Summer 2009

Chemistry Olympiad in Cambridge The automation of chemical reactions Protein folding – and misfolding Enthusing the chemists of tomorrow As I see it...

What do you hope the centre will achieve? Cambridge alumnus Kelly Chibale is setting up a drug discovery The idea is to generate know-how and skills in ADME within South Africa for the first time. centre at the University of Cape Town. He tells Sarah Houlton more These are things that are well established and precedented elsewhere, but have never been How did you end up in Cape Town? trouble getting funding. There, I felt I would be a done in South Africa on this scale before. We can I’m originally from Zambia, and studied chem - very small fish in a very big pond, and my learn from the experiences and failures of those istry there before going to work for a company impact would be negligible, but if I came to Cape who have already embraced ADME principles, specialising in making explosives for the mining Town I would be able to make a much bigger and benefit from being able to find out what is industry. I was doing everything from nitrating impact. And now I’m setting up a drug discovery happening to the compound. glycerine to its formulation as dynamite powder centre at the university that hopefully will con - The aim is to be able to deliver quality pre- and the waterproof gelignite forms, and I was tribute to Africa discovering its own drugs. clinical drug candidates that will be developed in even assembling detonators! I was fortunate then partnership with pharmaceutical companies. We to be awarded a Cambridge Livingstone Trust So what’s the idea behind the centre? hope to build a critical mass of people who scholarship for a PhD at Cambridge. I didn’t There is a strategy now from the government understand medicinal chemistry in terms of really know anything about the academic staff in here to promote innovation, but if you look at integrating ADME into drug discovery, and we’re the department, but I looked through the book - the value chain in drug discovery, South Africa building a technology platform for South Africa. let they sent me and I was seduced by Stuart lacks capacity and competence in a number of MMV is willing to help me build this platform Warren’s curly arrows! So I came to work with areas. One of these is integrating drug metabo - using malaria projects as a starting point, and it him, and he really laid the foundations for the lism and pharmacokinetics into medicinal chem - could then be expanded into other areas. We’ve man I am today. I then moved to Liverpool on a istry. I think there’s a misconception, which I was also been given funding by the Cape Biotech British Ramsay Fellowship for a postdoc with also guilty of in the past, that the synthesis of Trust – one of the government’s regional biotech Nick Greeves, and afterwards with a Wellcome biologically active molecules is the same as development agencies – for the ADME platform Trust International Prize travelling research fel - medicinal chemistry, and it’s not! It’s more than itself. This funding will also be used towards the lowship went to work with KC Nicolaou at the making compounds – it’s knowing which are the synthesis and purification platform. The idea is Scripps Institute in La Jolla, California. right compounds to make in the first place. that it will be a centre of excellence for the coun - All along I knew I wanted to go back to Africa I’ve worked on projects with GlaxoSmithKline, try, and ultimately we will spin out a company. when the time was right. Before I went to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Scripps, I’d been talking to Jimmy Bull, then Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), and spent How do you think it might help promote head of organic chemistry at the University of some time last year in Pfizer’s labs in Sandwich, science in South Africa? Cape Town, but it was at the time of the first Kent. By being exposed to these projects I’ve Historically, South Africa has not managed to elections – 1994 – and I was worried that the learnt a lot about what needs to be done in the create an entrepreneurial culture where people country would descend into civil war, so I took drug discovery process if it is to succeed. If this can use science, and many South Africa-trained the second postdoc instead. But I kept in touch could be shared with my fellow Africans, it will chemists do not return after a PhD or postdoc with Jimmy, and in 1996 when they advertised help add value. Too often people think that just in Europe or the US. It’s not just money – I for a new lecturer I applied. I visited Cape Town because they’ve made a molecule that kills a virus think the primary reason for this brain drain is and fell in love with it. In some ways it in a test tube, they’ve got a drug. There’s so much that people do not have the opportunity and reminded me of La Jolla – coming from a land - more to it than that. environment to fulfil their potential at home. locked country and being exposed to the ocean My project with GSK involved making small The answer is to create a good science base there, I didn’t want to leave the sea! libraries of compounds in the tuberculosis area, here, but there’s no precedent for Africans them - and then my lab was selected to be a centre of selves setting up entrepreneurial science-based Is South Africa a good place to be an excellence for synthetic medicinal chemistry, organisations – they always looked to people academic scientist? working on hit-to-lead and lead optimisation from outside to set things up. I believe we need Absolutely. At the time I came back to Africa I had programmes with WHO. I realised everything success stories that show it can be done in also been applying for jobs in industry in the US I’d done up to that point had not got very far as Africa, by Africans. There are Africans with the and Europe, but I really wanted to return. I just didn’t have this ADME [absorption, distri - right skills and know-how, and they don’t have Funding is a problem wherever you go – people bution, metabolism, and excretion] and toxi - to stay in the US or Europe to use their science. here often think that in the US and the UK things cology capability – or even know that it was Despite decades of natural products research are easy, but I know that they’re not. And in the needed to drive the chemistry! And without in Africa by Africans, this is yet to translate into US and UK, there are so many good people who this ADME involvement in the WHO pro - tangible modern pharmaceuticals. The chal - are very talented and gifted, and they still have gramme, we wouldn’t be where we are today. lenge for African scientists is to integrate natu - ral products chemistry research into modern CV Kelly Chibale Born: Zambia drug discovery. This is more likely to deliver Status: He met his wife Bertha in Zambia, and they modern pharmaceuticals, but will also con - married during his PhD; she runs a catering business. tribute immensely to the training of scientists They have three sons: 17 year old Kalaba was born in who are capable of competing internationally. Cambridge, Suwilanji, who’s 15, was born in Liverpool, and Sechelanji is 7 and a Capetonian. ‘We thought our Africa has a high burden of disease, and the family was completed with two children, but God had continent has been associated with wars, bad other ideas!’ he says. government, poverty and disease, but I think it’s Education: Degree in chemistry from the University of not sustainable to expect others always to be Zambia, and a PhD in Cambridge with Stuart Warren solving our problems – they also have their own Career: Postdoc with Nick Greeves at Liverpool, then a problems they need to solve! So it’s important to second postdoc at Scripps with KC Nicolaou. He was develop the skills base needed to empower appointed as a lecturer at the University of Cape Town in 1996, and was made a full professor in 2007. He’s Africans. Of course, we can’t do it alone, but we also the director of the South African MRC drug must be able to play an active role. We blame discovery & development research unit. politicians for not helping us, but perhaps they Interests: Football, running half marathons and going don’t think it’s important as they haven’t seen sci - to the gym. ‘I believe in God, hard work and ice-cream ence solve anything. Maybe we can change this with hot chocolate sauce, even though my personal mindset by creating something that shows what trainer tells me it’s bad for me!’ science can do, and that it can create jobs. That Did you know? The name Chibale means ‘big plate’; Kelly claims that must be why he likes food so much! may make our political leaders respond in a pos - itive way to put investment into science.

