Editor's Page pubs.acs.org/Organometallics
Award-Winning Organometallic Chemistry: The 2011 Werner Prize of the Swiss Chemical Society (Part 1) Organometallics now invites cover articles from chemists who have earned awards from chemical societies, government agencies, or comparable bodies worldwide for advancing organometallic chemistry.1 The awards may be open to chemists in all areas or restricted to younger or senior scientists, but the laudatio should highlight accomplishments involving organometallic systems. This issue is the first to spotlight an award within Switzerland. The Werner Prize is awarded annually to the best (untenured) Swiss chemist under the age of 40. This recognition dates back to 1922, making it the oldest honor treated in these pages to date. Not surprisingly, many prominent organometallic, organic, and inorganic chemists can be found among the past awardees.2 The current sponsors are KGF, Givaudan, and Lonza. In rare years, the Werner Prize has been awarded to more than one individual. In 2011, two organometallic chemists were recognized. One, Prof. Xile Hu, is profiled in this issue, and the other Prof. Reto Dorta, will be presented in a later installment (Part 2). Xile Hu was cited for his “excellent contributions to the discovery and development of selective and efficient cross coupling and C−H activation reactions”. Although a full biographical sketch (and photograph) can be found in his article, it is worth noting here that Xile is a prototype for the new generation of young chemists who are not intimidated by crossing international boundaries for the purpose of advancing their careers. He received his undergraduate training in China, undertook his graduate and postdoctoral training in southern California, and assumed his first academic position in Lausanne, Switzerland. Xile, we congratulate you on the occasion of this richly deserved honor. We are confident that you will train future generations of globetrotter chemists and look forward to further stimulating contributions from your group in these pages in the future.
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Figure 1. Prof. Dr. Xile Hu being presented the 2011 Werner Prize by Prof. Dr. E. Peter Kündig, President of the Swiss Chemical Society (photo credit: Patrick Favre).
John A. Gladysz, Editor in Chief REFERENCES
(1) Previous Editor’s Page in this series: Gladysz, J. A.; Anwander, R. Organometallics 2012, 31, 773−774. (2) http://www.swiss-chem-soc.ch/awards/werner_former.html
Published: March 26, 2012 © 2012 American Chemical Society
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/om3001718 | Organometallics 2012, 31, 2119−2119
