European Crystal Banquet &Conference Center519 W. Algonquin RoadArlington Heights, IL 60005Parlor BC847-437-5590

DIRECTIONS TO THE MEETING

From Chicago:Take I-90 West. Exit at Arlington HeightsRoad and turn right (north). Go to thefirst stoplight, which is Algonquin Road.Turn left onto Algonquin and go 1/2 mileto European Crystal.

From Northern Indiana:Take I-294 North to I-90 West. Exit I-90at Arlington Heights Road and turn right(north). Then follow the directions givenabove.

From Western Suburbs:Northbound I-290 & I-355 merge withRoute 53. Take these combined roadsto Higgins Road exit. Merge onto EastFrontage Road and turn right onto GolfRoad. Go 2 miles and turn right ontoAlgonquin Road. Go 1/3 mile to Euro-pean Crystal.

PARKING: Free

JOB CLUB: 5:00 - 6:00 P.M.

PRE-DINNER TALK 5:00 - 6:00 P.M."To Bond, or Not To Bond" presentedby Dr. Eric Brown, Assistant Professor ofChemistry, Loyola University, Chicago, IL See abstract on page 2

SOCIAL HOUR 5:30- 6:30 P.M.Cash Bar

THINKY DEMO 5:30-6:30 P.M.Bring your samples.See page 3 for details

DINNER 6:30 P.M.

Dinner reservations are required andshould be received in the Section Office

via phone (847-647-8405), fax (847-647-8364), email (chicagoacs@ameritech.net) or website (http://chicagoacs.org) by noon on Tuesday,January 22.

The cost is $34 to Section members whohave paid their local section dues, mem-bers' families, and visiting ACS members.The cost to members who have NOTpaid their local section dues and to non-Section members is $36. The cost to stu-dents and unemployed members is $17.Seating will be available for those whowish to attend the meeting without dinner.PLEASE HONOR YOUR RESERVA-TIONS. The Section must pay for all din-

ner orders. No-shows will be billed.

JANUARY • 2008

CHICAGO SECTION AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETYJoint Meeting with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2008

(continued on page 2)

http://chicagoacs.org

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The Chemical Bulletin is changing!Starting September 2008, primary dis-tribution of The Chemical Bulletin willbe changing to a new electronicversion that will bring many excitingnew features. The electronic editionwill bring to you enhanced contentand better links to our advertisers’content. We will send to you the linkto each Bulletin by email. We will,of course, provide the option to notreceive the email notification, and youwill still be able to reach each issuethrough the Section web page. Youalso wil l st i l l have the optionof receiving a paper copy of TheChemical Bulletin for a small addition-al fee. More details will be given inThe Chemical Bulletin and alsoat the Chicago Section web page:www.chicagoacs.org. We wouldalso like to hear about your thoughtsand guidance as we make thischange; please send commentsand questions to: change@mychemist.net. Also, as part of the pro-cess, we need your email address.Please send it to the off ice atchicagoacs@ameritech.net.

(continued on page 2)GENERAL MEETING 7:45 P.M.Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, Director of theRenewable Energy and ChemicalsBusiness, UOP LLC,Des Plaines, IL

Topic: "Biofuels: Unlocking thePotential"

Abstract: Government policy is drivingsubstitution of petroleum feedstocks bybiologically derived feedstocks. Howev-er, as biofuels become increasingly per-vasive, the debate over the potential ofbiofuels to become a sustainable sourceof liquid transportation fuels continues.Much of this debate is accentuated bythe low yield of biofuels from existingfood stock, the poor energy balance ofexisting biofuels and the lack of produc-

NOTICE TO ILLINOISTEACHERS

The Chicago Section ACS is anISBE provider of professional devel-opment units for Illinois teachers.Teachers who register for this month'smeeting will have the opportunity toearn up to 4 CPDU's.

tion and distribution networks. This talk will examine the key drivers

for the increased production of biofuelsas well as the potential risks. In addi-tion, it will outline the elements whichcould enable the creation of a sustain-able biofuels infrastructure; factorswhich range from the selection of thefeedstock (algae, cellulosic), toapproaches to improve the energy bal-ance and to create fungiable fuelswhich can utilize existing distributionnetworks and be used in existing auto-motive f leets. The importance ofalliances and relationships in enablingthe development and implementation ofnew technology which can transitionbiofeedstocks from mandated to advan-taged sources of fuels and chemicalswill also be presented.

