Good shares at cheap prices are what the very best investors look for. At this time of economic turmoil and market volatility, could Kpx Chemical Co (KRX:25000) be one of them?

When it comes to the proven drivers of stock market profits, "good" and "cheap" is the best blend of quality and value that you can get. Research shows that poor quality, expensive shares tend to underperform - but high quality, cheap shares can deliver stunning profits.

The Kpx Chemical Co share price has moved by -1.20% over the past three months and its currently trading at 48600. The good news is that it scores well against some important financial and technical measures. It's a large-cap share with strong exposure to high quality and a relatively cheap valuation.

Here's an idea of where you can see that:

GET MORE DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS INTO KRX:25000

Good quality stocks are loved by the market because they're more likely to be solid, dependable businesses. Profitability is important, but so is the firm's financial strength. A track record of improving finances is essential.

One of the stand out quality metrics for Kpx Chemical Co is that it passes 8 of the 9 financial tests in the Piotroski F-Score. The F-Score is a world-class accounting-based checklist for finding stocks with an improving financial health trend. A good F-Score suggests that the company has strong signs of quality.

While quality is important, no-one wants to overpay for a stock, so an appealing valuation is vital too. With a weaker economy, earnings forecasts are unclear right across the market. But there are some valuation measures that can help, and one of them is the Earnings Yield.

Earnings Yield compares a company's profit with its market valuation (worked out by dividing its operating profit by its enterprise value). It gives you a total value of the stock (including its cash and debt), which makes it easier to compare different stocks. As a percentage, the higher the Earnings Yield, the better value the share.

A rule of thumb for a reasonable Earnings Yield might be 5%, and the Earnings Yield for Kpx Chemical Co is currently 23.8%.

In summary, good quality and relatively cheap valuations are pointers to those stocks that are some of the most appealing to contrarian value investors. It's among these shares that genuine mis-pricing can be found. Once the market recognises that these quality firms are on sale, those prices often rebound.

Finding good quality stocks at attractive prices is a strategy used by some of the world's most successful investors. If you want to find more shares that meet these rules, you can see a comprehensive list on Stockopedia's StockRanks page.

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Could quality and value be the key for shares in Kpx Chemical Co? - Yahoo Finance UK

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technavio has been monitoring the third-party chemical distribution market and it is poised to grow by USD 106.81 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 7% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Request for Technavio's latest reports on directly and indirectly impacted markets. Market estimates include pre- and post-COVID-19 impact on the Third-Party Chemical Distribution Market Download free sample report

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Azelis group, Biesterfeld AG, Brenntag AG, HELM AG, IMCD NV, Omya International AG, Sinochem Hong Kong (Group) Co. Ltd., Stockmeier Holding GmbH, Tricon Energy Inc., and Univar Inc. are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

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Growing focus on chemical distribution has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct & indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations. https://www.technavio.com/report/report/third-party-chemical-distribution-market-industry-analysis

Third-Party Chemical Distribution Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Third-Party Chemical Distribution Market is segmented as below:

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Third-Party Chemical Distribution Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The third-party chemical distribution market report covers the following areas:

This study identifies the increasing emphasis on outsourcing distribution services as one of the prime reasons driving the third-party chemical distribution market growth during the next few years.

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Third-Party Chemical Distribution Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market ecosystem

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Type

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor Analysis

Appendix

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavios report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavios comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Analysis- Third-Party Chemical Distribution Market 2020-2024 | Growing Focus on Chemical Distribution to Boost Growth |...

The TV series Devs took as its premise the idea that a quantum computer of sufficient power could simulate the world so completely that it could project events accurately back into the distant past (the Crucifixion or prehistory) and predict the future. At face value somewhat absurd, the scenario supplied a framework on which to hang questions about determinism and free will (and less happily, the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics).

Quite what quantum computers will do for molecular simulations remains to be seen, but the excitement about them shouldnt eclipse the staggering advances still being made in classical simulation. Full ab initio quantum-chemical calculations are very computationally expensive even with the inevitable approximations they entail, so it has been challenging to bring this degree of precision to traditional molecular dynamics, where molecular interactions are still typically described by classical potentials. Even simulating pure water, where accurate modelling of hydrogen bonding and the ionic disassociation of molecules involves quantum effects, has been tough.

Now a team that includes Linfeng Zhang and Roberto Car of Princeton University, US, has conducted ab initio molecular dynamics simulations for up to 100 million atoms, probing timescales up to a few nanoseconds.1 Sure, its a long way from the Devs fantasy of an exact replica of reality. But it suggests that simulations with quantum precision are reaching the stage where we can talk not in terms of handfuls of molecules but of bulk matter.

How do they do it? The trick, which researchers have been exploring for several years now, is to replace quantum-chemical calculations with machine learning (ML). The general strategy of ML is that an algorithm learns to solve a complex problem by being trained with many examples for which the answers are already known, from which it deduces the general shape of solutions in some high-dimensional space. It then uses that shape to interpolate for examples that it hasnt seen before. The familiar example is image interpretation: the ML system works out what to look for in photos of cats, so that it can then spot which new images have cats in them. It can work remarkably well so long as it is not presented with cases that lie far outside the bounds of the training set.

The approach is being widely used in molecular and materials science, for example to predict crystal structures from elemental composition,2-3 or electronic structure from crystal structure.4-5 In the latter case, bulk electronic properties such as band gaps have traditionally been calculated using density functional theory (DFT), an approximate way to solve the quantum-mechanical equations of many-body systems. Here the spatial distribution of electron density is computationally iterated from some initial guess until it fits the equations in a self-consistent way. But its computationally intensive, and ML circumvents the calculations by figuring out from known cases what kind of electron distribution a given configuration of atoms will have.

The approach can in principle be used for molecular dynamics by recalculating the electron densities at each time step. Zhang and colleagues have now shown how far this idea can be pushed using supercomputing technology, clever algorithms, and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence.6 They present results for simulations of up to 113 million atoms for the test case of a block of copper atoms, enabling something approaching a prediction of bulk-like mechanical behaviour from quantum chemistry. Their simulations of liquid water, meanwhile, contain up to 12.6 million atoms.

For small systems where the comparison to full quantum DFT calculations can be made, the researchers find electron distributions essentially indistinguishable from the full calculations, while gaining 45 orders of magnitude in speed. Their system can capture the full phase diagram of water over a wide range of temperature and pressure, and can simulate processes such as ice nucleation. In some situations water can be coarse-grained such that hydrogen bonding can still be modelled without including the hydrogen atoms explicitly.7 The researchers say it should be possible soon to follow such processes on timescales approaching microseconds for about a million water molecules, enabling them to look at processes such as droplet and ice formation in the atmosphere.

For small systems where the comparison to full quantum DFT calculations can be made, the researchers find electron distributions essentially indistinguishable from the full calculations, while gaining 45 orders of magnitude in speed. Their system can capture the full phase diagram of water over a wide range of temperature and pressure, and can simulate processes such as ice nucleation. The researchers say it should be possible soon to follow such processes on timescales approaching microseconds for about a million water molecules, enabling them to look at processes such as droplet and ice formation in the atmosphere.

Both of these test cases are helped by being relatively homogeneous, involving largely identical atoms or molecules. Still, the prospects of this deep-learning approach look good for studying much more heterogeneous systems such as complex alloys.8 One very attractive goal is, of course, biomolecular systems, where the ability to model fully solvated proteins, membranes and other cell components could help us understand complex mesoscale cell processes and predict the behaviour of drug candidates. One challenge here is how to include long-range interactions such as electrostatic forces.

Its a long way from Devs-style simulations of minds and histories, which will perhaps only ever be fantasies. But one scene in that series showed what might be a more tractable goal: the simulation of a growing snowflake. What a wonderful way that would be to advertise the simulators art.

