ACS IN FOCUS WEBINAR
Inside Frustrated Lewis Pairs:
A Deep Dive with Prof. Douglas Stephan & Chem Thug
Join Prof. Douglas Stephan and chemistry influencer Chem Thug on Thursday, April 9, at 11 AM (ET) for an inside look at Frustrated Lewis Pairs and the ACS In Focus series—plus Q&A and giveaways—a rare opportunity to learn from the field’s top scientists, live.
Register For The Webinar
Meet Douglas Stephan, Frustrated Lewis Pairs Pioneer & ACS In Focus Author
Thursday, April 9, 2026 | 11:00 AM ET
Join renowned University of Toronto Professor Douglas Stephan and chemistry influencer Chem Thug for an engaging webinar exploring Stephan’s new ACS In Focus primer, Frustrated Lewis Pairs. Attendees will learn how Frustrated Lewis Pairs (FLPs) are transforming modern chemistry and how this primer, like others in the series, helps researchers quickly get up to speed to dive deeper into the FLP literature.
This 45-minute session features a live, interactive conversation about FLPs, a brief overview of the ACS In Focus series, and audience Q&A. A rare opportunity to learn from two leading voices in the field, this event is ideal for student researchers, educators, librarians, or anyone interested in FLPs and the ACS In Focus series. Attendees will also have the chance to win prizes.
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Chem Thug (J.C.)
Host, Writer
Chem Thug (J.C.) is a Brooklyn native that always kept his childhood wonder about the world. With his Ph.D. recently completed in organic chemistry, he has fully committed himself to science communication and sharing his deep love of chemistry. At its core, his work seeks to elevate the general public's awareness and appreciation for the complexity of life through the lens of chemistry. He hopes to instill in audiences of all ages a joy for learning and a desire to grapple with information critically. Find Chem Thug in ACS Reactions and on Instagram.
Douglas W. Stephan
Professor
Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto
Douglas W. Stephan is the J.C. Polanyi Chair in Chemistry at the University of Toronto. He is a world-leading researcher in inorganic chemistry; his work has spanned the periodic table, working in both transition metal and main group chemistry and catalysis, although he is best known as the founder of the field of “frustrated Lewis pair” (FLP) chemistry. He has been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2022 ACS Cotton Award, the 2021 RSC Centenary Prize, a 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship, the 2019 Polanyi Award from NSERC of Canada, and an Einstein Fellowship at TU Berlin (2016-2019). In 2024, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honors.
Why Choose ACS In Focus Digital Primers?
ACS In Focus primers help researchers of all levels accelerate their fundamental understanding of new topics and core techniques from across the sciences. These two- to four-hour reads use non-specialist language that topic newcomers can easily digest. Renowned authors provide foundational concepts in their area of expertise, providing chemists new to a field (e.g. graduate students) a convenient and trustworthy way to get up to speed quickly on topic basics. Browse titles.
Here's how researchers use ACS In Focus primers to accelerate their work.
Alfredo M. Angeles-Boza, Associate Professor
University of Connecticut
"The format is really cool, and it is suitable as a quick read. Nowadays, it is very difficult to focus, sit down, and read a 200-page review. I cannot even do that anymore, so I am not going to ask my students to do it. Another element that I like are the sections called 'That’s A Wrap' and 'Read This Next.' 'That’s A Wrap' includes the important points of the book, and 'Read This Next' takes readers to a longer, in-depth review into any of the topics that caught their interest, and I found that really helpful."
Joshua Shutter, Postdoctoral Associate
University of Minnesota
"ACS In Focus digital primers fill a gap between textbooks and review articles. In the case of Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions, it goes more in-depth on the topic than a general textbook on atmospheric chemistry. The primer makes it easy for interested readers to quickly and easily gain an understanding of key concepts about the topic in just a few hours of reading."
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