Why did Valentin Rodionov reject the paper he was peer-reviewing, and what personal and professional consequences had the earlier version of that study caused him?

Valentin Rodionov rejected the paper because it was a revised version of an earlier study published in Nature Synthesis in 2022 that had already caused him significant distress by scooping his team’s work on synthesizing γ-graphyne—a new carbon allotrope with triple bonds. That earlier publication prompted funding agencies to question whether to continue supporting his research, which directly led to a postdoctoral researcher in his lab—whose work depended on that funding—having to temporarily leave the US.

What scientific achievement was at the center of the conflict between Rodionov’s team and the Nature Synthesis paper?

The scientific achievement at the center of the conflict was the synthesis of γ-graphyne, a novel form of carbon characterized by triple bonds, which Rodionov’s team was working to achieve but was preempted by the 2022 Nature Synthesis paper.

Graphyne, Retractions, and Bad Blood Between Chemists

Jun 18, 2026

Case Western Reserve University chemist Valentin Rodionov faced funding issues after a Nature Synthesis paper scooped his team on γ-graphyne synthesis, sparking peer review conflicts.

cen

2026-06-18

Graphyne, Retractions, and Bad Blood Between Chemists

Graphyne, Retractions, and Bad Blood Between Chemists

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