Tessera

Fabienne Dumoulin@fabdumoulin.bsky.social · 2w ago

I'm so gonna use this template 😜

Dear Reviewer 2, here you are...

Met some amazing scientists at a conference that ended today. I really admire people who think with absolute clarity: just black and white. In a world full of messy gray areas, having conviction to simplify chaos & make decisive call is a rare human trait.

I'm impressed by the new update of Zotero 9. Read aloud feature and direct annotations are real time savers.

Started reading my eighth book of the year. Michael Pollan's "Cooked" is an amazing read for both food chemists and food lovers. I especially liked the reasons Pollan gives for why we should cook.

Train your brain like a muscle. Exercise it, fuel it right, and ensure quality sleep. Take care of your brain (if any!), because a tired brain is just a bowl of soup with no spoon. #WorldBrainDay

Excellent column. I've witnessed scientists who are also in sports to be far more composed and resilient. As a fencer-archer myself, this column almost read my mind www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Seven ways endurance sports have taught me to be a better researcher

The ‘24-hour rule’ and other tips from sport can improve lab life.

nature.com

Which Molecule Is Involved in the Nitrosation Reaction of Pharmaceuticals: NO or NO2? | pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Which Molecule Is Involved in the Nitrosation Reaction of Pharmaceuticals: NO or NO2?

We have previously clearly identified atmospheric nitrogen oxides (NOx) as a key factor in nitrosamine contamination in pharmaceuticals. To implement more appropriate countermeasures, the nitrosation ...

pubs.acs.org

Enjoyed watching The Odyssey. Just go for it. While there are a few flaws but overall, it is a technically brilliant film. Matt Damon is exceptional.

Interesting paper #ChemSky pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Reappraising Dichloromethane: Uncovering a Hidden Coupling Reagent for Activating Carboxylic Acids in Direct Amide Synthesis

Amide bonds are essential in biology and chemistry, yet their synthesis often requires expensive reagents or harsh conditions. We report that dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), a commonly used solvent, can function as an effective coupling reagent for the direct amide bond formation between carboxylic acids and amines. Under mild basic and thermal conditions, CH2Cl2 reacts in situ with acids to generate reactive intermediates, affording high yields (up to 92%) across a broad substrate scope while producing only benign byproducts. The reaction is scalable (over 20 g at a 100 mmol scale) and largely preserves the stereochemical integrity of chiral starting materials. Mechanistic studies support an SN2/acyl substitution pathway via chloromethyl ester intermediates. This work introduces a practical and environmentally friendly strategy for amide synthesis by repurposing a ubiquitous solvent with an underappreciated reactivity.

pubs.acs.org

I love Zotero

Ongoing derivative work.

Finally reached h-index 10. Slow but steady.

"To be a scientist is to be naive..." -Chernobyl, HBO

Richard Van Noorden@richvn.bsky.social · 4w ago

China's ability to draw top-tier globally recognized Nobel Prize winner chemist Omar Yaghi demonstrates just how fiercely competitive they are on the world stage.

The Carnegie Foundation named Nobel-winner Omar Yaghi just last month as among its 2026 Class of Great Immigrants, "recognizing 25 distinguished naturalized citizens whose contributions have strengthened America". Now he's off to China. carnegie.org/great-immigr...

Nature@nature.com · 4w ago

That's China!

Nobel-prize-winning chemist Omar Yaghi has left the United States for a full-time position at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, where he will lead a new AI-assisted materials discovery institute. go.nature.com/4pf2jQ3

Today at the RSC AGM and Special Lecture members.rsc.org/site/content...

AnnualGeneralMeeting

members.rsc.org

Michelle Francl@michellefrancl.bsky.social · last mo.

Excellent read of the day. #ChemSky #WomenInScience

My most recent column in Nature Chem (@natchem.nature.com) is out: First Ladies of Chemistry. Who were the early women PhDs in chemistry? Why was the Ice Woman a hero (why is she still?)? Also -aren't those lab coats in the photo wild? rdcu.be/frKkW

ScienceDaily: Your source for the latest research news [Unoffic…@sciencedaily.com.web.brid.gy · 2mo ago

Your brain was never designed for this much bad news

Humans evolved to pay close attention to danger, but today that instinct is being overwhelmed by an endless supply of bad news from around the world. Researchers say the answer isn’t to stop following current events—it’s to build healthier habits around how, when, and where we get our news.

sciencedaily.com

Peter Atkins: ‘Rather than a single author book with an author’s voice, it’s becoming more of a committee construction’ www.chemistryworld.com/peter-atkins...

Peter Atkins: ‘Rather than a single author book with an author’s voice, it’s becoming more of a committee construction’

The author of the venerable Physical Chemistry on how writing chemistry textbooks has changed over his career

chemistryworld.com

theconversation.com/ammonia-from...

Ammonia from wastewater: How we’re turning a pollutant into fertilizer and clean fuel

Scientific and engineering breakthroughs are allowing us to make ammonia from pollution rather than fossil fuels.

theconversation.com

Science News @scinews.bsky.social · last mo.

The Cost of Free Labor: Will Nature Ever Pay for Peer Review?

A synthetic organic chemist is a machine for turning coffee into total synthesis.

From receiving love letters to sending this mail, I've come a long way 😄