2 Chem@Cam Summer 2009 Reluctant reactions Letters

Fatherly thoughts a postdoc on the project in Cambridge before everyone in Cambridge. A senior member of he returned to Australia to become professor of the department came and removed some in Dear Editor, chemistry in Melbourne. order to deal with a wasp nest at home. It By a rather circuitous route, I have received a When I was working in the Lensfield lab in undoubtedly did the trick, but what we would copy of the Spring 2009 Chem@Cam , and I 1959, I remember the shout every evening have happened had there been an accident as he was most interested to read the article on the about 6 o’clock, in a broad Australian accent, ‘Is cycled home? 50th anniversary of the Lensfield Road Lab. anyone coming for a beer?’, at which a very Yours sincerely My memories go back to the arrival of my international group would repair to the Panton David Bronnert father in Cambridge in 1944, when I was not Arms much as their predecessors had gone to [email protected] quite 5 years old. I do remember the gloom of The Eagle in Bene’t Street. the old Pembroke Street lab, being taken to have I’m not sure whether the Lensfield archives balloons filled with hydrogen by research stu - contain a copy of the ‘poem’ my father com - Lap of luxury dents and watching Ralph Gilson, the lab posed in the style of William McGonagall: administrator, make glass animals for me. I can In Lensfield Road stands the great new chemical laboratory Dear Editor remember attending the ceremonial cutting of Opened by the Princess Margaret with a great deal of oratory I have followed these articles with interest, the first sod at Lensfield by my father, with A great many men were employed on building it daily because I was in the first group of undergradu - many of his then research group in attendance From Rattee & Kett, Kerridge and Johnson & Bailey. ates to use these laboratories for practical chem - and a small barrel of beer part of whose con - I hope that these ramblings will be of some istry at the start of the Michaelmas Term of tents were solemnly poured into the hole! interest to you and those who remember the 1956-7. This was when they were opened for I was at school at The Leys during most of the early days at Lensfield. Part II students. I took up my allocated space on construction period and from there watched the Yours sincerely, Sandy Todd Friday October 12 1956, and wrote to my steel skeleton of the new lab gradually rising fiancée that the labs were ‘very luxurious’ and above the intervening buildings. I remember my that ‘I had more cupboard space there than in father’s excitement when he was able to move his Glowing students my rooms’. office into the first section to be completed. In keeping with the newness of the environ - Unfortunately, I could not attend the Opening Dear Editor, ment I had a new white lab coat. For Part I in Ceremony, where my younger sister Hilary pre - I enjoyed reading about Lensfield Road 50 years Pembroke Street I had worn a brown lab coat. sented a bouquet to the Princess. Seeing the ago, and I have quite a few memories both per - This had been a very practical garment, except photo again, I wonder how much she understood sonal and chemical. I was in Lensfield Road that other students frequently assumed that I was of purpose of the building she was opening! from October 1956 (for Part 2) until August one of the permanent laboratory technicians.) I spent a few weeks in the lab in the summer 1960 when I submitted my PhD I was at Corpus Christi College, and John vacation of 1959, at the end of my first year at In October 1956, Professor Longuet Higgins Harley-Mason was my supervisor in organic Oxford, working under Dan Brown’s supervi - started a theoretical chemistry lecture at 9am chemistry through all three years. I also remem - sion on a part of the aphid pigment project. This with the question, ‘Does anyone know if we are ber most of the lecturers pictured in the Spring was quite appropriate, as my tutor at Oriel, Ben at war or not?’ The Suez crisis affected all of us 2009 edition of Chem@Cam. Brown (no relation), had worked on the project – those deferred as well as those who had done Just before I graduated, in June 1957 my himself when he was a post-doctoral student in their military service. Would we be able to com - fiancée, mentioned above, became my wife, and Cambridge, before his appointment as a Fellow plete our Part 2 and go on to research? remains so to this day. Within two weeks I of Oriel in 1955. (Ben was also an Olympic and In 1957 after moving into one of the new began a long career with the company then international soccer goalkeeper. A number of research laboratories for a few days, someone known as Glaxo Laboratories, and I stayed with his fellow-students from Cambridge, together came into the laboratory with a Geiger counter them in their various corporate manifestations with my father and myself, went to Wembley to to reveal that we were radioactive. The store of until I retired in the mid 1990s as the external see him play in the Pegasus team, composed of materials had been placed over our room with - projects manager of the chemical development Old Blues of both shades, which won the FA out knowing we were there. division of Glaxo Group Research. Amateur Cup in 1952) That perhaps reflected some of the casual Peter Sandford My own D Phil thesis (1964) was on a topic practices that would never be allowed now. I 2 The Drive, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks SL9 0BD related to the aphid pigments, and one of my had in my possession a Winchester full of examiners was Don Cameron, then working as monofluoroethanol – sufficient to poison Turn to page 20 for more readers’ reminiscences!

Cover This newsletter is published three times a year by the University of Cambridge Chemistry Department. Opinions are not necessarily those of the editor, the department, or the university. Editor-in-Chief: Steve Ley Editor: Sarah Houlton Photographers: John Holman, Nathan Pitt, Caroline Hancox Contents Editorial Board: News 4 Brian Crysell, Bill Jones, Jonathan Goodman, Research 7 Rosemary Ley, Jeremy Sanders The Chemistry Olympiad, held Address: Alumni 11 in Cambridge in July, included Chem@Cam, Department of Chemistry, a five-hour practical exam! University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road Chat lines 12 Cambridge CB2 1EW Phone: 01223 763865 Puzzle corner 15 Photograph: email: [email protected] Nathan Pitt website: www.ch.cam.ac.uk

Chem@Cam Summer 2009 3 News

Taming white phosphorus Merck lecturer Andy Rissanen of the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. They have developed a metal–organic cage from iron(II), and had already found that it would host molecules such as cyclopentane and cyclohexane. But what else might fit? White phosphorus, or P4, is about the same size as these organic solvents, so they gave it a try – and they found that it did indeed fit. Not only does it fit, but it prevents the phosphorus from decomposing on con - t t i tact with oxygen, as the intermediate is P

n too large to fit in the cage. Far from a h t

a being highly flammable, it renders the N

: phosphorus stable for months. It is easy o t o

h to remove from the cage, by simply P adding a competitor guest molecule Jonathan Nitschke’s recent Science paper such as benzene. on describing how it’s possible make Jonathan was surprised by the white phosphorus non-flammable amount of interest in the work. As well caused a bit of a stir in the media. The as the chemistry and science magazines, t t paper, entitled ‘White phosphorus is air- he says it made it into several newspa - i P

stable within a self-assembled tetrahe - pers as far afield as the Netherlands and n a h t

dral capsule’, described work Jonathan Australia, and was even featured on a N

has been carrying out with Kari German TV! : o t o h P This year’s Merck lecturer was a familiar Unilever extends funding face – Andy Holmes. The former head of the Melville lab is now based in the Unilever is continuing to fund the of molecules and their properties, and Bio21 Institute at the University of department’s Unilever Centre for allows novel in silico experimentation. Melbourne in his native Australia, but Molecular Science Informatics for The centre’s director, Bobby Glen, is returned to Cambridge to give the lec - another five years. delighted that Unilever has decided to tures in May. The company is providing a further continue its funding. ‘The support they The Merck Lecturer gives a series of £3.2 million to support the centre’s have given us over the past decade is three lectures in one week. Andy’s gave groundbreaking science. invaluable,’ he says. ‘It has enabled us to an insight into his diverse research A group of senior scientists from Uni - do exciting science, and we look for - interests – the first was about light- lever visited the department in July to ward the important work we will be emitting polymers, the second about see for themselves how the centre is get - able to do in the future. alkaloid synthesis, and the final talk ting on, and take a look at some of the Unilever and the centre also marked looked at his work probing intracellular work that’s being done there. the retirement of one of its strongest signalling processes. Opened in 2000, it focuses on creat - supporters, CV Natraj, by hosting a ing, manipulating and storing molecu - retirement symposium and dinner in lar data that deepens the understanding his honour. The end of the lab book? The department is starting the roll-out of a new electronic lab notebook sys - tem. The E-Workbook for Chemists soft - ware was developed by software com - pany ID Business Solutions, and enables chemists to capture, analyse, search and report their experimental data, as well as share it with colleagues. It can be used to draw reaction schemes and chemical structures, as well as calculate reaction rates. Research can be linked with and searched using any chemistry data source. The project is n a

m being led by Bobby Glen and Steve Ley, l o

H in conjunction with Tim Dickens and n h the computer officers. o J

: The first handful of chemists will o t o

h move over to the new electronic lab P book in the coming term, and the plan L–R: Alex Lips, Unilever research project director; CV Natraj, Unilever corporate research is to roll it out to other users during the senior vice-president; Sir Dai Rees, Unilever’s former head of research, and Bobby Glen, year. Look out for more about the sys - pictured at CV Natraj’s retirement dinner, which was held within the Unilever Centre tem in a future edition of Chem@Cam !

