Introduction to the Nitrogen Ligands Themed Issue

This themed issue of the New Journal of Chemistry reports recent advances in the chemistry of nitrogen ligands, including organic, coordination, metal–organic and bioinorganic chemistry, and also materials science and catalysis. Various families of nitrogenated compounds are covered, including heterocycles (pyridine, pyrazole, indazole, triazole, phenanthroline, …), saturated macrocycles (tetraazacycloalkanes, oxa- or thia-azamacrocycles), unsaturated systems (porphyrins, BODIPYs, salophens, …), as well as tridimensional architectures, cryptands, supramolecular assemblies and nanoparticles. The synthesis, the spectroscopic characterization and the coordination chemistry of these nitrogen ligands with numerous metals (Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, Fe, Sn, Gd, Re, B, …) are covered.

The topics treated in this themed issue range from the most fundamental and theoretical aspects to the applications of these ligands and their metal complexes in many different areas. Some papers deal with the use of nitrogen ligands as sensors for various substrates. Catalysis and energy (especially solar cells) are also important fields discussed in this themed issue. Biology and medicine are also treated, with some articles describing the interaction of nitrogen ligands with nucleic acids and various medical applications of nitrogenated compounds, such as their use as contrast agents for MRI or drug delivery.

We were fortunate to meet some of the authors of this themed issue at the 6th EuCheMS Conference on Nitrogen Ligands held in Beaune in mid-September 2015, gathering 215 attendees from 25 countries. The EuCheMS Conference organized in Beaune (http://www.nligands2015.com) continued a series of previous conferences held in Alghero (1992), Como (1996), Camerino (2004), Garmisch-Partenkirchen (2008) and Granada (2011).

The main topics discussed during the 2015 conference were:

– Materials

– Medical Imaging/Health

– Bioinorganic Chemistry

– Heterocycles

– Supramolecular Chemistry

– Catalysis

– Coordination Chemistry

– Inorganic Chemistry

Some of the contributions presented in Beaune were selected for this themed issue, along with other papers taken from the spontaneous submissions to NJC that fit within the thematic of this issue. The full list of papers, which will include papers published in earlier or later issues of NJC, can be consulted on the NJC website (www.rsc.org/njc), in the themed collections tab.

The editors are very grateful to all the authors (representing 13 countries) and reviewers of the 39 contributions to this themed issue, which would not have been possible without their strong support. Many thanks go to all of them.

We wish you all continued success in your research activities.

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