Vol. 105 No. 1 (2009)

Catalytic enantioselective reactions have had a significant impact on the development of synthetic organic chemistry during the last 30 years. Among them, methods based exclusively on metal-free organic catalysts (organocatalysis) have achieved a great importance and they are becoming powerful tools in the construction of complex molecular skeletons. Therefore, the last few years have witnessed a spectacular advance in new organocatalytic methods, some of them are described in this review.

Abstract: The present paper concerns emulsions stabilised by silica nanoparticles with modified surface. Nanoparticles with silanol groups at the surface may stabilise oil-in-water (o/w)) emulsions whereas silica nanoparticles modified with hydrophobic groups stabilise water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions. It has been observed that the nature of the emulsion, o/w or w/o depend on the particle type as well as the oil or water content in the emulsion. The type of the emulsion has been determined by conductivity measurements and drop test.

Organic devices offer characteristics potentially useful for electronic applications, such as low-cost, large area coverage, structural and chemical flexibility and bio-compatibility. In the last few years the progress in the fabrication of organic devices has grown enormously, especially in the fabrication of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), where charge carrier mobilities of the same order as amorphous silicon are currently achieved. This review gives a general description of the OFETs device operation and introduces the reader to the current standing in the area of OFETs focusing on the new solution-processed small conjugated molecules that have been recently reported. K

Carbenes have been considered as highly reactive species, difficult to isolate, for a long time. The successful synthesis of stable carbenes and their extraordinary behaviour as ligands for the transition metals have brought about to the synthesis of several stable (or at least persistent) carbenes with different structural and electronic motifs that will be revised here.

Keywords: Acyclic carbenes, N-heterocyclic carbenes, stable carbenes, persistent carbenes, singlet carbenes.

Chemical methods allow an easy synthesis of silver nanoparticles in solution. These metal nanoparticles have a great potential for biomedical applications as antibacterial agent, antifungal, antiviral or wound healing. The modification of the parameters involved in these reactions permits a precise control over the size, the shape, the monodispersity and the surface of the nanoparticles. The organometallic method meets these requirements giving rise to small silver nanoparticles with a high antibacterial activity.

Keywords: Silver, nanoparticles, nanomaterials, antimicrobial property, biomedical applications.

Sustainable Chemistry affords the reactions efficiency by different criteria, not only yield. Several metrics are used to evaluate the chemical reactions for the synthesis of a specific compound and the environmental impact of the synthetic pathway. Resources and quantity waste that is produced for a given mass of product can be assessed

Keywords: Sustainable Chemistry, reactions metrics, E factor, atom economy, ecoscale.

This article describes how to use a real-life, tangible chemistry problem to promote active methodologies in college classrooms. An experimental exercise concerning the heating of commercial drinks known as "self-heating" products is proposed as a learning activity. The heating process is based on the exothermic character of the dissolution process of certain salts in water. It is an example of how an everyday experience can be used as a starting point for an active, cooperative and problem-based learning. This educational resource promotes the learning of physicochemical concepts such as specific heat, enthalpy of solution, and lattice enthalpy, while emphasizing Science-Technology-Society issues.

Keywords: active learning, problem-based learning, hands-on learning, salts solution, chemical thermodynamics, consumer chemistry

The use of molecular models made of plasticine and toothpics in the teaching of chemistry is briefly reviewed. These models can be used in all educational levels and the best results are obtained when the students build the models themselves.

Keywords: Plasticine and toothpics, molecular geometry, VSEPR, bond angles, chemical education.

According to a widespread view, popular among economic historians and historians of technology alike, science and industry were miles apart during most of their history. Only since the so-called 'Scientific-Technical Revolution' (Bernal), or 'Second Industrial Revolution' (Landes) (1870–1914), science, technology and industry became closely intertwined, leading to science-based industry, scientific technology, and technoscience. In this paper, I will argue that almost the opposite is true. In the 16th to 18th centuries chemistry and the chemical industries were hardly differentiated from each other, and there were numerous connections via the use of common equipment and materials. The story presented shows that between 1500 and 2000 chemistry and industry have always been closely related. But the nature of the relation changed over time. During the first three centuries after the emergence of chemistry as a discipline, the common laboratory practices formed the major link between chemistry and the industry. Later, laboratory investigations played a more independent role, although the questions posed and the materials used were often strongly influenced by the industry. During its entire history industrial innovation never was dependent on chemical insights alone. It was always a far more heterogeneous process.

Keywords: History of chemistry, chemical industry, applied chemistry, Industrial Revolution.

Entrega de premios de especialidades de la RSEQ 2008 (Madrid, 22/01/2009) • El premio bilateral hispano-luso de la RSEQ llevará el nombre de Madinaveitia • Claudio Palomo, Premio Euskadi de Investigación 2008 • Gernot Frenking, Schrödinger Medal 2009 • Premio a la Labor de Innovación Educativa del grupo de Didáctica de la Química de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid • Barry Sharpless, Premio Nobel de Química 2001, visita Santiago de Compostela invitado por el programa ConCiencia • José Elguero Bertolini, Académico de Honor de la Real Academia Nacional de Farmacia • La ONU declara 2011 Año Internacional de
la Química • X Escuela Nacional de Materiales Moleculares (XENMM) • La RSEQ socio adherido de CEDRO
Noticias Científicas Relevantes 
Calendario de Eventos 2009