First-year chemistry undergraduate students from Imperial won the audience vote at the 11th SCI-RSC National Retrosynthesis Competition

The annual competition, hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry and Society of Chemical Industry, aims to highlight the skills of UK chemists from industry and academia in retrosynthetic and forward synthetic analysis.

This year, the 11th SCI-RSC National Retrosynthesis Competition took place on 8 March at Belgrave Square. The team, ‘Friday Serenade’, were invited to present their proposed synthesis of cinnamomol B, a natural derivative of cinnamon oil.

Congratulations to Xinchen (Alan) He, Sathira Jantarakulchai (New), Felicia Lim and Bohan Lin from the Department of Chemistry for their dedication and collaborative effort. Their presentation demonstrated a strong grasp of synthetic chemistry principles and their application to real-world challenges.

The team said: “We are very honoured to have the opportunity to represent Imperial at such a prestigious competition. We’re also very grateful for all the peers and professors who have been with us on this journey. Never forget, ‘we would samarium die-io-die for you!'”

These accomplishments served as an inspiration for young aspiring chemists across the country and reaffirmed the importance of nurturing talent within the field of chemistry.