1. Jia et al., arXiv, 2020 http://www.arxiv.org/abs/2005.00223 (submitted, ACM, New York, 2020)

2 C C Fischer et al, Nat. Mater., 2006, 5, 641 (DOI:10.1038/nmat1691)

3 N Mounet et al, Nat. Nanotechnol., 2018, 13, 246 (DOI: 10.1038/s41565-017-0035-5)

4 Y Dong et al, npj Comput. Mater., 2019, 5, 26 (DOI:10.1038/s41524-019-0165-4)

5 A Chandrasekaran et al, npj Comput. Mater., 2019, 5, 22 (DOI:10.1038/s41524-019-0162-7)

6 L Zhang et al, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2018, 120, 143001 (DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.143001)

7. L Zhang et al, J. Chem. Phys., 2018, 149, 034101 (DOI:10.1063/1.5027645)

8. F-Z Dai et al., J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2020, 43, 168 (DOI:10.1016/j.jmst.2020.01.005)

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Molecular dynamics used to simulate 100 million atoms | Opinion - Chemistry World

Course Objective

The course objective is to learn the basics of organic and inorganic chemistry.

Your grade for this course will be calculated out of 300 points. The minimum score required to pass and earn real college credit for this course is 210 points, or an overall course grade of 70%. The table below shows the assignments you must complete and how they'll be incorporated into the overall grade.

Quizzes are meant to test your comprehension of each lesson as you progress through the course. Here's a breakdown of how you will be graded on quizzes and how they'll factor into your final score:

The proctored final exam is a cumulative test designed to ensure that you've mastered the material in the course.

Items Allowed on Study.com Proctored Exam for Chemistry 101:

Items NOT Allowed on Study.com Proctored Exam for Chemistry 101:

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Chemistry 101 consists of short video lessons that are organized into topical chapters. Each video is approximately 5-10 minutes in length and comes with a quick quiz to help you measure your learning. The course is completely self-paced. Watch lessons on your schedule whenever and wherever you want.

At the end of each chapter, you can complete a chapter test to see if you're ready to move on or have some material to review. Once you've completed the entire course, take the practice test and use the study tools in the course to prepare for the proctored final exam. You may take the proctored final exam whenever you are ready.

This course has been evaluated and recommended by both ACE and NCCRS for 3 semester hours in the lower division baccalaureate degree category. To apply for transfer credit, follow these steps:

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Chemistry 101: General Chemistry Course - Online Video ...

Chegg, an online student services platform that rents students textbooks and other study materials, is cooperating with professors in Boston Universitys chemistry and physics departments after it was discovered students were using the platform to cheat on online exams. ILLUSTRATION BY AUSMA PALMER/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston University professors in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics professors are working with Chegg, an online student services platform where users can rent textbooks and get tutoring help, to crack down on students using the site to cheat on quizzes after evidence surfaced last week.

General Chemistry 2 students who contact their professor and admit to cheating will have their semester grade marked down by one letter grade. Students who do not admit to cheating, but are discovered to have cheated, will receive an F in the course, according to an email sent to chemistry students.

Binyomin Abrams, one of three professors teaching General Chemistry 2 this semester, wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press that students were able to use notes and the textbook to complete quizzes remotely, but were prohibited from using other extraneous resources.

Abrams wrote that despite this rule, students were found to be using a specific Chegg feature to obtain answers to quiz questions.

They used the Chegg Tutors feature, he wrote. It seems that this is designed for students to pose questions that a tutor from Chegg then answers. They uploaded the questions from the exams the PDF.

Abrams also wrote that his team discovered that students were cheating through an investigation, but feels it is inappropriate to discuss the specifics of how the investigation took place while the situation is ongoing.

A faculty member in our department shared the experiences of a colleague, Abrams wrote. We then investigated whether this was happening in our course as well.

Cheggs honor code prohibits using the site to cheat, and says that universities can contact Chegg to investigate cheating, according to their website. However, it does not specify how Chegg conducts these investigations with the universities.

General Chemistry 2 professors are not the only ones with cheating concerns during remote learning. In an email to his Organic Chemistry 2 students, Pinghua Liu, a professor of chemistry, wrote that he received emails from students who were concerned about others cheating on the classs third exam.

For some of the cheating behaviors (reports we received in the weekend), Prof. [John] Porco, [Arturo] Vegas and I will discuss with the Deans office and the Chair, Liu wrote, so that we can protect these hard working students.

Ayla Celik, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, is enrolled in a General Chemistry 2 class taught by Tom Tullius, a professor of Chemistry, Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics in the BUs School of Medicine. Celik said she thinks that remote learning makes it easier for students to cheat.

Im not surprised that people used Chegg, Celik said. I didnt use Chegg, but it seems like such an easy way to cheat, whereas in a classroom youd have to put in so much more effort to try to cheat.

Tessa Sharma, a sophomore in CAS, said she thinks the one letter grade penalty for cheating is fair given the coronavirus-related challenges students are facing. She herself is a student in Abrams General Chemistry 2 class.

I think [the General Chemistry 2 professors] recognize that this kind of cheating is probably a result of peoples extenuating circumstances and all the craziness thats going on right now, Sharma said. I think the professors are being fair about the punishment.

See more here:
Chemistry and physics departments looking to limit cheating - Daily Free Press

SAN LUIS OBISPO When hand sanitizer started flying off local shelves about two months ago, Cal Poly chemistry assistant professor Scott Eagon decided to turn a difficult situation into a hands-on learning opportunity for several students, and help the community in the process.

There have been times recently when its been difficult to obtain sanitizer, and we wanted to help the local community as much as possible, said Eagon, who led a group of students and staff in producing two kinds of hand sanitizer for Cal Polys campus community.

Eagon, who runs a medical chemistry lab, emailed his research students to see if anyone was still in San Luis Obispo and wanted to help. A lot of them want to help in any way to fight the pandemic, he said.

Six volunteered: biochemistry majors Spenser Platt, Eric Schwegman and Julia Gibbs; biomedical engineering major Maetja (Metty) Verbarendse; biological sciences major Jessica Travis; and biological sciences and psychology major Trevan Klug.

I was really excited, because it meant I could do something to help against the coronavirus and I could get back in the lab, Schwegman said.

Biochemistry instructional support technician Andrea Labschuer prepared the sanitized water, and chemistry instructional support technician Shelley Zoff helped procure critical supplies, including alcohol, glycerol and peroxide.

On May 15, the students gathered in the general chemistry laboratories in the Baker Center for Science and Mathematics. Wearing protective equipment, they split into two groups and mixed two different types of sanitizer: ethyl-alcohol based and isopropyl-alcohol based, in proper ratios designated by the World Health Organization.

Both are simple mixtures of alcohol, sterilized water and glycerol. A smallamount of peroxide was added to destroy any microbes that may have gotten in the batch. Then, the mixtures were allowed to cure, Eagon said, during which time the remaining peroxide breaks down into water.

The glycerol acts like a moisturizer and keeps your hands from drying out too much, he said. We avoid adding any fragrances, dyes, foaming agents, etc.,to minimize the chance of any allergic reaction.

They produced six 16-liter batches of sanitizer, or around 25 gallons.

A lot of our projects take months if not years to come to fruition, but making hand sanitizer was a way to immediately able to help our community and make a difference, especially with the uncertainty of this pandemic, said Verbarendse, a third-year biomedical engineering student.

It was great to be back on campus, see my research team and help the community, she added. Being able to come onto campus even for a short time made me excited to return to campus and work in lab when this is all over.

Cal Polys Facilities Services office will store the finished product in its warehouse and use it to supplement current campus supplies by transferring the product to smaller, user-friendly spray bottles. These supplies are being used by current on-campus essential personnel, including University Housing, Cal Poly police, and Facilities Management and Development.

