Canadian Chemical News articles from March 2004

Canadian Chemical News archives from March 2004

Chemical communication: outreach programs of the CIC.(Guest Column Chroniqueur invite)
March 1, 2004... The CIC and its constituent societies strive for effective communication with our members. We need to reach international colleagues, potential members, and people whose decisions can impact our members' interests--including members of...

Zero-sum game.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Many chemical professionals are undoubtedly in agreement with you that there is promise in the initial statements of Paul Martin and, especially, in the appointment of Arthur Carty, FCIC, my former Waterloo colleague. An issue the NSERC...

A second look at the list.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I enjoyed reading the article, "Environment Canada's New Environmental Emergency Regulations" by John Shrives, MCIC, (ACCN Vol.56, No. 2, p. 17) and have some questions for the author: What do the concentrations in the list (pp 18-19) refer...

Government.(appointments)(Foundation for Innovation )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Eliot A. Phillipson has been appointed the fourth president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). He succeeds the CFI's current president, David Strangway. Phillipson currently serves as the Chair of the department of medicine...

University.(resignations)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... James Thompson, FCIC, retired from the department of chemistry at the University of Toronto after 36 years of dedicated service. He served as Associate Chair from 1974 to 1977 and again from 1982 to 1993. In 1995, his appointment was shifted to...

Distinction.(International Acharya Sushil Kumar Peace Award)
March 1, 2004... Nobel laureate in chemistry, John Polanyi, FCIC, was awarded the first International Acharya Sushil Kumar Peace Award from the South Asian Studies program at New College at the University of Toronto. The award was established in memory of the...

Obituaries.
March 1, 2004... Dennis W. Bruce, MCIC Laurence H. Cragg, FCIC Gerhard Lindner, MCIC Stephen White, MCIC

The CIC meets with Liberal Government.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... On February 5, 2004 Steering Committee members of the Canadian Consortium for Research (CCR) were pleased to hear that the federal Liberal government remains committed to Canada's stated goal of becoming the world's fifth most...

DuPont signs emission reduction MOU.
March 1, 2004... The Government of Canada has signed its third climate change agreement with industry. DuPont Canada has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent between 2008 and 2012. The climate change Memorandum of Understanding...

First North American PTA plant in Montreal.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Quebec Premier Jean Charest inaugurated Interquisa as Canada's first North American petrochemical plant, built in the industrial zone of Montreal's East End. The Interquisa Canada plant produces purified terephthalic acid (PTA). The facility is...

Canadian Tire illegally imports Ozone-Depleting Substance.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Canadian Tire was sentenced in the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, ON, on three counts of violating the Ozone-Depleting Substances Regulation under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The charges were laid by Environment...

Alcan closes aluminum plant.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Alcan will permanently halt production at its 60-year-old Jonquiere Soderberg primary aluminum facility in Saguenay, QC, in the second quarter of 2004. "Despite our efforts over the years to bring the Jonquiere Soderberg lines up to...

The battle to ship Chlorine.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Chlorine Chemistry Council (CCC) delivered testimony today at a Council of the District of Columbia public hearing on the "Terrorism Prevention and Safety in Hazardous Materials Transportation Act of 2003 (Bill 15-525)." The Act would...

Flames destroy Hydro Agri plant.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A fire early this year destroyed the Hydro Agri Canada plant near Montreal. Despite the loss of production, the company says it will continue to supply its customers. The fire caused close to $3 million in damage. A company spokesperson said it...

Curbing TCE.(trichloroethylene)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Health Canada and the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water are in the process of revising the Canadian guideline for trichloroethylene (TCE) in drinking water. It is proposed that the guideline should be lowered from 0.05...

Buzz off! Switching your ISP might force you to set the credit bureaus straight.(Chemputing)
March 1, 2004... I can't believe how many people tell me the same horror story. They sign up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to get online and several months later that service starts to deteriorate. They move to a new ISP, and before long, the old ISP...

Wanted: enzymes--dead or alive?(Chemfusion)
March 1, 2004... "Just try it once please, just try it," the lady pleaded with me. "OK," I finally said, hoping to bring the discussion to an end. She opened the thermos bottle she had been clutching and poured me a glass of a green liquid, assuring me that she...

Chemical stop signs: controlling proton flow with carbonyls.(Chemical Shifts)
March 1, 2004... It appears as though pH control in the body may be as easy as flipping a switch. Recent work has shown that structural features of cellular membrane proteins influence the mechanism of proton transport, and that conformational changes in the...

