lead to the discovery of many other macrocyclic systems with controlled properties. As a result of our paper, Sigma-Aldrich is now in the process of manufacturing “Pinc”, the central reagent that enables our reaction to take place.

3. Which is your favourite element — or if not an element, favourite molecule and why?

Water is my favorite molecule and the reason is that it mediates interactions between small molecules and their protein targets. The ChemDraw-driven “language of chemical structures” is an unfortunate oversimplification. I wish we had an easy way to depict water surrounding chemical structures because it is water, in its bulk and structured states, which does the heavy lifting during biological interactions. Water networks shift, reorganize, and are even known to possess entropy/enthalpy compensatory mechanisms. These mechanisms influence the intended consequences of functional group placement when we, synthetic chemists, apply our “penetrating” insights and convince ourselves that we are engaged in molecular design.

4. Imagine that your inbox is empty, there is nothing in need of writing, and there are no experiments that need attention: how would you spend this free time?

I would play 18 holes at the Indian Wells Golf Club (Burlington, Ontario). I would do it two times in the same day – one from the white tees and one from the blue tees, although I am not sure there will be material change to my score.

5. If you were given $1 million as you stepped out of your office to do with what you will, what would you use it for?

I would start a company around our recent boron technology. This will allow us to make about 100 molecules and outsource phenotypic screening to a contract research organization. The strength of our yet-to-be-published chemistry is that the molecules are cell permeable. We can’t afford to run costly assays now, but with $1 million we will be in a good position to attract investors and do so on reasonable terms because the technology will be substantially de-risked by then.

6. Where would you most like to travel to, but have never been — and why?

I am interested in Labrador, a fascinating Canadian province I have never been to. It has breathtaking cliff views of the ocean and is known for its austere beauty. Unfortunately, this is not a place I could convince my wife to visit because there are no swimming opportunities, so I will have to wait for a conference to be held there.

7. Which chemist do you look up to most, living or otherwise — and why?

There are so many people I could name. Out of this list, I am drawn to those who did more with less. In this regard, I feel that Emil Fischer’s study of sugars is exemplary. Whenever I teach this topic, it sends chills down my spine. In his work, Fischer established the stereochemistry of sugars by studying epimerization between gluconic and mannonic acids. Doing this with the tools he had at his disposal was akin to a miracle.

Reactions: Chenfeng Ke

Chenfeng Ke is in the Department of Chemistry at Dartmouth College and works on developing supramolecular 3D printing materials, porous organic materials and carbohydrate sensors.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

I chose to be a chemistry major during my undergraduate studies and then followed the track. Nothing special, but my passion has always been learning new chemistry.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be — and why?

I want to be a chef if I can choose another job. I like watching cooking shows and I am a fan of Gordon Ramsey. I enjoy the moment that people like my food.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

I am working on developing supramolecular 3D printing materials. I hope to transfer the molecular functions that the supramolecular community has been investigating for decades to the macroscopic scale and make useful materials and devices. I hope to 3D print molecular machines and build a macroscopic machine in the future.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with — and why?

Linus Pauling. He is my hero. He probably would suggest that I take 5 grams of Vitamin C every day!

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab — and what was it?

I am still working in the lab. My last reaction was a one-pot Boc-deprotection1 and imine condensation.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

One book… could that be Wikipedia in print? I often find I waste too much time on Wiki.

I like a traditional Chinese instrument — GuZheng (Chinese zither)2.  Any GuZheng album will work.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions — and why?

Jeremiah Gassensmith at UT Dallas. I want to see his crazy answers.

[1] Editor’s note: Boc = tert-Butyloxycarbonyl, a common protecting group in organic synthesis.
[2] Editor’s note: As someone who hadn’t really listened to it before reading this interview, I really recommend checking this instrument out! It’s very relaxing.