Special Issue Preface pubs.acs.org/JPCA
Preface to Special Issue on Current Topics in Photochemistry his themed issue of The Journal of Physical Chemistry A on Current Topics in Photochemistry is based on papers presented at the 2013 and 2014 annual meetings of the InterAmerican Photochemical Society (I-APS). This preface describes some of the history and mission of the I-APS and the general topics of interest to members that appear in this issue. The I-APS was established in 1976 to promote and disseminate knowledge and encourage development of photochemistry and allied subjects throughout North, Central, and South America. The society complemented similar organizations in Europe and Japan (now, Pan-Asia). Within 14 months of its founding, the society counted 460 members. A detailed history of the society was published recently (Armitage, B. A. Enlightening the Americas: A History of the Inter-American Photochemical Society (1975−2013). In Photochemistry; Albini, A., Fasan, E., Eds.; RSC Publishing: Cambridge, U.K., 2013; Volume 41, pp 269−278). The mission of the I-APS is the promotion of cooperation between American photochemists in universities, research centers, and industry through fostering national and international contacts. In addition, the organization and encouragement of educational activities, workshops, and symposia in photochemistry at all levels is a high priority for the society. The I-APS has a broad scope, using the interdisciplinary nature of photochemistry to bridge the traditional areas of chemistry, including theory, photophysics, photobiochemistry, photobiology, photovoltaics, photocatalysis, and spectroscopy, as well as related areas, such as EPR. Bringing together scientists from diverse fields has the potential to aid in finding solutions to global problems that involve photochemistry, such as the conversion of solar energy to electricity or chemical energy, environmental remediation using sunlight, and understanding the reactivity of greenhouse gases and pollutants when they interact with light in the atmosphere. The photophysical properties of molecules and materials are central to industrial processes, such as optoelectronic devices, sensors, and highdensity data storage, among others. In the 38 years since its founding, I-APS has sponsored 24 conferences that bring together photochemists from North and South America for 3−4 days of intensive discussions of the latest research advances in the field. Recent South American meetings were held in Bahia, Brazil, and in Mendoza, Argentina, and the next conference will be held in Chile. The most significant contributions to the photochemistry field are recognized by a series of prestigious awards sponsored by the society, including the I-APS Award in Photochemistry and the Young Investigator Award. In addition, the G. Cilento Award recognizes the accomplishments of South American scientists, and the Gerhard Closs Student Award recognizes outstanding research in photochemistry by graduate students. The society also partners with the European and Asian and Oceanic Photochemistry Societies in awarding the Porter Medal every 2 years. A distinguished group of 19 photochemists have been selected as I-APS Fellows for their lifetime contributions to the field to date. The most recently established award, the George S.
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Hammond Award, is given for lifelong achievement and contributions to the photochemical sciences. Prof. Nicholas J. Turro of Columbia University was selected as the recipient of the inaugural 2012 George S. Hammond Award. The meeting in Sarasota, Florida, on January 2−5, 2013, featured presentations by all the 2011 and 2012 I-APS award winners, as well as by Prof. Thomas J. Meyer (University of North Carolina), who was awarded the 2012 Porter Medal. The following conference, on January 2−5, 2014 in Sarasota was highlighted by talks by the 2013 award winners. The author of this preface, Claudia Turro from The Ohio State University, was President of the I-APS during the time of these two meetings. The 2011, 2012, and 2013 I-APS Award in Photochemistry recipients were Kirk S. Schanze (University of Florida), Miguel A. Garcia-Garibay (University of California, Los Angeles), and Clifford P. Kubiak (University of California, San Diego), respectively. The I-APS Young Investigator Awards were presented to Sivaguru Jayaraman (North Dakota State University, 2011), Ken L. Knappenberger, Jr. (Florida State University, 2012), and Angel Marti ́ (Rice University, 2013). In addition Natalia Pacioni (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina) was recognized with the 2012 G. Cilento award at the 2013 meeting, and David R. McMillin (Purdue University), Paul J. Kropp (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill), and Frank Quina (Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil) were named I-APS Fellows in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. Most of the award winners have contributed a paper to this special issue, along with many of the other invited speakers of the 2013 and 2014 I-APS meetings and I-APS officers. The areas of the contributions include the exploration of excited states of organic and inorganic molecular systems, as well as solids, polymers, and supramolecular structures. The photophysical properties and photochemistry of these systems are explored for a variety of applications and to gain basic understanding of the dynamics, mechanism, and reactivity following the absorption of a photon using ultrafast electronic, vibrational, and X-ray techniques. The topics of the papers include those with applications in solar energy conversion, photocatalytic and electrocatalytic generation of clean fuels from renewable and abundant sources, reduction of CO2, and water oxidation, probes and therapeutics for biological and medical use, charge and energy transfer, photoisomerization reactions useful in the optical storage of information and mechanical motion, medium effects on excited states, electronic, structural, and confinement control of photoreactivity and light emitting devices. The next I-APS meeting will be held on January 1−5, 2015 in Sarasota, Florida, and the program includes prominent researchers in the areas of energy and charge transfer processes, supramolecular and nanoscale photochemistry, applications of photochemistry and photophysics, modern molecular photochemistry, photoprocesses at interfaces, and light-driven nanomachines. Additional information on the Inter-American PhotoSpecial Issue: Current Topics in Photochemistry Published: November 13, 2014 10299
dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp510537x | J. Phys. Chem. A 2014, 118, 10299−10300
The Journal of Physical Chemistry A
Special Issue Preface
chemical Society and upcoming meetings can be found at www.iaps.org.
Claudia Turro*
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Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected].
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp510537x | J. Phys. Chem. A 2014, 118, 10299−10300
