31. INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ORGANIC CHEMISTRY OF SULFUR (ISOCS-31) AS PART OF CELEBRATIONS MARKING 55. ANNIVERSARY OF JAN DLUGOSZ UNIVERSITY IN CZESTOCHOWA

The International Symposium on the Organic Chemistry of Sulfur (ISOCS) is a well-established international forum for the presentation and discussion of research findings covering a wide range of topics in organic sulfur chemistry. With a tradition spanning more than sixty years, the symposium has become one of the leading international events in the field. The importance of sulfur chemistry, combined with a programme carefully tailored to the needs of participants, has made ISOCS a prestigious biennial meeting (with the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic), bringing together chemists from around the world to share their latest research across the many disciplines of organic sulfur chemistry.

During the 29th International Symposium on the Organic Chemistry of Sulfur (ISOCS-29), held in July 2024, the International Advisory Committee selected Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa as the host institution for the 31st edition of the symposium. At the same time, Professor Józef Drabowicz was invited to serve as Chair of the Organising Committee.

The 2026 symposium was co-organised by the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Lodz and the Department of Organic and Applied Chemistry of the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Lodz. The symposium took place from 29 June to 3 July 2026 at the Faculty of Science & Technology of Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa.

The Honorary Committee of the symposium comprised:

- Professor Arkadiusz Chworoś – Director of the Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz;
- Professor Janusz Jurczak – Dean of Division III of the Polish Academy of Sciences;
- Professor Bogusław Przywora – Acting Rector of Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa;
- Professor Rafał Matera – Rector of the University of Lodz;
- Professor Janusz Kapuśniak – Rector of Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa;
- Professor Robert Pietrzak – President of the Polish Chemical Society;
- Wojciech Saługa – Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship;
- Professor Marek Warzecha – Rector of the Czestochowa University of Technology;
- Marek Wójcik – Silesian Voivode.

The Organising Committee was honoured to welcome the following distinguished scientists as Honorary Chairs of the Symposium:

- Professor Marian Mikołajczyk (Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz),
- Professor Charles Stirling (University of Sheffield, United Kingdom),
- Professor Binne Zwanenburg (Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands).

In its more than sixty-year history, this year's symposium was the third ISOCS conference to be held in Poland. The first Polish edition took place in 1990, organised by the Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Lodz in cooperation with the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Lodz. The second, ISOCS-25, was hosted in Czestochowa in June 2012 at the former Jan Dlugosz Academy.

Held during the year marking the 55th anniversary of the establishment of Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa, the scientific programme of ISOCS-31 featured six plenary lectures delivered by:

- Professor Manuel Alcarazo (Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany)
- Professor Marc Gingras (Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, CINAM, France)
- Professor Justin J. Lopchuk (University of South Florida, USA)
- Professor Paolo Melchiorre (University of Bologna, Italy)
- Professor Kazuo Takimiya (Tohoku University, Japan)
- Professor Wolfgang Weigand (Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany)

An integral part of the scientific programme was a series of 15 invited lectures, presented at the invitation of the ISOCS-31 Organising Committee by:

- Dr Paulina Bartos (University of Lodz, Poland)
- Professor Filip Bureš (University of Pardubice, Czech Republic)
- Professor Antonella Capperucci (University of Florence, Italy)
- Dr Robert Skowron (Arkema Inc., USA)
- Professor Koji Hirano (The University of Osaka, Japan)
- Professor Izabella Jastrzębska (University of Bialystok, Poland)
- Professor Xuefeng Jiang (East China Normal University, China)
- Professor Eoghan McGarrigle (University College Dublin, Ireland)
- Professor Mogens Brøndsted Nielsen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Professor Turan Öztürk (Istanbul Technical University, Turkey)
- Professor Florian Seebeck (University of Basel, Switzerland)
- Professor Damiano Tanini (University of Florence, Italy)
- Professor Suguru Yoshida (Tokyo University of Science, Japan)
- Professor Dariusz Witt (Gdansk University of Technology, Poland)
- Dr Jakub Wręczycki (Lodz University of Technology, Poland)

The scientific programme of the symposium was further enriched by 23 oral presentations and a poster session, during which 44 posters were presented.

The symposium officially opened at 3:00 pm on 29 June 2026 in the Magma Auditorium of the Faculty of Science & Technology at Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa.

