The American Chemical Society and the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS) signed a three-year memorandum of understanding in March 2011 to realize their shared interest in engaging the U.S. and Asian chemistry communities in collaborations, research, education, and meetings. The memorandum represented a furthering of the cordial and productive relationship of the two sister societies and the chemistry enterprise of the U.S. and Asia.

Some of the key areas of collaboration are in research, public outreach to enhance the appreciation of chemistry during the International Year of Chemistry and beyond, and educational exchanges and joint programs related to the impact of the U.S. and Asia chemistry enterprise on global challenges and humankind.

One of the successes and a key component of this collaboration is the Asia America Chemical Symposium (A2CS). The goal of A2CS is to strengthen the alliance between the two bodies through shared interest in research, education, and professional development. The program is designed to bring ACS and FACS scientists together to connect, to share their research, and to explore potential collaborations with international colleagues.

The first A2CS took place at the ACS national meeting in Anaheim, Calif., in March 2011, with the theme “Energy.” The second A2CS focused on “Food,” and it was held at the 14th Asian Chemical Congress in September 2011 in Bangkok. “Health & Medicine” was the theme of the third symposium, and it took place during the ACS national meeting in Philadelphia in August 2012. “Advanced Materials” was the theme of the 2013 A2CS, held in conjunction with the 15th Asian Chemical Congress in Singapore last August. The 2014 symposium will be held during the ACS national meeting in San Francisco in August 2014, with a theme related to sustainability.

During the 2013 A2CS, we both had the pleasure of attending and meeting with prominent scientists from ACS and FACS.

From the U.S. delegation, Satish Kumar of Georgia Institute of Technology shared his work on biologically enabled and bioinspired materials; Shih-Yuan Liu of the University of Oregon examined synthetic chemistry of boron- and nitrogen-containing heterocycles, with emphasis on developing molecules of importance in biomedical research and materials science; Yi Lu of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, shared biosynthetic inorganic chemistry and its application in environmentally benign catalysis in renewable energy generation and pharmaceuticals; and Kirk S. Schanze of the University of Florida discussed photonic applications of conjugated polyelectrolytes.

Representing FACS, Chin Han Chan of the Universiti Teknologi MARA, in Malaysia, shared enhancement of ionic conductivity by self-assembled inorganic salt in multiphase polymer systems; Kazunari Domen of the University of Tokyo examined solar hydrogen production via heterogeneous photocatalysis; Jae Sung Lee of Pohang University of Science & Technology, in South Korea, focused on photoelectrochemical water splitting using nanostructured photoelectrodes; Loh Kian Ping of National University of Singapore discussed the interesting properties of strained or defective graphene; and Thawatchai Tantulani of Chulalongkorn University, in Thailand, looked at allosteric polymeric membrane ion-selective electrodes.

The 1st Asian Chemistry Research Fair was also held at the 15th Asian Chemical Congress. ACS awarded three of the best presenters at the fair a sponsored trip to the upcoming ACS national meeting in Dallas, which will take place this March. The winners are Elton Pan Zi Heng of Hwa Chong Institution, in Singapore, who will present research on green shell catalysts for the synthesis of biodiesel; Pradeep Raghunath of the National University of Singapore High School of Mathematics & Science, who will discuss his work on enhanced thermo­electric performance in gradient Sn-doped Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3 thin films deposited by direct-current sputtering; and Zixuan Zhang of Raffles Institution and the Institute of Materials Research & Engineering, in Singapore, who will look at assembly of interpenetrated metal-organic frameworks through “molecular stitching” of preformed two-dimensional layers.

The ACS and FACS collaboration, which we foresee continuing into the future, is a significant step in our shared commitment to create a culture of more inclusive international collaboration for chemical scientists and engineers as well as to encourage students in the early stages of their careers. Let’s continue to partner for progress and prosperity (C&EN, Jan.7, 2013, page 2)!