American Chemical Society Members Research Articles

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Local sections participate in National Chemistry Week 2022

From Oct. 16 to 22, American Chemical Society members from 108 local sections and two international chemical science chapters engaged the public in hands-on activities and demonstrations as part of National Chemistry Week (NCW). The 2022 theme was “Fabulous Fibers: The Chemistry of Fabrics.” Thousands of people participated in these events in schools, universities, malls, museums, libraries, zoos, and other public spaces. “Chemists celebrated National Chemistry Week last fall in so many different ways, with people of all ages,” says Lori Stepan, chair of the ACS Committee on Community Activities. “It was so exciting to see people coming together to learn more about chemistry and to share a love of science.” Free NCW resources provided by ACS included the magazine Celebrating Chemistry : 64,750 print copies in English and 9,800 in Spanish were distributed at last year’s NCW events. The NCW illustrated poem contest received 80 entries from local sections,

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ACS NEWS Reactions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2023, 101 (3), p 3January 23, 2023Cite this:C&EN 101, 3, 3Letters to the editorC&EN’s reorganizationI have always been impressed by the excellent journalism by C&EN. The scope of the magazine as well as the skill caused a number of friends who are not chemists to become American Chemical Society members solely for a C&EN subscription.So the current staff trouble at the flagship magazine is deeply concerning, and I hope something will be rapidly remedied. If not, C&EN has no hope of replacing the likes of Newsweek, Bloomberg Businessweek, or the Financial Times for the nonchemist.James MorrisFoster City, CaliforniaI have been an ACS member for decades. By far the most valuable benefit of membership to me is C&EN, which I read regularly, along with Science and Nature. I have been consistently impressed with the quality and independence of the reporting, even when it runs counter to the financial interests of CAS (a division of ACS).I recently renewed my ACS membership for 2023, but if the changes in editorial control at C&EN degrade this treasured institution, I don’t think I will do so for 2024.Daniel ErlansonSan FranciscoI am an ACS member. I was concerned by the Dec. 12/19 editorial (page 4). The environmental policy news is the most valuable thing in C&EN, with second place going to the industry and technology trend articles. Frankly, the news about society business, programs, and activities is of low interest to me most of the time.Chris LutesChapel Hill, North CarolinaBreakdown in bottle-bill implementationThe article about requiring deposits on plastic bottles (Dec. 12/19, 2022, page 17) states that California is one of the states that has this requirement. This is an encouraging way to solve the plastic waste problem. These bottles are to be returned to retailers or redemption centers. However, the experience in California has been poor because retailers are not required to redeem these bottles, and most redemption centers have been closed. In my hometown of 80,000 people, there is no redemption center, and only one store has a machine that will redeem a bottle, but it pays only to your PayPal account. This is not a satisfactory solution to bottle recycling. The industry must do better before all of us are buried in plastic waste.Joseph LowryMilpitas, California

