STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Two American scientists won the 2012 Nobel Prize for chemistry on Wednesday for research into how cells respond to external stimuli that is helping to develop better drugs to fight diseases such as diabetes, cancer and depression.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the 8 million crown ($1.2 million) prize went to Robert Lefkowitz, 69, and Brian Kobilka, 57, for discovering the inner workings of G-protein-coupled receptors, which allow cells to respond to chemical messages such as adrenaline rushes.

"Around half of all medications act through these receptors, among them beta blockers, antihistamines and various kinds of psychiatric medications," the committee said.

Working out better ways to target the receptors, known as GPCRs, is an area of keen focus for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Lefkowitz told a news conference by telephone he was asleep when the phone call came from Sweden.

"I did not hear it - I must share with you that I wear earplugs to sleep. So my wife gave me an elbow. So there it was, a total shock and surprise," he said.

Sven Lidin, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Lund University and chairman of the committee, told a news conference the discovery had been key in medical research.

"Knowing what they (the receptors) look like and how they function will provide us with the tools to make better drugs with fewer side effects," he added.

GPCRs are linked to a wide range of diseases, since they play a central role in many biological functions in the body, but developing new drugs to target them accurately has been difficult because of a lack of fundamental understanding as to how they function. Experts say the work of the Nobel Prize winners has opened the door to making better medicines.

Drugs targeting GPCRs have potential in treating illnesses involving the central nervous system, heart conditions, inflammation and metabolic disorders.

Continued here:
Cell receptor research wins Americans chemistry Nobel

Research by Robert J. Lefkowitz, left, and Brian K. Kobilka has increased understanding of how cells sense chemicals.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Two American scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their work revealing protein receptors that tell cells what is going on in and around the human body. Their achievements have allowed drug makers to develop medication with fewer side effects.

Research spanning four decades by Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian K. Kobilka on "G-protein-coupled receptors" has increased understanding of how cells sense chemicals in the bloodstream and external stimuli like light, according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awarded the prize.

Lefkowitz began the research by tracking adrenalin receptors. The Nobel Prize announcement apparently set off some of the excitement hormone in his own body.

"I'm feeling very, very excited," he said in a predawn phone call from the United States to the committee in Stockholm, Sweden, which announced the winners at 5:45 a.m. ET.

"Did I even have any inkling that it was coming?" Lefkowitz said. "I'd have to say no."

He contacted Kobilka via a Skype video call to celebrate the news after receiving the call from the Nobel committee.

Lefkowitz, with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, began tracking cell receptors with radioactive substances in 1968.

In the 1980s, Kobilka, from Stanford University School of Medicine in California, joined the research to isolate the human gene that produces the adrenalin receptor, the academy said.

Here is the original post:
Americans Robert J. Lefkowitz, Brian K. Kobilka win Nobel Prize in chemistry

Two U.S. scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering how cell receptors involved in about half of all medicines work.

Robert J. Lefkowitz, 69, of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, and Brian K. Kobilka, 57, of Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, will share the 8 million-krona ($1.2 million) award, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said at a news conference today.

They received the prize for their work on cells and sensibility, the academy said. The men exposed the inner workings of the largest and most pervasive family of cell receptors, known as G-protein-coupled.

Lodged in the fatty membranes that surround cells, they are the bodys mechanism to read its environment and play a role in sight, smell, taste, as well as pain tolerance and blood pressure. The receptors are the targets of about half of all medicines, the academy said.

Thanks to the work of Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka, we know what the receptor looks like in the finest molecular detail and we also know its just one of a huge family of receptors, Sven Lidin, a member of the Nobel committee for chemistry, said at the Stockholm news conference. Knowing how they work helps us to make better drugs with fewer side effects.

Lefkowitz, a professor of medicine at Duke and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, said he didnt have a clue he would be in the running for the prize.

I did not go to sleep last night waiting for this call, he said by telephone at the news conference. Im feeling very, very excited. I was fast asleep and the phone rang and I didnt hear it. I wear earplugs when I sleep and my wife gave me an elbow.

He was planning on going to the office and getting haircut today though the haircut will have to wait because he said it will be a crazy day at the office.