The participants were welcomed by:

Professor Joanna Socha, Vice-Rector for the Collegium Medicum at Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa, representing Professor Bogusław Przywora, Acting Rector of the University and Vice-Rector for Science and Research;
Professor Arkadiusz Chworoś, Director of the Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Lodz.

Congratulatory letters conveying best wishes for a successful symposium were also sent by Wojciech Saługa, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship, and Marek Wójcik, Silesian Voivode.

Following the official opening ceremony, the symposium commenced with its first scientific session, dedicated to the memory of Professor Richard Glass, the long-serving Chair of the ISOCS International Advisory Committee.

The first day concluded with a welcome reception, providing the participants with their first opportunity to meet the symposium's 21 invited speakers in an informal setting.

Scientific sessions continued from 30 June to 3 July 2026, featuring presentations and discussions across the broad field of organic sulfur chemistry.

On Wednesday, 1 July 2026, participants had the opportunity to join a two-hour conference excursion to the Jasna Góra Monastery. More than fifty delegates took part in the visit, during which they explored, among other attractions, the collections of the Jasna Góra Library, which they found particularly impressive.

At the closing ceremony, Professor Anna Nowik-Zając, Dean of the Faculty of Science & Technology, thanked the participants for attending the symposium and invited them to return to Jan Dlugosz University for future scientific events.

The symposium concluded with the presentation of two equal Best Poster Awards, recognising outstanding posters displayed during the Tuesday poster session. The awards were generously sponsored by the journal Molecules.

A formal conference banquet was held on 2 July 2026 at the Złote Arkady Restaurant, where the group photograph accompanying this report was taken.

One of the greatest satisfactions for the author of this report was hearing the many highly positive comments expressed throughout the symposium - not only regarding the scientific quality of ISOCS-31, but also its excellent organisation and the welcoming atmosphere that characterised the scientific sessions, coffee breaks and lunches. These favourable impressions were further confirmed in e-mails sent by several participants to the author, who served as Chair of the ISOCS-31 Organising Committee.

These expressions of appreciation are a tribute to the work of the entire Organising Committee, whose full membership is listed on the ISOCS-31 website. With great pleasure, the author therefore presents excerpts from several messages received from the participants reflecting on the organisation and overall success of the symposium.

Professor Xuefeng Jiang (East China Normal University, Shanghai), Chair of ISOCS-32, wrote in his message (quoted below in the original English):

"I would like to extend my sincere compliments on the tremendous success of ISOCS-31. It was truly a perfect conference. Every academic session and on-site service were meticulously arranged, and we gained a great deal from the high-level academic discussions. We deeply appreciate all your hard work and thoughtful preparations."

In his letter, Professor Kei Goto (Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan) wrote:

"Now that I am back to Tokyo I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you again for organizing such an outstanding symposium. It was a great pleasure to visit Częstochowa for the third time after an interval of fourteen years. Thanks to your warm hospitality, I truly felt as though I had returned to my home away from home in Poland."

and:

"Please extend my warmest regards and gratitude to all of your colleagues who kindly took care of us during the symposium."

In his letter, Professor Stefano Menichetti (University of Florence, Italy) wrote:

"Once back home, and back at 40 °C, I wish to thank you for what you did for us last week. I know very well I demand the organization and you have been very efficient and very kind indeed."

In his letter, Professor Wolfgang Weigand (Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany) wrote:

"Now that I’m back in Munich, I would like to congratulate you on the superbly organized and successful ISOCS-31 and thank you very much for inviting me to give the plenary talk. It was a special honor for me to deliver the conference’s first talk, which was dedicated to Richard Glass. Overall, the atmosphere was great, and the quality of the presentations was outstanding. It was like a family reunion for the sulfur community."

In her letter, Professor Antonella Capperucci (University of Florence, Italy) wrote:

"I would like to thank you, and the organizers, once again for the excellent organization of the ISOCS, for your hospitality, and your kindness."

In his letter, Professor Mogens Brøndsted Nielsen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) wrote:

"Thank you once again for a great conference and really nice program!"

The testimonials from the participants of ISOCS-31 provide the strongest confirmation of the symposium's outstanding scientific quality, excellent organisation, and the welcoming atmosphere that accompanied this gathering of the international community of researchers working in the field of organic sulfur chemistry.