Category Archives: Chemistry

A couple of weeks ago Chemistry World ran a story on a cracking paper from a team in Korea. The researchers took inspiration from the way Egyptian stone masons cracked large stone blocks (they inserted a wedge into a hole and then soaked it with water, causing it to expand and crack the stone) to create a technique to make nanoscale cracks in a controlled manner. They did this by etching a guide of notches and grooves into a silicon substrate and then depositing silicon nitride on top. The notches and grooves create a pathway for cracks to propagate along and this technique could be very useful for electronic and microfluidic devices.

© Nature

However, it now turns out that there’s an authorship dispute. The PhD student who said that she did much of the legwork didn’t get a note on the author list, according to this story in the Korea Herald (h/t @naturenano). The leader of the research group, Nam Koo-hyun at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, told the Herald that he made it clear from the start that the PhD student wouldn’t get a credit and that doing experimental work ‘does not qualify one for authorship’. I’m not sure how other PhD students would feel about this! Plenty of people have received a name check for far less than carrying out the experimental work. What do you think the cut off point should be for getting an author credit?

Patrick Walter

                  

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http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?feed=rss2

The Midland Section of the American Chemistry Society selected Dave Karpovich as the regions Outstanding College Chemistry Teacher Award winner for 2012. The award is presented annually to an individual in Bay, Gratiot, Isabella, Midland or Saginaw counties who makes a substantial contribution to science learning through his or her own voluntary efforts.

Dr. Karpovich is an exemplary instructor, said Deborah Huntley, dean of SVSUs College of Science, Engineering and Technology. He is down to earth, yet professional, and very clear in the expectations he holds for his students. He holds a strong conviction that research is a key component of a strong undergraduate education, which is why he incorporates hands-on experience. Plus, he brings just enough humor to the classroom to sustain student attention, but without sacrificing the message or the importance of the topic.

Karpovich joined the SVSU faculty in 1998 and accepted an appointment as the H.H. Dow Endowed Chair in Chemistry in 2010. He teaches courses in general, analytical and environmental chemistry; he also leads a tutoring program where SVSU students volunteer in local high schools.

A resident of Gagetown, Karpovich has a long history of scholarly interest in the Saginaw Bay Watershed. One current research project which includes SVSU students and is a partnership with Delta College was cited as a premier example for similar partnerships throughout the Great Lakes states and nationwide during the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement Symposium and Capitol Hill Poster Session in Washington, D.C., in March. The project includes field, classroom, teaching, lab and community-based research components, and aims to assess methods to restore the Kawkawlin River in a way that can be replicated elsewhere in the Saginaw Bay Watershed.

Karpovich completed a Ph.D. at Michigan State University and a bachelors degree at SVSU. He received the award at the annual American Chemical Society recognition banquet Thursday, May 3, at the Great Hall Banquet and Convention Center in Midland.

With more than 154,000 members, the American Chemical Society is one of the worlds leading sources of authoritative scientific information. Chartered by Congress, the group comprises chemists, chemical engineers and other experts in related fields, and creates a professional organization for members around the globe. For more information on the Midland Section, visit its website at http://www.midlandacs.org

Copyright 2012 Midland Daily News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Karpovich wins chemistry teacher award

The 1850 murder of Gustave Fougnies in Belgium is not famous because of the cleverness of his killers.Not at all. They his sister and brother-in-law practically set off signal flares announcing their parts in a suspicious death.

Its not famous because it was such a classic high society murder. The killers were the dashing, expensive, and deeply indebtedComte and Countessde Bocarm.The death occurred during a dangerouslyintimate dinner at their chateau, a 18th century mansion on an estate in southern Belgium.

Nor it is remembered because the Comte died by guillotine in 1851 so many did after all.