Last years Nobel in chemistry was awarded to Dan Shechtman for his discovery of quasicrystals, which changed the prevailing views about the atomic structure of matter.

Annual prizes for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, peace and literature were established in the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, who died in 1896. The Nobel Foundation was established in 1900 and the prizes were first handed out the following year. The Swedish science academy chooses the chemistry and physics winners.

Here is the original post:
U.S. Scientists Share Chemistry Nobel for Cell Receptors

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/cfk3w8/comprehensive) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new book "Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry III, 15-Volume Set" to their offering.

Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry III (CHEC-III) is a new 15-volume reference work which provides the first point of entry to the literature for all scientists interested in heterocyclic ring systems. Since publishing in 1984, Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry (CHEC) has become the standard work on the subject, indispensable to all serious readers in the interdisciplinary areas where heterocycles are employed. CHEC-III builds on and complements the material in CHEC and CHEC-II and is designed to be used both alone and in conjunction with these two works. Written by leading scientists who have evaluated and summarized the most important data published over the last decade, Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry III will be an invaluable addition to the reference library of those working with heterocyclic ring systems.

Reviews advances in the properties, structure, synthesis, reactivity and applications of the most important heterocyclic ring systems

Contains over 250 specialist reviews, logically organized by size and heteroatom content of the heterocyclic ring

Saves researchers valuable time and effort through carefully structured critical reviews of the literature by experts.

Key Topics Covered:

CHEC III is organized in 15 Volumes and closely follows the organization used in the previous edition:

Volumes 1 and 2: Cover respectively three- and four-membered heterocycles, together with all fused systems containing a three- or four-membered heterocyclic ring.

Volume 3: Five-membered rings with one heteroatom together with their benzo- and other carbocyclic-fused derivatives.

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Research and Markets: Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry III, 15-Volume Set

Research by Robert J. Lefkowitz, left, and Brian K. Kobilka has increased understanding of how cells sense chemicals.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Two American scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their work revealing protein receptors that tell cells what is going on in and around the human body. Their achievements have allowed drug makers to develop medication with fewer side effects.

Research spanning four decades by Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian K. Kobilka on "G-protein-coupled receptors" has increased understanding of how cells sense chemicals in the bloodstream and external stimuli like light, according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awarded the prize.

Lefkowitz began the research by tracking adrenalin receptors. The Nobel Prize announcement apparently set off some of the excitement hormone in his own body.

"I'm feeling very, very excited," he said in a predawn phone call from the United States to the committee in Stockholm, Sweden, which announced the winners at 5:45 a.m. ET.

"Did I even have any inkling that it was coming?" Lefkowitz said. "I'd have to say no."

He contacted Kobilka via a Skype video call to celebrate the news after receiving the call from the Nobel committee.

Lefkowitz, with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, began tracking cell receptors with radioactive substances in 1968.

In the 1980s, Kobilka, from Stanford University School of Medicine in California, joined the research to isolate the human gene that produces the adrenalin receptor, the academy said.

Read the original:
Americans win Nobel Prize in chemistry

Biorefineries and "green chemistry" seem to have a credible future built on a wide range of applications such as cosmetics, plastics and detergents.

The rise of the price of oil and increasingly restrictive health legislation covering dangerous products are giving a boost to green refining.

Some "green chemistry" factories, a few of which exist in France, break down organic molecules found in wood, grain, and oil seeds, instead of using molecules derived from refined oil.

"The regulatory constraints are such that, together with the current cost of oil, it is already interesting for lubricants, resins and paints," said professor Daniel Thomas, vice president of the IAR competitivity centre in Picardie and Champagne in northwestern France. He was referring to the use of vegetable material in the refining process.

The European Commission directive known as Reach, which is due to result in a ban or drastic regulation of some chemical products such as phthalates, also opens the way to economically viable options for the use of other molecules derived from vegetable matter, leaders in the field meeting in Paris underlined.

In Europe 34 production facilities are considered to be biorefineries. There are five big centres in France, and the tally does not include laboratories or test laboratories.

Thomas said that "green chemistry is not a theoretical concept but is already a reality." He continued: "But it is true that this reality covers also the fact that the market is dependent on the price of oil, and that this border line is going to shift and so more and more molecules are going to become worthwhile."

