2025 Symposia

Of the many aspects of chemical analysis, the need for separations in the characterization of complex mixtures remains of utmost importance. Because of its broad applicability to a wide range of sample types, this is especially true for the area of liquid-phase separations. In recent years, a number of innovations have been reported for chromatographic and electrophoretic separations that are advancing this field and providing strategies to move a number of other research areas forward as well. This symposium will focus on developments in the areas of liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, sample preparation, microfluidics, and related areas that demonstrate the significant improvements that have been achieved in efficiency, throughput, and performance. The importance of these liquid-phase separations in a variety of application areas, including biomedical research (especially proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics), drug discovery, environmental analysis, clinical diagnostics, and more will also be featured.

Petroleum is a complex mixture containing hydrocarbons and S-, N-, O-, and transition metal-containing compounds. The complete chemical characterization of petroleum, known as petroleomics, is very important for the modeling and predicting of petroleum properties to improve oil spill response, environmental monitoring, contingency planning, recovery, and upgrading.
High-resolution MS, fluorescence, NMR, and NIR are among the powerful tools of petroleomics. Enhanced by chemometrics, these tools provide experimental insights into the structure and composition of petroleum. This information is useful for determining fate, transport, transformation, attenuation, and environmental impact assessment.
Computational modeling builds upon advanced characterization to develop fundamental understanding of supramolecular, surface, and interfacial interactions involving petroleum. Models based on quantitative molecular representations, probabilistic, and stochastic methods are employed to help optimize oil recovery, upgrading, and spill treatment.

Gas sensors are used in diverse applications, including personal safety at home and in the workplace, industrial hygiene, environmental regulation, homeland security, and medical diagnostics. The global gas sensor market size was valued at USD 2.50 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 8.9% from 2022 to 2030, with forecast revenue of USD 5.34 billion in 2030. The growth in demand is driven by more stringent safety regulations in monitoring and controlling industrial and residential environments, as well as demands for more portable gas detectors. Despite the strong demand for high-performance gas sensors, finding suitable gas-sensing materials to fulfill these emerging demands is often challenging. This symposium will cover the recent advances in gas sensing materials development from theoretical and experimental aspects and connect experts from academia and industry.

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is successfully being applied in numerous diverse areas of analytical chemistry worldwide. The list of practical and important applications to which LIBS is being applied is growing at an ever-increasing rate due to rapid advances in the commercialization of LIBS technology and a continual expansion of international fundamental research activities. Many of these applications will be discussed in this symposium including applications in global health, industry, climate change, biofuels, security, food production, and energy production. New developments in LIBS methodologies such as nanoparticle-enhanced LIBS, calibration-free LIBS, and the use of an ever-expanding library of machine learning algorithms, including artificial intelligence, for spectral analysis will be presented. Advances in LIBS fundamentals and the integration of commercial instrumentation - including handheld LIBS units - into benchtop apparatus and analytical chemistry studies conducted in the field will be described.

The extraordinary properties of plasmonic nanostructures enables a host of enhanced optical spectroscopy, super-resolution imaging, lasing, and novel design of photonic components. Recent advancements in AI-based machine learning techniques have significantly expanded the potential of plasmon-enhanced spectroscopies, opening up new avenues for data analytics beyond conventional chemometrics. This symposium will feature leading researchers in fundamental insights, novel plasmonic materials, emerging spectroscopic modalities, and data analytics in the field. Topics covered will include SERS, SEIRAS, SEF, TERS, and related hyphenated techniques. Contributions focusing on diverse applications such as catalysis, surface and interface chemistry, traceable and quantitative analysis, biology, biomedicine, imaging, food science, environmental analysis, security and forensic analysis, new plasmonic materials, in-situ/in-operando measurements, and advancements in chemometrics and machine learning data analytics are all welcome. Additionally, we invite papers from the surface-enhanced spectroscopy community that address challenges related to establishing metrologically traceable quantitative analysis, ensuring measurement reproducibility through interlaboratory studies, and promoting consensus in protocol standardization and validation.

There is an extensive demand to measure and control how proteins fold and aggregate to understand the fundamental mechanism of quality control, stress response, and their roles in diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and cancer. In the past few decades, chemical technologies have been developed to monitor protein misfolding and aggregation, quantify cellular capacities of protein quality control, promote proper protein folding, and minimize protein aggregation for disease intervention. Our symposium spotlights cutting-edge research in chemical probes and analytical techniques for monitoring and manipulating protein folding, aggregation, as well as phase transition in vitro, cellular and in vivo. The symposium will bring together distinguished experts worldwide to showcase their latest results, fostering discussion, networking, and collaborative opportunities. We anticipate the symposium will attract audience in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, biological chemistry and beyond.

To monitor biomedically relevant proteins, peptide hormones, and therapeutic antibodies present at low concentrations in vivo, highly selective biosensing molecules, such as affinity-based recognition elements, are required for biosensor construction. Therefore, an important challenge in realizing in vivo, real-time, and continuous biosensing systems is the development of technologies which use engineered affinity-based biosensing molecules with enough specificity and sensitivity to enable functional sensing of arbitrary molecules. This symposium, welcoming both general and invited talks, will showcase presentations involving new concepts and advanced technologies to realize in vivo continuous biosensing systems. These include, but are not limited to, the biomolecular engineering of aptamers, antibodies, binding proteins, enzymes, molecularly imprinted polymers, and synthetic receptors for applications in continuous monitoring systems, as well as chemical devices and integrated biodevices to realize continuous monitoring systems.

A new field of scientific research "Cinematic molecular science” is emerging, in which the time-evolution of the behavior of materials such as organic, inorganic, and biomolecules and their assemblies is captured in situ by atomic-resolution electron microscopy. While the conventional wisdom was widely shared that "organic and inorganic molecules exposed to electron irradiation immediately decompose", the latest developments in sampling techniques, observation methods, and data processing techniques have made it possible to study the behavior of a single molecule with minimal damage from electron beams. Single-molecule atomic-resolution time-resolved electron microscopy (SMART-EM) is one such technique that provides real-time atomistic images of the dynamic behavior of molecules and molecular assemblies using transmission electron microscopy. The development and integration of cross-disciplinary elemental technologies are now indispensable for the further development of cinematic molecular science. In this symposium, world-leading researchers in electron microscopy involved in molecular science and nanotechnology will gather together to discuss future directions of the cinematic molecular science for unveiling unknown dynamic processes of materials as real-space images at the atomic level. We aim to establish an international basis for fostering young researchers who can pioneer the next generation of science and push molecular science explored by molecular videos to become a standard method in chemical research.

Flow injection analysis (FIA) is an important analytical tool to efficiently perform most analytical operations and measurements. Since its introduction in chemical analysis more sophisticated generations of flow analysis techniques have been developed, such as sequential injection analysis, lab-on-valve, bead injection analysis, sequential injection chromatography, paper-based flow systems, and miniaturized systems. They provide a platform for the application of the whole canon of sample pretreatment, derivatization, separation and detection methods that are applied in modern analytical science. These technologies have been adopted for official methods by accrediting agencies. In order to address global challenges, e.g. the sustainable development goals, we believe that it is necessary to strongly promote cross-disciplinary research in FIA and related techniques, because they have great potential for the further development of life sciences, manufacturing, agricultural, and environmental sciences. This symposium focuses on recent advances in flow analysis methods and their application to various fields. It also embraces recent developments in laboratory automation using flow injection approaches, and the evolution and implementation of portable and autonomous flow injection systems for field measurements.

Electrochemistry has expanded into multiple disciplines, especially in energy conversion and storage, chemical and materials synthesis, as well as biology. Electroanalytical chemistry continues to play a pivotal role in pushing new horizons in electrochemistry by developing new methodologies. Our symposium will cover the area of electroanalytical chemistry, including the development of new electrochemical sensors, new methods, and new instrumentation for understanding important processes in energy storage and conversion, environment, electrochemical synthesis, and biology. Emphasis will be given to new electroanalytical methods, including nanoelectrochemistry and single-entity electrochemistry, in charting these new frontiers.

This symposium will present emerging analytical technologies that advance environmental exposure and effect studies, such as non-target analysis and its associated machine learning solutions. Analytical technologies, supporting environmental exposure and health research, face significant challenges. For example, there are overwhelming numbers of chemicals to monitor, thousands of effect marker candidates have been proposed, and toxicological effects of environmental mixtures (exposome) are unclear. It has become common practice to combine exposomics and traditional-omics, such as metabolomics, transcriptomics, lipidomics, and proteomics, to uncover mechanisms for environmental health effects. Non-target analysis is one of the recent advancements, enabling detection of many unknown chemical contaminants in the environment. This approach generates a substantial amount of data, making it crucial to employ machine learning solutions for effective processing and interpretation. Recent environmental studies have demonstrated the indispensable role of machine learning in advancing analytical technologies by effectively handling large and complex datasets, automating data processing and method optimization, and enabling data-driven discovery. By harnessing the power of machine learning technologies, environmental researchers can significantly enhance their ability to identify previously unknown chemicals in environmental samples and crucial biomarkers for determining human exposure and effects. Ultimately, these advancements will contribute to a deeper understanding of emerging environmental health issues, necessary for future policy making. The symposium will showcase emerging analytical technologies in environmental analysis. Topics focus on (but are not limited to) machine learning and non-target approaches that foster environmental exposure and effect research. We welcome both oral and poster presentations from academic, government, and industry scientists.

Cancer and infectious diseases are major killers throughout the world. It is a great challenge for conventional diagnostic methods to achieve quantitative detection of these diseases rapidly, accurately, specifically, economically, and non-invasively, particularly in resource-limited settings. Over the last two decades, various microfluidic and nano-analytical technologies have been developed to address such a challenge, such as microfluidic/nanofluidic lab-on-a-chip and nanostructure/nanomaterial based-biosensors. This has become one of the most active research fields, resulting in significant impact on recent advances of analytical techniques for biomarker detection. Therefore, we propose this symposium to invite world-class experts to highlight recent advances of emerging technologies for disease diagnosis, with an emphasis on up-to-date lab-on-a-chip and nanobiosensor designs. The significance of biomarker for disease diagnosis, exciting research topics, and high-impact experts are expected to draw a broad audience.

Increasing research efforts have focused not only on the design of materials that provide for greater specificity and sensitivity in analytical systems, but that are also ideally “more” environmentally benign and sustainable. A host of naturally-derived materials and biopolymers [e.g. cellulose, chitosan, keratin, agarose, etc.] and their derivatives as well as synthetic materials [such as metal-organic frame-works (MOFs), ionic liquids, covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), carbon-based and other metal nanomaterials, supramolecular assemblies] among others have been proposed for this purpose. The goal of this interdisciplinary symposium is to bring together material & colloid scientists and chemists whose research involves the design, fabrication and characterization of such natural/synthetic materials as well as those analysts who utilize these materials in practical analytical chemistry, sensor, separations & related applications. It is hoped that the symposium will serve to provide a current status review of this general field and highlight challenges and identify emerging opportunities for further study.

This symposium aims to shed light on the technological developments and application of novel top-down MS and allied methods for characterization of PTMs and intact proteoforms in biochemistry research. By bringing researchers in the top-down field from a range of Pacific Rim countries, the symposium seeks to foster discussions on the latest advancements, challenges, and future prospects in leveraging advanced proteomics technologies to enhance our understanding of PTMs and intact proteoforms in cellular processes and their relevance to life. To foster an inclusive symposium environment that values diversity and equity, we will invite and encourage participation from individuals of all backgrounds to create a platform where researchers, regardless of their identity or career stage, feel empowered to contribute unique insights to the dialogue.

2D correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) has been a well-accepted yet still rapidly evolving technique for spectral analysis due to the broad range of applications and the promising potential for a multiplicity of research problems in chemistry. Most notably, 2D-COS can explore very subtle spectral changes to provide new insights for the understanding of system at the molecular level, which is often hardly detected in conventional 1D spectral analysis. Such information, in turn, greatly assists the subsequent effective molecular design and synthetic chemistry and provides much needed fundamental understanding for molecular interactions in various chemical systems. This symposium covers not only noteworthy new concepts of 2D-COS but also versatile applications of 2D-COS. It would be of great interest to participants of PacifiChem and inspire further new developments in this field.

During the past decade, several novel passive sampling devices were developed and used to measure various contaminants in aquatic, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems. Passive sampling devices are widely used due to their ease of handling, low-cost, and the ability of some equilibrium samplers to measure time-weighted average concentrations of contaminants. In addition, new passive samplers are being examined for newly arising contaminants. This session aims to bring together investigators from various countries to discuss different passive sampling techniques for monitoring contaminants in aquatic systems and case studies of how these techniques have been applied globally. Further, the session will review the global levels and trends that may be elucidated from passive sampling to enable improved environmental risk assessment and management of these compounds.

Over the last few years, the development of low-cost capillary-powered microfluidic devices has gained strong momentum with the purpose of providing more affordable and simple analytical tools, globally applicable at the point of need. They do not require any external pumps since liquid flow is entirely driven by capillary forces. Examples include lateral flow strips, paper-based analytical devices (µPADs) and thread-based analytical devices (µTADs), as well as devices made from polyester films combined with double-sided adhesive spacers, among others.

The purpose of this symposium is to bring together leading experts from the Pacific rim to discuss recent progress in low-cost external pump-free capillary-powered microfluidic devices. The discussion will center around key themes of device development, integration and new chemistries. Examples of covered topics are microfluidic issues such as on-device sample preparation, reagent storage and release, mixing, flow control and valving methods, among others. A further focus is on signal generation and enhancement methods, as well as on specific assays for small molecules, proteins, cells, and others. Applications include diagnostics, point-of-care testing, food and nutrition safety monitoring, environmental on-site analysis, and workplace monitoring. Common essential features to all devices and applications are low cost, simple fabrication and ease of use.

Based on the unique physical phenomena observed in micro- to nanoscale devices, the field of application is currently expanding from basic analytical science to chemical production, such as mRNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles for COVID-19 vaccine production. Despite these recent advances in device technologies, there are still challenges in achieving higher throughput and sensitive chemical analysis due to the limited available device materials and device fabrication techniques of the devices, detection methods, and chemical and physical molecular interactions at the device surfaces. To address the unmet needs in chemical analysis and production, one of the key issues is comprehensive understanding of the chemical and physical phenomena in the micro- and nanoscale at the molecular level.
The ultimate goal of this symposium is to comprehensively understand the unique features of micro- and nanoscale devices from different perspectives and approaches, such as the analysis of chemical reaction kinetics, mimicking biological systems and intracellular environment through a new detection and imaging systems, and to explore the new application field of the devices, such as tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, drug delivery systems, imaging system, and microplastics analysis. The discussion in this symposium is expected to provide a deep insight into analytical sciences and open a new window for the design of smart micro- and nanoscale devices.

Molecular analysis is highly valuable in clinical diagnosis, food security, and environment assessment. Separation science can significantly enhance our ability in molecular analysis by deciphering varied molecular profiles in complex samples. Modern separation evolves to employ microscale channels for improved resolution and accommodation of low-volume samples; microfluidic designs to provide direct analysis of entities with sizes as small as sub-cellular structures, and unpacked or uncovered channels to allow protection of fragile biological complexes. Therefore, this proposed symposium will highlight key recent advances at the frontier of modern microscale separations.

It will have four half-day sessions, highlighting advancements in various areas of microscale separations: 1) improved microdevice manufacturing methods; 2) novel microscale open-channel separation approaches; 3) stand-alone sample in/answer out systems; and 4) microfluidics interfaced with conventional laboratory instrumentation.

The ultimate goal of an analyst is to perform the analysis of a sample at the point of need (e.g., within the human body, at abatement/remediation sites, on another planet, and other extreme environments) as opposed to the common practice of transporting the sample to a laboratory. This approach eliminates errors and the time associated with sample transport and storage, which, when coupled with efforts aimed at eliminating solvent use and the integration of sampling and sample preparation steps, promise to change the game in the measurement sciences towards more sustainable future. The objective of this symposium is to provide an overview of recent advances in the design, fabrication, and performance of analytical approaches based on unique sensing platforms, with specific emphasis on rapid analysis, miniaturization and functionality under extreme-use conditions. The scope of the symposium is by nature multidisciplinary and expects to touch on various areas of Chemistry and range of analytical tools. The proposed topics to be covered are diverse and expect to cover instrument miniaturization, improvement in separation and detection including various sensors and mass spectrometry deployed on land or under water, optical spectroscopic techniques for continuous monitoring, point of care instrumentation as well as sample preparation to facilitate on-site and in-vivo measurements. This symposium will feature speakers from government and academic laboratories at the forefront in developing a range of point-of-need techniques and instrumentation, and spanning the challenges resident in the health care, environmental monitoring, space exploration and other alien and hostile environments.

Understanding chemical processes within biological systems is crucial for elucidating biofunctions and pathological transitions. Optical techniques such as fluorescence, Raman, infrared, and transient absorption have revolutionized the chemical imaging of molecular processes in these systems. The advancement of these technologies has led to groundbreaking discoveries in cell metabolism and innovative therapeutic strategies. Moreover, the ability to control chemical processes deepens our understanding of the complex relationships between biomolecular activities and biological responses. Optical control of biochemical targets offers the potential to steer biological behaviors through site-specific and chemically-specific perturbations. These control mechanisms include direct thermal perturbation, photoactivation, photocatalysis, and more. This symposium aims to create a platform for highlighting the expanding fields of chemical imaging and optical control, while also fostering interdisciplinary collaborations of the two dynamic fields to address broader challenges in physical and biochemical research.

This symposium welcomes research on the development of fluorescent, luminescent, and other optically-active nanoparticles and materials for applications in bioanalysis, including, but not limited to, assays, imaging, sensors, catalysis and signal amplification, materials-enabled devices, and the design and optimization of materials and their bioconjugates for these purposes. Materials of interest include metal nanoparticles, quantum dots, upconversion and other lanthanide-based nanoparticles, semiconducting polymer dots, carbon-based nanomaterials, DNA-based nanomaterials, and any other nanoparticle/material with intrinsic colorimetric or luminescent properties, or the abiltiy to scaffold or modify such properties of other molecules or materials. Applications may be proof-of-concept or translational. Many applications will focus on the detection of genetic, protein, and metabolite biomarkers, enzyme activity, specific cell types and pathogens, and drugs or other biomarkers of value for therapeutic monitoring. Alternatively, applications may focus on the elucidation of fundamental biochemistry or biology, via tracking or quantification of biomarkers, cellular processes, and other relevant systems.

Point-of-care (POC) tests complement centralized laboratory diagnostics. Development of POC assays requires analytical chemistry, biomedical engineering, clinical chemistry, and broad field of health sciences. This symposium will showcase recent advances and innovation in POC assays and techniques. The detection targets primarily include, but not limited to, nucleic acids, proteins, metabolites, and molecular interactions between biomolecules. Affinity binding assays incorporating isothermal amplification, CRISPR technology, and nanomaterials achieve ultrasensitive detection of specific target molecules. Lateral flow assays, electrochemical sensors, and visualization of color and fluorescence provide inexpensive POC detection. This symposium will highlight some of these advances and motivate further developments that push the frontier of bioanalytical chemistry and POC technology. Oral and poster abstract submissions are welcome. The oral and poster sessions will stimulate discussions and foster potential collaborations.

Reconstituting the processes and material choices involved in the creation of a work of art is a long-standing scientific challenge in chemistry and material science. Artworks are dynamic systems made of a wide variety of materials that often exhibit multiple heterogeneities, including various paint layers with specific hybrid formulations, requiring a multi-analytical approach for study.
Recent advances in nondestructive and microdestrucive analytical techniques including HyperSpectral Imaging, X-ray Fluorescence, Scanning electron microscopy, Raman, infrared spectroscopy, and other complementary in-situ/benchtop/synchrotron spectroscopic and imaging methods have provided extensive chemical insights.
The symposium aims to bring together scientists to discuss recent challenges and advancements related to cultural heritage research with topics including integrating AI/machine learning, researching understudied materials, addressing unique considerations in cultural heritage material analysis, and exploring multi-modal applications.

The Serendipity Lab is a consortium of scientists from across the Pacific region exploring the frontier of serendipity-enabling technologies in the intersection of chemistry, biology, and medicine. The group aims to revolutionize science through high-throughput, high-content, and/or high-dimensional bioanalytical methodologies. This dynamic and engaging symposium will cover discussions on novel developments in imaging, spectroscopy, microfluidics, omics, and gene editing, which are paving the way for innovative applications in biology and medicine. Additionally, we will explore the contribution of deep learning in fostering these technologies and its pivotal role in advancing high-dimensional bioanalysis. The symposium will provide a platform for international dialogue on the scientific milestones, challenges, and future prospects. Invited presentations will be led by our distinguished scientists, who have been instrumental in driving our research. We are also proud to highlight our commitment to nurturing the next generation of global scientific leaders. The symposium will include sessions dedicated to showcasing research from our promising young scientists, providing them with an opportunity to present their interdisciplinary work to a global audience. Overall, this symposium will foster collaborative connections, share unique insights into serendipity-enabling technologies, and inspire future research directions in the realm of chemistry, biology, and medicine.

Biomolecules labeled with stable isotopes (mainly ²H, ¹³C, ¹⁵N and ¹⁹F) are often used to obtain structural information using techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), neutron reflectometry (NR), and neutron crystallography. Although these techniques can be performed on biomolecules with nuclei at natural isotope abundance, the use of biomolecules labeled with stable isotopes allows for additional experimental approaches. Labeled biomolecules are also important in quantitative mass spectrometry (MS), and deuteration of exchangeable protons is required for hydrogen–deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS). In the last several years we have witnessed significant progress in the type of biomolecules that can be labeled (proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, sugars, etc.), as well as methods of labeling (including in vivo labeling in different organisms such as E. coli, yeast, mammalian cells, and plants), in vitro labeling of proteins and nucleic acids, and other approaches. Progress has also been made in the use of labeled material for structural and biophysical studies. This session aims to present and discuss the most recent advances in the techniques of biomolecule labeling and to provide methodologies for the use of labeled material in different structural and biophysical applications.

Biological systems have complicated structural organization that determines their physiological function and homeostasis. Vibrational spectroscopy offers a non-invasive and non-destructive approach for determination of structural organization of biological systems with different degrees of complexity. Both Raman and Infrared (IR) spectroscopy are commonly used techniques for such applications. Over the last decade, scanning probe microscopy was coupled to both of these techniques, which allowed to achieve structural characterization of biological specimens with nanometer spatial resolution. Additionally, circular polarized IR, known as vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), enabled access to chiral organization of biological systems. This symposium will gather experts in all these vibrational techniques to demonstrate strength and advantages of these spectroscopic approaches for non-invasive and non-destructive structural characterization of biological specimens.

Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC) is a chromatographic technique used for small molecule analysis and purification. SFC uses a carbon dioxide-based mobile phase that allows faster analysis while often utilizing significantly less solvent than HPLC. SFC is a green separation technology reducing both organic solvent consumption and the energy required to reclaim the solvent. While SFC was developed fifty years ago, it has experienced a resurgence in the past ten years as evidenced by two large instrument vendors purchasing existing SFC companies. Commercial equipment is available for both analytical and preparative purposes. Most pharmaceutical companies consider SFC the preferred route for enantiomer separations. Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) is the process of separating one component from another using supercritical fluids as the extracting solvent. SFE can be used as a sample preparation step for analytical analysis or at a large scale as a purification technique. The level of research in these areas has also increased drastically, leading to an annual SFC/SFE meeting with close to 200 attendees (alternating between the US, Asia, and Europe) as well as symposiums at numerous scientific conferences. SFC/SFE research is being carried out in both academic and industrial laboratories and previous Pacifichem sessions on these topics have been successful in bringing academia and industry together to discuss their latest research.
While SFC has been popular for purification for close to twenty years (particularly in the pharmaceutical industry) due to higher productivity and reduced solvent consumption relative to HPLC, the past years have seen great advances in the analytical SFC field. These advances in sensitivity allow analytical SFC to compete with HPLC in validated environments within the pharmaceutical and other industries. In addition, SFC now has a wide base of applications beyond the pharmaceutical industry including polymers, fuels, environmental contaminants, food, and nutritional analysis. Also, with the recently increased legalization of cannabis, SFC and SFE are becoming key techniques for extraction and purification.
Also, recent research in analytical SFC is obscuring any boundaries between SFC and HPLC. The addition of a significant volume of modifier in the mobile phase, generally an alcohol, and mixing 5 to 8% water in the alcohol allows SFC to move beyond moderately polar molecules to water-soluble molecules such as peptides and even oligonucleotides. Such ternary mixtures, which are basically liquid but still significantly more compressible than standard HPLC solvents, generate very interesting retention behavior. Another great area of interest is to hyphenate SFC with MS, which simultaneously opens up opportunities and questions. Hence SFC opens up several fundamental questions that are not observed in HPLC. Finally, the use of machine learning to predict chromatographic retention and separation has made great advances over the past few years, and this topic as it relates to SFC will be covered.
The objective of the symposium will be to convene both academics and industrial researchers to discuss recent advancements in the fundamentals and applications of SFC in pharmaceuticals.

This symposium is aimed to highlight and bring together researchers working on understanding microbial metabolism through the lens of mass spectrometry (MS). Since MS is a high-throughput and sensitive analytical technique to identify a range of proteins and metabolites in complex mixtures such as environmental and human microbiomes, MS has become an instrument of choice to discover microbial metabolites. We intend to cover the application of MS to both detecting the metabolites themselves and the proteins/enzymes that drive transformations and biosynthesis (proteomics). We aim to further cover orthogonal technical analytical considerations that can advance the use of MS, specifically in targeted analysis, untargeted analysis, and data analysis approaches. Finally, the overwhelming success of MS as a high throughput technology drives the need to include complementary computational and algorithmic innovations.
We will highlight the work of a breadth of researchers from junior trainees to senior faculty from around the world.

Advancements in energy storage and conversion materials are critical to accelerating global decarbonization initiatives. This symposium will delve into the transformative impact of synchrotron radiation (SR)-based X-ray techniques in the development and analysis of these materials. Employing high-intensity, deeply penetrating X-ray beams, SR methods enable precise characterization of the intricate material properties under actual operational conditions, which is vital for the innovation of fuel cells and the enhancement of battery technologies, including Li-ion, Na-ion and beyond battery systems. The symposium aims to serve as an essential platform for experts from diverse scientific disciplines to share cutting-edge insights and forge strong interdisciplinary collaborations. By facilitating rich exchanges between the synchrotron radiation community and materials science experts, we aim to drive forward research that pushes the boundaries of sustainable energy technology.

One of the most exciting frontiers in today's electrochemistry research is the exploration and deep understanding of nanoscale electrochemical processes at the electrode/solution interface. Toward this goal, scientists have focused on the use of various nanoparticles and highly advanced nanoelectrochemical tools and probes, such as nanopores and nanoelectrodes, to explore exciting interfacial phenomena. This symposium will organize some of the leading researchers in this field of nanoelectrochemistry to discuss cutting edge research in transient, ultrafast, and ultrahigh resolution electrochemical measurements, imaging, and sensing.

The analysis of chemicals of emerging concerns in the environment remain an important task and require a multi-faceted approach. Traditional mass spectrometric methods are reliable in targeted analysis of organic pollutants. More recently, non-targeted analytical approaches emerged as indispensable tools in uncovering more contaminants of concern. High resolution mass spectrometry now enables the identification of unknown transformation products that are still biologically active and pose risks to humans and wildlife. Despite the availability of sophisticated instrumentation, cost-effective solutions that are high-throughput, such as ELISA, remain as vital screening tools to facilitate rapid assessment of pollutant distribution in the environment especially in low-to-middle income countries. In this symposium, we aim to highlight advances in both traditional and innovative analytical methodologies, and their applications in investigating fate, transport, and effects of emerging contaminants in the environment.

The session showcases advancements in both experimental and computational frameworks, offering insights into molecular structure and dynamics for energy, nuclear, and green chemistry applications. Encompassing several scientific domains such as analytical chemistry, process chemistry, chemical engineering, and radiochemistry, the pivotal role of vibrational spectroscopy is key to characterizing chemical phenomena. The primary focuses of this event is to share science opportunities from research facilities for exotic compounds, discuss structure of heavy nuclei, appreciate origins of the elements, and benchmark the precision for nuclear structure and reactions. Topics for this session will include: sampling techniques, vibrational spectroscopy, separation techniques, instrumentation, data manipulation, spectra-structure correlation, and group frequencies in the applications of catalysis, environmental science, industrial chemistry, materials science, polymer science, process control, nuclear chemistry, and isotope production.

Structural diversity empowers various applications of polyamide motifs in natural and synthetic settings. Featuring the design of novel architecture, the conception of environmentally sound synthetic methods, the application of discriminating analytical methods and the exploration of peptides and proteins in efforts to address global challenges, this symposium highlights collaborative efforts to tackle pressing modern issues in various fields including medicine, energy, environmental and materials sciences.

Biocatalysis is situated at the interface of chemistry and biology and holds great promise for development of improved SDGs, green chemistry, and related areas for human welfare. The Symposium will present topics on the latest developments in the field of biocatalysis. A strong focus in this session will be made on modern techniques developed to screen new functions of enzymes, and to enable new cascade reactions and biosynthetic routes to (non-)natural products. Metabolic engineering and the application of biotechnology in biomedical areas will also be included.

In this symposium, developments of novel solid-state NMR techniques will be emphasized with a focus on resolution and sensitivity enhancement, including computational, high-field NMR, dynamic nuclear polarization, novel detection methods, and paramagnetic doping approaches, as well as in vivo NMR. Recent advances in high-resolution structure determination of membrane-associated proteins and peptides, protein aggregation and phase separation, biomaterials, and crystalline proteins by multidimensional solid-state NMR spectroscopy will also be discussed. Studies of conformation, dynamics, and interaction of proteins and peptides with model membrane systems as well as intact cells will be presented in relation to biological function. Applications of solid-state NMR for metabolomics, biomass, and environmental science will be also discussed. Finally, molecular arrangement of supramolecular complexes and fibril formation as studied by solid-state NMR and NMR diffusometry will be another topic of discussion in this symposium in relation to molecular folding, misfolding, aggregation, and drug development. The symposium will also include approaches combining the benefits of solid-state NMR with other methods such as cryoEM, solution NMR, X-ray/electron diffraction, and imaging techniques.

Proposed sessions of the symposium
1. Technical development of resolution and sensitivity enhancements in solid-state NMR.
2. In vivo/in-cell solid-state NMR approaches.
3. Advances in high-resolution structure determination of biological systems by solid-state NMR.
4. Advances in structural biology of membrane-associated proteins and peptides.
5. Dynamics and function of biological molecules by solid-state NMR and NMR diffusometry.
6. Characterization of supramolecular complexes and fibril-forming proteins.
7. Advances in biological solid-state NMR for metabolomics, energy-related research, and environmental science.

Our symposium will spotlight state-of-the-art methods and methodologies to advance our understanding of glycan function in light of their structures and dynamics. This symposium will cover a wide range of topics from energy to medicine. It’s intended to be a synergistic atmosphere to foster collaboration by putting experimenters and computational chemists in the same room; discussions cover advances, while simultaneously addressing challenges, past, present and future. Current approaches to study, analyze and predict glycan three-dimensional structures are immature because experimental methods to characterize glycans remain underdeveloped. Glycan solution three-dimensional structures are frequently characterized by NMR spectroscopy, while solid-state structures are addressed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography; MS has also been used to understand three-dimensional glycan structures. Theoretical approaches, such as molecular mechanics (MM) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations rely on experimental data for at least some parameterization. The invited talks will cover various approaches to delineating glycan structure, including NMR, MS, computational approaches such as MM, MD and Quantum Mechanics, and other methods aimed at improving the accuracy of glycan structural models. These discussions will shed light on glycan three-dimensional structure and dynamics and pave the way for groundbreaking discoveries through interdisciplinary collaborations that will shape the future of Glycoscience and beyond.

Recent advances in synthetic biology methods have greatly accelerated the usefulness of biological tools in the synthesis of desired compounds or compound libraries. The biological/enzyme processes often take place in aqueous media and do not require rare or toxic metals. The synthetic biology tools are paired with those of organic chemistry to create uniquely powerful and focused routes to desired processes. The new methods also benefit greatly from a renewed appreciation of biodiversity and the impact of biodiversity on metabolism.

This symposium aims to capture cutting-edge developments from academia and industry that are leading the way in creating rational, predictable synthetic biology approaches toward privileged scaffolds.

Elucidating the molecular basis of enzyme catalysis provides an understanding of biological activities as well as an insight into the development of novel protein-based biocatalysts. This symposium will bring together scientists from a wide range of fields, including structural biology, spectroscopy, protein engineering, and computational sciences, to discuss the design principle of novel protein biocatalysis based on understanding of molecular functional processes. Recent advances in structural biology as well as various spectroscopy techniques allow direct observation of transiently formed conformations of proteins, which are directly relevant to understanding and designing catalytic functions. Computational design approaches have also been successful in harnessing conformational dynamics to create novel protein structures and functions. The interaction of advanced experimental and computational methods with protein engineering will pave the way for the creation of novel and highly functional protein biocatalysis.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022 recognizes the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry. Such rapid, selective, and non-toxic covalent reactions that link two components together under benign conditions have not only led to a paradigm shift in basic biological research, but also facilitated the invention of translational technologies for the treatment of human disease. This symposium, scheduled to span two days, aims to bring together experts and young researchers to share their latest findings and advancements in this field. The proposed topics include:

Development of new bioorthogonal reactions

Application of click chemistry to activity-base protein profiling

Application of biorthogonal chemistry to bioconjugation

Application of biorthogonal chemistry to glycobiology

Develop new covalent protein drugs using click chemistry

Develop new detection tools using bioorthogonal and click chemistry

Develop small-molecule inhibitors and probes using bioorthogonal and click chemistry

By integrating experts and young researchers, the symposium provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and collaborations. Attendees will have the opportunity to present their recent research findings, discuss challenges and opportunities in the field, and explore potential applications of bioorthogonal and click chemistry in translational medicine.