There is a very good chance we will need this supply before we are able to replenish stock via normal supply chain methods, said Jude Fledderman, executive director of Facilities Operations.

Biological sciences and psychology majorTrevanKlug, left,biological sciences majorJessica Travis,andbiomedical engineering major Maetja (Metty) Verbarendse help produce hand sanitizer for Cal Poly campus use on May 15, 2020.

Cal Poly chemistry assistant professor Scott Eagon and several students in his medical research lab produced six 16-liter batches of hand sanitizer for campus use on May 15, 2020.

In photo at the top,Biochemistry major Julia Gibbs, left, with chemistry assistant professor Scott Eagon, prepare to produce hand sanitizer in Cal Polys Baker Center for Science and Mathematics on May 15, 2020.

Photos by University Photographer Joe Johnston. Higher-resolution images available upon request.

Contact: Cynthia Lambertcmlamber@calpoly.edu

May 20, 2020

# # #

Link:
Cal Poly Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty, Staff and Students Produce Hand Sanitizer for Campus Use - Cal Poly State University

Texas A&M Chemist Karen Wooley has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Texas A&M College of Science

Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor of ChemistryKaren L. Wooleyhas been elected to theNational Academy of Sciences.

Wooley, holder of the W.T. Doherty-Welch Chair in Chemistry and one of the worlds top chemists in the burgeoning field of materials and polymer chemistry and in creating new materials at the nanoscale level, is among the 120 new members and 26 foreign associatesannounced Monday, April 27)by the Academy on the final day of its 157th Annual Meeting in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Election to Academy membership is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science and is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive.

The 2020 election brings the total number of active members to 2,403 and the total number of international members to 501. International members are nonvoting members of the Academy, with citizenship outside the United States.

All of us at Texas A&M are delighted that Dr. Wooley has received this prestigious recognition, said Texas A&M President Michael K. Young. National Academy memberships not only attest to the impressive achievements of an individual researcher, they also elevate academic excellence across the institution. Her election to the Academy is a well-deserved credit to her groundbreaking work in the field of chemistry, as well as an honor to our entire university community.

A member of theTexas A&M Department of Chemistryfaculty since 2009, Wooley also holds joint appointments in theDepartment of Chemical EngineeringandDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering. In addition, sheserves as director of theLaboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions. She was appointed as a distinguished professor in 2011 and was named one of Texas A&Ms 24 inaugural Presidential Impact Fellows in 2017. She also serves as chief technology officer for United Kingdom-based Teysha Technologies, whichsigned a sponsored research agreementlast year with Texas A&M to streamline degradable polymers development and expand the scope of bioplastics technology developed within the Wooley Laboratory.

Being elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences is a remarkable achievement and well-deserved recognition of Dr. Wooleys tremendous impact in the field of chemistry, said Texas A&M Provost and Executive Vice President Carol A. Fierke, a fellow professor of chemistry with a joint appointment in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics.

Wooley is the most recent faculty member to earn the prestigious accolade while at Texas A&M since fellow Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Dr. Marcetta Y. Darensbourg and Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Dr. Ronald A. DeVore were elected in 2017. Other Academy members among the current Texas A&M faculty include Dr. Leif Andersson (2012), Dr. Dudley R. Herschbach (1967), Dr. Roger E. Howe (1994), Dr. Robert C. Kennicutt Jr. (2006), Dr. David M. Lee (1991), Dr. Darwin Prockop (1991), Dr. Peter Rentzepis (1978), Dr. Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe (2010), Dr. Marlan O. Scully (2001), Dr. Patrick J. Stover (2016) and Dr. James E. Womack (1999), along with emeritus professors Dr. Perry Adkisson (1979) and Dr. Max D. Summers (1989). Of those Texas A&M 16, seven (Adkisson, Darensbourg, DeVore, Scully, Summers, Womack and Wooley) were elected during their time at Texas A&M.

Karen Wooley is a brilliant scientist with all the skill sets required to achieve the level of recognition that is deserved, Darensbourg said. Chief in my mind is her extraordinary ability to organize. That is what science is, after all. In her research, she coaxes small organic molecules to organize into larger and larger composites that fold into intricate and useful shapes of soft materials. She has an exceptional ability to organize and inspire coworkers and collaborators into teams that are effective in tackling complex problems. As a co-editor of the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society, handling hundreds of submissions per year, she maintains the standard of excellence for which the journal is so well known. Her energy unabated, she also teaches and serves the College of Science and Texas A&M University, most recently as an overseer of the seven-year external review of the Department of Chemistry.

Congratulations, Karen. We are so fortunate to have you as a colleague.

Wooley holds a Texas-shaped sample of her teams biodegradable natural polymer that could prove to be a game-changer for the worlds plastics pollution problem, currently estimated in excess of 10 million metric tons and growing.

Texas A&M College of Science

Wooleys groundbreaking work in organic nanomaterials-based chemistry spans the gamut of basic and applied research that affects a host of biomedical, environmental and engineering-related areas and industries. Her research interests include degradable polymers derived from natural products, unique macromolecular architectures and complex polymer assemblies, and the design and development of well-defined nanostructured materials. Current projects focus on the development of novel synthetic strategies, fundamental study of the materials properties and exploration of their functional performance in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, as non-toxic anti-biofouling or anti-icing coatings for the marine environment, as materials for microelectronics device applications, and as pollutant remediation systems.

My laboratory has always had a balance of fundamental basic science investigations that have allowed us to create materials that have never been created before and then to study their properties, Wooley said. The process we use is going from an idea to a hypothesis to a design of a material that logically would meet that hypothesis. Once we understand how the materials behave and how their composition and structure relates to their properties, then we can define potential applications for those materials.

Recent achievements made possible by Wooley and her research group include a sustainable plastic that degrades in water; a wound dressing that the body absorbs; a non-toxic polymer coating that can prevent marine animals from sticking to a ships hull; and nanoparticles that can absorb 10 times their weight in spilled crude oil.

Election to the National Academy of Sciences is a tremendous honor, and I think Dr. Wooleys contributions to environmental sustainability make her election even more noteworthy, said Dr. Valen E. Johnson, dean of the College of Science. The College of Science is thrilled with her selection.

In addition, Wooley served for more than 10 years as the director of a $33 millionProgram of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN)funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in support of nanoparticle-focused research expected to dramatically alter the future of medical practice with regard to detection, diagnosis and treatment of lung and cardiovascular diseases. Her research, education and outreach activities have been continuously supported for nearly 30 years by the National Science Foundation, along with a host of additional federal and state agencies, corporate and industry partners and private foundations.

Karen is one of the most influential and innovative organic polymer chemists today, said Dr. Simon W. North, professor and head of Texas A&M Chemistry. The breadth of her scientific accomplishments and the boundless energy she demonstrates in tackling challenges is absolutely awe-inspiring. It is a joy to celebrate in the well-deserved recognition of a colleague who continues to be a tremendous departmental leader, mentor, educator and role model for us all.

Wooley is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2014), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2015), National Academy of Inventors (2019) and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2020). Her major career awards to date
include the Royal Society of Chemistrys 2014 Centenary Prize and the American Chemical Societys 2015 Oesper Award. No stranger to trailblazing accomplishment, she previously made history in 2014 as the first woman to receive the ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry, a prestigious accolade honoring outstanding fundamental contributions and achievements toward addressing global needs for advanced polymer systems and materials.

Honestly, it is neither possible to describe the magnitude of this honor nor to sufficiently express the immense gratitude I feel for the contributions that have been made by many talented students, collaborators, mentors, supporters, family and friends, Wooley said with regard to her most recent career accolade. I feel exceptionally fortunate to have professional and personal opportunities to pursue my scientific passions and translate academic research into materials that are designed to address global challenges while educating and training dynamic next-generation scientists.

