The Lab Notes

What does effective training planning actually look like in a large organisation? Recently, we worked with a global pharmaceutical company that took a refreshingly thoughtful approach to staff development — and the results showed in engagement and course impact.         Instead of assigning training by department, they flipped the model. For two…

On Thursday, 20th November 2025, we had the absolute pleasure of celebrating Claire’s 30th work anniversary, a milestone that speaks volumes about her dedication, energy, and passion for Scientific Update. We were honoured to be joined by Dr Trevor Laird, founder of Scientific Update, and his wife Barbara. Along with the team and Will Watson,…

Scientific Update Limited is delighted to announce that Bec Newton has been promoted to the role of Scientific Director. Since joining the organisation in 2024, Bec has demonstrated exceptional leadership, creativity, and scientific insight, taking on a wide variety of responsibilities and “wearing many hats” across the business. In a fitting tribute to her adventurous…

Chemical Engineering: What Scientists and Other Engineers Need to Know by Rob Peeling Bringing a new chemical or biochemical processes and products into commercial manufacture is a risky business. Over my career I’ve either been directly involved in or witnessed many (a great many!) projects. Some successfully generated good financial returns. Some rightly  disappeared into…

Effective Impurity Management Personal Reflection by Andy Teasdale   Every time I look to prepare for the  Effective Impurity Management Course, I reflect on what has changed since previous events. This time as indeed virtually every time in the last 6 years, thoughts centre on N-Nitrosamines.  Since the initial observation of the presence of the…

Why CPD Courses and Conferences Are Essential for Process Chemists and Development Scientists In the fast-paced and highly regulated world of chemical and pharmaceutical development, staying ahead means staying informed. Whether you're a process chemist, organic chemist, chemical engineer, or development scientist, continuing professional development (CPD) isn’t just a box to tick, it’s a strategic…

As part of our commitment to provide chemists with a comprehensive toolbox of important synthetic reactions, we have just introduced a new online course focusing on both traditional and cutting-edge methodology used in carbon–carbon (C–C) bond-forming reactions. Figure 1, complied by Neufeldt et al, shows the long and twisted road to development of the technologies…

C. Wang et al, Nat. Chem. 2025, 10.1038/s41557-025-01849-1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-025-01849-1 Amines are one of the most ubiquitous functional groups in bioactive natural products, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and catalysts. However, synthesis of medium sized cyclic (8-11) and macrocyclic (>12) amines is difficult and compounded by low availability as off-the-shelf commercial materials. A recent paper by Wang et al published in Nature Chemistry reports a…

I. Hotham et al, Org. Process Res. Dev. 2025, 29, 1554–1559 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.oprd.5c00101   The standard go-too method for coupling ammonium salts and ammonia or ammonia surrogates with aryl halides is palladium catalysis. Copper catalysis has become much more competitive over the past few years, driven largely by the development of activating ligands. A recent paper by Hotham…

R. Liu et al, Org. Lett. 2024, 26, 9847−9851 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.orglett.4c03625   Efficient methods for preparing electron-deficient (hetero)aryl anilines are limited. This paper by the Liu group describes a operationally simple method for synthesizing primary anilines from (hetero)aryl boronic acids and esters using commercially available O-(diphenylphosphinyl)hydroxylamine (DPPH) under mild, metal-free conditions. The transformation occurs efficiently at room temperature (DPPH,…