Foreword for International Symposium on the Organic Chemistry of Sulfur

The International Symposium on the Organic Chemistry of Sulfur (ISOCS) series of symposia are prestigious international scientific events that have been scheduled biannually since 1964 (Liblice, Czechoslovakia) mostly across Europe and Japan. Attracting attendees from industry, government, and academia, past symposia have covered a fascinating range of sulfur chemistry from theory to practical applications. Coming off a successful ISOCS-28 in Tokyo, Japan chaired by Prof. Kei Goto, there was excitement to take the next ISOCS to Canada for the first time! The 29 International Symposium on the Organic Chemistry of Sulfur was originally scheduled for July of 2020 at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as were so many international events. The rescheduled symposium emerged at the University of Guelph in July, 2022 as a hybrid event, with 64 scientists visiting Guelph while 53 more were engaged live through the PheedloopVR conference platform. The opening Plenary lecture by Prof. Samir Zard set the standard for excellent chemistry that was maintained throughout the week, culminating with the closing plenary lecture from Prof. Goto, past Chair of ISOCS-28. The conference brought in-person participants from Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, UAE, the United States and Canada, while additional international online participation captured scientists from Austria, China, Denmark, India, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey. In all, with 18 countries represented, there were 22 plenary/invited/industrial speakers, 48 contributed talks and 23 poster presentations. All lectures were recorded and the conference platform permitted postconference viewing of all oral and poster presentations. The manuscripts of this issue are representative of the high quality of the chemistry presented at ISOCS-29 and the reemergence of organosulfur chemistry across so many chemistry platforms. This volume displays content ranging from synthesis to mechanism to theory, and exhibits organosulfur chemistry relating to applications in catalysis, organometallic chemistry, bioconjugation, heterocycles and the pursuit of novel functionality. I wish to thank Martin Rudd the Editor-in-Chief of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements for maintaining this Journal’s affiliation with the ISOCS series and for providing guidance during the assembly of this Special Issue. Conference organizers are thankful for the generous funding from within and outside of the University of Guelph, particularly the significant support and participation from industrial partners Arkema, Bruno Bock and Chevron-Phillips. The academic organizers are also thankful for the logistic support of Zach Henderson and his team at Guelph Conference Services. Finally, I wish to thank the local organizing committee who contributed greatly to this successful conference. I give special recognition to Prof. Jakob Magolan of McMaster University and Prof. France-Isabelle Auzanneau, Mr. Adam Riddell and Mr. Eric Nicol of the University of Guelph for their activities, input, assistance and leadership before and during the conference. After the disruption of the well-established 2-year cycle for the ISOCS series, the success of ISOCS-29 has created a fresh momentum for the conference that is sure to continue its upward trajectory at ISOCS-30 in Florence, Italy under the leadership of Prof. Stefano Menichetti.