During the last three decades, the application of NMR spectroscopy to the study of biological macromolecules and drug design has expanded immensely as techniques and novel methodologies have been developed. Biological NMR spectroscopy provides high-resolution insight both into the structure-function relationships of individual biological macromolecules and also into more complex topics that include supramolecular protein complexes, inter- and intramolecular dynamics, allostery, catalysis, and the metabolism of various organisms, including humans.

Our symposium will cover topics ranging from the molecular basis of physiological and pathological processes to the most recent technological and methodological NMR advances. We anticipate the symposium style will allow active discussions among attendees with different expertise and at different career stages and will facilitate the application of cutting-edge methods to new problems and also the design and application of next-generation methodologies. Speakers will address topics that include new experimental and theoretical approaches, pharmacologically interesting molecules, biomolecular complexes and signaling, protein dynamics, allostery and catalysis, as well as NMR metabolomics.

Natural products and their derivatives are the bedrock of pharmaceuticals, fragrances, functional foods, agrochemicals, and bulk commodity chemicals. This central role of the chemistry of life in basic and applied sciences, coupled with modern omics interdisciplinary research spanning organic chemistry, protein biochemistry, molecular biology, synthetic biology, genomics, and bioinformatics, has led to an explosive growth in our understanding of how nature constructs its broad diversity of specialized chemicals. This fundamental knowledge of biosynthetic mechanisms, the intimate connection of natural product chemistry and genomics, and the harnessing of biosynthetic pathways through synthetic biology has revolutionized the field of natural products to achieve societal goals of reimagining how molecules are produced in the future through biotechnology. This symposium will focus on recent developments in the biosynthesis of a diversity of life’s specialized chemistry, including terpenoids, alkaloids, polyketides, shikimate metabolites, vitamins, non-ribosomal and ribosomally produced peptides, and compounds of mixed biosynthetic origins, from diverse organisms spanning microbes, plants, and animals.

Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary science which covers a diverse range of disciplines to understand the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of terrestrial and extraterrestrial life in the universe. This interdisciplinary field includes the search for habitable environments in the solar system, the search for habitable planets outside the solar system, the search for evidence of prebiotic chemistry, laboratory and field research into the origins and early evolution of life on Earth, and studies of the potential for life to adapt to environments on Earth and in outer space. Chemical approaches to astrobiology are particularly promising for understanding the origin and distribution of organic matter in space, environments suitable for life, and chemical evolution on Earth and beyond. Especially in recent years, sample return missions from carbonaceous asteroids by Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx are starting to produce fruitful results, we expect active discussions in this field. We are planning to invite scientists with a wide range of research interests related to chemical approaches to astrobiology.

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) constitute a rapidly expanding class of natural products. These compounds are biosynthesized from precursor peptides, which undergo extensive enzymatic modifications. These compounds possess diverse chemical structures and display remarkable bioactivities, emphasizing their potential in drug discovery. Moreover, the malleability of biosynthetic pathways has facilitated the engineering of RiPPs to generate artificial analogs with modified biological activities. The plasticity of biosynthetic pathways has also facilitated biosynthetic engineering efforts to produce artificial analogs with altered biological activities. Collectively, RiPPs represent a promising area of research for drug discovery, enzymology, and bio-engineering. This symposium aims to explore a wide range of topics encompassing RiPPs, such as their discovery, biosynthesis, chemical biology, engineering, enzymatic mechanisms, biological functions, and other potential applications.

Plants depend on an array of growth regulators for their normal growth, development, and adaptation to diverse environmental conditions. Understanding the intricate mechanisms governing the biosynthesis, metabolism, degradation, and signal transduction of these regulators stands as a foundation for advancing fundamental plant biology. Over the past few years, much progress has been made in unraveling the functions and roles of plant growth regulators. Several chemical tools, such as inhibitors and agonists of the growth regulators, have been developed to further dissect metabolic and signaling mechanisms. Furthermore, emerging technologies such as genome editing allow precise controlling of the homeostasis of plant growth regulators in vivo. Progresses in understanding plant growth regulators have opened up new applications in agriculture. This symposium aims to bring together experts from multiple disciplines, to stimulate interactions, and to facilitate potential collaborations among the attendees.

This is a new application to bring the emerging field of cryo-EM into the chemistry community. The resolution revolution of cryo-EM has continued to make major impact in the structures of large proteins and protein complexes, leading to advances, as shown by examples of recent reports, in the molecular details of cellular machineries, signaling complexes, membrane proteins, and progresses in drug discovery. These developments of cryo-EM are rapidly advancing the fields of biology and macromolecular structures.
Although not yet widely recognized, the single particle analysis (SPA) cryo-EM is also breaking new grounds in the fields of mechanistic enzymology and conformational dynamics. The aim of this symposium is to highlight the recent developments of cryo-EM in relation to these subjects, address the advantage and complementarity of cryo-EM with respect to other methods, and discuss potential future developments in these subjects and other chemistry related fields. It is important, and at the right timing, for the chemistry community to learn these developments in cryo-EM, since cryo-EM has a great potential in solving chemical mechanisms in biological reactions.

This symposium will provide a forum for researchers to discuss the latest developments in the burgeoning field of oligonucleotide libraries. Due to the unique ability of oligonucleotides to be readily modified, synthesized, replicated, and sequenced, they can serve as elements of enormously-diverse XNA libraries. Screening XNA libraries for molecules capable of binding to proteins and changing their functions can enable en masse in-vitro generation of pharmaceutical hits for drug development and diagnostic probes for diseases. Such libraries can also be a source of XNA capable of binding small molecules, thus providing recognition elements for assays targeting toxins, pharmaceutical drugs, drugs of abuse, etc. This symposium will focus on novel approaches toward the generation of XNA libraries and efficient screening platforms for desired molecular functions. Due to the importance and interdisciplinarity of its subject, our symposium will be of interest to a broad audience of Pacifichem attendees.

Recent advances in computational and experimental techniques led to an explosive growth of new proteins, peptides and peptidomimetics that are capable of many practically useful functions. Moreover, protein and peptide design has had tremendous impact on the fundamental understanding of protein structure and function with potential applications in pharmaceutical and material sciences. The sessions will present recent developments in protein, peptide, and peptidomimetics design. The sessions are intended to foster exchange of ideas between chemists around the Pacific rim that may lead to collaborations and, possibly, plant the seeds of ideas that will grow into original work in this area of research. The topics presented would include both strategies and applications. Strategies would include synthesis and utilization of non-natural amino acids and novel scaffolds, de novo design, and computation-based methods; applications would include catalysis, diagnostics, pharmaceutics, and materials. Speakers will be chosen to provide a balance of chemists and biochemists at different career stages, with an eye for investigators who are known for maturity, enthusiasm and novelty.

Biotechnology is expected to be technologies that can realize both economic growth and a sustainable society, such as CO₂ emission reduction. Biotechnology can produce chemicals such as bioplastics, biofuels, and functional materials from biomass resources and atmospheric CO₂ using organisms (e.g., E. coli, yeast, and microalgae). The conversion of the chemical industry to biotechnological technology is expected to contribute to the reduction of CO₂ emissions. However, in order to apply living organisms to industrial purposes and to efficiently produce these chemicals, it is necessary to maximize the ability of living organisms or to add new functions to cells, and for this purpose, synthetic biology, which is engineering biology and biomanufacturing, are being actively studied. Genome sequencing technology, metabolic modification, and structural analysis are being fully utilized. Recently, computational science such as AI, which takes advantage of the processing of vast amounts of data obtained from these methods, and high-throughput technology, which processes a large number of specimens at high speed and reproducibly, are rapidly driving this field of research. In addition, the Pacific Rim region is blessed with diverse bio-resources due to its various geographical features such as deep sea, islands, and volcanoes, and therefore, new acquisition of bio-information, such as information on microorganisms and new useful enzymes that have not been used in the bio-industry before, is also expected.
This symposium will focus on the latest research in synthetic biology and bioproduction as described above, as well as industrial issues and expectations. We will share the progress on engineering biology and biomanufacturing in a broad range of fields, and discuss the potential for innovative bio-industrial seeds. The conference will bring together researchers from diverse backgrounds from the Pacific Rim, young researchers, corporate researchers, and ELSI to kick off the development of this field.

Recent advances in epigenetics and epigenetic-driven mechanisms that regulate the human genome have put this field at the forefront of modern biology and biological chemistry. The major components of the epigenetic machinery are posttranslational modifications of histone proteins and covalent modifications of DNA. These epigenetic marks mediate a wealth of fundamental DNA-templated processes, including gene transcription and DNA damage repair. Latest studies have begun shedding light on the mechanistic aspects of epigenetic signaling, however coupling structural and functional findings remains challenging. This symposium will focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying deposition, removal and recognition of the epigenetic marks. The symposium will bridge mechanistic insights derived from chemistry-driven approaches to the functional significance of epigenetic states that dictate specific biological outcomes and provide an opportunity to discuss most recent breakthroughs from different perspectives.

General Description:
The study of biology and medicine heavily relies on understanding the chemistry of these complex systems. Optical probes have emerged as invaluable tools for biological and medical research, offering real-time information with exceptional sensitivity and chemical selectivity. These molecules have facilitated groundbreaking discoveries in various fields of biology. Advancements in optical imaging, such as super-resolution microscopy and multimodal systems, point to a bright future for optical probes. To enable progress across the continuum of single molecule to in vivo optical imaging, it is crucial to develop new probes.

Our program aims to showcase the diverse range of approaches being pursued in this area. The ultimate goal is to encourage collaboration and knowledge exchange among complementary fields while highlighting recent advances. The symposium includes the following areas of emphasis: (1) New applications and tools for super resolution imaging, (2) advances in multimodal in vivo imaging, (3) the development of new strategies for single molecule imaging and biophysics, (4) the discovery and application of fluorescence-based sensors.

This symposium builds upon the success of several related symposia held during Pacifichem meetings in 2010, 2015, and 2020. To ensure continuity, our organizing committee includes two members (CF and CY) who were involved in the previous efforts. By bringing together esteemed leaders from various Pacifichem societies, we aim to uphold the strong tradition of these symposia and foster collaboration in this field.

Outcomes:
The symposium will foster innovative and collaborative research among the participants. The delineation of limitations and future challenges in chemical probe design and chemistry will provide insights of broad utility to the community. Finally, this symposium will provide the opportunity for early career scientists from diverse backgrounds to interact with leaders in the field.

Epigenetic biology comprises a collection of inherited cellular cues for diverse cell fates from a single genome. Among the critical epigenetic events are covalent modifications of biological macromolecules. The ensemble of these events maintains normal cellular functions and its dysregulation is frequently implicated in disease. The epigenetic research in the past decade expanded our fundamental views of epigenetic biology and led to the development of small-molecule epigenetic modulators as chemical tools or even clinical compounds. However, such efforts did not delineate epigenetic biology but rather revealed its unprecedented complexity. Chemical biology is a powerful platform to dissect this complexity. This symposium will focus on cutting-edge epigenetic research at the interface of chemistry and biology. In this regard of epigenetic research, the symposium will highlight the recent essential development, discuss critical challenges and unmet needs, and highlight visions to leverage diverse tools to advance this field.

The proposed symposium will focus on the latest advances in the area of genetically-encoded and chemigenetic tools for investigating biological systems. Though developed by chemists, such tools are revolutionizing the analysis and control of complex cellular processes. Over the past 5 years, this field has experienced explosive growth, with the chemistry community serving as the driving force behind the development of many of these tools. Consequently, this symposium will be timely and of the highest relevance for Pacifichem attendees. It will provide an engaging platform to showcase the work of a community of researchers that represents a balance of genders and a diversity of career-stages and geographical locations.

The symposium will cover the latest advances in both genetically encoded and chemigenetic tools for biological analysis and biological control. Biomolecular tools for analysis could include fluorescent protein-based biosensors, hybrid chemigenetic biosensors, novel luciferase-luciferin pairs, self-labeling proteins-dye pairs, antibodies, reporter enzymes, and fluorogenic RNA or DNA aptamer-dye pairs. These types of tools enable insights into a wide variety of biological processes, including cellular dynamics, protein-protein interactions, and intracellular signaling pathways. Biomolecular tools for control could include optogenetically controllable enzymes, opsin-based pumps and channels, CRISPR-Cas, and GPCRs engineered for activation with unnatural ligands. These types of tools enable precise manipulation of cellular processes, advancing our understanding of disease mechanisms and facilitating the development of therapeutic strategies. The symposium will include speakers with research interests that span the broad area of genetically-encoded and chemigenetic tools, but the primary focus will be on research at the forefront of developing the types of tools listed above.

In summary, this symposium will emphasize the essential and leading role that the chemistry community is taking in the development of genetically-encoded and chemigenetic tools that are pushing the boundaries of biology. By bringing together a broad cross section of researchers working in this community, as well as engaging a broader audience of chemists from outside of the field, this symposium will provide a forum for knowledge exchange and collaboration that will stimulate further advancements in this exciting field.

Nanopore sensing has emerged as a versatile approach for electrical detection and identification of biomolecules. In a typical measurement, a nanopore in a thin insulating membrane separates two electrolyte-filled compartments. Electric field is applied to drive biomolecules from one compartment to the other, through the nanopore, with the passage of individual molecules blocking the ionic current flowing through the nanopore. By analyzing the frequency, depth, duration and pattern of such ionic current blockades, the concentration and the chemical identify of the translocated molecules can be determined.

Despite its conceptual simplicity, the nanopore sensing has revolutionized the field of DNA and RNA sequencing by offering extraordinarily long reads, direct readout of the nucleotide sequence from native molecules, direct identification of modified nucleotides, low cost and portability. Ongoing work in the nanopore field is poised to bring long-awaited breakthrough in single molecule protein sequencing. Furthermore, the applications of nanopore sensing extend beyond sequencing and hold tremendous potential to serve as versatile tools for the detection of chemical and biological markers, offering groundbreaking applications in fields such as medicine, food security, biodefense, data storage, and more.

This symposium will bring together scientists of all levels to facilitate the exchange of ideas, latest results, and opinions in the general field of nanopore sensing. We believe the topic of nanopore sensing will be of outstanding interest to the Pacifichem attendees because of the diversity of potential applications that encompass many subfields of chemistry, the world-class lineup of invited speakers and the accessibility of the talks to non-experts which stems from the simplicity of the nanopore sensing principle. We expect this symposium to catalyze many new scientific collaborations across the Pacific, fulfilling the mission of the meeting.

The scope of the symposium is the interdisciplinary and cutting-edge research on photoreceptor proteins. Photoreceptors mediate important light responses ranging from visual perception and regulation of circadian rhythm in animals to phototaxis and photosynthesis in bacteria and plants. Mechanistic understanding of photoreceptor proteins promises to have societal impact on biomedicine and renewable energy. Recently, significant advances have been made in our fundamental understanding of photoreceptor proteins, thanks to exciting metagenomically-driven discoveries, accurate multiscale simulations, and structural studies using crystallography and cryoEM. This symposium will bring together experts and young scientists from diverse backgrounds, career stages and geographic locations to exchange ideas and discuss strategies for addressing pressing challenges. Thus, this proposed symposium is timely and important as the field moves forward to translate the fundamental understanding of photochemistry into impactful applications.

Remarkable progress has been over the last three decades toward expanding the genetic code, both in vitro and in living cells. Such efforts have enabled co-translational incorporation of new-to-nature amino acids with diverse chemistries into ribosomally synthesized peptides and proteins, creating powerful new ways to probe protein structure and function, as well as engineering novel protein functions for developing next-generation therapeutics. This technology has experienced particularly rapid growth in the past five years, which can be attributed to a combination of several factors, including the development of cutting-edge technical capabilities, an improved robustness of the existing tools enabling broad adoption across the community, and a remarkable surge of interest in adopting this technology in both academic and industrial settings. In this session, we will capture some of the latest developments in this, focusing on both the new generation of technologies, as well as enabling applications of such technologies.

This symposium will include sessions at the interface between biological and physical/computational chemistry from researchers doing computations (e.g. Alphafold, molecular dynamics), directed evolution (continuous evolution, library screening), biomolecular NMR, design and synthesis of proteins/peptides/nucleic acids, biosensors, cellular assays. Applications include protein/peptide drugs (biologics), nucleic-acid therapeutics, biomaterials and bioremediation toward sustainable stewardship of our earth and ecosystem.

An emerging view in drug discovery is that proteins often use binding surfaces that are highly dynamic and lack significant topography to engage protein and nucleic acid partners. The resulting interaction networks are integral to critical cellular functions such as protein homeostasis, transcriptional regulation, and stress response. These interaction networks are frequently dysregulated in disease and are thus highly desirable targets. They also present an exceptional challenge to drug using standard methods. This symposium will center on cutting edge methods for defining and targeting such proteins with synthetic modulators and for the application of such modulators as mechanistic probes and as therapeutic agents. This will be accomplished through four half-day sessions covering the topics of (a) Drugging disorder (2 sessions) (b) Dissecting protein interaction networks: new technologies and applications (2 sessions). Each session will include speakers from contributed abstracts as well as invited speakers.

Specialized metabolites, also known as natural products, are a diverse array of chemical compounds produced by organisms that play pivotal roles in various biological processes. From plants and animals to microorganisms, specialized metabolites have been found to possess remarkable properties, including medicinal, ecological, and evolutionary significance. This session aims to shed light on yet to be known potentials of specialized metabolites and explore their possible applications in fields such as medicine, agriculture, and environmental conservation.
1. Drug discovery from nature
Natural products have a long history of being used in traditional medicine and continue to be a rich source for drug discovery and development. Case studies will showcase the discovery and development of specialized metabolites as novel therapeutic agents, including their anti-cancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
2. Chemical and ecological aspects of specialized metabolites
The ecological importance of specialized metabolites will be explored. These compounds often serve as defense mechanisms against herbivores, pathogens, and competitors, influencing interactions within ecosystems. The session will present research on how specialized metabolites contribute to the adaptation and survival of organisms, as well as their impact on ecological processes, such as symbiosis.
3. Specialized metabolic pathways: Hidden treasures encoded in genomes
This section will showcase cutting-edge research that explores biosynthetic pathways of specialized metabolites that give rise to these compounds from commonly used primary metabolites, uncovering the genetic and enzymatic machinery involved. Disclosing cryptic metabolic pathways in genomes and designing and constructing invaluable compounds in surrogate microbes will be discussed.
By unraveling the mysteries surrounding specialized metabolites, this session will inspire interdisciplinary collaborations and foster a deeper understanding of the hidden power of these fascinating compounds. Attendees will gain valuable insights into the ecological, evolutionary, and applied aspects of specialized metabolites, paving the way for future discoveries and innovations in the field.

This symposium convenes experts to explore the multifaceted landscape of membrane receptor function. Structural investigations offer insights into the conformations and activity states of membrane receptors; physical chemistry helps unravel the dynamics of receptor-ligand and receptor-receptor interactions; imaging techniques enable visualization of receptor behavior within cellular contexts; machine learning revolutionizes data analysis and accelerates drug discovery. This symposium fosters collaborative discourse and drives innovation, by integrating topics at the intersection of chemistry and biology of membrane receptors into five sessions:

1. Experimental and computational characterization of receptor structure and dynamics
2. Physical chemistry and biophysics of receptor-ligand interactions and biased signalling
3. Imaging receptor homo- and hetero-oligomerization within their natural milieu
4. Receptor interactions with lipids, membranes, and intracellular effectors
5. Chemistry and AI tools for receptor-targeting drug discovery and design

A growing concern of the 21st century revolves around the economic and humanitarian impacts of climate change resulting from the irreversible increase in CO₂ levels due to our dependence on fossil fuels. This drives the quest for renewable alternatives and strategies for carbon capture, sequestration, and utilization, aiming to convert captured atmospheric carbon into valuable products. However, despite the abundance of techniques for CO₂ removal and utilization in contemporary literature over the past three decades, CO₂ activation/conversion poses a significant challenge for chemists due to its high stability. Approximately 33% of global greenhouse gas emissions stem from the combustion of oil and gas, with an additional 9% arising from associated exploration and production processes.

Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts enable fast and selective chemical transformations, superior product yield and substrate conversion. Biofuels have a high oxygen content that can impart deleterious characteristics such as elevated thermal and chemical instability, lower heating value and higher viscosity than fossil fuels. Hydrodesulfurization, hydrodenitrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation can remove the refractory organosulfur, nitrogen and oxygen species, respectively. This symposium will discuss new frontiers of novel green catalysis including their synthesis, characterization, performances and applications for the production of biofuels, fine chemicals, mid-distillates, green hydrogen and other clean products. The symposium will cover the current advances in biomass transformation, carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom coupling reactions, oxidation, reforming, hydrogenation, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodenitrogenation, hydrodearomatization, hydrodemetalization, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, photocatalysis and biocatalysis.

This symposium will cover the recent development of liquid thermoelectric conversion devices and related thermal engineering, solution electrochemistry, and devices.
Thermocells, also called thermogalvanic cells or thermo-electrochemical cells, are thermoelectric conversion devices that utilize the temperature dependence of the redox equilibrium potential of redox-active molecules in solution. In recent years, the performance of thermocells has been dramatically improved by the introduction of an extremely wide range of scientific technologies, such as sophistication of redox molecules, thermal responsiveness of molecules, high functionality of electrode materials, use of ionic liquids, flow cells, electronic cooling, and wearable devices, etc., which can revolutionize the world scene of waste heat utilization. The performance of thermo-chemical batteries has improved dramatically. Extremely significant progress has also been made in thermoelectric capacitors and redox flow batteries. These fields are related to each other and are expected to have a ripple effect on various fields. In this session, we would like to provide an opportunity for researchers in a wide range of fields such as molecular science, electrochemistry, thermal engineering, and device engineering to meet and discuss with the keywords of waste heat utilization and solution electrochemistry.

The high compositional variability and inherent chemical complexity of lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks and bio-based systems pose major challenges for industrial processing. Today, a variety of high-throughput analytics enable the rapid collection of large volumes of data on increasingly large sample sets. Contained within these complex datasets is real chemical information – not always readily apparent – which can be further converted to practical/fundamental knowledge. In this context, chemometrics is becoming an increasingly relevant discipline with a diverse toolbox of techniques. This symposium seeks to assemble an interdisciplinary audience at the crossroads of fundamental and applied research on bio-based systems, analytical chemistry, chemometrics, and machine learning. This symposium will highlight recent developments, novel approaches, perspectives, and applications. This includes exploratory and predictive modeling, new high-throughput approaches, and all applications of multivariate data analysis in bio-based systems.

The current atmospheric concentration of methane exceeds 2.00 ppm and is increasing faster than at any time since record keeping began in the 1980s. Approximately 40% of the post-industrial revolution global warming (radiative forcing) can be ascribed to methane. Natural gas (methane) and liquified natural gas (LNG) are useful fuels and chemical feedstocks and easily transported via an established infrastructure. The 2024 market value of methane and LNG is projected to be US$117B and grow at least 10% per year. Methane’s savior is its mean atmospheric lifetime, ~10 years, and can provide a near-term opportunity to mitigate global warming. Unfortunately, the atmospheric lifetime of methane appears to be increasing, due to loss of hydroxyl radicals and other species in methane destruction reactions. Human activity contributes to the imbalance between natural sources and sinks. This symposium includes methane sources and sinks, measurement, control, and use technology, climate modeling, regulatory impacts, and market supply and demand.

"Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) involving a moiety of perfluoroalkyl group with various chain length are characterized by their unique material characters represented by the water-and-oil repellence, all of which cannot be replaced by non-fluorine compounds. This makes PFAS essential materials used for practical applications in daily life, industrial processes such as semiconductor manufacturing, and fuel cells. They are all manmade chemicals on human wisdom, but the wisdom has long been short for protection of global environment and human health. In recent years, as a matter of fact, PFAS are to blame for concerns of environmental diffusion and bioaccumulation and toxicity in human and animals. As a result, even the essential materials face a crisis that they would soon be banned for production.
Understanding of the PFAS-specific material characters, however, has long been a difficult matter in terms of molecular science, and the research is oriented to organic synthesis studies. To overcome the global crisis, entirely new designs and production of environment-friendly PFAS are definitely necessary based on a clear concept in terms of physical chemistry.
Fortunately, a comprehensive chemical model based on fundamental physical parameters has recently been proposed for understanding the material characters of PFAS by the organizer of this symposium. The model is called stratified dipole-arrays (SDA) model that attracts keen attention not only from chemists and environmental scientists but also from policy makers. This new chemical new trend brings various scientists working in different fields together to a common interest in development of the environment-friendly materials. This symposium is planned to show cutting-edge research of their interdisciplinary collaborations for better understanding of PFAS for improving the situation."

Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have emerged as a crucial solution to meet the increasing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and grid energy storage. However, the rapidly growing market presents significant supply chain challenges. Furthermore, it highlights the need for alternative energy storage options that offer improved safety, longer lifespan, and higher energy density. Therefore, the development of "beyond Li-ion" technologies becomes essential for the advancement of energy storage technology. The "beyond Li-ion" symposium aims to bring together various technologies and fundamental understanding including Li-metal batteries, Na-ion batteries, K-ion batteries, all-solid-state batteries, metal-S batteries, metal-air batteries, and multivalent batteries. This symposium will be focused on the frontier of “emerging technology” that is not yet industrialized rather than “existing technology” that has already been industrialized (e.g. many Li-ion battery technologies). We welcome abstracts focusing on novel electrode/electrolyte design, interface engineering, battery device manufacturing, new battery chemistry, advanced characterizations, and simulations/predictions. The event will feature an inclusive and diverse gathering of world-leading scientists in this field, along with a promising group of early-career researchers.

There is no doubt that electrochemical batteries, which are commonly used in our portable devices such as smartphones, will certainly become a key technology for constructing a sustainable society. Lithium-ion battery, which is now widely used, are undoubtedly a successful example. However, the use of rare materials does not make this battery a technology that maintains a truly sustainable society.
It is, therefore, of great significance to discuss what kind of batteries are necessary for the perpetual survival of mankind. That is the significance of holding this symposium. This is also important to understand the role of chemistry for this purpose. Specifically, we are changing the components of lithium-ion batteries to materials that are abundant in the earth, or developing completely new high-performance storage batteries that do not use scarce materials. In fact, a wide variety of batteries are being developed, and there is no doubt that gathering researchers who are working on them and exchanging information with each other will be beneficial for future battery development.

"Heavy consumption of fossil fuels has increased
the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere, contributing to environmental
problems such as climate change. The development of a renewable and clean
source of bioenergy is essential for a sustainable energy future.
Beneficial plant growth-promoting microbes (PGPMs) enhance plant growth and
health. PGPMs represent low-cost agricultural inputs, which reduce the use
of synthetic fertilizers and agrochemicals; PGPM-based approaches may be
promising in economic and sustainable agriculture for Green Earth.
Preservation and utilization of marine resources are also required.
Macroalgae are promising alternative feedstocks for bioethanol production
because of their rapid growth rates. The protection of coral reefs and of
see weeds, which are indispensable for many marine organisms and even human
beings that rely on them, is becoming an urgent issue for Blue Earth
(Japan:Moon-Shot Project. //US: Mariner & Sea CO2 projects)."

Mechanochemistry is where chemistry and mechanics meet. Where the interaction of mechanical energy with matter transforms materials. The field spans many areas, ranging from tribology, where sliding and shearing contacts transform interfaces via tribochemical reactions, to the processes of chemo/mechanical transduction found in polymeric and biological systems, to core organic and inorganic chemical syntheses, where the use of mechanical force to drive reactions has been found to provide routes toward previously unattainable new materials. Importantly, as many mechanochemical reactions can be carried out with little or no solvent, mechanochemistry has also begun to demonstrate its vast utility for the advancement of the chemical industry, offering new vistas for green and sustainable chemical syntheses. While there have been many advancements in mechanochemistry in the past five years, the language and knowledge gaps among these areas remain a challenge for the development of a holistic understanding of mechanochemical processes across these various areas, and for its evolution as a core synthetic strategy.
To bridge these gaps, this symposium will foster the interaction of mechanochemists from across the spectrum of the field, providing a unique opportunity, where the differences and similarities in these varying elements of mechanochemistry can be discussed, while highlighting the most recent advances in chemical synthesis, methodologies, and theoretical and mechanistic constructs. Importantly, this symposium will not only engage researchers from academic institutions, but foster connections with researcher from industry such that the opportunities and challenges that face the translation of fundamental knowledge of mechanochemistry into industrial practice can be reviewed. To this end, this symposium will highlight four primary topical areas: (1) fundamentals of mechanochemistry in synthetic chemistry; (2) methodologies for understanding mechanochemical processes at interfaces; (3) mechanochemistry in soft matter; and (4) translation of mechanochemistry to industry.

The next generation of solar energy conversion schemes calls for a unifying vision, dissecting a multi-level chemical complexity by: (i) optimization of each “a-solo” components (photoadsorbers, multi-redox catalysts, electron/proton relays, semiconductors, conductive scaffolds); (ii) their sophisticated assemblies (photo-induced charge separation and transport, oxidative/reductive catalysis, photoprotection) and (iii) the orchestration of a mechanistic cascade for efficient solar-to-fuel energy storage. This symposium focuses on the organic-inorganic interfaces at the frontier of molecular and materials science enabling the “green shift” of Artificial Photosynthesis. Scientific sessions involve world recognized experts and emerging investigators covering the fields of photo-(electro)catalysis applied to water splitting and CO2 reduction, supramolecular sciences, and photo-biology, key technologies and advanced characterization methods (nanosciences, electrochemistry, photochemistry, advanced spectroscopy and computational modelling).

Water is vital to our everyday life and is involved in almost all industrial processes. The widespread role of water naturally raises many fundamental scientific questions and engineering challenges for practical application. Especially, the interaction of water with material surface and interfaces plays a critical role. For example, photocatalysts as well as electrolyzers are based on electrocatalytic processes at the interface between an aqueous electrolyte and a catalyst. Better understanding of chemistry involved in water surely will open avenues for future development including photocatalysis and water purification.
The aims of this session are better understanding the properties and underappreciated role of water interacting with ions, molecules, and crystals in chemical processes for various fields. The research topics covers (photo)catalytic and (photo)electrochemical reactions, water purification, coating and corrosion-prevention, and bio-inspired/bio-compatible technologies etc. from the perspective of theory and experiment.

More than 60% of the primary energy supply in the world is unused, and wasted as heat. This is a huge energy resource we already have, but is technically difficult to be utilized in conventional energy industries. Thermoelectric energy conversion and related technologies, which convert heat directly to electricity, have been highly anticipated to solve this problem, and chemistry of the materials involved has always been the key to innovations in these technologies. This symposium addresses challenges in materials for thermoelectric/thermionic energy conversion and thermal energy harnessing technologies by bringing together researchers, scientists, engineers, and experts to share findings in thermal energy utilization materials, discuss strategies, and explore new avenues in materials chemistry to tackle the global warming problems.

Focus Areas:
Material Design and Synthesis: Designing advanced materials with tailored properties for heat-to-electricity direct conversion and thermal energy harnessing. This includes exploring novel materials, nanomaterials, composites, and hybrids with enhanced electrical conductivity and thermopower, and ultra-low lattice thermal conductivity, via experimental/computational/data-driven approaches.
Thermoelectric Materials and Devices: Development of high-performance thermoelectric materials. Topics include characterization, fabrication, device integration, and optimization strategies to enhance conversion efficiency.
Thermionic Conversion: Exploring chemistry and materials science behind thermionic conversion materials. Topics include material design, electron-emitter fabrication, and device engineering.
Thermal Energy Harvesting and Storage: Innovative strategies for capturing and storing thermal energy, such as phase change materials, thermal storage systems, heat transfer fluids, and thermal management techniques to enhance energy efficiency in various applications.
Environmental Impact and Sustainability: Evaluating the environmental impact and sustainability of materials and technologies for heat-to-electricity conversion, including life cycle assessment, recycling methods, and ecological considerations associated with these materials and systems.
Integration and Commercialization: Discussing the integration of thermal energy conversion/harnessing technologies into practical applications, addressing scalability, cost-effectiveness, market readiness, and policy implications to foster the commercialization and widespread adoption of these technologies.

The rice field environment offers a unique system to investigate the behavior of chemicals in aquatic ecosystems as well as to investigate the chemical and biological processes occurring within these systems. Rice forms a staple food source for a large portion of the global population and the chemistry of these systems will impact chemical behavior of pesticides used to enhance production as well as contaminants such as
arsenic and other metals that can potentially enter into and accumulate in grains. Regional and geographic differences in soil and water chemistry combined with differences in management practices will dramatically impact a chemical’s partitioning between air, water, sediment and biota as well as its degradation within each of these phases. These differences can also impact carbon sequestration within the paddy ecosystem. This symposium will cover the unique chemistry of this system and its impacts on chemicals used in it or coming from it.

