This special issue commemorates the 70th volume of the Journal of the Chinese Chemical Society (JCCS). Launched in 1933 in mainland China and later resumed in 1954 in Taiwan, JCCS is the flagship journal of The Chemical Society located in Taipei (CSLT). It stands as one of the oldest scientific journals in Taiwan and has been published in English since its inception. Over the past 70 years, JCCS has significantly increased its visibility and readership. Various measures were implemented to enhance the journal's appearance, reviewing process, information retrieval convenience, and the quality of the published papers. JCCS has experienced steady growth in number of published papers, transitioning from a bimonthly to a monthly journal in 2012. Notably, the collaboration with Wiley-VCH in 2012 for publication undoubtedly elevated the status of JCCS. According to the statistics from the publisher, the number of full-text-downloads for JCCS papers has seen a remarkable almost eightfold increase from 2013 to 2022, with a continuous upward trend since then. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the previous Editor-in-Chiefs and editorial teams for nurturing JCCS with affection and enthusiasm. Additionally, my appreciation extends to the current editorial team for their dedication in processing the manuscripts.

In this special issue, we have invited chemists from a broad range of disciplines and expertise to showcase the diversity and activity of chemical research. The issue features 5 review papers, covering various topics, including the applications of step-scan Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy by Li-Kang Chu, studies of small molecular and polymeric hole-transporting materials for perovskite solar cells by Ming-Chou Chen and Prabakaran Kumaresan, et al., in−/ex-situ investigation of intercalated water in oxygen evolution electrocatalysts by Hao Ming Chen, et al., characterization of molecular alignment and orientation in thin films for organic light-emitting diodes by Chin-Ti Chen, et al., and the progress of magnetic field-aligned proton exchange membranes for fuel cell applications by Hadi Nur et al.

Additionally, there are 11 research articles spanning organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, polymer chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, and materials chemistry. The subjects covered include the total synthesis of pikrosalvin by Rong-Jie Chein, et al., diastereoselective synthesis of chromeno[4,3-b]pyrrolidines by Wenwei Lin, et al., Pd-catalyzed dual C-H activation of N-phenyl-1H-indole-3-carboxamides by Ming-Jung Wu, et al., development of fluorescent polyamides and polyimides by Hung-Ju Yen, et al., synthesis of novel aluminum complexes by Lan-Chang Liang, et al., construction of bispecific antibody complexes by Chun-Cheng Lin, et al., small organic molecules with antimicrobial activity by Ameen A. Abu-Hashem, et al., green synthesis of mesoporous silicas by Hong-Ping Lin, et al., design of fluorescent organogelators as sensitive and selective anion probes by Shih-Sheng Sun, et al., scalable and cost-effective fabrication of perovskite solar cells by Yu-Tai Tao et al., and atomic layer deposition Al₂O₃ coatings on graphite cathode materials by Di-Yan Wang, et al.

Chemistry plays a pivotal role in various facets of our daily lives, as well as in numerous scientific and industrial fields. For chemical societies, the publication of journals serves as a cornerstone for disseminating research findings, promoting scientific advancement, building a scientific community, and archiving knowledge. On behalf of the editorial board, I express gratitude to the authors for their valuable contributions to this special issue. We hope that readers will thoroughly enjoy the content.