News from the Green Chemistry Editors

Happy new year from Green Chemistry!

As we enter 2017 it seems appropriate not only to look forward to the new year, but also to reflect on achievements in 2016, which has been a very successful year for the journal. We were delighted to see Green Chemistry recognised as the leading journal in the field, being the number 1 ranked journal in the new ‘Green & Sustainable Science & Technology’ category introduced with the release of the 2015 Journal Citation Reports in June. In addition to the rise in Impact Factor to 8.506, and positive feedback we have received from the community throughout the year, this reflects the first-rate research being carried out in the field, as well as published in the journal. The content of Green Chemistry is innovative, diverse and interdisciplinary, echoing the nature of the science; this is highlighted by the varied subjects of the top 5 most downloaded articles in 2016, as shown in Table 1. We have always strived to serve the green chemistry community by publishing research demonstrating exceptional advances in sustainability of the highest quality, and we will continue to focus on this in the year ahead. In light of the support and growth of the community, Green Chemistry has increased in size as well as quality since its launch, and in 2016 we moved to publishing 24 issues for the first time. We would like to thank all of our authors, referees, readers, and Editorial and Advisory Board members for their continued support and contributions which make these achievements possible.

Table 1 Top downloaded 2016 Green Chemistry articles in 2016

Title	Authors	Article type	Shortened link
Hydrogels based on cellulose and chitin: fabrication, properties, and applications	Xiaoping Shen, Julia L. Shamshina, Paula Berton, Gabriela Gurau and Robin D. Rogers	Critical review	rsc.li/2hqv1eq
CHEM21 selection guide of classical- and less classical-solvents	Denis Prat, Andy Wells, John Hayler, Helen Sneddon, C. Robert McElroy, Sarah Abou-Shehada and Peter J. Dunn	Paper	rsc.li/2gVGfHi
Ionic liquid gel materials: applications in green and sustainable chemistry	Patricia C. Marr and Andrew C. Marr	Tutorial review	rsc.li/2hIQ7UH
Bio-based polycarbonate from limonene oxide and CO2 with high molecular weight, excellent thermal resistance, hardness and transparency	O. Hauenstein, M. Reiter, S. Agarwal, B. Rieger and A. Greiner	Paper	rsc.li/2hi6BWW
Towards lignin-based functional materials in a sustainable world	Dan Kai, Mein Jin Tan, Pei Lin Chee, Yun Khim Chua, Yong Liang Yap and Xian Jun Loh	Tutorial review	rsc.li/2hsVSXA

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This year, Walter Leitner retires as Chair of the Editorial Board and we must say a huge thank you to him for all of his contributions to the journal. Prior to becoming Chair, Walter was Scientific Editor for Green Chemistry, in total serving on the Editorial Board for 13 years. During this time there have been significant changes to the field, and reflecting this, the journal. As both Scientific Editor and Chair Walter has been instrumental in navigating this evolving landscape and has passionately driven Green Chemistry forwards. The journal has grown from strength to strength under his leadership, and he has been a dedicated, considerate and inspiring Chair.

We are delighted to announce Philip Jessop as the new Chair of the Editorial Board. The Canada Research Chair of Green Chemistry at Queen's University in Kingston, and Technical Director of GreenCentre Canada, Philip has contributed invaluably to the green chemistry field as a leader in the area of green solvents and the chemistry of CO₂ and H₂, inventing the concept of switchable solvents and developing many other CO₂-switchable materials. Having worked with Philip since he joined the Editorial Board in 2013, we look forward to working with him in this role and are confident the journal will continue to flourish and develop over the coming years.

To mark this occasion, Walter and Philip have written a personal Editorial piece which can be found at http://rsc.66557.net/doi/C6GC90126C.

At the end of 2016, Douglas MacFarlane and Jim Dumesic finished their terms on the Editorial Board. We would like to thank both of them for their support and all of their contributions to developing the journal during this time. We are delighted to welcome two new members to the Editorial Board, Rajender Varma (US Environmental Protection Agency) and Michael Meier (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology). We look forward to working with them in shaping the journal and ensuring its continued success.

As well as publishing an excellent themed issue on Molecular Design for Reduced Toxicity, this year we marked the Silver Anniversary of the field of green chemistry with a series of Editorials, written by members of the Green Chemistry Editorial and Advisory Board. With each piece focused on one of the 12 Principles, the result is an inspiring collection sharing the authors’ personal views on the Principle relating to their specific area of expertise and looking ahead to the future of the field. This can be found at rsc.li/gc-25years.

In 2017 we look forward to publishing a number of themed issues on a variety of topics, including Enzyme Catalysis in Organic Synthesis, Continuous Processing and Flow Chemistry in the Pharmaceutical Industry, and Harvesting Renewable Energy in the Chemical Value Chain. We are also excited to announce that we will be publishing the inaugural Green Chemistry Emerging Investigators themed issue. Each of the featured contributors has been nominated by a member of the Green Chemistry Editorial or Advisory Board as an early career researcher making a significant contribution to the field and someone to watch out for in the future.

Over the past 9 months, Sam Keltie has been acting Executive Editor in the Editorial Office whilst Anna Simpson has been on maternity leave. Anna has recently returned to her role, and thanks must go to Sam for all of his hard work and efforts over this time. Sam continues as Executive Editor of the journals in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Environmental and Technology portfolio. Anna and Katie Lim, the journal's Deputy Editor, look forward to meeting more of our authors, readers and referees at upcoming conferences this year to discuss the journal and developments in green chemistry research. You are also welcome to get in touch with us at green-rsc@rsc.org or via our new Twitter account, @green_rsc, if you have any comments, feedback or suggestions.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all again for your continued support of Green Chemistry, and wish you a wonderful 2017.

Anna Simpson, Executive Editor

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