Breakthroughs have been achieved through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and breaking down barriers between clusters of science to create a network that connects communities. Today, chemists must not only continue to improve the synthetic chemistry toolbox, but do so while addressing sustainability, efficiency, and productivity metrics from R&D to manufacturing. These challenges are common across the chemical industry: pharmaceutical, agrochemical, commodity, cosmetic, veterinary, and many others. Over the past decade, continuous flow chemistry has been introduced as a powerful tool for the synthetic chemist to address some of these challenges. However, since it is conceptually different from the commonly used batch processes, it comes with its own set of challenges: technical language barrier, cultural differences (chemistry/engineering, industry/academia), HQP training, etc. Nonetheless, researchers in academia and industry have expanded the portfolio of flow-compatible synthetic methods, developed new hardware, and introduced automation and AI to accelerate discovery. This symposium will highlight the latest advancement and efforts in solving global challenges using continuous flow science in both, academic and industrial settings.

This symposium seeks to bridge these knowledge gaps by convening experts from various disciplines and provide deeper insights into the behavior of PFAS in environments and their impacts on human and animal health. A key focus will be on the nexus of detection, sensing and health as this intersection would be critical in enhancing our fundamental understanding of PFAS impacts and help develop effective strategies to mitigate their risks. Key themes of the symposium will include: 1) research on the health effects of PFAS, such as epidemiological studies linking PFAS to various diseases and disorders; 2) current understanding of the fate and transport of legacy and PFAS alternatives in the environment including soils, sediments, atmosphere, surface- and ground water especially under various exposure scenarios (fire training areas, biosolids, compost), 3) advancements in PFAS detection and sensing; 4) remediation strategies to mitigate contamination in diverse environmental settings.

The primary focus of the symposium is the development of electroactive organic molecules for energy storage devices. To meet future demands for the storage of renewable and intermittent electricity, materials are required that are abundant, inexpensive, and sustainable. Consequently, electroactive organic molecules have recently emerged as sustainable alternatives to metals in energy storage systems. In addition to being isolated from biomass, organic molecules can also be highly tuned through synthesis, allowing precise functionalization of electroactive scaAolds. Nevertheless, the utilization of organic molecules in batteries still faces several challenges, including their long-term stability during cycling. The symposium will cover the research aimed at developing promising solutions to these challenges, including the discovery of new electroactive cores and the implementation of strategies to enhance electrochemical energy storage devices including batteries, redox flow batteries, and supercapacitors.

Chemistry and engineering for sustainable applications has attracted much interest in recent years and the search for novel high-performance electrocatalytic materials and processes continues. Emerging electrocatalytic approaches offer advantages, such as low energy costs, low capital expense, high efficiency, operation at ambient conditions, ability to be in mobile or distributed units, global scalability, and ability to sustainably be powered by renewable electricity. To combat climate change and restore environmental and social justice worldwide, an urgent need exists for the development of new electrocatalytic materials and processes.

New synthetic methods and computational material design together with a thorough theoretical and experimental understanding of electrocatalytic mechanisms, active sites, reactive species, and process parameters are essential to accelerate discoveries in sustainable electrocatalysis. This symposium will advance the research community's knowledge that is prerequisite for much-needed innovations in electrocatalytic successor technologies.

This symposium will focus on the following key research topics:
- New synthetic methods for controlled nanocatalysts
- Computational material design of catalytic materials and mechanisms
- Operando spectroscopies of electrocatalytic sites and reactive species
- Benchmarking-type assessment of electrocatalytic performance
- Carbon dioxide reduction electrocatalysis
- Nitrogen fixation electrocatalysis
- Oxygen electrocatalysis
- Membranes for electrocatalytic devices

Global CO2 emissions reached a record high of 37.12 billion tonnes in 2021, with Pacific Rim countries accounting for over 66% of this staggering figure. These emissions have had a severe impact on global climate change, particularly affecting the Pacific islanders. The emergence of CO2 capture and conversion powered by renewable electricity presents exciting new opportunities to tackle the issue of CO2 emissions by simultaneously eliminating the energy-intensive regeneration step in CO2 capture and overcoming critical obstacles faced by CO2 gas-fed conversion reactors. Integrating electrochemical CO2 conversion with capture, existing or emerging, opens up a promising pathway for the production of sustainable fuels and feedstocks from waste CO2, free from fossil fuels. While progress has been made in recent years, new challenges continue to arise, necessitating collaborative, multidisciplinary solutions among researchers from all countries. This symposium provides a precious opportunity for researchers to come together and pool our knowledge and expertise.

Industrial electrification is an urgent issue in the current chemical industry achieving carbon-neutral chemical processes. The microwave chemical process has the potential to transform a conventional petrochemical-based industry into a renewable energy-based one. In addition, microwave irradiation to the interfaces of solid-liquid, solid-gas, solid-solid, and gas-liquid dramatically accelerates various chemical reactions. The rationally designed microwave-accelerated reactions will drastically renew the chemical reaction systems that efficiently convert electricity into chemical energy. This symposium will share and discuss the frontiers of emerging microwave chemistry in reaction acceleration. The mechanistic insight into microwave rate enhancement will be discussed by in situ/operando observation and theoretical computational analysis. The symposium also covers efforts toward the industrial application of microwave chemical processes.

The number and complexity of environmental contaminants continues to increase, presenting a challenge for scientists to understand and predict their behaviour in the environment. Many challenging classes of contaminants have recently come under regulatory scrutiny, such as pharmaceuticals, PFAS, surfactants, nanomaterials, microplastics, and substances of unknown or variable composition, complex reaction products, or biological materials (UVCBs). This is in addition to more classical contaminants which still need to be monitored and understood as part of ongoing regulation, such as POPs, plant protection products, reactive gases, and PM2.5. The way that contaminants are distributed between environmental media determines which pathways are important for human and ecological exposure, and ultimate fate. Spatial and temporal variability in both the emission of contaminants and the properties of environment contribute to the difficulties in measuring and predicting the distribution of contaminants. There are three traditional pillars used to quantify contaminant distribution: field measurements which provide real-world data for ground truthing; laboratory measurements which aim to understand fundamental processes in a controlled environment; and modelling which is used to interpret and explain the experimental data and to synthesize new hypotheses. Topics of interest in this session include, but are not limited to, the development of GC and LC/MS techniques for monitoring known and unknown contaminants, elucidation of regional and global contaminant distributions by active and passive sampling methods, characterization of (bio)transformation and sorption processes in environmental matrices, modeling of contaminant transport over space and time, and the development of machine learning methods for physicochemical property prediction. We especially welcome submissions that combine two or three of these pillars to perform in-depth studies of contaminant distribution, and submissions that help advance the science for challenging contaminant classes.

A substantial body of literature has highlighted nanosafety issues across all levels of nano-bio interfaces. To address these concerns and work toward a sustainable future, comprehensive regulations are now enforced in both research and commercial applications of nanotechnology. The aim of this symposium is to foster collaboration and discussion among multiple disciplines involved in nanotechnology. This event will bring together chemists, biologists, engineers, and legislators to discuss precautionary approaches and stimulate cost-effective measures to prevent unintended environmental and health degradation resulting from the widespread application of nanotechnologies. The symposium will focus on understanding and designing safe nano-bio interfaces in the contexts of materials, medicine, and the environment. It will be organized around three key topics: (1) Designing safe nanomedicines; (2) Enabling technologies for assessing nanosafety and sustainability; and (3) Environmental nanosafety and sustainability.

Reactive extrusion is an attractive and emerging green engineering route for fabrication of cost-effective materials in order to offer potentially significant enhancements to commercial viability in food and non-food industries. Achieving this goal will require the confluence of a number of factors; however, we will focus our symposium on the technological aspects which investigate the balance between its fundamental principles and practices to offer attractive opportunities for new systems with unique properties for sustainable composites and packaging, bioenergy, and clean label ingredients in the food and non-food industries. We are particularly interested in work that focuses attention on the intriguing disciplines of rheology and modeling as they are applied to reactive systems and advanced characterizations to ultimately achieve commercial success. We envision future advances may lead to the deployment of many more extrusion combined process technologies, and that such technologies will be game changers with respect to time- and resource-consuming conventional approaches.

The reduction of CO2 emissions is a global issue and is widely recognized as one of the primary causes of global warming. It is imperative in the energy field to transform to energy resources with low CO2 emissions and promote energy conservation. Additionally, research is actively progressing on technologies that involve the separation, capture, and underground storage of CO2 (CCS), as well as technologies that utilize the separated and captured CO2 (CCU) in both industrial and academic sectors. These advancements are crucial in contributing to the reduction of CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

Defined as the ‘design of chemical processes and products that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances”, green chemistry has a fundamental role in achieving a sustainable future. Chemists with green chemistry skills can design processes and products that will not impact human health or the environment. To achieve this goal, however, we need everyone on board. Due to the holistic nature of the green chemistry field, the power of the green chemistry community arises from holistic individuals with interdisciplinary skills and supportive strategies, who aim to learn from our past in order to build towards a systemic and meaningful change in our present and future.
This session will highlight diverse and empowering approaches performed by the green chemistry community towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In this symposium, participants will learn about holistic, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive approaches to achieving a sustainable future through green chemistry. These will include different sectors such as education, academia, industry, and NGOs to showcase the importance of collaborative strategies to address our current environmental and societal goals. Through a panel discussion, attendees will interact with the speakers and initiate a conversation about local or global actions that could be taken toward building communities of transformation.

Our symposium will target content involving “green” solvents that promote the advancement of the circular economy of renewable and upcyclable materials and mitigate climate change. Renewables we wish to consider include lignocellulosics, proteins, oleo-chemicals, or plastics and other end-of-life products. All content will be compatible with the notion of low carbon footprint and positive eco-sustainability. We welcome content on the use of water, deep eutectic solvents, ionic liquids, subcritical, and supercritical fluids as both reactive and/or reaction media to enhance biocatalysis, thermal, chemi-mechanical, photochemical, and electrochemical transformations at comparatively lower intensity than currently known. We encourage work providing recent progress and comparisons to current processes, particularly in transitions from academic labs to evolving markets. We invite all researchers, regardless of career stage, to submit their work. We especially invite industrial chemists to share their successes and will accommodate both oral presentations and posters.

Hydrogen has been hailed as one of the most promising solutions to storing energy in large quantises and over long period. A safe and cost-effective method is needed to handle hydrogen at scale for both stationary and mobile applications. Among all the options explored for storing hydrogen, liquids-based hydrogen storage appears to be more attractive than conventional hydrogen compression and liquefaction. This symposium is to bring worldwide experts in this field to overview the recent progress and brainstorm good strategies forward. Researchers will present their achievements made in a variety of compounds including, ammonia, formic acid, and liquid organic hydrogen carriers. The symposium will cover key advances in fundamental studies and also applied research.

Hydrogen materials: metal hydrides, complex hydrides, liquid organic hydrogen carriers and other hydrogen rich materials continue to be the focus of a wide variety of research efforts. However, these materials remain far from being fully uncovered, investigated, and understood. Nevertheless, they have already been shown to have the performance advantages that could potentially overcome shortcomings incumbent energy technologies. If their advantages can be engineered into fully integrated systems, these materials could serve as a basis for advanced systems for a wide range of sustainable energy needs including clean hydrogen, heat, and electricity. This symposium will highlight recent advances ranging from novel materials and efforts to develop methodologies for their characterization, to the utilization of computational studies and machine learning to better understand hydrogen materials and guide their further development.

The green transformation (GX) will revolutionize the global energy landscape by allowing industry to shift from fossil energy to clean energy. Hydrogen is a key green energy source and R&D into its production (by water electrolysis), storage and efficient use has been accelerated worldwide by billions of dollars in government and industrial investment. This symposium is devoted to the aspects of R&D of low-temperature water electrolyzers (WEs) and fuel cells (FCs) and hydrogen storage systems. The intention is to bring together the international community working on the subject. To produce WEs and FCs with improved efficiency, durability, and reduced costs, there are several components that still need innovation and improvement, such as electrocatalysts, polymer electrolytes (e.g., anion or cation exchange membranes), electrodes, and bipolar-plates. There is also a need to develop cutting-edge diagnostic techniques, digital transformation (DX), and system science. Hydrogen storage systems with high density, durability, and reduced costs are also needed, requiring hydrogen storage materials (e.g., MH), control of micro/nanostructure of MH, analyses of hydrogenation of materials, as well as DX and system science. This symposium will exclude direct-fuel cells, CO₂ electrochemical reduction, and photochemical water splitting, which are covered by other Symposia, as well as conventional H₂-carriers (such as ammonia or MCH) or tanks (liquid or pressurized).

This symposium will focus on development and characterisation of lead-free metal halide perovskite and solar cells. The program will address the latest advances and development in perovskite nanostructures, modelling, simulation and characterisation techniques, and the current status and prospect, major achievements, latest performance, technological limitation and crucial challenges of lead-free perovskite solar cells. The specific topics will include development and characterisation of novel lead-free perovskites, and energetics, electronic structure, surface and interface properties, modelling and simulation of perovskite structures including 2D and 3D perovskites and charge transporting materials, latest performance and long-term stability of solar cells, and recent advances in synthetic techniques and characterisation techniques.

The urgent need to address climate change and achieve sustainable development has prompted significant research efforts towards carbon neutrality and sustainable engineering. Among the various emerging technologies, photo/electro-catalysis has emerged as a promising avenue for transforming the energy landscape and mitigating environmental challenges. This symposium aims to explore the latest advancements in photo/electro-catalysis research, focusing on its potential applications for achieving carbon neutrality and sustainable engineering while bringing researchers, engineers, and industry professionals together. The symposium will provide a platform to showcase recent developments, share research findings, and foster collaborations in this rapidly evolving field.
Topics of interest for this symposium include, but are not limited to:
-Novel photo/electro-catalytic materials for efficient energy conversion and storage
-Photocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes for CO₂ reduction and utilization
-Advances in photoelectrochemical systems for sustainable energy and environment
-Integration of renewable energy sources with photo/electro-catalysis for enhanced sustainability
-Catalytic approaches for converting biomass and waste into valuable products
-Environmental applications of photo/electro-catalysis, including water treatment and air purification.
-Scale-up and commercialization challenges in photo/electro-catalysis technology

Zeolites are well-known, functional materials having a rigid and uniform set of micropores whose size is similar to small molecules. They have been successfully utilized in petrochemical industries and in purification of auto-exhaust, among other applications. In the last decade, further materials with larger pores, or enhanced pore flexibility have been developed, such as mesoporous materials and MOF/PCP/COF materials. Such materials may act as a functional mold for molecules, clusters, and other species. In this session, we will focus on the synthesis of such highly-functionalized porous materials; characterization of such porous and surface properties; and then their utilization not only for catalysis but also as adsorbents, membranes (selective separation), and other applications that target the sustainability of our society.

"Plastic products are integral to modern life, enabling technologies in automobiles, electronics, healthcare, aerospace, and more. However, their widespread use also poses significant environmental challenges. With only about 9% of plastics globally recycled, the traditional linear product lifecycle mode is increasingly unsustainable. Transitioning to a circular economy for plastics is imperative, necessitating a substantial increase in recycling rate.

Currently, plastic waste primarily undergoes mechanical recycling. While this has seen technological advancements and increased capacity, challenges remain, particularly in recycling mixed plastics, thermosetting polymers, and composites. In response, recent years have witnessed significant research into chemical and biological recycling of polymer materials waste and the design of easily recyclable polymers.
This symposium aims to provide a platform for researchers to share their latest findings on various aspects of recycling of plastic and polymer materials, including but not limited to:
1. Mechanical recycling advancements
2. Innovations in chemical recycling technologies
3. Design strategies for easily recyclable polymers
4. Biological recycling"

The objective of Recycling of Polymeric Materials: Challenges and Perspectives is providing common platform for sharing the latest developments and exchange of ideas based on ciecular aconomy from both scientific and technological points of view for material cycle of polymeric materials, such as plastics and biomass. The current scenario of the different processes for the valorisation of polymeric residues (waste plastics, e-waste, biomass, etc.) by their transformation into raw chemicals, fuels, commercial products and/or energy using the thermo-catalytic, chemical and biochemical methods will be discussed. These methods are expected to be highly energy efficient and eco-friendly while providing an attractive profitability that may allow the modern societies to successfully manage the huge and increasing amounts of polymeric wastes that is generated. Moreover the session is a great platform to establish new contacts for the future cooperation and present results of their research activities.

This symposium will focus on the synthesis, behavior, properties and applications of stimuli-responsive materials that enable more sustainable manufacturing processes and/or reduced environmental impact during their service life. The scope includes a diverse range of materials that have been functionalized to make them responsive such that their properties, structure, shape or morphology can be changed to make them greener materials than those currently available. Materials with responsiveness to a variety of triggers will be considered, with an emphasis on environmentally benign triggers. Examples of potential materials include polymers, solvents, catalysts, gels, inorganic materials (e.g. gold nanoparticles), graphene, surfactants, Pickering emulsifiers, and natural polymers. For example, development of new morphologies and structures from polymers has been a particularly active area, including nano- or micro-scale structures such as vesicles, worm-like micelles, gels, latexes and self-assembled structures.

"Nature commonly employs supramolecular assemblies – or molecular complexes held together by non-covalent interactions – as an approach to control material shape, dimension, functionality, and structural hierarchy. From a materials synthesis perspective, gaining a robust understanding of the structure-function-property relationships of such materials facilitates the development of high-performance constructs for a variety of applications. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of supramolecular polymer assemblies opens up new possibilities for the end-of-life management of polymer materials, providing an additional tool for chemists to address UN Sustainable Development Goals as related to Responsible Consumption and Production. From synthesis to waste management, each lifecycle step for a polymer material requires innovation from our scientific community to minimize its environmental impact. With this in mind, these supramolecular polymer networks or assemblies offer an attractive option for forthcoming generations of sustainable materials.

This symposium is jointly organized entirely by early career researchers spanning the Pacific Rim, and has been motivated by a desire to streamline research in this dynamic area via knowledge exchange and the promotion of collaboration across fields of study. Therefore, researchers who focus on the preparation, characterization, or end-of-life management of hierarchical bioplastic materials are invited to participate. Importantly, this symposium will encompass both biobased and biodegradable synthetic strategies for the preparation of sustainable supramolecular assemblies. Some suggested session topics include but are not limited to: (1) structural analysis of supramolecular assemblies, (2) key technologies for synthesis of protein-based supramolecular assemblies, (3) preparation and characterization of carbohydrate-based assembled materials, (4) preparation of non-carbohydrate, non-protein-based, synthetic sustainable supramolecular assemblies, (5) controlled degradation and recycling of bioplastics (e.g., degradation-by-design), (6) other end-of-life management applications for sustainable supramolecular assemblies.

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The aviation industry is actively exploring sustainable alternatives to conventional jet fuel to reduce its environmental impact. However, the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) still faces several challenges. This symposium seeks contributions from academia, industry, and government agencies on addressing these challenges in one or more of the following topical areas:
1. Feedstock Availability and Processing:
a. Challenges in securing sustainable feedstocks
b. Feedstock processing techniques and optimization
2. Conversion Technologies for SAF
a. Breakthroughs in conversion technologies for SAF production
b. Scaling up SAF production from lab-scale to commercial-scale
c. Cost reduction strategies and process optimization
3. Lifecycle Analysis and SAF Certification
a. Sustainability criteria and lifecycle analysis
b. Policy developments and supportive frameworks for SAF deployment
4. Infrastructure and Supply Chain Development
a. Infrastructure requirements for SAF production, storage, and distribution
b. Adapting existing aviation fuel infrastructure for SAF integration
c. Overcoming logistical challenges and expanding the SAF supply chain

This symposium will provide a platform for showcasing the recent progresses in developing sustainable chemicals, bio-based products, and functional materials and devices from renewable biomass feedstock. Broad topics surrounding latest advances in novel extraction, conversion, processing, design, synthesis, modification, functionalization, characterization, assembly, and fabrication of biomass materials for value-added applications are welcome. Some example areas include: 1) Synthesis, modification, and advanced applications of the renewable materials derived from biomass materials like saccharides and polysaccharides (starch, cellulose, and chitosan), lignin, DNA, peptides and proteins, and other biomolecules. 2) Emerging applications of renewable materials in various fields, such as environmental applications (remediation, water purification and treatment, recycling, etc.), clean energy applications, and biomedical applications (bio-sensing and analysis, antibacterial, anticancer, drug delivery systems). 3) Biorefining and conversion of biomass into various chemical platforms and bio-based products.

Chemistry and Materials play a key role in the development and understanding of electrochemical energy
technologies. This symposium will provide a forum for chemists, material scientists, engineers, and energy
researchers as well as industrial partners to share and discuss the latest advances and developments in
sustainable chemistry toward the design of functional materials, and the development and understanding of
novel clean energy technologies, including particularly electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems.
The symposium plans to include a diverse group of experts from a range of Pacific Rim countries and speakers from all career stages.
This symposium will mainly cover the topics of sustainable chemistry and materials
(catalysts/electrodes/electrolytes/interfaces) contributing to the experimental developments and theoretical
understanding of novel electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies, including but not limited
to fuel cells, hydrogen production, batteries (e.g., lithium-ion (and other alkaline-ions, lithium-metal, all-solidstate, rechargeable aqueous, metal-air, and new flow battery systems). The symposium will also highlight the research efforts on the use of sustainable chemistry concepts and tools for new designs and design strategies towards the recycling, upcycling, reusing, and/or upgrading of materials in clean energy technologies, such as spent lithium-ion batteries, flow batteries, fuel cells, and electrolyzers.

Consumer electronics offer the potential to improve quality of life and broaden education and information access. Unfortunately, the rapidly growing demand of consumer electronics has led to unsustainable amounts of electronic waste (e-waste). In 2019, global e-waste was 54 megatons.
E-waste contains hazardous substances that pose health and environmental concerns. Further, it is often object of illegal transboundary trafficking towards Sub-Saharian and Southeast Asian countries. On the other hand, the presence of valuable metals in the e-waste stream constitutes economic opportunities for the recycling industry. There is 100 times more gold in a ton of mobile phones than in a ton of gold ore. The material value alone is worth $62.5 billion.

The focus of the present symposium is on innovative and meaningful solutions to e-waste, from recovery of precious metals, to recycling and valorization of e-waste plastic components (including microplastics generated from e-waste recycling) and eco-designed biodegradable or compostable organic electronics.

This symposium focuses on the preparation or synthesis of sustainable materials and polymers, and the application of these materials to tackle important issues related to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. This is an interdisciplinary area with many chemists working alongside engineers, environmental scientists, biologists and physicists to make advances in a timely way and increase our collective knowledge. In terms of synthesis of these substances, this might involve many of the 12 principles of green chemistry e.g. solvent-free approaches, catalysis using earth abundant metals or metal-free approaches and biocatalysis. Use of sustainable feedstocks such as biomass and carbon dioxide is being widely explored around the world to produce materials such as biochars (an important material highlighted by the UN’s IPCC as a carbon sink) and functional polycarbonates. Many chemists and engineers are investigating new frontiers in bio-derived and biodegradable materials including lignocellulosic resources, protein waste derived polymers, and bio-based nanomaterials. New characterization methods have been applied in the last decade to get a better understanding of bio-derived materials and this has led to new applications in high-value areas and innovative technologies. The materials can have applications across a wide range of areas including ‘green’ energy generation and storage, catalysis including electrocatalysis, chemical separations and carbon dioxide capture.

This symposium is an interdisciplinary state of the art examination of photo-biochemistry of ultraviolet light (UV) disinfection for pathogen control and photochemistry of UV-driven photolysis and oxidation / reduction for chemical contaminant abatement. Two major themes are (1) the photochemistry of short wavelength UV for enhanced oxidative /reductive transformation of organic pollutants, and inactivation of microorganisms in water, air, and on surfaces; and (2) photo-biochemistry-driven processes of UV LEDs for control of pathogens in water and on surfaces and associated photochemical transformations of organics. The impact of this work on UV disinfection science, commercial applications, and the regulatory community will be highlighted. Topics to be considered include UV treatment of emerging contaminants in water such as PFAS, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, biochemical mechanisms of disinfection for pathogen abatement, and UV-induced secondary air chemistry impacts during UV applications in public spaces.

Lignin represents the “final frontier” in biomass conversion research and development. A heterogeneous, alkyl-aromatic polymer, lignin is one of the major components of plant biomass, together with cellulose and hemicellulose. The recalcitrant nature of lignin leads to a huge number of technical challenges in extracting it from biomass, to the extent that the cost effective valorization of lignin, with a few notable exceptions, remains elusive despite nearly a century of efforts. Recent advances, exemplified by tandem processes that integrate chemical and biological catalysis, promise to move us closer to solving the “lignin problem”, a key to the sustainability of modern biorefineries and enabling the lignocellulosic bioeconomy. The proposed symposium will bring together leading researchers developing catalytic and biological approaches to extract, depolymerize, and upgrade lignin. Topics covered will include chemo- and biocatalytic methods to transform lignin, to emerging analytical methods to elucidate lignin structure and computational approaches to determine lignin reactivity. Given the inherent challenges in lignin conversion and the breadth of research on lignin internationally, a symposium on the (bio)catalytic conversion of lignin will generate great interest and serve the growing, multidisciplinary community of researchers to accelerate the science of lignin forward.

"Activity-based sensing has emerged as a powerful tool for the sensing and analysis of
molecular species, providing significant insights into their roles within complex
environments. This technique is characterized by its ability to exploit the specific
reactivity of a target analyte, enabling highly sensitive and selective detection. Such an
approach proves especially beneficial when the analyte of interest shares similar size
and shape with other molecules in complex biological or environmental systems, or
when the analyte is transiently produced and metabolized within specific spatial and
temporal contexts.
Fluorescence remains a widely preferred modality for activity-based sensing, however a
range of additional innovative methods utilizing different imaging and analytical
techniques, such as photoacoustic imaging, proteomics, and array-based detection, are
also gaining prominence. These alternative modalities offer unique advantages and
open new avenues for exploring molecular processes in greater detail. This symposium
will showcase leading-edge advancements in sensor design and the development of
novel sensing modalities. Additionally, impactful studies unveiling previously unknown
biological phenomena will be highlighted, demonstrating the potential of these
approaches to deepen our understanding of complex systems and foster innovative
applications across biology, agriculture, environmental conservation, and other areas. "

The focus of this symposium is on the advancement in the chemistry of production, isolation, and application of theranostic radionuclides for Targeted Radionuclide Therapy (TRT) of human disease. TRT holds great potential for treating cancers, chemoresistant bacterial, and viral infections. Global efforts are underway to study many radionuclides for certain therapies based on a combination of their emissions, and chemical and biochemical behavior. Radionuclides that emit beta-, alpha- and Auger- particles, which have application to TRT, are being developed and sourced from both reactor and particle accelerators. These theranostic radionuclides allow for pharmacokinetic determination via diagnostic imaging of experimental drugs, and can be followed by a therapeutic course using the same drug.
This symposium will bring together the radioisotope production and radiochemistry communities to enable future radiopharmaceutical work toward optimized agents for new, advanced therapies of currently untreatable diseases.

The proposed symposium on Peptide Therapeutics and Peptidomimetics aims to explore the latest advancements and applications of peptide-based treatments and their mimetic counterparts, which have shown significant promise in addressing a myriad of health conditions with unprecedented specificity and efficacy. The focus of the symposium will be on the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel peptides and peptidomimetics. It will cover topics ranging from the discovery of new therapeutic peptides through computational and combinatorial methods, to new peptide sequencing methods and the enhancement of their stability and bioavailability for clinical use. The symposium will also delve into the development of peptidomimetics that can mimic the biological activity of peptides while overcoming their inherent limitations. The presentations and posters will highlight breakthroughs in targeting challenging diseases, such as cancer, neurological and metabolic disorders, as well as infectious diseases, with peptide-based drugs.

The recent global pandemic has underscored the critical need for innovative approaches to combat infectious diseases. Traditional antibiotics face increasing challenges due to antimicrobial resistance, necessitating disruptive anti-infective strategies. Focusing on the "silent" pandemic—emerging infectious diseases with significant global impact yet often overlooked—we will explore the intersection of chemistry and biology ito evolve small molecule drugs and engineered peptide molecules as novel anti-infective agents. Topics will include the utilization of chemical scaffolds to target essential microbial pathways, the engineering of antimicrobial peptides for enhanced efficacy and specificity, and the exploration of natural products and drug repurposing as sources of new anti-infective leads. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and the integration of chemistry, biology, and pharmacology, this symposium aims to catalyze the development of next-generation anti-infective therapies and mitigate the impact of future pandemics.

Applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence are having profound impacts across the drug discovery landscape. This can augment a scientist’s ability to comprehend and make critical decisions on ever increasing multimodal datasets. The objective for this session is to bring together experts from across a range of machine learning application in drug discovery including:
- Enhancement to traditional docking and modeling
- Properties predictions (activity/off targets/ADME) for molecule selections
- Retrosynthesis, reaction and library design tools to access targets
This session will focus on a diverse range of perspectives, from academic groups on the forefront of theory and design, to fledgling biotech companies centrally built around a ML platform and established biopharma adoption and impact. Furthermore, it will aim to highlight examples of the ML/AI implementation across modalities and therapeutic areas, bridging a broad audience of chemists.

Biophotonics, including but not limited to infrared (IR), Raman, and fluorescence spectroscopy, is a promising approach for biomedical diagnostics because they are nondestructive, highly sensitive, and suitable for a wide variety of samples, including cells, tissues, and bodily fluids. Advances in instrumentation technology, including portable spectrometers and improvements in imaging, have made it possible to use these techniques for real-time analysis and in situ measurements opening new exciting opportunities for personalized medicine. Nevertheless, there are challenges related to data interpretation and quantification of biomolecules in complex matrices that could be overcome by the development of improved algorithms and artificial intelligence approaches to data interpretation. This symposium highlights recent developments and challenges in the application of biophotonics and discusses prospects for future applications and improvements.

Nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) are critical endogenous signaling molecules in mammals. These three gasotransmitters have distinct and yet overlapping biological activities in cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems as well as in cancer. NO-based therapeutics including nitroglycerine have long been used for treating heart attacks. Recent years have seen rapidly increasing interests in exploiting CO and H₂S as potential therapeutics for various indications including cancer, inflammation, ischemia attacks, sepsis, and organ transplants. A quick SciFinder search using these three molecules as key words yielded >20,000 papers from just 2022-present. Recognizing the potential in gasotransmitter-based therapeutics and the need to understand their fundamental chemistry/chemical biology, we have organized four gasotransmitter symposia in the past six years. Each was very well attended, indicating a high level of interest in this subject area. Participants are expected from the areas of analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, drug delivery and prodrugs, chemosensors, chemical biology, and biology. These researchers are expected to come from countries including US, UK, Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, India, Italy, Uruguay, New Zealand, etc.

TIDES (peptides and oligonucleotides) have emerged as promising modalities with an increased potential as therapeutics in the last decade or so. Major advancements in various fields such drug design, synthetic chemistry and drug delivery technologies have led to a surge of newly approved and investigational therapies. This symposium will focus on the progress made in these fields and give the audience a broad perspective of the landscape of drug research and development from both an academic and industrial point of view.

More specifically, here is a list of topics we would like to cover:

1) Development of cell-permeable/orally bioavailable peptides with improved drug design approaches to minimize in vivo degradation.
2) Novel approaches to chemical modification and synthetic methods of peptides and oligonucleotides.
3) Promising drug delivery strategies such as lipid nanoparticles (LNP) based formulations and conjugation to create unique modalities.

DNA-based nanomaterials are emerging as powerful tools for biomedical applications. These structures can be made via programmable assembly into arbitrary 1D, 2D, and 3D structures – a capability that remains unmatched by most other materials. The inherently biocompatible nature of DNA makes these nanomaterials particularly well-suited for a range of biological and medical applications. Certain DNA-based nanomaterials have shown remarkable efficacy in entering cells, setting the stage for innovative applications in intracellular sensing and a range of therapies, such as gene therapy and immunotherapy. Moreover, these materials can act as drug carriers, protecting cargo from degradation and enabling even the delivery of multiple therapeutic agents simultaneously. By including targeting ligands, they can direct drugs to specific organs or across biological barriers. This symposium will focus on the emerging biological applications of DNA nanomaterials, highlighting their potential to revolutionize disease treatment and diagnostics.

Drug abuse and overdose is a worldwide problem that is detrimental to public health but suffers from effective treatment platforms. Conventional pharmacological treatments for drug addiction and overdose aim to modulate or disrupt the effects of a drug at sites of action in the body. This treatment strategy termed pharmacodynamic (PD) has not yielded broadly effective medications. To overcome these limitations strategies that target the drug molecule itself termed pharmacokinetic (PK) aim to keep the target drug below its minimal effective concentration at the sites of action. Lectures implementing a PK strategy will embrace methodologies including vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, supramolecular hosts, and increasing drug metabolism (enzymes). Drugs to be covered at this symposium will include cocaine, nicotine, methamphetamine, synthetic opioids/cannabinoids and illicitly manufactured street drugs.

DNA-encoded libraries (DELs) offer a unique capability to explore vast collections of small molecules for specific target binding. With continuous advancements in on-DNA synthesis techniques, selection modalities, and integration with artificial intelligence, DELs have the potential to transform pharmaceutical research. Already making significant contributions, DEL hits have advanced into clinical trials and DELs are playing integral roles in developing molecular degraders and RNA-targeting molecules. This symposium aims to bring together experts in organic synthesis, chemical biology, chemoinformatics, and medicinal chemistry to discuss cutting-edge developments that push the boundaries of DEL technology. By fostering interdisciplinary communication and collaboration, the symposium encourages interactions that may not occur otherwise. Anticipating broad appeal, we expect a diverse audience from academia and industry.

Objective:
The objective of this symposium is to provide a platform for experts to share insights, exchange knowledge, and explore the latest advancements in DEL technology. Through invited lectures and contributed presentations, we will discuss state-of-the-art techniques, novel methodologies, and successful applications of DELs in drug discovery.