4 Chem@Cam Summer 2009 www.ch.cam.ac.uk Teaching the teachers The Prince’s Teaching Institute, an inde - ogy and the current state of research pendent educational charity, runs into engineered bioelectronic devices. annual summer schools for teachers. He also posed the question of what Several Cambridge academics, including scientific education provides the best Paul Barker, gave lectures about their training for research in this area, and research at this year’s event, which was argued that the answer is, of course, held at Queens’ College. fundamental chemistry, physics and These lectures are embedded within a biology – plus a bit of maths. varied programme of debates, lectures His talk was so well received that the - and discussion forums in what is a very organisers are very keen to have practis - t t influential environment, and Paul ing research chemists talk at these events i P

reports that the academics’ lectures are in future. ‘Secondary school teachers n a h t

exceptionally well received by the need all the support and inspiration they a N teachers. ‘Much of what was presented can get to ensure the curriculum they : o t o

was a real eye-opener for them,’ he says. have to teach remains relevant for what h Paul’s lecture looked at whether mul - we need in higher education,’ Paul says. P tidisciplinary research requires multi - If anyone is interested in delivering a One of the recent distinguished visitors to the department was disciplinary teaching, using the example lecture in 2010 to an interested, recep - Martin Mackay, who’s president of r&d at pharmaceutical of bioelectronics. He described how tive and very enthusiastic audience, con - company Pfizer. He’s in charge of the industry’s largest r&d biology does electronics, the evidence tact Paul at [email protected] and he programme, and he gave an insight into the company and some for molecular electronic devices in biol - can tell you more about it. of the most important projects in the company’s research portfolio How not to set fire to the laboratory… Bill Jones hones his stuff wouldn’t ignite, and the BuLi was - firefighting skills n’t playing ball either!’ she says. ‘I guess (left), and Tina Jost that just demonstrates the unpre - shows just why dictability of chemistry…’ solvent fires can be They are also trying to develop the so dangerous – and sessions further. For example, in the alarming if you’ve light of the recent tragedy in the US not seen one before where a student died after setting her sweater on fire in a t-BuLi fire, they hope to be able to demonstrate just why wear - ing a lab coat is such a good idea. This will be done by dressing mannequins in different clothing, and showing how different types of clothing burns – and how a lab coat offers protection. The new live fire training sessions are There’s a real risk of fire in chemistry we see in the lab, and looked at the types now taking place every month up on the labs, however careful you are. So it’s of flammable liquid that are common - West Cambridge site, and Mags says they essential that chemists know what to do place in the chemistry lab,’ she says. ‘The are going to be mandatory for anyone if that fire happens. And that’s why the new training session was designed with who will be working in the department department runs regular fire training the reality of the chemistry lab in mind, for a year or more. ‘We’re really grateful sessions, so that in the unlikely event and as well as giving information about for all the help we’ve had from the fire that a fire occurs, it won’t be the first what all the different sorts of fire extin - safety unit,’ she says. ‘We now have time the student or staff member has guishers are for, participants get to try something specific for chemistry, and had to deal with one. their hand at using them. We even hope it will ensure that if the worst hap - The university’s fire safety unit has demonstrate just how easy it is to knock pens and there’s a fire in a lab, everyone been providing us with live fire safety glassware over with a CO 2 extinguisher!’ will know what they should do.’ training for some time. This used to take Mags says that they made an interest - place using vats of flammable solvents ing discovery while working on the new up at Madingley Hall, but after a tree training programme – a fire blanket is was set on fire they changed their worse than useless in an ether fire. ‘The approach and started to use a trailer hot, flammable vapour passes straight which could be moved to different sites. through the blanket and reignites above However, this didn’t really address the it!’ she says. ‘Even the ex-firemen in the sort of fire a chemist is likely to fire safety unit were surprised at that, encounter – fires in chemistry labs aren’t and we managed to set one fire safety like most other fires because of the flam - officer’s arm on fire while practising!’ t t mable liquids that are usually involved. She adds that they tried to replicate i P

n

So departmental safety officer Margaret some of the fires involving metals that a h t

Glendenning worked with the fire safety have occured in the department in the a N

:

unit to develop something that provided past, but found they were pretty hard to o t o

better training for chemists. recreate. ‘No matter how much sodium h ‘We tried to replicate the sorts of fire we threw into a pool of water – the darn P

Chem@Cam Summer 2009 5 News Cambridge hosts the Chemistry

In July, more than 250 schoolchildren from around the world descended on Cambridge for the Chemistry Olympiad, which we hosted as part of the 800th celebrations. Chris Adriaanse reports on the big event

the Olympiad, has been planning the event since 2003, overseeing everything from the exam questions to the opening ceremony. He was particularly pleased with the range of countries winning gold medals. ‘It was great to see Israel, Romania, France and Japan all up in the gold medals,’ he said. Peter was also pleased with the Brits’ performance. ‘It was one of the better years. Four silver medals was very good indeed.’ Each of the 65 participating countries sent their four top pupils plus a mentor, labs in total – and had three tasks to Left and above: who were hosted by Trinity, St John’s, St complete. There was an environmentally flying through the Catharine’s and Robinson colleges. friendly aldol condensation, a titration trees at Go Ape! in Between exams, the students could of a copper(II) complex, and a calcula - Thetford Forest relax, and enjoy excursions to London, tion of the critical micelle concentration Belvoir Castle, and the high-wire adven - of a surfactant. This final task was partic - ture GoApe, while the mentors, con - ularly unusual because the students had fined to Oxford for the first half, were to plan their own experiment and it busy translating the papers, before challenged students to think on their returning to Cambridge to mark them. feet – this is something that was new Billed as a cultural and chemical for this year’s Olympiad. For 10 days in July, 253 school pupils exchange, the Olympiad’s opening cer - Thoughts afterwards were fairly descended on Cambridge to take two of emony took on a pantomime theme the toughest chemistry exams they’ll with ‘Jack and the DNA Stalk.’ After wel - ever sit: a five hour practical exam and a coming speeches from the vice-chan - five hour written exam, all for the cellor, the president of the RSC and the chance of winning gold, silver or chairman of the Olympiad’s steering bronze medals in this year’s committee, the pantomime began, and International Chemistry Olympiad. This the participants’ first introduction to is the first time the Olympiad has been English culture was from a middle-aged held in the UK, and it was jointly hosted man in a dress. by Cambridge, Oxford and the Royal The first exam was the practical. Society of Chemistry. Students were split between the depart - Peter Wothers, once a participant in ments of chemistry and zoology – five

