FineCat 2012 - Symposium on catalysis for fine chemicals

Conference Language: English
Venue: Palazzo Steri, Palermo, Italy
When: April 18-19, 2012
How to participate: Registration form (Word)

Following publication of the 2011 themed issue of Catalysis Science & Technology, the first “FineCat” Symposium on catalysis for fine chemicals will be held in Palermo, Italy, on April 18-19, 2012. The Symposium  will be held in the splendid Steri Palace, hall of Palermo's University Rectorate and one of the most representative medieval buildings in Palermo.

Catalysis underpins the development of sustainable processes for producing chemicals and energy. As such, it represents the most relevant contribution of chemistry to sustainable development, and thus to society. One gauge of its importance is the number of recent Nobel Prizes for discoveries related to catalysis (2001, 2005, 2007 and the 2010 prize for “palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling in organic synthesis”).

Areas in which catalysis for fine chemicals in particular will give a major contribution are the development of more direct synthetic pathways for fine chemical production (reduced cost of drugs, dyes, cosmetics and so forth), the increase of reaction selectivities (waste reduction) and efficiency (energy saving), transfer of existing processes to non toxic solvents (health).

Organizing and Scientific Committees

Organised by the Institute of Nanostructured Materials of Italy’s Research Council (CNR) and by Palermo's University Department of Electrical Engineering, the Symposium has an Organizing Comittee led by the chairmen Mario Pagliaro (CNR) and Leonardo Palmisano (Palermo's University).

Headed by Rosaria Ciriminna the Symposium Scientific Comittee includes both chairmen, Cristina Della Pina and Ermelinda Falletta (University of Milan), and Palermo's University Vittorio Loddo, Giovanni Palmisano, Marzia Sciortino, Vincenzo Augugliaro, Marianna Bellardita, Maria Angela Puma, Giuseppe Marcì and Elisa García-Lopez.

The Scientific Committee is responsible for reviewing submitted abstracts and suggesting additional speakers. 

Conference Themes, Plenary and Session Lectures

The Symposium will cover some of the latest developments in the catalysis science and technology within one of the Symposium themes:

• Green catalytic processes
• Organo- and biocatalysis
• Asymmetric heterogeneous catalysis
• Atom Economy and clean technology
• Green reaction media
• Heterogeneous catalysis under flow conditions

The plenary lectures will be given by Professors Gadi Rothenberg (University of Amsterdam) and Graham Hutchings (Cardiff University). Session lectures will be given by Professors Laura Prati (University of Milan) and Michel Wong Chi Man (Montpellier's Encsm). More lectures will be announced in the forthcoming day.

Gadi Rothenberg: A simple and effective method for predicting catalyst performance PL-1
Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Session Chair: Mario Pagliaro

Graham Hutchings: Catalysis with gold and gold palladium nanoparticles PL-2
Heterogeneous Catalysis and Surface Science and Cardiff Catalysis Institute, Cardiff University, United Kingdom
Session Chair: Cristina Della Pina

Michel Wong Chi Man: Imidazolium-derived organosilicas for catalytic applications SL-1
Institut Charles Gerhardt, Montpellier, France
Session Chair: Rosaria Ciriminna

Laura Prati: Biomass valorisation by oxidative processes SL-2
Dipartimento CIMA ‘‘L.Malatesta’’, University of Milan, Italy
Session Chair: Leonardo Palmisano

Call for Abstracts and Guidance for Preparation

Aiming to maintain a balance between the industrial and the academic points of view, the symposium topics will range from green industrial catalytic processes to green reaction media; from enhanced atom utilization reactions through catalysis under flow conditions. An ISI indexed Book of Abstracts of accepted contributions will be produced and will be handed out at the conference.

Please submit your Oral or Poster presentation abstract on-line by 10-March-2012. 

Download the template (Microsoft Word format, .doc file). Prepare abstract by directly typing into the document (1 A4 page maximum, directly insert graphics and schemes, provide references). Save abstract under a file name containg your name e.g. "john_smith.doc" as Microsoft Word Document (*.doc) or Rich Text File (*.rtf). Submit abstract only by by e-mailing your attached file to: rosaria.ciriminna@cnr.it

Submissions by mail or fax cannot be processed.

Catalysis Science & Technology Best Poster Award  

The RSC journal Catalysis Science & Technology will offer a prize for the event in the form of a certificate and a copy of Enantioselective Homogeneous Supported Catalysis that will be awarded to the best poster presentation.

