Journal Guide

NJC (New Journal of Chemistry) is a broad-based primary journal encompassing all branches of chemistry and its sub-disciplines. It publishes high-quality work that opens new directions in chemistry or in other scientific disciplines. Research must demonstrate that it will have an impact on areas of research other than that of the reported work.

Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry (OBC) publishes original and high impact research and reviews in organic chemistry. We welcome research that shows new or significantly improved protocols or methodologies in total synthesis, synthetic methodology or physical and theoretical organic chemistry as well as research that shows a significant advance in the organic chemistry or molecular design aspects of chemical biology, catalysis, supramolecular and macromolecular chemistry, theoretical chemistry, mechanism-oriented physical organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry or natural products. Articles published in the journal should report new work which makes a highly-significant impact in the field. Routine and incremental work is generally not suitable for publication in the journal. Topics covered include, but are not limited to: Organic synthesis; physical and theoretical organic chemistry; chemical biology; catalysis; supramolecular, macromolecular and organic materials; sensors; medicinal chemistry; natural products.

Organic Chemistry Frontiers is an international forum for cutting-edge research from all disciplines of organic chemistry, with topics spanning but not limited to organic synthesis, catalysis, natural products, functional organic materials, supramolecular and macromolecular chemistry, physical and computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and bioorganic chemistry. Emphases are placed on studies that make significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry by reporting either new or significantly improved protocols or methodologies. Together with Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers and Materials Chemistry Frontiers, this suite of journals offers an authoritative portfolio that is jointly owned by the Chinese Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and partner institutions.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (PCCP) is an international journal co-owned by 19 physical chemistry and physics societies from around the world. This journal publishes original, cutting-edge research in physical chemistry, chemical physics and biophysical chemistry. To be suitable for publication in PCCP, articles must include significant innovation and/or insight into physical chemistry; this is the most important criterion that reviewers and Editors will judge against when evaluating submissions. The journal has a broad scope and welcomes contributions spanning experiment, theory, computation and data science. Articles are welcomed if they demonstrate significant innovation and/or insight into physical chemistry. Joined experimental/theoretical studies are particularly appreciated when complementary and based on up-to-date approaches. Topical coverage includes: • Spectroscopy • Dynamics • Kinetics • Statistical mechanics • Thermodynamics • Electrochemistry • Catalysis • Surface science • Quantum mechanics • Quantum computing • Machine learning • Polymers and soft matter • Materials • Quantum Materials • Nanoscience • Energy • Surfaces/interfaces • Biophysical chemistry • Atmospheric Chemistry • Astrochemistry

The journal for the most innovative and exciting polymer chemistry, with an emphasis on the synthesis and applications of polymers. Polymer Chemistry welcomes submissions in all areas of polymer science that have a strong focus on macromolecular chemistry. Manuscripts may cover a broad range of fields, yet no direct application focus is required.

At the heart of open access for the global chemistry community. RSC Advances publishes advances in chemistry, and in topics of interest to the chemistry community.

RSC Applied Interfaces is a dedicated, interdisciplinary reference journal for cutting-edge research on the applications of surfaces and interfaces. In addition to the applied focus, work considered for publication in RSC Applied Interfaces is expected to be highly original and of top quality. Research papers should highlight the role of interfaces (morphology and composition) and interfacial processes in determining a material’s properties and functionalities. The journal seeks to report major scientific advances beyond the state of the art, at the cutting edge of this interdisciplinary field. Our RSC Applied journals are dedicated to materials science research with a strong focus on innovation in the application, and sit alongside Journals of Materials Chemistry A, B and C in terms of quality and impact.