Belvoir Castle, where activities included falconry and a tug-of-war competition

6 Chem@Cam Summer 2009 www.ch.cam.ac.uk x o c n a H

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Seeing the sights from Cambridge Assessment, the of Cambridge on a Salters’ Institute and the Department of City Trail (left) – Business, Innovation and Skills (for - and learning how merly the Department of Innovation, to punt (above) Universities and Skills). The event was deemed a success, with many of the students taking home won - derful memories. One Slovenian student unanimous. While the students didn’t Museum, where 600 guests dined in declared the event as ‘the best 10 days of find the practical particularly demand - style in the grand entrance hall. my life’. Peter Wothers was also pleased ing – these are some of the brightest The results were announced during with how the event went and the group young chemists in the world – complet - the closing ceremony in King’s College participation. ‘Many of the other ing them in the given time, and cor - Chapel. Participation certificates, for Olympiads haven’t had quite the same rectly, was the real challenge. ‘The exam those who didn’t qualify for a medal, atmosphere,’ he said. ‘A few people have wasn’t difficult but there wasn’t enough were given in alphabetical order, told me that it the best one ever.’ time,’ said one of the Turkmenistan stu - whereas medals were announced in dents. ‘We were very busy. There were so reverse rank. In total, 28 students were many things to do,’ claimed another awarded gold medals, with students from Singapore. from China, Israel and Taiwan ranked After a day’s break, next up was the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. five-hour written exam. There were six Many people contributed to the suc - title questions: an estimation of cess of the Olympiad. Zoltan Ritter and Avogadro’s constant, the interstellar Emma Powney have been working full- production of hydrogen, protein fold - time on it for the past year. The support ing, synthesis of amprenavir, epoxy of the chemistry department was also resins and transition metal complexes. essential. The lab technicians did a fan - The paper was perceived as long and tastic job of setting up the practical difficult to complete. ‘More time would exam, and the NMR staff analysed all the have meant more points,’ said a Swedish students’ samples to check the purity of student. ‘The time given was absolutely their organic products. Each country too short’. One from Japan agreed, ‘We was also given a guide – mostly bilin - didn’t have enough time, if we had, gual Cambridge students – to translate Students get stuck then the paper would have been OK’. and keep the students out of trouble. into the five-hour That evening, with the exams fin - Other support from sponsors written exam – ished, the mentors and students were included the Goldsmiths’ Company and the five-hour transported to London’s Natural History who provided the medals, and also practical exam!

Chem@Cam Summer 2009 7 News More prizes for Cambridge chemists

Svante Arrhenius. Previous Cambridge Scherman was awarded a Harrison- chemistry recipients include Chris Meldola Prize for for his work on Dobson, Alan Fersht, Steve Ley, John supramolecular polymers, in particular Meurig Thomas, Alan Battersby, Ralph in aqueous environments. Raphael and Lord Todd. ‘I’m astonished Alan Fersht’s latest prize is the and overawed to join such a distin - Wilhelm Exner medal of the Austrial guished list of chemists,’ Jeremy says. Trade Society, for his contributions to It must be awards season as we’ve got A third Royal Society prize, the biotechnology. Exner was an Austrian plenty of prizes won by members of the Mullard Award, has gone to Shankar promoter of economy and tehcnology, department to report this issue. Balasubramanian. This is given to a sci - and the medal has been awarded to Chris Dobson and Jeremy Sanders entist whose work makes a contribution more than 200 scientists and inventors have both been awarded important to national prosperity in the UK. over the years, 17 of whom were Nobel medals by the Royal Society. Chris has Shankar’s DNA sequencing technology, Laureates. Alan describes the list of win - been given a Royal Medal for his out - spun out into the company Solexa ners as an ‘eclectic mix’, ranging from standing contributions to the under - (since sold to Illumina), is making a Lord Rutherford and Lise Meitner to standing of the mechanisms of protein profound impact on medical r&d Ferdinand Porsche. folding and misfolding, and the impli - because of its speed. Jane Clarke has been awarded the cations for disease. Various other members of staff have 2010 US Genomics Award for the out - Three Royal Medals, also known as won prizes, too, several of them from standing investigator in the field of sin - the Queen’s Medals, are given every the Royal Society of Chemistry. Steve gle molecule biology for pioneering the year; this is the second such award won Ley has been given the Perkin Prize for study of the mechanical properties of by Cambridge chemists in as many Organic Chemistry for his outstanding proteins, protein folding and stability. years, after Alan Fersht received one last creative work and innovative solutions Meanwhile, Wilhelm Huck has year. You can read more about Chris’s From top left: in the art of organic synthesis. received the Humboldt Bessel Research chemistry on page 10. Dobson, Sanders, One of this year’s RSC Tilden medals Award, and Carol Robinson has been Balasubramanian, Jeremy Sanders has been awarded the Ley, Paterson, goes to Ian Paterson for his is outstand - made a fellow of the Academy of Davy Medal for his pioneering contri - Scherman, Fersht, ing achievements in the total synthesis Medical Sciences. butions to several fields, most recently to Clarke, Huck of complex natural products. And Oren Congratulations to all! dynamic combinatorial chemistry at the and Robinson forefront of supramolecular chemistry. This medal is awarded annually for an outstandingly important recent discov - ery in any branch of chemistry, and Jeremy is in august company. Famous names from the past who’ve won it include Robert Bunsen, William Perkin, The Corporate Associates Scheme Arecor Thanks to the generosity of the depart - networking events at the department; Heptares ment’s Corporate Associates, we have I Access to emerging Cambridge Astex Therapeutics been able to benefit the education and research via conferences, special brief - Illumina Astra Zeneca environment for students and staff. For ings and various publications; example, the Associates pay for univer - I Access to the department library Johnson Matthey Catalysts Asynt sity-wide access to SciFinder Scholar and photocopying/printing facilities; Lectus Therapeutics and ChemOffice. They also make signifi - I Regular communications about Biotica Technology cant contributions to the library for upcoming events and colloquia; Maruzen International Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma journal subscriptions. Moreover, they I Subscriptions to department publi - provide exam prizes, faculty teaching cations, including Chem@Cam; Merck Sharp & Dohme BP I awards and summer studentships, and Priority notification of and free Novartis BP Institute have recently funded the refurbishment access to departmental research lectures; of a state-of-the-art meeting room with I Ability to hold ‘Welcome Stalls’ in Pfizer Bristol-Myers Squibb teleconferencing and display facilities. the department entrance hall; Corporate Associate membership not I Preferential conference rates; Proctor & Gamble Cambridge BioTechnology only provides essential support for the I Free access to the teaching lectures department, but also provides numer - held within the department; Roche Cambridge Medical Innovations I ous benefits to help members work with The full services of the Corporate Sigma-Aldrich CambridgeSoft us and achieve their business objectives. Relations team to facilitate interaction Members enjoy many benefits through with students, staff, and other parts of Society of Chemical Computing Group their enhanced partnership with the the University of Cambridge to help Cornelius Specialties department, such as: achieve your corporate objectives. Chemical Industry I Visibility within the department; If your organisation would be inter - Takeda Cambridge Dr Reddy’s Custom Pharmaceutical I A dedicated meeting room and ested in joining the Corporate Associates Services office for members to use while visiting Scheme, then please email Jane Snaith at Unilever the department; [email protected], or call GlaxoSmithKline I Invitations to recognition days and 01223 336537. Uniqsis

8 Chem@Cam Summer 2009 News Chemistry for Yusuf meets his compatriots non-experts One of the ways the department is cele - brating the university’s 800th anniver - sary is by offering the a series of open lectures. These will be given by academ - ics, but squarely aimed at non-academ - ics, and are open to everyone. The idea is to give people an insight into the significance of the research that is taking place within the department. Head of department Bill Jones kicked off the series of lectures in April with a talk about his work in materials science, and Carol Robinson spoke about her research into biological mass spectrom - etry in June. The next lecture will be given by John Pyle on 21 September, and will look at his work in the field of atmos - pheric chemistry.

