Editorial

Since its launch in 1999, CrystEngComm has grown into the journal for publication of the best crystal engineering articles. 2008 is the 10^th year of publication of the journal, and to celebrate this, this celebration issue of CrystEngComm contains papers that have been authored by members of the CrystEngComm Editorial and Advisory Boards.

The breadth of research reported in this issue reflects the diversity of the field of crystal engineering. The articles come from four continents, covering a wide range of topics across modern chemistry and materials science. Some fields that were represented in the first issues of CrystEngComm ten years ago remain at the forefront of crystal engineering, notably polymorphism, co-crystals and metal–organic frameworks. Their presence in this tenth anniversary issue reflects the sustained importance, the excitement and controversy that these topics still raise.

However, the growth of the crystal engineering field is also reflected in the greater diversity of techniques reported. Whereas ten years ago most studies relied solely on single crystal X-ray diffraction, the studies reported here include examples where powder X-ray diffraction solution and solid-state NMR are exploited. Interestingly, the issue also reflects a much greater diversity of synthetic techniques, notably greater use of solid-state synthesis.

Overall, the issue demonstrates the health of crystal engineering as a research field and we look forward to the next ten years of both crystal engineering research and CrystEngComm.

Professor Neil Champness, Editorial Board Chair

Dr Jamie Humphrey, Editor

---