Biography: Jennifer Holmgren is Direc-tor of the Renewable Energy andChemicals Business at UOP LLC. Thisgroup will commercialize UOP tech-nologies based on renewable resourcesto the market. Prior to this assignment,Jennifer was Director of Exploratoryand Fundamental Research at UOPLLC. This group was accountable forUOP ’s strategic R&D portfolio anddelivering new tools and methods. Jennifer received a B.Sc. in Chemistry

from Harvey Mudd College in Clare-mont California, a Ph.D. in InorganicMaterials Synthesis from the Universityof Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and anMBA from the University of Chicago.

Jennifer was a member of the R&DReengineering Design Team, whichredefined UOP’s technology commer-cialization methodology. She was thefirst Chair of R&D’s Technical Commu-nity Organization. She currently serveson multiple external advisory boards.She is the author or co-author of 50 USpatents, 20 scientific publications and isthe 2003 recipient of the Council forChemical Research’s (CCR) MalcolmE. Pruitt Award.

EDITORIALWelcome to the January 2008 issue of

The Chemical Bulletin. We hope youhad a good holiday season and arelooking forward to a new year of infor-mation related to chemistry andchemists in the Chicagoland area. As you have probably read the notice

on the cover page of this issue, therewill be a change this year how theChemical Bulletin will be distributed toour membership. Starting in Septem-ber, the Chemical Bulletin will primarilybe electronically distributed. This will bea substantial cost-savings in operatingexpenses to the section since theChemical Bulletin is the section'sbiggest expense. Transition to electron-ic format will make the publication avail-able to a larger audience as well asmaking it timelier. We also plan to makeprovision to accommodate memberswho strongly desire to continue to get apaper copy. More details will follow asthe year progresses.

Be sure to check out the listing ofupcoming events in the Calendar on theback page of this and every issue. Ifyou know of a meeting, a course, orother scientific activity that would be ofinterest to your Section members, sendthe information to me for inclusion inthe Calendar.With each issue, we keep in mind our

commitment to ACS, the Chicago Sec-tion's mission, and the goal of beingone of your connections to chemistry-related information in the Chicagolandarea and from ACS National.

CHERLYN BRADLEY, EDITOR(cbrad1027@aol.com)

1/08 2

IN THIS ISSUE1 — Important Notice1 — Dinner Meeting2 — Editorial3 — ChemShor ts for Kids:

Glow-in-the-Dark Slime 3 — Thinky Mixer Demo4 — Internships in Israel4 — Chemistry in Sports and

Health 5 — Death Notice: Margaret

Huston5 — Send in Your Email

Address!5 — Stoddard, Kilpatrick Lectur-

er5 — Death of a Grad Student6 — Job Club6 — January Historical Events

in Chemistry6 — Volunteers Needed!!6 — National Historic Chemical

Landmark7 — Chicago Chemistry Day

20077 — Ad Index8 — Calendar

(continued from page 1)

(continued from page 1)

Dinner Menu: Entrée choice of Bro-chette of Beef on Bed of Rice with Pep-percorn Sauce, Orange Roughy withlemon butter sauce and Anna Potato, orPenne Pasta with roased vegetables;dinner includes vegetable medley ofbroccoli, baby carrots & rutabaga, rollsand butter, choice of beverage, andApple Crumb Cake for dessert.

PRE-DINNER TALK ABSTRACT

"To Bond, or Not To Bond. How"Aromatic" are "Homoaromatic"Molecules?"

Despite the many opinions on what"Aromaticity" is, virtually all agree that"Aromatic" molecules are energeticallystabilized by a particularly efficient typeof bonding, and that Huckel's Rule issatisfied.

In "Homoaromatic" molecules, theatoms are arranged in forms reminis-cent of simple aromatic annulenes.

However, here it is found that manymolecules that have been termed"Homoaromatic" do not possess theappropriate electron density topologieswhich indicate that there are, in fact,bonding arrays between the atoms. Wemake predictions as to how themolecules must be engineered in orderto synthesize a truly homoaromaticsystem, and support these predictionswith the results of high-level electronicstructure theory simulations.