Bringing alkynes and amines together with titanium.(Chemical Shifts)
March 1, 2004... Catalytic hydroamination reactions are fast becoming a prevalent means of preparing amines and imines. Currently, the addition of an N-H bond across a carbon-carbon multiple bond in the presence of a transition metal-based catalyst often yields...

Triumphs with muonium.
March 1, 2004... Have you ever asked yourself, "What can muoniums do for me?" According to chemistry professors Jason Clyburne and Paul Percival, the muonium may be the next best thing for studying chemical reactions with hydrogen atoms. Clyburne and his...

Bridginq the "two cultures" divide: explaining science to citizens.(Interfaces)
March 1, 2004... The "two cultures" divide Ours is an age of a widening "two cultures" divide between the sciences and society. Scientists find it difficult to explain their more complex achievements to citizens. Citizens are expected, increasingly, to...

Are chemists too shy for their own good? The executive director and CEO of the American Chemical Society firmly believes chemists must toot their own horns. Toot them loudly toot them often!
March 1, 2004... The public has relatively little understanding of chemistry, but this lack of knowledge is not entirely the public's fault. The title of this article was inspired by the May 24, 2001 issue of Nature that caught my eye with this blurb:...

Making the connection: Dow Chemical Canada initiates communication to show the public how advances in the chemical industry improve the quality of life.
March 1, 2004... The Challenge Communication. Trust. Understanding. These words carry enormous importance for all of us as individuals--they're the foundation for healthy human relationships. And I think they hold just as much meaning for Dow and the...

Say what? Once we have the public's attention--how can we help them to understand what chemists mean?
March 1, 2004... When addressing the public, chemists often use words for simple concepts from chemical English. Because several words, such as base, compound, and volatility have different meanings for chemists and laypeople, and explanations by chemists...

Stunning stunts: our British counterparts spark widespread media interest in chemistry through offbeat news stories.
March 1, 2004... Across the globe, the public perception of chemistry could use a boost. Britain's Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) turned to the media for assistance. Since forming its media office two years ago, the RSC has striven to get itself on the...

What if all chemists quit? From the president of the French chemistry society comes this nightmarish tale of science fiction.
March 1, 2004... It was decided! At the general assembly of their international conference, chemists decided to cease all work, analyses and activities. This decision was made as a result of incessant, nearly century-long criticisms of their work, thrown at...

The National Crystal Growing Competition.(National Chemistry Week)
March 1, 2004... The National Crystal Growing Competition has been a major part of National Chemistry Week (NCW) for many years. Thanks to sponsors Anachemia Science, who supplied the rochelle salt needed to grow the crystals, and BASF Canada, who provided...

The mall displays.(National Chemistry Week)
March 1, 2004... The chemistry department at the University of Calgary organized a "Chemistry Show" in a shopping mall for the first time in 1991. The purpose was to spark interest in chemistry and popularize it as a part of everyday life. From the very...

The school visits.(National Chemistry Week)
March 1, 2004... Something different was tried at Espanola High School during the 2003 NCW! I selected a special education class to demonstrate what chemistry was all about and I must say that I got an enthusiastic response from the subjects that I entertained....

The competitions.(National Chemistry Week)
March 1, 2004... High school students from the Central Fraser Valley, BC, were invited to participate in the eighth annual chemistry lab skills contest held at University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV). With the recent opening of a third chemistry...

The industrial visits.(National Chemistry Week)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... AstraZeneca R&D Montreal participated during National Chemistry Week with different experiments that were fun, interactive, and colourful. A new display was set up each day in the building, along with chemistry facts pertaining to everyday...

The lectures.(National Chemistry Week)
March 1, 2004... The University of New Brunswick Undergraduate Chemistry Society successfully held a special lecture given by Todd Arsenault. The environmental chemistry based lecture was entitled "How Deep Are Your Footprints? Your Impact on Environmental...

The promotional material.(National Chemistry Week)
March 1, 2004... Each year, the NCW Team chooses an assortment of promotional items to distribute to NCW and other outreach coordinators to assist them in their chemistry shows, displays or other events. Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research has been a...

Experiment a little ... you can find these and other fun-filled experiments for students at the national chemistry week web site at cheminst.ca/ncw!(National Chemistry Week)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... UPHILL CLIMBERS Purpose: To determine if water can rise in a vertical paper towel. Materials: * scissors * 2" by 8" (5 cm x 20 cm) strip of paper towel * red food colouring * transparent tape pencil * tap water...

