Connected Community

Come together: Managing Editor Theresa Kueckmann reflects on the many facets of the community that supports the Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry. Each of us lives in a world of connections to other people, albeit of varying intensity, from strong connections to family and close friends to the smile of a stranger on the street. And these interactions have the power to change us, to brighten our day or broaden our horizons. One set of interactions has to do with the submitted manuscript, at which stage the author, referees and editor work together to help every manuscript fulfill its highest potential. This process of critique and revision is well recognized to improve the scientific quality of manuscripts. In the end, it serves to make the interaction with another group—the readers—more positive. Readers may seem to be an anonymous group, but their collective behavior in which papers they choose to read (Table 1), cite (Table 2), or share informs trends and provides a feedback loop for editors, referees and authors. Authors and readers also have many overlapping interests, such as the fast publication of the newest research. At AsianJOC, we work hard to serve these interests as best we can. We were the first Wiley-VCH chemistry journal to publish accepted articles before copy editing and proofing, and we have continuously improved our service to make the articles available an average of 30 days after submission and to give the authors more control over the files and the format. The result is the publication of some 200 papers in 2016 from authors around the globe (Figure 1). Grignard Reactions in Cyclopentyl Methyl Ether Shoji Kobayashi, Keisuke Shibukawa, Yuta Miyaguchi, Araki Masuyama Full Paper, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2016, 5, 636 The Development and Application of Sulfur Dioxide Surrogates in Synthetic Organic Chemistry Edward J. Emmett, Michael C. Willis Focus Review, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2015, 4, 602 Nucleophilic Nitrenoids Through π-Acid Catalysis: Providing a Common Basis for Rapid Access into Diverse Nitrogen Heterocycles Paul W. Davies, Miguel Garzón Focus Review, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2015, 4, 694 Diverse Applications of Nitrones for the Synthesis of Heterocyclic Compounds Laura L. Anderson Focus Review, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2016, 5, 9 Catalytic Methods for Imine Synthesis Rajendra D. Patil, Subbarayappa Adimurthy Focus Review, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, 726 Recent Advances in Diversity Oriented Synthesis Through Isatin-based Multicomponent Reactions Yunyun Liu, Hang Wang, Jieping Wan Focus Review, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, 374 A Closer Look at Aryne Chemistry: Details that Remain Mysterious Chunrui Wu, Feng Shi Focus Review, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, 116 Synthesis of Pyrroles, Indoles, and Carbazoles through Transition-Metal-Catalyzed C−H Functionalization Naohiko Yoshikai, Ye We Focus Review, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2013, 2, 446 Synthesis of Chiral Olefin Ligands and their Application in Asymmetric Catalysis Xiangqing Feng, Haifeng Du Focus Review, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2012, 1, 204 Pillar[n]arenes—A Novel, Highly Promising Class of Macrocyclic Host Molecules Derong Cao, Herbert Meier Focus Review, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2014, 3, 244 Regional distribution of papers published in 2016. Another set of interactions involves the members of the journal's Editorial and International Advisory Board. Through their involvement, these outstanding members of the broader scientific community help develop and grow the journal by their supportive advocacy. This year has brought some changes to the journal boards. We bid founding Editorial Board co-chair Deqing Zhang farewell and thank him for all of his efforts during the early years of the journal. The other two founding co-chairs, Keiji Maruoka and Sung Ho Kang, will continue in their roles, and we thank them for their outstanding support. They will be joined by Jian Pei of Peking University, with whom we look forward to a productive collaboration. We are pleased to announce that Xiao-Bing Lu, Dalian University of Technology, and Yixin Lu, National University of Singapore, have joined the Editorial Board, while Zhenfeng Xi and Shu-Li You along with Prof. Zhang have shifted their involvement to the International Advisory Board. The new members of the Editorial Board are introduced with brief biographies below. Our deepest thanks goes to the board co-chairs, the Editorial Board members, and the individuals on the International Advisory Board. They are the true motors driving the AsianJOC. We will celebrate the journal's fifth anniversary in July 2017 with a special issue featuring contributions from these outstanding scientists! The journal editorial office has the privilege of being embedded in an environment of sister journals with far-reaching experience. The benefits take many forms, one example of which is the joint special issue on photoredox catalysis to be published in March, 2017, together with our sister journal European Journal of Organic Chemistry and guest-edited by Professor Burkhard König of Regensburg University. Cooperation with other journals often takes less tangible forms, for example in the continual exchange of ways to improve journal workflows, in the cooperative upholding of high ethical standards, and by offering authors the chance to transfer their manuscript to a different journal if it turns out not to be a good fit for the initially selected title. At conferences, we deepen connections to board members, authors and referees and extend the journal's interactions to those not immediately connected to it in one of these roles. We also take pride in supporting the next generation of organic chemists by recognizing their outstanding work with conference poster prizes (Figure 2). Look for us in 2017 at the Organometallic Chemistry for Organic Synthesis (OMCOS) meeting in Seoul, the European Conference on Organic Synthesis in Cologne, the Asian Chemical Congress and Royal Australian Chemistry Institute 100th anniversary conference in Melbourne, and the congress of the International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry in Regensburg, Germany. Managing Editor Theresa Kueckmann presents a poster prize award. Of course, there are many more interactions which influence the journal and help to shape its place in the community. To discuss all of them would be an undertaking much larger than the space of this editorial permits. And so I conclude by thanking all of you for the role each of you plays in making the journal what it is, through each individual interaction, and by wishing you a great start to the new year 2017! Theresa Kueckmann Managing Editor Xiao-Bing Lu earned his Ph.D. from Dalian University of Technology in 2002 under the supervision of Prof. Ren He. In the same year, he began his independent career at State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, where he is currently full professor. He has authored over 100 scientific publications and has received awards including Young Chemist Award (Chinese Chemical Society, 2005), Natural Science Award (the Ministry of Education of China, 2005 and 2015), Young Teacher Award (Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation, 2005), Outstanding Young Scientist Fund award (National Natural Science Foundation of China, 2006) and Changjiang Professorship (the Ministry of Education of China, 2011). He is interested in the catalytic transformation of carbon dioxide and in polymerization catalysis with a focus on polymer stereochemistry control. Yixin Lu studied chemistry and received his B.Sc. from Fudan University and M.Sc. from Dalian University of Technology. He continued his graduate studies in Canada and obtained his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry under the supervision of George Just from McGill University in 2000. He then carried out his postdoctoral research with Peter W. Schiller at Clinical Research Institute of Montreal, and subsequently worked as an RCMS fellow with Ryoji Noyori at Nagoya University. In September 2003, he started his independent career and joined the National University of Singapore (NUS), where he is now a full professor. He was the recipient of a number of awards, including Asian Core Program (ACP) Lectureship awards to China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan (2009–2016); Young/Outstanding Scientist Award from Faculty of Science, NUS (2009, 2013); GSK–SNIC Award in Organic Chemistry (2013); and Dean's Chair Professorship (2013). His research is focused on synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry. One of his key research interests is asymmetric synthesis and catalysis, particularly those processes mediated by small organic molecules.

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