The research field of extracellular fine particles has been progressing rapidly as new interdisciplinary research field for chemistry, biology, life science, healthcare, and biomedical applications. There are various extracellular fine particles ranging from nano- to micro-sized particles in the living body. They can be classified into two large groups: (1) exogenous fine particles such as PM2.5, carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles, bacteria, and viruses; (2) endogenous fine particles, such as extracellular vesicles like exosomes and microbiome. Their physiological processes and physiological significance have been studying in more details. Research on exogenous fine particles has mainly included improvements or safety evaluations of existing nanostructures and nanomaterials. During the decade, the investigations on mechanisms underlying biological responses to exogenous fine particles and their dynamics have been becoming more important. Endogenous fine particles, such as extracellular vesicles and microbiome, have recently been found to play important roles in intercellular communication and be related to many diseases including cancers and cognitive impairments. More recently, the relationship between biological responses of exogenous fine particles and physiological processes of endogenous fine particles has attracted much attention. The organizers propose a symposium covering all aspects of extracellular fine particles, including their fundamental chemistry and biology, and applications related for medical diagnosis/therapy, biomedical nanomaterials, vaccine technologies, nanoDDS, and health impacts of environment. There is a healthy and necessary focus on fundamental studies for chemistry and biology of extracellular fine particles, coupled with an abundance of applications in life science and healthcare.

The symposium is a gathering of chemists, biochemists, and other researchers specializing in the field of aptamers and their applications in molecular diagnostics and therapeutics. Aptamers, short single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules, possess unique chemical properties that make them highly versatile tools for molecular recognition and manipulation.

This symposium aims to provide a platform for exchanging knowledge and fostering collaboration among experts in nucleic acid chemistry and related fields. The event will showcase the latest advancements in aptamer technology, focusing on their chemical design, synthesis, characterization and applications. Attendees will gain insights into the diverse strategies employed in aptamer development, such as modifications, conjugation techniques, and structure elucidation.

The symposium will cover a wide range of chemical aspects related to aptamers, including their selection methodologies, combinatorial libraries, and high-throughput screening techniques. Presentations will highlight the use of aptamers as molecular probes, sensors, and diagnostic tools, illustrating their potential in detecting disease biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity.

Furthermore, the symposium will explore the applications of aptamers in therapeutics. Attendees will learn about the design and synthesis of aptamer-based drug delivery systems, conjugates, and theranostic platforms. The discussions will encompass the rational design of aptamers for targeted therapies, their chemical modifications for enhanced stability and pharmacokinetics, as well as strategies for minimizing off-target effects.

In addition to scientific presentations, the symposium will provide ample opportunities for networking and collaboration among participants, fostering the exchange of ideas and potential research collaborations. Researchers will also have the chance to explore avenues for commercialization and discuss regulatory considerations in bringing aptamer-based technologies from the laboratory to the market.

Despite its obvious aesthetic appeal, supramolecular chemistry has always been practically oriented. Cyclodextrins, for example, have been applied as solubilizers for foods and drugs and as an elastic material for contact lenses. Recently, supramolecular chemistry research in non-equilibrium systems has made tremendous progress, and researchers have explored systems that both mimic living supramolecular assemblies or can be implemented in living systems to help us understand supramolecular reactions in cells. For example, there have been remarkable advances in understanding the non-equilibrium nature of life through chemical reaction networks in liposomes, the synthesis of micro-robotic sensors, and the collective movement of supramolecular assemblies. Furthermore, significant progress has been made in areas that support dynamic supramolecular systems development. These include new methodology in organic and biological supramolecular chemistry, the creation of molecular-based or polymer-based actuators, and the development of structural analysis and analytical techniques. This symposium aims to deepen the discussion on this rapidly evolving multidisciplinary field and link the recent results to futures practical function. This symposium on synthetic and biologically relevant dynamic supramolecular chemistry will cover topics ranging from basic physics, including chemical physics, self-organization, fluid mechanics, to practical applications of dynamic supramolecular catalysis, drug delivery systems, mechanical materials, and other multibody or multimolecular systems including energy conversion and information processing systems and life-like intelligent systems. By focusing on the fundamental recent advances in the field, this symposium seeks to uncover new possible applications and push the boundaries of knowledge in the field. Attendees will be exposed to novel approaches and fresh perspectives that have the potential to shape the future of dynamic supramolecular chemistry.

Lipid membranes are of major biological and technological importance. Lipid membranes not only establish the boundary of cells and cellular organelles, they also mediate numerous processes essential to life, such as signaling and energy production. In biotechnology, vaccine delivery systems are based on lipid nanoparticles; in synthetic biology, sorting components into organelle-like compartments remains an essential challenge. Therefore, understanding the principles that govern the structure, morphology, stability and dynamics of lipid membranes and their interaction with biomolecules has broad implications. We propose to invite leading experts to discuss four cutting-edge research topics related to lipid membranes: (1) lipid droplets and lipid nanoparticles; (2) lipid membrane remodeling by biomolecular condensates; (3) non-equilibrium principles of membrane-mediated signaling; (4) lipid membranes in synthetic biology. These sessions will cross-fertilize mechanistic ideas and stimulate further methodological innovations.

Drug discovery is being transformed by access to new experimental (X-ray, Cryo-EM) structural data, as well as to new structure prediction methods (e.g. RoseTTAFold, OpenFold). Free energy calculations can exploit this to enable predictions of affinity, selectivity and other properties. Advances in machine learning (ML) catalyzed by the prevalence of GPUs, differentiable machine learning frameworks and new model architectures has enabled ML approaches to contribute greater accuracy, enhanced scalability and expanded applicability. The symposium explores how ML can enable advances at each scale:
1. Rapid prediction of binding affinities by leveraging structure to determine which calculations are most useful
2. Identification of optimal transformations and alchemical protocols
3. Determination of adaptive potential energy functions that learn from data to deliver more accuracy
Speakers will share learnings to foster discussion about how ML can impact these scales with the goal of enabling efficient, accurate approaches to drug discovery.

Bioorthogonal chemistry pioneered by Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless has revolutionized the fields of chemical biology and translational research. The unmatched efficiency, reliability and adaptability of the chemistry have provided versatile chemical tools for drug discovery and delivery. The chemistry has found applications in all aspects of drug discovery from target identification and validation to hit compound identification and lead optimization. In particular, bioorthogonal chemistry has played in key roles in facilitating new drug discovery technology development including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), DNA-encoded library, PROATCs and RNA vaccines. The unique abiotic activation capacity of bioorthogonal reactions for prodrugs makes particular attractive in drug delivery to achieve high selectivity. The chemistry has been intensively explored in developing new drug delivery strategies including nanomedicine, PROTCAs and RNA vaccines etc.

The symposium aims to bring together experts in drug discovery and delivery, and related fields to share and discuss their newly developed science and technology of bioorthogonal chemistry. This would provide an excellent forum for experts and students to gather in exchanging and sharing their new discoveries and promote the interactions in this rapidly developing field.

In this symposium, we will explore the diverse characteristics and applications of membrane-active peptides in the fields of chemistry, biology, and biotechnology. Membrane-active peptides are unified by their interactions with lipid bilayers, yet they contribute to many different physical and biological phenomena and offer great potential in biomedicine, drug delivery, and biomaterials. The symposium will serve as a platform for interdisciplinary discussions and collaborations to advance the understanding, optimization, and applications of membrane-active peptides via both experimental and computational chemistry approaches. Speakers from chemistry, biology, and technology will share valuable insights into mechanisms of action and will discuss design principles for enhancing activity, efficacy, and selectivity. The individual sessions will cover the interactions of membrane-active peptides with cell membranes, their structure and activity in cellular and synthetic membranes, their biological activities, and their potential in targeted therapeutics and innovative biomaterials. We will showcase the latest advancements by diverse researchers from all career stages, inspiring further research and fostering collaboration in the exciting realm of membrane-active peptides at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and technology.

Nanomaterials made of metals, metal oxides, and metal compounds are of great interest to modern biomedical research. Over the past several decades, synthetic methods have been actively developed to control various physicochemical parameters of metal-based nanomaterials, through which their properties could be substantially enhanced. Thanks to the rapid advancement of analytical tools, valuable insights into structure-property relationships are revealed. With or without further functionalization of biomolecules, metal-based nanomaterials are finding widespread uses in various fields of biomedicine, including diagnostics, biosensing, imaging, and therapy. This symposium will bring together a diverse group of chemists, materials scientists, and medical scientists. Symposium topics include, but are not limited to: (1) controlled synthesis; (2) bioconjugation; (3) new characterization methods; (4) self-assembly; (5) nanoscale interactions of nanomaterials with biological media; (6) theoretical simulations; and (7) biomedical applications.

Pectin is a complex heteropolysaccharide present in plant primary cell walls that is widely used commercially in isolated form as a food hydrocolloid (e.g., as gelling agent, stabilizer, or thickener), which is enabled by its unique structure, composition, and associated functional properties. This 5^th symposium on pectin research at Pacifichem seeks to bring together international scientists from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and career stages to showcase new technologies and applications of pectin and pectic oligosaccharides in functional foods, nutraceuticals and related biomaterials in human health. This will include anticancer, immunomodulatory, and prebiotic properties, as well as innovative design and bioactive agent delivery as nano-/micro-carriers, edible films or coatings, and intelligent packaging materials. Contributed papers are also welcome to present recent advances in traditional topics in pectin chemistry, including pectin extraction, modification, structural characterization, and bioprocessing pectin-rich biomass.

Among natural and naturally-derived biomolecules, peptides are attractive building blocks for designing and engineering various nanostructures due to their simple programmable sequences, good biocompatibility, high biodegradability, and ease of large-scale production. Over the past few decades, this field has experienced significant growth in scientific understanding and technical expertise. The materials and techniques resulting from this research have not only expanded our knowledge but also equipped us with innovative tools to tackle the challenges encountered in the advancement of modern society. The focus of this symposium will be on the chemistry, biology, materials, and nanotechnology of peptide self-assembly, including their properties and applications. The main objective is to establish a platform for scientists from diverse disciplines to exchange their latest research findings and to facilitate networking within the peptide self-assembly community.

"Photoremovable protecting groups" and “caged compounds” have become an important field of photochemistry employed over a wide range of chemical, biochemical, and biomedical applications and have received considerable interest in diverse fields such as mechanistic organic and inorganic photochemistry, catalysis, protein folding, enzyme switches, and neuronal mapping and plasticity. The ability to simultaneously control spatial, temporal, and concentration variables during the release of reagents and initiators has drawn the interest of researchers in many diverse disciplines. The rapidly increasing interest and emerging, novel applications of photoactivated protecting group release (or caged compounds) employed for protection-deprotection of many functional groups have been developed and tested. Exposing protected catalytic sites and release of protected substrates to catalysts have become common practices in recent biological and chemical studies. Interest in new designs of protecting groups and advanced photolysis methods such as 2-photon activation have expanded the wavelength range for activation or initiation of these processes. The technique has brought together photochemists, synthetic organic chemists, material scientists and bio and medicinal chemist to extend and refine the techniques and applications of caged compounds in a diverse array of disciplines. Applications of photoremovable protecting groups, their development, and the fundamental mechanisms encountered in mechanistic studies are the goal of the proposed symposium will serve the research community as an opportunity to further interest in application and to stimulate cross disciplinary collaborations in chemistry, physics and biology. Sessions would include New Photoremovable Protecting Groups, Applications to Biology and Medicine, Mechanisms and Technique Development in Chemistry, and New Designs of Caged Compounds.

Self-assembly of biological molecules (such as proteins, peptides, metabolites, and RNA) results in a plethora of structural intermediates leading to the formation of biocondensates, phase separation, and amyloid aggregates including fibrils. In this symposium, the recent developments in understanding the molecular processes underlying the process of aggregation related to a number of untreatable and devastating diseases such as ALS, Type II diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases will be emphasized. Recent advances in chemical, biochemical, biophysical, theoretical and computational approaches to determine high-resolution structures of toxic intermediates and compounds to suppress the toxicity will also be discussed. The symposium will also include the studies probing the effects of cofactors such as lipid membrane, metals, molecular chaperones, bacteria and virus. Research topics related to crosstalk in amyloid disorders and environmental risk factors will also be included.

This symposium will highlight the latest methodologies, breakthroughs, and findings in both carbohydrate chemistry and chemical glycobiology. The advanced carbohydrate chemistry session will discuss new glycosylation chemistry as well as synthesis of large oligosaccharides and their associated glycoconjugates. Complementing new advances in synthetic chemistry, new analytical methodologies will be presented for the structural analysis of oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates that have provided insight into recognition events between receptor proteins and their oligosaccharide ligands. We will also discuss efficient synthetic methods of glycans and their mimetics in application to drug design. The chemical glycobiology session will focus on recent efforts to develop and implement new strategies to elucidate the functions of glycans and glycoconjugates in controlling cellular processes important for health and diseases. The roles of both microbial and mammalian glycans in modulating the immune system and implications for human diseases such as cancer, infections by viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, and inflammatory bowel disease will be presented.

This symposium will focus on epigenomic changes as response signals to chemicals under the theme of "Safety Assessment and Risk Prediction of Chemicals by Combining AI and Chemical Epigenomics". Safety assessment and prediction of long-term toxicity of chemical substances will be an increasingly important topic not only in chemicals and pharmaceuticals, but also in cosmetics, supplements, and other daily necessities. This symposium will provide a forum for active discussions on integrated multi-omics analysis and the effects of environmental factors on the maintenance mechanisms and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells as indicators of safety assessment, including the development of AI-based chemical toxicity programs.

Food processing discards account for up to 70% of the harvest biomass and production of both agricultural and aquatic source material. These processing discards serve as a rich source of bioactive ingredients that lend themselves to the production of functional food ingredients, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Hence, the skin and pulp of fruits from juice and wine production and seeds of cereals, legumes and oilseeds are important sources of bioactive components such as phenolic compounds with a myriad of health promoting potential. Similarly, the residual protein and peptides, lipids and minor components from aquatic species may be extracted using novel bioprocessing methods for further production of value-added secondary products in a sustainable manner. This symposium covers topics related to the chemistry, bioactivity evaluation and their targeting of different organs in health promotion and disease risk reduction and as affected by gut microbiome and metabolite formation.

This symposium will focus on the chemistry of molecular imaging agents, theranostic development and translation into human use, with a focus on new radiochemistry using fluorine-18, carbon-11 and other radionuclides, including metal isotopes. Molecular imaging (MI) plays a major role in modern healthcare. MI tools and techniques are critical for the diagnosis of disease and monitoring delivery of therapeutic interventions. Imaging modalities including optical, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance, ultrasound, PET (positron emission tomography) and SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) are utilized in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, cardiac disease, and neurological disorders among others. The development of these agents relies on chemical approaches similar to drug development. The purpose of this symposium is to highlight the chemical basis of PET imaging agent development, featuring the techniques that are used to prepare these agents and advance them from the “Bench to the Bedside”.

This symposium will present the medicinal and synthetic chemistry behind the development and application of agents employed in medical imaging. This will include both the preparation and the biological evaluation of the agents, using in vitro assays as well as in vivo preclinical (small animal) and early human studies. Automation and microfluidic chemistry will be among the synthetic chemistry approaches described for the reliable and reproducible preparation of the agents. Various constructs including small molecules, peptides, antibodies, and nanoparticles, will be described as platforms for imaging agent development. Dual modality (PET/Optical; PET/MR) probes will also be presented. The development of molecular imaging agents spans the full spectrum of discovery and translational research to bring new materials forward, enabling therapeutic development and the preparation of new diagnostics.

"As the fusion of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation rapidly reshapes the frontiers of scientific discovery, the proposed symposium aims to spotlight the revolutionary impact of autonomous systems in the field of functional materials discovery, where precision, intelligence, and efficiency are paramount. By harnessing the power of AI-driven robotics, combined with theoretical insights and human expertise, materials discovery is experiencing an unprecedented acceleration, enabling the design and synthesis of novel materials with tailored properties for cutting-edge applications.


This symposium will specifically focus on the autonomous aspects of AI-driven robotics — systems that operate with minimal human intervention and are capable of independently designing, executing, and optimizing experiments. This collaborative forum is designed to foster interdisciplinary dialogue, showcase the latest advancements in fully autonomous systems, and address the inherent challenges within this dynamic landscape. As we stand on the brink of a new paradigm in scientific exploration, this symposium promises to catalyze the journey towards a future where autonomous chemistry paves the way for rapid, intelligent, and sustainable materials innovation.


The symposium will have four sessions:
1) Integrating AI and Robotics in Materials Synthesis (Jun Jiang)
2) Lowering the Barrier to Lab Automation (Naruki Yoshikawa)
3) Challenges and Solutions in Autonomous Experimental Design (Han Hao)
4) Autonomous Chemistry in Real World Material Development (Eugenia Kumacheva)"

This symposium is an occasion to discuss "Biomolecules at interfaces defining the cellular environment: From conformational dynamics to informatic approaches,” from the perspectives of biology, physics, chemistry and informatics. The program is designed to provide a current assessment of the most recent experimental studies of biomolecular dynamics, as well as computational, theoretical and informatic studies of molecular dynamics and statistical treatments. The particular focus reflects the importance of molecular resolution in providing a fundamental understanding of biochemical and biophysical processes. Two principal goals of the symposium are (1) to investigate new aspects of the dynamics of biomolecules at interfaces defining the cellular environment, through recent experimental and theoretical studies of biomolecule structure, dynamics and energy flow, and (2) to identify new paradigms for developing a deeper understanding of the molecular dynamics of intra- and inter-biomolecular processes.

The invited speakers represent a diverse group of leading experimental, theoretical and informatic research scientists, from both pacific-rim and non-pacific-rim countries. The program will include seminars, structured discussions, and less formal interactions among all participants, including the contributed oral and poster presenters. At the conclusion of the symposium, the final remarks will identify important themes and promising directions for future studies. While the symposium will focus on exploring biomolecules at interfaces defining the cellular environment, the experimental, computational, theoretical and informatic techniques that will be presented and discussed can be adopted to study a wide range of problems in physical and materials chemistry and nanoscience.

In silico simulations nowadays work hand-by-hand with experiments. Yet as calculations become more sophisticated, the gap between simulations and interpretations grows even larger. The generalization and understanding of chemical concepts from theory and computation are persistent challenges. Three quantum machineries are currently still in use in theoretical chemistry, namely by chronologic order Valence Bond Theory (VBT), Molecular Orbital Theory (MOT) and Density Functional Theory (DFT). Every one of them has stemmed a bunch of concepts and descriptors enabling the rationalization of the calculation results in Layman’s terms.

In MOT, it is well known that chemical conceptualization lagged computational methodology development. The scattering of the electronic wave function across the molecular system is certainly at the origin of this lag. Still, frontier molecular orbital theory and the conservation of orbital symmetry are two conceptual tools that have become handy for predicting the outcome of a chemical process. They are the most taught concepts worldwide even though orbitals are not quantum observables. By contrast, in VBT, where the advantage of chemical intuition is apparent and that has been prolific in terms of interpretative theories, no well-designed VBT program was available until very recently. Indeed, most of the concepts used by experimentalists, such as the free valence index or the resonance hybrids, come from VBT. DFT is widely accepted as the most prevalent computational method developed in past decades. However, most people are unfamiliar with the fact that DFT also provides a conceptual framework. Conceptual DFT (CDFT) provides robust mathematical and physical grounds for conventional chemical concepts like electronegativity, hardness, electrophilicity, and many more, though it is still somewhat controversial.

The purpose of this Symposium is to foster discussions among experts from DFT, MOT and VBT (including QTAIM, NBO, EDA, ELF, NCI, etc. communities) on stability, bonding, reactivity, nonlinear optics, molecular electronics, and related topics. We will also welcome experts in emerging fields like machine learning and quantum computers applied to theoretical and computational chemistry. We especially encourage contributions that provide a broader perspective on conceptual quantum chemistry and establish common ground between different approaches. Our aim is to advocate the effort of acquiring chemical understandings from high-level computations and filling the ever-growing gap between experimentalists and theoretical and computational chemists.

One important goal of computational research in materials is to achieve predictive modeling of materials synthesis, property, function, evolution, and lifecycle. Advances in theoretical development, algorithms, big data, computational power, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are propelling computational tools to an increasing role in materials design, discovery, development, and optimization. Many opportunities of exciting discoveries await in 2D materials, catalysts, porous materials, battery electrodes and electrolytes, and soft materials. This symposium aims to bring together computational scientists working on modeling, simulations, and design of functional materials to exchange ideas and to stimulate discussion. It will provide a unique venue for the participants to broaden their views and deepen their understandings of important issues, challenges, and recent progress toward the goal of predictive modeling of functional materials, in the era of accelerated development in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The study of photochemical reactions in general and photoelectrochemical water splitting in particular, rests on understanding of such elementary effects as light absorption, energy transfer, electron transfer, radiative and nonradiative relaxation, and catalysis is important for the rational design of efficient systems for energy conversion. The design of most efficient catalysts is pursued by change of composition, quantum confinement, size, shape, surface functionalization, magnetic doping, and mesoscale structural arrangement providing versatile tuning of timescales of available basic mechanisms and properties of materials. This symposium presents recent experimental, computational, and machine learning synergistic advances on modeling of photophysics and photochemistry at interfaces: Experimental achievements in fabrication of efficient photocatalytic interfaces and monitoring of efficiency, quantum yield, and kinetics of reactant evolution and electronic dynamics by ultrafast spectroscopy techniques stimulate further development of more precise theoretical methods. Computational modeling allows for interpretation of available experimental trends and help in guiding further advances in design of efficient photocatalytic materials.
Cheminformatics and machine learning advances help to establish a feedback loop between computation and experiment and narrow down the number of structures with high potential for record efficiency. It is expected that the symposium will bring better understanding of photoinduced processes of light absorption, formation and breaking of charge transfer excitations, hot carrier relaxation, multiple exciton processes, coupled light-to-matter states, and redox reaction dynamics at catalytic sites, affected by lattice vibrations and solvent polarization.

Chemical transformations at a contact with catalyst activated by photoactivation open new opportunities for experiment and practical applications and offer inspiring challenges to computations, theory, and machine learning. This symposium aims to present current frontiers in theoretical, computational, machine learning, and experimental studies of photoreactions and photophysical properties of nanostructures and interfaces in order to facilitate a synergistic interdisciplinary effort towards design and characterization of novel materials for energy applications and lighting technology. The central idea of the symposium is to bring together experts from computational, machine learning, and experimental communities addressing main challenges in photoinduced charge/energy transfer and photocatalytic reactions at interfaces and nanostructures.

There have been significant advances in both computational methodologies and related chemical applications since the last symposium was held at Pacifichem 2021. Nevertheless, there are several areas that remain challenges to the discipline. The aim of the present symposium is to discuss both recent advances and outstanding challenges in the development of quantum chemistry methodologies and their use to guide and explain experimental studies. Furthermore, the Computational Quantum Chemistry Symposium held at Pacifichem has traditionally been used to honor distinguished computational quantum chemists (Pacifichem 2015 honored Russell Boyd and Arvi Rauk of Canada; Pacifichem 2020 honored Professor Henry F. Schaefer III of the United States). On the occasion of Pacifichem 2025, we propose to honor Professor Peter Gill of Australia, whose work has significantly changed the research tools in the field of computational quantum chemistry. Over his career, this outstanding scientist has made significant contributions to the development and use of quantum chemistry methods to answer key questions of broad chemical interest to theoretical and experimental chemists alike. To name but a few contributions, he has developed efficient two-electron integral algorithms, perturbation analysis, linear-scaling methodology, density functionals, algorithms for modelling excited states, and Coulombrange-separation techniques. He has also played a major role in the development of the Q-Chem software package. Many of his models (e.g., three-electron bonding and dication dissociation) have been widely adopted by experimentalists. As a result, the proposed symposium will cover recent advances in computational quantum chemical theories, and the complementary use of calculations and experimental studies to solve a range of chemical problems

This symposium is devoted to computational modeling of biological membrane transport. Selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules, membrane regulates cellular functions and plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of disease. Getting the drug molecules permeating through the membrane remains one of the greatest challenges in pharmaceutical industries. This symposium will highlight the state of the art computational studies of the active and passive transport of various species through cell membranes, including passive permeation of small molecule drugs, interaction between toxins/peptides molecules and lipid bilayers, and facilitated transport through protein channels and transporters. Cutting-edge theoretical methodology breakthroughs, especially in the field of machine learning, that dramatically increase the capability of molecular dynamics simulation to study these processes will also be discussed.

Understanding conformational dynamics is crucial for comprehending many biological processes, such as protein conformational changes, ligand association and dissociation, self-assembly, and allostery. In recent years, the field of computational chemistry has witnessed a surge of advancements driven by machine learning (ML) algorithms, and computational studies of biomolecular dynamics have not been left behind. Numerous algorithms at the interface of machine learning (ML), computer simulations and statistical mechanics have been developed to investigate biomolecular dynamics (e.g., to enhance conformational sampling, identify collective variables, and model long timescale dynamics). In this symposium, we aim to create a platform that brings together active scientists from Pacific Rim countries to discuss the frontiers of ML studies of biomolecular dynamics. Using this platform, they will discuss recent methodology development, new mechanistic findings and novel hypotheses for conformational dynamics underlying numerous biological and chemical processes. In the age of machine learning, we believe that the rapid advancement in the ML-based methods will lead to their wider application in studying biomolecular dynamics. Our organizing committee consists of members from the chemical societies of four different Pacific Rim countries: USA, China, Japan, and New Zealand. We aim to organize a symposium that engages scientists from a diverse range of Pacific Rim countries, at all career stages, and representing various under-represented groups. Our goal is to promote interactions among these scientists, who are at the forefront of this very active field, and foster new collaborations.

There is a worldwide effort to develop the next class of supercomputers that provide exaflop (10¹⁸ floating point operations per second) performance. These exascale computers are now coming online. Commensurate with the development of novel exascale architectures has been a major push to develop software that is able to take advantage of these powerful computers. The purpose of this symposium is to present recent results that have been enabled by pre-exascale and exascale computers and to consider new applications that could not have accomplished prior to the exascale era. Among these applications are catalysis, polymers, bioorganic reaction mechanisms, the design of new vaccines, and the design of new functional materials. Most of these topics are related to anticipated 2025 Pacifichem symposia in biological, organic, and inorganic chemistry. An important goal of the proposed symposium is to motivate computational scientists to develop and apply computational chemistry programs that can likewise take advantage of exascale computers.

The symposium explores how fragmentation, quantum/molecular mechanics interfaces, and embedded methods enhance quantum computing's practicality and cost-effectiveness for chemistry. Combining low-scaling quantum mechanics, high-performance computing, and cutting-edge technology aims to reduce qubit requirements and solve key chemical problems.

Explore advancements in fragmentation and embedded quantum methods.
Showcase applications in molecular binding, catalysis, and excited states.
Discuss the latest in quantum computing theory, methodology, and hardware.
Highlight quantum computing's potential for solving chemical problems.
Integrate fragmentation and embedded methods into quantum computing strategies.
Foster collaboration between classical and quantum computational experts.

Target Audience: Chemists, biochemists, and chemical engineers interested in computational chemistry and quantum computing.

Outcome: Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the field, its advancements, challenges, and potential for collaborative research.

Modern biomedical materials science focuses heavily on specific need-based rational polymer design and engineering. Computational techniques are crucial for reinventing polymer design, addressing challenges like versatility and customizability, where experimental methods can struggle with resource intensiveness. Computational tools such as first-principles simulations and machine learning algorithms can optimize polymer properties efficiently. Generative AI holds potential to expedite materials discovery by autonomously creating polymers with desired traits. Challenges include data availability, but one-shot algorithms and transfer learning can mitigate this. This symposium will examine such advancements, integrating various computing methodologies to design biomedical polymers. Through seminars, posters and discussions, cutting-edge research in computational polymer chemistry will be explored, including rational design strategies, synthesis routes, and material properties for accelerated development of next-generation biomaterials.

The industrial transition to net-zero CO2 emission technologies requires the accelerated discovery of advanced materials. Catalysts' density functional theory (DFT) is at the forefront of computational materials design. However, the high computational cost and immense phase space of possible materials spanned by structural and compositional degrees of freedom hinder rapid discovery.

Recent deployments of Machine learning (ML) algorithms have provided a new paradigm shift in materials discovery for clean energy, chemicals, and fuel production. ML's success in predicting accurate empirical potentials depends on the training dataset's number and quality of interactions. Datasets based on many-body perturbation theory (e.g., CCSD/T) of molecules in near-equilibrium conformations are particularly valuable when coupled to random perturbations of the coarse-grained models along their normal modes. Such datasets improve the quality of transferable neural network potentials of larger molecular systems for future energy storage systems.

The goal of the symposium is to bring together theoretical chemists from Pacific Rim regions to explore the forefronts of light-matter interactions. Most significant is the emerging field of polariton chemistry in optical cavities and plasmonic nanostructures, which has demonstrated a wide range of intriguing phenomena including ballistic exciton-polariton transport, cavity-modified catalytic reactions, photon-mediated light-harvesting excitation energy transfer, and cavity-induced structural changes in low-dimensional materials. The coherent and collective coupling between cavity fields and molecules defines a highly correlated quantum system composed of electrons, nuclei, and photons. To describe such a system, theorists have pushed the boundary of many-body quantum methods and ventured into modern AI and ML techniques. The sessions featured in the symposium will range from methodology for coupled quantum systems to innovative applications of AI and ML to treat photon-induced non-local correlations.

Quantum computing possesses the potential to completely transform computational chemistry by offering significant advantages over classical computing. Initially, quantum computers were intended to enhance quantum chemical calculations, but as active development of new algorithms progressed, they expanded to cover numerous new areas. Quantum computers hold the potential to excel in many domains where exponential growth in possibilities is expected. Below are some practical applications of quantum computing in computational chemistry:
Quantum dynamics: By considering quantum effects that are challenging to simulate classically, quantum computers can model molecular dynamics with greater accuracy. This opens up new avenues for understanding chemical reactions, reaction rates, and energy transfer processes.
Quantum machine learning: Quantum machine learning algorithms can be applied to large chemical datasets, enabling more efficient analysis and prediction of chemical properties. This can significantly aid in drug discovery, catalyst design, and material characterization.
Molecular optimization: Quantum computing can optimize molecular structures and properties by exploring vast solution spaces more effectively. This capability facilitates the design of new drugs, materials, and catalysts with enhanced performance.
Quantum chemistry algorithms: Quantum algorithms like variational quantum eigensolvers (VQEs) and quantum phase estimation can be utilized to calculate electronic structure properties, such as molecular energies and properties.
It is important to note that while quantum computing holds immense promise for whole computational chemistry, practical applications are still in their early stages. Quantum hardware and algorithms are continuously advancing, and ongoing research and development are exploring their potential impact on computational chemistry. Therefore, in this symposium, we will exchange ideas on quantum computer-related technologies in computational chemistry methods that are promising in the future, and discuss new developments. By facilitating dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, we will foster the integration of quantum computers into computational chemistry among researchers.

"During the past two decades, great advances have been made in quantum dynamics theories and computational methods. There are now virtually exact methods applicable to small systems or rather simple models of open system quantum dynamics. Even for realistic and large molecular systems, various quantum dynamics methods with different levels of approximations are actively utilized to model spectroscopic and physical/chemical properties at reasonable accuracies. However, many chemical systems with biological importance or energy related issues are intrinsically complex, for which significant improvements of existing quantum dynamics methods are still needed. In addition, recent experimental progress in creating more controlled and driven quantum environments such as cavity polaritonics, quantum information processing devices, and quantum sensors demand new advances in quantum dynamics theories and calculation methods. This workshop invites leading experts in fields ranging from quantum dynamics of complex molecular systems to new quantum theories in controlled environments. Active interactions of speakers and participants in these research fields will help build consensus on identifying both practical computational approaches to accurately describe complex quantum details of realistic molecular systems and unifying theoretical principles governing complex and controlled quantum systems. Select topics of the workshop include (but are not limited to) the following list:
• Quantum master equation, real time path integral, and tensor multiplication approaches for open system quantum dynamics methods in complex environments
• On the fly ab initio quantum dynamics methods for molecular systems
• Quantum dynamics for quantum information processing and quantum sensing
• Quantum dynamics and thermodynamics for driven and controlled quantum systems
• Applications of quantum dynamics methods to biological systems
• Applications of quantum dynamics methods to energy generation and storage materials"

Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods is a family of approaches for many-body, high accuracy calculations of molecular and condensed matter systems. They offer benchmark quality for treating electron-electron correlation effects and offer an independent alternative to more traditional correlated wave function methods. Based on use of stochastic techniques, QMC methods have a very favorable scaling of computational resources with the system size and provide high scalability and throughput even on largest parallel architectures with hundreds of thousands of cores. QMC is a diverse and dynamically evolving research field that has a significant impact on fundamental problems such as efficient description of many-body quantum systems in general. Moreover, QMC methodology is intimately related to basics of quantum information processing and quantum computing that currently undergo rapid expansion. In addition, new developments in machine learning techniques offer promising avenues for efficient description of many-body wave functions and diverse quantum phenomena with new tools and packages. Therefore we propose extending the scope of previous QMC symposia held since Pacifichem 1995 and we propose “Quantum Monte Carlo, Quantum Information and Machine Learning”. This symposium intends to invite leaders in the development of QMC methods, related quantum computing research and machine learning advances that have been applied to plethora of chemical and physical problems, ranging from isolated atoms and molecules to clusters, biomolecules, and condensed matter. Invited and contributed presentations will be grouped into appropriate subject areas with the following specific topics: 1) New QMC methods and algorithms, 2) Properties of ground states in atoms and molecules, 3) Excited electronic and vibrational states, 4) Relativistic and spin-orbit effects, 5) Path integral methods, 6) New stochastic approaches such as QMC-Full Configuration Interaction, 7) Applications to large or low-dimensional systems including biomolecules, clusters, condensed matter, and 2D materials, 8) Quantum many-body effects associated with nontrivial topological states, 9) Related quantum computing, quantum information processing and hybrid approaches, 10) Machine learning methods and packages for efficient description of many-body wave functions.

