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IUPAC Announces the 2021 Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry

Published/Copyright: October 15, 2021
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Chemistry International
From the journal Chemistry International Volume 43 Issue 4

Abstract

IUPAC has released the results of its 2021 search for the Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry. The goal of this project is to showcase the transformative value of Chemistry and to inform the general public on the potential of the chemical sciences to foster the well-being of Society and the sustainability of our Planet. Following the same guidance as it did last year, the Jury[*], a selection of international experts, identified different emerging technologies, scientific advances in between a discovery and a fully-commercialized ideas, with outstanding capacity to open new opportunities in chemistry, sustainability, and beyond. The 2021 finalists are (in alphabetical order):

  1. Artificial humic matter from biomass

  2. Blockchain technology

  3. Chemiluminescence for biological use

  4. Chemical synthesis of RNA and DNA

  5. Semi-synthetic life

  6. Single cell metabolomics

  7. Sonochemical coatings

  8. Superwettability

  9. Sustainable production of ammonia

  10. Targeted protein degradation

IUPAC Vice President, Javier García Martínez, said that “In the last months, we have witnessed how vital chemistry is in facing and overcomin g our most pressing challenges. Moving forward, these threats will only be more complex and unpredictable—as the recent IPCC report alerts us to the risk posed by climate change for our survival. With the Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry, IUPAC provides a fresh look at technologies that are already creating new opportunities and opening new avenues for research and industry. I hope this year’s edition arouses the same interest and attention as previous IUPAC Top Ten selections.”

The 2021 Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry are further detailed in a feature article published in this issue of Chemistry International, see page 13. The author, Fernando Gomollón-Bel, remarks: “While highlighting breakthroughs for a circular, climate-neutral future, the selected technologies will change our world for the better, making a more thoughtful use of our resources, favoring more efficient transformations, and providing more sustainable solutions in applications.”

The first selection of Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry was released in 2019 as a special activity honoring IUPAC’s 100th anniversary; the results were published in the April 2019 (Chem Int, 41(2), pp. 12-17, 2019; https://doi.org/10.1515/ci-2019-0203). The 2020 results were published in October 2020 (Chem. Int. 42(4) pp. 3-9, 2020; https://doi.org/10.1515/ci-2020-0402)2019.

The next search for the Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry has already begun and the deadline for submission is 31 March 2022. It will be led again by Michael Droescher.

For more information on the 2019 and 2020 selections and on the search for the 2022 Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry go to: https://iupac.org/what-we-do/top-ten/.

Online erschienen: 2021-10-15
Erschienen im Druck: 2021-10-01

©2021 IUPAC & De Gruyter. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. For more information, please visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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  1. Masthead - Full issue pdf
  2. Features
  3. Restructuring IUPAC at the Turn of the 20th Century
  4. Systems Thinking and Sustainability
  5. IOCD turns 40
  6. IUPAC Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry 2021
  7. IUPAC Wire
  8. Chemistry International–Freely-Available Across the World
  9. IUPAC Announces the 2021 Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry
  10. Climate Change 2021—The Physical Science Basis
  11. 2022 IUPAC-Richter Prize—Call for Nominations
  12. Awardees of the 2021 IUPAC-Zhejiang NHU International Award for Advancements in Green Chemistry
  13. An Interview with Joseph Wang
  14. In Memoriam: Gus Somsen
  15. In Memoriam: Aubrey Dennis Jenkins
  16. Up for Discussion
  17. Combat Ethical Pollution in the Chemical Community
  18. Project Place
  19. Safety Training Program e-learning
  20. Green Chemistry in Sub-Saharan Africa
  21. Categorizing Interactions Involving Group 11 Elements
  22. Recommendations for terms relating to materials characterization: Latin and other introduced terms
  23. IUPAC Provisional Recommendations
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  25. Glossary and tutorial of xenobiotic metabolism terms used during small molecule drug discovery and development (IUPAC Technical Report)
  26. Interpretation and use of standard atomic weights (IUPAC Technical Report)
  27. Glossary of methods and terms used in analytical spectroscopy (IUPAC Recommendations 2019)
  28. The Gender Gap in Science:PAC Special Topics Issue
  29. Reference materials for phase equilibrium studies. 1. Liquid–liquid equilibria (IUPAC Technical Report)
  30. Special CTI on Polymer Sciences
  31. Stamps International
  32. One Hundred Years of Insulin
  33. Conference Call
  34. Snow Cover, Atmospheric Precipitation, Aerosols: Chemistry and Climate
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  36. Where 2B & Y
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https://doi.org/10.1515/ci-2021-0406

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Masthead - Full issue pdf
  2. Features
  3. Restructuring IUPAC at the Turn of the 20th Century
  4. Systems Thinking and Sustainability
  5. IOCD turns 40
  6. IUPAC Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry 2021
  7. IUPAC Wire
  8. Chemistry International–Freely-Available Across the World
  9. IUPAC Announces the 2021 Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry
  10. Climate Change 2021—The Physical Science Basis
  11. 2022 IUPAC-Richter Prize—Call for Nominations
  12. Awardees of the 2021 IUPAC-Zhejiang NHU International Award for Advancements in Green Chemistry
  13. An Interview with Joseph Wang
  14. In Memoriam: Gus Somsen
  15. In Memoriam: Aubrey Dennis Jenkins
  16. Up for Discussion
  17. Combat Ethical Pollution in the Chemical Community
  18. Project Place
  19. Safety Training Program e-learning
  20. Green Chemistry in Sub-Saharan Africa
  21. Categorizing Interactions Involving Group 11 Elements
  22. Recommendations for terms relating to materials characterization: Latin and other introduced terms
  23. IUPAC Provisional Recommendations
  24. Making an imPACt
  25. Glossary and tutorial of xenobiotic metabolism terms used during small molecule drug discovery and development (IUPAC Technical Report)
  26. Interpretation and use of standard atomic weights (IUPAC Technical Report)
  27. Glossary of methods and terms used in analytical spectroscopy (IUPAC Recommendations 2019)
  28. The Gender Gap in Science:PAC Special Topics Issue
  29. Reference materials for phase equilibrium studies. 1. Liquid–liquid equilibria (IUPAC Technical Report)
  30. Special CTI on Polymer Sciences
  31. Stamps International
  32. One Hundred Years of Insulin
  33. Conference Call
  34. Snow Cover, Atmospheric Precipitation, Aerosols: Chemistry and Climate
  35. Educational Workshop in Polymer Sciences 2020+
  36. Where 2B & Y
  37. CHEMRAWN in Action—This Time with E-waste in Focus
  38. Poetic Science
  39. An Ode to IUPAC
  40. From the Cover
  41. Putting the A(rt) in STEM
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