Acc. Chem. Res. = Suddenly Cool Again

Accounts of Chemical Research - located at the "left of your ACS radio dial"- may be as unloved as the random college radio stations one finds there. Yet it somehow seems to be catching fire with the chemistry "It" crowd.

Seriously...it's on the left!

I'd heard plenty of knocks back in grad school: "Self-reviews." "Citation fluffing." But, know what? I can't help but want to read most of these recent papers.

Take the upcoming Special Issue organized by Paul Wender. Entitled "Synthesis, Design and Molecular Function," it offers plenty of pizzazz. There's...

• Tom Hudlicky, whose "...20 years of effort [in synthesizing morphinans]...may qualify as obssession." 
• Karl Gademann "...unlocking secrets enshrined in molecular structure" towards neuroengineering.
• Brian Stoltz wants to show you "effective and broadly general methods for the formation of quaternary stereocenters."
• Phil Baran wants students "...to face challenges from the 'real world' at an early stage of their career"
• Frank Glorius wishes chemists would realize "...the value of negative and qualitative data" in reaction screening
• Glenn Micalizio advances "...an area of chemical reactivity not represented in the few well-established [C-C bond-forming] strategies" namely, metallacycles.
• Sam Danishefsky and Chi-Huey Wong tackle cancer vaccines. Need I say more?
• And Vinca alkaloids stalwart Dale Boger dives into vinblastine analogues.

I'm sure more will find their way onto the ASAPs, but this is an illustrious way to start the next issue.
Bravo, editors!

Coloring Chemistry - Useful, or Distracting?

Credit: JACS, Stepien group

While flipping through the JACS ASAP abstracts, I noticed this scheme from a group in Poland. My first thought, though, was not "Oh, cool, fused* porphyrins."

Nope. Instead, I thought "The coloring bug has spread!"

Credit: ACIEE, Nicolaou group

See, for a few years now, certain organic chemists have begun to "ink" their reaction schemes. At first, the rationalization was beauty, the notion that artistic flair livened up the work. Then, the noveau artistes spoke of functionality, indicating similarly sized groups, say, or drawing the reader's eye to certain molecular features (Note: go here or here for Derek's ITP take, or here for TotSyn's)

Lately, though, it's like a child has spilled his watercolor paints all over the abstract. Maybe these guys should team up on that new ACS coloring book.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of scientific visualizations that help illustrate a concept, like the winners of the 2011 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. And seminar slides with some red or blue structures never hurt anyone. But colored reaction schemes seem, to me, to be more about catching the eye (Wow, look over there!) than communicating good science.

Credit: JACS, Glorius group

Readers, what do you think? Am I just missing the point here? Or do you find the coloring-book approach equally vexing? 

I look forward to a spirited debate in the comments!

*(Bonus chemistry word of the day, for those playing at home: tetrabenzochrysenoporphyrin!)