Introduction for the Special Collection of Papers in the Honor of Robert Deschenaux

Robert Deschenaux was born in Le Locle, Canton of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), in 1957. After high school in Neuchâtel, he studied chemistry at the University of Neuchâtel, where he obtained his PhD in 1983 under the supervision of Prof. Klaus Bernauer. After three post-doctoral fellowships (1984, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA, Prof. John K. Stille; 1985, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland, Prof. Piero Pino; 1986–1987, Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg, Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn), he was hired in the Materials Department of Ciba-Geigy (Marly, Switzerland). In 1989, he joined the Institute of Chemistry of the University of Neuchâtel as an Assistant Professor, before being promoted to Full Professor in 1991. In the early stage of his career, Robert was working on the stereoselectivity of reactions involving metal complexes. During his PhD, he studied stereoselective copper-catalyzed Schiff base isomerization and transamination reactions. His first post-doctoral experience in the group of Prof. John K. Stille was also related to the field of transition metal catalysis. Specifically, he investigated the enantioselectivity of hydrogenation and hydroformylation reactions using chiral transition metal catalysts bound to polymer supports. His following post-doctoral experience profoundly influenced the rest of his carrier. He was effectively initiated to the field of liquid-crystalline materials in the group of Prof. Piero Pino. During his stay in Zurich, he prepared and characterized low molecular weight poly(azamethines) and related model compounds with the aim to understand the influence of structural isomerism on the mesomorphic thermal stability in main-chain thermotropic polycondensates. He completed his scientific training in the group of Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn where he developed macrobicyclic systems incorporating bipyridine or quinoline subunits for the complexation of lithium, sodium and lanthanides. He had also the chance to be in Strasbourg on October 14, the day the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Profs. Donald J. Cram, Jean-Marie Lehn and Charles J. Pedersen for the development and use of molecules with structure-specific interactions of high selectivity. A picture of this unforgettable day is depicted in Figure 1 and shows a particularly happy Robert with some lab mates and one of the newly awarded Nobel laureates. The University of Strasbourg remained a very special place for Robert throughout his career. He has always maintained relations with Strasbourg by actively collaborating with several chemists and physicists including Dominique Matt, Raymond Ziessel, Daniel Guillon, Bertrand Donnio, Jean-Louis Gallani and Jean-François Nierengarten. Picture taken on October 14, 1987 showing Robert Deschenaux with some lab mates celebrating the Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded earlier this day to Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn. Robert started his independent scientific career when he joined the University of Neuchâtel. While also working on cyclodextrin-based ligands and their metal complexes, he initiated a research program on liquid-crystalline ferrocene derivatives. This was the starting point of his long adventure in the field of soft materials. He has contributed in different fields including metallocenes, fullerenes, dendrimers, gold nanoparticles and pillar[5]arenes. With his capability to design appropriate mesogenic promoters, Robert has profoundly influenced the design principles of modern liquid-crystalline materials. His work was always highly synthesis-driven and characterized by a deep understanding of the organization of the prepared materials in the mesomorphic state. Robert has supervised 43 PhD students and 8 post-doctoral fellows. In addition to his research activities, he was also engaged in the promotion and teaching of chemistry. He was an enthusiastic teacher particularly appreciated by Neuchâtel students. He was director of the Chemistry Department at the University of Neuchâtel for two terms (2000–2004 and 2012–2021) and was also president of the Polymer Group of Switzerland (1994–1996). From a more personal perspective, I had the privilege to collaborate with Robert for more than twenty years. His contagious enthusiasm for chemistry and his good humor were always a fantastic driving force to work together. Beyond our collaboration, we also organized joint group meetings either in Strasbourg or in Neuchâtel which were moments of intense scientific exchange between the students of our two laboratories. Over the years, Robert became also a close friend, and I would like to warmly thank him for all his support and help. Robert officially retired on July 31, 2021. A farewell symposium was organized in Neuchâtel in June 2023 to celebrate the outstanding significance of his contributions in the field of soft materials. It was a privileged moment during which Robert was able to meet again his former students, colleagues and scientific friends (Figure 2). Picture taken on Journée Robert Deschenaux, June 22, 2023. From left to right: Robert Deschenaux, Emmanuel Allard, Anaïs Pitto-Barry, Stéphane Campidelli, Jean-François Nierengarten, Bruno Therrien and Bertrand Donnio. During this symposium organized by Prof. Bruno Therrien, the Executive Editor of Helvetica Chimica Acta, Richard J. Smith, announced to Robert the organization of a special collection of papers in his honor (Figure 3). Picture taken on June 22, 2023 when Richard J. Smith revealed to Robert Deschenaux the organization of a special collection in his honor. We would like to warmly thank all the authors for their efforts to achieve this special collection dedicated to Robert. Our gratitude is also extended to Richard J. Smith, the Executive Editor of Helvetica Chimica Acta, as well as to Profs. Eva Hevia and Jérôme Waser, the Editors-in-Chief, for their support and efforts in the organization of this special collection. Together with all his friends, collaborators, colleagues and the contributors of this special collection, we wish many more years of happiness and good health to Robert.