The education of post-secondary STEM students is a recognized global challenge; the Interactive Online Network of Inorganic Chemists (IONiC) is one community that has responded by developing innovative pedagogies and advancing chemical education research. Working together, educators and educational researchers can support teaching and learning improvements that are rapid, relevant, and accessible. This symposium will provide a forum for chemistry educators to share their efforts to develop, adapt, and/or adopt evidence-based materials and teaching strategies in undergraduate inorganic and general chemistry courses. Submissions which highlight innovative curricula, active learning in the classroom and laboratory, creative assessment practices, and alternative learning modalities, such as virtual or hybrid, are particularly welcome. The symposium will also welcome education researchers to describe what has been learned from studying inorganic and general chemistry teaching and learning. Bridging research and practice, presentations in this symposium will share diverse international perspectives on how education research has informed classroom pedagogy or how classroom practices have inspired and advanced education research.

This symposium will address chemistry education research with a focus on connecting research and practice, particularly studies that address how to more effectively align learning objectives, tasks, and assessments in the classroom and/or laboratory. The need for improving undergraduate chemistry education has been acknowledged as an international challenge and interest remains high across the world. Many instructors approach course design by focusing on content without explicitly considering the intended outcomes (what students should know and be able to do), how knowledge and skills will be developed through instruction, or how each intended outcome will be assessed. By ensuring that learning outcomes, assessments, and instructional actions are aligned, instructors provide students with coherent curricular opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills and increase the likelihood that instructional actions are appropriate to achieving the desired learning outcomes. The symposium will be intentionally organized to highlight the different aspects of curriculum design and assessment in both the classroom and laboratory that must be aligned to optimize learning gains. This topic will be of interest to both chemistry education researchers and all chemistry instructors.

Since the emergence of ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs), there has been exponential growth in AI-related chemistry publications. Additionally, integration of AI and Machine Learning (ML) has notably advanced chemistry education through unique applications. This symposium aims to explore the pedagogical implications of AI and ML in chemistry education, addressing potential benefits, risks, and applications. While AI poses challenges, it also offers opportunities for innovative curriculum and assessment strategies, such as AI-based writing assignments and learning tools like chatbots. Similarly, ML techniques are being used to teach data collection and preprocessing, exploratory data analysis, modeling, and prediction. The symposium seeks viewpoints and research on the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of emerging technologies in the classroom or laboratory, how they impact attitudes and learning outcomes, and how they can be leveraged to promote equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the chemistry discipline.

Two international chemical symposia took place recently. 1) Pacifichem 2010, Cultural Influences on Professional Ethics, and 2) Pacifichem 2021, Ethics in the Chemical Profession: Cultural Impacts. These impacted the development of ethical standards for all chemists, and led to the publication of an ACS Symposium book in 2021. The future success of the global chemical enterprise requires the continuation of this work. For Pacifichem 2025, organizers will expand the previous work to include aspects of Artificial Intelligence, Intellectual Property, International Equity, and Academic Integrity. The latter is emerging as a new challenge for chemists/faculty. This symposium will examine workplace codes, such as the updated ACS “Academic Professional Guidelines” and those from members of the Pacific Rim Societies. We’ll probe ways to guide ethical codes for chemists, and help members cope with workplace differences in governmental policies versus norms for the profession. Authors will contribute on multiple fronts concerning ethical research, workplace comportment, data management, intellectual property and service to all world cultures. Organizers plan to produce a second ACS Symposium Book, based on the Ethics Symposia for the 7th International Congress in 2025.

Active learning of chemistry, how chemical processes work, and the use of chemical instrumentation cannot take place without some kind of laboratory experience. However, chemistry laboratory instruction is not uniform throughout the world. This symposium will explore laboratory instruction models from a wide variety of settings. We hope to feature presentations about various teaching laboratory activities. One focus will be an examination of the manner in which instructors engage students in active inquiry in the laboratory setting. A second focus will be the use of non-traditional settings for engaging in laboratory instruction, whether they involve in-person instruction or asynchronous on-line activities. Presentations featuring chemistry laboratory instruction that reaches typically under-represented populations of the various countries in the Pacific Rim are particularly encouraged. Because laboratory instruction is ubiquitous throughout the teaching of chemistry, it would be of great interest to gather presenters from the wide variety of countries represented in the Pacific Rim to explore similarities and differences in laboratory instruction.

The recent emergence of high-quality, mass-produced VR headsets and other immersive technologies offers new and powerful ways to learn chemistry. Common challenges experienced by university students as they learn various aspects of molecular structure and function, e.g. stereochemistry or enzymatic mechanisms, are well documented in the literature and are generally attributed to the intrinsic limitations of teaching 3D concepts using 2D tools. VR/AR technologies offer an immersive, engaging, and accessible way to overcome many of these limitations. The goals of our symposium are to provide a venue for researchers and practitioners to share their experiences and insights gained from the introduction of VR/AR tools into their classrooms and laboratories. We intend to assemble a group of speakers from diverse cultural, geographic, and chemistry discipline communities who will showcase their findings aligned with the following general themes:
-Theories of teaching and learning for effective implementation of VR/AR in the classroom
-Evidence-based practices and specific examples of VR/AR technology-enhanced chemistry curriculum
-Design and implementation of studies to assess student learning gains associated with immersive technologies
-Accessibility of VR/AR and EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion)-guided practices in VR/AR-augmented classroom

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are a central component in all aspects of education. As science education researchers, an important goal is to promote equitable learning environments for all students that cater to the needs of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups, empowering them to actively engage in science learning.

Increasing representation in chemistry and science is crucial as it ensures diverse perspectives and experiences are included. By fostering inclusivity through our educational research, we aim to create a more equitable scientific community that benefits society at large.

The importance of this aspect of chemistry education research is underscored by the valuable contributions made to the ACS Journal of Chemistry Education special issue on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect in Chemistry Education Research and Practice 2022 (https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/99/1).

Despite initiatives that aim to increase equity and diversity, Chemists who are blind remain notably absent from both student cohorts, and careers in academia and industry.
Perhaps the greatest barrier to participation is found in laboratory contexts. As chemistry is an innately practical subject, any barriers to learning in the laboratory can significantly impact a student’s progress or understanding. In turn, these barriers not only hinder participation in chemistry but a whole raft of STEM related subjects and professions.
This symposium will bring together educational researchers, curriculum developers, industry representatives, students and others who are engaged or interested in making chemistry laboratories inclusive learning spaces for students who are blind or low vision.
There are many great initiatives from around the world, however, often they are isolated, and we aim to bring people together to exchange ideas, start new collaborations and genuinely advance chemistry education for blind and low vision students.

This symposium will explore ways to enhance the inclusion of ideas and concepts related to addressing sustainable development challenges in the chemistry curriculum. In both education and industry, chemistry has started adopting systems thinking, broadening its approach to sustainable development beyond the boundaries of green, sustainable, and circular chemistry. Approaches that have added the use of systems thinking tools into established chemistry courses will be emphasized as a way to maintain most aspects of traditional educational approaches while better equipping students to use their chemistry knowledge in seeking interdisciplinary solutions to human and multi-species needs as well as planetary justice. Specific topics include (1) Visualization tools for teaching systems thinking; (2) Examples of systems thinking content infused into chemistry courses; (3) Analysis of assessment challenges for systems thinking; (4) Distinguishing systems thinking approaches from broader relevance themes

It has been well-established that diversity is essential to creating an innovative, creative and effective organization. However, this requires an inclusive and equitable environment in which everyone can thrive, and where all people feel free to bring their full selves. For members of the LGBTQ+ communities, inclusion has not always been forthcoming or expected, often leading to profound impacts on both personal and professional levels.

In this conference symposium, we will bring together the LGBTQ+ community and allies to establish a supportive network and discuss initiatives to improve inclusive culture in industry, government and academia. The symposium will feature presentations on student, faculty and government/NGO perspectives and experiences as LGBTQ+ community members in Chemistry, and will also showcase the achievements of some of our most successful LGBTQ+ scientists, intertwined with their perspectives on inclusion within their careers.

A panel discussion featuring EDI leaders from industry and universities will focus on how the Chemistry community can foster positive change on both a local and global level.

Similar symposia at local and national conferences have been very impactful, and have drawn significant interest from attendees across disciplines. On an international level, these important discussions are just beginning, and for some this might provide a unique opportunity to learn from and connect with members of sexuality and gender minorities.

The symposium will be highly intersectional. Invited and submitted talks will be primarily from members of under-represented groups, including not only LGBTQ+ individuals, but also those with multiple identities and perspectives.

This symposium invites chemistry instructors at all levels to discuss their experiences with chemistry education for students with diverse and multicultural backgrounds. This effort seeks to examine effective teaching strategies to create an inclusive and culturally respectful classroom environment. The student body is in flux and its demographic profile continually changes with time, and also international research and industrial collaboration have only increased in turn with globalization. Therefore, diversity and multiculturalism - through the lenses of ability, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic, cultural, and beyond - can be promoted in chemistry education. To improve students’ learning experiences and likelihood of success, chemistry educators should refine their strategies, methods, and materials based on new information. This symposium seeks to further explore these ideas. How can we best prepare students for their future careers and maintain high retention rates while emphasizing inclusion and multiculturalism? Is there any way to express one’s own identity with chemistry education, and how can we learn from each other’s differences? How could we create an inclusive learning environment that empowers students? How can we promote equity in chemistry education? We will consider these questions in this symposium.

This inorganic chemistry symposium will bring together international researchers to discuss recent developments in the innovative applications of metal complexes for the treatment and diagnosis of human disease. Since the FDA-approval of cisplatin in 1968, researchers have investigated the potential of alternative metals to platinum for use in medicine. These efforts have culminated in the clinical development of new metal-based diagnostic and therapeutic compounds and much excitement in the scientific community. This symposium will highlight the ongoing research of new, emerging, and established investigators in this field. Specific topics that will be covered in this symposium include 1) Therapeutic metal complexes with a focus on diseases other than cancer, and 2) Diagnostic modalities afforded by inorganic chemistry. This diverse range of topics accurately captures the breadth of this important sub-field of inorganic chemistry.

This symposium brings together participants whose research incorporates alkaline earth and alkali metals as required components. Topics include processes and procedures for making and characterizing new compounds, new reaction development, role of ions and transport in battery materials, cellular regulation and mechanism of ion exchange, chemistry of biomaterials incorporating group I/II metals, theoretical insights into the mechanisms of metal cations as well as global sourcing and recycling of highly processed alkali metal/alkaline earth compounds.

Alkali metal and alkaline earths are required components spanning a very broad range of important applications such as regulation of cellular processes in biological systems, rechargeable ion battery functions, biomaterial structure and composition, commodity bulk scale organometallic reagents and highly refined specialty reagents for stereoselective organometallic reactions. Additionally, group I/II metal cations are found in combination with transition and lanthanide metals to form reagents with unique properties and utility. Sharing new developments and insights into the evolution of the mono- and divalent alkaline earth and alkali metal cation chemistry among specialists in different subdisciplines will stimulate new ideas and research opportunities. Speakers will be encouraged to address environmental impacts of their research including considerations of reuse, recycling and “green” chemical processes.

This symposium will focus on the recent advances in the chemistry of the heaviest elements in the Periodic Table (PT). With the extension of the PT up to oganesson (Og) with atomic number 118, the seventh row is now complete. Meanwhile, the search for new elements is on the verge of advancing to the eighth row. This symposium delves into the chemical characterization of the elements at the frontier of the PT, which is being carried out at the one-atom-at-at-time scale. This represents a challenging subject not only within inorganic, physical, and theoretical chemistry but across the disciplines including nuclear physics.
A crucial topical aspect of the discussion is to elucidate how strong relativistic effects influence the chemical and atomic properties of these heaviest elements. The overarching symposium objective is facilitating presentations and discussions on recent advances in studying the chemical properties of these elements, their production, novel experimental techniques, and theoretical calculations.

Clusters of metals and semiconductors are promising building blocks for functional materials because they exhibit size-specific physicochemical properties due to unique atomic packing, morphology, and quantized electronic structures. Moreover, new collective properties emerge when they are assembled into well-defined structures. However, it is challenging to synthesize these clusters with atomic precision and assemble/connect them into desired structures. In this symposium, we will discuss the state of the art and perspectives of different types of cluster-based materials. Specifically, we will discuss the developments in the synthesis of each type of cluster, their unique optical and catalytic properties, the means to use them as building blocks of materials, and their applications in a variety of fields.

Iron is an indispensable element for nearly all living organisms, with its critical role lying in its ability to serve as the catalytic center for a multitude of enzymes that are vital to life's processes. Among the myriad ways iron is utilized, its presence in Heme (Fe-protoporphyrin IX) is particularly noteworthy. Extensively employed throughout the biosphere, heme holds a unique position among metal complexes.

Heme plays a crucial role in supporting the functions of hemoproteins as a prosthetic group. Hemoproteins perform a diverse range of critical functions, from oxygen storage and transport, as exemplified by myoglobin and hemoglobin, to gas sensing, a task performed by proteins such as FixL and CooA. Hemoproteins are also involved in electron transfer, seen with cytochrome b5 and cytochrome c, iron acquisition, as demonstrated by HasA, HxuA, and IsdH, and catalysis, including enzymes such as horseradish peroxidase, chloroperoxidase, cytochrome P450, catalase, cytochrome c oxidase, and heme oxygenase, among others.

In this session, we aim to delve into the complexities and intricacies of heme enzymes. Our discussions will encompass the multifaceted nature of their functionality, examine the details of their structure, and shed light on the mechanisms that underpin their actions. Furthermore, we will navigate the intriguing world of artificial heme enzymes, discussing their creation, functionality, and potential applications. This session will feature presentations that unravel the mysteries of the reaction mechanism of heme enzymes, which includes the detection of a reactive intermediate known as the active species.

This session serves as a testament to our commitment to disseminate the cutting-edge science of heme enzymes. Through the medium of shared knowledge, stimulating discussions, and active intellectual exchange, we aspire to invigorate research in this field. Our hope is that this forum will act as a springboard, paving the way for fruitful collaborations and advancing our collective understanding of the remarkable world of heme enzymes.

Redox active ligands (RAL) are a class of multifunctional ligands in which the ligand participates in oxidation-reduction reactions. The RAL can serve in various roles within the complex including as a spectator, moderator, pooler, cooperator, or actor (10.1016/j.ccr.2022.214804). The exact role is dependent on the specific metal-ligand identities and reaction conditions. As such, ligand design is of utmost importance and RALs have found application in biological and catalytic systems. This symposium will focus on recent advances in the design of RALs, characterization of their metal complexes, computational studies of RALs, and their applications. The symposium will include participants with a common interest in redox active ligands but with a diversity of applications and design strategies.

The proposed symposium will mark the ninth in a series of inorganic fluorine chemistry symposia held at Pacifichem Congresses. Synthetic and structural inorganic fluorine chemistry continues to receive growing attention owing to its importance in fundamental and applied research and technology. During the past five years, these areas have expanded to include diverse new directions and chemical concepts that encompass novel main-group species with bonds to fluorine or perfluoroalkyl groups, exotic transition-metal fluorides and oxyfluorides, functional fluoro-organometallic and mixed anion compounds, as well as applications to battery technology, ionic liquids, and catalysis. These new findings were accomplished by use of robust characterization techniques such as modern spectroscopic methods, electrochemical measurements, diffraction techniques, and high-level quantum-chemical calculations. A major goal of the proposed inorganic chemistry symposium is to bring together diverse international communities of inorganic fluorine chemists from academia and industry whose research interests seek to address global challenges such as energy storage, sustainability, and environmental impacts. This symposium will encompass fields of inorganic fluorine chemistry that are aligned with the Congress Theme and that emphasize creative approaches to the syntheses of new inorganic fluorine compounds and the state-of-the-art characterizations of their structures and bonding by leading international experts in the field.

Early transition metals are used in many ways that affect our daily lives. Polyolefins often are prepared using Group 4 and 6 complexes. Catalytic reactions toward specialty chemicals like Sharpless Epoxidation, as well as useful stoichiometric reactions such as Tebbe olefination, use early transition metals in multiple ways. In addition, Early transition metals metals provide important platforms for understanding structure and bonding: for example, pentuple bonds in Cr complexes and small molecule models of enzyme active sites such as nitrogenase. Despite their incredible utility and breadth of reactivity, early transition metal complexes are less studied than some late metal counterparts like Fe and Pd. This symposium will bring together leaders in the field to discuss recent developments in understanding the electronic structure applications and reactivity of these systems. Of particular interest are new catalytic reactions chemical transformations and bonding types along with discussions of how metal electronic structure and ligand design conspire to control reactivity.

Molecule-based magnets have attracted much attention from the viewpoint of their designability, tuneability, lightness, transparency, price, etc., compared with those of conventional inorganic magnets. Molecule-based magnetic materials, such as single-molecule magnets, single-chain magnets, spin crossover complexes, Prussian blue analogs, 2-D magnets, etc., have zero-, one-, two-, and three-dimensional structures, and their electronic and crystal structures control their properties and functionalities. Moreover, multi-functional molecule-based magnets mixing magnetism with other properties, like electrical conductivity, photo-switching, charge transfer, redox activity, ferroelectricity, etc., are the next targets for basic and applied sciences. More recently, molecular spintronics, which includes molecular spin qubits for quantum computers as well as high-density memory devices, has become a strategic area in nano-magnetism. In this symposium, we will discuss the frontier and perspectives of this field paying particular attention to the key role played by coordination chemistry.
The scientific field of molecule-based magnets, which started in the 1980s, has developed quickly and recently has focused on compounds for molecular spintronics and high-density memory devices. Most molecule-based magnets are based on coordination compounds with open shells or spins. Molecule-based magnets are one of the topics of coordination chemistry and Pacifichem2025.

"This symposium will focus on the state-of-the-art and future directions in the molecular chemistry of the f-elements. Advances in the fundamental chemistry of the rare-earths, lanthanides, and actinides continue to bring about exciting new applications in the fields of catalysis, small molecule activation, renewable energy, electronics, molecular magnetism, sensors, polymers, separations, and many more. Recent developments continue to
challenge our fundamental assumptions regarding the chemistry of these elements, and have opened up exciting new directions. Discoveries in ground- and excited-state redox chemistry have led to new stoichiometric and catalytic reaction pathways. Isolation of novel multiply-bound ligands challenge our conceptions of stable and reactive fragments, as well as the nature of bonding in these molecules. Fine control of the coordination-sphere has led to tunable electronic and magnetic properties, and are promising leads for advanced applications in data storage, sensing, and imaging. Advances in catalysis of small and macro-molecules are enabling access to next generation compounds and materials, and pave the way for truly sustainable synthesis. Contributions from the expansive field of 5f (actinide) chemistry will be restricted to organometallic chemistry. Invited
and contributed presentations will aim for new, broadened and diverse
participation, and showcase the exciting and wide range of the field. The main goal of this symposium is to bring together experts and leaders in the field from across the globe to discuss advances at the forefront of
molecular f-element chemistry, and to identify the most promising future
directions for the next decade.

Better understanding of actinide chemistry is needed for predicting the fate and controlling the behavior of nuclear materials in the environment, as well as for developing new advanced applications in energy, medicine and forensics. The actinides present opportunities, and challenges, to study the chemistry of these many-electron elements in which the 5f electrons can play a crucial role. The goal of this symposium is to provide a cross-cutting forum to bring together leading and emerging international scientists in different realms of actinide chemistry, ranging from fundamental studies to new applications and including both experimentalists and theoreticians. The symposium will provide a forum for interactions between disparate aspects of actinide chemistry research, resulting in new opportunities for interdisciplinary cooperative endeavors and important advances.
Interactions and collaborations are crucial in two broad realms of actinide chemistry: between experiment and theory; and between fundamental and applied science. Many experimental studies on relatively elementary molecules and complexes would profit from greater interplay with theoretical efforts, and vice-versa. Such collaborations would enhance understanding of experimental results, and furthermore provide critical assessments of the validity of theory for challenging many-electron elements where electron correlation and relativistic effects challenge the straightforward application of conventional theoretical approaches. A second broad area of opportunity for greater interaction and collaboration is between fundamental actinide science and the development of new applications. Bridging the gap between fundamental and functional actinide chemistry is an ongoing challenge, the success of which is crucial to effectively incorporate the latest chemical insights to achieve the most effective solutions to problems, as well as for the development of advanced actinide materials and processes. The broad realm of conventional organometallic chemistry of the 5f actinide elements will not be covered in this symposium; all other aspects of actinide inorganic chemistry will be included. Certain specialized topics such as gas-phase spectroscopy, molecular theory, surface chemistry of actinide materials, and condensed matter spectroscopy may be emphasized. Invited and contributed presentations will aim for new, broadened and diverse participation. The overarching objective of this symposium will be to provide a multi-disciplinary forum for interplay between established leaders and emerging young scientists in seemingly diverse aspects of actinide chemistry; all will benefit from enhanced international communication and collaboration.

Tobin Marks has made enormous contributions to global Chemical Sciences (Medals & Fellowships) and to the ACS (Priestly Medal & 6 National Awards) in homogeneous and heterogenous catalysis and structural, electronic, and photonic materials, with contributions from talented and dedicated students and colleagues from around the globe. The purpose of this two-day symposium sponsored by Divisions of Inorganic Chemistry and Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering is to celebrate Tobin’s 80^th birthday by recognizing and celebrating the contributions of these people.

The symposium will consist of invited lectures by alumni and colleagues in 4 half-day sessions in 1) Small molecule and polymer synthesis, 2) Polymers and catalysis for sustainability, 3) Hard and soft matter electronics, 4) Photonic and photovoltaic materials.

The CSO will be Wenbin Lin (U. Chicago, USA) and the co-organizers will be Xugang Guo (SUSTC, China), Masamichi Ogasawara (Tokushima U., Japan), and Myung-Han Yoon (GIST, Korea), and Eugene Chen (Colorado St. U., USA).

Recent advances in computational science and informatics are having a significant impact on the design and exploration of functional materials, as symbolized by the discovery of HgTe-based topological insulators and pressurized H₃S exhibiting high-temperature superconductivity. On the other hand, exploration of novel materials under high pressure have become of great importance as exemplified by the recent discoveries of layered nickel oxides showing high-temperature superconductivity.

This symposium aims to create a new trend to accelerate the search for functional quantum materials by bringing together experimental chemists and theorists with unique skills. The symposium covers topics such as superconductivity, magnetism, thermoelectrics, quantum electronics, and ionics, where further development of computational methods is awaited, as well as unique experimental methods as high-pressure synthesis, and computational methods for the efficient materials discovery.

Small molecule activation is a crucial step in many biological and chemical processes, enabling organisms to function in diverse environments in nature, and facilitating the formation of valuable compounds in industry. To overcome the stable and unreactive nature of small molecules, nature has designed exquisite machinery called metalloenzymes. Studies to understand their reactions and the mechanisms underlying small molecule activation have expanded the frontiers of scientific knowledge and provided paramount insights into different strategies to harness the power of small molecules and develop transformative technologies for sustainable chemistry, energy conversion, materials science, and drug discovery. Using nature’s strategies and approaches, diverse biomimetic and bioinspired systems have also been designed, some of them showing abilities even superior to nature. To share the latest advances and discoveries in small molecule activation chemistry, we propose a one-and-a-half-day symposium (3 half day sessions) with an evening poster session. The symposium will focus on two key topics: i) the study of metalloenzymes, including artificial enzymes, and ii) the study of synthetic coordination compounds and catalysts. This symposium will cover various small molecules such as NOx, COx, CH4 and H2, and foster interdisciplinary discussions and collaborative interactions among researchers in the fields of biochemistry, enzymology and biophysics, inorganic, organometallic and coordination chemistry, catalysis, chemical engineering, spectroscopy and theory.

The chemistry of high oxidation state organoiodine compounds, broadly termed as “hypervalent iodine” has undergone a renaissance in the past 3 decades. While compounds such as PhICl₂ have been known since the 1800s only more recently has this family been recognized as versatile oxidants in synthetic chemistry, bringing the oxidizing power of Hg(II) or Pb(IV) but with vastly lower risks associated with toxicity. There is also a tendency for reversible oxidative addition and reductive elimination greatly exceeding other main group elements and moving closer to mimicking the transition metals.

Hypervalent iodine is now used as a versatile oxidant across inorganic and organic chemistry, with the oxidizing power tuneable via oxidation state of iodine (typically +3, also +5), the substituents bound to iodine and incorporation of ancillary groups onto those substituents. The array of reactions available is vast, for which the presentations in this symposium will be representative of the most interesting recent examples to date. Despite finding wide use, the mechanism of reactions in reactions involving or invoking hypervalent iodine can be difficult to determine and talks in this symposium will also discuss the state of the art in mechanistic determination of hypervalent iodine based systems.

Given the general use of hypervalent iodine we would expect this symposium to attract interest from inorganic, organic and theoretical chemists and the invited and contributed talks and posters will incorporate presentations from all 3 aspects of the field.

The symposium focuses on functional inorganic materials composed of inorganic skeletons integrated with various components such as multiple anions and molecules, which have been approached from the solid-state chemistry and the coordination chemistry. It includes (1) State-of-art synthesis and characterization of mixed-anion compounds and organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites for optical and energy applications (2) Ferroelectric materials ranging from bulk and thin films (3) Heterogeneous catalysts for conversion of small molecules. The symposium will also discuss how structural/electronic properties and phases of inorganic materials affected and modulated by incorporating multiple components. The main aim of this symposium is to get solid prospects of such new generation of inorganic materials for application in energy and environment.

This symposium covers the inorganic and organometallic chemistry of late transition metals (mainly Groups 8-10 metals), ranging from novel synthesis, structures, and transformations. Complexes and clusters of these late transition metals play important roles in stoichiometric or catalytic transformations, due to their electron-rich nature. Recent topics in this field, including rare oxidation states, new coordination modes of inorganic main group ligands, and unique organometallic clusters will be highlighted.

Polyoxometalate (POM) chemistry continues to redefine its boundaries, both within the confines of the early d⁰ transition metals (Groups V & VI), and also outside of these Periodic Table borders. Beyond Group V-VI are the Group XIII clusters, which have been recently expanded from just Al to include Ga and In. Clusters featuring Pu, U, and Np are continuing to emerge from the bottom of the Periodic Table. Within the traditional POMs of V, Nb, Ta, Mo and W, we are discovering new compositions, dimensions, coordination chemistries, redox states, catalytic behavior and aqueous phase and interfacial hierarchical assemblies of clusters. All of these progressions were not expected, some are still not well-understood; and these are the hallmarks of a forward-moving science.
For the Pacifichem 2025 polyoxometalate symposium, our challenge is to bring together the broadly defined polyoxometalate chemists/physicists/materials scientists from different Pacific Rim countries, and beyond. At Pacifichem 2025, we will cover a wide range of the current metal-oxo cluster science, from their synthesis and reactivity (core chemistry), their solution and interfacial behaviors, their applications in catalysis, battery, biomedicine and nanofabrications (Chemistry for Global Challenges) to newly developed polyoxometalate-based organic hybrids and MOFs (A Creative Vision for the Future), which align with all three major Pacifichem 2025 themes. Emergent topics of interest include the metal-oxide clusters containing new transition metals, solution physical chemistry of clusters, functional and sustainable materials from aqueous clusters, energy and environmental related applications of clusters, theoretical studies of clusters, inorganic-organic hybrid materials including polyoxometalate-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), compositions, and coordination chemistry of metal-oxo clusters. In addition, we also look forward to the new progressions in the more classic POM fields including single-molecule magnets, catalysis, biochemical applications, photochemistry and electrochemistry. The Pacifichem2025 POM symposium will most assuredly build, not only new intercontinental collaborations, but also bridge the emergent and disparate metal-oxo cluster forming regions of the Periodic Table.

Oxidation reactions of various substrates via activation of molecular oxygen by metalloenzymes in vivo are one of the basic chemical reactions that support biological activities. Elucidation of the catalytic reaction mechanism by metalloenzymes under mild conditions in vivo and the development of catalysts that mimic metalloenzymes are expected to lead to the construction of new reaction processes with less environmental impact. The behaviour of reactive oxygen species in vivo is also an issue related to human health. Some metalloenzymes are also involved in detoxifying such reactive oxygen species. Therefore, the chemistry of the metal-binding active oxygen species is becoming increasingly important for achieving the SDGs, which seek to achieve technological progress while preserving human health and the environment. This symposium will address these recent developments in the field from both the biological and synthetic perspectives. In this session, we will discuss studies aimed at elucidating the reactivity of metals with active oxygen species in the biological process, model complexes involved in the elucidation of reaction mechanisms, and the development of related bio-inspired catalysts. The symposium will bring together a diverse group of speakers and will attract researchers from a variety of disciplines, including bioinorganic, organic, and biological chemistry.

N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have revolutionized organometallic chemistry due to their strong sigma donor strength and excellent steric tunability. More recently, these exceptional ligands have moved from strictly homogenous organometallic compounds to solid state materials, where their strong ligand-metal bonds lend enhanced stability to nanoparticles, metal surfaces, and even 3D materials such as MOFs. Furthermore, these robust metal-ligand bonds allow for post-synthetic modification of materials after their synthesis. Likewise, adjusting the steric tunability of the NHC has allowed them to bind to surfaces and materials in multiple different orientations or modes.

In this symposium, recent advances in fundamental science and applications for NHCs will be presented on materials across a wide range of dimensionality ranging from nanoclusters and nanoparticles, to 2D surface coatings, to 3D materials such as MOFs.

This symposium will cover diverse topics centered around nanoparticle (NP) synthesis and assembly, along with their applications in biomedicine, energy, catalysis, optics, etc. NP preparation stands as a pivotal junction in materials science, where chemists, physicists, and engineers converge, perpetuating the refinement of existing techniques and the genesis of novel methods. However, one of the major challenges facing this rapidly expanding area is the fundamental understanding of NP crystal growth and self-assembly mechanisms, which will be a key focus of this symposium. The topics include: 1) Synthesis methods in the control of size, shape, composition, and functionalization of NPs; 2) Investigations into the mechanisms underlying NP crystal growth and self-assembly; 3) Observation of NP crystal growth and self-assembly via in situ techniques; 4) Theoretical developments on NP crystal growth and assembly; 5) Advanced characterization techniques for NP structural/chemical analysis; and 6) Applications of NPs and their assemblies.

Heme proteins contain iron porphyrin as a cofactor and are ubiquitous in nature. They function in countless enzymes, as gas-carriers and as regulators in biology. For several decades, the study of heme proteins has led the way to our current knowledge of how metal ions function in nature. This continues in the present time with the discovery of heme proteins playing new functional roles including novel heme transport proteins, heme-dependent gas sensors and heme-containing transcription regulators. Considerable effort is underway in labs around the world to characterize these heme proteins to establish their biological significance. Additional work has focused on elucidating the unique relationship between the heme coordination structure and the influence of the protein matrix as a second coordination sphere.

In parallel to the investigation of naturally occurring heme proteins, the development of structural and functional model heme systems has been important in reaching our current understanding of how heme iron systems work. This includes artificially modified heme proteins prepared by mutagenesis and/or heme modification as well as synthetically generated heme complexes created to produce new bio-inspired metalloporphyrin catalysts and/or materials.
Our aim is bring together world-class heme scientists to present and discuss their latest results on heme proteins and model systems and encourage communication across the diverse interdisciplinary research lines of the field.

Open gates in triggeerd assembly and multi-functional supramolecular metal coordination compounds have very attractive reserach area in inorganic coordination chemical scineces using various kinds of metal ions. Triggering assembly materials linking to supramolecular isomers have different chemical structures but an identical chemical composition have received increasing attention in the area of coordination chemistry associated with Host-guest chemistry and crystal engineering in MOF's chemitryusing metal ions. A range of examples of triggering assembly in supramolecular coordination compound systems have been studied and many chemical factors such as temperature, pressure, light, solvent, template, guest, pH, catenation, molar ratio and concentration have been demonstrated. The chemical effect of controlling factors on the formation of supramolecular coordination compounds has been invistegated extensively by various research groups in the world. Supramolecular coordination polymer materials such as Hofmann-type and Iwamoto-soma type with multi-stable systems between multi states, usually triggered by external stimuli, such as temperature, light, pressure and guest inclusion, are a family of large potential candidates for smart materials since the changes of chemical and physical properties are very large. Various supramolecular coordination compounds, especially those with polymeric 1D, 2D and 3D frameworks, have been intensively investigated due to their polynuclear geometries linked framework structures enhance cooperative effects which link to their potential technological applications as components of memory devices, displays and sensors so on. Now various sophisticated and valuable technique might be used for triggering assembly of supramolecular coordination compounds. In this session, we would like to discuss several aspects of "Opening Future in Triggered Assembling Functional Supramolecular Coordination Compounds" with various wonderful chemical researchers developing and opening new gates in this field deeply and extensively.