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OPINION Reactions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2022, 100 (1), p 5January 3, 2022Cite this:C&EN 100, 1, 5▸ Letters to the editorHydrogen as a liquidI did enjoy Michael McCoy’s case study 1 on page 18 of the Oct. 25 issue of C&EN. I and others I could name would be remiss by failing to point out that the same basic idea—that is, a reversible hydrogenation-dehydrogenation cycle to first store hydrogen in a liquid, easily transportable form and then catalytically release it as gas for use as fuel in internal combustion engines or in fuel cells—has been tried before. As noted in the article, that would theoretically allow conventionally equipped gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles to adapt existing tank and dispensing technology and infrastructure to use H2 as a substitute for standard liquid fuels like gasoline or diesel.I initially became acquainted with this concept when Battelle Memorial Institute–Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was approached in 2008 or 2009 by Air Products. Air Products R&D staffs, led by Guido Pez, wanted PNNL to advance this technology to a viable demonstration stage using catalytic technology developed at Air Products and including process intensification (microchannel) technology developed by PNNL. The Air Products technology eventually was published as a series of US patents—7351395, 7101530, 7766986, and 8003073—and a Canadian patent, 2465555C, having Pez as an inventor. There may also be additional patents that I am not currently aware of.Since this was around the time of my retirement from PNNL, I am not exactly clear as to the outcome or the results of the proposed collaboration, although I did hear that both parties had agreed to a scope of work and the fees, terms, and conditions involved but that expected funding from the Department of Energy was either late in coming or eventually denied. I believe the technology has strong merit but as far as I know was not developed to a stage that would be ready for a commercial demonstration.I am glad to see that this general idea is again gaining some traction.James F. WhiteRichland, WashingtonMOFs with magnetsMitch Jacoby’s article “MOFs Have a New Trick” (C&EN, Nov. 29, 2021, page 30) reminded me that these unique materials have also caught the attention of analytical chemists.By incorporating magnetic nanoparticles into metal-organic frameworks, researchers have developed a relatively new miniaturized version of the matrix solid-phase dispersion sample-preparation technique known as magnetic dispersive micro solid-phase extraction (M-D-μSPE). The successful isolation and recovery of 15 priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at trace concentration levels from water was studied using M-D-μSPE (LCGC North Am.201836, 464).Paul R. LocontoOkemos, MichiganACS as a verbI was sad to find that the American Chemical Society has now joined technical and advertising entities in dumbing down the use of the English language (using nouns as verbs). The cover ad for C&EN had “How do you ACS?” and the back had “There is more than one way to ACS.” Would you accept such nonsense in any of your journals?I could understand it for advertisers for pizza using “This is how we pizza” since they are aiming at a general audience, who might think it “cute.” I objected to the use of “This is why we science” from a pharmaceutical company. If you want science to be a respected and accurate, factual profession, you should stop using this method of communication.Why would an association like ACS want to brand itself as illiterate? I guess it would be OK if ACS as used stood for “acting completely stupid.”William KenealyFitchburg, WisconsinACS as welcomingAnother good Comment about equity and inclusion (Nov. 15/22, 2021, page 52). I appreciated the fact that you defined equity (as opposed to equality) and illustrated clearly what that implies. Also, it is important that you pointed out what is initial privilege and the fact that recognizing it is not the same as laying blame. If we do not recognize a problem and clearly state what it is, we cannot do anything to rectify it!However, near the end you state, “I assure you that at this time, all ACS members do not consider ACS to be an inclusive and welcoming society.” This cannot be correct—surely some American Chemical Society members consider ACS to be inclusive and welcoming. I believe what you meant to say is, “I assure you that at this time, not all ACS members consider ACS to be an inclusive and welcoming society.”John FinkenbineMontreal CorrectionDec. 6, 2021, page 26: The feature story about materials advances for fusion includes a miscalculation about how much energy the National Ignition Facility experiment in August produced. The experiment produced 1.3 MJ, which could run a 60 W light bulb for 6 h, not a couple of weeks.

Tragedy in India

India is in the middle of a public health nightmare. COVID-19 is ravaging the country, which is experiencing a devastating second wave of infections. I’d like to offer our support to American Chemical Society members, colleagues, and the scientific community at large who live in India or who have loved ones there. In April, India overtook Brazil as the country in the world with the most cases of the disease after the US. For the past 2 weeks, India has been reporting more than 300,000 new cases daily. The country reported a particularly bad spike on Thursday, May 6, a day that broke all previous records, with more than 410,000 new cases and just short of 4,000 deaths in 24 h . The statistics are devastating and may be worse than we know: a recent report by the Guardian quoted a figure by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

Introducing the ACS Institute

Providing value for chemistry professionals, especially American Chemical Society members, at all stages of their careers is a key strategy for ACS. Bringing together under one umbrella the many AC...

