Stu Cantrill

@stuartcantrill

Husband, Dad, PhD, pedant, former Chief Ed of @natchem.nature.com, now Editorial Director at @NaturePortfolio.nature.com. Wine, chemistry, publishing, words & snark. Views ranty, but all mine. #ContaminatedBlood victim (affected). He/Him

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Bluesky

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Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· 6d

0 for 2

A railing that has a sign that says ‘no bikes’ - but there are bikes. And a sign that says ‘no signs’ but…

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· 11d

This brings back fond memories: me, Kelly & Fraser.

A Borromean embrace between myself, Fraser Stoddart and Kelly Chichak (who led the effort to make the molecular Borromean rings)

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· 11d

Does this help?

Nanoscale Borromean Rings
STUART J. CANTRILL, KELLY S. CHICHAK,
ANDREA J. PETERS, AND J. FRASER STODDART*
California NanoSystems Institute and Department of
Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California,
Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Avenue,
Los Angeles, California 90095-1569
Received August 9, 2004

ABSTRACT
The molecular expression of topologically interesting structures
represents a formidable challenge for synthetic chemists. The
nontrivial link known as the Borromean rings has long been
regarded as one of the most ambitious targets in this field. Of
ancient provenance, this symbol comprises three interlocked rings
in an inseparable union, but cut any one of the rings and the whole
assembly unravels into three separate pieces. This Account delineates
different strategies that can be applied to the formation of
molecules possessing this distinctive topology, culminating with
two successful syntheses of such compounds, thus cutting the
Gordian knot of topological chemistry.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· 11d

I mean, if such a review did exist, I think it should have a figure like this:

An image showing three different ways to interlock three different rings (each image contains a red, a blue and a green ring). The title at the top says 'Nanoscale Borromean Rings – Cantrill et al.'

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· 20d

It’s a #ganevat kind of evening #jurawine #poulsard

A glass of red wine sitting on a table outside; next to it is the bottle in front of which sits the cork and the red wax that was covering the top of the bottle. The wine is a poulsard from Domaine Ganevat ‘Les Chalasses Vieille Vigne’

The back label of a wine bottle noting that it is a Cotes du Jura Poulsard from 2022 from Domaine Ganevat

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· 20d

Impressive.

A sign saying ‘Signed by the author’ next to a copy of the New Testament & Psalms with a red cover.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Jul 1

I do love this representation of #WorldCup matches, but it’s giving me nightmarish flashbacks of redrawing dendrimers in ChemDraw… 😱 #Chemsky

A circular World Cup bracket with round of 32 games around the outside working their way in towards the final. Countries represented by their flags.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· May 29

There is also this one: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monumen...

A statue of a mouse knitting a DNA double helix; it’s made of metal and sits on a stone plinth in front of a pale building

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· May 28

And another. I hope one of the questions isn't 'What is a double helix?'

The cover of a book called Knowledge Quiz: Biology; it has what is meant to be a red double helix on a pale green background. Problem is that the strands of the helix don't actually cross...

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· May 28

I mean, this cover doesn't fill me with confidence...

The cover of a book called Maths Skills for A Level Biology (@nd Edition) that has a green double helix that is overlayed with lots of numbers. Problem is, the helix is left-handed.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Apr 12

Dessert wine wasn’t bad either…

A tall Alsace style 375 ml bottle of wine sitting on a table next to a wine glass filled with a small amount of the wine. The wine is a deep golden brown colour. The label on the wine says: SELECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES, TOKAY PINOT GRIS 1994, FURSTENTUM, by Albert Mann. The cork, which came out in one piece, sits in front of the bottle and the glass.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Apr 12

Prepping wine for dinner later (celebrating another trip around the sun). This wine is made from grapes picked a few months after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Put in bottle early in 1976, it’s been there for 50 years - until today. #jura #jurawine #vinjaune #chateauchalon

A bottle of chateau chalon from 1969 sitting on a table outside in the sunlight. This picture shows the front of the bottle with a slightly damaged label. The wine level is mid shoulder and there is a yellow wax cap.

A bottle of chateau chalon from 1969 sitting on a table outside in the sunlight. This picture shows the back of the bottle with a slightly damaged triangular label. The label notes that the grapes were harvested in 1969 and then the wine was bottled in 1976.

A close-up of the top of the bottle (and cork) after the wax cap has been removed and the top of the bottle cleaned up.

A picture of the opened bottle, with fragments of the wax cap and the cork (which came out in one piece!) sitting between the two prongs of an ah-so wine opener.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Apr 11

Just your average day at the local garden centre…

The restaurant area of a garden centre through which is wondering someone in a large inflatable dinosaur costume…

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Apr 10

I think the port has lost a little of its fruit…

A bottle of port from 1985 sitting on a table next to a conical flask filled with an amber liquid (the port); the somewhat shrivelled cork sits in front.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Apr 7

Three of the last 6 bottles of wine I’ve bought are Rieslings - including this one, and no, I didn’t buy it because it’s almost like ‘Jura’; although one of the Rieslings was vinified in the Jura (from Alsace grapes)… 🙂

A hand holding a bottle of wine resting on the arm of a sofa, with a TV in the background. On the wine label it says ‘YURA’

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Mar 25

Tangential, but reminds me of a debate amongst the editorial team at @natchem.nature.com about whether we would asterisk-out letters in the F word in this post www.nature.com/articles/nch... - I think the vote went 3-2 to not do that (I was one of the '3')... #chemsky

Screenshot of a paragraph from an article in Nature Chemistry that reads:

Dr Rubidium, an analytical chemist who blogs at the Journal of Are You Fucking Kidding, contrasted several cases of homicide by the paralytic agent succinylcholine with its medical use in life-saving tracheal intubations (http://go.nature.com/bFQFv6). Although that post was shockingly free of swear words, an ode to tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) on Carbon-Based Curiosities was as vulgar as it was informative (http://go.nature.com/AmOzuB). Long-time blogger Excimer noted that “even the chemical industry is starting to shy away from chemicals” before proudly hailing applications of TCNE in the synthesis of the first organic ferromagnet and as a “highly efficient unicorn killer.”