The Elementary Education Committeeof the Chicago Section ACS presentsthis column. They hope that it will reachyoung children and help increase theirscience literacy. Please cut it out andpass it on to your children, grandchil-dren, or elementary school teachers. Itis hoped that teachers will incorporatesome of the projects in this column intotheir lesson plans.

Glow-in-the-Dark Slime

Kids, this recipe is for a clear slimethat glows in the dark after you exposeit to light. The main ingredients are:Elmer's glue gel, saturated borax solu-tion and glowing paint. You’ll also needmeasuring cups/spoons, a bowl orZiploc baggie and a spoon.

First, prepare a glue gel solution bymixing 1 part of glue gel (either clear orpale blue) with 3 parts of warm water.Stir the glow agent into the glue gel,about 1/8 teaspoon (tsp) per 30 ml (2tablespoons, Tbsp) of solution. You canfind glowing paint at some paint storesor glowing paint powder (which is zincsulfide, ZnS) at craft or hobby stores.The paint powder will not dissolve soyou just want it mixed in really well. The other solution you need is a satu-

rated borax solution made by stirringborax into warm water until it stops dis-solving, leaving borax at the bottom ofthe container. Mix together 30 ml (2Tbsp) glue gel solution with 10 ml (2tsp) of borax solution. You can use aspoon and a cup or you can just squishit together inside a sealed baggie. Thephosphorescent glow is activated byshining a light on the slime. Then youturn out the lights and it will glow!

Tips:Store your slime in a baggie or othersealed container to keep it from evap-orating. You can refrigerate if desired.The slime cleans up well with soapand water.

Do not eat or drink any solutions orthe slime, and wash your hands afterplaying with this slime. Do not inhale oringest the glow-in-the-dark ingredient,whichever you choose to use.A glowing paint called 'Glow Away' at

Michael's craft store is reportedly goodfor many batches of glowing slime. It'ssafe, washes away with water, and iseasy to mix into the slime gel. It may belocated with the tempera paints. Otherproducts may work equally well, just besure to check the label for safety infor-mation (especially paint powder).

Elmer's non-toxic blue glue gel hasbeen used; it’s sold with school sup-plies. There is a clear glue gel made byanother manufacturer, plus there arered or blue glue gels with stars and glit-ter that you could use. Borax is sold instores near laundry detergent or house-hold cleaners.

References: Dr. Anne Marie Helmen-stine at http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/ht/glowindarkslime.htm

Edited by K. A. CARRADO, ArgonneNational Laboratory

All past “ChemShorts”: http://membership.acs.org/C/Chicago/ChmShort/kidindex.html.

Thinky Mixer DemonstrationMichael Pfeifer from Process Technol-

ogy Engineering will demonstrate aThinky mixer at the Jan 24, 2008 Chica-go section meeting. Thinky mixers usea non-contact mixing method to enablesimultaneous mixing and de-aerating.The material container rotates andrevolves at 400G acceleration, enablingfast mixing of materials to form a uni-form material with no air bubbles. Evendifficult to mix materials can be uniform-ly mixed with a Thinky mixer.Attendees at the meeting can bring

samples of materials for mixing tri-als. Samples must meet the followingcriteria: 1) no outgassing of toxic ornoxious fumes before or after mixing, 2)be less than 150 ml total volume, and3) be less than 250 grams total mass.Contact Michael at mpfeifer@imetllc.com with any questions aboutyour samples. The materials to bemixed are simply added to a mixing cupand the cup is placed in the mixer.

1/08 3

January, 2008 Vol. 95, No. 1. Pub-lished by the Chicago Section ofThe American Chemical Society,Editorial Staff: Cherlyn Bradley, Edi-tor; Fran Kravitz, Associate Editor;Fadwa Al-Taher and Richard Trep-tow, Proofreaders; Frank Jarzem-bowski, Publications Business Man-ager. Address: 7173 North Austin,Niles, Illinois 60714; 847/647-8405.Subscription rates: $15 per year.Frequency: monthly-Septemberthrough June.