Career resources for chemists

The COVID-19 pandemic poses challenges for public health and economies, locally and globally. A recent survey of American Chemical Society members shows that while many of us are concerned about the economy, few respondents expressed a fear of losing their own position in the 12 months after the survey. As we and our communities cope with the challenges of the pandemic and recovery, many among us will experience disruptions in our jobs and careers. Regardless of our education, background, years of experience, or geographic location, we should all be taking steps to become more resilient. A key component of developing resilience in our careers is making sure that we continue to grow by keeping up with advancements in our industry and field and learning new skills beyond what is required by our current position. Too often, we find ourselves taking a long break from active career planning. While our employers

ACS members elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Three American Chemical Society members have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. They are among 90 regular members and 10 international members elected this year for their outstanding...

ACS members elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Three American Chemical Society members have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. They are among 90 regular members and 10 international members elected this year for their outstanding...

Supporting ACS’s core value of diversity, inclusion, and respect

As American Chemical Society members, we are living through a time when acting on is critical to the current functioning and future direction of the society . These core values are the following: Passion for chemistry and the global chemistry enterprise Focus on members Professionalism, safety, and ethics Diversity, inclusion, and respect The more deeply we understand, embrace, and act on these core values, the stronger our highly regarded chemistry profession will become. ACS’s core value of focusing on members, for example, plays out in multiple ways as we expand our reach into the chemistry enterprise, advance key aspects of professionalism and best practices in chemistry and safety, and embrace chemists from all corners of the profession. Recent events in the US and around the world have focused our attention on the core value of diversity, inclusion, and respect, which states, “We believe in the strength of diversity in all

A letter to ACS members about diversity, inclusion, and respect

Dear ACS Members: Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect is a core value of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Recent events have prompted all of us at ACS to take a critical look at how this core value is reflected in all that we are and all that we do. As part of this reflection, ACS has engaged in discussions with its staff, governance, and membership about how we can be a stronger and more positive force in the battle against racism within the chemistry enterprise. These discussions revealed that there is much work to be done, and continued input is needed to fully realize our core value. While we stand in solidarity with our Black and Brown members and condemn racism, discrimination, and harassment in all forms, we recognize that this work is a journey that requires sustained resolve and commitment. We appreciate that no single statement or single program can

What the demographics of ACS committees tell us

Did you know that more than 750 American Chemical Society members serve on committees that support the ACS Council? These members volunteer their time and energy to ensure ACS achieves its goals. They demonstrate passion for chemistry, professionalism, and servant leadership throughout their volunteer work. Appointments to 29 council-related committees are made annually either by the ACS president or as a shared decision by the ACS president and chair of the board of directors. The Committee on Committees (ConC) works hard to ensure that committees are optimally organized and resourced. Using the committee preference form, we gather input from ACS members to understand which committees they would like to serve on as well as their motivation for service. Then, ConC members collaborate to match members’ abilities, skills, and interests against committee needs when developing recommendations for committee appointments. Service on some committees is enabled by a specific technical or professional

John K Crum

John K Crum, 83, died on April 29 in Cobbs Creek, Virginia. “John devoted his entire career to the service of American Chemical Society members. Straight out of graduate school, he joined the socie...

Modernizing CEPA’s approach to supporting ACS members in their professional lives

The Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs (CEPA) works with ACS Career Services to support American Chemical Society members in their professional lives. CEPA, ACS staff, ACS members, and other stakeholders are focused on working together to deliver on the following strategic goals: Identify, support, deliver, and evaluate programs relevant to economic and professional affairs. Improve, update, develop, curate, and disseminate relevant policies and codes of conduct. Recommend, develop, and evaluate critical resources and services to support member careers. The job market for careers in chemistry is dynamic, and potential career paths for ACS members are constantly evolving. Armed with this knowledge, CEPA is continuing to modernize our career services on behalf of our membership. During the past year, we have focused on evaluating the career offerings supported by our committee. ACS career workshops, the ACS Career Fair, and the ACS Career Consultant Program are undergoing review and revitalization. ACS

Interactive Poster Survey Study of ACS Members’ Knowledge and Needs on Research Ethics

An interactive poster exhibited at two poster sessions at the Fall 2016 American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting was used as a vehicle to learn about ACS members’ concerns and needs related to research ethics and to identify opportunities for engagement of the Society by the Committee on Ethics (ETHX) and others in terms of ethics awareness, education, and meeting programming. The poster which leveraged color-coded sticky notes engaged 92 poster session attendees representing a wide array of shareholders from academe and industry. 15% of the participants returned to the poster to learn what other conferees had posted. The study identified a number of critical gaps in knowledge that represent opportunities for ACS, educators, and others to engage members in the vital area of research ethics education and training. These include a lack of awareness of existing resources on research ethics, an interest among members for materials for student training, and concerns about ethical issues in the areas of...

