It is our pleasure to invite you to participate in the 40th Reaction Mechanisms Conference (RMC) to be held at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, from June 7–10, 2026.
Registration will open in January 2026.
The RMC is an historically important and vibrant meeting, first held in 1946, that concentrates on the recent advances in broadly defined mechanistic chemistry. The scope of discussions includes organic, organometallic, inorganic, materials and biological research with significant mechanistic implications and insights on the connections between structure and reactivity.
The RMC resembles a Gordon Research Conference in both size and format. Discussion and sharing of ideas at the forefront of the field has always been the style. The conference will bring together industrial, government and academic chemists from all over the world to report their latest discoveries and share mechanistic insights into important reactions. The scientific program of this 40th RMC will include invited lectures as well as poster sessions, and may include contributed short talks as well.
The conference generally attracts between 150 and 200 chemists from academia, government labs and industry. Graduate and undergraduate students are especially encouraged to participate and learn more about the field, as well as hear from our outstanding international program of speakers. Students will have formal and informal opportunities to discuss the latest discoveries with leaders in their fields.
The topics that RMC 2026 will focus on are, among others: new reactions and reactivity patterns, reactive intermediates in solution and gas phase, metal-catalyzed reactions, new concepts in catalysts, computational chemistry, biological systems and mechanisms, materials, as well as trouble-shooting in industrial chemistry and other applications of mechanistic chemistry to industry.
This 40th Reaction Mechanisms Conference will continue a tradition established in
2004 of having a conference honoree recognized for their career-long contributions
to the broad field of mechanistic chemistry, to training students in the field, and
to this conference. Previous honorees have included Cynthia Burrows, Josef Michl,
Ken Houk, Wes Borden, Matt Platz, Bob Bergman, Chuck DePuy, Jerry Berson, Ernest Eliel,
Ken Wiberg, John Roberts, and Bill Doering. This year’s honoree is Prof. Dr. Peter Chen, Laboratorium für Organische Chemie, ETH Zürich. RMC2026 will feature a session dedicated to Professor Chen’s impact and scientific
legacy.
Another long-running tradition of the conference, begun by Dave Reingold decades ago, is an undergraduate context session providing a safe, non-judgemental venue for undergraduate students to ask fundamental conceptual questions about anything they’ve seen on posters, in talks, or in the abstract book. Lunch will be provided to undergraduate students and PUI faculty in this session.
Continuing a much newer tradition established at the 39th RMC, the conference will again feature a panel discussion on mechanistic chemistry careers in industry, and new for RMC2026 will be a session of talks from industrial speakers.
Holland, Michigan, is an attractive college town and beach community that makes an attractive summer tourist destination. An award winning downtown is steps from campus, and Lake Michigan’s sandy shores are just 6 miles from campus.
Respectful, Professional and Ethical behavior
The Reaction Mechanisms Conference, an independent conference founded in 1946, has a long-standing tradition of providing a venue for the presentation of stimulating science and lively discussion in a welcoming environment. To best facilitate the exchange of ideas, the Governing Board of the Reaction Mechanisms Conference expects conference participants to exhibit at all times respectful, professional and ethical behavior. The RMC aligns with the American Chemical Society’s Code of Conduct. Furthermore, the RMC also aligns with the American Chemical Society’s statement on Diversity, Equity Inclusion, and Respect.
Contact
Direct inquiries to RMC 2026 co-organizer and local host Professor Jason Gillmore at gillmore@hope.edu.