The conference is one in a series of meetings of chemists who share an interest in understanding the mechanisms by which chemical transformations take place, and identify the reactive intermediates that occur in the course of these transformations. The success of this field since the 1950s had led to the incorporation of mechanistic thinking into the underlying vocabulary, discourse, and teaching of chemistry. ISRIUM 2018 seeks to bring together on Monte Verità practitioners from different fields in chemistry and adjoining disciplines ranging from molecular biology to materials science, who share a mechanistic interest. We seek to share and expand new concepts and methods , both experimental and theoretical, which can impact many fields of research across and beyond traditional boundries. With ISRIUM 2018, we further strive to strengthen the scientific community interested in mechanistic questions, and its future, by seeking a strong participation by doctoral students and postdocs supported by stipends, essentially all of whom will be making poster presentations. There will be ample opportunities for the junior scientists to interact directly with senior colleagues. The CSF conference center on Monte Verità has proven, in past editions of ISRIUM that were held there, to be an ideal location for a meeting with the above-described goals and aims.