ACS hosts international chapters conference in Asia

A nearly two-year planning process to bring together chemistry practitioners and American Chemical Society members in the Asia-Pacific region culminated in the inaugural ACS Asia-Pacific International Chapters Conference (APICC) Nov. 5–8 in Jeju, South Korea. The general chemistry conference, organized by 10 ACS international chemical sciences chapters in the Asia-Pacific region, was hosted by the ACS South Korea Chapter under the direction of Yung Doug Suh of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology and Sungkyunkwan University, who served as general-secretary of the meeting. “This conference brought ACS to the Asia-Pacific,” says conference chair Agnes Rimando of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “There’s nothing more rewarding than to see chemists in the region who may not be able to present at an ACS national meeting in the U.S. happily participate and present new research findings.” APICC was held alongside the 2017 High Performance Liquid Chromatography meeting. Inspiration for a regional

Little Good News For Chemistry Job Outlook In 2015

Chemists seeking a quick turnaround to the employment doldrums were disappointed once again in 2015. Unemployment among chemists continued to hover around 3.1% in 2015, edging up slightly from 2.9% in 2014, according to the most recent survey of American Chemical Society members. Salaries continue to stagnate as well. The ChemCensus, a comprehensive survey of ACS members conducted every five years, has shown little change in salaries in almost 30 years when they are adjusted for inflation. In fact, 10.6% of those surveyed in 2015 said they took a salary cut in 2015 to keep their jobs, up from 9.3% in 2014. The situation is similar for new graduates. Despite an improvement in the unemployment rate from 14.9% in 2013 to 12.4% in 2014, new grads were still far more likely to be unemployed than all ACS members. The number of graduates who took on part-time or temporary work grew ...

NATIONAL MEDALS Chemists recognized with nation’s highest science honor

President Barack Obama has awarded the National Medal of Science to 10 of the nation’s most important contributors to science, including three ­chemists. Biochemist Bruce M. Alberts of the University of California, San Francisco, won for his work on DNA replication, as well as his advocacy for science education and international research cooperation. UC Berkeley professor Judith P. Klinman, a physical organic chemist, was recognized for her work on enzymes. And Jerrold Meinwald, professor emeritus at Cornell University, distinguished himself as the father of chemical ecology. “These scholars and innovators have expanded our understanding of the world, made invaluable contributions to their fields, and helped improve countless lives,” Obama said in announcing the awards. Obama also named eight recipients of the National Medal of Technology & Innovation. They include two American Chemical Society members: chemist and inventor Edith M. Flanigen of Honeywell’s UOP company, whose work includes molecular sieve ...

Who Speaks For Industrial Chemists?

SOME 54% of American Chemical Society members identify themselves as industrial chemists; ACS’s Corporation Associates (CA) committee is the formal link between these chemists and the society. CA has worked to make a positive impact by advising and influencing ACS to ensure that the society provides valuable products and services to industrial members and their companies. More than 30 companies of various sizes and global footprints actively support the profession and science through membership and participation in CA. We give industry a voice that’s heard at all levels of society governance, including the ACS Board of Directors. The committee initiates and promotes ACS programs relevant to industrial chemists, including programs that aim to shape the workforce, influence public policy, recognize and reward excellence in industrial research, and continually enhance the public perception of chemistry and science. The specific activities of CA change over time and are dependent on the needs ...

Speaking Up For Science

With the potential of more cuts to federal funding for scientific research looming, American Chemical Society members are channeling their concerns and frustrations into political action—and they’r...