Now, if the mixer only revolved duringprocessing, the mixture would getpressed outwards, air bubbles wouldbe eliminated, and the mixture itselfwould begin to separate. To counterthis, Thinky mixers also rotate the cupabout the center of its axis during themixing process. This brings the con-tents back into the center. This methodof mixing enables

• Dispersion at primary particle level.• De-aeration down to sub-micron size.• Mixing in seconds to minutes.• Uniform mixtures of many types of

materials.• Reduction of the amount of solvent

or emulsifier required for dispersion.

For materials that foam excessivelyduring mixing Thinky offers mixers withvacuum de-aerating capabil i t ies.Thinky mixers come in six differentsizes based on the maximum volumeand mass of the materials that can bemixed. For more information and someexamples of mixed materials go towww.thinkyusa.com

Be sure to stop by to see a Thinkymixer demonstration at the Januarysection meeting!

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LEGACY HERITAGEINTERNSHIPS FORYOUNG SCIENTISTS

The Legacy Heritage Internship forYoung Scientists (LHIYS) is a year-long experience which commences witha rigorous six-week summer programdesigned to introduce brilliant highschool juniors with demonstrated scien-tific aptitude and community achieve-ment to hands-on experience withIsraeli scientists in the research labora-tories of the Hebrew University ofJerusalem, combined with extensiveeducational touring of the State of Israeland dynamic and engaging learning.

This comprehensive program bringsstudents to the Belmonte Laboratoriesof Hebrew University for guidedresearch and laboratory experienceunder the tutelage of doctoral candi-dates and eminent professors atHebrew University and the Youth Cen-ter for Advanced Studies. Participantswill discover the processes of scientificresearch through hands-on investiga-tion, weekly scientific lectures and sem-inars, and visits to scientific venues atHebrew University throughout Israel.

Upon returning from Israel during theschool year, interns will be expected toparticipate in a variety of educationaland informational activities focusingprimarily on science as well as Israelduring the school year. Participants willalso be expected to submit the researchwork conducted in Israel to variouslocal, national and international sciencecompetitions. Ongoing contact with pro-gram staff including research mentorswill be an important part of this process.For more information and to request a

copy of the brochure, please contactMarci Karoll at 212-578-8190 x126;email MKaroll@lhfl.net or go towww.LegacyHeritage.org.

“CHEMISTRY IN SPORTSAND HEALTH - IMPACTINGYOU EVERYDAY!”

The undergraduate program at the235th ACS Spring National Meeting inNew Orleans, LA includes symposia on“Polymers in Sports” and “Chemistry inMedicine,” as well as a presentation byeminent scientist Richard Silverman onthe drug discovery process. The under-graduate poster sessions will highlightstudents’ research in a variety of disci-plines in chemistry. Career develop-ment will also be highlighted with work-shops on improving communication andadvice on preparing for and attendinggraduate school.

1/08 4

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Mary Margaret Huston

We are sad to report that MargaretHuston passed away November 30,2007 at the age of 86. Margaret wasthe second woman Chair of the Chica-go Section (in 1980) and served theSection in many other capacities. Shewas the wife of the late Dr. John L.Huston, Professor, Dept. of Chemistry,Loyola University, Chicago. A graduateof Rosary College, where she earned aB.S. in Chemistry, she received herM.S. in Chemistry from Loyola Universi-ty in 1956. She was Chief Chemist forthe Egg & Poultry Products Association.She was active for many years at herchurch, St. Peter Parish in Skokie, asCo-Coordinator for the Ministry of Care.She was a vital and active member ofthe community. She is survived by acousin, Mary Louise Leahy.Margaret was featured in the Section's

Women Chemist Committee column ofThe Chemical Bulletin, September 2005issue.

Memorial contributions may be madeto Dominican University, Office of Insti-tutional Advancement, 7900 W. Divi-sion, River Forest, IL 60305.

AMADOU CISSE’: 1978 - 2007I have visited the University of Chicago

many times, usually for a lecture ormeeting; occasionally and rarely, for asection dinner meeting. And of course,because the Section and the Universityof Chicago Chemistry Department haveshared the responsibility for planningand organizing the Stieglitz lecture inalternate years, serving as chair of theStieglitz Lecture Committee has givenme the opportunity to know very well thestaff in the Chemistry Department. I amsure it was partly because of this long-term relationship with the departmentthat I was struck with such a shockingsense of sadness when I read about thebrutal slaying, resulting in the death ofAmadou Cisse’, 1978 – 2007, of Sene-gal. He had just finished his thesisdefense and I am sure was looking for-ward with satisfaction and excitement togetting his doctorate in chemistry onDecember 7.