For example, in the 1950s the price of a tonne of oil was one sixth of the price of a tonne of wheat. In 2011, oil was three times the price of wheat.

A study by consultants McKinsey has suggested that half of the inputs used by the chemicals industry could be in the form of vegetable matter by 2030, with the development of biocarburants such as lubricants, solvents and a concrete-like material made from wood for the construction industry, or plastic for bottles.

But this switch towards a chemical industry based on products from agriculture or forestry raises other problems: the use of land for purposes other than producing food could be a factor behind a rise of the prices of grains and vegetable oils and therefore of a large slice of what people eat.

Follow this link:
Biorefining: The new green wave

Oil palm plantation. Credit: Michael Thirnbeck

(Phys.org)New models are being developed to predict how changing land use in the tropics could affect future climate, air quality and crop production.

Ozone has a dual personality best described as "good up high, bad nearby": the atmospheric gas is both vital and potentially fatal for our health. High in the stratosphere, the gas filters sunlight and protects us from the damaging effects of ultraviolet light. At ground level, however, it causes respiratory problems and damages crops.

'Bad' ozone is formed by the reaction of sunlight on gases emitted from fossil fuel combustion, and its concentration is predicted to continue to rise unless global emissions can be reduced. But ozone levels are not only affected by emissions from cars, power stations and industrial processes; they are also affected by emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as isoprene, by plants.

"It's a complicated mechanism," explained Professor John Pyle from Cambridge's Department of Chemistry. "In pristine conditions, such as in the tropical rainforests, VOCs can reduce ozone levels. However, in the presence of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which are pollutants produced during combustion of fossil fuels, VOCs can increase ozone levels."

In recent years, atmospheric chemists such as Pyle have been concerned that widespread changes in land-use in the tropics could have a dramatic impact on the formation of ozone, tipping the balance towards ozone production rather than destruction. Tropical rainforests currently account for over half of the world's forests and are biodiversity hotspots, but clearing for biofuels, crops and livestock is having a dramatic effect on their extent, with estimates suggesting that as much as 1.5 acres of rainforest are destroyed every second.

"Among the most widespread of tropical crops being planted in the cleared rainforests is the oil palm. In Malaysia, for instance, in just four decades the percentage of land covered by oil palm plantations has risen from 1% to 13% to meet an increasing demand for bioenergy and palm-oil-based consumer goods," added Pyle. "Is this change in land use resulting in unwelcome side-effects on ground-level ozone?"

Understanding this uncertainty has been a major focus of his team's research. By knitting together expertise in atmospheric chemistry with state-of-the-art climate models, the researchers aim to predict future concentrations of surface ozone with changing industrial emissions and land-use, from now until the end of this century.

"Our models rely on solving a set of differential equations that describe how reactants in the ozone pathway turn into products," explained researcher Dr Alex Archibald. "The complexity is potentially enormous. If we were to take into account all of the reactions of gases in the atmosphere, we would need to consider something like tens of millions of reactions. In reality, models can't cope with this level of complexity and so part of our work has been to determine the sensitivity of our models depending on the number of reactions we include."

PhD student Oliver Squire has been testing this sensitivity by comparing a range of commonly used chemistry mechanisms within the climate model. "The sign and magnitude of the ozone change due to a change in isoprene emissions in tropical regions show a strong dependence on the number of isoprene reactions included," he said. "This highlights the importance of correctly simplifying the full complexity of the atmosphere's chemistry".

More here:
Climate chemistry and the tropics

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY--(Marketwire - Oct 9, 2012) - ThalesNano is proud to announce that sales of its novel flow reactors reached 700 complete systems. The number of publications based on these flow reactors has also surpassed 150. First launched in 2005, ThalesNano offers a range of microscale flow based reactors used in chemistry research. The 700th unit, an H-Cube Pro, will be installed in Shanghai at a perfume and flavor manufacturer.