Wooley earned her Ph.D. in polymer/organic chemistry from Cornell University in 1993 and began her independent academic career that same year as an assistant professor of chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. She was promoted to professor with tenure in 1999 and named a James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences in 2006 prior to receiving a joint appointment in the School of Medicine, Department of Radiology in 2007.

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Texas A&M Chemist Karen Wooley Elected To National Academy Of Sciences - Texas A&M University Today

Since everyone is being forced these days to think about immunology, lets consider it in terms of chemistry and drug discovery. You can get two very different perspectives based on where you stand. From one view, inflammation and immune response might look like a wonderfully productive area for small molecules. Aspirin, dexamethasone, ibuprofen, hydrocortisone there are classic drugs that work on and near these pathways and have been used successfully by uncounted millions of patients. In the modern era, the list of best-selling prescription drugs prominently features antibodies and fusion proteins aimed at immunologic targets such as TNF-alpha and CD20, as treatments for inflammatory diseases from rheumatoid arthritis to cancer.

But from another vantage point, the whole field is full of trap doors, dead ends, and irritable dragons. Dexamethasone and other such steroids have such powerful effects (and powerful side effects) that they have to be administered carefully and for short periods. Thats why compounds such as ibuprofen were hailed as being anti-inflammatories that (good news!) werent steroids. The list of potential side effects for those antibodies is also long and impressive. To pick a particularly dramatic example that many will recall, a 2006 attempt by TeGenero to create a super-agonist for the T-cell receptor CD28 led to catastrophic effects in the Phase 1 volunteers, many of whom barely survived the initial dose.

Thats what the immune system has to offer: tremendous power, but power that can be aimed in all sorts of directions. And because immunology itself is so wildly, insanely complicated, there are a bewildering number of potential targets to think about. Were looking at hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary tinkering; there are layers upon layers of tangled, interlocking signaling pathways and mechanisms. Theres the innate immune system always on but rather nonselective and the adaptive system that features a gigantic combinatorial chemical library of antibodies that we all carry around with us for our entire lives slower to get going, but capable of feats of recognition that we still have trouble matching in the laboratory. Those aeons of evolution have been a walk down the narrow path between too little activity, opening the door to fatal infections, and too much, leading to autoimmune syndromes and responses to an infection that are worse than the disease itself. Its little wonder that the systems are encrusted with regulatory loops, flywheels, and gear-shifting mechanisms.

As usual, most of what drug discovery has to offer is an assortment of grit, sand, and spanners to throw into this apparatus. We are far, far better at shutting particular enzymes and receptors down than we are in turning any particular signal up. When you do see a drug mechanism that enhances some sort of activity, odds are good that it works by inhibiting something else that was in turn suppressing the desired target. A great number of interesting ideas in the field dont seem to be amenable to small-molecule manipulation at all, which is where those antibodies come in. The requisite binding sites can be too large and the selectivity needed to target them may be too great for anything other than a good-sized protein to have a chance.

Thats meant that immunology has been a proving ground for new therapeutic ideas and new modes of action. Monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins are just the beginning. Mechanisms targeting protein expression, intra- and extracellular localisation, degradation, and the intricate varieties of post-translational modification are all highly relevant to immune and inflammation pathways. Add in the number of genetic immunological problems that can occur in the population, which would be targets for gene therapy or RNA mechanisms, and you have the whole range of cutting-edge drug research being brought in.

Most of these are too early in the process to be of likely use against the Covid-19 pandemic, of course. But we are learning a great deal about immunology very quickly under these conditions, with the huge efforts going into characterising the pathogen; treating the overactive immune response to it; and developing antibodies and vaccines against it. Well come out of this, and well come out of it with more tools and more knowledge than when we went in all acquired at a faster pace than we ever would have achieved otherwise. Lets take the benefits where we can find them!

The rest is here:
Dragons of immunology | Opinion - Chemistry World

Scientists may finally understand the mysterious transition behind a century-old chemistry experiment. The details of this transformation, in which adding electrons to a bright blue ammonia solution morphs it into a lustrous, metallic bronze, have long eluded scientists.

The new study reveals the subtle details of this change, and shows that this transformation is gradual, rather than sudden. "What we've done successfully is that we've pretty much understood how these solutions behave at a wide range of concentrations using a microjet technique," said study co-author Ryan McMullen, a doctoral student in chemistry at the University of Southern California. This technique, which involves shooting hair-thin streams of the solution through a vacuum, has not been used on the lustrous liquid before.

And the discovery could open up new types of reactions in organic chemistry in the future, McMullen told Live Science.

Related: 8 chemical elements you never heard of

Metals are a diverse group. Some, like lithium, are light enough to float, while others, like lead or osmium are extremely dense. Some require incredibly high temperatures to melt, while others melt easily (Mercury, for example, melts at minus 38.3 degrees Celsius, or minus 37.9 degrees Fahrenheit). Ultimately, what metals have in common is their ability to conduct electricity at absolute zero, the point at which molecular movement from heat essentially halts.

But how do some nonmetals transform into metals? In a new study, researchers answered that question by adding metals to liquid ammonia.

First, the researchers condensed ammonia, which is a gas at room temperature, into a liquid by cooling it to negative 27.4 F (minus 33 C). They then added either sodium, lithium or potassium, which are all alkali metals. (Rather famously, these metals react explosively when submerged in water.) The experiments were done in collaboration with scientists from the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Fritz-Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin, as well as researchers in Japan and France.

Related: The top 10 greatest explosions ever

The result was an expected reaction: The liquid ammonia pulled electrons from the metal. Those electrons then became trapped between the ammonia molecules, creating the so-called solvated electrons the researchers hoped to study. At low concentrations, the result was a blue, non-metallic liquid. As the solvated, or trapped, electrons piled up, though, the solution transitioned to shiny bronze.

The next challenge was to investigate how the solvated electrons behaved at different concentrations. This involved shooting a microjet of the solution about the width of a human hair through a beam of synchrotron X-rays, which are high-energy X-ray beams. The X-rays excited the solvated electrons, causing them to hop out of their liquid cage of ammonia molecules. The researchers could then measure how much energy it took to release the solvated electrons.

The researchers found that the greater the concentration of solvated electrons, the more the pattern of energy release matched what is seen in a metal. Here's what that means: If you graph the amount of energy required to free electrons from their liquid ammonia cage, metals typically have what's called a "Fermi edge," a very abrupt transition, McMullen said. At lower concentrations of solvated electrons, this energy-release graph looks more like a rounded hill. Only at higher electron concentrations did this Fermi edge emerge. The edge reflects how much energy electrons have at a given temperature, McMullen added.

"When you increase the concentration to the metallic range then you see, this wonderful pattern emerges that is very, very characteristic of a metal," McMullen said.

The results were interesting because they showed that the metal-like liquid created by combining alkali metals and ammonia actually is a metal on a fundamental physical level, he said.

"It is a genuine metal, it's not something that just looks like one," McMullen said.

Lower-concentration solvated electrons are used in a type of reaction called a Birch reaction, which adds electrons to molecular structures called aromatic rings. This kind of reaction was used in the manufacture of the first oral contraceptive pills in the 1950s, McMullen said. By understanding how solvated electrons work at high concentrations, researchers can potentially find new kinds of chemical reactions, he said. For example, they might excite the solvated electrons with beams of light to get them to behave in new ways.

"If you tickle the electrons a bit so that they're more energetically excited, you can start looking at some crazy reactions that would never otherwise happen," McMullen said.

The researchers reported their findings June 5 in the journal Science.

Originally published on Live Science.

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Scientists finally solve the mystery behind a 100-year-old chemistry experiment - Livescience.com

US environmental regulators have decided they will not put restrictions on perchlorate a rocket fuel ingredient known to harm fetal brain development in drinking water.

