A Celebration of Organic Chemistry

Two Nobel Laureates spoke at a special one-day symposium to celebrate the contribution that organic chemistry makes to society

The event was organized by the School of Chemistry to mark the career of Professor Keith Smith, who will retire later this year. Professor Smith has had professional associations with most of the speakers.

Professor Akira Suzuki (Hokkaido University, Japan), who shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, talked about the discovery of the reaction that bears his name and has improved the quality of life for millions of people through widespread adoption by pharmaceutical industry. Professor Ei-Ichi Negishi (Purdue University, USA), another recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, showcased his group's work in the areas of palladium-catalysed cross-coupling and zirconium-catalysed carboalumination.

Other presentations included the use of a thin-film hydrogel for continuous sensing of glucose and oxidation chemistry for the treatment of waste water. The School of Chemistry's Dr Mark Elliott spoke on his work applying desymmetrisation reactions in the preparation of compounds with quaternary stereocentres.

The symposium was organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry in conjunction with the Learned Society of Wales and the School of Chemistry. The event was followed by a private dinner at the Saint David's Hotel, organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Eminent scientists attending included the Chief Scientific Advisor for Wales, Professor John Harries, the President of Cardiff University, Professor Sir Martin Evans and the President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Professor David Phillips.