"We have always been focused on enabling chemists to achieve results with their chemistry that they cannot do with standard equipment," said Richard Jones, CEO of ThalesNano Inc. "Whether it's bringing back hazardous chemistry, such as hydrogenation, to the lab or enabling chemists to access a wider parameter space to synthesize novel molecules, ThalesNano has developed reactors to do this safer, faster, and simpler. On behalf of all employees at ThalesNano, let me express our gratitude to our customers who have contributed to our success and presence on 6 continents and in more than 30 countries."

ThalesNano has recently launched the latest version of its best-selling R&D 100 award winner product, the H-Cube Pro. Several upcoming low cost reactor modules will expand the chemistry capabilities still further. Chemists can look forward to utilizing other gases such as carbon monoxide, oxygen, or Syngas on the same instrument they already use for their hydrogenations. The upcoming Phoenix Flow Reactor allows homogeneous reactions to be performed at higher than microwave temperatures and pressures. With the broadest range of flow reactors, ThalesNano is the "go to" company for flow chemistry.

More information about ThalesNano on our website: http://www.thalesnano.com or contact us directly at the following e-mail: info@thalesnano.com

About ThalesNano

ThalesNano is the world leader in bench-top flow chemistry reactors. The company has the widest portfolio of bench-top continuous process instruments for the pharmaceutical, biotech, fine chemical, petroleum/biofuel, and education markets. Its R&D 100 award winning H-Cube and scale-up system H-Cube Midi are used in hundreds of laboratories globally and have become the new industry standard for hydrogenation. Within three years from the original introduction of its flagship H-Cube product, 20 out of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies have introduced and adopted the technology.

Original post:
ThalesNano Cements Place as Flow Chemistry Market Leader With 700th Reactor

From Homer the poet to Homer Simpson, we all forget things from time to time, but not to the tragic extent of people with Alzheimer’s. This week’s Chemistry in its element podcast looks at galantamine, isolated from Caucasian snowdrops, which is used to treat the disease.

                  

Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/2012/10/03/chemistry-in-its-element-galantamine/

— Distortion of the protein

Another nail in the coffin of the arsenic life story has been published suggesting that GFAJ-1 does not in fact metabolise arsenate, but instead is very good at distinguishing the poison from phosphate. Earlier this year, two papers found that despite earlier claims, the bacterium did not in fact take up arsenate, the new paper explains in more detail why.

Publishing in Nature, Dan Tawfick and colleagues decided to investigate how exactly GFAJ-1, and other bacteria that live in arsenic rich environments, survive. Can they distinguish between the two anions, and if so, how?

The trick, suggests Tawfick, is in the peristaltic phosphate binding proteins which are highly tuned in GFAJ-1. Although arsenate ions are only a little larger than phosphate, that size difference is enough to distort a low energy hydrogen bond and stop arsenate uptake (see left).

I can’t help but wonder, have we finally laid this to rest, or will more papers refuting GFAJ-1′s ability to metabolise arsenate keep coming out for a while yet? If they keep getting their authors in high impact journals, you can see why anyone working on applicable research might want to join in.

Laura Howes

                  

Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/2012/10/04/arsenic-life-as-dead-as-a-doornail/

06 October 2012 | last updated at 11:37PM

Kids Lab will teach 600 children the importance of sun protection and letting them make their own sunscreen lotion.

The children, aged 6 to 12 years, will have the opportunity to discover the world of chemistry by conducting experiments at BASF Kids' Lab in Sekolah Taman Hi-Tech, Kedah.

This year, Kids' Lab will introduce the importance of sun protection by teaching the children to make sunscreen lotion and discover the various strength of UV protection.

They will also learn how to detect the presence of vitamin C in food and beverages.

"We want to bring the joy of chemistry to the children," said BASF (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd managing director Daniel Loh.

"We trust these experiments will show them the role chemistry plays in everyday life. Skin protection and nutrition are crucial in achieving a healthy lifestyle.

"The knowledge and understanding on how these work is a powerful way for children to learn about healthy living," he added.

Thirty students from Persatuan Dyslexia Malaysia were also invited to participate at the event this year. "Dyslexic children learn better through hands-on experiments.

"I believe the children who participated in the simple experiments learned more effectively in a conducive environment," said Persatuan Dyslexia Malaysia president Sariah Amirin.

