Category Archives: Chemistry

I have been blogging about chemistry and related topics since 2004. Since then I have had the chance to witness the rise of the chemistry blogosphere. What started as a small, loose collection of opinionated men and women has turned into a group of serious and well-informed bloggers who blog with authority and nuance. Partly because blogging about chemistry is not as attractive as blogging about cosmology or evolutionary biology, the chemistry blogosphere has relatively few blogs. However in my view this has also translated into an unusually high ratio of signal to noise. Speak to people who frequent this world and ask them who they think the good bloggers are, and you will usually hear lists of names that are not only similar but also exhaustive. My own contributions to this world have been very modest but there are others who have set high standards and who will undoubtedly continue to guide the high-quality discourse.

With this background in mind, I was a little disappointed to see a parting editorial by Rudy Baum who has served as editor-in-chief of Chemical and Engineering News (C&EN), the flagship publication of the American Chemical Society. C&EN has been the main source of chemical information and analysis for the chemical community for almost a hundred years. In his capacity Mr. Baum has contributed valuable input to the magazine. He has done an admirable job in keeping the whole enterprise together and has also been very active in interacting with the chemical community, including chemists who write blogs. In fact his own team of outstanding writers, scientists and journalists publish their own blog which has consistently produced insightful, high-quality content.

In his parting editorial Mr. Baum had the following words to say about blogs:

Technology has profoundly changed journalism during my tenure with C&EN. Much of the change has been positivewho can imagine doing research on a topic without access to the Internet?but the business model for journalism remains very much in a state of flux. The silly mantra, Information wants to be free, overlooks the fact that quality information requires effort, and effort costs money.

Blogs are all well and good, they add richness to the exchange of information, but they are not journalism, and they never will be.

Blogs also made an appearance in another discussion arising from a university librarys decision to cancel their subscription to ACS journals because of high prices. A post by the librarian about this was met with the following response by the ACSs Director of Public Affairs

We find little constructive dialogue can be had on blogs and other listservs where logic, balance, and common courtesy are not practiced and observed,

I would like to address the C&EN editorial first. I was not aware of the source of that silly mantra that information should be free until a few fellow bloggers pointed out that it originated with Stewart Brand, creator of the Whole Earth Catalog, the same lavish volume which inspired Steve Jobs during the early phases of his career. It was reiterated by Richard Stallman who started the open software movement at MIT. The quote is more subtle than what it appears in Mr. Baums editorial. The point is that throughout human history, for reasons related not just to cost but also to availability and censorship, information has had to tread the fine line between being withheld and being widely available. Stallman made it clear that by free he was not talking about the price but about availability. He was alluding to the fact that information by its very nature is like a restless beast that wants to spread around through the human medium. History has amply demonstrated the fact that we as a society want to know, and at some point we do. And Stallman was saying this in an age when the internet was still very limited and access to information was severely constrained compared to today.

The age has changed but information is still restricted or expensive in many cases where it should not be so. Unfortunately, simply quoting the information wants to be free gives the impression that consumers of information really think that it doesnt cost anything to produce it. Thats simply not true. Almost every person who I have talked to about open access realizes that it takes cost and effort to edit, referee and produce information. However we are also aware of how much cheaper this process can be compared to what it is, especially because of the exceedingly low costs of bandwidth and storage space. These low costs make it possible for enterprises to be supported mainly through volunteer donations. The fact is that journals and magazines as a whole are still mainly stuck in the old model where a group of editors make it their full-time job to finely craft, edit and publish information. Although the technology for disseminating information has changed, the mindsets find it hard to let go. There is of course still a prominent role for official high-quality information that is carefully vetted and journal editors still do an admirable job of striving for quality, but the fact is that there are now multiple ways of producing and accessing the same information, with blogging being one of the simplest. This proliferation of content creation and production channels has resulted in the entirely reasonable mantra that most information should be very cheap, and at least some information should be free.

The difference between free and cheap is huge; its the same as the difference between zero and any finite number. And its this mantra thatis the source of the campaign against publishers like Elsevier who practice unfair bundling and sport huge profit margins. More importantly though, I think theres at least some evidence to refute Mr. Baums statement that quality information requires effort, and effort costs money. By now Wikipedia has been proven to be a resounding example of the fact that quality can come without money through the efforts of millions of volunteers who contribute knowledge and information for a variety of reasons. Most of these contributors have contributed an immense amount of their time without asking us for a penny and the Wikipedia servers are mainly maintained through volunteer donations. Articles on Wikipedia have been vetted by experts in their respective areas (including Nature) and have been consistently found to contain high-quality information.

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Chemistry blogging and journalism: Eat the fruit, don't count the trees

SOUTH BEND, Ind. Chuck Martin likes the chemistry of his quarterback group through the first-third of the season. Just don't bother asking Notre Dame's offensive coordinator about any big-picture plans.