The Environmental Protection Agency argued that the federal government, states and public water systems have already taken proactive steps to reduce perchlorate levels.

Perchlorate is found in rocket fuel, explosives, fireworks and other products. It can also be naturally occurring.

The chemical disrupts the thyroid function and can harm the developing brains of fetuses and young children. The chemical has been found in the water, soil or sediment of 45 states, according to a 2010 Government Accountability Office study.

Andrew Wheeler, the EPA administrator, said the decision is built on science, and fulfills President Trumps promise to pare back burdensome one-size-fits-all overregulation for the American people.

Health and environment experts quickly decried the move and promised to sue.

Betsy Southerland, the former director of the EPAs water office, called the decision shameful, and unconscionable. She said the EPA in a proposed standard cooked the books in evaluating how much perchlorate in drinking water is harmful, using uncalibrated models and an insensitive health endpoint.

The EPA then determined that almost none of the drinking water in the US had high enough levels of perchlorate to be regulated, she said.

The agency is revoking its 2008 finding that no more than 15 parts per billion (ppb) of perchlorate in drinking water was safe. EPA in its proposed rule suggested 56 ppb of perchlorate in water would be safe.

Massachusetts and California have set their own standards far lower, at 2ppb and 6ppb.

Trumps EPA was forced by a lawsuit to make a decision on perchlorate, following the Obama administrations finding in 2011 that a standard was needed.

Excerpt from:
Trump administration will not regulate rocket fuel chemical in drinking water - The Guardian

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Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt's chemistry in these photos BEFORE tying the knot is the apt rush of nostalgia

Former couple Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were one of the most loved couples before they split and still enjoy a fan following that ships them together. Having said that, take a look at their adorable moments before getting married!

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Exes Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were amongst the most loved couples when they were married. Their love story was always one of the most beautiful love stories and truly one of a kind. The couple met in 1994 through their managers. After knowing each other for over four years, they started dating each other and went on to get engaged after a while. Jennifer and Brad got married in the year 2000 and were extremely loved by their fans and followers. Their most adorable and stylish appearances at red carpets, events, parties and other occasions became the talk of the town as the couple's chemistry spoke volumes of their love. Unfortunately after a relationship of five years, the couple split. The news of their split broke the internet as Pitt moved on with Angelina Jolie and Jennifer moved on with Justin Theroux! The former couple is now really good friends and reunited on many occasions like SAG Awards 2020. When asked about the possibility of running into Aniston at an event, Pitt wasn't phased in the least. "I'll run into Jen, she's a good friend," he replied. Even after their breakup, the couple made a buzz on the internet a lot of times. Currently, the duo's romance rumours are doing the rounds on the internet. Speaking of which, take a look at their priceless moments before marriage that will take you down the memory lane.

Photo Credit : Getty Images

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This is indeed a picture-perfect.

Photo Credit : Getty Images

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The ex-couple looks amazing in this throwback moment.

Photo Credit : Getty Images

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Jennifer and Brad look their best in this snap!

Photo Credit : Getty Images

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FRIENDS alum cannot take her eyes off her co-star.

Photo Credit : Getty Images

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Both the actors stun at the red carpet with ease.

Photo Credit : Getty Images

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The one where Jennifer and Brad twinned in black outfits.

Photo Credit : Getty Images

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Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt's chemistry in these photos BEFORE tying the knot is the apt rush of nostalgia - PINKVILLA

Companies that can barely make their dividend payments are rarely doing anyone a favour. Making these payments to shareholders can distract management and prevent cash going into high-return investments.

In this article, we have compiled some of the most important sustainability metrics in order to shine a light on a company's capacity to make these dividend payments. When we apply them to Oriental Union Chemical (TPE:1710), which pays a1.45% rolling dividend, we see that serious questions are raised as to whether or not it can continue to pay out this amount of cash to shareholders...

GET MORE DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS INTO TPE:1710

A company carrying a lot of debt that struggles to meet its interest payments is much more likely to cut its dividend than a company with no debt at all. A safe level of net gearing (net debt to equity) on the balance sheet is generally considered to be 50 percent or less. Oriental Union Chemical's net gearing ratio is108.8%- above the 50% threshold.

The current ratio (current assets / current liabilities ) gauges a companys capacity to service short term debts. A current ratio of less than one can be cause for concern. Oriental Union Chemical's current ratio is 0.74 - below the 1.0x threshold.

Another important characteristic of a reliable dividend payer is high levels of free cash generation. Oriental Union Chemical actually has negative free cash flow of -0.61 in FCF PS on a trailing twelve-month basis. This is lower than the dividend payout of0.30 and indicates that the company has not generated enough FCF to cover dividends over the past twelve months.

Dividend cover is arguably the essential dividend health metric (along with its inverse, the dividend payout ratio) and is calculated by dividing earnings per share divided by dividend per share (EPS/DPS). The usual rule of thumb is that dividend cover of less than 1.5x earnings can become a concern.

Both of these figures are below the 1.0x safety threshold for Oriental Union Chemical that we have set. This suggests that the dividend could be at risk.

For many investors, dividends are a vital part of their long-term strategy. That's why we have created a variety of income-focused stock screens, such as the Best Dividends Screen, to identify promising candidates for income portfolios. Take a look and see if any of the qualifying stocks might be worthy of further research.

As forOriental Union Chemical (TPE:1710), you can find a wealth of financial data on the group's StockReport, including information on the group's past and forecast dividend payments.If youd like to discover more about dividend investing, you can read our free ebook: How to Make Money in Dividend Stocks.

Original post:
Three reasons why Oriental Union Chemical's (TPE:1710) dividend is at risk - Yahoo Finance UK

Democrats on Tuesday scrutinized President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate GOP seeks to restrict use of chokeholds in police reform bill Obama wishes country a 'Happy Pride month' after SCOTUS decision protecting LGBTQ rights Trump leads Biden by one point in Iowa: poll MOREs pick to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) over actions she has taken on chemical issues during her work in the Trump administration.

Several Democratic senators questioned and criticized Nancy Beck, who has served in a top role at the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, on decisions she made at the agency and during a subsequent White House detail.

Sen. Tom UdallThomas (Tom) Stewart UdallPark Police asked to defend rationale behind clearing protesters The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden on the cusp of formally grasping the Democratic nomination Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez defeats Valerie Plame in New Mexico primary MORE (D-N.M.) focused on the agencys regulation of methylene chloride, a chemical used in areas such as paint stripping and pharmaceutical manufacturing thathas been linked to cancer.

Udall questioned why senators should trust Beck, and referenced the story of a woman namedWendy Hartley, whose 21-year-old son died after using the chemical.

Wendys son Kevin lost his life using a dangerous chemical in paint strippers, methylene chloride, while you stalled the effort to remove this chemical from store shelves, he said.

Beck said her heart goes out to the families and noted that there is currently a ban on consumer sales of the substance, saying she is confident the ban will prevent acute fatalities.

It is unacceptable that it took two years and a lawsuit for you to finalize this regulation and you still managed to put out a less protective rule which allows the use of methylene chloride in paint strippers for commercial use by workers, Udall said, later adding, had you and the EPA not delayed banning methylene chloride, Kevin would still be alive today.

Your entire career has been less like a toxicologist conducting rigorous, unbiased science and more like a defense attorney zealously defending guilty chemical clients, the senator added.

Sen. Maria CantwellMaria Elaine CantwellPrivate lawsuits are a necessary expedient in privacy legislation Senate Dems introduce bill to keep pilots and bus and train operators safe Democratic unity starts to crack in coronavirus liability reform fight MORE (D-Wash.) asked Beck whether she was involved in a White House decision to direct the EPA to remove information about cardiac birth defects from risks listed for a chemical called TCE, which has been used as a grease remover.

