The Frontiers in Chemistry Editorial Office team are delighted to present the inaugural “Frontiers in Chemistry: Rising Stars” article collection, showcasing the high-quality work of internationally recognized researchers in the early stages of their independent careers. All Rising Star researchers featured within this collection were individually nominated by the Journal’s Chief Editors in recognition of their potential to influence the future directions in their respective fields. The work presented here highlights the diversity of research performed across the entire breadth of the chemical sciences, and presents advances in theory, experiment and methodology with applications to compelling problems. This Editorial features the corresponding author(s) of each paper published within this important collection, ordered by section alphabetically, highlighting them as the great researchers of the future. The Frontiers in Chemistry Editorial Office team would like to thank each researcher who contributed their work to this collection. We would also like to personally thank our Chief Editors for their exemplary leadership of this article collection; their strong support and passion for this important, community-driven collection has ensured its success and global impact. Laurent Mathey, PhD Journal Development Manager

A compilation of recent advances and applications in asymmetric catalysis The field of asymmetric catalysis has grown rapidly and plays a key role in drug discovery and pharmaceuticals. New Frontiers in Asymmetric Catalysis gives readers a fundamental understanding of the concepts and applications of asymmetric catalysis reactions and discusses the latest developments and findings. With contributions from preeminent scientists in their respective fields, it covers: * "Rational" ligand design, which is critically dependent on the reaction type (reduction, oxidation, and C-C bond formation) * Recent findings on activation of C-H bonds, C-C bonds, and small molecules (C=O, HCN, RN=C, and CO2) and the latest developments on C-C bond reorganization, such as metathesis * Advances in "chirally economical" non-linear phenomena, racemic catalysis, and autocatalysis * Some of the recent discoveries that have led to a renaissance in the field of organocatalysis, including the development of chiral Brönstead acids and Lewis acidic metals bearing the conjugate base of the Brönstead acids as the ligands and the chiral bi-functional acid/base catalysts The book ends with a thought-provoking perspective on the future of asymmetric catalysis that addresses both the challenges and the unlimited potential in this burgeoning field. This is an authoritative, up-to-date reference for organic chemists in academia, government, and industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotech, fine chemicals, polymers, and agriculture. It is also an excellent textbook for graduate students studying advanced organic chemistry or chemical synthesis.

The impact of catalysis on the nation's economy is evidenced by the fact that catalytic technologies generate U.S. sales in excess of $400 billion per year and a net positive balance of trade of $16 billion annually. This book outlines recent accomplishments in the science and technology of catalysis and summarizes important likely challenges and opportunities on the near horizon. It also presents recommendations for investment of financial and human resources by industry, academe, national laboratories, and relevant federal agencies if the nation is to maintain continuing leadership in this fieldâ€"one that is critical to the chemical and petroleum processing industries, essential for energy-efficient means for environmental protection, and vital for the production of a broad range of pharmaceuticals.

The chemical or biological process whereby the presence of an external compound, a catalyst, serves as an agent to cause a chemical reaction to occur or to improve reaction performance without altering the external compound. Catalysis is a very important process from an industrial point of view since the production of most industrially important chemicals involve catalysis. Research into catalysis is a major field in applied science, and involves many fields of chemistry and physics. The new book brings together leading research in this vibrant field.

Sustainability, defined as the way to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future ones to meet their own, is one of the main challenges of modern society. Within this context, chemistry plays a significant role, and solvent nature as well as its environmental impact are pivotal issues frequently addressed. Ionic liquids, i.e. organic salts that have melting temperatures lower than 100 °C, have been frequently hailed as alternatives to conventional organic solvents. Their greenness has been mainly ascribed to their low vapor pressure and flammability. However, in addition to this, their high solubilizing ability and low miscibility with conventional organic solvents frequently allow for reducing the amount used, as well as for their recycling. Ionic liquids, especially the ones featured by aromatic cations, are frequently described as “polymeric supramolecular fluids” constructed through the establishment of feeble but cooperative supramolecular interactions like Coulomb and π-π interactions, as well as hydrogen bonds. In general, ionic liquids are also indicated as “designer solvents” as it is possible to tailor their features to specific applications by simply modifying their cation or anion structure. In this way, small changes in the ion’s structure can give rise to solvents showing very different properties. The above premises widely justify the growing interest in the properties and applications of ionic liquids, seen in recent literature (according to Scopus, more than 27,000 papers published in the last five years have “ionic liquids” as a keyword). Thanks to their properties, they have been variously used as solvent media, solvents for the obtainment of gel phases, components in the building of dye-sensitized solar cells, media for the preparation of thermochromic materials, etc. This Research Topic aims to present how structural features can determine not only the properties of ionic liquids, but also their possible employment. In this latter case, the interest arises from their ability to affect the outcome of a given reaction in terms of rate, yield, and nature of the products obtained for general use in the field of materials chemistry. This article collection is dedicated to Prof. Kenneth R. Seddon for his outstanding contribution to the formation and development of the ionic liquids community.

Tin chemistry retains a place in contemporary science as an important element owing to its wide range of applications. New and exciting research is being generated on an annual basis from all parts of the world – the study of tin and its compounds attracts considerable interest from a range of perspectives such as organic synthesis, medicine, materials chemistry, catalysis and environment. Tin Chemistry – Fundamentals, Frontiers and Applications collects, in one comprehensive volume, authoritative and concise snapshots of modern tin chemistry in a full range of applications. Over forty of the leading tin chemistry experts have contributed reviews in six themes: fundamentals in tin chemistry materials chemistry and structural chemistry of tin compounds medicinal and biocidal applications of tin compounds tin in the environment tin in organic synthesis tin in catalysis Tin Chemistry – Fundamentals, Frontiers and Applications is an essential overview of modern perspectives on this important element for the specialist and non-specialist alike. It will promote cross-disciplinary interactions and at the same time be an essential teaching resource for advanced university classes.