More here:
Learn chemistry the fun way

MANILA, Philippines The onscreen chemistry of Thai actor Mario Maurer and Kapamilya star Erich Gonzales happened to just click, according to the director of their first big screen team-up.

"Right away there was chemistry, right away, first shooting day, first scene, first sequence, first shot, bagay na bagay sila sa isa't-isa," said Rory Quintos, director of Star Cinema's upcoming romantic-comedy film "Suddenly It's Magic."

The film tells the story of a Marcus Hanson (Maurer), a superstar in his native Thailand, who finds love in the Philippines, where he meets baker Joey Hermosa (Gonzales).

Recounting how the "team-up" came about, Quintos said: "[I got a call that] there was this project with a Thai actor, Mario Maurer, and that he was going to be paired with a female actress."

"When I found out that it was Erich, I was very happy because at that time that I got the call from Star Cinema, I was with Erich in 'Maria la del Barrio.' We did the series together," Quintos added, referring to the Kapamilya series first aired in 2011.

Maurer, who rose to fame for his critically-acclaimed role in the 2008 Thai film "The Love of Siam," was not particularly hard to get along with, Quintos shared.

"When Mario came here, when we met, what struck me most was that he seemed like such a nice boy, and he's really, really cute. I think women of all generations would appreciate how cute he is," she said.

Also Joross Gamboa, Joy Viado, Guji Lorenzana, Ces Quesada, Dinkee Doo, John Lee and Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul, "Suddenly It's Magic" will hit theaters nationwide on October 31.

See more here:
Mario-Erich chemistry was 'instant,' says director

Louisa Boddy likes her new teammates. The chemistry between them is great, so good that after losing seven starters (one to injury, the rest to graduation), the UConn field hockey team is 13-0 and ranked third in the country.

She likes the field hockey facilities at UConn. They're nothing like athletic facilities in her home country of England, which are rather Spartan.

She liked that, once she joined the team, she got free field hockey gear, shirts and sweats. In England, university players pay for everything, including travel and uniforms.

She likes the media attention, which her teams never got in England; Boddy, a graduate student at UConn from Derbyshire, England, who plays defense and is third in scoring on the team, was in Faces in the Crowd in Sports Illustrated last week.

She also loves that there are four other players from Great Britain playing for the Huskies.

So Boddy, 23, is not too homesick, except for one thing.

"I miss my baked beans," Boddy said. "I love baked beans."

But, she was reminded, we have baked beans here.

"But not proper ones," Boddy protested.

They're horrible, she said to her British teammates nearby. "Aren't they?"

Read the original here:
Lori Riley: UConn Field Hockey Team's Chemistry Includes International Element

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/734ktb/studies_in) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new book "Studies in Natural Products Chemistry, Volume 37" to their offering.

Natural products play an integral and ongoing role in promoting numerous aspects of scientific advancement, and many aspects of basic research programs are intimately related to natural products. With articles written by leading authorities in their respective fields of research, Studies in Natural Products Chemistry, Volume 37 presents current frontiers and future guidelines for research based on important discoveries made in the field of bioactive natural products. It is a valuable source for researchers and engineers working in natural products and medicinal chemistry.

Key Features:

- Describes the chemistry of bioactive natural products

- Contains contributions by leading authorities in the field

- A valuable source for researchers and engineers working in natural product and medicinal chemistry

Topics Covered:

Botanical Medicines for Diuresis: Cross-Cultural Comparisons

The Artemisia L. Genus: a Review of Bioactive Sesquiterpene Lactones

See the original post:
Research and Markets: Studies in Natural Products Chemistry, Volume 37

Despite multiple local examples to the contrary, some writers insist that team chemistry was essential to the Giants success this year.

Really? How then, do you explain the success of the 2002 Giants, who had no chemistry at all. Jeff Kent absolutely hated Barry Bonds. Well never know what Bonds thought of Kent because he didnt talk to anybody in the clubhouse, taking up four lockers as he spread out on a couch to ease his aching back. But both Kent and Bonds played their best throughout a World Series the Giants should have won.