Photofunctions of metal complexes, supramolecules and organic-inorganic hybrid materials are at the crossroads for new science and technology. Key topics include not only the fundamental mechanisms of electron/energy transfers, but also applications in sustainability chemistry, optical devices (OLED & solar cells) and biology (luminescent probes & photodynamic therapy). Particularly, metal complexes provide various molecular geometries, complex electronic structures based on tunable ligand π-orbitals and d-/f-orbitals. Thus, such systems are very attractive templates for controlling photochemical and photophysical behavior. The purpose of this symposium is to bring together investigators representing cutting edge research into different photofunctions of metal complexes in order to harmonize and cross-fertilize on-going research in various fields. Our goal is for this symposium to serve as a platform for valuable information-exchanges and discussion that will help the attendees address and solve important problems relevant to modern society.

"The notable climate changes necessitate urgent chemical approaches to addresses the energy challenge. One viable approach would be to produce important raw chemicals using photoredoxcatalysts. Foremost among these are coordinatively saturated transition metal complexes, such as fac-[Ir(ppy)3] and [Ru(bpy)3]2+, which have been pivotal in facilitating a plethora of chemical transformations that were infeasible using traditional methodologies. This symposium is intended as an academic crucible to harness and explore these burgeoning avenues. It will delve into innovative methodologies aimed at the design, synthesis, and electronic control of transition metal complexes for solar-to-chemicals conversions. The reaction scope will include solar fuel production, such as reduction of CO2, water-oxidation and -reduction reactions, NOx reduction reactions, as well as photoredoxcatalytic functionalization of small organic molecules.
Enumerated below are the focal topics that will be addressed during the symposium:
Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Transition Metal Complexes with d6, d8, and d10 Configurations for Efficient Photoredoxcatalysis of Solar Energy Conversions
Mechanism of Photoinduced Redox Chemistries Involving Transition Metal Complexes
Novel Photoinduced Electrochemical Activities, Including Inner-Sphere Substrate Activation"

Classical bits are composed of 0 and 1, while quantum bits (Qubits) are composed of the superpositions of 0 and 1. Qubits are very promising for quantum computers, quantum sensors, etc. So far several qubits are realized by using superconducting loops, photons, trapped atom, quantum dots, etc. However they have advantages and disadvantages for the real applications. More recently, molecular spin qubits are considered to be the next-generation candidate for the real application, because of (1) Spin phase control by pulse ESR, (2) High-polarization of electron spin, and (3) Hogh molecular designability. We must lengthen T1 (Spin-lattice relaxation time) and T2(Spin-spin relaxation time). Moreover, we must realize the room temperature coherence for the real application.
In this symposium, we will discuss about the recent progress of the perspectives of the molecular spin qubits toward quantum computer.

The second coordination sphere—the ligand environment in the periphery of a catalytic active site—plays a pivotal role in determining reaction kinetics, selectivity, and stability. A rich diversity of second coordination sphere modifications have been observed in enzyme active sites, including proximal amino acids or cofactors that engage in hydrogen bond donation, participate in proton relays, orient substrates appropriately, facilitate electron transfer, or stabilize otherwise energetic transition states through electric field effects. Drawing inspiration from these biological systems, this symposium will highlight ways in which second coordination sphere design can be applied to molecular catalysis. A broad selection of important catalytic applications will be featured, ranging from small molecule transformations for energy applications (H2, O2, CO2, N2, etc.) to more complex reactions related to upgrading renewable feedstocks or novel synthesis of organic molecules. Catalytic modalities will encompass reductive and oxidative electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, or thermal catalysis. Selected talks will showcase how the second coordination sphere influences catalytic outcomes through mechanistic investigations, spectroscopy, or theory with an overarching aim of inspiring design strategies to enable new transformations with unprecedented selectivity.

This symposium aims at uniting established and up-and-coming researchers to discuss about the fast-growing field of main group chemistry. Since the turn of the century, several paradigm-changing discoveries have been reported where s- and p-block elements unveiled surprising properties, notably in catalysis and materials sciences. The symposium will explore how a better understanding of the structural and electronic properties of s- and p-block elements can help develop the reactivity of transition metal-free catalysts in organic synthesis, synthesize new materials for optoelectronic or energetic purposes, and lead to strong bond activation. By doing so, this symposium will help demonstrate that new-generation catalysts and materials can be useful in several subdisciplines of chemistry, bridging from pharmaceutical or modern electronic industries.

Applications of the phthalocyanines and their structural analogs, such as tetrapyrazinoporphyrazines, subphthalocyanines, and tetraazaporphyrins, range from industrially important dyes and pigments to technologically advanced molecular electronics, semiconductors, solar cells, molecular magnets, fluorescent (bio)imaging, sensors, catalysis and electrocatalysis, as well as photodynamic therapy of cancer. Although a lot of work on synthesis, coordination chemistry, and spectroscopy of phthalocyanines and their analogs was done in the 1980s and 1990s, the development of the new spectroscopic and theoretical methods during the last two decades illuminated and explained many discrepancies in their electronic structure, magnetic properties, and spectroscopy. Thus, the chemistry, spectroscopy and applications of phthalocyanines and their analogs have undergone a new renaissance in recent years. The first phthalocyanine symposium was organized at Pacifichem in 1995. Over the years, this symposium transformed into more general conferences and discussions on porphyrinoids, which includes a small fraction of talks devoted specifically to phthalocyanines and their analogs. With this proposal, we would like to re-establish a focused discussion that centers around new directions and advances in phthalocyanine chemistry. We envision a 1.5 day-long phthalocyanine symposium, which will accommodate a cohort of well-established and emerging diverse groups of scientists worldwide. This tightly focused symposium will bring together the key players in phthalocyanine chemistry and allows us to share recent advances in the synthesis, spectroscopy, electronic structure and applications of such an important class of compounds.

Macromolecular synthesis and engineering is at the forefront to address many challenges in developing high performance materials under demanding conditions and improving energy efficiency of various processes to minimize the carbon footprint and environmental impact of human activities. Creative molecular designs, exquisite control of polymer microstructures and supramolecular assembly, and recent advances in efficient synthetic methods offer exciting opportunities to create new generations of soft materials for a sustainable future. This symposium will showcase the interdisciplinary chemical approaches to efficiently and precisely construct and control macro- and supra-molecules with maximal materials performance to enable diverse new technologies, but achieving such capabilities at minimal environmental impact.

This symposium serves as a distinguished platform to showcase the cutting-edge advancements in polymer research, emphasizing the integration of intelligence, sustainability, and versatility within polymeric materials. Participants will delve into pioneering developments ranging from the creation of responsive polymers with adaptive functionalities to the formulation of environmentally conscious materials. Through collaborative discussions, scientists, engineers, and industry leaders will exchange insights and explore transformative ideas that transcend conventional boundaries. Moreover, the symposium will foster exploration of interdisciplinary synergies, envisioning novel applications across diverse fields such as healthcare, electronics, and environmental conservation. Ultimately, this event aims to highlight recent innovations in polymer science and pave the way for a smarter, more sustainable future enabled by the limitless potential of polymeric materials.

The Interfaces occur just about everywhere; they separate biological systems, from organelles to cells, and are also found in high interface emulsions, foams and powdered liquids. Studies on physical and chemical properties related to bulk has been actively performed to date. At interfaces, various phenomena which cannot be explained only by bulk properties have been observed. The functional groups at the interface and textures of the interfaces are significantly modified their chemical and physical properties compared with the bulk nature itself. Recently, the development of surface-initiated controlled/living radical polymerization and click chemistry techniques provide precisely controlled soft surface structure. Everyone can modify and introduce various kinds of functional groups in the interface using the above techniques. Properties of interfaces are a source of biological system diversity. From the practical point of view, it is an important task to control interface of medical devices contacting with physiological environment. This symposium will cover the studies on the interface of soft materials such as polymers, colloids, surfactants, emulsions, foams, thin films, liquid crystals, gels, biomembranes, as well as biomaterials. The aim of this symposium is to expand our knowledge of interfacial science by accumulating the latest basic and applicable information.
This symposium welcomes the following studies related to interfaces.
1. Synthesis of interfaces
2. Analysis of interfaces
3. Interfaces of biomaterial
4. Interaction between interfaces
5. Stimuli-responsive interfaces

Surface and interfaces of polymeric materials play an essential role in various applications such as antifouling materials, adhesives, polymer nanocomposites and thin film devices, and so on. At the surface and interfaces, energy states undergo significant transformation compared to the bulk. The chains align themselves, adopting distinct conformations to minimize surface/interfacial free energy. Intriguingly, for block/graft copolymers and supramolecules, inter- and intra-molecular interactions interact with surface/interfacial effects, giving rise to captivating self-assembled architectures. Furthermore, the dynamics of surface and interfacial chains exhibit deviations from their bulk counterparts.
Such peculiar behavior of the surface and interfacial chains can be understood using various interfacial-sensitive techniques. Structural analysis using quantum beams, fluorescence, and nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy are powerful tools to examine the surface as well as the buried interface. Imaging techniques such as electron and scanning force microscopy provide information about heterogeneous structures. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations present a window into the molecular realm at the surface and interfaces.
The findings so obtained lead to alternative approaches to design and tailor the functional surface and interfaces of polymers. This symposium focuses on the intricate relationship between structures and dynamics at the molecular scale on surfaces and interfaces and their impact on the macroscopic physical properties and functionalities of surface and interfacial polymeric materials. Against the backdrop of increasing demand for safer, more reliable, sustainable, and recyclable materials, this symposium will address these pressing issues by examining the intricate relationships pertinent to polymers, soft materials, and supramolecular systems. In summary, this symposium offers a unique platform for participants to immerse themselves in the forefront of polymer surface/interface research and gain valuable insights into the development of advanced polymer materials. Note that the topics about polymer interfaces related to biology and medicine are covered with not this symposium but “Polymers at the interface with biology: Innovations in design, synthesis, and applications”.

Many approaches are being investigated to reduce the environmental impact and to increase the sustainability of polymeric materials. These range from the introduction of degradable linkages in polymer backbones to the synthesis of chemically identical commercial monomers from bio-based materials to the substitution of already available renewable monomers for current petroleum-derived structures. Other studies focus on the efficient chemical recycling of existing polymers back to their original feedstocks. Furthermore, the boundaries between the study of biodegradable polymers, natural polymers and synthetic polymers have begun to disappear, allowing us to propose more useful products for society.

While the approaches are diverse and potential monomer feedstocks are extensive, any steps toward commercialization will require a fundamental understanding of how polymerization rate and polymer architecture (and thus product properties) are affected by monomer structure and reaction conditions. Many bio-derived monomers have inherent lowered reactivity compared to conventional petroleum-derived monomers, for example, thus requiring innovative approaches for their efficient incorporation into new polymeric materials. This symposium will provide a forum to present progress made towards the development of next generation polymer materials and processes, with a primary focus on controlled-radical and conventional radical systems. Topics will include the application of specialized techniques to measure or estimate kinetic rate coefficients, the formulation of mechanistic models to represent polymerization kinetics, and the execution of targeted experimental studies toward the development of improved processes and products.

The symposium focuses on the precise synthesis and cutting-edge applications of ladder and framework polymers. Ladder polymers, as the name implies, are macromolecules in the shape of a ladder at the molecular level, in which each monomer unit is linked by two and more chemical bonds. Derived from the ladder geometry, they exhibit unique properties and functionalities inaccessible from the conventional macromolecules linked by a single chemical bond (e.g., exceptionally restricted conformational freedom, intrinsic microporosity, thermal and mechanical stability, and excellent conductivity), offering game-changing potential in materials applications. Despite such attractiveness, ladder polymers have not been the key subject of polymer science until relatively recently due to many difficulties in synthesis, analysis, and handling. Recently, however, the situation has changed radically with the development of a variety of approaches for the defect-free construction of ladder frameworks and their characterization, paving the way for practically-useful applications, including but not limited to organic electronics, gas separation, energy storage, and catalysis. Framework polymers, including covalent organic frameworks (COFs), on the other hand, have a three-dimensional network structure with interconnected pores. These porous structures with tunable size/geometry allow for the incorporation of guest molecules or ions, enabling applications such as gas storage, catalysis, and drug delivery.
This symposium aims to create a global platform for leading researchers worldwide to share knowledge, collaborate, and accelerate the innovation in “ladder/framework polymer science”, leading to further breakthroughs in advanced materials development. The outcomes of this symposium will help to establish the position of these polymers in diverse technological domains. The study on graphene nanoribbons and other related ladder-type molecules and polymers are also welcome.

Recent evolution of supramolecular chemistry has led to the creation of molecular machines. Chemical synthesis of nucleic acids, driven by the potential of gene therapy, has sparked the emergence of novel fields such as DNA nanotechnology.
As a natural progression, methodologies are being explored to utilize these functional molecules as an integrated system. "Molecular robotics" is a field that integrates all sensors, processors, and actuators, which are responsible for the classical robotic paradigm, by using molecules. This symposium discusses research aiming to systematize molecules into an intelligent system.
We welcome submissions not only on integrated systems but also on the individual components. These components encompass molecular sensors, actuators such as molecular machines and motors, and transducers, alongside compartments or matrices such as liposomes and hydrogels. All bio-related molecules such as nucleic acids, peptides, proteins, and lipids, as well as synthetic polymers and organic compounds, are in the scope.

Polymer gels are soft materials in which polymer networks are swollen with solvents and have attracted great attention as biological materials, stimuli-responsive materials, dynamic materials, etc. Polymer networks in conventional gels are disordered and heterogeneous, which lead various problems such as mechanical fragility and poor functions. Recently, attention has been focused on introducing ordered structures into polymer gels by various strategies such as nano-phase separation structure, hierarchical multi-networking, and composite with inorganic materials to exhibit superior functionalities including high toughness, controlled stimuli-responsiveness, self-healing, and anisotropic responsibility. In this symposium, we will seek presentations on synthesis strategies, functional expression, and application development for polymer gels that bring various ordered structures. We will also discuss the potential of these materials in various fields such as biomedicine and environmental science. We hope that this symposium will provide an opportunity for researchers to share their latest findings and exchange ideas on the future of polymer gels.

This symposium will involve the synthesis and characterization, the physical and mechanical studies, and the theory and computational modeling of macromolecular ring structures. These macrocycles have very different characteristics when compared to the linear macromolecules, including a reduction of the hydrodynamic volume, a slower reduction for the degradation of cleavable bonds, and a higher glass transition temperature especially for the lower molecular weights. Initially, these syntheses were very laborious, yielding only a fraction of impure cyclic polymer and then requiring purification of the cyclic polymer from the rest of the linear polymer. In addition to Grubbs ring-expansion metathesis polymerization and the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition ring closure approach that now achieve milligrams of pure cyclic polymers, new techniques, including the self-assembled daisy-chain initiator, can yield multiple grams of cyclic polymer. Recently the field has expanded into new avenues, including multicyclic macromolecules and supramolecular cyclic polymers. Efforts related to confirming their high cyclic purity and the multigram scalability of these cyclic products have developed over these last few years.

The approach to materials chemistry has not changed much in the past 100 years. Chemists still use highly manual methods to produce new compounds and explore the chemical space. While this approach certainly has its advantages, it is inherently slow, highly dependent on the skill of the experimentalist, and associated with considerable noise and scatter. High throughput experimentation or highly parallelized modes of synthetic operation is an emerging field of study but has not yet matured to a point of broad implementation.

Meanwhile, artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) has in recent years impressively demonstrated in the chemical domain what quick developments are possible if enough data is available to make ML-based predictions. From comparatively simple regression models to deep learning approaches, ML can identify correlations and infer chemical knowledge in ways that human experts would be unable to access due to the high dimensionality of the accessible parameter space. The use of ML, however, requires a distinct disruption in the workflow of most synthetic chemists. However, the potential advantages of embracing data science in the polymer field, where reactions and material properties are governed by complex chain reactions and properties of materials depend on a multitude of parameters, is highly promising and will allow to quantitatively map complex structure-function relationships.

In this symposium, we will explore all facets of data-driven polymer chemistry. This includes the development of robotics and automated reactors to provide the necessary data to achieve meaningful ML. Further, the symposium will deal with fundamental discussions around standardization of methods, data handling and sharing, feature engineering, nomenclature and best practices, and how ML can be generalized to obtain refined mechanistic pictures and a better understanding of chemical principles. This field is growing rapidly with great potential, but requires domain experts to consolidate and align approaches so that future explorations are streamlined.

This symposium focuses on the technological development of polymers and composites from biomacromolecules and the benefits surrounding these value-added products. Many opportunities arise from value-added bioproducts created using biomacromolecules. These include greener alternatives to harsh or toxic chemicals, advances in drug delivery methods and medical therapies, enhancements in wound care and cosmetics, improvements to existing procedures or processes, and potential for increased marketplace value for producers. Value-added products may include, but are not limited to, consumer goods, novel polymers, films, coatings, adhesives, multifunctional polymer surfaces, modified cellulosic materials, and smart textiles. Papers are invited on a diverse array of topics, such as, biochemical, chemical, and nano-based modification of agricultural starting materials that lead to the preparation and characterization of industrially useful products.

The function of all molecules is defined by their structure. Unlike in many small molecules, the molecular complexity of macromolecules such as enzymes, which represent energy-efficient macromolecules, gives rise to ordered dynamical motions that can further contribute to their chemical and physical properties. Consequently, the design, synthesis, and study of these dynamical processes serve as pivotal factors in the development of environment-friendly and energy-efficient macromolecules that present novel functions. In this symposium, by conducting comparative analyses across both molecular chemistries and morphologies, we aim to better understand the links between macromolecular flexibility and function. We welcome submissions on the design, engineering, and experimental and computational characterization of biomacromolecules and bio-inspired synthetic molecules, focusing on the fundamental understanding of their structural and functional dynamics. These systems include nucleic acids, polysaccharides, proteins and peptides, lipid membranes, abiological supramolecules, and their assemblies and hybrids. Overall, we aim to facilitate discussions on new strategies for the design and tuning of macromolecular dynamics, enabling the creation of novel functional macromolecular materials with applications in industrial, environmental, and health-related (bio)technology.

Polymers and supramolecular structures possessing elements such as boron, phosphorus, chalcogens, transition metals, lanthanides, etc. are attractive materials that exhibit (or potentially exhibit) high thermal stability, flame retardant properties, tunable dielectric constants, high refractive index, high optical transparency, etc., as well as advanced functions for optical, electronic and magnetic applications.
This symposium will focus on synthetic methods and precise techniques to control the molecular structure and nanostructure of hybrid materials bearing inorganic elements. In addition, some applications of these novel organic, inorganic, and organic-inorganic hybrid materials will be discussed.
Remarkable progress has been achieved in fundamental and applied studies on hybrid materials in the past twenty years. A variety of new techniques have been disclosed to introduce interesting element-containing building blocks into polymers. Novel next generation-materials with advanced functionality have been utilized in applications such as light emitting devices, as well as energy conversion and storage. There are many important areas (e.g. optical and magnetic materials) in which the hybrid concept is critical, as the incorporation of a desired element can play a key role in function.

Microgels and nanogels have received increasing international interest due to their tunable sizes, elasticities, water contents, and chemistries, leading to significant practical advances in diverse areas including biomedical devices, drug delivery, tissue engineering, oil processing, separations, biosensing, catalysis, and adhesives. In parallel, the unique soft colloidal properties of micro/nanogels (in particular, how their intra-particle properties are uniquely linked to their inter-particle behavior) have sparked immense fundamental interest in understanding how soft materials like micro/nanogels can interact, assemble at interfaces, and dynamically reconform. Micro/nanogels based on smart materials that can adjust both their shape and volume in response to external stimuli (e.g., temperature, ionic strength and composition, pH, electrochemical stimulus, pressure, light) open even more opportunities for both applied and fundamental study given their potential to undergo reversible “on-demand” changes in their physico-chemical properties. This diversity of properties has been reflected in the increasing number of worldwide researchers working on this topic, with the number of publications in the area per year more than doubling within the last decade. While any microgel or nanogel-related research topic will be considered, papers about biomedical applications of microgels, data-driven/molecular dynamics modeling of microgels, microgels for industrial applications, structure-property applications in microgels, novel microgel chemistries/fabrication strategies, new frontiers in responsive microgels, and microgel mechanics are particularly welcomed.

Additive manufacturing, often referred to as 3D printing, is a technology that is disrupting the traditional manufacturing industry. The capability of a modern 3D printer in fabricating objects with extremely complex shapes, structures and compositions, enables improved manufacturing, validation of new designs, and even the discovery of new materials. The inherently interdisciplinary research in 3D printing presents fresh challenges to researchers, requiring the development of superior materials and pioneering methods for a range of applications, including biomedicine, materials science, mechanical engineering, and robotics. Increasingly, 3D printing is transcending its conventional role as a manufacturing technique to become a pivotal tool for fundamental research. This symposium aims to bring together experts in polymer and supramolecular materials synthesis, theoretical design, and data science to highlight fundamental advances in 3D printing, and guide researchers towards new directions for the future developments.

Fracture of polymeric materials is a field gaining increased attention in recent years. The growing popularity of the subject is propelled by new methods to make stronger and tougher polymers in either plastic or elastomeric state and by emergent theoretical description of the framework for fracture mechanics. Mechano-chemists are working with polymer scientists to quantify mechanical characterization of polymers under high load. Exciting progress constantly emerges from different fronts. The symposium will provide the community with an opportunity to develop a common perspective by communication among active workers who research on toughening of hydrogels, molecular mechanism of elastomeric rupture, new bottom-up design of strain tolerant, strong, and tough polymers in different forms.

Focus Topics:
The scientific program will emphasize the following focus topics:
Novel trends in the design and development of gels and soft matter
Hydrogels in biomedical applications (controlled drug delivery systems, excipients, scaffolds for tissue regeneration, biosensing and diagnostic applications)
Responsive polymers and ‘smart’ gels (phase transitions in synthetic and biopolymer systems)
Kinetics of molecular self-assembly processes and dynamic properties of gels
Physical cross-linking and gel formation in polymer materials with multivalent ion interactions (biopolymers, polyelectrolytes, block
copolymers, amphiphiles.)
Computational and theoretical modeling of gel formation, swelling, deswelling, and elastic properties of cross-linked networks and gels
3-D printing of gel and biogel constructs.

This symposium will feature exciting new advances in the application of polymer science to address global challenges in biology and medicine. Macromolecules that will be presented include synthetic polymers, as well as natural polymers including proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and natural polyaromatics, including polyphenols and lignins. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to the design, synthesis, and functionalization of degradable polymers, bioactive natural macromolecules, polymer conjugates, biomimetic polymers, self-assemblies, polymer scaffolds and hydrogels, coatings, and the applications of these materials in areas such as drug and gene delivery, imaging, sensing, and regenerative medicine. The symposium will highlight how recent developments in macromolecular chemistry, characterization, and other new technologies can enable precise control over the structure, properties, and function, allowing advancements in the prevention, detection, and treatment of disease to be realized. Furthermore, the application of (bio)macromolecules to better understand biological processes such as intracellular trafficking and endosomal escape will be highlighted. Researchers at all career stages and at the interface of chemistry with engineering, materials science, biology, and medicine are welcome.

The optical properties of π-conjugated molecules and polymers render them attractive units to construct the next generation of smart materials. Non-covalent assembly of these π-systems often results in changes to their absorption and emission, while providing a handle for responsiveness to external stimuli and practical advantages related to their fabrication and use. The growing knowledge in the field over the past decades has led to a wealth of information on π-system assembly and properties with emerging strategies for control. However, rational design of the materials starting from their respective monomers and assembly pathways remains challenging. As structure precedes function, complete programmability of these processes that traverse the molecular to macroscopic scales are essential to secure their widespread application. In this symposium, we will cover the recent developments in the field of π-systems from theoretical to experimental perspectives, including supramolecular polymerization, precision assembly, stimuli-responsive and adaptive behaviour, and their application in areas from healthcare to optoelectronics.

Self-assembly is a universal phenomenon exhibited by biological and synthetic (macro)molecules, where organized structures spontaneously result from specific intermolecular interactions and selective recognition. In vivo, biological (macro)molecules self-assemble hierarchically in complex environments to form organized structures such as proteins, DNA, tissues, and cells. These assemblies express autonomous biological functions via dynamic interactions, intermolecular communication, and participation in catalytic cycles. Recent advances in controlled polymerization techniques have allowed the design and synthesis of macromolecules with precisely defined primary structures, including control over molecular weight, stereoregularity, monomer sequence distribution, degree of branching, and terminal functional groups. As a result, self-assembly of these well-defined synthetic macromolecules through precise association and recognition results in the formation of ordered nano/micro assemblies, gels, and microphase-separated materials. Self-sorting of several components into discrete or fused assemblies has also been realized in complex media such as biological systems. Importantly, the precise molecular structures of synthetic macromolecules, as well as the inherently precise structures of their biological counterparts, serve as programmable parameters to determine the structure and behavior of their assemblies, including complex or hierarchical organization. In this symposium, we will discuss the self-assembly of synthetic and biological macromolecules to create functional materials, focusing on: (1) design of self-assembled nano/micro systems with synthetic or biological (macro)molecules, such as micelles, vesicles, nanogels, colloids, and crystalline and microphase-separated materials; (2) self-sorting of synthetic or biological (macro)molecules in complex media; (3) characterization of their self-assemblies, including solution properties, association structures, hydration, dynamics, and biocompatibility; and (4) creation of self-assembled functional materials (e.g., hydrogels, organic/inorganic hybrids, protein conjugates) for biomedical applications including drug delivery systems and regenerative medicine. Bridging synthetic self-assembled systems and their biological counterparts has the potential to lead to synergetic innovations spanning materials science, polymer chemistry, and biochemistry to solve global future problems.

The dynamics of polymeric materials have garnered significant scientific and industrial interest. From a scientific standpoint, there has been extensive investigation into the universal dynamic behavior across different polymer chemistries. Building upon this universality, coarse-grained modeling approaches have been developed and widely adopted. On the industrial side, dynamics directly impact material design through processing.

Motivated by these considerations, researchers have advanced experimental, theoretical, and computational methodologies to investigate polymer dynamics. Experimental techniques for studying dynamics under non-equilibrium conditions have developed significantly in the past decade, including approaches like large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) measurements, extensional rheometry, microrheology, and dynamic scattering techniques. Theoretical discussions have revolved around shear banding, ring polymers, monomeric friction changes, dynamics in nanocomposites, and temporal networks. Progress has also been made in computational methods, encompassing coarse-grained modeling, multi-scale approaches, and boundary conditions. The use of machine learning and data-driven techniques is increasingly important.

This session aims to showcase recent developments in polymer dynamics, including (but not limited to) the topics mentioned above. It will provide a platform for researchers to present their work and exchange ideas in a multidisciplinary setting. Additionally, the session will foster collaboration among researchers working in closely related fields but from different societies.

"The field of glycoconjugates and glycomaterials is rapidly expanding, owing
to significant, recent advances in synthetic methodology and access to new
macromolecular architectures and analytical techniques. In turn, this is enabling
glycoscientists to study the role of glycans in biology in greater detail than previously
possible. Our symposium aims to showcase the cutting-edge progress in the synthesis
and analysis of precision glycoconjugates and glycomaterials, as well as their
applications in functional biological studies encompassing drug discovery, vaccine
development, diagnostics, drug delivery, and nanomedicine. This symposium will
provide an interdisciplinary platform for researchers, students, and industry
professionals from these diverse fields to present their work and exchange ideas. We
will include participants at various career stages and provide networking opportunities,
especially for young professionals, to make new connections and establish
collaborations."

Silicon-containing polymers and oligomers, such as polysiloxanes and polysilanes, are important classes of materials due to their unique properties. As one of the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust, silicon holds significant importance in achieving a sustainable society. The demand for these compounds has considerably increased in recent years. For instance, siloxane-based materials play crucial roles across industries, thanks to their excellent durability, heat resistance, and UV resistance, which surpass those of conventional organic polymers. There is a resurgence of interest in the synthesis of novel polysilane structures and exploring the new properties and applications they may engender. Precise control of the composition, molecular structure, nanostructure, and interfaces of silicon-containing compounds and their nanocomposites is crucial for tailoring their properties and for creating new functionalities. The potential compounds discussed in this symposium include, but are not limited to, silicones, silsesquioxanes, silicas, polysilanes, silicon clusters, polycarbosilanes, and ceramics. This symposium aims to explore both basic and applied research on silicon-containing polymers and oligomers, as well as hybrid and nanocomposite materials that incorporate these compounds. Participation from researchers in a wide range of fields such as polymer chemistry, synthetic chemistry, catalysis, functional materials chemistry, hybrid materials chemistry, and nanomaterials chemistry will be expected.

Historically unsustainable practices in the design, production, use, and disposal of synthetic polymeric materials have accelerated depletion of finite natural resources, caused worldwide plastics pollution problems, and resulted in enormous materials value loss to the economy. To address these mounting environmental, economic, and societal issues, this symposium will highlight on-going global efforts on innovations in designing monomer, polymer, and catalyst structures for renewable, degradable and recyclable polymers, as well as in developing creative strategies for mono-material plastic products and greener routes and processes for the synthesis of monomers/polymers/catalysts and for polymer recycling or upcycling. These efforts are aimed to develop next-generation sustainable polymers that exhibit designer functions to perform, renewable resources to produce, and circular paths to regenerate.

"Organic and inorganic dielectric materials are pivotal in advancing modern intelligent technologies. The integration of these materials with electronic devices has led to significant progress, especially in manipulating electrons, protons, ions, and dipoles to enhance dynamic polarity. This symposium aims to explore the control of dynamic and static polarity through external stimuli and chemical modifications, thereby diversifying electronic functionalities and contributing to the burgeoning field of ""polarity science,” which encompasses both organic and inorganic materials closely linked to dielectric properties. Our investigation will cover dynamic and static polarization across a variety of materials, including molecular, polymer, inorganic, metal-organic frameworks, and bio-related materials. We will discuss recent advances in dielectric organic materials and innovative approaches for regulating dynamic and static polarization. This symposium will bring together a diverse group of experts for in-depth discussions on this critical and interdisciplinary topic, advancing the understanding and application of dielectric materials in modern technologies.

Topics to be covered:
• Dielectric materials, including molecular, polymer, inorganic, metal-organic frameworks, and bio-related materials.
• Polar organic and inorganic conductors and magnets in crystalline, thin-film, and solid-state forms.
• Structural analyses of dielectric and polar materials.
• Analyzing methods for dielectric properties and dynamic/static polarity.
• Theoretical insights into dynamic/static polarization processes"

In this symposium, the correlation between the chemical structure and physico-chemical properties of plastic crystals (PCs), which are emerging functional organic materials, and their applications in various research fields will be discussed from both experimental and theoretical viewpoints.
PCs are defined as solid materials that are composed of regularly aligned three-dimensional crystal lattices, but at the molecular level, there is a local orientational/rotational disorder. Since the molecular and/or ionic species in a plastic crystal phase have a higher degree of freedom than in the conventional (fully ordered) crystal state, PCs are crystalline solids exhibiting plasticity and diffusivity of constituents. The fundamental mechanisms leading to these phenomena are of great interest, and moreover PCs are attracting much attention for application as soft solid electrolytes, taking advantage of their properties.
The growing global demand for energy has led to the active development of electrochemical devices such as high-energy density rechargeable batteries. Conventionally in such devices, flammable liquid electrolyte solutions are used, causing problems including leakage and ignition. It would thus be beneficial to replace these electrolytes with solid stable electrolytes. Indeed, with the increasing size of electrochemical devices, there is a worldwide societal demand for improved safety. The development of high-performance solid electrolytes has become a highly active research field.
Therefore, PCs are beginning to attract attention as new candidates for flexible solid electrolyte materials. Furthermore, PCs are also being investigated as heat storage and ferroelectric materials, and the range of applications for PCs is clearly expanding. At the same time, the variety of PCs is steadily increasing year by year.
This symposium will provide a valuable forum for discussing recent progress in PC research. Thus, it will be of interest to many attendees, incorporating both fundamental aspects regarding the unique properties of these materials, and practical applications to novel/improved devices.

Most conventional organic dyes emit most efficiently when mono-dispersed and show reduced efficiency at higher concentrations. An exciting family of luminescent materials, known as aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens, has no luminescence as free molecules but becomes highly emissive in the aggregate/solid state. AIE is recognized as one of the breakthroughs in luminescent materials for applications in OLEDs, sensors, and imaging.
Inspired by AIE research, there is huge room beyond molecules: the properties of an aggregate are not necessarily a simple, linear addition of those of its molecular constituents or elementary particles. Deciphering such a complex system calls for the development of aggregate science, a new scientific framework for research. The aggregate science opens new avenues for innovation at higher levels of structural hierarchy and system complexity across chemistry, material science, biology, physics, etc.

Various luminescent materials have been used for the detection of ionizing radiation. Radiation detection using luminescence includes scintillation, thermoluminescence, optically stimulated luminescence, and radio–photoluminescence. These luminescence processes have been used to detect ionizing radiation in various fields of science and industry, such as basic physics, nuclear medicine, environmental monitoring, and security. The demand for higher-quality materials has increased owing to emerging applications in various fields and the nuclear plant accident in Japan. Novel high-quality materials can contribute greatly to various fields. In contrast to optical excitation in which well-defined excited states are produced, various kinds of excited states are involved in luminescence processes under ionizing radiation. At present, the greater part of the basic processes in luminescence under ionizing radiation is unknown. In order to develop higher-quality materials, the development of novel materials and an investigation into the basic processes associated with excited states are both quite important.
This symposium showcases the recent achievements in this field from the viewpoint of materials chemistry. The symposium focuses on the following areas: 1) the development of novel luminescent materials for radiation detection, 2) research on the novel functionality of conventional optical materials for radiation detection, and 3) investigation into the basic processes of luminescence under or after irradiation.