The words 'Journal of Are You Fucking Kidding' are highlighted in blue.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Mar 22

Exactly the same article (same text, same authors) published in a range of journals at roughly the same time. Number of citations correlates (somewhat) with impact factor of the journal it was published in. Except in Croatia...

A slide called: 'Clinical trial registration: Looking back and moving ahead'; on the left are a list of journals listed with their impact factors and number of citations the named article received in that journal. On the right is a plot of numbers of citations vs impact factor.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Mar 5

Once a chemist, always a chemist, I guess. I suppose that’s #Chemsky right there…

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Mar 2

This is the Daily Mirror coverage...

Page 11 of the Daily Mirror from Oct 30, 1964. Headline reads 'Nobel prize for a wife from Oxford'; a picture of Dorothy Hodgkin appears on the left hand side of the page.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Feb 28

There are worse ways to spend a Saturday lunchtime than going to a local auction house and winning a couple of lots…

Two sets of 12 bottles of red wine, each sitting in their original wooden cases. The two cases are next to each other.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Feb 4

Some wine-tasting notes are wild! Gunpowder, fart & rhubarb… 🫣 #winesky

Wine tasting notes that say:

• Daniel Sage, Nyctalopie 2020, Gamay & Pinot Noir:
Lightly fizzy with notes of gunpowder, fart (yes, fart), and rhubarb.
This is completely insane juice
Holy hell, it's delicious. Soif for days with a wild acidity.
Juicy, vibrating, energetic

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Jan 24

Hosted my first blind wine tasting - wines 1-6 were blind; 7 and 8 were Jura gems in the interlude and 9 (Vin de Constance) was a surprise addition bought by a friend!

9 bottles of wine lined up in a row on a green tablecloth

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Dec 11

Here you go 😀

Menu from the 2016 Nobel Prize Ceremony Banquet

MENU
CHARCOAL BAKED LANGOUSTINE AND SCALLOP,
SERVED WITH NETTLES, RAMSON AND PICKLED WINTER APPLES QUAIL FROM SÖDERMANLAND IN BLACK GARLIC AND LEEK ASH WITH JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, PRESERVED WILD MUSHROOMS AND JUS OF ROASTED CHICKEN SKIN AND MUSTARD SEED
CLOUD OF SUDACHI FRUIT, CLOUDBERRY SORBET, MISO CRUMBS AND DEEP-FRIED RICE PAPER
WINE
TAITTINGER COMTES DE CHAMPAGNE
BRUT BLANC DE BLANCS 2006
PICCINI POGGIO TEO CHIANTI CLASSICO 2010
MONCARO TORDIRUTA PASSITO 2007
COFFEE & NOBEL MUSEUM TEA BLEND
GRÖNSTEDTS EXTRA COGNAC
FACILE PUNSCH
STENKULLA BRUNN MINERAL WATER
STADSHUSRESTAURANGER IN COLLABORATION WITH CHEF SAYAN ISAKSSON
AS WELL AS PASTRY CHEF DANIEL ROOS

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Dec 10

At roughly this time 9 years ago I was at a banquet with the King of Sweden… #ChemSky #ChemNobel

Me and Fraser dressed in white tie before the Nobel Ceremony of 2016 kicked off

The stage for the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2016

Dessert at the Nobel Prize banquet in 2016

A view down the main table at Nobel Prize banquet in 2016

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Nov 25

Oh, this is gonna be a good e-mail... 🤣

A screengrab of an opening to an e-mail that reads, 'Dear Scantrill,'

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Nov 10

Well that was a rather pleasant evening! #WineSky #Wine #Bordeaux #Yquem

A composite picture of four bottles of wine.
Top left: Domaine Drouhin Oregon Chardonnay 2023
Top right: Chateau Léoville Polyferré 1996
Bottom left: Stag’s Leap Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Bottom right: Yquem 2022

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Nov 9

Haven’t travelled to the US for a while, but it appears my towel theory still holds based on this NYC hotel room. If you wake up in a random hotel room not knowing where on Earth you are, if the biggest towel in the room is smaller than the TV, you’re probably in the US…

A towel draped over a TV, held on by a couple of plugs and a neck pillow. The towel is slightly wider than the TV (just), but it is not as tall.

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Nov 7

Nov 7th is the birthday of both Lise Meitner & Marie Curie. Of the 13 chemical elements named directly after real people (not mythological figures) only two are named after women: meitnerium and curium (the latter of which is named in honour of both Marie & her husband) #chemsky 🧪

A black & white picture of Lise Meitner sat on a chair while holding a book. There is a bookcase in the background

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Oct 24

Not the most difficult game of ‘find the odd one out’ that I’ve ever played…

A window through which you can see a conference table in an office room. There are four lines of writing on the window which, top to bottom, read:

Private Offices
Coworking
Meeting Rooms
Happiness

Stu Cantrill@stuartcantrill· Oct 23

Happy Mole Day everyone - here's my favourite thing related to the mole. 'A mole of moles' courtesy of @xkcd.com what-if.xkcd.com/4/ #ChemSky