In 1987, Will Clark sat on one side of the locker room at Candlestick and glared at Jeff Leonard, but they both played well as the Giants got into the postseason. It was more of the same in 1989 with Clark and Kevin Mitchell. No chemistry on either team, but the 89 Giants got to the World Series.

And lets not forget the battling As of the early 70s, who had fights in front of writers in the locker room. Today, wed call that bad chemistry but those teams won three straight World Series.

This shouldnt surprise anybody because baseball is an individual sport wrapped in a team concept. If a baseball player hits. 300 with 30 home runs, he can get a fat free agent contract even if his team finishes in last place. Why should the team be his primary concern?

A successful team is really a group of individuals playing well, and thats exactly whats happened to the Giants since Melky Cabrera was suspended for violation of baseballs anti-drug program. Theyve gotten a significant contribution from Hunter Pence, who was not on the roster at the start of the season. Theyve gotten a huge contribution from Marco Scutaro, who has filled a hole at second base and contributed with some big clutch hits.

Thats no surprise to anybody who saw him with the As; Scutaro may be the most underrated player in the majors. And theyve gotten a big season from Buster Posey, who has come back from that horrendous collision at home plate that sidelined him for the rest of the season in 2011 to win the batting title, and perhaps the MVP, as well.

Along the way, the Giants have learned how to hit with men on base, a skill that totally eluded them last year, and theyve scored far more runs than they did even in 2010, when they won their first World Championship since coming to San Francisco.

Theyve also benefited from the collapse of the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose big trades havent been enough to overcome key injuries, especially to their ace, Clayton Kershaw.

The postseason in baseball is always a crap shoot, or do you really think the Cardinals were the best team in baseball in 2011? The Giants are entering it with a much different team than won in 2010, a better hitting team but one with significant questions about the starting rotation. Both Cincinnati and Washington also appear to be better teams. But whether the Giants win or lose, I can tell you one thing: Team chemistry wont have anything to do with it.

See the original post:
Individuals key to Giants’ success, not chemistry

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Richard Pan, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), Keep California Beautiful and the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps today launched Read, Write, Recycle!, a recycling contest for students of San Juan and Natomas Unified School Districts.

Six schools, two from the San Juan Unified School District and four from the Natomas Unified School District, will compete over the next five weeks to collect the most recyclable materials. One winning school in each district will receive $500 for the most recyclables collected. A grand prize of $1,000 will be awarded to the single school in the two districts that recycles the most paper, aluminum, glass, and plastic.

"It's no secret that schools have suffered tremendous cuts over the last few years, and we need to be creative to generate much-needed funds," said Dr. Pan, who chairs the California State Assembly Committee on Health. "This partnership is an excellent example of working together to meet students' needs, while still teaching valuable lessons like recycling."

Each school will receive $150 for participating. These funds can be used for much needed school supplies. In addition, each of the participating schools will receive several recycling bins. Teachers and students also will receive tips to help encourage recycling at school and at home.

"We are inspired by the enthusiasm these young people bring to recycling. Collecting valuable materials like plastic, paper, aluminum and glass and diverting them from the waste stream is a great way to be part of solutions that show commitment to a clean environment," said Steve Russell, vice president of the Plastics Division at ACC. "We're proud to be part of any program that helps create the next generation of recyclers."

SACRAMENTO STUDENTS WILL REAP THE REWARDS OF RECYCLING

A total of 165 elementary school classes from the six schools will participate in this five-week recycling challenge. In total, more than 4,300 students will participate in the program, learning valuable lessons about recycling.

"We are delighted to work with the San Juan and Natomas school districts, Assemblymember Pan, the ACC and Keep California Beautiful to provide an opportunity to recycle in Sacramento-area schools," said Dwight Washabaugh, executive director of the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps. "Partnerships like these help our kids value the environment and help our corps members learn valuable skills in the workplace."

The Read, Write, Recycle! program launched in February of 2012 in San Gabriel County where 1,500 students recycled more than 11 thousand pounds of materials. Building on the success of this initial program, Dr. Pan and the partners are bringing the competition to Sacramento.

