Orthaber Lab

Heavier group 15 elements: a new frontier in molecular switch development Molecular switches—compounds capable of reversibly interconverting between distinct states in response to external stimuli—are foundational to the design of dynamic functional materials. Classical…

🔓Take a look at this #OpenAccess Perspective article by Rajesh Deka, @orthaberlab.bsky.social & co discussing the use of heavier group 15 elements in molecular switch development⬇️

pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

📍Uppsala University 🧪

Chemistry artwork by Toma Bohmick

Advertisement for the 5th International Solar Fuels Conference hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry, from September 1-5, 2025 in Newcastle, United Kingdom. The image features an abstract orange design on a light background, with details of the conference and poster abstract deadline of June 23, 2025. Text prompts to join and submit now.

Present a poster at the 5th International #SolarFuels conference.

We welcome abstract submissions from all career stages, under any area of solar fuels. The deadline is 23 June – don’t miss your chance to be a part of this internationally renowned event: rsc.li/isf2025 #ChemSky

Solution-phase synthesis of Clar’s goblet and elucidation of its spin properties - Nature Chemistry In 1972, Erich Clar envisioned Clar’s goblet, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon featuring two unpaired electrons that are spin-paired. However, synthesizing it in a solution phase remains challenging....

Now published. Congratulations Jishan. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #PiSky

Toma Bhowmick engages in lively discussions about her science at #EWPC2025 in Innsbruck. #ChemSky

A little change in scenery. Looking forward to #EWPC2025. In Innsbruck. #ChemSky

Visa sorted, nothing can stop you now...

Its a great pleasure to participate in this fantastic meeting: "2nd International Conference on Main Group Synthesis and Catalysis (ICMGSC)" organized by Ajay Venugopal and @rsc.org at the picturesque campus of IISER Thiruvananthapuram. #chemsky

Contorting the hetero phosphaquinoid: synthesis and electronic insights into a non-planar, ferrocenyl phosphaquinoid We report a highly contorted phosphaquinoid by substituting one of the exocyclic C [[double bond, length as m-dash]] C bonds of an anthraquinodimethane unit with a phosphaalkene unit (–C [[double bond...

Have a look at our latest work on phosphaquinoidal conjugated motifs, now including a ferrocene terminus.
pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...
Great work by Rajesh Deka leading this investigation.
#chemsky

Thioxanthone Synthesis from Thioureas through Double Aryne Insertion into a Carbon-Sulfur Double Bond Thioxanthone synthesis from o-silylaryl triflates and thioureas is disclosed. Double aryne insertion into the C═S double bond of thioureas and subsequent hydrolysis realized the facile preparation of ...

Wait, we (@S_Yoshida_Lab) made thioxanthones?! Double aryne insertion into thioureas + simple hydrolysis = super functionalized thioxanthones. Who saw that coming? #AryneChemistry #OpenAccess #OrgLett #ChemSky
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

We wish you all a very happy 2025!🎊

Here is a quick look through some of our favourite Featured Structure Friday structures from last year.

#FeaturedStructureFriday #Crystallography #CompChemSky

Sir J. Fraser Stoddart

Sir J. Fraser Stoddart, Chair Professor in Chemistry at the University of Hong Kong, died Dec. 30, 2024, at the age of 82. He was on holiday in Australia with his family. cen.acs.org/people/obitu... #chemsky

Looking forward to a great new year with #chemsky

In your mind, can you hear what FCI is saying here?
#ChemSky #CompChem #AcademicSky

Thank you for highlighting our work by Toma, Jorn, Asif, Jordann, and @screspi.bsky.social

Reversible Metal‐Mediated Molecular Switching of a Phosphaethene Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon This experimental and theoretical study illustrates how phosphaalkenes, which are isolobal to alkenes, can utilize a variety of external triggers for molecular switching. The E/Z isomerization of a t...

Latest paper on "Main group meets photochemistry" by Toma Bhowmick, Jorn Steen et al. Another mysterious phosphaalkene switch...
Collab with the @screspi.bsky.social group.
chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#chemsky #pisky

But this is only a brief (13pages) report 😁

Borirene - Wikipedia

Teaching update: The last few main-group graduate courses I've taught have produced Wikipedia articles, that are internally peer reviewed, to make main-group content more accessible to the public. One of this year's first to be posted is on borirene: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borirene

What a privilege to listen to Prof Sir David Clary at @univie.ac.at for our Faculty Chrismas Lecture about #Schrödinger and #WalterKohn, sons of Vienna and Stars of Science.
#theochem at its best! ⚛️

Frustrated Lewis Pairs from Al–E{14} Bonds (E{14} = Ge, Sn, Pb) The potassium aluminyl K[Al(NON)] ([NON]2– = [O(SiMe2NDipp)2]2–, Dipp = 2,6-iPr2C6H3) reacts with group 14 chloroamidinates E{14}(Am)Cl (E{14} = Ge, Sn, Pb. [Am]– = [tBuC(NDipp)2]–) to form (NON)Al–E....

Woo hoo! The first molecular Pb-Al bond and some great reactivity studies! chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

After a 5-year gestation, we can finally let chemists know what happens when you fuse donor/acceptor groups to s-indacene. This was a beast of a manuscript, with Bella doing 85% of the work. The 4 isomers would be impossible to make if they were acenes!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... #PiSky

Probing the Hidden Photoisomerization of a Symmetric Phosphaalkene Switch In this study, we present the synthesis and analysis of a novel, air-stable, and solvent-resistant phosphaalkene switch. Using this symmetric switch, we have demonstrated degenerate photoisomerizatio...

Absolutely delighted to see the light of this collaborative work between the @screspi.bsky.social team and our group, with all the spectroscopy help.
Demonstrating degenerate isomerisation of phosphaalkenes using NMR spectroscopy #chemsky #NMRchat
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Simple Parameters and Data Processing for Better Signal-to-Noise and Temporal Resolution in In Situ 1D NMR Reaction Monitoring In situ 1D NMR spectroscopic reaction monitoring allows detailed investigation of chemical kinetics and mechanism. Concentration versus time data are derived from a time series of NMR spectra. Each sp...

It's a little bit late, but I'm really excited for my first paper! For reaction monitoring by NMR, signal-averaging can be applied *after acquisition*, and results in better S/N *and* data density without the typical trade-off. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... #NMRchat #NMR @lloydjonesgroup.bsky.social

Antiaromaticity in molecular assemblies and materials Antiaromatic rings are infamously unstable and difficult to work with but they possess unusual electronic properties that make them interesting for fundamental and applied research. This perspective p...

Antiaromaticity in molecular assemblies and materials 👇 Some more contents for the ever lasting discussion about aromaticity of organic molecules, the scientific debate is open!

pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

Thanks for highlighting your recent #ChemSci paper @pchem.bsky.social!

For those who don't know, #DiamondOpenAccess means free to read and free to publish. Another reason why #ChemSci is awesome.😁

So go ahead and read it for free: pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/A...

Our Tetraphosphenium ion has just been accepted in Chemical Science @roysocchem.bsky.social. Many thanks to @kelemen-group.bsky.social for this fruitful collaboration #diamondopenaccess #ChemSky. Check it out at doi.org/10.1039/D4SC...

That would be an unwanted loop hole in the attempt to facilitate and/or promote fast dissemination in public repositories.

Very nice indeed! Lokking forward to seeing the med chem side growing further

Apparently I am a synthesis person. Fair enough... #ScholarGoggler #chemsky