Chemistry alumnus Yusuf Hamied was in years ago thanks to Yusuf’s generosity, Cambridge in May, and popped into the and named after his former supervisor. department before a meeting with the The group is pictured above with vice-chancellor. He took the opportunity Yusuf and Bill Jones before lunch. They to have lunch with PhD students, post - are: Nagaratna Shridhar Hegde (PhD docs and a Part III student who hail from with Shankar Balasubra man ian), his home country, India. Soumya Daturpalli (MPhil with Sophie Yusuf worked with Lord Todd back in Jackson), Suresh Rameshlal Chawrai t t i the 1950s, and is now chairman of (PhD with Finian Leeper), Santosh - P

n Cipla, the Mumbai-headquartered phar - kumar Patil (postdoc with Chris Abell), a h t

a maceutical company that was founded Prashant Kapadnis (postdoc with David N

: by his father in the 1930s. Spring), Dwaipayan Chakrabarti (post - o t o

h They met for lunch in the Todd- doc with David Wales), Prasenjit Mal P Hamied Room – the former G14 semi - (postdoc with Jonathan Nitschke) and Bill Jones in lecturing action nar room that was refurbished three Part III student Nandhini Ponnuswamy.

Chemistry from Dan Pantos and Jeremy Sanders graced the front cover of a recent Academic promotions issue of the RSC journal Physical Chemistry Three members of staff will be Chemical Physics. Certain amino acid promoted in October: Paul Davies is derivatives of naphthalenediimide to become a professor, Jonathan assemble through hydrogen bonding into Goodman a reader, and Paul Barker non-covalent polymers that have the form a senior lecturer. Congratulations! of helical nanotubes. The two enantiomers can be distinguished by their unusual Farewell to Carol circular dichroism spectra, but the origin and meaning of the spectra was unclear. We’re bidding a fond farewell to Carol This new paper, the result of collaboration Robinson, who is returning to Oxford, with theoreticians Jonathan Hirst and Ben where she has been appointed to the Bulheller at Nottingham, shows that prestigious Dr Lee’s Professorship. She calculated spectra based on the known starts there in October. crystal structure reproduce the solution Carol has made very important con - spectra remarkably well. This shows that tributions to the field of mass spec - the solution structure matches that in the trometry while she has been in the crystal, and also holds out the hope that departmetn, first as a Royal Society URF, CD could be used to characterise the and more recently as a Royal Society length of experimental helical nanotubes Research Professor. She also received invaluable and generous support she received from Walters Kundert Trust ‘I have very much enjoyed my time here in the department, and I hope very much to continue with all my existing collaborations,’ she says.

Chem@Cam Summer 2009 9 News The problems caused by misfolded

Proteins fold up into beautiful shapes that give them their functions. But what happens when protein folding goes wrong? Chris Dobson is looking at the effects misfolded proteins have on biological processes

Right: the three folded proteins are SH3, AcP and myoglobin, and while their folded structures are very different, but the amyloid structure of all three is essentially the same, as shown on the right range of conditions which evolution had expected, and within which our proteins can remain correctly folded. ‘We live much longer and our proteins are not in fact good enough to last for - ever. In addition, we take less exercise, change our diets, put ourselves on long-term medical treatment, and even feed young cows on old cows. All these ‘risk factors’ increase the probability that one or more of our proteins mis - folds and aggregates, and perhaps becomes toxic instead of functional.’ In the past five years or so, his group has broadened its activities from carry - ing out in vitro biophysical experiments into trying to determine how these experimental data relate to what is hap - pening in a real living system. ‘To do this we’ve generated a range of collabo - Chris Dobson’s research has for many activity, but that the misfolded species rations, which go from nanoscience to years focused on protein folding but, tend to aggregate and become insolu - neuroscience, and we’ve been working more recently, he’s been even more ble, leading to deposits such as the amy - with people whose science is as diverse interested in their misfolding. Proteins loid fibrils and plaques that are associ - as Mark Welland, head of the fold up into beautiful shapes with dis - ated with Alzheimer’s disease. nanoscience centre in Cambridge, and tinctive features that give them their ‘All our proteins have evolved to be David Lomas, who’s deputy director of biological functions, but what if that able to be present in their folded and the Cambridge Institute for Medical folding process goes wrong? soluble forms under normal situations’. Research,’ he says. ‘Protein misfolding is associated with But he describes aggregation-related Many of the experiments that have many different diseases, from cystic diseases as post-evolutionary diseases, been carried out in his group in recent fibrosis through to some forms of can - as we are now moving outside the years have involved looking at what cer, but it’s particularly important in the n

so-called amyloid disorders,’ he says. o Born: Rinteln, Germany and moved to Cambridge and the John

‘These include Alzheimer’s and s Humphrey Plummer chair in 2001. He’s also

b Status: His wife Mary is an author, with a new

Parkinson’s diseases, prion diseases such o book due for publication early next year. They now Master of St John’s College. D

as “mad cow” disease, and Type II dia - have two sons, Richard and William Interests: Watching cricket, travelling and s betes, in all of which thread-like i r Education: A BA in chemistry at Oxford, theatre

deposits called amyloid fibrils are h followed by an Oxford DPhil with Bob Williams formed, and we are realising all the C Did you know? His father was a British time that more and more diseases are Career: He spent three years as an assistant Army Officer who was posted to Nigeria, associated with misfolded proteins.’ professor at Harvard, then returned to Oxford and Chris spent three years of his childhood The problem with misfolded proteins V as a lecturer. He was made professor in 1997, in Africa is not just that they lose their biological C

10 Chem@Cam Summer 2009 Research proteins controls the rate and nature of the fold - ing process, how it can go wrong and how this can result in aggregate forma - tion. Experiments in a test tube are all very well, but what happens when mis - folding takes place in a real living sys - tem? ‘We have been looking at cells and model organisms such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the nema - tode worm Caenorhabditis elegans to find out how we can use our under - standing of basic physical phenomena to understand why processes related to protein misfolding occur in living sys - tems,’ he says. ‘And our conclusion is that there seem to be some very “generic” phenomena that occur, and a surprising number of these can be understood by looking at the basic physics and physical chemistry of pro - tein molecules.’ Fundamentally, in order to understand the behaviour of the different protein molecules whose aggregation leads to dif - ferent types of disease, only a few core that allow us to predict from very simple Chris and his not as thermodynamically stable as the parameters seem to be important. ‘In con - equations when a transgenic mouse will group, pictured amyloid form, and it is these varied and junction with Michele Vendruscolo and develop a prion disease, just from under - outside St John’s – soluble states that have evolved as the his group, we have found it’s becoming standing the basic physics of the process.’ at least Chris was functional forms of proteins.’ possible to set out equations that enable us ‘The assumption has always been that ready for the Diseases such as Alzheimer’s and to make predictions,’ Chris explains. proteins fold up into the wonderful photographer! Parkinson’s therefore appear to show ‘We can predict from our knowledge structures with which we are all famil - that if the regulatory control of the bio - of the principles of protein aggregation iar, and that’s their normal state,’ he logical machinery within the cell is lost, the probability that a fruit fly with a says. ‘Our view is now that the most sta - proteins tend to revert to these amyloid mutation in a protein will develop neu - ble structures of proteins are normally forms, which are not only non-func - ronal damage relative to another fruit fly aggregated species such as amyloid fib - tional, but also often toxic. ‘Until we with a different mutation in the same rils. But biology has found some reach old age, human biology has usu - protein that makes it aggregate in a dif - sequences that will fold up into these ally got everything completely con - ferent way. We can also do experiments globular states, even though they are trolled, with quality control and degra - dation mechanisms keeping the inher - ent tendency of proteins to form amy - loid fibrils at bay,’ he says. ‘But changing The power of collaboration the balance of these interactions can Chris describes his group and his collaborators as an extraordinarily diverse set lead to toxic forms appearing. of people who select their own projects and self-assemble into subgroups with LIVING ON THE EDGE common interests. ‘Some of this extended group are by origin neuroscientists, ‘All of our proteins are destined eventu - some chemists, some theoretical physicists, and we have both experimentalists ally to turn into aggregates, so we’re and theoreticians working closely together,’ he says. ‘They get together and living right on the edge between health decide what they want to do, and they have the freedom to collaborate with and disease,’ he says. And this conclu - whoever they need to. I think it’s a very effective way of doing interdisciplinary sion could result in new ways of pre - science, as long as you have people who are both smart and well-motivated. venting or even curing diseases. ‘Very ‘It brings out the best in the individuals, and allows them to develop their own small changes can cause us to go into a disease state rather than remaining ideas and thoughts about complex interdisciplinary problems, whether they’re healthy, but one of the corollaries of the newest Part III student or the most seasoned PhD students.They take this is that relatively small changes can responsibility for their own research programme to a large extent, but of course also take us from a disease state to a they talk to me and other senior members in the set of collaborating groups healthy one.’ who can put what they are doing into perspective. We are able to build up a And very small perturbations of the picture of science across a wide area, because people talk to each other a lot system could, for example, enhance our so there’s a continuity of activity rather than a series of separate projects. natural protective mechanisms. ‘Finding ways of reducing the concentrations of ‘The opportunity to collaborate with a lot of people working in different disci - these aberrant species could have very plines as well as chemistry is a huge privilege. It’s a very positive aspect of being dramatic effects,’ Chris concludes. in Cambridge – there are so many fantastic scientists interested in working ‘Because it’s a kinetic phenomenon, rel - together to tackle major problems, such as the origins of neurodegenerative dis - atively small changes in the system can orders or diabetes, and who make collaboration both a pleasure and a success.’ increase enormously the length of time before misfolding diseases develop.’