Read, Write, Recycle! is the latest recycling effort supported by ACC under the Plastics. Too Valuable to Waste. Recycle. campaign. ACC also works with LA's Best, an after-school enrichment program in Los Angeles, to educate students about recycling, and ACC is a key sponsor of Recycle. Goal., a recycling contest between young soccer players in Southern California and the Central Valley.

Read more from the original source:
Sacramento Students Learn Rewards Of Recycling

Here's an interesting test case for California's much-debated business climate.

Last week, 17 lawmakers from Gov. Jerry Brown's own party asked him to put a hold on recently issued regulations that could "impact every manufacturer, business and consumer in California and beyond."

The regulations concern California's 2008 "green chemistry" law requiring businesses to identify and, where judged necessary and feasible, find alternatives to approximately 1,200 "chemicals of concern," like formaldehyde and lead, found in a wide range of products.

Chewed over for four years with input from business groups and environmental and health care advocates, the regulations were issued by the Department of Toxic Substances Control on July 27, subject to a final comment period.

"We see this as a two-for-one initiative," said Debbie Raphael, the department's director, in a news release. "Public health and the environment benefit by lessening our use of toxic chemicals, and California companies get a significant boost into markets that are rapidly expanding." Business executives praised the regulations as providing "an orderly transition to safer materials and products" and "promoting a healthy economy, healthy environment and healthy people."

Others don't see it that way. At a public hearing last month, a representative of the Association of Global Automakers warned that the regulations will result in the supply of older replacement parts being disrupted, and "consumers' warrantees or repairs may not be able to be fulfilled."

Pointing to conflicts with federal regulations, an attorney representing members of the construction, home appliance and aircraft industry said the provisions would result "ultimately to the detriment of California's economy by encouraging businesses both large and small to exit California for a more predictable business climate."

Enter state Sen. Michael Rubio, D-Shafter (Kern County), incoming chairman of the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality.

In a letter to Brown, signed by 16 fellow Democrats, Rubio called for halting the "open-ended, virtually unlimited in scope" regulations "until a robust economic impact study is completed," including the number of businesses affected, the costs entailed and jobs endangered (or created).

Rubio said an analysis conducted by the Department of Toxic Substances Control left more questions than answers, and he cites another state law to back up his case. That would be SB617, signed last year by Brown, requiring a stricter cost-benefit analysis before new regulations are promulgated.

Read more from the original source:
Lawmakers seek 'green chemistry' delay

It was the first building on what is today Dals Studley campus. One hundred years later, the Chemistry Building is still standing as a centre for teaching, research and study.

Last Friday afternoon, faculty, staff, students and alumni gathered together to celebrate the buildings 100th anniversary. While the official anniversary of the start of construction was on August 15, event coordinators decided to incorporate this special milestone into Homecoming weekend.

The celebration was led by Department Chair Josef Zwanziger, who took alumni on a guided tour of the building, followed by a presentation on the buildings long-standing history.

Originally deemed the Science Building because it housed the department of chemistry, physics and geology, it was envisioned as the academic core of the campus. The project was realized by architect Frank Darling of Toronto, who surveyed the lot in 1911 and created a general campus plan. Darling chose a local architect, Andrew Randall Cobb, to design the buildings. Together, they decided on an 18th century Georgian style of architecture in keeping with other attractive buildings in Halifax such as Province House and Government House. The Georgian style was adaptable and would lend an inviting, domestic appearance to the campus. In his annual report of 1911/12, Dalhousie President Arthur Stanley MacKenzie praised the new building as "by far the largest and finest building for pure science east of McGill."

The Chemistry Building's cornerstone was laid on August 15, 1912 by the Governor General, the Duke of Connaught, in a ceremony attended by the High Commissioner for Australia, the premiers of Quebec and Nova Scotia and the Governor of Newfoundland. (See photo on left, via Dalhousie Archives and Special Collections.) Construction was funded by a Carnegie Corporation grant of $50,000, with Dalhousie required to raise an additional $40,000.

With Cobbs efforts, in conjunction with the input from science professors Eben Mackay and Howard Bronson, the final plans were completed in January of 1913. The building was finished by summer 1915, and Dals science programs moved from their home in Forrest Building.