Removing iodine from iodized salt.(National Chemistry Week)
March 1, 2004... Objective: To remove potassium iodide from iodized salt. Iodine is a halogen. At room temperature it is a bluish-black solid with a metallic luster and is classified as a semiconductor of electricity. Iodine is needed by the thyroid gland...

Chemical Education Division Affiliate membership for high school teachers: an invitation to join the largest group of professionals interested in chemical education.(National Chemistry Week)
March 1, 2004... In September 1991, the Chemical Education Division of The Chemical Institute of Canada introduced an Affiliate membership category for high school chemistry teachers. This program promotes contact among chemical educators at all levels and...

Membership has its rewards.(CIC Bulletin ICC)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Time's up! The "Renew your CIC membership! Contest" results are in. The fourth annual contest held in partnership with Meloche Monnex, offered a new Palm Tungsten T2 handheld, valued at $500 as the grand prize and a one-year free CIC...

Mark your calendar!(Division News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... May 4 and 5, 2004--The CSC Rubber Chemistry Division is holding a two-day seminar on Elastomer Molding. The seminar will be held at the University of Waterloo, and the sessions will deal with thermoset elastomers, thermoplastic elastomers,...

Call for nominations.(Division News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Catalysis Division will elect a new executive at its upcoming meeting in Montreal, May 2004. Members of the Division are welcome to submit their names as part of the election process. Members who wish to be considered should contact Graeme...

J.W.T. Spinks lecture series 2003.(Local Section News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The chemistry department of the University of Saskatchewan once again hosted a very successful J.W.T. Spinks lecture series, this year featuring J. Fraser Stoddart, from UCLA. The beautifully illustrated pair of lectures, entitled "The Nature...

Chemistry's impact on world history revealed at Vancouver CIC dinner meeting.(Local Section News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... On November 13, 2003, members of the Vancouver section of the CIC held their annual dinner meeting. After enjoying a buffet dinner at the Simon Fraser University Diamond Centre and presenting the new Creo Achievement Awards in Chemistry and ALS...

No nerds here! The University of Winnipeg continues to rattle preconceived notions of what it means to be a chemistry student!(Student News)
March 1, 2004... >From the Chemistry Students' Association that brought you the "Men of Chemistry Calendar--2004: Chemists Gone Wild" comes the "Women of Chemistry" periodic table proving chemistry is no longer a subject for the weak or the meek. And you won't...

Hamilton students compete.(Student News)(Chemistry students present papers in the Monsaroff Student Paper Night)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Annual Monsaroff Student Paper Night was held on January 29, 2004 at Mohawk College with over 60 students and faculty attending. The Monsaroff Student Paper Night was introduced in the 1960s and is named in recognition of Boris...

ALS Environmental and Creo Awards presented to top Vancouver region Chemistry students.(Student News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... In order to honour top chemistry students and promote chemical education at the twelve public post-secondary institutions that teach chemistry or chemical technology within the Vancouver CIC Local Section, the Creo Achievement Award in...

Canada.(Events)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... Seminars and courses April 5-6, 2004. Chemical Health and Safety Workshop and Symposium, Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta (ACPA), Canmore, AB. Web site: www.pchem.ca. April 26-28, 2004. 8th Annual Process Control...

U.S. and overseas.(Events)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... March 28-April 1, 2004. ACS Spring Meeting (227th), Anaheim, CA; Tel.: 800-227-5558; E-mail: natlmtgs@acs.org; Web site: www.acs.org. April 18-24, 2004. 9th World Filtration Congress, New Orleans, LA, American Filtration and Separation...

Bachelor Chemical Engineering (Honours).(Employment Wanted)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Bachelor Chemical Engineering (Honours) with 14 years in the etholylates/propoxylates business is looking for a production and/or commercial development engineer position in a similar field. Has experience with PEG, PPG, ethoxylates,...

Chemical Engineer (Bachelors).(Employment Wanted)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Chemical Engineer (Bachelors) with six years of experience in Chemical Process Design, Project Coordination and Safety Studies is looking for a similar position in GTA and surrounding area. Has experience in simulation software such as ChemCAD,...

The Chemical Institute of Canada: 2005 Awards.
March 1, 2004... The Chemical Institute of Canada Medal is presented as a mark of distinction and recognition to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the science of chemistry or chemical engineering in Canada. Sponsored by INCO Limited. ...

The Canadian Society for Chemistry: 2005 Awards.
March 1, 2004... The Alcan Lecture Award is awarded to a scientist residing in Canada' who has made a distinguishing contribution in the fields of inorganic chemistry or electrochemistry while working in Canada. Sponsored by Alcan International Ltd. Award:...