Chem@Cam Summer 2009 11 Research Making magnetic materials

Some organic materials have magnetic properties, and Jeremy Rawson is investigating how these properties can be manipulated

Most magnetic materials are based on metals and metal oxides, but aromatic organic molecules can also exhibit mag - netic properties if they possess unpaired electrons. The precise nature of their magnetic properties depends on how the molecules pack together in the solid x state, and Jeremy Rawson is looking at o c n ways in which those magnetic proper - a H

ties can be manipulated by changing e n i l o the structure and nature of the mole - r a C

cules themselves. : o t

‘During my PhD, most of my work o h revolved around sulfur–nitrogen ring P chemistry, and after that, as a postdoc, Radicals have a tendency to pair up, leads to a lag in its return to the diamag - I studied the magnetic interactions forming bonds. If the unpaired electron netic state on cooling.’ between transition metal ions,’ he says. is of π-character, then the molecules The result is a series of compounds ‘My current studies, which look at the often self-assemble via π-stacking in the which can be both diamagnetic magnetic properties of sulfur-nitrogen solid state to form these bonds between (‘bonded’) or paramagnetic (with thiazyl radicals, amalgamate these two the unpaired electrons. However, the unpaired electrons) in a well-defined different areas.’ Spin switching in bonds are relatively weak and, in some temperature range. ‘It is now possible to the thiazyl radical cases, if energy is put into the system, switch the magnetic properties of these C2S3N3 on heating MODIFIED PACKING and cooling is the bonds can be broken. This forms materials by applying heat, light or even There are many different heterocyclic associated with a new phases, whose magnetism is vastly pressure,’ he says. ‘This sort of respon - thiazyl radicals, and Jeremy’s group solid state phase different from the original. sive material which reacts to different focus on using versatile synthetic strate - transition between ‘At low temperature, the molecules stimuli could have interesting applica - gies that allow derivatives with different a diamagnetic dimerise, giving a diamagnetic mate - tions, and I’ve recently been discussing steric and electronic properties to be low temperature rial, but on warming the bonds break potential applications with colleagues in made. Changing these properties also phase (above) and and these materials becomes strongly the engineering department.’ modifies the crystal packing and, there - a paramagnetic paramagnetic,’ Jeremy says. This Making these spin-switching radicals fore, their magnetic properties. high temperature approach of fine-tuning at the molecu - turns out to be a synthetic challenge. phase (below) ‘If you change the way the mol - lar level has led to the design of a The ideal starting materials are aromatic ecules pack, it can have a dra - series of compounds which 1,2-dithiols, but few are commercially matic effect on its magnetism,’ he undergo such abrupt phase tran - available. His former student Rob Less, says. ‘We’ve found that even very sitions across a broad temperature now with Dominic Wright’s group in small changes, such as the posi - range from around the department, developed an elegant tion of substituents on an aro - -220°C to room temperature. (if smelly!) synthetic route to a wide matic ring, can lead to vastly different ‘Although the diamagnetic “bonded” range of derivatives. physical properties and orientational form is more stable at low temperature, The key step is the reaction of 1,2- changes affect the way the radicals com - there is typically an energy barrier asso - dihaloaromatics with sodium t-butyl- municate with each other,’ he says. ciated with the phase change which thiolate. ‘t-Butyl thiol is the chemical that is added to natural gas in minute Born: Rugby, but moved to Leeds when he Interests: Visiting France (and polishing up quantities to make it smell,’ Jeremy says. was 4 and the Isle of Man at the age of 9, the language skills he developed on a three- ‘Although the chemistry is undertaken n

o and considers himself a proud Manxman. month spell at CNRS in Toulouse during his careful with a bleach scrubber – and s PhD). He’s a keen walker, and is particularly after informing the departmental safety

w Education: After school on the island he had fond of North Wales and the Lake District. officer through the ‘nasty niffs’ proce - a to move, like other islanders, to ‘The

R ‘They’re much more topographically dure – it’s still best used at the weekend Mainland’ to pursue a university education.

y interesting than Cambridge!’ he says. when no-one else is around!’ He studied chemistry at Durham, followed by

m Did you know? Science seems an unusual He’s currently looking at coordinat - e a PhD there with Arthur Banister. ing these radicals to transition metals r career for someone from the Isle of Man – most e Career: A postdoc in Edinburgh with Richard of the residents people have heard of have such as manganese and iron. ‘We’re J Winpenny was followed by a brief return to some link with wheels, from F1 champion interested in finding out how the elec - Durham as a temporary lecturer. He’s been a Nigel Mansell to Jeremy Clarkson. And star trons on the metal and the radical com - lecturer in Cambridge since 1996, and is cyclist Mark Cavendish is a native. Jeremy says municate with each other,’ he says. V currently both director of studies for physical there is a famous Manx scientist, though – X- ‘We’ve already made several complexes C natural sciences and undergraduate ray diffraction pioneer William Bragg went to and have determined their crystal struc - admissions tutor at Magdalene. the same school as him, albeit rather earlier! tures. We’re now in a position to begin to probe their magnetic properties.’

