Band 40, Heft 3

Some of you will have come across delightful pictures of those weird beasts called fractals, whether they be mathematically generated, or those that abound in nature (such as ferns). If you haven’t, then I think you should spend a little time hunting some down on the web. Apart from the almost magical self-similarity at different scales (which means that even if you zoom in you get a picture that looks very similar to that you started with), the other notable feature of fractals is that they have non-integer dimensions. A piece of paper is two-dimensional when laid out flat; a ball is a three-dimensional. A crumpled up piece of paper, an object with some two-dimensional character due to its origin (and the fact that it is still really only a surface) and some three-dimensional character (as it does fill space in some way), is somewhere in the middle. A coastline is more than one-dimensional but less than two dimensional—it too is a fractal. One of the interesting features of fractals, like a coastline, is that the length that you measure depends on the size of ruler you use.

Much has been written about the German chemist Fritz Haber (1868-1934), who embodies at once the best and the worst that chemistry has offered to humankind. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry a century ago (1918) “for the synthesis of ammonia from its elements,” an industrial process that led to the pervasive use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in agriculture and enabled the unprecedented population growth experienced in the world ever since. On the other hand, Haber is often considered the “father of chemical warfare” for his role in the development and deployment of chlorine and other poisonous gases during World War I. This note, however, is not about Haber’s legacy but pays tribute instead to two resourceful Norwegians who preceded him in the quest for converting atmospheric nitrogen into more reactive, bioavailable forms of the element.

Today’s world is characterised by turbulence with an increasing uncertainty in the global economy and in social and political relations. Scientific, social and technological trends are rapidly changing the way we live and work. These not only affect the nature and practice of chemistry, but also the roles that chemists play. With this in mind, the Royal Society of Chemistry launched the Future of the Chemical Sciences initiative to assess how the chemical sciences may evolve over the next ten to twenty years and the possible consequences for the community and society at large.

The World Chemistry Leadership Meeting (WCLM) is an integral part of the IUPAC General Assembly and offers a platform for representatives from National Adhering Organizations (NAOs) to meet and discuss emerging and pressing issues of global concern. Recent WCLMs have had a special focus on Young Observers (YOs) to provide them with the space to interact and discuss emerging issues and future challenges facing the world of chemistry.

The International Younger Chemists Network (IYCN) is an organization that aims to connect chemists who are in the early stages of their career, including but not limited to graduate school, postdoctoral associates, chemists within five years of their terminal degree, and chemists newly transitioning into the field. Our core objective is to reach like-minded scientists globally and create a platform for scientific exchange. With a focus on building a worldwide network, we strive to spread scientific knowledge, mentorship, and encourage a passion for chemistry.

In 2017, the ICSU Gender-Gap in Science project was approved. Lead by the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the project full title is “A Global Approach to the Gender Gap in Mathematical and Natural Sciences: How to Measure It, How to Reduce It?”

In Senegal, the education and university system is characterized by the dominance of arts and humanities over science and technology. The practice of chemistry is relatively important regionally in universities (for both education and research), as well as in the industries—although with a strong contrast between these two areas. Will the dynamism of chemical associations and the recent discovery of gas and oil enable a change in the chemical sector in Senegal? Senegal is a country in West Africa with 15.3 million inhabitants where the practice of chemistry is quite established. In this article, we present the current state of chemical education, research, and industry, without forgetting, of course, the chemical associations that have become increasingly active in recent years.

We are delighted to announce this year’s Thieme-IUPAC Winner Prof. Seth Herzon from Yale University, CT, USA. The prize will be presented to him after the Thieme-IUPAC lecture at the 22nd IUPAC International Conference on Organic Synthesis in September 2018, in Florence, Italy. We warmly congratulate Prof. Herzon and look forward to hearing about the latest developments from his laboratories.

The 2018 Hanwha-Total IUPAC Young Scientist Award, to be presented at Macro2018 in Cairns in July, has been awarded to Andreas Walther. The Hanwha-Total IUPAC Young Scientist Award (formerly Samsung-Total Petrochemicals-IUPAC Young Scientists Award) is dedicated to outstanding young scientists (not older than 40 years) and is sponsored by a grant from the aforementioned company. The prize was first awarded on the occasion of MACRO 2004 (Paris) and is granted biennially on the occasion of the IUPAC World Polymer Congress. The awardees are selected from the nominees by a Committee of the IUPAC Polymer Division.

Prof. Christopher Brett, the president elect of IUPAC was awarded the Medal of the Czech Chemical Society on 21 April 2018. The Medal, the highest award of the CCS, is awarded to the individuals who contributed significantly to the chemical and connected sciences and who contributed to the life of the Czech chemical community and the CCS.

IUPAC and Solvay announce the winners of the 2018 IUPAC-Solvay International Award for Young Chemists, presented for the best Ph.D. theses in the chemical sciences, as described in 1000-word essays.

IUPAC is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the IUPAC 2019 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Awards. The purpose of the awards program, initiated as part of the 2011 International Year of Chemistry celebrations, is to acknowledge and promote the work of women in chemistry or chemical engineering worldwide. 23 women were honored during a ceremony held at the IUPAC Congress in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 2 August 2011. At each of the subsequent IUPAC Congresses, 12 women received this recognition; in Istanbul, Turkey in 2013, in Busan, Korea in 2015, and in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A similar award ceremony will take place during the 2019 IUPAC Congress in July 2019 in Paris, France.