RSC Applied Polymers is a leading international journal for the application of polymers, including experimental and computational studies on both natural and synthetic systems. The journal is a premier cross-disciplinary publishing home for scientific research that leverages polymeric materials in a range of applications, welcoming high-impact advances made possible with polymers across materials, biology, energy applications, and beyond. Polymer researchers across chemistry, materials science, biology, and engineering, are all welcome to share timely and impactful contributions, connecting fundamental scientific insights to performance-related metrics. The journal welcomes research on the application of polymers in different areas, and the relationship to structure and/or composition, as afforded by synthesis and/or processing. Our RSC Applied journals are dedicated to materials science research with a strong focus on innovation in the application, and sit alongside Journals of Materials Chemistry A, B and C in terms of quality and impact.

RSC Chemical Biology is a gold open access journal dedicated to publishing and disseminating exceptional, breakthrough research and high-quality reviews at the interface of chemistry and biology. We welcome contributions from across the breadth of the chemical biology field. This includes Sensing and Imaging, Bioorthogonal chemistry, Biosynthesis, Biomimetics and Bioengineering, Synthetic biology, Directed evolution, Drugs development and mechanism of action, Glycoscience, Natural products, Nucleic acids, Peptides, Phenotypic screening, Proteins (including protein-protein interactions, modifications, structure and function) We are particularly interested in reports on the application of chemical tools to probe, explore and visualize biological systems and processes to provide insights into molecular mechanisms in health and disease. We also encourage translational research that bridges chemistry and chemical biology to medicine.

RSC Mechanochemistry focuses on the publication of innovative research that advances the fundamental understanding and application of the use of mechanical force for driving and controlling chemical reactions and materials transformations in the gas, liquid, and solid states. As mechanochemistry is where chemistry and mechanics meet, and involves the interaction of mechanical energy with matter at the molecular, supramolecular, and bulk materials levels, it encompasses not only areas such as sustainable chemical synthesis, but also tribochemistry, chemo/mechanical transduction (e.g. polymer mechanochemistry, mechano-biology, photo-mechanochemistry), and mechanical alloying. Submissions on all aspects related to mechanochemistry and its role in enhancing and broadening sustainable chemistry are welcome.

RSC Medicinal Chemistry publishes significant research in medicinal chemistry and related drug discovery science. Research articles published in RSC Medicinal Chemistry must show a breakthrough or significant advance on previously published work, or bring new thinking or results that will have a strong impact in their field. Topics within the journal's scope include, but are not limited to: design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel chemical entities or biotherapeutic modalities; modifications of known chemical entities or biotherapeutic modalities that result in a significantly greater understanding of their structure-activity relationships, an improvement of their properties or provide other information of significant value; novel methodologies and technologies in the broader chemical and biological sciences; computational, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) studies are welcome where they significantly advance medicinal chemistry knowledge; studies that examine the effect of the molecular structure of a compound on pharmacokinetic behaviour and pharmacodynamics; studies that present new insights into drug design based on analysis of existing experimental datasets or new theoretical approaches if supported by experimental evidence; studies presenting new drug delivery systems with novel chemical agents are welcomed, in particular those that involve chemical modification of the delivery system of conjugation with novel delivery vectors.

RSC Pharmaceutics is a new gold open access journal leading the way in the field of Pharmaceutics. This journal publishes research focused on formulating a drug into a medicine, with the intention of achieving controllable drug delivery with high efficacy. Research published in RSC Pharmaceutics promotes step-change science in the field of Pharmaceutics, and, as such, all submissions must show clear innovation, be scientifically sound, and have a significant impact on the field. Research sharing new scientific findings from across the areas of chemistry, materials science, biomedical sciences, pharmaceutics and drug delivery are all welcomed. Topics include but are not limited to: • Formulation and design of medicines • Design and characterization of correct dosage forms • Physicochemical and biological properties of drugs and their carriers • Drug delivery devices and their mechanisms of release

RSC Sustainability welcomes all solutions-focused research dedicated to solving sustainability challenges. This includes, but is not limited to, technologies to achieve responsible consumption and production of chemical products (UN’s SDG:12), such as for the efficient use of nature’s resources, the elimination of hazardous substances in the production and use of chemical products (sustainable and green chemistry), their reuse and recycling (circular economy) and methods to analyse these (techno-enviro-economics). Beyond this, RSC Sustainability champions chemical science discoveries that contribute to and enable any of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, celebrates multidisciplinary collaboration, and welcomes work from the academic, industry, regulatory and government sectors.

