It is our great pleasure and privilege to introduce a range of top quality articles contributed to this special issue of Supramolecular Chemistry. This issue is dedicated to the fifth International Symposium on Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry (V ISMSC 2010) that was paired with a JST-CREST Symposium on Nano-Interface Technology and Symposium on Emergence in Chemistry. Both were designed to cover and promote new interdisciplinary fields of chemistry. ISMSC 2010 was organised by Professors Makoto Fujita (chair) of the University of Tokyo and Yoshihisa Inoue (co-chair) of Osaka University. The first ISMSC symposium was held in Victoria, Canada in 2006. However, the origin of these series of meetings is much older. The ISMSC originates from the union of two long running and independent but closely related symposia, the ISMC (established in 1977) and the International Symposium on Supramolecular Chemistry (ISSC established in 1980). Recently, the two fields, macrocyclic and supramolecular chemistry, have dramatically expanded, while also becoming closely aligned. The net result has been important research that has served to develop new aspects of chemistry and to push the boundaries of related interdisciplinary fields across the full spectrum of science and technology.
The ISMSC continues to be a very active meeting and the Nara meeting was no exception. A full menu of supramolecular chemistry, defined in the broadest sense, was presented, including molecular capsules, molecular machines, artificial functional supramolecules, nanotubes, metal-organic frameworks, self-assembled systems, molecular and ion receptors, etc. The ISMSC 2010 featured many exciting presentations, including 5 plenary lectures given by young distinguished scientists, 30 invited talks, 8 oral presentations and 325 posters. More than 400 people attended this symposium including ca. 200 participants from abroad.
The organisers conceived that the ISMSC 2010 would be a very nice occasion to discuss sophisticated chemistry, to meet friends and to visit one of the most historic cities in Japan. The latter was particularly attractive; 2010 marks the 1300th anniversary of Nara Heijo-kyo Capital, Japan's first full-fledged capital, built in 710. In Nara, there remain many historic sightseeing spots such as temples and shrines. Many participants enjoyed an excursion featuring visits to two of the eight UNESCO World Heritage sites in Nara: Horyuji Temple and Kasuga Grand Shrine. In addition, the conference venue, Nara Prefectural New Public Hall, proved to be a special place to experience the very traditional Japanese culture. All the oral speakers talked on the stage of the Noh (a major form of classical Japanese drama) theatre without shoes!
Many active investigators presented their unique research at the Nara meeting, and we are pleased to report that there are an amazing 50 contributions to this special issue including communications, full articles and mini reviews to provide novel insights and to introduce the frontiers in Supramolecular Chemistry. We hope that these contributed papers would prove stimulating and inspiring to researchers engaged in a variety of chemistry fields.
We gratefully acknowledge Professors Phil Gale and Jonathan L. Sessler for giving us the opportunity to edit this special issue of Supramolecular Chemistry. Also, we thank Mrs. Kateri Aragon, the journal secretary, for her kind assistance and help. Finally, we would like to express our appreciation to all the authors and reviewers whose generous contributions made this special issue successful.
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