Molecular chemistry, and organic chemistry in particular, has a long history at the Collège de France, with illustrious figures who have left their mark on the discipline (Histoire de la Chimie au Collège de France, Lettre n°26 CdF, J. Livage (2009)). A singular discipline if ever there was one, since, as Marcelin Berthelot wrote: " Chemistry creates its object. This creative faculty, similar to that of art itself, distinguishes it essentially from the natural and historical sciences. " (M. Berthelot (1860), La Chimie organique fondée sur la synthèse, Mallet Bachelier, Paris).
Indeed, creativity is essential in chemistry to assemble atoms on a molecular scale and create functional molecular edifices that are essential in many transdisciplinary approaches, from life sciences to materials science, and that are driving progress in public health, agriculture, energy and resource management..
Molecular construction must therefore be mastered so as not to hinder these developments. This implies constant innovation in synthesis methods, to which has been added in recent years an increasingly pressing set of sustainable development specifications, justified by objectives of reduced energy consumption, respect for the earth's resources and minimization of effluents. The lever for action is then the molecular activation mode, which must promote the desired chemical transformation more efficiently and selectively. Several options are possible : thermal, photochemical, mechanical or catalytic activation, etc. They can be combined to optimize atom economy and reduce the number of synthesis steps (green chemistry).
The Chairin Activations in Molecular Chemistry at the Collège de France will report on advances in the field of molecular activation, which are the subject of intense research worldwide, and their applications to sustainable molecular production.