We invite you to submit a paper for inclusion in a Special Issue of  PCCP on Stacking Interactions Guest Edited by Pavel Hobza (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic).

Over the last decade the importance of the interactions between delocalised (aromatic) -electrons has come to light.  Such 'stacking' interactions have been shown to play an essential role in the stability of biomacromolecules, e.g. DNA and the stabilization of intercalators in DNA, receptor-ligand recognition and enzyme-substrate binding, protein structure, the self-organization of conjugated polymers and the formation of host-guest complexes.  Understanding the nature of these interactions will therefore provide key insights into the structure and dynamics of molecules of great biological importance.

The challenges for researchers in the physical sciences are substantial; the study of stacking interactions belongs to the most difficult tasks in theory and experiment and therefore requires use of the most accurate methods.  With this in mind, we are proud that an issue focussing on the physico-chemical aspects of the field will be published in PCCP.  The issue will include papers on - interactions, X-H... interactions (X = O, N, C...) and cation... interactions.

Deadline for Submission: 3 December 2007  

Contributions should be of original, unpublished research. They will be peer-reviewed in the usual way and, if accepted, will be published online in a citeable form as soon as they are ready. The papers will be collected together for the print issue, which will be published in early Summer 2008. All of the papers will also be collected together on the PCCP website for maximum profile and ease of browsing. 

Papers can be submitted in almost any format, using the ReSourCe web submissions service. Any questions about the Special Issue should be directed to the Editorial Office - we'd be delighted to hear from you.