No, this is a famous murder because of its use of a notably lethal poison. And because the solving of this particular murder changed the history of toxicology, helped lay the foundation for modern forensic science. The poison, by the way, was the plant alkaloid nicotine. And it was chosen because at the time, no one absolutely no one knew how to detect a plant alkaloid in a dead body. During the unsuccessful prosecution of a morphine murder only a few years earlier, a French prosecutor actually started shouting about it in the courtroom: Henceforth, let us tell would-be poisonersuse plant poisons. Fear nothing; your crime will go unpunished. There is no corpus delecti (physical evidence) for it cannot be found.

And that was certainly the idea when the Comte and his wife decided to murder her young brother for his money. That they could kill him with this very special poison. And never be caught.

We probably know nicotine best today for its role in creating the highly addictive chemistry of tobacco, a reason that so many people find it difficult to quit smoking even though the habit is so conclusively linked to disorders ranging from heart disease to lung cancer. The compound has such a potent effect on the brain that some researchers have even suggested that it provides a gateway for drugs such as cocaine. Others have wondered whether that potency could somehow be harnessed to good effect, as a treatment for disorders ranging from Alzheimers to depression, although its addictive nature makes such approaches obviously complicated.

But back in the 19th century, of course, there was no way to peel apart its neurochemical effects. What people did know was that nicotine was one lethal compound. Tobacco, a plant native to the Americas, had caught the attention of the Europeans during the 16th century. One of its strongest advocates was Jean Nicot de Villemain, the French ambassador to Portugal, who acquired plants and seeds from the Portuguese colony in Brazil and promoted their use during the 1560s. The tobacco plant, Nicotiana tabacum, is named after him, as is the plants primary alkaloid.

Nicotine was first isolated from tobacco leaves in 1928 by two German chemists, Wilhelm Heinrich Posselt and Karl Ludwing Reinmann (its structure would be determined in 1893 and it would be first synthesized in 1904). Do you wonder what its made of? Three of the most common elements on Earth carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen and this represents one of the things I like best about chemistry, the way nature takes the planets ordinary ingredients and mixes them up to such varied effect. The formula for nicotine is a straightforward: C14H10N2. Of course, that underestimates its complexity. If you look at a 3D model of nicotine (frankly, these always remind me balloon art) youll see what a clustering twist of compound it really is:

Note: Carbon (black), hydrogen (white), nitrogen (blue)

And its that elegant arrangement that turns nicotine into such an effective poison, moving through the bloodstream with exceptional speed. When inhaled, nicotine travels from lung to brain in an estimated seven seconds. Toxicologists estimate that a fully smoked cigarette delivers about 1 mg of nicotine to the lungs; this compares to a lethal dose estimate of 30-60 mg. (For comparison, the lethal dose range for arsenic is 70-200 mg.) The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) notes that: Nicotine is one of the most toxic of all poisons and has a rapid onset of action. Apart from local caustic actions, the target organs are the peripheral and central nervous systems.

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Nicotine and the Chemistry of Murder

Editor's note: The information in this release concerning numbers of graduates has been checked against a National Science Foundation report on "Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities." In 2008, African-American students earned 50 doctorates in chemistry, and in 2010, the number was 54.

Newswise OXFORD, Miss. Less than a year after launching an aggressive initiative to increase the number of graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, the University of Mississippi has recorded an impressive national achievement by graduating three African-American students with doctorates in chemistry, an exceptional number for any university.

"On average, about 50 African-American students receive Ph.D.s in chemistry nationwide each year, so UM produced 6 percent of the national total," said Maurice Eftink, associate provost and professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

The history-making candidates who received their degrees Friday were Kari Copeland of Coldwater, Margo Montgomery of New Orleans and Jeffrey Veals of Gloster. And a fourth African-American student, Shanna Stoddard of Louisville, Ky., is on track to earn her doctorate in chemistry in December.

"This is a significant achievement for these three graduates and their families, and it is also significant for the university," Chancellor Dan Jones said. "UM 2020, our new strategic plan, calls on us as the flagship university of our state to lead our state and region in preparing professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, especially from underrepresented groups."

It is the second time in recent years that UM has set a benchmark in STEM fields. The university produced four African-American Ph.D.s in mathematics in 2006.

