A research paper by Professor Shibata (Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan) and Professor Cahard (University of Rouen Normandy, France) has been published in The Chemical Record, an international scientific journal jointly published by Wiley-VCH GmbH and the Chemical Society of Japan, with the magnificent "Frontispiece Art" (Fig. 1). The title of the paper is "N-Fluoro Ammonium salts of Cinchona Alkaloids in Enantioselective Electrophilic Fluorination". The paper is co-authored by Professor Norio Shibata (Department of Nanopharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Engineering (Life Science and Applied Chemistry)) and Professor Dominique Cahard (University of Rouen Normandy).

Fig. 1 Work used as "Frontispiece Art"

The "Frontispiece Art" entitled "Affordance (Romance)" was created through an artistic collaboration with a Japanese-style painter. The work depicts the important role that cinchona alkaloids, including quinine, played in the fight against malaria during World War II. The flower is a metaphor for quinine, and the plane symbolizes the world war. Today, quinine continues to demonstrate its potential in the field of organic chemistry. More than 20 years ago, Professor Shibata and Professor Cahard independently discovered in different parts of the world that quinine acts as a mediator and catalyst for asymmetric fluorination reactions. Following this discovery, many researchers have continued to study asymmetric fluorination reactions to make innovative advances in the field. This work, which combines the potential of quinine with images of the World War, is characterized by a high level of artistic perfection. At the time of the discovery, Professors Shibata and Cahard were competitors. Later, they came to understand that they could best contribute to the world through cooperation rather than competition. Today, they share their achievements as friendly collaborators. This article details the process, from the background of the discovery to the latest results. Last academic year, Professor Cahard gave a lecture at the Nagoya Institute of Technology.

Professor Shibata passionately believes that science is a realm of limitless creation, where the harmonious fusion of engineering and art is the very foundation. With an unwavering devotion to his craft, he has been sharing his groundbreaking works, adorned with captivating cover art by esteemed Japanese-style painters, in abundance since 2013. This artwork marks the 26th addition to his illustrious collection.

Shibata Laboratory

<Journal containing this article>
　Journal name: The Chemical Record
　Title: N-Fluoro Ammonium salts of Cinchona Alkaloids in Enantioselective Electrophilic Fluorination
　Authors: Norio Shibata, Dominique Cahard
　Article information: doi.org/10.1002/tcr.202300096

Website containing the published article