"I have no idea," Martin, speaking for the first time this season, said Wednesday. "If you've got a crystal ball and you could tell me, that would be awesome. We're all just trying to figure out a way to beat Miami. The plan for the future is to try to figure out what's going to shake down. I believe we've got four good quarterbacks, which obviously one quarterback plays at a time so to me, I don't know.

Martin isn't too worried about Everett Golson losing confidence after being pulled for Tommy Rees in both of the Irish's home games. The fact that head coach Brian Kelly has started Golson over three other talented options is all the validation one needs, Martin said, and the growing pains his No. 1 signal caller has suffered are not uncommon for a redshirt freshman.

"Keep accentuating all the good things he's done, because he's played a lot of snaps, he's done a lot of good things," Martin said of Golson. "We said from Day 1, 'You're not going to be a great quarterback as a freshman. It's very rare [a freshman's] great all the time. You might be great in spurts or great on plays or great for a period of time, or even a whole game you might have a complete great game.' But just to play, there's so many new experiences for him."

The fast-talking Martin said the offense is still searching for consistent execution in all phases, though he's less concerned with establishing a true identity than he is with some of the younger players not showing the same sense of urgency early in games as they have lately.

"The good thing so far is the only time we've really had to throw the ball was the two-minute drive against Purdue and we did it when we had to," Martin said, "and the only two times we've had to run the ball was the fourth quarter of two games against two good opponents and we've grinded the clock pretty good."

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OC likes QB chemistry, seeks consistency

Kayt Sukel, contributor

In The Chemistry Between Us, neuroscientist Larry Young and journalist Brian Alexander examine the neurobiological roots of love

THERE is a reason most of us sigh into our drinks when Cole Porter croons, "What is this thing called love?" We understand his befuddlement all too well. (And let's face it: if a man about town like Porter couldn't figure out this whole love thing, what hope is there for the rest of us mere mortals?)

That's why it is encouraging to know that in the past two decades social neuroscientists have been diligently working to unravel the mysteries of love - including the phenomena of attraction, monogamy and the parent-child bond - using techniques such as brain imaging, genome-wide association studies and transgenic animal models. In The Chemistry Between Us, Larry Young, the director of Emory University's Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, and journalist Brian Alexander offer a novel take on many of those findings.

A few recent books, including my own, Dirty Minds, have chronicled love and sex-related efforts in neuroscience. One of the criticisms of many of these tomes is that they fail to take on the functional "why" questions - why monogamy exists at all, for example, or why some people are more prone to infidelity. In The Chemistry Between Us, Young and Alexander do not shy away from proposing some strong hypotheses about the ways our neurobiology shapes our behaviour when it comes to the "L" word.

Drawing on real stories as well as research, the authors take the reader on a fascinating journey through strip clubs, Romanian orphanages and labs where rodents are regularly stimulated with lubed paintbrushes. These myriad adventures provide a great context for the science - and cleverly illustrate all the ways in which love and sex can make changes to our brain chemistry.

While those who closely follow the latest neurobiological research concerning love and sex might not find many new studies in this mix, they will find a rather unique interpretation of how they all fit together.

Young, who is arguably one of most prolific researchers in the social neuroscience field, plants his flag firmly: he argues that love is truly an addiction and one to which none of us are immune. He takes a reductionist approach, focusing on molecules like dopamine, oxytocin and vasopressin, and examining how these chemicals exploit ancient neurobiological circuits.

Some may feel uncomfortable when Young and Alexander claim that sex tricks women into "babysitting" the men they love - nurturing them as they would their own infants, thanks to the goodly amounts of oxytocin released during the sex act by men hitting the cervix with their large penises and playing with their breasts. Sceptics probably won't feel much better when Young and Alexander postulate that vasopressin helps men see their female partners as simply extensions of their territory.

Still, the authors don't back down. "Many would like to believe that such notions are outdated stereotypes," they write. "They're not. We can fake it, but nature gets the last word." Not overly concerned with political correctness, Young and Alexander even go so far as to extend these hypotheses to touch on modern issues like marriage equality and single motherhood.

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What is this thing called love? Mere chemical trickery

Two UC Santa Barbara professors have been named recipients of the American Chemical Societys 2013 national awards for professionaladvancement. Peter C. Ford, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Craig J. Hawker, also a professor in the Department of chemistry and Biochemistry,professor of materials, and director of the Materials Research Laboratory, have been named among the 64 award winners from across the country

In only one other year, 1996, did UCSB have more than one winner of theAmerican Chemical Society (ACS) awards. The awards will be presented at the nationalACS meeting in New Orleans in April.Ford is the recipient of the ACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry. This award recognizes individuals who haveadvanced inorganic chemistry by significant service, in addition to performingoutstanding research. It is sponsored by StremChemicals.