Beck responded that the lead agency, in this case the EPA, [had] the pen, meaning it made the ultimate decision. She declined to answer Cantwells question about her involvement or whether she advocated for removing the information about the birth defects.

What youre asking for is deliberative information, Beck said, giving that as her reason for not responding to the questions.

Cantwell and other senators, including Republican Shelley Moore CapitoShelley Wellons Moore CapitoTim Scott to introduce GOP police reform bill next week Senate GOP shifts on police reform Shelley Moore Capito wins Senate primary MORE (W.Va.) also questioned Beck on her role in regulating a class of cancer-linked chemicals called PFAS, which can be found in a variety of household products as well as firefighting foam.

Beck has a background in the chemical industry, having worked at the American Chemistry Council, which represents many chemical companies, before joining the Trump administration in 2017.

She has been a controversial pick for the position. More than 90 scientists wrote to the committee last week to express opposition toward her nomination, criticizing her handling of chemical safety evaluations among other aspects of her time at the EPA.

Becks approaches consistently disregarded scientific best practices, favor chemical manufacturers, and put vulnerable populations in harms way, they wrote.

However, more than 30 groups representing various industries wrote a letter in support of her nomination on Monday.

Dr. Beck, a Ph.D. toxicologist and scientific expert who has served in each of the past four presidential administrations, possesses the qualifications and skill set needed to serve effectively on the CPSC, they wrote.

Beck recently made headlines after the Associated Press reported she was involved in sidelining guidelines that were meant to assist communities with reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Democrats scrutinize Trump consumer safety nominee over chemical issues | TheHill - The Hill

EUGENE, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cascade Chemistry, a leading contract research and manufacturing organization serving the pharmaceutical, materials, and chemical industries, today announced that it has been selected to produce the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for clinical trial supplies of RBT-9, an investigational therapy entering a Phase 2 trial for the treatment of COVID-19 patients who are at high risk of deteriorating health due to age or comorbid conditions such as kidney or cardiovascular disease. RBT-9, which has been awarded Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has demonstrated both antiviral and immune-modulating activities in preclinical studies.

RBT-9 is being developed by Renibus Therapeutics as an antiviral with organ-protective attributes. With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, Renibus scientists moved quickly to plan and initiate a clinical trial of RBT-9 in COVID-19 patients. They chose Cascade Chemistry as the company with the experience, flexibility, and client focus to rapidly supply the clinical materials needed to field the RBT-9 COVID-19 trial in a timely way.

We welcomed the opportunity to join forces with Renibus to produce the API needed to speed RBT-9 into clinical trials for COVID-19, said Jeremiah Marsden, PhD, President of Cascade Chemistry. Our reputation as a reliable, experienced, and flexible outsourcing partner with exceptional chemistry problem-solving expertise is based on our many past successes with Renibus and other clients. These qualities are serving us well as we work to complete this important project with impeccable quality and all possible speed.

Cascades experience, flexibility, and consistent client focus allowed the company to rapidly:

Alvaro Guillem, CEO at Renibus Therapeutics, commented, Cascades ability to move quickly to design, implement, and scale-up a comprehensive RBT-9 API manufacturing strategy has been one of the essential elements in our campaign to initiate clinical trials with minimal delay. The professionalism, expertise, flexibility, and client commitment of the Cascade team have facilitated our collaborative effort to advance effective therapies for this devastating global pandemic.

About Renibus Therapeutics and RBT-9

Renibus Therapeutics is developing a novel anti-viral therapy, RBT-9 (stannous protoporphyrin--SnPP), for the treatment of COVID-19 in early stage patients who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and at high risk for disease progression. Renibus is investigating the ability of RBT-9 both to inhibit viral activity and to prevent organ failure in COVID-19 patients. For more information, visit https://renibus.com.

About Cascade Chemistry

Cascade Chemistry specializes in active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) process development, scale-up and cGMP manufacturing. Most of our chemists have advanced degrees and are capable of crafting process solutions tailored to the specific needs of our clients, while adhering to strict FDA quality standards. We offer cost effective and rapid solutions for the development and manufacturing of API cGMP batches at 1-10 kg scale, and we will begin offering greater capacity at our new facility in 2021. It has been our philosophy for almost 40 years that quality is a key component of successful cGMP manufacturing. We view quality as a guiding principle, achieved by rigorous due diligence at each step of the development and manufacturing process. Cascade Chemistry is headquartered in Eugene, Oregon. For more information, visit https://cascadechemistry.com.

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Cascade Chemistry Selected to Produce Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient for Clinical Trial Supplies of COVID-19 Investigational Drug RBT-9 - Business...

ChemistryWhat?!? Chemistry? At The Physics Classroom?

Yes. Why not? We're not breaking any laws ... it's perfectly legal. You might say we're dabbling a bit ... sort of like an experiment. The Concept Builders you see below areinteractive questioning modules that present learners with carefully crafted questions that target various aspects of a concept. If you're a frequent visitor to our website, you likely have used some of our Physics Concept Builders. Each Concept Builder focuses the learner's attention upon a discrete learning outcome. Questions target that outcome from a variety of angles using multiple difficulty levels or varying activities. Learners ponder the given information and answer questions in the hopes of earning Stars and Trophies. These Stars (for answering questions) and Trophies (for completing levels or activities) are displayed on the screen, allowing a teacher to track student progress. If you're a chemistry teacher visiting our website for the first time, then welcome! We invite you to give one of our Chemistry Concept Builders a try and let us know what you think.

Significant Digits and Measurement

Learning Goal:To understand the concept of significant digits and to use such understanding to make and process such measurements made from lab equipment.

Name That Element

Learning Goal:To express a comfort with the organization of the periodic table, including concepts related to family names, periods, groups, metals, nonmetals, metalloids, atomic number, and atomic mass.

Chemical vs. Physical Properties

Learning Goal: To identify a stated property as being either a chemical or a physical property.

Metals, Nonmetals, and Metalloids

Learning Goal: To identify the difference between metals, nonmetals, and metalloids and to be able to place an element into one of these categories.

Particles .. Words .. Formulas

Learning Goal:To associate the particle representation of a sample of matter with the proper verbal description and formulas.

Isotopes

Learning Goal:To demonstrate understanding of the composition of an atom by constructing the isotopic symbol from information regarding the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Names to Formulas 1

Learning Goal:To use an understanding of formula writing to identify incorrectly written formulas. (Includes binary ionic compounds only.)

Names to Formulas 2

Learning Goal:To use an understanding of formula writing to identify incorrectly written formulas. (Includes binary molecular compounds, binary ionic compounds, and compounds containing polyatomic ions.)

Formulas and Atom Counting

Learning Goal:To identify the number of atoms of each element represented by a set of simple or complex formulas.

Balancing Chemical Equations

Learning Goal:To be able to use coefficients and an atom count to balance a chemical equation.

Chemical Reaction Types

Learning Goal:To be able to categorize chemical reactions based on their reaction type - such as synthesis, decomposition, combustion, single replacement, and double replacement.

Writing Balanced Chemical Equations

Learning Goal:To combine an understanding of reaction types, formula writing, and equation balancing in order to write a balanced chemical equation.

Precipitation Reactions

Learning Goal:To predict the precipitate that is produced when two aqueous solutions of ionic compounds are mixed and to represent the precipitation reaction by a net ionic equation.

Mole Conversions

Learning Goal:To mathematically relate the the number of moles of a compound to the number of molecules and to the mass in grams.

Stoichiometry: Relationships

Learning Goal:To use the coefficients of a balanced chemical equation and the molar masses of reactants and products to relate the quantities of reactants and products involved in a reaction.

Complete Electron Configurations

Learning Goal:To identify the complete electron configuration for a neutral atom or of an ion of any given element.

Periodic Trends

Learning Goal:To order elements based on the values of periodic properties such as atomic radius, ionization energy, and electronegativity.