The building was constructed of hard ironstone from Purcell's Cove, along with Portland cement. Originally, it was designed as two separate buildings in one, so that the hazardous fumes of the Chemistry department would be isolated. There was also space allotted to the Engineering and Geology departments, part of the building until 1945. Despite the building's integrity, on December 6, 1917 it was severely damaged in the Halifax Explosion. Repairs to doors, windows and the roof were extensive and cost almost $10,000, a sum readily paid by the Carnegie Corporation.

By 1960 after many years of construction and expansion some things never change at Dal it came to pass that Chemistry would occupy the entire building (the photo on the right is from 1937). In 1965, the building was joined to the adjacent Macdonald Memorial Library (now the Macdonald Building). The extension created 40,000 square feet of new floor space and added additional departmental offices, the university bookstore and a lecture hall. A $9.8 million extension and renovation in 1991 updated the building and facilities and added almost 23,000 square feet on the north side of the building, including new undergraduate laboratories.

Today, the Department of Chemistry has 26 professors, four emeritus professors, 13 adjunct professors, seven instructors, and 14 technical/administrative staff. It welcomes visiting scientists, postdocs and research assistants alongside its 70 graduate students, more than 40 honours students and 3,000-plus students who take undergraduate chemistry courses each year. Its facilities include the computer-aided learning laboratory, laser photolysis laboratories, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Research Resource, the Trace Analysis Research Centre, the Mass Spectrometry Laboratory and many other specialized facilities. Faculty and students carry out research in all areas of chemistry: analytical, bio-organic, computational, environmental, inorganic, materials, organic, physical and theoretical.

After the history tour, a ceremony was held outside the building allowing guests to reflect on this long legacy. Attendees included Leonard Preyra, minister of communities, culture and heritage, and Marilyn More, minister of labour and advanced education, both of whom offered their congrats on behalf of the Government of Nova Scotia.

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Chemistry Building marks a century

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/256cfr/solidphase) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Solid-Phase Organic Syntheses. Solid-Phase Palladium Chemistry" to their offering.

This series informs researchers of major accomplishments in solid-phase organic synthesis and provides actual experimental details and specific references. With this series, a reader will be able to sharpen hands-on skills by following the experimental procedures and refining understanding of the science by studying the chosen reactions. More importantly, this series guides readers in designing novel compound libraries, and may also inspire future breakthroughs.

This second volume focuses on palladium chemistry in solid-phase synthesis, and discusses: palladium catalysts and reactions, procedures for preparation and utilization, ligands, and linker reactions.

Key Topics Covered:

1. An Introduction to Solid-Phase Palladium Chemistry

2. Pd-Catalysed Solid-Phase Decoration of the 2(1H)-Pyrazinone Scaffold

3. One-Step Palladium and Phenylsilane Activated Amidation of Solid Supported Ally Esters

4. Solid-Phase Reactions of Polymer-Bound Arenesulfonates with Aryl Grignard Reagents

5. Fluorous Synthesis of 3-Aminoimidazo[1,2-A]-Pyridine/Pyrazine Library

See the article here:
Research and Markets: Solid-Phase Organic Syntheses. Solid-Phase Palladium Chemistry

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d77vsd/polyphosphoesters) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new report "Polyphosphoesters. Chemistry and Application" to their offering.

Polyphosphoesters are a multifunctional, environmentally friendly, and cost-efficient material, making them an important subject. The design of this type of material plays a key role in the progress of industry, agriculture, and medicine.

This book introduces the chemistry, characterization and application of polyphosphoesters including comprehensive coverage of poly(alkylene H-phosphonate)s, poly(alkylene phosphate)s, poly(alkyl or aryl phosphonate)s, and poly(alkyl phosphite)s and poly(alkyl phosphinite)s. Each polymer is discussed in detail including methods, properties, and applications.

This book is useful for students and practitioners preparing to work, or in the process of working, in the exciting field of polymer chemistry.

- Presents a unique look at an important, multifunctional and environmentally friendly material

- Outlines methods used to prepare different polyphosphoesters

- Comprehensive examination of the properties of polyphosphoesters

Key Topics Covered:

1: Poly(alkylene H-phosphonate)s

Read more:
Research and Markets: Polyphosphoesters. Chemistry and Application