Editorial
Abstract
Professor Ben Feringa, Chair of the Editorial Board, introduces this exciting new journal.
These are exciting times for organic chemistry. Synthetic and physical organic chemistry are rapidly gaining importance in the emerging fields of chemical biology and nanotechnology where a crucial role is played in the development of new bioactive substances and novel materials. Organic chemists are at the molecular heart of life science but also continue to report fascinating discoveries in established areas such as synthesis, supramolecular chemistry and catalysis. The 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded to Knowles, Noyori and Sharpless, reflects only one of these flourishing fields of our discipline.
The publication of original and exciting work from the many frontiers of organic chemistry demands a journal with broad scope and high visibility that also can cover important findings from the new areas where organic chemists are active.
It is therefore with great pleasure that we introduce to you the first issue of Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry.
This new, society based journal is a forum for all organic chemists working in established areas but also at the interface with Biology, Medicine and Materials Science. As a successor of two journals, the Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1 and Perkin Transactions 2, it will continue the rich tradition of the Royal Society of Chemistry to publish outstanding achievements in organic chemistry. It will also have a wide circulation, built on the strength of its predecessors.
Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry includes both Communications and Articles. Important developments in specific areas of organic chemistry will be covered in Perspectives; critical reviews by experts in the field. A novel concept is introduced with the short feature articles, Emerging Areas. Young and eminent chemists will be invited to present a 2–3 page critical analysis of very recent and exciting developments in a rapidly emerging new area where organic chemistry is likely to play a key role. In this first issue we are very pleased to have an Emerging Area from Michael Burkart on Metabolic Engineering and a Perspective from Chi-Huey Wong on HIV1 Protease: Mechanism and drug discovery.
Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry offers its authors very fast publication times. Typical publication times we are able to offer are 12 weeks for full papers and 6 weeks for communications. The whole refereeing process is now fully electronic which will enable us to maintain and even further decrease our publication times. Of course fast publication times require fast refereeing and we are grateful to all those who act in this capacity.
There will be many new features of Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry. The use of colour is welcomed and is available free to all authors. The cover has been designed to allow considerable space for cover artwork. This artwork will come from the authors of one of the papers in each issue. All articles will benefit from reference linking in the HTML version online. This facility includes free access to the Chemical Abstracts Service abstract for the reference via ChemPort (www.chemport.org) and links to the full text of the reference, where available online, on the publisher's server via CrossRef (www.crossref.org) (Please note a subscription or pay-per-view may be required to access the article). Where a primary article contains chemical biology, it will be available free of charge for one month following publication in an issue through the Chemical Biology Virtual Journal (www.rsc.org/chemicalbiology). This provides an easy-to-use point of access to chemical biology literature in all RSC publications.
We are pleased to be able to work with an outstanding Editorial Board, all leading scientists in the various fields of organic chemistry. It has been extremely gratifying for the Board Members to experience such an enthusiastic response from the organic chemistry community at numerous occasions in recent months regarding this new initiative. We are also pleased to inform you that since submission to Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry was opened the journal has received balanced proportions of synthetic, physical and biomolecular organic chemistry (33%, 26%, and 25% respectively). Indeed, a broad spectrum of organic chemistry is featured in this first issue.
On behalf of the Editorial Board we welcome you to Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry and trust you share our enthusiasm to serve the organic chemistry community with this new journal. We are committed to making this journal a success. To achieve this it is very important to us to hear your feedback. We also very much look forward to receiving your submissions throughout the year.
Professor Ben Feringa, Chair, Editorial Board
Dr Caroline Potter, Managing Editor
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