It was just today, Friday, November 30,that I attended the Memorial Service forAmadou in the Kerstens Physics Teach-ing Center on the UC Campus. Therewere remarks by students, faculty andhis thesis, adviser, Dr. Steven Sibener,Eisendrath Professor of Chemistry at UC.Dr. Sibener made very warm and lauda-tory remarks about his deceased gradu-ate student. Investigation continues intothe tragic circumstances of his death withtwo arrests announced this week. As I reflected on the death of Amadou, I

remembered that it was just a couple ofweeks ago that I was reading the story ofthe Third Annual Conference of theAfrican Science Academy DevelopmentInitiative (ASADI) conference in theweekly newsletter of our own NationalAcademy of Sciences. What made thestory especially interesting is that theconference was held in Dakar, Senegal.The main reason for its substantial andsignificant coverage by the NAS newslet-

ter is that our own National Academy is amajor supporter of efforts to improve thescience initiatives and educational effortsthroughout the African continent. Please note that this was just the “Third

Annual Conference----“. There is nodoubt, Amadou’s knowledge and pres-ence in Senegal was wanted and need-ed in his home country. He will be sorelymissed. His doctorate will be presentedposthumously at the commencementceremonies of the University on Friday,December 7.

JIM SHOFFNER

1/08 5

DEATH NOTICEYOUR SECTION NEEDSYOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!!

We need your e-mail addressin order for the Chicago Sectionto better communicate with you.The Chicago Section is investigat-ing ways to reduce the Sectionbudget so more money can beused in member’s programs suchas education, community outreach,and other program areas. Onearea the Section is planning tochange is the Chemical Bulletin toan electronic version this year.This does not mean there will notbe a paper version of the ChemicalBulletin if you request one. Theidea is to reduce our printing andmailing costs.

Please send your e-mail addresswith your name and phone numberto the Section office at chicagoacs@ameritech.net. Remember wedo not share this information withother organizations.

FRASER STODDARD TOGIVE KILPATRICKLECTURE AT IIT

The February 22 meeting of theChicago Section ACS is scheduled tohappen at IIT’s McCormick TribuneCampus Center (MTCC). The KilpatrickLecture will be given by ProfessorFraser Stoddard, new faculty memberat Northwestern University, at 8:00 PMin the MTCC Auditorium and it is opento the public. The entire program forthe evening takes place in or adjacentto the MTCC ballroom and will beginwith the predinner lecture at 6 PM byDr. William Dichtel, also of Northwest-ern and a Stoddard associate. Thesocial hour will take place between5:30 and 7 PM and the banquet willbegin at 7 PM in the MTCC Ballroom.

The Chicago Section'se-mail address

ischicagoacs@ameritech.net

FREE T-SHIRTSThe Hospitality Committee raffles

one T-shirt at each monthly dinnermeeting. The shirt has CHICAgOspelled out using the periodic table.So come to a monthly meeting andmaybe you’ll win one!

NATIONAL HISTORICCHEMICAL LANDMARKThe Office of Communications award-

ed a second National Historic ChemicalLandmark plaque to INEOS, the ownerof the Sohio acrylonitrile process. Acry-lonitrile is an important component inacrylic fiber and in a durable thermo-plastic used in automobile parts and inthe casings for telephones and comput-ers, as well as a host of other products.The original plaque was given to BritishPetroleum, then the owner of the Sohioacrylonitirle process, in 1996. Sohiodeveloped the process in the 1950s.

JANUARY HISTORICALEVENTS IN CHEMISTRYJanuary 2, 1765 Charles Hatchett,who discovered niobium in 1801, wasborn. Niobium was known formerly ascolumbium.

January 3, 1916 Keith James Lai-dler, a researcher in chemical kineticsand the history of physical chemistry,was born.

January 10, 1877 Frederick Cottrell,who did research in nitrogen fixation,was born. He did research on the lique-faction of gases and the recovery ofhelium. He invented the electrostatic(Cottrell) precipitator for precipitation ofparticles from gases.

January 12, 1716 Antonio de Ulloa,who discovered platinum with JorgeJuan in 1748, was born. He estab-lished the first museum of natural histo-ry, the first metallurgical laboratory inSpain, and the observatory of Cadiz.

January 15, 1785 William Prout whosuggested that all atomic weights weremultiples of weight of hydrogen (Prout'sHyphothesis), was born. He also identi-fied hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

January 16, 1875 Leonor Michaelis, aresearcher in physical chemistry — inparticular, i ts use in biology andmedicine, was born. She developed anequation (Michaelis-Menten) withMaude Leonora Menten that relates thevelocity of enzyme catalyzed reactionsto the concentration of reactants, dis-covered that keratin was soluble in thio-glycolic acid, and was a pioneer of thepermanent wave.

January 16, 1881 Joel H. Hildebrand,a researcher in solubility who intro-duced helium into deep-sea diving, wasborn. He lived to the age of 101.

January 18, 1825 Edward Frankland,who reported the first synthesis of anorganometallic compound, was born.He did research on the theory of valen-cy. In 1868, he and Norman Lockyerdiscovered helium in the sun. He wasan authority on sanitation and river pol-lution.

January 20,1758 Two hundred andfifty years ago, Marie Anne Paulzewas born. She was a research assis-tant, collaborator, illustrator, editor,publ isher, and spouse of AntoineLavoisier. After he was guillotined, shemarried but was not a collaborator ofBenjamin Thompson, Count Rumford.

January 25, 1627 Robert Boyle, whodefined an element, was born. He dis-covered Boyle's Law of gases, statedthat matter was composed of corpus-cles which themselves are built up ofdifferent configurations of primary parti-cles, and suggested alcohol as a bio-logical preservative.

LEOPOLD MAYThe Catholic University of AmericaWashington, DC

Additional historical events can befound at Dr. May’s website, www.facul-ty.cua.edu/ may/history.htm.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!! The organization Recording For the

Blind and Dyslexic is in need of peoplewith backgrounds in chemistry or bio-chemistry who would be willing to spendtwo or three hours a weeks recordingtexts for use by, as the name implies,blind or dyslexic students. If you areinterested, call Nat Meyer at the Chicagooffice 312-236-8715, ext 213 or e-mailhim at nmeyer@rfbd.org. It is not nec-essary to be rich or good-looking, andthe work itself is very rewarding.

1/08 6

JOB CLUBThe next meeting of the Chicago

Section ACS Job Club will be heldon Thursday, January 24 at 5:00p.m. at European Crystal Banquet& Conference Center. The meetingwill include a review and discussionof some of the tools that a chemistcan use to conduct a job search.

The Job Club provides a continu-ing opportunity for unemployedmembers of the Section to meetwith one another, share their experi-ences and develop a network thatmay help in identifying employmentopportunit ies. Bring plenty ofresumes and business cards to dis-tribute to your colleagues. Be pre-pared to talk about the kind of jobyou are seeking.Several participants have received

outsource help with resume prepa-ration and marketing strategies topresent their best attr ibutes toprospective employers. The grouphas crit iqued some individualresumes and made suggestions forimprovements in a positive way!The Job Club is also for employers

seeking chemists. Employers needto be prepared to describe the posi-tions to be filled and requirementsfor these positions.

Should you wish to attend theSection's dinner meeting follow-ing the Job Club, the cost is $17and you can continue your net-working activities. Please call theSection office for reservations andindicate that you are eligible for adiscount.

Also, the Chicago Section's web-site has a link to the Job Club'syahoo job forum group. If you can'tattend the Job Club, you can stillfind out about job openings andother information.

CHICAGO CHEMISTRYDAY 2007: THE YEAR OFTHE IDOL

Move over American Idol! There ’sa new hot show in town; it’s ChemistryIdol. It was the grand finale of ChemistryDay, which took place at the IITCampus on October 20, 2007.The theme was “The Many Faces ofChemistry.” Many faces of chemistrywere present -- local students, teachersand companies, to promote chemistry.

Polymers were a big part of thedemos. The most populated booth wasCosmetic Chemistry. Attendees got achance to make their own designercreams and glitter gels. Volunteers atthe Nalco display showed one processused to purify iron from water withpolymers. Kraft foods had a poster onflavors and scent, and another postershowed magnified images of Velveetacheese, an example of how chemistryand technology is used to investigatedefects in manufacturing process.

A number of local high schools hadstudent and teacher demos. One themeof the day was older students teachingyounger students. Another theme wasdensity. Niles West High School stu-dents demonstrated density with a Petridish and drops of hydrochloric acid

(HCl) and ammonia (NH3). The moredense HCl drops down from the top lidand form NH4Cl powder. A demo ondensity also showed up at the FremdHigh School table, the density of sugarsolutions. More sugar is required tosweeten drinks than artificial sweeter; amore dense pop with sugar sinks. Solu-tions of color-coded sugar water wereadded to a clear straw with eye drop-pers. By observation you could tellwhich solutions were more dense. Pro-viso East High School brought a hover-craft, and several eager boy scouts vol-unteered to take a ride on the craftdesigned by Mr. Lid. West Leyden HighSchool provided a demo that involvedtying a string around a polyacrylamide‘crystal ’ polymer and dunking i t inwater, where it disappears (a ‘GhostCrystal’).

The show to end all shows was Chem-

istry Idol, a showoff between highschools. The themes evoked the Hal-loween season. One demo was a quizshow, “Who wants to be a Chemist” witha demo of pumpkin-faced flasks oforange and brown chemistry clock reac-tions. The carbon dioxide (CO2) teamperformed a dry ice smoky cauldron, aCO2 bubble popping and ‘leaky faucet’demo using the principle that CO2 isdenser than air. The last demo of theday was a true fusion of American Idoland Chemistry Idol complete with rap-ping tunes. Electrical conductivity wasexplained, and the students got theentire audience involved, holding handsto make a human salt bridge. It was agreat way to end a fun Chemistry Day.

WANDA HARTMANNFreelance Science Writerhttp://www.wkhchemconsult.com/

1/08 7

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January 16: Government Affairs in Water Pollution ControlConference hosted by the Illinois Water Environment Asso-ciation and the Illinois Section Central States Water Envi-ronment Association, 8 am - 3 pm at the Holiday Inn, 7800 Kingery Highway (Route 83), Willowbrook, (630) 325-6400.Cost is $75; $85 after Jan. 7 or at the door. For more infor-mation, go to www.cswea.org/illinois/events/

January 24: Chicago Section's joint dinner meeting withAIChE. This is a Thursday meeting. See details in thisissue.

January 26-30: LabAutomation2008, a conferencefocused exclusively on the rapidly growing field of laborato-ry automation, will be at the Palm Springs Convention Cen-ter, Palm Springs, CA. For information, go to labautomation.org/LA08.

February 22: Chicago Section's joint dinner meeting with IIT.

February 23: IL Sections of the ACS Cooperative StateFair Project Planning Committee Conference Call, 2pm-4pm. Contact the Section office at 847-647-8405 orchicagoacs@ameritech.net for more information.

March 2-9: PittCon Conference and Expo, New Orleans, LA.

March 27: Chicago Section's Public Affairs Meeting. BobMassie, CAS president, is the after-dinner speaker. This isa Thursday meeting.

April 6-10: The 235th ACS National Meeting & Exposition,New Orleans, LA.

April 17: Chicago Section's joint dinner meeting with theJoliet Section. This is a Thursday meeting.

May 16: Chicago Section's Gibbs Award Banquet.

June 18 - July 2: 2008 Science History Tour to France.Contact Lee Marek at Lmarek@aol.com or Yvonne Twom-ey at ytwomey@mindspring.com.

June 20: Chicago Section's luncheon meeting.

August 8-17: ACS Illinois Sections’ cooperative tentproject at the Illinois State Fair. For further information onthis activity, contact the section office at (847) 647-8405.

September 19: Chicago Section's Education Night jointlywith Loyola University.

October 24: Basolo Medalist Lecture at NorthwesternUniversity and dinner at Zhivago's.

November 19: Stieglitz Lecture and Chicago SectionDinner Meeting jointly with University of Chicago.

December 5: Chicago Section's Holiday Party jointly withthe Chemists' Club and Iota Sigma Pi.

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