Ionic Bonding

Learning Goal:To identify the types of elements that undergo ionic bonding and to be able to describe the process that takes place when two elements form ionic bonds.

Lewis Structures

Learning Goal:To identify correct and incorrect Lewis electron dot structures when given the formulas of molecular compounds.

Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory

Learning Goal:To identify the Lewis electron dot diagram and the molecular shape of a variety of covalently-bonded molecules.

Which One Doesn't Belong? - Energy and Chemical Reactions

Learning Goal:To interpret various representations of a thermochemical reaction and to identify which one is not consistent with the others.

Pressure Concepts

Learning Goal:To be able to explain at the particle level the factors that effect gas pressure, to compare values of pressure expressed in different units, and to use manometer information to determine the pressure of a gas.

Pressure and Temperature

Learning Goal:To use an understanding of the pressure-temperature relationship in order to predict how the value of pressure changes with changing temperature.

Volume and Temperature

Learning Goal:To use an understanding of the volume-temperature relationship in order to predict how the value of volume changes with changing temperature.

Pressure and Volume

Learning Goal:To use an understanding of the pressure-volume relationship in order to predict how the pressure of a gas changes with varying volume.

Dissociation

Learning Goal:To be able to write the equation for the dissociation of an ionic compound in water and to use the equation to determine ion concentrations if given the concentration of the ionic compound.

Which One Doesn't Belong? - Acid-Base Properties

Learning Goal:To analyze a variety of properties of acids and bases in order to identify which property is not like the others.

Bronsted-Lowry Model of Acids and Bases

Learning Goal:To use the Bronsted-Lowry model to determine the products of the dissociation of an acid or a base when dissolved in water.

pH and pOH

Learning Goal:To mathematically relate the pH, pOH, [H3O+], and [OH-] for aqueous solutions of acids and bases.

Collision Model of Reaction Rates

Learning Goal: To identify the variables that affect reaction rate and to explain the effects using the Collision Model of reaction rates.

Equilibrium Constant Expression

Learning Goal:To use the Law of Mass Action in order to identify the equilibrium constant expression for a given chemical equation.

LeChatelier's Principle

Learning Goal: To identify the effect that a stress has upon a system that is at equilibrium.

Nuclear Decay

Learning Goal: To identify the various forms of nuclear decay and the effect of each upon the atomic number and mass number of an isotope.

We started adding Chemistry Concept Builders in September, 2018. As of this writing (mid-July, 2019), we have 33 Chemistry Concept Builders. We don't believe that we are done. We hope to add several more during the Summer of 2020.

This might be The Physics Classroom. But Chemistry is still a legal operation on this site. So enjoy our Chem Gems.

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Concept Builders - Chemistry

Sun Chemical will increase the prices of its solvent-based inks and coatings in North America, effective July 1, 2020.

Due to the significant increase in the demand for alcohol and solvent for use in sanitizers and pharmaceutical initiatives, the prices of these materials have increased substantially. In order to secure the needed components for the production of solvent-based inks and coatings, Sun Chemical has experienced raw material cost escalation during the second quarter of 2020. These increases are expected to remain in place and possibly accelerate throughout the remainder of the year.

The COVID-19 pandemic is driving an increased demand for various alcohols and solvents to combat the virus and allow for the gradual reopening of economies around the globe, said Chris Parrilli, president of North American Inks, Sun Chemical. These raw materials are critical to the proposed safety practices of manufacturing organizations and service industries where the focus on consumer and employee health is at the forefront of new sanitizing protocols to help slow the spread of the virus."

Parrilli continues: The dynamics that have taken place over the last three months are unprecedented and the future of the pandemic remains unpredictable. However, Sun Chemicals desire to deliver best-in-class supply, service, and quality, as expected by our customers, requires us to ensure a reliable source of raw materials. In order to continue to meet these expectations, we, unfortunately, must raise prices to offset the extraordinary market undercurrents that are driving up raw material costs.

Source: Sun Chemical

Thepreceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated withPrinting Impressions.The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff ofPrinting Impressions.

Link:
Sun Chemical to Increase Prices on Solvent Inks and Coatings - Printing Impressions

Its almost impossible to imagine modern life without plastics. Inspired by the ancient use of naturally occurring polymers, 19th century chemists discovered polystyrene, PVC and polyethylene, among others. It wasnt until 1907, however, that the first fully synthetic plastic was invented by Leo Baekeland the eponymous Bakelite.

Over 100 years later, plastics are ubiquitous in almost every area of our lives. And while these materials are of indisputable value, enabling the production of cheaper and more effective goods that have enhanced standards of living for many, the negative environmental impacts are difficult to quantify.

The solution to our plastics problem, much like the origin, will likely lie with chemists. But perhaps, in addition to designing more environmentally friendly solutions, we also need to seek help from citizen scientists and crowdsourced chemists.

When a sperm whale washed up on a Scottish beach in November last year, the synthetic contents of its stomach caused shockwaves. One hundred kilograms of plastic ropes, shopping bags, cups and other rubbish was found balled up inside the animal. Tragically, reports of similar discoveries are becoming more routine. An estimated five trillion pieces of plastic have ended up at sea with an additional 12 million metric tons added each year.

A 2016 review highlighted an array of citizen science projectsthat have been contributing to our understanding of microplastics in the ocean. This shows the power of citizen science to gather data and help understand issues that cant be achieved through traditional research methods.

Some projects involve beach monitoring a methodology thought to have originated over 35 years ago whereby citizens are assembled to comb beaches and remove plastic waste, which can then be analysed by researchers. More recently, mobile applications have enabled citizens to contribute photographs of plastic debris on beaches or in the ocean. This provides information about date, time, packaging and the extent of the pollution.

Translating essential environmental action, such as beach clean-ups, into citizen science requires careful design and planning to ensure reproducible procedures that can be easily followed by contributors. Additionally, partnerships with analytical laboratories can offer valuable insights into issues such as the pollutants leached from ocean plastics, the levels of microplastics found in marine organisms and the impact of plastics on the microbe colonies in and around those organisms.

Coupling activism with citizen science is a powerful tool to stimulate an appreciation of science in members of the public who might not engage with the subject through more traditional channels. Its also important to emphasise the potential of citizen science to contribute to research output. For example, over 11.5 million people have participated in the Ocean Conservancys International Coastal Cleanup project since it was founded in 1986. In addition to removing 100 million kilograms of debris from coasts around the world, the project has generated data that has been used in 85 reports and papers.

Citizen science could also help us to understand how to design and express bacteria that can eat plastic waste. In 2016, Japanese researchers reported that a bacterium discovered in piles of discarded plastic can degrade one of the most widely used plastics, PET. Further modifications to Ideonella sakaiensis, the aforementioned polymer-guzzling bacterial species, are required if it is ever to come close to being commercially viable. But what other microorganisms might nature have evolved to help us clear up our unnatural disaster? Recruiting citizen scientists to take samples on different plastic waste sites might speed up our understanding.

Even as we consider how to reduce our own plastic footprint, crowdsourcing can help. Much of the machinery found in chemistry laboratories is encased in plastics. From vacuum pumps to micropipettes, were surrounded by the stuff. But perhaps the most worrying contribution to plastic pollution by our community is in the form of the more fleeting members of our research groups: disposable syringes, vial lids and gloves.

Our colleagues in biosciences have already taken this inventory. In a letter to Nature in 2015, researchers from the University of Exeter, UK, estimated the amount of plastic waste generated by the 280 research scientists in just one of their departments over the course of a year. Their towering figure of 267 tonnes was extrapolated to similar institutions around the world, leading to an estimated 5.5 million tonnes of lab plastic waste, the equivalent mass of 67 cruise liners.