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’ n n n h n u n o d o o o o d l y e e e e e e e e e a ------r r s s s I t t t t t t t t , . . l l . Science day Chemistry excites the kids

The department was filled with kids finding out how much fun chemistry is on open day. Caroline Hancox, Nathan Pitt and John Holman took the photos

This year’s chemistry department open The amazing – if messy – cornflour day was another resounding success, slime tank made a welcome reappearance, with hundreds of schoolchildren and to show it’s possible to walk on liquids. their parents visiting the department to They even got the chance to eat ice-cream, find out more about chemistry. freshly made using liquid nitrogen. Pete Wothers’ demonstration lecture We also had an interactive exhibition this year was entitled ‘Just add water’, from the Centre for Atmospheric and he gave it three times on the day (and Research and the British Antarctic Survey several more times during the week!). He explaining what they do in Antarctica, explored some of water’s extremely sur - and a display from the Nanoscience prising properties, answering questions Centre showing how materials 50,000 such as how a drop of water start a fire or times smaller than a human hair could cause an explosion, why you can’t put change our lives. The Royal Society of a chip pan fire out with water, and Chemistry were also there with a collec - why it’s impossible to boil an egg on tion of fun chemistry-based games. Mount Everest. These are just a few of the many high - There was also plenty of opportunity lights of the day. Our thanks go to Eric for the kids to get their hands on some and Katharina Walters for their generous real chemistry experiments. They could support once again. The day wouldn’t extract DNA from strawberries, make vol - have been possible without all the help canoes using carbon dioxide, use sugar to from students and postdocs who super - make rainbows and lava lamps, and clean vised and ran the experiments, as well as dirty coins using household ingredients. the many undergraduate volunteers. Last They could grow crystals, print photos in but not least, huge thanks to the teaching Prussian Blue, make putty from everyday technicians for all their help with the chemicals, and use chemical reactions to activities and Peter's lecture – they go make light. well beyond the call of duty.

14 Chem@Cam Summer 2008 www.ch.cam.ac.uk

Chem@Cam Summer 2008 15 Obituary

sites, but also to follow redox reactions in minerals. He spent a sabbatical leave Memories of Alfie Maddock in Strasbourg in 1976 and studied positron annihilation and the chemistry of positronium. He has been acknowl - Alan Williams remembers Alfie edged for his great help in setting up carbon-14 dating in Cambridge, but I Maddock, who died in April have been able to find no publications in this field with his name. He received many awards and his contributions to nuclear reactions. Actinide chemistry Alfie as he was in nuclear chemistry in the broadest sense was then in its infancy, and the develop - the 1950s and, were quite outstanding. ment of efficient methods of separation below, a photo Alfie had boundless enthusiasm for was just as important as studying the taken at in his almost everything, coupled with almost chemistry. He worked on separation of garden at his 1984 equally extensive knowledge. He was a protactinium, plutonium, neptunium retirement party great conversationalist, and delighted in and residual uranium. The crowning argument, never fearing to adopt rather achievement was the isolation of more extreme positions to stimulate discus - than 100g of protactinium, in collabo - sion. He could be a little mischievous, ration with the AERE and AEA, starting but never unpleasant, and he was held from what he called ‘60 tons of radioac - in respect and affection by the graduate tive sludge’. and undergraduate students he taught. Protactinium is found in very low Alfred Maddock – normally called Alfie – concentrations as a daughter product of WINES AND STORIES was born in London in 1917, and grad - 235 U decay, but significant amounts were He loved travelling and had a particular uated from Imperial College, London in present in residues of pitchblende treat - affection for France, believing any year 1939. He began a thesis on silane chem - ment. This must be one of the last occa - without a visit was wasted. He had an istry with Harry Emeléus, but the war sions when an inorganic chemist isolated equal affection for and knowledge of changed the direction of his research. 100g amounts of a new element, and the the wines of this country (and of any He was seconded to a special unit protactinium obtained was important for other) and I can recall the astonishment dealing with chemical problems such as establishing the chemistry of this ele - of my Swiss colleagues when at a sum - how to render military stores too mal - ment. The study of solvent extraction mer school he obtained the highest odorous for the enemy to use: this brief methods and radioactive tracers was a marks in a blind tasting of Swiss wines. excursion into tellurium chemistry is recurrent theme in his research. It would be impossible to finish with - generally referred to by his wife The Szilard-Chalmers effect was still out some comment on the many stories Margaret as ‘the time when Alfred smelt’. new when he began his work, and vir - concerning him. Easily the best were He was then sent to Cambridge to tually nothing was known about the those that he told himself, where he join Tube Alloys, the British atomic chemical effects of nuclear reactions on generally managed to establish that the bomb project. This later moved to materials. His many papers on hot atom remarkable happenings were the result Canada, where he met another Imperial chemistry were often written in collab - of a perfectly logical series of events chemist, Geoffrey Wilkinson, with oration with labs outside the UK. Inter- where he was in no way responsible. whom he kept in contact until national collaboration is now fashion - It is certainly true that it was not his Wilkinson’s death in 1996. able; in the 1950s and 1960s it was con- fault that a visit to Buenos Aires to give sidered highly exotic, but Alfie believed a lecture on radiochemistry led the SECRET SCIENCE strongly in encouraging the growth of Daily Express to run the front page Alfie’s scientific papers from the period science everywhere in the world. headline ‘British Atom Scientist flees to in Canada are still classified as secret, but He carried out several missions for Péron’. Sadly there is not enough space one story has become famous. At some the International Agency for Atomic to recount the cases of the flying grad - point the whole stock of plutonium Energy. Most of the hot-atom work was uate student, the scandal on Salisbury (some 10mg) was spilt on a bench. He carried out on solid-state samples, and Plain, or Miranda the radioactive sheep. immediately sawed out the contaminated required development of analytical Alan Williams, University of Geneva part of the bench, dissolved or burnt methods to identify the chemical away the wood (the story varies) and changes in radioactive samples, and managed to recover about 95% of the careful analysis of the effects of defects plutonium. His co-workers were sur - and of thermal annealing to charac - prised to discover a neat round hole in terise the solid state reactions. the bench the next morning. Alfie was a pioneer in the chemical After the war, he returned to the UK applications of Mössbauer spectroscopy. and helped to set up the atomic energy Together with Mike Bancroft and research establishment in Harwell. A lot Michael Clark on the theoretical side, he of scientific equipment was then available carried out elegant studies of chemical from the armed forces, and he found it bonding in iron and tin compounds ‘difficult to spend more than £10’000 a and developed additive models which day without being extravagant’. However, related the spectra to the donor and an academic life was always his ambition acceptor properties of the ligand. He and he moved to Cambridge where also studied other nuclei including Eméleus was now professor. tungsten, iridium, gold, and tellurium. Although he published a few more With Mike Bancroft and Roger Burns papers on silane chemistry, his research he established the potential of followed from his experience in Mössbauer spectroscopy in mineralogy. Canada, and more specifically actinide The technique allows not only the iden - chemistry and the chemical effects of tification of iron occupancy of different

16 Chem@Cam Summer 2009 History The 50th anniversary revisited In this second instalment of our look back over the Lensfield Road labs’ 50 year history, Ian Smith recalls some of the people in Physical Chemistry, and overleaf David Watson brings us up to date