This symposium will focus on the preparation, characterization, and application of carbon nanotubes and related low-dimensional materials such as graphene and other 2D materials. Presentations on recent developments in the following subareas are invited: (1) Preparation: new growth method, wafer-scale growth, purification, and alignment; (2) Characterization: optical spectroscopies, microscopies, and the other techniques; (3) Applications: electronic devices, optoelectronic devices, THz devices, biosensors, gas sensors, batteries, solar cells, energy harvesters, thermal devices, composite materials, and other applications.

In situ imaging and spectroscopy techniques have emerged as primary tools for characterizing the dynamics of material formation. The development of in situ capabilities for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has led to rapid advances in our understanding of nucleation, growth, and assembly in colloidal, electrochemical, organic, semiconductor, and other systems. The symposium covers a broad range of topics including particle nucleation, crystal growth, phase transformations, polymeric and organic/inorganic self-assembly, interface dynamics in gases and liquids, and recent developments in TEM fields. This symposium aims to provide a platform of discussion to understand the physics and chemistry of materials formation for researchers from various fields.

Symposium topics:
Nucleation and crystal growth from solutions, melts, and vapors
Self-assembly of particles, polymers, and biomolecules
Interface-driven processes in gas and liquid
Phase transformation process
Mechanically, electrically, or magnetically driven processes

Conductive boron-doped diamond (BDD) is an alternative to metal electrodes or traditional carbon electrodes that provides superior chemical and dimensional stability, low background currents, and a very wide potential window of water stability. Recently, electrochemical applications using BDD electrodes are attracting much attention in many fields, not only in electrochemistry but also in fields such as functional materials science, analytical chemistry, environmental science, biomedical or biological science and so on. In fact, waste water treatment systems, ozone generation systems, using BDD electrodes have already become commercially available. Electrochemical sensor using BDD electrodes are also very near to commercialize. More so, the number of publications involving BDD electrochemistry research is drastically increasing year by year. Here, in this symposium, the current development on BDD electrochemistry such as electrochemical sensor including biomedical application, water treatment, ozone generation, electrochemical organic synthesis will be discussed. Furthermore, the fundamental studies on interfaces of BDD electrodes including theoretical analysis are also important topics.

Molecular photoinduced charge separation systems have been designed and developed elegantly based on Marcus’s electron transfer (ET) theory. In stark contrast, how the movement of atomic nuclei influences the behavior of electrons and spins involved in ET reactions in a time-evolving manner has rather been overlooked. However, in recent years, the importance of dynamic fluctuations, vibrations, rotations, and collective motion (i.e., lattice vibration, phonon) in molecular donor- acceptor (D-A) systems involved in the excited-state generation, charge separation, and charge dissociation has gradually been revealed. In this regard, we propose a new concept, “dynamic exciton”. First, we redefine “exciton”. Here, “exciton” is not only redefined as the locally excited state in molecular D-A systems, but also this terminology is extended further to include the charge-transfer (CT) excited state and charge-separated (CS) state as the umbrella term of the three different states considering the emphasis on hole- electron pair. We aim to manipulate the three different states through mutual transformation in this new comprehensive photochemistry. Another important aspect of “exciton” is related closely with “dynamic” aspect of “exciton”. For molecular D-A systems, it is pivotal to understand the mutual interplay between behaviors of electrons and spins and movement of atomic nuclei as well as of their collective motion in time-dependent manner. By restructuring science in photochemistry under “dynamic exciton” and adopting the dynamic effects, it is high expected to develop versatile photofunctions in electronics, energy, medicine/medical care, and functional materials in future. The major goal of this symposium is to solve the above issues by merging rational molecular design based on the dynamic effects with world-leading high- resolution spectroscopies and unique theoretical analyses. In particular, we would like to focus on research related to manipulation of the above three states for energy conversion such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) and organic photovoltaics (OPV) in term of electron-vibration and spin-orbit couplings.

A dynamic polarity is an advanced polarity that is affected by an external factor that has control over electrons, protons, ions, dipoles, and similar entities in a spatiotemporal manner. By reframing polarity from space and time, we can enhance our scientific understanding of polarity in various living and material systems. Precisely designing, synthesizing, and controlling the sequence of dynamic polars, as well as coupling them, may lead to a new field of "polarity science.” In this session, we will focus on not only static polar but also dynamic polar in inorganic, molecular and bio-materials, and would like to discuss the new direction of polar materials.

Materials and molecules that possess unpaired electronic spins exhibit a plethora of unique chemical and exotic physical properties. Such spins can produce powerful reactive chemical tools and sensitive spectroscopic probes. Recently paramagnetic defects in crystals and engineered free radical centers in synthetic materials are increasingly being explored as key components in quantum sensors and quantum information systems, as molecular magnets and redox active systems, and even in spintronic devices based on exploiting spin as another degree of freedom. The reactive chemistry of free radicals can also make them an essential tool for bond transformations and redox reactions. Taken together, spin-containing materials and free radical molecules possess unique properties that make them relevant to many fields – from reactive molecular species to spectroscopic probes in biology and to key components in all-organic electric batteries and new functional materials. This symposium builds on the success of three preceding symposia at Pacifichem 2010, 2015 and 2021 focused primarily on nitroxide free radicals. The 2025 Symposium is expanding to reflect further progress in new redox and antioxidant chemistry, as well as to include the chemistry and properties of functional materials with spin centers that exploit the chemical and quantum spin properties provided by these unique chemical architectures. Thus, the 2025 symposium will focus on:
1) Synthesis of organic radicals and materials engineering of spin centers with designed functionality;
2) Redox-active and reactive nitroxides – from biological probes to all-organic batteries;
3) Chemistry and physical properties of supramolecular spin assemblies 4) as the building blocks for spintronics and quantum information processing.
The Symposium will follow the common theme of spin centers and free radicals in chemical systems and materials of increased complexity: from organic synthesis of small molecules through to engineered quantum defects in crystals, to supramolecular assemblies, nanoclusters and low-dimensional bio-/nanomaterials. The transdisciplinary nature of the Symposium brings together organic synthetic, supramolecular and materials chemists as well as experts in spectroscopy, quantum information and materials science. The Symposium will provide unique means to disseminate recent research results in free radical chemistry and applications among the disciplines and diverse Pacific Rim scientific communities, thereby fostering new interdisciplinary collaborations, industrial development, and inspiring new discoveries that are expected to rapidly transform the field.

"Intelligent theranostic biomaterials, including traditional shape memory, stimuli-responsive biomaterials and advanced biomimetic and interactive biomaterials, are a type of cutting-edge materials capable to communicate with surrounding pathological changes and give feedback to theranostic responses. The development of intelligent theranostic biomaterials offers sustainable solutions for early-stage disease monitoring, timely treatment and state-of-the-art healthcare strategies for future precise and personalized medicine.

The scope and focus of this symposium include following 5 aspects:
1) Shape memory biomaterials and regenerative medicine
2) Stimuli-responsive biomaterials and controllable drug delivery
3) Biomimetic biomaterials
4) Interactive biomaterials and drug-device-field integration
5) Self-powered micro/nanorobotics"

The primary purpose of this symposium is to provide an international forum to discuss recent developments in the field of luminescent nanomaterials, the fundamental properties and mechanisms underpinning the luminescence as well as their application in a broad range of applications in photonics and biophotonics. Materials and devices to be covered include (but not limited to): luminescent nanocrystals, plasmonic nanostructures, non-crystalline nanomaterials, and biomimetic or biocompatible nanoscale materials. The applications of these nanomaterials will also be covered and can include high resolution fluorescence imaging using luminescent nanolabels, diagnostics, therapeutics, biosensing, etc. All contributions that address recent advances in the field of luminescent nanomaterials, as well as reports on new applications, are encouraged.

Session topics will include:
Optical properties of colloidal nanoparticles (quantum dots, P-dots, carbon nanomaterials, metal nanoparticles, dye-doped nanoparticles, rare earth doped/upconverting nanoparticles), 1D and 2D nanostructures
Biomimetic and biocompatible optically active nanomaterials
Fluorescence imaging using optical nanolabels (including super-resolution and single molecule/single particle imaging) and nanothermometry
Luminescent nanoparticles for biosensing, diagnostics and therapeutics
Luminescent nanomaterials for energy transfer (FRET, etc.)

Mechanically responsive materials that act as energy-transducing elements, are at the core of devices for actuation from nano- to macroscale, including flexible electronics, switchable reflector units for projective displays, artificial muscles, dynamic microfluidic components, and tunable components for contact printing. The research of highly elastic, reversible and directional deformations from elastomers and liquid crystalline materials containing photoactive units has reached maturity, and the current efforts are aimed to optimize performance towards the requirements for specific applications. Concomitantly with the efforts aimed at improvement of the performance of the polymer-based actuators, there are burgeoning research efforts and increased interest in mechanically responsive molecular crystals. The dense and regularly ordered environment in single crystals sets a platform for fast energy transfer with less energy dissipation, which translates into efficient coupling between the light and mechanical energy.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), with their unprecedented structural diversity and chemical tunability, are transforming the landscape of materials design. This symposium will bring together experts from academia and industry to 1) explore strategies aimed at expanding the chemical and structural complexity of MOFs and 2) highlight emerging opportunities and unique applications that derive from this complexity. Speakers will address challenges associated with broadening MOF chemical composition (including synthesis and characterization of multicomponent and multi-domain MOFs), expanding MOF architectural complexity, and directing the design of these complex MOF systems to achieve properties for emerging applications ranging from molecular separations to catalysis and theranostics.

This symposium aims to provide attendees and authors with recent advances and future trends in controlled polymer syntheses combined with dynamic modeling and instrumentation advances that will lead to new generations of single-and multi-stimulus-responsive polymers and nanocomposites. The symposium will gather world-expert researchers who will explore molecular level structural designs and their impact on higher hierarchy stimuli-responsive compositional rearrangements of macromolecular systems and expanding it to nanocomposites. Combining multiple physico-chemical responses in one material, including self-healing, pH, temperature, redox environments, solvents and gases, or biological responses. will be the primary focus of the symposium. Spatiotemporal and energetic considerations critical in designing controllable physio-chemical polymer and nanocomposite responses leading to signaling, communications, encoding phenotypic properties, and molecular recognition will be of particular interest. From drug delivery to implants, biocomputing to diagnostics, or sensing and communication devices, the symposium will feature assemblies of dynamic and interactive components to create a new generation of ‘smart’ devices.

The history of human civilization is intertwined with the discovery and utilization of elements. In the face of modern challenges such as clean energy conversion, pollution mitigation, and green synthesis, there is a growing demand for complex nanostructures that combine multiple elements, crystal structures, and geometrical configurations to enhance and diversify materials functionalities. The key to these functionalities lies in the unique electronic structures, interfaces, and surfaces originated from either solid solutions or heterogeneous structures, which enable various properties from chemosorption to plasmonic resonance and lead to a range of promising devices such as (photo/electro)catalysts, sensors, and therapeutic agents.

This symposium will showcase the latest advances in the design, synthesis, and discovery of multicomponent nanostructures and their applications. It will cover topics such as novel synthesis methods for polyelemental nanomaterials, particularly inorganic ones, such as high-entropy alloys and heterostructures with diverse interfacial configurations; structural characterization and modeling of multicomponent nanostructures; simulations and combinatorial chemistry for exploring the vast phase and structural space; and design rules for tailoring properties of multicomponent nanostructures guided by large-scale computations and machine learning.

This symposium will bring together researchers from inorganic, physical, and materials chemistry and foster stimulating discussions on the field of multicomponent nanostructures in the Pacific Rim area and beyond. It will also highlight the diversity and inclusion efforts in this field and provide opportunities for younger and underrepresented researchers to present their work and pursue their career goals.

Metal oxides in their nanostructured form, including 2D sheets such as transition metal oxides (TMO) and graphene oxides (GO), represent an emerging class of materials, whose properties cover the entire range from metals to semiconductors to insulators and almost all aspects of chemistry, material science, physics, and biology in a very broad application area. Significant progress has been achieved on the synthesis, structural, physical and chemical characterization of self-organized and hierarchically-assembled nanostructured metal oxides (1-100 nm range) that exhibit size-dependent properties. On this solid ground, recent research focuses on exploiting nanostructured metal oxides in a series of applications related to energy harvesting and storage, including solar cells, luminescent solar concentrators and building-integrated photovoltaics, supercapacitors, electrochemical / photoelectrochemical cells for water splitting and batteries.

In parallel to the possibility of fine-tuning the morphological, structural and electronic properties of oxides during their synthesis, the formation of composite systems using carbon-based materials (e.g. carbon nanotubes and graphene) and/or doping of the oxide structures has been shown to yield new charge separation and transport properties of particular interest in photovoltaic, electrochemical and photoelectrochemical systems, which can boost device performance.

Experts from Academia, National Laboratories and Industry will meet in this symposium dedicated to the synthesis, structural and functional characterization of self-organized nanostructures and architectures of emerging metal oxides, with emphasis on application of these materials for energy conversion and storage. This is a thriving area for both developed and developing nations that will allow us to meet future challenges in energy and environment.

The combination of organic and inorganic materials can yield improved properties and/or multiple functionalities. Huge scientific/technological opportunities exist in this area, where rational synthesis and understanding of fundamental properties are of critical importance towards establishing structure-property relationships and realizing targeted applications. The proposed symposium will focus on, but not limited to, the following topics: 1) rational design and synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid materials; 2) advanced characterizations; and their application in 3) biomedicine; 4) energy storage and conversion, such as solar cells and batteries; and 5) electrocatalysis, photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis, such as solar fuel production and biomass transformation. In addition to experimental work involving new hybrid materials, structures, processes and devices, relevant computational studies, materials-by-design advances and accelerated hybrid materials discovery by machine learning will also be covered.

Photo-functional nanomaterials, including molecules, molecular assemblies, supramolecular systems, nanoparticles, and nanocrystals, have recently been attracting considerable attention in terms of not only their interesting photo-responses from a scientific viewpoint but also possible applications towards the development of innovative photon-related technologies. Representatives can be seen in e.g., optogenetics utilizing photo-responsive proteins for controlling bioactivities of cells by light, and super-resolved imaging techniques attained by using photo-switchable fluorophores. Towards the next innovations, considerable investigations on photo-responsive materials are still ongoing with enthusiasm in various research fields, such as photo-energy conversion, photo-catalysis, photo-mechanical systems, and a new class of luminescent materials.
To foster the rational design and realization of innovative photo-functional materials, it is crucial to provide multidisciplinary researchers with a platform for exchanging cutting-edge information. The symposium we propose here will be thus dedicated to bringing together diverse chemical scientists primally from the Pacific area; their research topics cover photo-switchable molecules, photochromism, photothermal conversion, photomechanical systems, photochemical reactions, photophysics/dynamics, photo-energy conversion, photoinduced phase transition, photo-pharmacology, photoluminescence, and related areas. In addition to the scientists from Pacific-rim countries, several collaborators from Europe will also be involved in the symposium for diverse, international discussion. The symposium will focus on the following topics: 1) innovation of fundamental photo-responsive mechanism: multiphoton triggering, multi-exciton generation from single exciton, photon up-conversion, photo-response caused by photon momentum, etc., 2) design and synthesis of new photo-functional molecules/materials: molecular switches, mechanical nanosystems, luminescent materials, etc., 3) novel approaches for photon energy conversion and storage: photo-thermal response, stepwise photoreactions, photoinduced phase separation, etc., and 4) applications of photo-functional molecular nanosystems.

The biological properties of proteins largely rely on the higher-order structures. Correct folding of the unstructured polypeptide chains to the native structures allows for physiological functions, whereas misfolding-induced insoluble assemblies, aggregates such as amyloid fibrils, often cause a number of degenerative diseases. The process of proteins to form dense assemblies with liquid characteristics, namely liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), plays key roles in cellular functions such as signaling and gene expression. Understanding of the folding and assembling mechanisms is one of the central subjects in biological science, which is also helpful for drug design to combat pathogenic assemblies and recover abnormal protein functions. In light of bioengineering, the control of the assembling nature of proteins provides materials design based on (poly)peptides with bio-functionalities. Non-toxic fibrillar assemblies consisting of collagen helices and β-sheet stackings have been extensively developed to mimic extracellular matrices for tissue engineering and drug delivery. In addition, coacervates made of polypeptides have also gained attention as dynamic media with stimuli responses. Efficient combination of various chemical methodologies will give us deeper understanding of the polypeptide folding and assembly, and their controlling to advance the materials design and therapeutic applications. In this symposium, we highlight the recent progress in the chemical biology of protein folding, aggregation, and LLPS, and discuss chemical approaches to develop the biofunctional and therapeutic materials.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) became a popular and emerging research topic in recent times due to their maximized atom utilization efficiency compared to bulk metal catalysts in different heterogeneous catalytic reactions. SACs consist of isolated metal atoms singly dispersed on a support. The simplicity and uniformity of the SACs offer a great versatility to understand the catalytic active sites in theoretical level. Various factors including synthesis techniques and support structure play crucial roles in determining the properties and performance of SACs. This proposed symposium in the Pacifichem 2025 will provide a platform for discussing the recent developments of novel preparation methods and applications of SACs in heterogeneous catalysis. The topic is well aligned to a conference like Pacifichem 2025, as many of the research groups expertise on SACs are from the different pacific rim countries including China, Korea Japan, United States, and Canada. We anticipate a participation of diverse presenters and audience from different pacific rim countries at our symposium.

This symposium will highlight advances in SACs for heterogeneous catalysis applications, including (1) the novel preparation methods of SACs following mild, environment friendly and cost-effective process with good reproducibility, (2) the development of SACs-mediated catalytic process with enhanced activity, selectivity, and stability and (3) the future perspective of SACs especially in industrial heterogeneous catalysis applications.

Topics include but are not limited to:
1) Novel synthetic strategies for various SACs
2) Application of SACs in various gas phase heterogeneous catalytic reactions such as CH4 activation, water-gas shift, and NOx reduction
3) SACs in liquid-phase catalysis including aerobic oxidation, dehydrogenation, and catalytic reduction
4) SACs in electrocatalytic and photocatalytic applications such as CO2 reduction, oxygen reduction and water oxidation
5) Advanced analysis/characterizations of SACs by experimental and theoretical investigations
6) In situ study of changes in single atoms under reaction conditions.

Photophysicochemical properties of chiral molecules, conventionally called chiroptical properties, such as optical rotation and circular dichroism, have been used as markers to speculate on the stereochemistry of new compounds. Recently, circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) has attracted much attention from scientists because CPL is proposed to be applicable to three-dimensional optical displays, CPL lasers, and CPL sensors. In addition, the development of circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs), which emit circularly polarized light in an electric field, has been particularly active in recent years. The number of reports on the synthesis of CPL fluorophores and the development of CP-OLEDs, and as well as detailed photophysicochemical experiments, is increasing year by year; however, the strategy for achieving enhanced CPL and circularly polarized electroluminescence (CPEL) properties is still unclear. In the proposed symposium, we will discuss both synthetic studies of CPL active materials, CP-OLEDs, and their photophysicochemical studies.

Light management describes the strategic control of light scattering and absorption. This symposium will explore the convergence of photonic designs- involving but not limited to plasmonic, dielectric, and hybrid systems- and chemical processes to induce significant changes in these properties. Topics will cover the fundamentals of dielectric changes through redox reactions, photonic designs, and their applications. The active manipulation of light scattering and absorption using chemical strategies will open new pathways for developing photonic devices such as smart windows, reflective displays, biochemical sensors, dynamic metasurfaces, and tunable photonic devices. The symposium will provide collaborative opportunities across several disciplines, including electrochemistry, photonics, and plasmonics, promote innovative ideas, and help establish future research directions.

The molecular solids have garnered scientific attention in Materials Science for decades because of their rich chemistry and unique physics in conducting, magnetic and optical properties. Following the great success in the corresponding sessions in a previous series of Pacifichem, the symposium proposed here covers a wide variety of topics regarding molecular conducting solids and related functional materials. They are expected to include, but do not limit, development and measurements on molecular devices, photo-, nonlinear- and superconductivity, Mott insulators, spin liquids, highly correlated systems, dielectric, magnetic, and topological materials. Thus, our session in Pacifichem 2025 will provide valuable platforms for international networking and collaboration among interdisciplinary research groups from the Pacific Rim countries. In addition to leading scientists from all over the Pacific Ocean, many young researchers and students are expected to attend the session, who will be certainly inspired by excellent talks disclosing cutting edge findings based on state-of-the-art methods as well as active discussion during the poster session. Our session focused on the molecular conductors will connect great minds, present and future, and dream to reality by making a Pacific circuit for new scientific current leading to clear future vision that chemistry can create better world.

Self-assembly in materials has emerged as a distinct field, encompassing structural rearrangements of complex molecular and nanoparticle systems. The symposium will cover experiments, theory, computer simulations, and selected applications of self-assembled systems. involving molecular rearrangements of surfactants, block copolymers, liquid crystals, peptides, and proteins. Furthermore, the topics will cover higher order self-assemblies of monolayers, micelles and vesicles, nanoparticles, microemulsions, polymer-protein conjugates, peptide amphiphiles, and other biofunctional systems. This symposium will highlight state-of-the-art understanding of diverse systems where self-assembled biofunctional nanomaterials are the key actors.

Molecular self-assembly at surfaces is a burgeoning field dealing with the use of hydrogen bonds, metal-organic coordination, van der Waals forces and, in some cases, covalent bonds to form two-dimensional long-range ordered patterns. As this field matures, there has been a recent surge of interest in controlling the formation of covalent oligomers and polymers at surfaces, following the need to create more robust structures that may have advanced functionalities. The former are model systems for organic thin film growth to be used as active materials in, e.g. organic electronic devices; the latter are organic analogs of graphene, i.e. planar conjugated structures with semiconducting rather than ballistic conducting behavior.
This symposium will bring together leading scientists from inorganic and organic chemistry and surface physics communities presenting recent breakthroughs in the formation and characterization of functional molecular architectures at surfaces by self-assembly as well as using surface-confined reactions to facilitate bottom-up synthesis of linear conjugated polymers (aka molecular wires), graphene nanoribbons and two-dimensional polymers.

The symposium is led by a group of female professionals from industry, academia, and small business in bringing together interdisciplinary researchers from three societies (ACS, CSC, CCS) to explore innovative and feasible solutions to energy sustainability challenges with an emphasis to end plastic pollution. The overarching goal of this symposium lies in exploration of nature-inspired variable-property materials and their potential applications in sustainable emerging energy systems to contribute to net-zero emission and further advance circular economy. The topics of the invited presentations and discussions will focus on the latest research discoveries and leading-edge concepts in developing new and innovative solutions to address the challenges of energy consumption, waste management, and climate change through this trilateral collaboration of researchers. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in dialogue and share their knowledge and experiences in tackling these complex issues. This symposium is designed to promote community building to drive the development of new technologies and approaches in sustainable energy production, and to identify new opportunities in the field.
The topics are suggested, but not limited to the following, 1) hydrogen production and utilization, 2) CO₂ capture and sequestration, 3) sustainable biofuel, 4) nature-inspired polymers, and 5) energy storage and conversion systems. The symposium will bring together experts and stakeholders from academia, industry, and government laboratories to provide a forum for open discussion, exchange of ideas, and networking. The goal of the symposium is to advance the use of nature-inspired variable-property materials, promote the development of new technologies and approaches, and create a sustainable future for us and future generations.

This symposium will focus on interfacial phenomenon relating to wetting, adhesion, and surface modification (chemical and/or physical) used to control these. Topics of interest include super-wetting surfaces (superhydrophobic, superomniphobic, superaerophilic, lubricant-infused surfaces, etc.), low-adhesion surfaces (anti-icing, anti-fouling, anti-biofouling, nonstick, anti-stain, etc.), and surface modification techniques that enable these type of interfacial properties (laser texturing, lithography, self-assembly, chemical patterning, wettability patterning, etc.). Fundamental talks are very welcome, for example in in terms of contact line dynamics, droplet physics, polymer brush phenomenon, interfacial fracture, or nanomechanics. The symposium also welcomes application-specific content that utilizes wettability and/or adhesion phenomena to modify performance, such as dropwise condensation and heat transfer, sustainable replacements for perfluoroalkylated substances, microfluidics / liquid transportation, and advanced coatings.

Anions play a vital role in numerous chemical, biological, physiological, and environmental processes. As such, molecular recognition of anions is one of the pillars of supramolecular chemistry that enables selective binding, detection, transformation and ultimately control of these species. Chloride, for instance, is involved in maintaining osmotic balance, regulating pH, and transmitting nerve signals. Bicarbonate is essential for proper functioning of the respiratory and renal systems. It is also a key target in the development of negative C emission technologies. Phosphates are integral components of DNA, RNA, and ATP, playing key roles in energy transfer and cell signaling. They are also vital to securing our food supply, underlining the increasingly urgent need for new approaches to close the P cycle. Many critical aspects of the sustainability of water focus on nitrate, sulfates, and PFAS. Consequently, recognition, sensing, separation, transport, and transformation of anions have developed into important and vibrant research thrusts in supramolecular chemistry, with applications in human health, energy, and sustainability. The symposium will focus on all aspects of anion recognition and transport, spanning the entire spectrum from fundamental to applied research. Topics of interest include: design and synthesis of anion receptors, structural and thermodynamic aspects of anion–host interactions, anion-driven self-assembly of supramolecular architectures and crystals, anion sensing and separation, and biological, medical and environmental applications of anion recognitions.

Supramolecular chemistry deals with non-covalent interactions between molecules, and therefore encompasses a large field of research. While it was originally thought of as an academic curiosum, it has now found many applications that can be used to address global challenges. For example, macrocyclic hosts have been used as antidotes and drug delivery systems, synthetic ionophores have potential anticancer activity, and many chemosensors have been developed to detect disease biomarkers and other analytes. On the materials science front, there is great promise in the use of supramolecular polymers as self-healing materials and in the use of MOFs and other porous frameworks for carbon capture and hydrogen storage. Thus, our symposium will bring together speakers working on all these potential applications and establish a forum for discussion of the diverse roles supramolecular chemistry can play to address current global challenges in medicine (drug development, drug delivery and biomarker sensing/detection) and materials.

The field of visible light activated transition metal catalysis is rapidly emerging as a powerful approach for developing new synthetic transformations. By combining direct photoexcitation with the ability of metals to mediate reactions within their coordination sphere, these systems open the possibility to create catalytic transformations not typically possible in thermal chemistry, do so under mild conditions, and lead to streamlined approaches to synthesis. Ongoing research in this field has demonstrated the ability of numerous active metal catalysts to directly harvest visible light energy. This symposium will highlight the many advancements in this exciting area of research beyond that of photoredox chemistry, and its applications in organic synthesis, materials science, Green chemistry and polymers. The mechanisms by which these transformations occur will also be discussed.

The discovery and identification of biologically active molecules using two compound resources, natural products and synthetic compound libraries, has been a driving force in chemical biology research. We propose the Latent Chemical Space as a third resource to promote data-driven chemical biology research by integrating informatics research and natural products, and proposed compounds are materialized by organic synthesis. This third resource is constructed by deep learning technology based on bioactivity data of natural products, and this AI driven new resource is realized using powerful organic synthesis. The latent chemical space will bring about a paradigm shift in data-driven chemical biology research. This symposium deals with topics related to 1) screening and development of bioactive molecules; 2) informatics for bioactive molecule design; and 3) organic synthesis of designed molecules. This symposium should lead a new science of that can efficiently develop innovative bioactive molecules and seeds for pharmaceuticals.

The importance of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) as powerful Lewis base catalysts and intermediates in organic synthesis has exploded in importance due to their unique characteristics and reactivity patterns. These related divalent carbon species have the potential to impact all areas of chemistry, including catalysis, organic synthesis, and material science. The theme of the proposed symposium will be "Carbenes for Catalysis and Synthesis" under the topic area of “Organic” and will highlight broad advances in these interconnected areas with strong basic science and mechanistic approaches coupled to target-based activities and applications. The broad versatility of carbenes as catalysts for two electron and single electron processes and as ligands for transition metals in a wide variety of different transformations in synthesis will be a major focus of the presentations. The symposium will also seek to highlight the interplay between the fundamental physical organic chemistry aspects of carbenes and their distinctive utility in synthetic applications.

The major goal of this symposium is to highlight the recent advances in the chemical synthesis and functionalization of novel nanocarbons and related materials including fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, nanographenes, nanodiamond, and two-dimensional materials for basic sciences and to explore their potential applications. Among the various fields of nanocarbon science, the chemistry of nanocarbons, more specifically their chemical synthesis and functionalization, still remains very active and continues to expand their field into emerging nanomaterials. Chemistry is the study of the transformation of materials, and it is crucial for the creation of unprecedented nanographenes as well as new functionalities in novel materials based on fullerenes and carbon nanotubes. The purpose of this symposium is to provide a forum for the presentation of all aspects of synthesis, chemical functionalization, property evaluation, characterization, and application of nanocarbons and related materials. In the course of this symposium the organizers intend to have presentations from leading scientists in the fields of organic, inorganic, physical, and theoretical chemistry, and materials science. We also intend to have presentations from scientists in both industry and academia.

The present symposium focuses on the progressive fluorine chemistry based on organic synthesis. To date, new technologies of organic reactions such as metal-catalyzed fluorination, fluoroalkylations, C-F bond activation, metal- or organo-catalyzed photoredox, mechanochemical transformations, and flow technology have developed. These innovations have dramatically affected the fundamental situation of synthetic methods for organofluorine compounds. Most of organofluorine compounds which previously difficult to be synthesized, are going to be more available now. The challenging reactions, such as direct fluorination of organic molecules, using fluoroform for trifluoromethylation and trifluoromethyl cross-couplings reaction, and fluoro-functionalizations are going to be realized on a practical level. From the environmental viewpoints, controllable degradation of organofluorine compounds is a hot topic. The development of new reactions involving C-F transformation is quite important in chemistry. Therefore, it is the best opportunity to organize the symposium highlighting the remarkable progress of organofluorine chemistry. All the reactions covered widely in this symposium will include, new cross-couplings, C-F transformations, and fundamental studies on reactivity of organofluorine compounds. The papers may also cover the effect of metal, ligand structure and other variables on the rate, scope, selectivity, and functional group compatibility of these new emerging technologies. This symposium hopes to overview different approaches taken by organic, inorganic, and organometallic chemists to manipulate organic substrates containing fluorine atom(s).

Research on the synthesis, properties, and uses of functional pi-electronic systems has seen tremendous growth over the last two decades. Broadly defined as conjugated molecules with designed properties, functional pi-systems encompass a wide variety of molecular systems (e.g., acenes, annulenes, conjugated polymers, porphyrins, dyes) and research areas (e.g., supramolecular chemistry, molecular recognition, nonlinear optics, organic semiconductors). In recognition of the burgeoning importance of this vast interdisciplinary field, we would like to organize a symposium on "Designed pi-Electronic Systems: Synthesis, Properties, Theory, and Function" for the 2025 Pacifichem meeting. The primary focus will be on new and improved synthetic methods and techniques for the assembly of conducting polymers, optical materials, magnetic materials, etc. Nonetheless, discussion of specific materials properties will also be an important part of the symposium. The potential speakers that we plan to invite will represent a diverse group in terms of background, gender, and geographical location, mixing well-established investigators with relatively new faces on the scene. We are convinced that the very high caliber of the scientists who will speak at this symposium will ensure excellent attendance, which in turn will foster a congenial atmosphere for the lively exchange of exciting, cutting-edge science.

Process chemistry underpins the competitiveness of chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Since the stagnation of process chemistry is estimated to cause the industrial depression, chemists focus on process chemistry consistently provide the stimulus by the development of novel and efficient new reactions and technologies. This symposium will draw focus to the technologies adaptable to process chemistry because the process development from molecules to pharmaceutical drugs will be involved in other symposia. This symposium will be concerned with new reactions and methods for the synthesis of functional materials including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, chemical raw materials and so on oriented in the direction of process chemistry including green and sustainable chemistry as one of the major topics. Furthermore, various isolation methods including crystallization, development of reactors and equipment, direct observational methods of reaction progress are important topics. Finally, the process design to scale up will be also considered.

Modern research in organic synthesis involves numerous new tools and technologies that can be used to enable a broad range of chemical transformations. For example, flow chemistry can enable rapid, exothermic reactions to be controlled. Electrochemistry and photochemistry can harness electrons and photons to efficiently access high energy reactive intermediates. Mechanochemistry can initiate chemical reactions through physical force in the solid state rather than require solution-phase collisions. Biocatalysis can achieve astounding selectivity by exploiting and redesigning nature’s catalysts. High throughput experimentation can enable the generation of large data sets, and machine learning can aid in their interpretation and make accurate predictions about the next possible experiments. It is no doubt that these technologies are changing how molecules are made and will have an important role to play in the future of organic chemistry. However, synthetic chemists can be intimidated by the technological barrier for using these tools. This symposium seeks to bring together experts with diverse backgrounds to communicate the advantages embracing modern technology can bring to practicing organic chemists, as well as provide practical insight into how the listener can use these insights to solve their own challenges in synthetic chemistry.

Over the past fifteen years, there has been a remarkable renewal of interest in photochemical synthesis. Much of the initial reinvigoration focused on the use of photoredox catalysis to produce organic radical intermediates under exceptionally mild conditions. A symposium at the 2013 Spring ACS Meeting highlighting this theme was very well attended and helped to raise the profile of the field, with a follow up meeting focused on emerging investigators in 2018. As photochemistry has once again become a major theme in synthetic chemistry, the boundaries of the field are being expanded in several creative new ways. This symposium on Frontiers in Synthetic Organic Photocatalysis is being proposed to highlight these novel ideas, ranging from new strategies utilizing energy- and electron-transfer from photoactivated catalysts to organic molecules for organic synthesis, materials chemistry, translation to industrial applications, complex molecule total synthesis, and computational chemistry.

