Celebrations are the order of the day for Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry (OBC) as it enters a fifth year of publishing.

Thanks to short publication times, rigorous standards and high visibility, the journal has achieved tremendous success since the first issue appeared in 2003 - a success reflected in the Impact Factor of 2.55 (released in June last year), confirming it as one of the leading titles in the field.

'OBC has achieved a great deal in a short time,' commented editor Vikki Allen. 'We are delighted with the success - and confident about the future.'

The five year milestone will be marked by a series of special features, and the focal point of the celebrations will be a reception at the 20th International Symposium on Synthetic Organic Chemistry in Cambridge in July - also the venue for Ben List from the Max-Planck Institute for Carbon Research, Germany, to present his OBC award lecture. 

Check the OBC website for news of this and other fifth birthday features.

The early months of 2007 see an abundance of special issues from RSC journals.

Following on from the highly successful nanothemed issues, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics presents a series of issues on Alternative Fuel Technologies. Published in selected printed issues over the coming months (with the first appearing in March) and collected online on a dedicated website, these issues feature the very latest research. 

Soft Matter publishes its first ever theme issue in March. Guest edited by Joachim Spatz (MPI Stuttgart and University of Heidelberg, Germany) it features papers on Proteins and Cells at Functional Interfaces.

The Chemical Society Reviews February issue celebrates two landmark anniversaries in Supramolecular Chemistry, covering a cross section of the most relevant topics in the subject today in a series of easy-to-read and fully updated tutorial reviews by pioneering researchers in the field.

Issue 3 of Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences will publish the United Nations Environment Programme Report on the Environmental Effects of Ozone Depletion and its Interactions with Climate Change, including terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, air quality, health and biogeochemical cycles.

Dalton Transactions has published its first ever web theme issue. On the topic of Carbon Dioxide at Metal Centres and guest edited by Roger Guilard, University of Bourgogne, Dijon, France, papers are published in regular issues but collected together online. 

Check out our 'specials', there's sure to be something to suit your tastes: 

A competition launched by RSC Publishing staff, which offered one lucky voter an iPod, closed recently with thousands of votes having been cast. The online competition, in which voters could choose their favourite journal cover from each of seventeen participating titles, saw the number of votes almost double that from the previous year's competition. 

'We are delighted that so many readers wished to celebrate one of the creative sides of RSC Publishing,' commented David Riddick, production manager. 'The total number of votes cast demonstrates the popularity of the competition. I can envisage this becoming an annual event!'

Details of the prize winners and the winning cover from each journal can be viewed on the web page: