deadline news acs news exhibitor news · of our planet and what we, as chemists, can do to preserve...

Deadline NewsWalnuts Are Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Green Cars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Practical “Artificial Leaf”. . . . . . . 6

From Crankcase to Gas Tank. . . . 7

New Medicines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Trash-to-Treasure Process. . . . . 9

ACS NewsWelcome from

ACS board president . . . . . . . . 2

ACS Ribbon Cutting. . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Inaugural ACS Kavli Lecture. . . . 3

IYC and More from ACS CEO . . . 10

Exhibitor NewsWorkshops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Vendor Updates. . . . . . . . . . . .12–17

Exhibitor Photos. . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2 ACS ShowDaily.|.TUESDAY.29 March 2011.|.Anaheim

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Published for the ACS by International Trade Show Press American Chemical Society

OACS: An International Model of Innovation

n behalf of the Board of

Directors, I welcome you to

this 241st National Meeting

of the American Chemical

Society.

The theme of the meeting is

“Chemistry of Natural Resources,”

which emphasizes the fragility

of our planet and what we, as

chemists, can do to preserve

and promote its natural beauty,

abundance and sustainability.

More than 75 sessions focus on the

meeting theme, organized by 29

divisions and seven committees,

exploring everything from the

chemistry of natural products to the

production of functional materials

and fuels from renewable resources.

As a member of the Board of

Directors, I particularly enjoy

engaging with ACS volunteers

who give freely of their and best

efforts, despite being busy with

career and family obligations, to

improve people’s lives through the

transforming power of chemistry. I

want to thank the many volunteer

members of ACS who made the

technical content of this meeting

possible.

The theme of providing

solutions to worldwide challenges

is also one of the themes of the

International Year of Chemistry

(IYC) and is our opportunity to

showcase ACS as an international

model of innovation, collaboration,

and inclusion.

During this year, our members

will help carry out this IYC

theme through the Chemistry

Ambassadors Program. Please

sign up to become a Chemistry

Ambassador and learn how you

can become an even more effective

spokesperson and advocate

for the science and profession

of chemistry. Check out this

exciting program at www.acs.org/

chemistryambassadors.

Be sure to stop by the Exposition

in the Convention Center and visit

the ACS Pavilion, Booth 638. For

the first time, this booth features

all ACS products, programs, and

services together, in one space.

This innovation is part of our

ongoing effort to make our services,

including ACS Publications,

Chemical Abstracts Service, and the

ACS Store, more readily accessible

to our members so you can easily

get answers to your questions about

everything ACS has to offer.

Our profession, now more than

ever, is a global enterprise. And as

it expands, it seems there are more

questions than answers. What

should ACS be doing in the future?

How should we transform ACS

to address this new reality? How

can ACS better assist unemployed

chemists? How can we help bright,

young students seeking careers in

our enterprise?

The ACS Board of Directors is

pursuing answers to these funda-

mental questions. We’ve already

embarked on a major review of the

Society’s Strategic Plan for 2012 and

Beyond. We will be reaching out to

hear your priorities for how ACS

can help you to succeed, and we

hope that you will participate when

we contact you.

Thank you again for all you

do as ACS members. Please

don’t hesitate to send me your

comments, concerns, and ideas at

[email protected].

Bonnie A. Charpentier, PhD

Chair, ACS Board of Directors

Front and center at Monday’s ribbon cutting to open the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society were, left to right: Robert Massie, president, ACS Chemical Abstract Service; Brian Crawford, president, ACS Publications; ACS CEO Madeleine Jacobs;

and Denise Creech, director, ACS Membership & Scientific Advancement

ACS ShowDaily.|.TUESDAY.29 March 2011.|.Anaheim. 3

Mimicking Mother Nature Yields Promising Materials for Drug Delivery imicking Mother Nature’s

genius as a designer is

one of the most promis-

ing approaches for devel-

oping new medicines, sus-

tainable sources of food and energy,

and other products that society

needs to meet the great challenges

that lie ahead in the 21st century, a

noted scientist said Monday.

In the inaugural Kavli Founda-

tion Innovations in Chemistry

Lecture at the 241st National Meet-

ing & Exposition of the American

Chemical Society, Virgil Percec, said

the approach—often termed “bioin-

spired design”—can stake a claim to

becoming one of the most innova-

tive fields in science.

“Using nature as a model and

mentor offers great promise for de-

veloping new commercial products,

launching new industries, and for

basic progress in science and tech-

nology,” Percec said. “Nature already

has found simple, elegant, sustain-

able solutions to some of our most

daunting problems. The models are

there—the leaf as the perfect solar

cell, for instance—waiting for us to

fathom and mimic.”

Percec’s laboratory at the

University of Pennsylvania led an

international collaboration of scien-

tists to prepare a library of synthetic

biomaterials that mimic the cell mem-

brane, the biological films that hold

the contents of the 50 trillion cells in

the human body. Composed mainly

of proteins and fats, cell membranes

have a crucial role in controlling

the flow of nutrients and chemical

signals into cells and the exit of sub-

stances produced inside cells.

The scientists found that when

certain organic substances called

Janus dendrimers are added to

water, they spontaneously form a

menagerie of nano-sized packets

shaped like bubbles, tubes, and

disks. Persec named them “den-

drimersomes,” and indications are

that the structures are ideally suited

to serve as packages for carrying

drugs, genes, medical imaging and

diagnostic agents, and cosmet-

ics into the body. Their structural

similarity to natural cell membranes

makes them highly compatible with

the body’s own cells.

Dendrimersomes show promise

of being more stable, targeted, and

effective than existing nanomateri-

als used for drug delivery, Percec

said. The packets also tend to be

uniform in size, are easily formed,

and can be customized for different

functions, properties that give them

additional advantages in the emerg-

ing field of nanomedicine.

Percec’s talk described dendrim-

ersomes and other bioinspired

materials, some of which show

promise for improved solar cells,

electronics, water purification, and

other applications.

“We are dedicated to advancing

science for the benefit of humanity,

promoting public understanding

of scientific research, and support-

ing scientists and their work,” said

Kavli Foundation president Robert

Conn in a statement. “The Kavli

Foundation Innovations in Chem-

istry Lecture program at the ACS

national meetings fits perfectly with

our commitment to support ground-

breaking discovery and promote

public understanding.”

The Kavli lectures debut at the

Anaheim meeting during the Inter-

national Year of Chemistry and will

continue through 2013. They will

address the urgent need for vigorous,

new, “outside-the-box”-thinking, as

scientists tackle many of the world’s

mounting challenges like climate

change, emerging diseases, and

water and energy shortages. The

Kavli Foundation, an internationally

recognized philanthropic organiza-

tion known for its support of basic

scientific innovation, agreed to spon-

sor the lectures in conjunction with

ACS in 2010.

Leaving Romania in 1981, Percec

completed his postdoctoral research

at the University of Freiburg,

Germany, and the University of

Akron, OH, before becoming a

faculty member of the Case Western

Reserve University one year later.

In 1999, he joined the University of

Pennsylvania. His research focuses

on the interface between organic,

bioorganic, macromolecular, and

supramolecular chemistry.

Exploring nature´s solutions,

he tries to transfer the building

principles and self-organization

abilities of biological systems to

artificial ones. Recently, Percec took

part in the development of a library

of biomaterials that mimic cellular

membranes and show great promise

in nanomedicinal applications like

the targeted delivery of cancer drugs

or diagnostic agents. Besides being

a long-standing editor of the Journal

of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer

Chemistry, he is a member of the

editorial board of 13 journals. u

M

Somewhere between Dancing with the Stars and Idol ACS-style: A dress rehearsal for dancers and rappers helped prep the cast of chemists in advance of the Sci-Mix Monday night. The show was to be immortalized on the ultimate channel—YouTube—as the ACS Office of Public Affairs planned

to tape the affair at the official ACS Tweet-up to generate awareness for the International Year of Chemistry.

Inaugural Kavli Lecturer Virgil Percec, left, and Kavli Foundation’s, Robert Conn


A

W a l n u t s A r e To p N u t f o r H e a r t - H e a l t h y A n t i o x i d a n t s

new scientific study

positions walnuts in the

No. 1 slot among a family of

foods that lay claim to being

among Mother Nature’s

most nearly perfect packaged foods:

Tree and ground nuts.

In a report at the 241st National

Meeting & Exposition of the

American Chemical Society,

scientists presented an analysis

showing that walnuts have a

combination of more healthful

antioxidants and higher quality

antioxidants than any other nut.

“Walnuts rank above peanuts,

almonds, pecans, pistachios, and

other nuts,” said Joe Vinson, who

did the analysis. “A handful of

walnuts contains almost twice as

much antioxidants as an equivalent

amount of any other commonly

consumed nut. But unfortunately,

people don’t eat a lot of them.

This

study suggests that consumers

should eat more walnuts as part of a

healthy diet.”

Vinson noted that nuts in

general have an unusual combina-

tion of nutritional benefits—in

addition those antioxidants—

wrapped into a convenient and

inexpensive package. Nuts, for

instance, contain plenty of high-

quality protein that can substitute

for meat; vitamins and minerals;

dietary fiber; and are dairy- and

gluten-free. Years of research by

scientists around the world link

regular consumption of small

amounts of nuts or peanut butter

with decreased risk of heart disease,

certain kinds of cancer, gallstones,

Type 2 diabetes, and other health

problems.

Despite all the previous research,

scientists until

now had

not

compared both the amount and

quality of antioxidants found in

different nuts, Vinson said. He filled

that knowledge gap by analyzing

antioxidants in nine different types

of nuts: walnuts, almonds, peanuts,

pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts,

cashews, macadamias, and pecans.

Walnuts had the highest levels of

antioxidants.

Vinson also found that the

quality, or potency, of antioxidants

present in walnuts was highest

among the nuts. Antioxidants in

walnuts were 2-15 times as potent

as vitamin E, renowned for its

powerful antioxidant effects that

protect the body against damaging

natural chemicals involved in

causing disease.

“There’s another advantage in

choosing walnuts as a source of

antioxidants,” said Vinson, who is

with the University of Scranton

in Pennsylvania. “The heat from

roasting nuts generally reduces

the quality of the antioxidants.

People usually eat walnuts raw

or unroasted, and get the full

effectiveness of those antioxidants.”

If nuts are so healthful and

nutritious, why don’t people eat

more? Vinson’s research shows,

for instance, that nuts account

for barely 8 percent of the daily

antioxidants in the average person’s

diet. Many people, he said, may

not be aware that nuts are such

a healthful food. Others may be

concerned about gaining weight

from a food so high in fat and

calories. But he points out that nuts

contain healthful polyunsaturated

and monosaturated fats rather than

artery-clogging saturated fat. As for

the calories, eating nuts does not

appear to cause weight gain and

even makes people feel full and less

likely to overeat.

In a 2009 U. S. study, nut

consumption was associated with

a significantly lower risk of weight

gain and obesity. Still, consumers

should keep the portion size small.

Vinson said it takes only about

seven walnuts a day, for instance,

to get the potential health benefits

uncovered in previous studies. u


Y“ G r e e n” C a r s C o u l d B e M a d e Fr o m P i n e a p p l e s , B a n a n a s

our next new car hopefully

won’t be a lemon. But it

could be a pineapple or

a banana. That’s because

scientists in Brazil have

developed a more effective way to

use fibers from these and other plants

in a new generation of automotive

plastics that are stronger, lighter, and

more eco-friendly than plastics now

in use. Scientists described the work,

which could lead to stronger, lighter,

and more sustainable materials for

cars and other products, during

their presentation at the 241st

National Meeting & Exposition of the

American Chemical Society.

Study leader Alcides Leão, who

is with Sao Paulo State University

in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said the fibers

used to reinforce the new plastics

may come from delicate fruits like

bananas and pineapples, but they are

super strong. Some of these so-called

nano-cellulose fibers are almost as

stiff as Kevlar, the renowned super-

strong material used in armor and

bulletproof vests. Unlike Kevlar and

other traditional plastics, which are

made from petroleum or natural gas,

nano-cellulose fibers are completely

renewable.

“The properties of these plastics are

incredible,” Leão said. “They are light,

but very strong—30 percent lighter and

3-to-4 times stronger. We believe that a

lot of car parts, including dashboards,

bumpers, side panels, will be made of

nano-sized fruit fibers in the future.

For one thing, they will help reduce the

weight of cars and that will improve

fuel economy.”

Besides weight reduction,

nano-cellulose reinforced plastics

have mechanical advantages over

conventional automotive plastics,

Leão added. These include greater

resistance to damage from heat,

spilled gasoline, water, and oxygen.

With automobile manufacturers

already testing nano-cellulose-

reinforced plastics, with promising

results, he predicted they

would be used

within two

years.

Cellulose is the main material that

makes up the wood in

trees and other parts of plants.

Its ordinary-size fibers have been

used for centuries to make paper,

extracted from wood that is ground

up and processed. In more recent

years, scientists have discovered that

intensive processing of wood releases

ultra-small, or “nano” cellulose fibers,

so tiny that 50,000 could fit inside

across the width of a single strand of

human hair. Like fibers made from

glass, carbon, and other materials,

nano-cellulose fibers can be added to

raw material used to make plastics,

producing reinforced plastics that are

stronger and more durable.

Leão said that pineapple leaves

and stems, rather than wood, may be

the most promising source for nano-

cellulose. Another is curaua, a plant

related to pineapple that is culti-

vated in South America. Other good

sources include bananas; coir fibers

found in coconut shells; typha, or

“cattails;” sisal fibers produced from

the agave plant; and fique, another

plant related to pineapples.

To prepare the nano-fibers, the

scientists insert the leaves and stems

of pineapples or other plants into a

device similar to a pressure cooker.

They then add certain chemicals to

the plants and heat the mixture over

several cycles, producing a fine mate-

rial that resembles talcum powder.

The process is costly, but it takes

just one pound of nano-cellulose to

produce 100 pounds of super-strong,

lightweight plastic, the scientists said.

“So far, we’re focusing on

replacing automotive plastics,” said

Leão. “But in the future, we may be

able to replace steel and aluminum

automotive parts using these plant-

based nano-cellulose materials.”

Similar plastics also show

promise for future use in medical

applications, such as replacement

materials for artificial heart valves,

artificial ligaments, and hip joints,

Leão and colleagues said.

The scientists acknowledge

funding from the government of

Brazil, Pematec, Toro Industria and

Comercio Ltd., and other private

companies. u


D e b u t i n g F i r s t P r a c t i c a l “A r t i f i c i a l L e a f ”cientists are claiming one

of the milestones in the

drive for sustainable energy

is the development of the

first practical artificial leaf.

Speaking at the 241st National

Meeting of the American Chemical

Society, they described an advanced

solar cell the size of a poker card

that mimics the process, called

photosynthesis, that green plants

use to convert sunlight and water

into energy.

“A practical artificial

leaf has been one of the

Holy Grails of science for

decades,” said Daniel

Nocera, who led the

research team. “We

believe we

have done

it. The

artificial

leaf

shows

particular promise as an

inexpensive source of electricity for

homes of the poor in developing

countries. Our goal is to make each

home its own power station,” he

said. “One can envision villages

in India and Africa not long from

now purchasing an affordable

basic powersystem based on this

technology.”

The device bears no resemblance

to Mother Nature’s counterparts on

oaks, maples and other green plants,

which scientists have used as the

model for their efforts to develop

this new genre of solar cells. About

the shape of a poker card but

thinner, the device is fashioned

from silicon, electronics and

catalysts,

substances that accelerate chemical

reactions that otherwise would

not occur, or would run slowly.

Placed in a single gallon of water

in a bright sunlight, the device

could produce enough electricity

to supply a house in a developing

country with electricity for a day,

Nocera said. It does so by splitting

water into its two components,

hydrogen, and oxygen.

The hydrogen and oxygen gases

would be stored in a fuel cell, which

uses those two materials to produce

electricity, located either on top of

the house or beside it.

Nocera, who is a chemist with

the Massachusetts Institute

of Technology, points out that

the “artificial leaf” is not a

new concept. The first artificial

leaf was developed more than

a decade ago by John Turner of

the U.S. National Renewable

Energy Laboratory in Boulder,

CO. Although highly efficient at

carrying out photosynthesis,

Turner’s device was

impractical for

wider use, as it was

composed of rare,

expensive metals and

was highly unstable—with

a lifespan of barely one day.

Nocera’s new leaf overcomes

these problems. It is made of

inexpensive materials that are

widely available, works under

simple conditions and is highly

stable. In laboratory studies,

he showed that an artificial

leaf prototype could operate

continuously for at least 45 hours

without a drop in activity.

The key to this breakthrough

is Nocera’s recent discovery of

several powerful new, inexpensive

catalysts, made of nickel and

cobalt, that are capable of

efficiently splitting water into its

two components, hydrogen and

oxygen, under simple conditions.

Right now, Nocera’s leaf is about

10 times more efficient at carrying

out photosynthesis than a natural

leaf. However, he is optimistic that

he can boost the efficiency of the

artificial leaf much higher in the

future.

“Nature is powered by

photosynthesis, and I think

that the future world will be

powered by photosynthesis as well

in the form of this artificial leaf,”

said Nocera. u

S


F r o m C r a n k c a s e t o G a s Ta n k : N e w M i c r o w a v e M e t h o d C o n v e r t s U s e d M o t o r O i l I n t o F u e l

hat dirty motor oil that

comes out of your car or

truck engine during oil

changes could end up in

your fuel tank, according to

a report presented at the 241st Na-

tional Meeting & Exposition of the

American Chemical Society. It de-

scribed development of a new pro-

cess for recycling waste crankcase

oil into gasoline-like fuel—the first,

they said, that uses microwaves and

has “excellent potential” for going

into commercial use.

“Transforming used motor

oil into gasoline can help solve

two problems at once,” said study

leader Howard Chase, professor

of Biochemical Engineering at the

University of Cambridge in the

UK. “It provides a new use for a

waste material that’s too-often

disposed of improperly, with harm

to the environment. In addition, it

provides a supplemental fuel source

for an energy-hungry world.”

Estimates suggest that changing

the oil in cars and trucks produces

about 8 billion gallons of used

motor oil each year around the

world. In the U.S. and some other

countries, some of that dirty oil is

collected and re-refined into new

lubricating oil or processed and

burned in special furnaces to heat

buildings. Chase noted, however,

that such uses are far from ideal

because of concerns over environ-

mental pollution from re-refining oil

and burning waste oil. And in many

other countries, used automotive

waste oil is discarded

or burned in ways that

can pollute the envi-

ronment.

Scientists are look-

ing for new uses for

that Niagara of waste

oil, growing in volume

as millions of people in

China, India, and other developing

countries acquire cars. Among the

most promising recycling techniques

is pyrolysis, a process that involves

heating oil at high temperatures in

the absence of oxygen. Pyrolysis

breaks down the waste oil into a mix

of gases, liquids, and a small amount

of solids. The gases and liquids can

then be chemically converted into

gasoline or diesel fuel. However, the

current processes heat the oil un-

evenly, producing gases and liquids

not easily converted into fuel.

Chase and his research team

say the new method overcomes

this problem and uses their new

pyrolysis technology. In lab studies,

his doctoral students, Su Shiung

Lam and Alan Russell, mixed

samples of waste oil with a highly

microwave-absorbent material

and then heated the mixture with

microwaves. The pyrolysis process

appears to be highly efficient,

converting nearly 90 percent of

a waste oil sample into fuel. So

far, the scientists have used the

process to produce a mixture of

conventional gasoline and diesel.

“Our results indicate that a

microwave-heated process shows

exceptional promise as a means

for recycling problematic waste

oil for use as fuel,” Chase and Lam

said. “The recovery of valuable oils

using this process shows advantage

over traditional processes for oil

recycling and suggests excellent

potential for scaling the process to

the commercial level.” u

T


n what they described as the

opening of a new era in the

development of potentially life-

saving new drugs, scientists

Monday reported discovery of

a way to tone down an overactive

gene involved in colon cancer

and block a key protein involved

in asthma attacks. Those targets

long had ranked among hundreds

of thousands that many scientists

considered to be “undruggable,”

meaning that efforts to reach them

with conventional medicines were

doomed to fail.

“These substances represent

an entirely new class of potential

drugs,” study leader Gregory

Verdine told the 241st National

Meeting & Exposition of the

American Chemical Society. “They

herald a new era in the drug-

discovery world.”

Verdine cited estimates that

conventional medicines, most of

which belong to a family termed

“small molecules,” cannot have

any effect on 80–90 percent of the

proteins in the body known to be

key players in disease. Throwing up

their hands in frustration, scientists

had even begun to term these

prime targets for battling disease as

“untouchables” and “undruggable.”

The new substances are not

small molecules, but “stapled pep-

tides,” named because they consist

of protein fragments termed pep-

tides outfitted with chemical braces

or “staples.” The stapling gives

peptides a stronger, more stable

architecture and the ability to work

in ways useful in fighting disease.

“Our new stapled peptides

can overcome the shortcomings

of drugs of the past and target

proteins in the body that were once

thought to be undruggable,” Verdine

said. “They are a genuinely new

frontier in medicine.”

In one advance, Verdine and

colleagues at Harvard University

described development of the

first stapled peptides that target

colon cancer and asthma attacks.

The colon cancer stapled peptides

inhibit activity of a protein called

beta-catenin that, when present

in a hyperactive form, causes

cells to grow in an aggressive and

uncontrolled way. That protein

normally helps keep certain cells,

including those lining the colon,

in good health. But the abnormal

protein has been directly linked

with an increased risk of colon

cancer and other types of cancer,

including those of the skin, brain,

and ovaries.

When added to human colon

cancer cells growing in laboratory

cultures, the stapled peptides

reduced the activity of beta-catenin

by 50 percent. In patients, that level

of reduction could be sufficient

to have a beneficial impact on the

disease, Verdine suggested.

Verdine, who is with Harvard

University’s Department of Stem

Cell and Regenerative Biology,

also reported development of

the first stapled cytokines, which

show promise for fighting asthma.

Cytokines are hormone-like

proteins secreted by cells of the

immune system and other body

systems that help orchestrate the

exchange of signals between cells.

The stapled cytokines moderate

the activity of a cytokine called

interleukin-13, which asthma

patients produce in abnormally

large amounts that contribute to

asthma attacks.

Current asthma drugs, he

noted, tend to treat the underlying

symptoms of asthma, particularly

inflammation. By contrast, stapled

cytokines could treat the underlying

causes of the disease. Verdine’s

team is collaborating with a

pharmaceutical firm on efforts

to further develop the stapled

peptides. u

IP o t e n t i a l N e w M e d i c i n e s S h o w P r o m i s e

f o r Tr e a t i n g C o l o n C a n c e r , A s t h m a


N e w Tr a s h - t o -Tr e a s u r e P r o c e s s Tu r n s L a n d f i l l N u i s a n c e I n t o P l a s t i c

ith billions of pounds

of meat and bone meal

going to waste in land-

fills after a government

ban on its use in cattle

feed, scientists are describind the

development of a process for using

that so-called meat and bone meal to

make partially biodegradable plastic

that does not require raw materials

made from oil or natural gas.

Reporting at the 241st National

Meeting and Exposition of the

American Chemical Society,

Fehime Vatansever and colleagues

explained that in 1997, the U. S Food

and Drug Administration banned

the decades-old practice of feeding

meat and bone meal (MBM) made

from by-products of slaughtered

cattle, sheep, and farmed deer, elk

and bison to those same animals.

Other countries took similar

action. It stemmed from concern

over the human form of Mad Cow

Disease, a very rare but fatal brain

disorder that spread in the United

Kingdom from eating infected

meat. As of 2010, only three cases

of the disease, bovine spongiform

encephalopathy (BSE), had occurred

in the United States. The bans were

to reduce the chances that meat and

bone meal made from one infected

cow could spread BSE widely

throughout cattle herds.

“The ban changed what once was

a valuable resource—a nutritious

component of cattle feed—

into waste disposal headache,”

Vatansever said. “More than nine

billion pounds of protein

meal are produced by the

U.S. rendering industry

each year, and most

of that is meat and

bone meal. The meal

from cows had to

be treated with harsh

chemicals to destroy

any BSE and then put

into special landfills.

We thought we could

keep meat and bone

meal from being

deposited in landfills

by using it to make

petroleum-free

bioplastics.”

Vatansever and her

colleagues described

development and

successful testing of

that process, which

uses meat and bone

as the raw material

rather than the

chemical compounds

in petroleum or

natural gas. They

mixed the MBM

plastic with so-called

ultra-high-molecular

weight polyethylene

(UHMWPE), an

extremely tough plastic

used in skis, snowboards,

joint replacements, PVC windows,

and other products. Their tests

showed that the MBM/UHMWPE

plastic is almost as durable as

UHMWPE with the bonus of being

partially biodegradable.

Any of the BSE infectious

agents that might be present

in meat and bone meal

are deactivated during

the manufacture of the

plastic, Vatansever noted.

“This is

just one

way

to reuse meat and bone meal,

and it’s great because it

reduces the amount of

petroleum needed

to make plastics,”

Vatansever said.

“We’ve also

managed to

create a strong,

sustainable

material that

is easy to

manufacture.” u

W


I n t e r n a t i o n a l Ye a r o f C h e m i s t r y i s C e n t e r p i e c e A m o n g A C S I n i t i a t i v e s

By Madeleine Jacobs,

ACS CEO and Executive Director

elcome to Anaheim!

This meeting marks

the first opportunity

for ACS to officially

celebrate the

International Year of Chemistry

2011 with its members. As ACS

President Nancy Jackson noted in

her Show Daily article yesterday,

Anaheim is the first of two ACS

national meetings that take place

during the International Year of

Chemistry (IYC).

ACS has been busy for two years

getting ready for this momentous

year, but we began our official cel-

ebrations in January with a festive

dinner on Jan. 31 at the Chemical

Heritage Foundation in Philadel-

phia. The next day, on Feb. 1, ACS,

the American Chemistry Council

(ACC), the American Institute of

Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the

Chemical Heritage Foundation

(CHF), and the National Academy

of Science (NAS) hosted a panel dis-

cussion in which chemistry’s solu-

tions to global challenges were dis-

cussed by noted leaders within the

chemical enterprise. The archived

webcast is available for download

and viewing. Dow Chemical was the

sponsor of this event; ACS helped

to support the webcast.

On Feb. 5, ACS partnered with the

Franklin Institute in Philadelphia to

provide an opportunity for kids and

their families to learn more about

the fascinating world of chemistry

through nine hands-on, age-appropri-

ate activities on the occasion of IYC.

Organized by the ACS Department of

Volunteer Support and conducted by

45 ACS and AIChE student chapters

and ACS local section members and

ACS staff, this event attracted the

attention and excitement of hundreds

of museum-goers.

ACS has launched the ACS

IYC Partners Program which was

created to formally collaborate

with peer organizations to create

synergies surrounding celebrations

of IYC. To date, ACS IYC Partners

include the Academy of Science-

St. Louis, American Ceramic

Society, American Crystallographic

Association, American Geophysical

Union, American Oil Chemists’

Society, American Physical Society,

American Society for Biochemistry

and Molecular Biology, ASTM

International, Iowa Mathematics

& Science Education Partnership,

Materials Research Society, National

Science Teachers Association,

Optical Society of America (OSA),

School Science and Mathematics

Association, SkillsNET Corporation,

Société de Chimie Industrielle,

Society for Science & the Public,

Technical Association of the Pulp

and Paper Industry, The Council

for Chemical Research, and the

Triangle Coalition For Science and

Technology Education. We are

expecting many additional partners

in the next few weeks. These

partners agree to highlight IYC and

activities on their websites and in

their communications, and, in turn,

their logos are on our website.

Our virtual and physical IYC

presence is strong and continues

to grow. Visit www.acs.org/iyc2011

to view 365: Chemistry for Life,

our web-based calendar with

interesting features each day on

chemistry’s contribution to daily

life. Additionally, Issues 1 and 2

of the ACS International Year

of Chemistry Virtual Journal are

available for reading and sharing.

Other outreach activities for IYC

2011 are also well underway. The

outreach theme for 1st quarter 2011

is “Water in the Environment.” A

wide variety of resources, including

the publication Celebrating

Chemistry, are currently available

to support IYC 2011 celebrations

that utilize this theme. Local

sections, student chapters, and high

school chemistry clubs have already

begun to provide reports of their

2011 IYC and outreach activities.

I hope you will continue to do

your part to keep the energy level

high. You may stay informed about

what’s happening as the array of

new IYC events and activities come

on line by frequently visiting www.

acs.org/iyc2011. You can also sign

up to receive and contribute to the

ACS IYC Bulletin at IYC2011@acs.

org; add encouragement to celebrate

IYC to your email signature lines;

and via the ACS Network, Twitter,

Facebook and other social media

share ACS IYC activities, resources

and enthusiasm among colleagues,

friends, and the ACS communities

with whom you work.

Unlike our colleagues in

astronomy who launched a

multi billion dollar satellite to

celebrate their International

Year of Astronomy, we have

something much better to mark our

International Year of Chemistry—

you! ACS members and our other

chemistry colleagues are priceless

in their knowledge, wisdom,

enthusiasm, and passion for

chemistry. Thank you for being

the best possible ambassadors for

conveying the messages of the

International Year of Chemistry! u

W

To kick off the International Year of Chemistry in January, noted industry leaders were featured on a panel to discuss chemistry solutions to global challenges. Among the co-sponsors were ACS and the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Seated from left: Joshua Boger and Rita Colwell. Standing from left: Andrew Liveris, Thomas Tritton, Janet Hering, Daniel Nocera and Ellen Kullman


Connect Chemistry featuring

CambridgeSoft ChemDraw: The Next

Generation of Course Management,

Online Learning and Electronic

Homework

Sponsor: McGraw-Hill Higher

Education, Booth 657. ACC,

8:30–11 am, Room 211A

A panel of chemistry instructors will

share experiences using technology

in the classroom to increase student

success rates. Technologies to be

discussed include: CambridgeSoft

ChemDraw, online homework,

adaptive learning tools-LearnSmart,

lecture capture software-Tegrity, and

eBooks. Technology implementation

strategies will be discussed in-depth.

McGraw-Hill is sponsoring four of

these technology workshops during

the 2011 Spring ACS Exposition.

Molecular Modeling with Spartan’10Sponsor: Wavefunction, Booth 628.

ACC, 8:30–11 am, Room 211B

This hands-on course will take advan-

tage of Spartan’10 software to provide

an introduction to the application

of molecular mechanics and quan-

tum chemical methods to determine

molecular shape, structure, ener-

gies and properties. Topics include:

Description/Examples of common

molecular modeling tasks; Applica-

tions describing molecular structure,

properties, reactivity and selectivity;

Graphical models for the prediction/

analysis of properties, reactivity and

selectivity; Calculation of Spectra

(IR, UV/Vis and NMR); Performance

assessment of molecular mechanics

and quantum chemical methods; Data

mining (Spartan Molecular Database,

Cambridge Structural Database. All

Attendees will receive fully functional

evaluation versions of Spartan for

Windows, Macintosh or Linux.

New Approaches in Surface AnalysisSponsor: NT-MDT Service &

Logistics, Booth 959. ACC,

Noon–2:30 pm, Room 211B

Raman Microscopy beyond diffrac-

tion limit. Advantages of SPM +

Raman integration. Scanning Probe

Microscopy as the base of complex

integrated analysis of new materials.

Improve Productivity and Achieve Faster Results with the Latest Technological Improvements in IC, HPLC, and Chromatography Data SystemsSponsor: Dionex, Booth 821. ACC,

Noon–2:30 pm, Room 211A.

Noon–12:40 pm—Increase

Productivity with the Latest

Technological Innovations in IC

Columns and Consumables

12:40–1:20 pm—Operational

Security: The Ideal

Chromatography Data System

1:20–2 pm—Fast Results: Semi-

Quantitative Analysis without the

Need for Standards

2–2:30 pm—Improving Productivity

Through Automated Sample

Preparation.

Independent Online Homework and eBooksSponsor: Sapling Learning, Booth

1042. ACC, 3:30–6 pm, Room 211A

Do you find yourself wanting to add

your own questions to your online

homework system? Or edit the text-

book you are using? Are you proud of

the materials you’ve produced for your

own class? Do you want recognition

and compensation for all the extra

work you’ve done? Check out Sapling

Learning during this workshop to learn

about our online homework and eBook

platform where instructors can create

and publish their own content under

Sapling’s nanopublishing model. The

workshop will start with an introduc-

tion to Sapling Learning’s homework

and eBook platform. After that we’ll get

into creating and publishing content.

We’ll go over the basics of constructing

your own content and how content can

generate royalties for the author. u

E x h i b i t o r W o r k s h o p s — T o d a y


Chemical Info Expands Its HorizonsFrom the pale blue waters of Iceland’s

Svartsengi to the olivine crystals on

Hawaii’s Green Sand beach, some of

Earth’s more intriguing natural won-

ders are explained in research acces-

sible through bibliographic records

in the CAS databases. In the “blue

lagoon” or “olivine” research topic

searches in SciFinder, results include

articles published in FEMS Microbi-

ology Ecology or Chemiker-Zeitung,

respectively, on these topics.

This year, CAS continues its second

century of building the highest-quality

and most trusted collection of chemical

information in the world. In 2010, CAS

scientists and technical specialists set

new records for number of reactions

(greater than 7.8 million) and indexed

records (approximately 1.3 million)

added to its authoritative databases.

From roots in the 19th century and its

1907 inaugural, the legacy of Chemical

Abstracts thrives in the complete and

fully integrated digital research envi-

ronment that CAS offers the modern

scientific researcher.

For today’s scientists, the main

entry point to the riches of the

CAS databases is SciFinder, CAS’

premier research tool. SciFinder

provides quick and intuitive access

to the most vital details of chemical

and related science, including those

found in the gold standard of sub-

stance databases, CAS REGISTRY.

In December 2010, CAS once again

enhanced SciFinder to help scien-

tists and other researchers expedite

research inquiries, lab preparations,

and synthesis-planning processes. The

latest enhancements include viewing

experimental procedures in context

with a reaction, searching structures

using Smiles and InChI strings, rank-

ing search results by relevance, deploy-

ing enhanced reaction, and substance

displays, and using and accessing

patent-related information from ACS

Publications journal articles.

In 2011, CAS has many more

enhancements in store for SciFinder

users. Check regularly at scifinder.

cas.org. Visit CAS at Booth 638. u


Latest additions to PURELAB Flex Allow Users to Focus on Routine Work

The New MPS: Driving Productivity

Elga LabWater, a Veolia Water Solu-

tions and Technologies company,

presents a new Type I ultrapure

water purification system. The

PURELAB flex 3 and 4 are the latest

additions to the award winning

PURELAB flex range of systems.

The PURELAB flex offers many ad-

vantages for analytical and lifescience

applications. It allows users to focus on

routine test work, without having to

worry about the water quality affecting

any test results. The point-of-use dis-

play provides confidence in the water

purity as the ultrapure water is dis-

pensed. It displays clear information,

such as system status, temperature,

alarms, time and Total Organic Carbon

(TOC). The TOC reading, critical for

sensitive analytical applications, is in

real time providing an advantage over

other conventional TOC monitors,

which provide a delayed response

reading. Biological impurities, such as

endotoxins, DNase, RNase and bacteria,

are efficiently removed by point-of-

use filters.

These water purification sys-

tems have all the features of the

PURELAB flex 1 and 2. The flexible

ergonomic patent pending handset

fits comfortably in the hand for

point-of-use dispensing. It provides

a convenient range of multiple dis-

pensing options from proportional

control (drop by drop) and auto

volume to locked dispense for quick

filling of large laboratory glassware.

With its easy-access doors, routine

sanitization is accomplished in min-

utes saving users precious time. The

patent pending sanitization cartridge

makes sanitization minimal with no

manual handling of any chemicals.

Both systems deliver up to 10

liters of ultrapure water per day

and up to 2 liters per minute. The

PURELAB flex 3 delivers ultrapure

water direct from potable tap water

and PURELAB flex 4 requires a pre

purified feed. The PURELAB flex

conforms to international water

standards e.g. e.g. CLSI, CLRW, ISO

3696: Grade 1,2,3, ASTM, D1193-06,

Pharmacopeia US, EP and JP. Validat-

ing the water quality has never been

easier using the system’s USB port to

capture the data on to a flash drive.

The PURELAB flex 3 and 4 are flex-

ible water purification systems that can

be adapted to respond to a laboratory’s

changing water purity needs. Visit

Elga LabWater at Booth 316. u

Since its introduction, the GERSTEL

MPS (MultiPurpose Sampler) has

been installed in several thousand

laboratories, making it a popular

sample preparation and sample

introduction robot for GC/MS and

LC/MS. The new MPS delivers

improved productivity and perfor-

mance and provides an advanced

platform for future developments.

Externally, the sleek and modern

look is the first thing that strikes

most people when they see It. The

electronics of the MPS have been

unified and brought up to the latest

standards. A LAN port was added

along with additional memory

capacity giving the analyst more

freedom to operate with multiple

instrument configurations.

The new MPS supports all GER-

STEL sample preparation and sample

introduction technologies. All options

are easily and intuitively operated

using the MAESTRO software. The

PrepAhead function enables parallel

sample preparation and analysis,

perfectly synchronized for optimized

system utilization. The GC/MS or

LC/MS system typically never has to

wait for the next injection when it

becomes ready after a run. The MPS

can be operated independently; or

using the Agilent LC MassHunter,

ABSciex Analyst, or ThermoFisher

XCalibur sequence table; or fully in-

tegrated with Agilent ChemStation or

GC MassHunter. The new MPS helps

you further improve performance

and productivity of your GC/MS or

LC/MS analysis.

A glance at the application details

provides some clues to the added

value that the MPS can bring to

the lab. The MPS helps automate

sample preparation: Matrix residue is

eliminated using SPE, dispersive SPE

(DPX), centrifugation, or the automat-

ed QuEChERS clean-up; standards

or reagents can be added; dilution

series created; analytes concentrated

for improved limits of detection, for

example, using Dynamic Headspace

(DHS), Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction

(SBSE) or Solid Phase Micro-Extrac-

tion (SPME). The novel Dynamic

Load & Wash (DLW) eliminates carry-

over between LC/MS injections. All

sample preparation steps are easily,

flexibly and intuitively entered by

mouse-click in the MAESTRO soft-

ware, and the daily sequence table is

quickly generated using intelligent

fill-down and copy functions. The

new MPS is your reliable platform for

GC/MS and LC/MS sample prepara-

tion and sample introduction for the

coming years. u


The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

is offering a number of programs,

including International Year of

Chemistry 2011 activities, MyRSC, the

professional network for the chemi-

cal sciences, and details of its exten-

sive conference program, including

Challenges in Renewable Energy, the

fourth International Symposium on

Advancing the Chemical Sciences

(ISACS4) in Boston in July. Addi-

tionally, subscriptions to Chemistry

World will be available at a specially

reduced rate.

Other activities at RSC Publishing:

n Hear the very latest journal news

and search the RSC Publishing

platform

n Pick up a copy of the first

issue of Catalysis Science &

Technology, the new journal

focusing on all fundamental

science and technological

aspects of catalysis

n See the faces behind Chemical

Science—and read a sample of

the first 100 articles printed in a

special conference collection

n Try ChemSpider, the multiple

award-winning, chemical

structure-based search

engine providing free access

to more than 25 million

chemical structures. Meet

Antony Williams, VP strategic

development, ChemSpider and

hear about future plans

n Browse books—with a show

discount of 20 percent

n Investigate the new Water

Specialists’ Package of nine

books—at a savings of 35

percent on the individual

purchase price of these best-

selling books

As a non-profit organization, the

RSC is committed to investing in

the advancement of the chemical

sciences. Through global member-

ship, journals and books publishing,

and conferences and meetings for

chemical scientists, industrialists

and policy-makers, the RSC ensures

that an enthusiastic, innovative and

thriving scientific community is in

place to face the future.

Visit Royal Society of Chemistry

at Booth 903. u

Professional Network, Symposium, Subscriptions Offered


Compound Storage, Screening System at UNC

Leading the Way with Analytical Solutions

Hamilton Robotics and Storage

Technologies delivers a large,

integrated system for compound

storage and screening to the

National Institute of Mental

Health (NIMH) Program at the

University of North Carolina

(UNC) at Chapel Hill. The system,

for the NIMH Psychoactive Drug

Screening Program, was delivered

to the UNC Department of

Pharmacology and the Division of

Medicinal Chemistry. This is the

first installed system of its kind,

providing seamless integration of

-20˚C compound library storage

with an automated liquid handling

platform for screening assays.