Organic synthesis has been consistently developed, serving as an indispensable technology for creating and providing value-added molecules for our society. However, upon looking toward the sustainable development of society, organic synthesis must consider effective utilization of omnipresent carbon resources, molecular transformations using renewable energy, and minimization of waste. In this regard, radical reactions hold significant potential to realize truly sustainable chemical synthesis with a wide range of resources as starting materials. Yet, it is still difficult to precisely control radical intermediates for eliciting full potential of the radical-mediated organic molecular transformations.
The goal of this symposium is to present and share the cutting-edge progress in the catalytic control of the generation of radicals and their bond formations by taking advantage of photo- and electrochemistry for synthetic methodology development. Green catalysis science based on the integration of inorganic chemistry, solid-surface chemistry, and organic chemistry will enable rational design of catalysts capable of harnessing light and/or electric energy for controlling radicals to achieve otherwise difficult selective bond-forming reactions, making it feasible to synthesize high-value-added organic molecules from any carbon resources in the shortest possible time. Fruitful discussion should lead to offer a perspective of catalysis science to revolutionize methods for the conversion of carbon resources, establishing the next-generation organic synthetic chemistry that is not dependent on the structure of molecules.

This symposium focuses on the new development of green techniques for organic and medicinal chemistry applications. It covers following three areas: 1) Pot-, atom-and step-economy (PACE) synthesis (cascade reactions, multicomponent reactions, one-pot synthesis); 2) Green and alternative synthetic techniques (renewable solvents, flow chemistry, microwave, ultrasonic, mechanochemistry); 3) Green medicinal chemistry (toxicology, drug design & synthesis, drug formulation, separation, and process chemistry).

The goal of this symposium is to highlight the challenges and opportunities offered by the total synthesis of complex molecules, particularly natural products, in the 2020s and beyond. The symposium will highlight the use of emerging strategies and methods for total synthesis such as transition metal-mediated methods and catalysis as well as chemoselectivity in complex settings. Furthermore, divergent syntheses that facilitate the investigation of function of families of molecules that are synthesized will be discussed. Experts and leaders in the total synthesis of natural products will provide both a historical perspective on the field and outline the future opportunities for innovation in tackling the synthesis of complex molecules.

Many (hetero)arenes are abundantly available, and yet their synthetic use is largely limited to arene chemistry. Reductive and oxidative dearomatization reactions morph (hetero)arenes to more three-dimensional alkenes, increasing their values. Conversely, alkenes and alkynes can be united into aromatic compounds not readily accessible by derivatizing commercial arenes. As such, traversing between the worlds of arenes and alkenes/alkynes provides exciting opportunities to develop new synthetic methods.
Along these lines, this symposium will focus on: (1) new methods for reductively or oxidatively dearomatizing (hetero)arenes; (2) advances in applications of these methods in synthesis; (3) new methods for uniting alkenes and/or alkynes to construct (hetero)arenes.
Because Pacific Rim country scientists are actively engaged in developing synthetic methods to destroy or (re)construct (hetero)arenes, it is timely to bring these researchers together to share and discuss state-of-the-art methods and just-published advances.

This symposium will gather top researchers in the field of natural products to discuss current and future directions in their labs. In particular, talks will focus on advances in spectroscopic analysis bolstered by computational and bioinformatic approaches. New natural products displaying significant bioactivity, mechanism of action, structural novelty, unusual source or other timely application will be encouraged, as will important new synthetic methods and/or strategies. The symposium organizers will seek to balance diversity of backgrounds as well as career status, with more than 30% of both invited and contributed speakers from underrepresented groups and inclusive of postdoctoral through full professor career levels. A distribution of speakers from among the Pacific Rim countries will ensure a robust and engaging breadth of science.

A broad range of modern synthetic approaches exist toward small molecule synthesis. However, most of these methods are not efficient or require major adjustments when it comes to synthesis of complex molecular architectures, such as macrocyclic molecules, peptides, sugars, lipids, complex natural products etc. The symposium will focus on modern strategies toward assembly and modifications of complex molecular structures. The experts in the field will discuss specific challenges related to this field, provide recent developments, and identify the most prominent future directions.

The development of new C-H functionalization strategies plays a crucial role in streamlining the synthesis of complex natural products and drug leads. The aim of this proposal is to gather scientists who develop or implement C-H functionalization methodologies, from both academia and industry, to discuss future prospects of the field. This symposium will be inclusive of all C-H functionalization approaches that impact chemical synthesis, including transition-metal catalysis, photoredox catalysis, organocatalysis, metal-free methodologies, and greener synthesis. Recent progress from around the world, such as Canada, South Korea, Japan, China, and the US, will be presented.

The proposed symposium aims to discuss recent developments and pertinent results in the areas of organic solid-state chemistry. The latest research on organic solid-state chemistry accomplishes great success in the broad fields of organic chemistry and physical chemistry, with current emphases on organic synthesis, chiral chemistry, photochemistry, coordination chemistry, luminescent materials, self-assembly, and electronic materials, to name a few. At this symposium, eminent chemists, researchers, and graduate students in Pacific-Rim countries will gather, share information, and develop key arguments on the organic solid-state chemistry to set the stage for future collaborations in various fundamental and technologically-relevant fields.

The proposed symposium will focus on the following topics: (a) Organic reactions and polymerizations in the solid-state; (b) Molecular dynamics in the solid-state; (c) Chirality and optical resolution; (d) Molecule recognition; (e) Crystal structure and design; (f) Mechanism of nucleation, crystal growth, and crystallization process design; (g) Polymorphism, phase transitions, and amorphous structures; (h) Electronic and luminescent properties; (i) Nanostructures and Nanoporous Crystals.

The organocatalysis, in which the reaction is mediated by a catalytic amount of a small organic molecule, has emerged as a powerful tool in organic synthesis, and is a rapidly developing field during the past decades. Definitely more fascinating reactions by organocatalysis are expected to apply the synthesis of biologically active molecules and its relevant compounds. In contrast to the ordinary metal-catalyzed syntheses, the field of organocatalysis certainly offers new perspectives for academic, industrial, economic, and ecological benefit. Hence, organization of an organocatalysis symposium at the PACIFICHEM 2025 seems to be quite effective to share the up-to-date information among the synthetic communities in the world including Pacific Rim countries. The goal of this symposium is to bring the topic of increasing appearance in the literatures and conferences of organic chemistry to the attention of the chemical community, and to stimulate the further development of this important field in organic synthesis. Discussion on the search for small, metal-free, organic molecules that can be utilized for more-broadly applicable, more-selective, active catalysts to expand the scope of the reaction system should open up new aspect in this exciting area of organic chemistry.

The focus of this symposium is on photochemical and photophysical aspects of organic, inorganic and hybrid system systems and will be geared towards deliberating the recent progress in the emerging areas related to the development of applications in synthetic chemistry, material and biological sciences. Emerging developments in the above areas has the potential to address problems related to: organic transformations, reaction methodology, light harvesting systems, light induced biological processes, and photo-triggering mechanisms. Such development in interdisciplinary field goes beyond the established precincts carved out by traditional areas of chemistry. The intention of the proposed symposium is to bring eminent researchers, students and post-docs from pacific-rim countries and discuss these emerging areas that far exceed the frontiers of a single discipline. This will enable future generation of researchers to involve in conversations related to the development of sustainable future and explore possible future collaborations.

Professor Koji Nakanishi was a pioneer in natural products chemistry, spectroscopic methods and chemical biology with seminal contributions to the understanding of the chemistry of all life processes. With a prolific career spanning over 60 years in both Japan and the United States, Prof. Nakanishi made creative and foundational discoveries related to the structural elucidation of complex natural products, the mechanism of action of bioactive compounds, bioorganic chemistry, the chemistry of vision, and micro-analytical chemistry. The multifaceted reach of his research career was breathtaking, and his impact is still felt broadly across the field of organic chemistry.
To celebrate the 100^th anniversary of his birth in 1925 and the lasting inspiration that Prof. Nakanishi had on so many chemists from around the world, this symposium will highlight the latest advances in chemical biology and bioorganic chemistry. International researchers from both academia and the pharmaceutical industry will deliver oral presentations on topics including chemical synthesis, biosynthesis, structural determination, spectroscopic studies, and drug development.

In the realm of organic synthesis, reshaping a pre-existing molecular framework into a new one poses a formidable challenge, distinct from the more routine tasks of functional group interconversion and structural modification at the molecule's periphery. This symposium aims to explore recent breakthroughs in methodologies facilitating the manipulation of molecular skeletons, including insertion/deletion and swapping of atom or small molecules. Additionally, skeletal rearrangement and C-C bond activation reactions will be discussed. The symposium serves to disseminate advancements and address challenges in skeletal editing reactions, offering attendees valuable insights to inspire future reaction development endeavors.

This symposium is designed to embrace the many possible contributions to the vibrant field of stereoselective synthesis, including reaction development, strategic advances, and applications of the product molecules. Moreover, it aims to bring together chemists targeting a broad diversity of target molecules, including drug substances and designed molecules of theoretical interest.

Continuous flow and microreactor systems are revolutionizing the field of chemical synthesis with their innovative impact. These systems offer significant safety and environmental benefits, surpassing conventional experimental setups by virtue of their high surface-to-volume ratio. They provide precise temperature control, efficient mass transfer, and the ability to control highly reactive intermediates. One noteworthy advantage of flow reactors is their modular design, allowing for the integration of multiple reactors to enable multi-step sequences, easy scale-up, and in-line reaction monitoring. The symposium will highlight the recent advancements in flow systems, particularly their role in developing new and innovative synthetic routes.

Accelerator-based in situ/operando studies become increasingly important to the advancement of different branches of chemical and materials sciences. In particular, x-rays, neutrons and muons from accelerator based facilities have been used for in situ/operando studies that provide complementary probes that are non-destructive, high penetrating power and elemental specificity for chemical-analyses. They often play crucial roles in characterization of samples under well-controlled circumstances, under working conditions, and continuous evolving during chemical reactions. Studies of functional materials such as energy- and environmental-related catalysts, sensors and batteries using the accelerator-based analysis significantly contribute to understanding of their microscopic working mechanisms. The accelerator-based in situ/operando technique has been also considered as a powerful approach to pursue fundamental understanding of chemical reaction mechanisms on the spatial scales from sub-Å to micrometers at the level of electrons and atoms as well as materials and biological systems. The number of publications in these areas using these approaches has been increasing drastically and steadily over the past decades concurrent with the constructions of many new facilities around the world with the state-of-the-art capabilities. These advances demonstrate that these approaches is regarded indispensable in chemical sciences. Furthermore, upgrading of the accelerator facilities and continuous efforts to improve the approach promote development of new techniques which provide new insights into understanding of various scientific frontiers. In this symposium we focus on recent developments and emerging techniques of accelerator-based in situ/operando observation and its applications to the chemical sciences. Taking into account the emerging probes and techniques, future perspective of this approach will be discussed as an essential approach to innovate the chemical sciences.

Over the past half a century since the discovery of organic semiconductors, electronic devices with solution-processable pi-conjugated polymers and small molecules have witnessed impressive improvements both in materials properties and in device performances. There is now a serious level of industrial interest in device applications that are currently incompatible with the use of silicon or other inorganic semiconductors. A key enabling factor has been scientific progress in improving the charge transport properties in the unique pi-conjugated systems, and their interfaces. This symposium will focus on multi-faceted aspects of functional pi-conjugated materials and devices for next generation electronics; in particular, electronic and mixed-ionic-electronic conductors for organic field-effect transistors and electrochemical transistors. It will also cover the recent developments in almost all aspects of synthetic chemistry, electrochemistry, materials science, charge transport physics, and device engineering.

In the past two decades, single-molecule/particle fluorescence imaging techniques have led to ground-breaking advances in chemistry, biology, materials sciences, and energy sciences. It is the purpose of this symposium to bring together both junior and senior experimentalists and theoreticians leading this effort to overview the latest advances in the field and to foster new ideas to probe electronic, vibrational, magnetic, optical, and thermal phenomena. This symposium will showcase the latest advances in the development of single-molecule/particle imaging techniques as well as their applications in the aforementioned areas.

This symposium focuses on the interdisciplinary fields of astrochemistry and astrobiology, bringing together speakers from laboratory astrochemistry (dynamics, kinetics, spectroscopy), astrochemical modeling (physicists), theoretical astrochemistry (computational chemists), and observational astrochemistry (astronomers). By focusing on the interplay between observational data, kinetic modeling, electronic structure calculations, along with gas phase and ice laboratory studies, we seek to evaluate the generalized concepts on the formation of astrochemically important molecules carrying silicon (Si), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) – among them astrobiologically important molecules such as alkylsulfonic and alkylphosphonic acids. Through the exploration of the current boundaries of astrochemical knowledge, we can more effectively design new laboratory experiments and guide observations in space to resolve key unanswered aspects of molecular synthesis in extraterrestrial space.

Electrostatic interactions underlie all of chemistry, with a key textbook example being electronegativity differences and their effect on chemical bonding. Over the last decade there has been a growing interest towards exogenous fields to detect and direct chemical events. Our understanding of electrostatics on chemical reactivity and selectivity is growing and it is advancing chemistry. This symposium will be an opportunity to celebrate electrostatic forces in chemistry: from the nanoscale to the design of macromolecules. We plan to use 3 ½-day sessions to cover 1) electric double layer fields in chemical catalysis, microscopy and plasmonic techniques; 2) electrostatic catalysis in confined environments (single-molecule in STM or break junctions, AFM techniques, charged zeolites, nanopores, nanodroplets and nanobubbles); and 3) electrostatics on insulators (chemical origin of triboelectricity, electrostatic contribution to mechanochemistry, self-healing materials, electrostatic self-assembly).
The structure of the symposium is aimed at bringing together physical electrochemist, synthetic chemists, polymer chemists, material chemists, electrical engineers and microscopists to consolidate and launch collaborations across the Pacific basin and beyond on one of the most rapidly growing area of fundamental and applied chemical research.

Impressive progresses have been made in high-resolution experimental techniques that visualize dynamics of chemical reaction and transport processes occurring in living cells and nanomaterial systems. Experimental observables in these systems often exhibit nonclassical dynamics that cannot be easily understood by the conventional theories developed for homogeneous macroscopic systems. The focus of this interdisciplinary symposium is to share our knowledge on the nonclassical dynamics observed across various biological or material systems and to discuss physicochemical or artificial intelligence models that provide qualitative or quantitative understanding of the nonclassical dynamics observed in diverse systems. Keywords of this symposium include Chemical Dynamics in Living Cells, Nucleation and Phase Separation Dynamics, Passive/Active Transport Dynamics in Complex Systems, Statistical Thermodynamics of biological or material systems. Both experimentalists and theorists are welcome.

We propose organizing a symposium titled "Emerging Frontiers in Plasmonic Chemistry". This symposium aims to focus on the latest advancements and evolving frontiers in plasmonic chemistry, providing a platform for discussing cutting-edge research findings and unresolved challenges. It will encompass a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:
1. Development and applications of novel plasmonic materials (graphene, MoO₂, etc.)
2. Coupled plasmonic systems with molecular vibrations and excitons (TMDCs, QDs, etc.)
3. Advancements in controlling nanostructures for enhanced photochemical reactions
4. Design and optimization of plasmonic catalysts
5. Plasmonic applications in light energy conversion
6. Theoretical approaches and modeling of plasmonic chemistry
7. Biomedical applications of plasmonic chemistry
8. Ultrafast spectroscopy and imaging in plasmonic systems
9. Plasmon-based bioimaging techniques
10. Environmental impact and sustainability considerations of plasmonic chemistry
The "Emerging Frontiers in Plasmonic Chemistry" symposium will feature presentations, lectures, and discussions on these diverse topics. It will provide a unique opportunity for researchers and scholars to share their latest findings, explore emerging trends, and address challenges in various areas of plasmonic chemistry. Moreover, it aims to foster interdisciplinary collaborations, encouraging experts from different fields to exchange ideas and perspectives.
We hope that this expanded symposium will provide a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in plasmonic chemistry, promote interdisciplinary interactions, and inspire further research and innovation in the field.

This symposium will encompass a range of recently developed advanced spectroscopic and microscopic techniques and applications at the frontiers of physical chemistry. The invited and contributed talks will include experimental and theoretical investigations of reaction dynamics at well-characterized surfaces and clusters, aiming to elucidate the molecular-scale chemical and physical properties and interactions that govern chemical reactivity. The advanced surface spectroscopy and imaging tools provide unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution, leading to a profound impact on understanding the composition, organization, interaction, and dynamics of molecules and materials. This symposium's topics cover novel surface imaging methods, scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, surface/tip-enhanced Raman and IR spectroscopy and microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, non-linear spectroscopies and their theoretical foundations and applications in materials, biological systems, catalysis, and energy research.

This symposium focuses on the chemistry and physics of functional molecular solids, specifically highlighting electrical conductivity, magnetism, dielectricity, optical characteristics, as well as their cross-correlated properties and device properties. It brings together not only physical chemists but also synthetic chemists and physicists to engage in discussions on their recent results, aiming to explore new aspects of functional molecular materials.
Molecular solids possess the potential to generate a diverse range of properties that are not anticipated from individual isolated molecules. The manifestation of numerous phenomena, including Mott transitions, unconventional superconductivity, quantum spin liquids, charge ordering, electronic ferroelectricity, charge glasses, and Dirac electrons, in charge transfer complexes composed of the BEDT-TTF (bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene) molecules, serves as compelling evidence of this potential. Such advancements are the result of collaboration among a wide range of experts spanning from chemistry to physics during the early stages of research field formation, clearly demonstrating that the fusion of chemistry and physics is crucial for creating new value.
In recent years, there has been a surge in research exploring a diverse range of molecular materials beyond traditional charge transfer complexes, including molecular framework materials (e.g. MOFs, COFs), low-dimensional materials, polymers and organic-inorganic hybrid materials. These studies have ventured into the interdisciplinary boundaries, opening up opportunities for the development of new fields.
This symposium aims to bring together promising young chemists and physicists at the forefront of these diverse fields to engage in discussions, with the expectation of generating new trends in the field of molecular solids.

This symposium will mainly explore the structure and dynamics occurring at interfaces, particularly those critical for understanding environment and energy-related interfacial phenomena. We will focus on advanced nonlinear spectroscopic techniques such as sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy, surface second harmonic generation, and ultrafast two-dimensional spectroscopy. These techniques offer unparalleled insights into the molecular structure, dynamics, and interactions occurring at surfaces and interfaces. We will focus on the increasing demand for sustainable energy sources and challenges for environmental issues. Our symposium will bring together experts from diverse fields, share recent advancements, exchange ideas, and initiate new collaborations directed towards crafting solutions for complex challenges facing our world. The proposed symposium aligns with the Pacifichem 2025 Congress's vision of expanding interfaces and fostering diversity among researchers to tackle global challenges.

This symposium will focus on the latest topics in colloid and interface chemistry, which play an important role in the advancement of sustainable science, and will bring together scientists from chemical societies in the Pacific region to share in-depth discussions on its future directions.
The symposium will discuss the basic scientific principles of colloid and interface science, including self-assembly by amphiphilic molecules, preparation of nano (colloidal) particles and control of their dispersion stability, membranes, gels, wetting, biocolloids, adsorption, and rheology. Furthermore, a wide range of recent applied research in this field will be covered, including functional nanoparticles and nanostructure for catalysts and electronic materials, and various self-assemblies for drug delivery systems, cosmetics, foods, inks, etc. We welcome presentations from a variety of research fields and hope to provide participants with an opportunity to actively discuss research interests, explore possibilities for future scientific collaboration, and deepen exchanges each other.

This symposium seeks to highlight the transformative role of materials chemistry in the development of synthetic metamaterials. With recent advances in materials chemistry, including precision synthesis, self-assembly of nanoparticles and macromolecules, nanolithography, and additive manufacturing, there now lies an unprecedented opportunity to explore and harness the potential of synthetic metamaterials. These materials, ranging from macromolecules and nanoparticles to colloidal crystals and architecturally designed materials, exhibit emergent optical and mechanical properties, paving the way for groundbreaking applications. This symposium will serve as a platform to showcase cutting-edge research in the synthesis, characterization, and application of these materials, focusing on their optical and mechanical properties and their potential to revolutionize fields such as medical diagnostics and therapeutics, quantum technologies, information, communications, wearable technologies, soft robotics, and aerospace engineering.

The proposed Symposium will serve as a forum at Pacifichem 2025 for physical and theoretical chemists with interests in application of superfluid helium droplets, as unique hosts to form and to study transient species such as radicals, ions and clusters.
Molecular cations, for example, are important intermediates in the chemistry of condensed phases or in the
gas phase such as in earth’s upper atmosphere or in outer space. In comparison to neutrals, molecular ions
remain much less studied by spectroscopy. Recent works demonstrated that He droplets can serve as ideal
quantum hosts for isolation molecular cations and anions at ultralow temperature of 0.4 K and their study via
infrared spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy.
Invited and contributed talks at the proposed Symposium will highlight resent advances in experimental techniques and the applications of the helium droplets to attaining the structure of molecular cations, radicals and clusters. The cations, for example, often have multiple isomers, whose existence is often implied from the quantum chemical calculations. Helium droplet experiments enable the observation of the infrared spectra of the cations, isomer assignments and even the determination of the relative energy of the isomers for the first time.
New exciting developments in the field call for better understanding of the dynamics of molecules and ions in superfluid helium, such as rotation, vibration and translation inside the droplets as well as ejection from the droplets. Thus, several experimental and theoretical talks will be focused on the dynamics of the quantum solvation, dissociative ionization of molecules and clusters inside the droplets as well as on the aggregation mechanisms in helium droplets. The proposed symposium will provide an opportunity to consider the future directions and applications of the quantum matrix research.

In this symposium, we focus on the present and the bright future of both linear and non-linear vibrational spectroscopy in an open, friendly, and frank atmosphere. Both infrared and Raman spectroscopy have a long history and are utilized as major analytical tools in many scientific laboratories. At the same time, the field of vibrational spectroscopy continues to grow rapidly. Linear and non-linear vibrational spectroscopy combined with high-level quantum chemical calculations is used to probe isolated molecules and molecular complexes, liquids, self-organized structures including monolayers and biomembranes, reaction intermediates, interfaces, and living cells. It is currently possible to record a Raman image of a single molecule or to measure infrared or Raman spectra of molecular species with a lifetime of 100 fs. Vibrational spectroscopy is also applied to monitor physiological activities in cells and in the diagnosis of disease. Sophisticated analyses of large data using machine learning and deep learning techniques can reveal hidden spectra and provide new insights. Twenty researchers from seven countries in the Pacific Rim are expected give invited talks on the latest development in their field of vibrational spectroscopy.
Contributed papers will be presented in oral sessions and in a poster session. This symposium will provide an excellent opportunity for us to learn the latest developments of advanced vibrational spectroscopy and to discuss the future direction of this fruitful research field.
We welcome contributions from all the people who are interested in vibrational spectroscopy.

This symposium focuses on fundamental phenomena at liquid-liquid interfaces that form the basis for many applications yet challenge our understanding at the molecular level. These interfaces provide a platform for the controllable assembly of molecules, ions, and nanoparticles, which dynamically re-organize in response to perturbations like changes in pH, composition, and interfacial electric fields. Such assemblies exhibit a range of functionalities, relevant to chemical separations and reactivity, biosensing, and energy storage. Liquid-liquid interfaces are buried, often in complex biological or environmental settings which challenge our ability to observe molecular ordering, interactions, and fluctuations that play an essential role in their functionality.

This symposium brings together experimentalists and theorists to showcase recent advances. Contributions in areas including, but not limited to spectroscopy, scattering, electrochemistry, theory and computation are welcomed.

The chiro-optical effects have been extensively utilized over the past several decades for the identification of chiral molecules. There have also been numerous studies on achieving chiral materials (absolute asymmetric synthesis) through the irradiation of circularly polarized light. Generally, it has been observed that the dissymmetries resulting from chiro-optical effects and absolute asymmetric synthesis by light are very small. However, recent advancements in laser science and nano-optics have led to the anticipation of potential enhancements in dissymmetry through innovative concepts of optical fields, particularly optical vortices and near-field circularly polarized optical fields. This symposium will cover topics related to these recent advancements, including the following examples:
- Fabrication of chiral molecules, molecular assemblies, nanomaterials, and tissues using chiral light (circularly polarized light and/or optical vortex)
- Light matter interactions and 'giant' chiroptical phenomena;
- Novel materials that exhibit significant dissymmetries in optical absorption, scattering and/or luminescence;
- Innovative measurement methods for chiro-optical effects;
- Chirality-driven self-assembly processes of particles;
- New light sources for generating chiral light;
- Chiral metamaterials across scales;
- Other relevant topics exploring new phenomena in chiral light-matter interaction

Outdoor and indoor air quality is a critical issue that requires a detailed understanding of chemical transformations occurring in both the gas-phase and in aerosol particles. Atmospheric aerosols have strong impacts on air quality, visibility, human health, and the global climate. To decrease the negative impacts, we need a better understanding of the chemical and physical properties of the particles as well as how these characteristics vary with chemical reactions during transport. Chemical reactions occurring in indoor environments can play an especially important role on human health. Research in the field of atmospheric chemistry utilizes multi-dimensional measurements with complementary modeling approaches. This symposium will cover recent advances in cross-disciplinary areas of physical and analytical chemistry of aerosols and trace gasses and it will be focused on the following topics:

1. Multi-phase reactions of aerosol particles and environmental surfaces
2. Chemical and physical properties of aerosol particles with impacts on optical properties and cloud formation potentials
3. Indoor air quality: outdoor/indoor exchange, biomass burning/smoke, bioaerosols, surface interactions, and chemical transformations
4. Aerosol formation, growth, transport, and atmospheric lifecycle
5. Frontiers in modeling studies of outdoor and indoor aerosols and air quality

The proposed Symposium on will serve as a forum at Pacifichem 2025 for physical and theoretical chemists with interests in physics and chemistry of matrix isolated species. Matrix isolation is an experimental technique that generally involves a material being trapped within an unreactive matrix such as rare gas solids and has been used by chemists and physicists for more than half a century. The enduring feature of the matrix isolation has been the ability to synthesize and characterize chemical entities that are not accessible by other routes. This has provided huge insight into chemical structure, bonding, and reactivity over great swathes of the periodic table. Naturally, the application of matrix isolation spectroscopy covers a wide range of research fields from astrophysics & astrochemistry to medical and pharmaceutical sciences. Matrix isolation spectroscopy is still expanding by involving new researchers, both young and old, in this wide range of research fields. In this Symposium we will discuss hot topics in recent progress in chemistry and physics of matrix isolated species. Examples of current interest include novel reaction pathways at low temperature including quantum tunneling reactions, the search for unidentified molecules in interstellar space, chemical reactivity of molecules trapped in quantum environments such as solid parahydrogen, spectroscopic characterization of bio-related molecules, and the application of matrix isolated species to fundamental physics. These, as well as further developments in this field that appear over the next 12 months, will be highlighted in the invited talks. The symposium will provide an opportunity to consider the future directions and applications of matrix isolation spectroscopy in various fields in chemistry and interdisciplinary research.

Coherent multidimensional spectroscopy (CMDS) is an exciting area in physical chemistry with potential to revolutionize spectroscopy. CMDS is akin to multidimensional NMR but mixes vibrational and electronic coherent states instead of nuclear spin states. CMDS generates multidimensional cross-peaks targeting the coupled vibrational and/or electronic states, enabling study of dynamical processes with single quantum state resolution. It encompasses methods like fully coherent CMDS, 2D IR and electronic spectroscopy, and 2D SFG spectroscopy, applicable across chemistry, biology, physics, and materials science. A symposium with four oral sessions features 20 invited and 20 contributed presentations covering molecular and exciton dynamics, water structure in complex systems, vibrational energy transfers, ion dynamics, and photosynthetic complex dynamics.

Enhanced spin polarization can significantly increase the sensitivity of magnetic resonance techniques such as EPR, NMR, and MRI. Furthermore, in the context of quantum information science (QIS), the generation of spin polarization is also important for initialization and sensitivity enhancement in next-generation quantum computing and quantum sensing applications.
Molecular materials have a promising potential in enhanced magnetic resonance and QIS because of their inherent nanoscale size, synthetic tunability, and the ability to precisely control spin states via magnetic exchange, dipolar interactions, and spin-orbit coupling. However, exactly how to design these molecules for the production of desired spin polarization properties presents a considerable challenge to researchers in this emerging area.
This symposium will bring together a diverse group of experts from the fields of synthesis, measurement, and theory to discuss this important and interdisciplinary topic in depth. Proposed topics will include:
-Enhanced electron spin polarization in the ground and excited states
-Experimental and theoretical understanding of spin polarization processes
-Dynamic nuclear polarization
-CIDNP, CIDEP
-Spin polarization in natural and biological systems
-Molecular-based MASER

This session provides a platform for presenting a variety of X-ray and neutron scattering techniques used to investigate the structure and dynamics of complex materials, including aqueous solutions, ordered and amorphous materials under different environmental variables such as temperature, pressure, and magnetic field. Advanced scattering methods have proven effective in characterizing complex chemical systems and determining the origin, nature, and consequences of long- and short-range structural order found in compounds with a variety of properties of interest. This all-day session will focus on methods of probing and modeling the behavior of various materials, with an emphasis on recent experimental advances, limitations, and assumptions made in data analysis.

Utilization of molecular functionality is a key in chemistry and biochemistry in this century. A variety of molecular functionality emerges from combinations of intermolecular interactions. Underlying mechanisms of the functionalities still remain to be explored. Recent remarkable advances in experimental techniques and computational capability enable physical chemists to investigate molecular assemblies/clusters, even highly complicated and very large-sized ones, in the gas-phase isolated condition. Such non-covalently bonded systems now open access to explore origins of molecular functionality at the microscopic level. From basic properties of hydrogen bonds to complex protein functions, studies on molecular clusters and supramolecules are widely applied. This symposium will focus on the recent progress in experimental and theoretical approaches on such molecular systems under the isolated condition.
The topics include intra- and intermolecular interactions, structure determination of molecular assemblies in the gas phase, their dynamics in the electronic excited states and ionic states, photoinduced reactive processes involving proton/charge transfer, water migration, isomerization, chiral recognition, noncovalent and metal-ligand interactions in solvated and biomolecular assemblies, and etc. The interplay between theory and experiments in determining the unique properties of these complex systems will be stimulated in the symposium.

Far-from-equilibrium conditions can induce macroscopic pattern formation that in turn affect microscopic processes altering product yields, device performance, and the dynamic states of living matter. This interplay of nonlinear kinetics and transport continues to attract considerable interest and today emanates into modern fields of chemistry such as active matter, biochemical networks, and origins-of-life research as well as applied electrochemistry. Our symposium will bring together researchers from these interdisciplinary areas to discuss recent trends including but not limited to network science, chemical waves, chemobrionics, synchronization, self-assembly, self-propulsion, and chemical computers. Given the complexity of most of these systems, progress often requires theoretical and computational studies that complement and/or evaluate experimental studies by unveiling underlying principles and fundamental limits. In this context, our symposium will present a cross-section of current theoretical and experimental works based on reaction-advection-diffusion simulations, network analyses, and kinetic investigation in terms of bifurcation analyses and nonlinear dynamics. A third emphasis is the search and demonstration of technological applications of system chemistry and related fields to problems ranging from polymer chemistry to dynamic diseases.

The continuous advancement of experimental methodologies, exemplified by techniques such as XFEL, atto- and femtosecond spectroscopies, provides researchers with increasingly refined tools to investigate interactions between light and matter across progressively shorter time intervals and broader spectrums of wavelengths. This facilitates a more profound comprehension of light-induced phenomena in physics and chemistry, characterized by an unprecedented level of granularity. Nevertheless, the elucidation of experimental observations necessitates comprehensive input from theoretical modeling and analysis, wherein the evolution of novel computational techniques and their practical applications is rapidly progressing. With both theoretical frameworks and experimental methodologies in this domain reaching a state of maturity, the time has come to foster enhanced communication among researchers and allow them to exchange insights within the congenial setting of Pacifichem.

Recent advances in ultrashort and intense pulsed laser technologies have
enabled the generation of extremely intense pulses in the femtosecond
time domain and extremely short laser pulses in the attosecond (10^-18
s) time domain. With these advances we are now measuring ultrafast
chemical phenomena such as motions of protons and electrons within a
molecule occurring during 100 as, controlling chemical bond breaking and
formation, and producing laser filaments for air lasing and for remote
detection. It is also possible to investigate an effect of carrier
envelope phase on chemical bond breaking and rearrangement processes
proceeding within a few-cycle intense laser pulse. For interpreting such
extremely fast processes induced by attosecond pulses and intense and
few-cycle laser pulses, theoretical approaches beyond Born-Oppenheimer
approximations have been developed. Furthermore, coherent molecular
vibrations have been investigated in time domain by few-cycle laser
pulses, and high-resolution spectroscopic information has been obtained
by Fourier transform spectroscopy. On the other hand, high-order
harmonics generated by ultrashort laser pulses are now combined with
X-ray free electron laser to generate intense X ray light pulses, which
can be used for optical microscopy in the water-window wavelength region
and time-resolved X-ray diffraction. The symposium will focus on these
latest developments in strong field chemistry as well as in femtosecond
and attosecond laser science and explore the newest applications to
laser chemistry and frontiers in a newly developing branch of physical
chemistry.