Chemistry in Pictures: As above, so below

Juan Antonio Rivas Loaiza, a Ph.D. candidate at Michoacan University of Saint Nicholas of Hidalgo, purified the bifunctional thiourea organocatalyst seen here. He illuminated the vial from below to observe the crystals diffracting light after evaluating the organocatalyst’s activity. Loaiza’s group designs and synthesizes organocatalysts in hopes of finding new synthetic routes that are more efficient or environmentally friendly. “Any chemical project goes beyond understanding a function or a reaction,” Loaiza says. “Chemistry is a true art.”

Submitted by Juan Antonio Rivas Loaiza

Do science. Take pictures. Win money. Enter our photo contest here.

Related C&EN Content:

Masked aldehyde makes mild radical reaction possible

Thioimidates for fast and selective polymerizations

Cheap, Quantitative Synthesis of Quantum Dots