I am of course very pleased and honored to have received this award from my colleagues in the American Chemical Society, saidFord.

Since this is largely in recognition of the body of work generated by my graduate and postdoctoral students and collaborators over my tenure at UCSB, I consider it an award to my research group collectively as well as another testament to the high regard in which this campus is nowheld. I am proud to be aGaucho.

Hawker has been named recipient of the ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry. Thecitation states that Hawker was nominated for transforming the field of polymer chemistry through the clever adaptation of synthetic organic chemistry concepts and theadvancement of macromolecular engineering. ExxonMobil Chemical Company sponsored thisaward.

I am thrilled with the award and the recognition that it brings to my students, collaborators, and co-workers, as well as to the unique research environment at UCSB, said Hawker. The sustained success of cross-disciplinary research has been a key driver in reinforcing UCSBs international standing in the materials chemistry arena. I am grateful for the enormous benefits that this proud tradition has bought to myresearch.

Ford joined the faculty at UCSB in 1967 after earning his Ph.D. at Yale and completing a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship with Nobel laureateHenry Taube at Stanford University. He is a Fellow of the American Association for theAdvancement of Science and was a Senior Fulbright Fellow. His awards include a Dreyfus Foundation Teacher-Scholar Award in 1972; the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Senior U.S. Scientist Award in 1992; the Richard C. Tolman Medal of theACS in 1993; and the Inter-American Photochemical Society Award in Photochemistry in2008.

Hawker received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, and then completeda postdoctoral fellowship with Jean M. J. Frchet at Cornell. In 2004, he moved from theIBM Almaden Research Center to join the faculty at UCSB. Some of his recent awardsinclude the 2012 Centenary prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry; the 2011 Arthur C. Cope Scholar from the American Chemical Society; and the 2008 DSM PerformanceMaterials Award from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. In 2010,he was named a Fellow of the RoyalSociety.

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UCSB Professors Receive National Chemistry Awards

Former student leaves money to support colleges chemistry dept.

MUSCATINE, Iowa Talk about the right chemistry.

A relationship between a student and his college that began more than 70 years ago is paying off in a big way today.

Seven-plus decades ago, Robert L. Smith was a graduate of Muscatine Junior Colleges class of 1939. Today, the trust he established with his wife, Lucretia, has funded a half-million dollar gift to the Muscatine Community College Foundation

According to a news release from Billie DeKeyrel, assistant director for the foundation, the group recently accepted a $500,000 gift from the Robert L. and Lucretia K. Smith Trust.

The gift will be used to support the Department of Chemistry at Muscatine Community College.

According to MCC Foundation Executive Director Vic McAvoy, the bequest will be used to create an endowment fund for scholarships for students pursuing careers in a chemistry-related field, as well as equipment and materials for the programs.

MCC president Bob Allbee said the generosity of Smith and others like him whose lives have been affected by the college helps MCC reach its goal of providing an excellent education for students.

About Smith

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Formula for success: Alum endows $500,000 to MCC

Teacher evaluations stapled to Clary's office wall are covered with writings from past students showing appreciation for Clary's teachings. Photo by Joshua Bessex.

With an increasing number of unassigned organic chemistry classes, the UW is looking to hire a full-time lecturer. But Scott Clary, a part-time lecturer in the department since 2008, has found himself unable to apply for the position.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree by date of appointment, states the application on the UW chemistry department website, which presents a problem for Clary.

Despite his teaching experience at the university, Clary does not hold a Ph.D. Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Robert Stacey said the requirement is standard for the UW and other research universities.

Throughout the College of Arts and Sciences, all our departments require the terminal degree in their field as a prerequisite for consideration for a tenure-track position, Stacey said. This is a standard requirement at all first-tier research universities across the country and around the world. In the natural sciences, the terminal degree is a Ph.D. The Ph.D. is a research degree, and research is a fundamental requirement for all professorial positions at the University of Washington.

However, if the hiring committee does not find a qualified candidate, the job can be relisted with fewer requirements, giving Clary the opportunity to apply. If the committee decides to make an offer to another Ph.D. chemist, Clary would no longer teach at the UW in any capacity.

These job opportunities are rare so I wanted to make every effort to be considered for the position, especially given the positive response that I have gotten from the department and my students, Clary said.

Clarys teaching style resonates with students. Course evaluations filled out by previous students show he has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5. Junior Zachary Billman, who had Clary as a lecturer for a chemistry lab, said he was very approachable as a professor.

He was able to reach the course in a very laid-back way, as if he was just chatting with you, Billman said. This was very effective for that course in particular because he was able to address all of the important steps of the syntheses we would carry out throughout the week while preparing students for what unexpected things may happen so we wouldnt stress out. He taught the class in a conceptual manner.

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Chemistry lecturer lobbies for full-time position