Poster Presentation

Posters should be 1.20 m high and 0.90 m wide. Abstracts scheduled for presentation in poster sessions will be grouped by topic, numbered and listed in the Final Program. The poster boards will be numbered according to the program. Authors are requested to be in front of their poster during the official session time. 

Compact posters printed on one large sheet of paper is highly recommended. On printing your poster, please do not exceed the 1.2m lenght in order to not incur in fitting problems when mounting your poster. The conference lecture hall will be equipped with single slide and overhead projectors and a high-resolution video beamer. 

Speakers are kindly requested to hand in their slides to the Scientific Committee at least two day before the beginning of their session, using Dropbox.com

The presentation will be uploaded on the Symposium PC and you will be able to use the provided equipment instead of your own laptop to avoid technical problems.

Registration Fee and Payment

Participant (and student) registration fee is set at 190,00 Eur. The fee includes:

• Admission to the oral and poster sessions
• Book of Abstracts (conference kit)
• Coffee break

All payments for the congress will be made in Euro. Payment should be made on site (cash).  It is not possible to pay by credit card.

Conference Program

The 2-days program for the Conference will comprise:

    * Plenary lectures (Gadi Rothenberg and Graham Hutchings)
    * Oral and poster presentations of useful research, applications and products
    * Social program

Time	Wed. 18-Apr-12	Thurs. 19-Apr-12
9:00	Opening ceremony (9.00-9.30)	PL-2 (9:00-10:00)
10:00	PL-1 (9:30-10:30)	SL-3 (10:00-10:30)
10.30	Coffee break  (10:30-11:00)	Coffee break  (10:30-11:00)
11:00	SL-1 (11:00-11:50)	SL-4 (11:00-11:50)
11:50	SL-2 (11:50-12:40)	SL-5 (11:50-12:40)
12:40	Social Program/1 Guided tour of Palazzo Steri	Poster Session (12:40-13:10)
17:00		Social Program/2* (17:00-24:00)

PL= = Plenary Lecture; OP = Oral Presentation;
All lectures at Palazzo Steri; Registration starts on 17-Apr-2012 (15:30-18:30). Delegates are strongly encouraged to register on April 17.
Social Program/1 = Guided Visit to Palazzo Steri; *Social Program/2 = Social Dinner in Marsala, For registrants to the social program only.

Social Program and Accompanying person

On the late morning of April 18, the Rectorate will offer a guided tour of the splendid Palazzo Steri, wherein the Symposium is to be held.

On the afternoon of April 19, the social tour will start at 17:00 from the bus pick-up/drop-off point in Palermo's Piazza Marina, in front of Palazzo Steri.

The bus will reach the city of Marsala in about 1.5 hour driving. There, following a brief tour of the city a Sicilian dinner will be offered in a splendid, renovated "Cantina" of Marsala wines, starting at 20:30.
 
Accompanying persons are cordially invited to participate to the social events.Their registration fee includes the social program (half-day excursion and social dinner).

Please remember that accompanying persons need to register at the registration desk.

Registration of Delegates

Conference delegates are encouraged to register at the conference desk already on the afternoon of April 17 since 15:30 pm through 18:30 pm. The registration desk is located at the entrance of the Plenary Hall. During all the Symposium days the registration desk will remain open at 8:00 am through 13:00 pm.

Accommodation in Palermo

Suggested accommodations in the Symposium area (walking distance)

Four stars
Hotel Giardino Inglese Via Libertà 63, Tel. +39 091 625 12 95;  hotelgiardinoinglese@resigest.com
Plaza Opera Hotel Via Nicolò Gallo, 2 Tel.: +39 091 381 90 26; info@hotelplazaopera.com 
Hotel Quinto Canto Corso Vittorio Emanuele 310,  Tel. +39.091 584 913; info@quintocantohotel.com
Centrale Palace Hotel Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 327, Tel.: +39 091 33 66 66; centrale@angalahotels.it

Three stars
Hotel Garibaldi via Via Emerico Amari, 146 - Tel. +39 091 601 71 11;  prenotazioni garibaldi@ghshotels.it
Hotel Ambasciatori via Roma, 111 - Tel. +39 091 616 68 81 - booking@ambasciatorihotelpalermo.com
Hotel Tonic Via Mariano Stabile 126, Tel: +39 091 581 754; info@hoteltonic.it
Hotel Mediterraneo Via Rosolino Pilo, 43 Tel.: +39 091 581 133.