The system integrates a

Hamilton ASM sample management

system with two MICROLAB STAR

liquid handling workstations, one

with a 96-channel head and the

other with 384 channels, using the

Hamilton Rack Runner robot for

tube transfer. The new system can

store up to 100,000 compounds

in 0.5 ml screw cap microtubes.

Hamilton delivered the system

within three months of the order,

and a factory acceptance was

successfully completed immediately

prior to delivery.

The NIMH program at UNC is

funded by the National Institutes

of Health (NIH) and provides

screening services to academic

investigators, focusing on central

nervous system receptors. Bryan

Roth, distinguished professor, is

the principal

investigator

for the

program, which

screens novel

compounds for

pharmacological

and functional

activity/selectivity

at cloned human

CNS receptors,

channels and

transporters.

“Many

investigators

send us their

compounds

for screening,

often one or

two at a time,”

explained Jon

Evans, project

manager at UNC. “It’s especially

important to us that the Hamilton

system can locate and pick

individual vials or tubes and deliver

them to the liquid handler for the

automated assays.” u

ITT Analytics is leading the way

with its analytical portfolio, which

provides customers with a complete

range of premium field, portable,

laboratory, and online analytical

instrumentation. It was formed

following the acquisition of Nova

Analytics in March 2010.

With experience and expertise

in supplying total solutions for

regulated environments, ITT

Analytics’ high quality products

enable its customers to confidently

comply with strict regulatory

requirements. The company

provides a consolidated offering

of solutions to serve markets,

such as water and wastewater,

environmental, food and beverage,

chemical, pharmaceutical, flavor

and fragrance, biotechnology, and

petrochemical, globally.

The company’s products are

sold under a wide range of globally

recognized brands, which include

WTW, SI Analytics, OI Analytical

Aanderaa Data Instruments

(AADI), ebro, Bellingham and

Stanley, Global Water and Royce

Technologies. By bringing these

brands and their products into the

ITT Analytics stable, the company

provides increased focus on the

brands and long-term support to

customers.

ITT Analytics is showcasing the

use of its products in a broad range

of applications and environments.

Instrumentation at Pittcon includes

the OI Analytical total organic

carbon analyzer (TOCA) and WTW

VARIO conductivity meter which

have been selected by NASA for

inclusion on the final flight of

the space shuttle Discovery. The

instruments will be delivered to

the International Space Station

where they will be used to measure

conductivity and analyze water

quality.

A range of instruments and

measurement options for the

detection of the carcinogenic

hexavalent chromium (chromium

VI) in drinking water also are being

displayed. ITT Analytics’ offering

of sophisticated

technology and

simple convenient

screening tests

assist water

utilities to achieve

fast and accurate

measurement of

the cancer-causing

element in water.

ITT Analytics

is launching its

SI Analytics

TitroLine titrator

series, including

the TitroLine 6000,

TitroLine 7000

and TITRONIC

500. The family

of instruments combines, ease-

of-use, and maximum accuracy,

while exchangeable modules store

all relevant data for the most

demanding titration and dosing

applications. u


Portfolio Includes Asia SystemsSpecialists in flow reactors for R&D

chemists, Syrris has expanded its prod-

uct portfolio to include the Asia range

of modular flow-chemistry systems.

The most flexible and easiest to use

system to date, the Asia portfolio is

scalable and modular—making it ideal

for any flow chemistry requirements.

It has been designed by chemists

for chemists to enable the widest

variety of chemical reactions and

ultimate ease of use. The proprietary

technology allows automated ex-

periments with or without a PC. Asia

offers maximum chemical resistance

with an extensive range of tempera-

tures, pressures, and reaction times

on scales from mg to kg.

The Asia range consists of three

different series, each with three pre-

configured systems providing varying

levels of functionality. The Asia 1-series

are a manually operated, cost-effective

choice. The Asia 2-series systems can

automatically perform one experiment

at a time, with automated parameters

such as reaction temperature, pressure

and collection timings. Fully-automated

for process optimisation, the Asia 3-se-

ries is ideal for performing synthesis,

work-up, and analysis of hundreds of

experiments.

Visit Syrris at Booth 1217. u

Metrohm USA is offering an auto–

sampler and titrator in one—at

a size no larger than a typical

titrator. The Metrohm 862 Compact

Titrosampler.

With plug-and-play functionality,

predefined titration methods, and

step-by-step menu instructions—sys-

tem functions right out of the box

with minimal user training required.

Features include a 12-place carou-

sel, high-precision measuring inputs,

automatic cleaning and conditioning

of the electrode between determi-

nations, as well as the ability to

interrupt the series at any time to, for

example, determine higher priority

samples. The 862 Compact Titrosam-

pler includes a large display to view

the live titration curve and connec-

tions for an intelligent dosing unit,

stirrer and USB printer.

Also available are the Food &

Beverage Compact Titrosampler and

the Salt Compact Titrosampler, sys-

tems preconfigured and packaged

with applications for immediate use

on a large variety of samples.

All Metrohm systems come

with a three-year warranty and are

fully backed by expert Applications

Laboratory support team.

Visit Metrohm at Booth 439. u

Compacting Autosampler, Titrator for Simplicity‘Demos’ for Autism Raise Awareness Heidolph USA is hosting the “Demos

for Donations” program again dur-

ing the 241th National ACS Meeting

Exposition in Anaheim. For each

ACS card scanned, Heidolph will

con tribute $3 to Autism research

and awareness. Autism Speaks is

the nation’s largest autism science

and advocacy group—www.au-

tismspeaks.org—dedicated to fund-

ing Autism research, prevention,

treatment, and supporting families

with an autistic child.

“We encourage other companies

to start similar programs and, as an

industry, we can make a difference

too,” said Jim Dawson, president.

Visit Heidolph USA at Booth 525. u


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