Payal JS, PhD

In industry, it would be like - get a new one! Albeit, calibration will always be in place unlike academic labs.

I wish organic reactions were this easy 😄

And infact we freak out when someone places video calls to us.

Had a productive work meet at IISER Thiruvananthapuram. The best part about the campus is witnessing rubber plantations and the process of obtaining rubber. Also, tea shrubs are seen around the campus area.
Chemistry in the air, literally :)

Infrared and NMR fusion boosts automated structure verification Study highlights untapped potential of IR spectroscopy data

This tool offers fast structure verification for organic chemists dealing with large numbers of spectra.

A Modular and Regioselective Synthesis of Di- and Triarylated Thiophenes: Strategies for Accessing Challenging Isomeric Motifs This work demonstrates a highly modular, fully regioselective, and high-yielding route to accessing a variety of multiarylated thiophene motifs. Specifically, this method was used to generate unique d...

Arylating beta-positions of thiophenes is a challenge.

Interesting paper that tried modular strategy starting with thiophene containing alpha ester group that yielded multi-susbstituted thiophene isomers.

#ChemSky

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Great to see photos of Aurora on my BlueSky TL. Lovely chemistry in nature.

My new read :)

Onion (Allium cepa L.) | 7 | Chemistry and Pharmacology | Pankaj Kumar Onion (Allium cepa L.) is one of the most important members of the Alliaceae family. It is one of the oldest vegetables cultivated extensively for culinary

Our upcoming chapter on Onion will be live soon.
www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edi...

Are you referring to the recent season? I need to check the episode now.

Rethinking Organic Chemistry: The Dual Electronic Behavior of the Alkyl Group A unified framework for understanding the electronic nature of alkyl substituents is presented, resolving the contradiction between spectroscopic data and reactivity patterns typically found in organic chemistry textbooks. This framework is based on the distinct interactions of alkyl groups with σ frameworks and π systems. When attached to an sp3-hybridized atom, as in alkanes, amines, and ethers, the alkyl group acts as an inductive electron-withdrawing substituent (relative to hydrogen). This behavior reflects the greater electronegativity of carbon than hydrogen, as evidenced by NMR chemical shifts and dipole moments. The stability trends observed for aliphatic carbanions and free radicals (ethyl < isopropyl < tert-butyl in both cases) are due to this electron-withdrawing character. The acidity trend of alcohols in aqueous mixtures (methanol > ethanol > 2-propanol > tert-butanol) correlates with the decreasing permittivities of the pure alcohols. Apparent electron-donating effects inferred from Gibbs free energy acidities of ammonium ions and substituted acetic acids arise from entropic artifacts caused by hydrophobic effects. When the alkyl group is bonded to an sp2-hybridized atom, as in alkenes, arenes, carbonyl compounds, carboxylic acids, amides, heterocycles, and carbocations, or to an sp-hybridized atom, as in alkynes, concurrent hyperconjugative electron donation occurs, which overcomes the inductive electron-withdrawing effect in the tert-butyl cation. This work calls for revising textbooks to emphasize both electronic effects and to replace the misinterpreted reactivity examples with spectroscopically validated models, thereby providing a consistent framework essential for educating students and training AI systems in chemistry.

Interesting paper that challenges alkyl group electronic effects in standard organic chemistry textbooks.

#ChemSky

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

In Stranger Things episode 1 there is the following chemical cliffhanger from when Steve is “helping“ Nancy with studying: Compared to the rate of inorganic reactions, the rate of organic reactions is generally…

I feel cheated in not getting the answer to this.. #chemchat

Algorithm is working :)

eCarbonyls: an electrochemical thioether mediated oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones We report eCarbonyls, a scalable, metal-free electrochemical oxidation of alcohols that mimics key features of the classical Swern reaction while avoiding its reliance on cryogenic conditions and haza...

Interesting paper

#ChemSky

eCarbonyls, a scalable, metal-free electrochemical oxidation of alcohols that mimics key features of Swern reaction
pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

A current take on the Swern oxidation Electrochemical update to a classic reaction trades cryogenic conditions for room temperature, to selectively convert primary and secondary alcohols into aldehydes and ketones

A ‘groundbreaking new synthetic approach’ to Swern oxidation has been developed by a group at the University of Greenwich. What potential does this hold for the future of oxidation?

Started the day with a move to a new/bigger office and some exciting project assignments. Steering it all with coffee, thoughts, and vision :) #workday #touchwood

Is science too obsessed with metrics, large-scale projects & “blockbuster” outputs? Desai & Jun argued that preserving the "auteur" spirit of individual creativity, exploration and risk-taking is essential for maintaining the creativity that drew us into science in the 1st place.

Bookmarked! It seems like an awesome compilation for organic chemists :)

Preprints and open data seems like the way forward. Publishing is turning way difficult nowadays.

Use of Industry 4.0 to Promote Sustainable Food Production and Consumption (SDG 12) The growing pressures of climate change, population growth, and resource scarcity have underscored the urgency of transitioning toward sustainable food systems. This chapter explores the transformativ...

Our case study on SDG 12 that focuses on food production & consumption is out now. An interesting collaboration that happened during work travel :)
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...

Good to know. We don't offer internships as of now but will keep posting if anything comes up in future in our lab.

Upcycling waste polystyrene to adipic acid through a hybrid chemical and biological process - Nature Communications Oxidative catalytic depolymerization of polystyrene (PS) can produce benzoic acid, but the annual consumption of benzoic acid is ~40 times lower than PS, so benzoic acid should be converted to higher-...

Interesting paper.

Hybrid chemical & biological process that uses polystyrene as feedstock for production of adipic acid, a co-monomer for nylon 6,6 via benzoic acid.

#ChemSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Busy day ahead @Ozempic board meet #workday

We have convinced ourselves that because our technology is evolving, we must be evolving, too.

What makes PhD students happy? Good supervision Supervisors who invest in positive mentoring relationships with their PhD candidates also reap the benefits for their own research.

Two of my PhD scholars have reached the stage of thesis writing. I'm over the moon seeing their determination & resilience through three years of hectic experimental and industrial work.
A happy PhD scholar is a happy journey:
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Just wrapped up an amazing 12-day trip exploring Puducherry and Mahabalipuram during the Diwali festivities.
From exploring French-style cityscape to scuba diving and paragliding — I did it all!
Back to work now, tackling a minor revision and diving into NMR dataset analysis. #touchwood

Moon today

Reviews

🔥
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

I will soon share in coming months :)

Organic chemistry and bird watching are related. Watch out more on my space for upcoming exciting news.

#touchwood
#ChemSky