If we are willing to follow our bioscience colleagues and share our dirty plastic laundry in public, perhaps we could crowdsource figures for chemistrys contribution to this cruise liner-scale catastrophe. Together, we could find ways to minimise single-use plastics alongside our efforts to swap to greener solvents and chemical processes.

The rest is here:
Fighting plastic waste with the power of citizen science - Chemistry World

Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Michael Shatruk in his lab at Florida State.

DuringPicassos blue period, the famed Spanish artist had no trouble finding an array of hues to create spectacular paintings. But that wasnt the case for artists prior to the 1700s until a pharmacist accidentally synthesized a cheap blue pigment, changing the landscape for painters and others.

Stories like the history of the color blue and the science behind it are the crux of a course called Chemistry in Art taught by Florida State University Professor of Chemistry MichaelShatruk. Originally designed as an in-person course for the universitys campus in Valencia, Spain,Shatrukmoved the course online when summer international programs shut down because of COVID-19.

I try to teach chemistry while looking at different art forms,Shatruksaid. You want to appreciate both.

Through the class, that is geared toward non-science majors, students learn about elements on the Periodic Table and the relationship between color and light. They learn about crystalline structures and chemical bonds and how that plays a role in ceramics and pottery. And they study the chemical properties of metal and why certain metals are used in jewelry and sculptures.

Students even get a primer on the sophisticated chemical analysis used to uncover artistic forgeries.

Vice President for Research Gary K. Ostrander said the course was an inventive way to connect the dots between two seemingly disparate subject areas.

This course shows the remarkable creativity and interdisciplinary approach of our faculty at FSU, Ostrander said. I dont think many people would expect a materials researcher to be teaching an art course, but Professor Shatruks expertise lends itself to a deeper understanding of the materials used to create the works we see in a museum, online gallery or even wear as jewelry.

When the course was taught last summer in Spain,Shatruknoted that they took advantage of Valencias rich art culture, which included both museums and street art. The current environment restricts that, but students can still access famous works of art through online galleries set up by individual museums and other resources. Students are required to write essays about pieces of art and the chemistry behind the materials used in them.

Our students are super creative, Shatruk said. If you make it engaging for them, they can really build on that knowledge in their projects.

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Paint by atomic numbers: FSU chemistry professor teaches students the science behind art - Florida State News

Eastman Chemical Company EMN is set to release first-quarter 2020 results after the closing bell on Apr 30. Weak demand due to the coronavirus pandemic might have impacted the companys performance in the quarter. However, the companys earnings are likely to have benefited from its cost management actions and growth in high-margin products.

Eastman Chemical missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the trailing four quarters while beat once. For this timeframe, the company has a negative surprise of roughly 2%, on average.

Shares of the Eastman Chemical are down 26.1% over a year, compared with the 36.9% decline of its industry.

Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

What do the Estimates Say?

Eastman Chemical, last month, said that it anticipates first-quarter earnings per share to rise from that in the prior-year period.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues for Eastman Chemical for the first quarter is currently pegged at $2,214 million, indicating a 7% year-over-year decline.

Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Eastman Chemicals Additives and Functional Products division revenues is pegged at $787 million, suggesting a 7.9% decline year over year. The consensus estimate for Advanced Materials units revenues is $642 million, indicating a fall of 2.3% year over year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the Chemical Intermediates segments revenues stands at $563 million, indicating a 14% decline from the year-ago quarter. The same for the Fibers segment is pegged at $206 million, calling for a 3.3% year-over-year decline.

Factors to Watch For

Eastman Chemical is focused on productivity and cost-cutting actions in the wake of a challenging environment. It is taking an aggressive approach to cost management to keep its manufacturing costs in control. Benefits of these actions are expected to get reflected on first-quarter results. Moreover, the companys actions to raise selling prices of its products are likely to have contributed to its bottom line in the quarter.

The company is also focused on growing new business revenues from innovation. Eastman Chemical expects to generate roughly $500 million of new business revenues in 2020. The company is likely to have gained from growth in high-margin innovation products in the quarter to be reported.

However, lower demand due to coronavirus might have affected the companys sales volumes in the first quarter. Disruptions associated with the pandemic are likely to have hurt demand across some of the companys end-markets.

Eastman Chemical is also exposed to headwind from lower product spreads in its Chemical Intermediates segment. Lower spreads are likely to have weighed on margins in this unit in the March quarter.

Eastman Chemical Company Price and EPS Surprise

Eastman Chemical Company Price and EPS Surprise

Eastman Chemical Company price-eps-surprise | Eastman Chemical Company Quote

Zacks Model

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Eastman Chemical this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. But thats not the case here.Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP for Eastman Chemical is -4.58%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate is currently pegged at $1.62 while the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $1.69. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Eastman Chemical carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Stocks Poised to Beat Estimates

Here are some companies in the basic materials space you may want to consider as our model shows they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company SMG, scheduled to release earnings on May 6, has an Earnings ESP of +1.49% and carries a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Franco-Nevada Corporation FNV, scheduled to release earnings on May 6, has an Earnings ESP of +1.38% and carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Yamana Gold Inc. AUY, scheduled to release earnings on Apr 30, has an Earnings ESP of +12.50% and carries a Zacks Rank #3.

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Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportFranco-Nevada Corporation (FNV) : Free Stock Analysis ReportEastman Chemical Company (EMN) : Free Stock Analysis ReportThe Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (SMG) : Free Stock Analysis ReportYamana Gold Inc. (AUY) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.

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What's in the Cards for Eastman Chemical's (EMN) Q1 Earnings? - Yahoo Finance

RONKONKOMA, NY, UNITED STATES - Apr 23, 2020 - The world's leading chemical supplier Alfa Chemistry announced to have integrated its supply of boronic compound products to its customers worldwide, which include borate, boro-amino acids, boronic acids, boronic esters as well as others.

Structurally speaking, a boronic acid is a compound related to boric acid in which one of the three hydroxyl groups is replaced by an alkyl or aryl group. It has been widely used in the field of chemistry, biology, and medicine. The approval of bortezomib, which contains a boronic acid as a functional group, by FDA for the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma has sparked a rise of interest in the investigation of boronic acids as drugs for a wide range of diseases.

"As always, our goal is to prioritize what our customers need most in their research work. So we decide to reorganize our supply of boronic compounds, thus customers can more easily find what they want on our website," says a senior scientist from Alfa Chemistry. Boronic acids are used extensively in organic chemistry as chemical building blocks and intermediates predominantly in the Suzuki coupling.

Chemical use

Owing to the unique properties and reactivity as mild organic Lewis acids, as well as stability and ease of handling, boronic acid compounds are very attractive synthetic intermediates. Meanwhile, they are also viewed as environmentally friendly compounds because of their low toxicity. Boronic acid compounds are used in a plenty of chemistry reactions such as Liebeskind-Srogl coupling and C-H coupling reactions.

Biological use

Biologically, with the advantage of inter-convertility, Lewic acidity, and unique behavior upon neutron bombardment, boronic compounds can serve as boronolectins, therapy agents and transmembrane transporters, and even used in bioconjugations and immobilization.

Medicinal use

Boronic compounds can be used in medicinal chemistry, showing anticancer, antibacterial and antiviral properties. Also, the use of boronic compounds as enzyme inhibitors largely reflects the usefulness of boron.

For more information about Alfa Chemistry's boronic compounds, please visit https://www.alfa-chemistry.com/products/boronic-compounds-115.htm to learn more.

About Alfa Chemistry

Being professional and reliable, Alfa Chemistry is a preferred partner for many universities, research institutes as well as other organizations for supplying building blocks, reagents, catalysts and reference materials. Meanwhile, Alfa Chemistry also provides laboratory services such as analytical services, synthetic chemistry, API research & development, microalgae powder production to the customers.

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Alfa Chemistry Integrates Its Supply of Boronic Compounds for the Science Community - Bio-IT World