Reaction Chemistry & Engineering is an interdisciplinary journal reporting cutting-edge research focused on enhancing the understanding and efficiency of reactions. Reaction Chemistry & Engineering is a unique forum for researchers whose interests span the broad areas of chemical engineering and chemical sciences to come together in solving problems of importance to wider society. Papers that consider multiple scales, from the laboratory up to and including plant scale, are particularly encouraged.

Sensors & Diagnostics is a gold open access journal focused on high-impact, innovative sensing work. The journal welcomes high-quality studies reporting innovative materials, novel detection principles, and/or significant development of known devices. All work must be of significant interest to the community, and, where relevant, must show in situ or real-life sample testing. Topics include Biosensors (intracellular sensors, cell chips); Chemical sensors (electronic, electromagnetic, optical, mechanical, thermal, gas sensors, single molecule sensors, arrays & multiplexing); Physical and physiological sensors; Integrated, wearable and/or implantable sensors; Microfluidic devices (lab-on-a-chip, micro total analysis systems); Sensor and sensor-array chemometrics; Molecular diagnostics (polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), lateral flow assay (LFA), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)); Scanning based diagnostics (mammography/mastography, positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)); and Digital health and data management.

An interdisciplinary journal focusing on innovative soft matter topics through original research and reviews. Soft Matter provides a unique forum for the communication of significant advances in interdisciplinary soft matter research. There is a particular focus on the interface between chemistry, physics, materials science, biology and chemical engineering. Research may report new soft materials or phenomena, encompass their design, synthesis, and use in new applications; or provide fundamental insight and observations on their behaviour. Experimental, theoretical and computational soft matter approaches are encouraged.

Sustainable Energy & Fuels publishes high quality scientific research that will drive the development of sustainable energy technologies, with a particular emphasis on innovative concepts and approaches. The journal is an essential resource for energy researchers and cuts across chemistry and its interfaces with materials science, physics and biology – covering evolving and emerging areas such as the following: • Solar energy conversion including photovoltaics and artificial photosynthesis • Energy storage including batteries, flow batteries and supercapacitors • Catalysis for energy technologies, including the sustainable synthesis of fuels and chemicals, and molecular/bioinspired catalysis • Electrocatalysis, photocatalysis and thermal catalysis • Fuel cells • Hydrogen production, storage and distribution • Carbon dioxide utilisation, including fuels and chemicals from carbon dioxide • Biorefining and Biofuels • Capacitive desalination and desalination batteries • Other sustainable energy conversion technologies including thermochemical, piezoelectric and thermoelectric materials and devices Energy science and technologies that avoid the use of critical raw elements or detrimental environmental effects during preparation, manufacture and end-of-life are particularly encouraged.

Sustainable Food Technology is a gold open access journal focused on cutting-edge strategies for food production, that aim to provide quality and safe foods in an environmentally conscious and sustainable way. We welcome novel green strategies applied to both crops and animal foods from every step of the food chain, “from farm to fork”: farming, harvesting, processing, packaging, storage, distribution and control. Circular bioeconomy strategies are particularly welcomed, from those adding value to food by-products to those focused on the appropriate reuse of food waste. Topics of interest include: Novel and sustainable food resources and food ingredients; Food fortification; Sustainable food production systems; Biosensors and smart tools based on artificial intelligence; Omics-based food traceability tools; Biotechnology and bioengineering approaches; Emerging food preservation techniques; Nanotechnology applications; Green active and intelligent packaging and storage systems; Circular economy strategies; Life cycle analysis and sustainability metrics in food production; and Sustainable intensification of food production and processing.