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Hypervalent Iodine Chemistry and Vikings at ICHIC 7

From left to right: Maria Manuel Marques (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Portugal), Joanna Wencel-Delord (CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, France), Tanja Gulder (Leipzig University, Germany), Berit Olofsson (Stockholms University, Sweden), Ana Belen Cuenca (Institut Químic de Sarrià, URL, Barcelona, Spain), Alison Stuart (University of Leicester, UK), Sarah Wengryniuk (Temple University, USA), Miriam O’Duill (University of Nottingham, UK). The photo was taken of all the female PIs present at the conference dinner. Photographer: Thomas Wirth, Cardiff University, UK.

ICHIC 7 ⎯ the International Conference on HypervalentIodine Chemistry ⎯ started on Sunday, June 25, with a registration in the Magnéli Hall, Stockholm University.

The meeting ended yesterday, June 28th, with an excursion to the ancient Viking village Birka on Björkö island in the Mälaren lake.

Berit Olofsson, Professor in organic chemistry at Stockholm University, was head of the organizing committee.

How did the event go?

– It went really well! The scientific level was high, and the participants were very happy.

What have been the highlights according to you?

– This is the first conference focusing on hypervalent iodine since 2018, as the planned meeting in Moscow in 2020 had to be postponed due to COVID and then canceled due to the war. Therefore, the participants were very happy to finally be able to meet again, which made the entire conference very successful.

– The excursion to Birka followed by a boat trip to central Stockholm was definitely a highlight that many will remember for a long time!

Is hypervalent iodine research a growing research field?

– Japan is a world leader in hypervalent iodine research and also has a significant iodine industry. The research field is growing in many countries, and we had good representation from many European countries as well. However, in Sweden, there are few research groups focusing on hypervalent iodine research, so the conference had a completely international focus.

Why is hypervalent iodine so important? Can you provide examples of how it is used?

– Hypervalent iodine compounds can often be used for conducting selective reactions under mild conditions without transition metals. Additionally, iodine is relatively abundant compared to many transition metals, and its production can be achieved without mining. As a result, research in the field is advancing strongly, while the industrial application of hypervalent iodine chemistry is still in its early stages.

 

Updates from the event can be seen, using the hashtag #ichic7 on Twitter.

Read more: International Conference on Hypervalent Iodine Chemistry – A Marcus Wallenberg Symposium