Preface

Abstract The 41st IUPAC World Chemistry Congress took place in Turin, Italy on 5-11 August 2007, under the patronage of the President of the Italian Republic. Local organization was carried out through active collaboration between the National Research Council (CNR), the Italian Chemical Society (SCI), the National Institute of Metrological Research (INRIM), the University of Turin (UNITO), the Turin Polytechnic (POLITO), and the University of Eastern Piedmont (UNIPMN). The Lingotto Conference Center in Turin served as the Congress venue. This recently modernized complex formerly housed what was once the largest motor car factory in the world, and is a fitting tribute to an industry that has played a major role in shaping the present-day city as an important industrial and cultural center. The Congress was well attended by more than 2000 delegates from all parts of the world, and they were rewarded with multidisciplinary insights and perspectives that catered for all aspects of the subject. At the same time, it was possible to enjoy the abundant hospitality of the local hosts and, when opportunity permitted, to explore some of the distinctive cultural, historical, and scenic features of Turin and its surroundings. The Congress theme of ‚ÄúChemistry Protecting Health, Natural Environment and Cultural Heritage‚Äù served to highlight topical and challenging issues, and presented a program that celebrated the societal relevance of the chemical sciences in modern times. The tone for the scientific proceedings was set by an outstanding program of plenary presentations that included three Nobel laureates, Profs. R. Hoffmann (Cornell University, USA), R. Hüber (Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Münich, Germany), and K. Wüthrich (ETH, Zürich, Switzerland), along with Profs. V. Balzani (University of Bologna, Italy), A. Fujishima (Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology, Japan), and Dr. J. Wouters (Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, Belgium). Major program sessions were devoted to the title themes, exemplifying the positive role that chemistry plays in health, the natural environment, and cultural heritage. Six additional sessions were devoted to subdisciplinary themes and to chemical education. About 45 keynote lectures were delivered during parallel sessions, together with numerous contributed papers and posters. As always, poster sessions proved immensely popular amongst delegates and provided much opportunity for informal interaction, particularly with the large number of younger scientists who featured prominently in this part of the program. Publication of selected works based upon IUPAC Congress proceedings can be traced back to the origins of Pure and Applied Chemistry. It is therefore a pleasure to offer readers a representative glimpse of a diverse scientific program, and to continue a fine publication tradition that promises to enrich the archive. Congress papers are augmented in this issue by co-publication with those arising from the parallel event CHEM-BIO-TECH2007, a joint meeting of the IUPAC 1st Symposium on Chemical Biotechnology (ISCB-1) and the 8th Symposium on Bioorganic Chemistry (ISBOC-8). The organizers are grateful to all who contributed to a successful scientific program, and particularly thank those enthusiastic presenters who consented to contribute to this permanent record of a memorable Congress. James R. Bull IUPAC Scientific Editor Giuseppe Della Gatta Conference Editor