"That was an even more outstanding achievement given that there are only 15-to-30 African-American Ph.D.s in math granted each year. But the current achievement is still pretty noteworthy," Eftink said.

Charles Hussey, UM chair of chemistry and biochemistry, lauded his faculty for their support.

"Our three students represent a significant proportion of the national graduates," he said. "This department and its faculty are absolutely devoted to the success of minority students, regardless of whether they are undergraduate or graduate students."

Besides the three African-Americans, four more UM students were awarded doctoral degrees in chemistry and biochemistry this commencement: Rajesh Kota of India, Debra Jo Scardino of Moss Point, Lei Wang of China and Ashley Wright of Texarkana, Texas.

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Three African-Americans Earn Doctorates in Chemistry, Set UM Record for Single Year

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/wdl5r8/encyclopedia_of_ra) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Encyclopedia of Radicals in Chemistry, Biology and Materials" to their offering.

Over the last two decades the application of free radicals in organic synthesis, materials science and life science has steadily increased, this Encyclopedia presents methodologies and mechanisms involving free radicals of chemical and biological research, including applications in materials science and medicine.

The aim of this Encyclopedia is to offer for the first time a description of free radicals within an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary context, connecting structural characteristics and chemical properties to their applications in different areas of chemistry and related disciplines.

It covers not only basic concepts and chemical synthesis, but also touches on various aspects concerning the role of free radicals in materials and life sciences. The reader will find a balanced contribution of topics related to free radicals covering for example, their role in proteomics, genomics and lipidomics as well as their enormous potential in synthesis and technology.

Covers topical areas such as:

- Alzheimer's disease and antioxidants in food within medicine and life sciences

- Synthesis and catalysis, combustion and atmospheric chemistry within chemistry

- Ageing and signalling in biological processes

Of interest to anybody working in the field of free radicals in the broadest sense. It will address scientists who want to enter the interdisciplinary field of free radicals. In particular, it is aimed primarily at chemists and life science researchers who want to gain a wider and deeper understanding of free radicals which will allow them to apply free radicals in their own scientific field.

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Research and Markets: 2012 Encyclopedia of Radicals in Chemistry, Biology and Materials Highlights the Growing ...

Building named in honor of dean of Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Written by LILIANA NAVA OCHOA News Writer Published on May 24, 2012 Filed under Campus News, Front page story, Top Stories

In Fall 2012, 194 Chemistry building will no longer be Chem 194. Instead, the building has been renamed Peter A. Rock Hall.

Beginning Fall 2012, Peter A. Rock Hall, or Rock Hall for short, will be the new name for 194 Chemistry, named after Peter Rock, the founding dean of the Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences for eight years before retiring in 2003. Rock had worked at UC Davis since 1964. Three years later, on June 14, 2006 he passed away and now, six years later, 194 Chemistry will be renamed in his honor.

Hes my predecessor and he [was] very passionate about the quality of teaching and as you know, Chemistry 2 is really fundamental to many and the quality affects the campus as a whole. And not only that, he felt passionate about it. He also taught a lot himself and his textbook in general chemistry, which he wrote with Professor McQuarrie, is a pretty well-known textbook, so we thought that we should honor him, said current Dean of Mathematical and Physical Sciences Winston Ko.

The Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences is under the College of Letters and Science which is celebrating its 60-year anniversary this year. Ko feels that renaming 194 Chemistry in Rocks memory is very fitting during the 60-year anniversary of the College of Letters and Science.

In order to have a building named after someone, it is a requisite that the person have been deceased for at least two years and the chancellor makes the renaming proposal to the president that comes from the department dean, according to Ko.

Ko said the chemistry chair made the case to rename the building and then he proposed it to the naming committee.

Neurobiology, physiology and behavior junior transfer student Lillian Ghaly said she didnt see any problem with the name change.

I dont think it makes a difference. I mean maybe at first itll be like Oh, its not Chem 194 anymore, but I mean theres no meaning for the name Chem 194 to me, said Ghaly.

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194 Chemistry to be renamed Peter A. Rock Hall