Ian Smith on Physical Chemistry Cambridge academic staff – Stuart Above: The Two other aspects of life that have I arrived in Cambridge in 1957, and at Warren, Martin Mays and Anthony department of changed somewhat between then and that time the chemistry and physics Stone. I think we’ve all matured pretty physical chemistry now – probably for the better – are the departments were in buildings well! Of course, the class of ’57 might in 1960, with only two linked matters of smoking and bounded by Pembroke Street and Free have been unsurpassed in the brilliance two women safety. I remember one academic safety School Lane – I’d originally signed up of its members – but I think that all four officer used to come in to your labora - to do the Natural Sciences Tripos with of us would agree that it wasn’t only a Below: no threat tory to talk to us about safety and he’d the intention of studying physics! good time to be young, it was also a to Manchester be inclined to tap his pipe out on your Evidence of chemistry’s presence in good time to be looking for academic United... Standing, glass gas-handling apparatus. Nearly all Free School Lane is still there – if you positions. My colleagues spent all their from the left: of the academic staff smoked, perhaps go to the Whipple Museum and cast academic careers in Cambridge, and I ‘Ziggy’ Hathorn, most famously Morris Sugden, who your eyes upwards before you enter, was fortunate enough to have a position John Clark (?), became Research Director at Shell and you will see ‘Laboratory of Physical here for most of my academic career. MIchael Pilling, subsequently Master of Trinity Hall. He Chemistry’ chiselled in the stonework, We shared it around a bit – so Anthony Ross Dickson, generally looked more friendly than in a way that will probably last several went to theoretical, Martin to inorganic Bill Hardy, Albert this photo where there’s a fiendish glint hundred years. I still remember attend - and Stuart to organic, which left me to Pearson, Adrian in his eye! ing first year physical chemistry lectures the department of physical chemistry. Tuck and Ian The department was led at that time in that building, although any memory Of course, physical chemistry was Smith; on the by RGW Norrish, who claimed a share of practical work has faded away com - still a separate department at that time, ground are of the Nobel Prize in 1967 for his devel - pletely. In my second and third years, and I think this photo from 1960 was Gus Hancock, opment of flash photolysis – one of his my lectures were in the new building in the first departmental photograph taken John Billingsley co-recipients was George (later Lord) Lensfield Road. outside the Lensfield Road labs. I can and David Pettit Lord Porter, who had been Norrish’s To use a term more common in the only identify two women, Delia Agar, US, I was one of the class of ’57, along and Mrs Pereira, who came from what with three other stalwarts of the was then Ceylon and was Tony Callear’s first research student – I was his second. And, of course, in those days everyone possessed a jacket and tie, and they thought it appropriate to wear them if there was a departmental photo. There is one who is tieless – but I think he’s wearing a cravat! The overwhelmingly male ethos of the department meant that we found a lot of amusement in playing hearty games, and the Sunday morning foot - ball team from that period wasn’t dis - tinguished by its silky footballing skills, but it did contain several future profes - Morris Sugden – not as fiendish as he looked! sors of physical chemistry!

Chem@Cam Summer 2009 17 History

Left: Norrish shows David Watson on transformation Princess Margaret When the department was officially around at the opened, it had already been inhabited official opening – by research workers for several months. without a glass of Many of them wished to make their mark Scotch in his hand! on the wonderful new building, and some of them succeeded rather well. Perhaps the most memorable mark was made by one of Alfie Maddock’s students, who was working with pro - tactinium-231 in one of the third floor labs. But he dropped the vial. Sod’s law being what it is, the vial broke, but the student knew what to do – he knew there was a telephone at the far end of the corridor, and so he headed over to the phone, and put into action all that needed to be done for a spillage of radioactive material. A couple of days later, the decontam - ination squad came along, and traced ­ every single one of his footprints down the corridor. They all had to be cut out research student shortly after the Second years before he won the Nobel Prize, – and that was part of the new building World War, and was on the staff of the and he was replaced by Jack Linnett gone already! department for a while. The photo with as 1920 Professor and Head of the People mourned the loss of the bun Princess Margaret, taken at the depart - Physical Chemistry Department. His shop and the Eagle which were in close ment’s opening ceremony, shows research looked at aspects of theory, proximity to the old Pembroke Street Professor Norrish in rather characteristic surfaces and kinetics. He became Master labs, but all was not lost as there were style. I ought to scotch rumours that of Sidney Sussex, and for two years was five pubs in close proximity. Only two there was a glass in his left hand filled Vice-Chancellor of the university. Clockwise from of these are still here today! But perhaps with a well known product of Scotland Shortly after he’d given up the vice- below: Eric Smith, more important was the fact that occu - – he did have a reputation for enjoying chancellorship, he died suddenly and Fred Webber pying the space now inhabited by John what he used to call a snifter or two. tragically young. and Ernie Cox Pyle’s ozone secretariat was a bakers. So Of course there were other important John Meurig Thomas arrived as 1920 people in the department, particularly if Professor and Head of Physical you had an equipment-based type of Chemistry in 1978, and in 1988 the long project, as I had, and they were the awaited amalgamation of the two chem - technical staff. Ernie Cox was the istry departments took place and we all implacable man who ran the physical became good and happy friends under chemistry stores. He had a rather the one umbrella. Brian Thrush was the unusual concept of a storeman’s task, first head of this joint department. which seemed to involve protecting, at At about the same time, Dave King all costs, the precious items in his arrived and took up the 1920 stores. It was quite difficult to extract Professorship. He became head of the anything from him that you needed for joint department in 1993, and served your research. Occasionally, conversa - until 2000. John Pyle kind of replaced tions could get a little heated. me, I think, in the 1980s, when I left to Eric Smith was the photographer, a join the University of Birmingham, His very important role because at that time appointment represented another the most sophisticated way of recording change in the physical chemistry sec - your experimental data was on a photo - tor’s interests with astrong move into graphic plate. And Fred Webber was the atmospheric chemistry. With Rod Jones chief glassblower; he also blew quartz, and Tony Cox, the Department covered which is rather more difficult but was all the aspects of atmospheric chemistry necessary for my research and for some – modelling, observations in the atmos - other people’s. phere, and lab work, and, of course, The more recent photos were taken at John was made 1920 Professor in 2007. retirement parties of the individuals shown. Eric looks pretty much the same, and he’s pictured with his brother Cyril from the glass shop, who probably won’t thank me for saying that he taught me all the glassblowing I knew – he more or less gave up on me I think. Donald Oliver was in the machine workshop and was extremely helpful and valuable, and finally there’s Brian Challis, who sadly died a few years ago, who had a general factotum role, including some glassblowing. Norrish retired in 1965, a couple of

18 Chem@Cam Summer 2009 Chat lines

there was hot, fresh bread for lunch, considerable catalyst to the future of the Above: Eric more space in the other two wings of and cream doughnuts to die for. chemistry department – an explosion in and Cyril Smith, the building. It’s important to reiterate that when a second floor fume cupboard belong - Donald Oliver and After Dave King’s five year tenure as the lab first opened it actually contained ing to one of Jim Staunton’s group. Brian Challis head of department, Jeremy took up the two chemistry departments. In the latter The fume cupboard was severely fight. He had been made assistant head years, many chemists managed to come dented, but Dave felt that enough was largely to deal with technical staff mat - across the same experiment independ - enough. So in his quiet unassuming ters, which I think most of the technical ently – they found that if they left Raney way (!) he let it be known to the man - staff will agree was done superbly well. nickel overnight in a filter paper, it darins down at the Old Schools and the The £28.5 million quickly rose to a would dry out and spontaneously funding councils that wet chemistry much higher sum, and as we moved ignite. We have had lots of lovely fires might well have to cease in Cambridge towards 2000 Unilever gave £6.5 mil - over the years. if something wasn’t done about the lion for the molecular science building Another fire nearly brought our NMR state of the labs. that is headed up by Bobby Glen. That section to a premature end. Back in The pleas didn’t fall on deaf ears, and came online in 2000, and also allowed 1973, an exothermic reaction which after a lot of hard work in presenting us to move the library. Its old space on well and truly lived up to its name cases the sum of £28.5m was provided the west end of the third floor now occurred on the third floor. It burnt to the department under the JIF pro - houses theoretical chemistry. through the high pressure water supply gramme. The refurbishment process took Jeremy saw through just about the end tank, which produced a marvellous more than five years, but for the first of the JIF programme, and now Bill Jones fountain on the third floor, which time the academics could actually say to has taken over and is continuing to find flooded down through the second and the architects how they wanted their labs money for refurbishments, including the first floors, onto the ground floor and built. We had to do away with the rolled recent extension to the Melville lab on then into the nmr machines in the base - gold and some of the sterling silver that the first floor. The next stage is refurbish - ment. According to Brian Crysell, these they’d placed on their request sheets, but ing the old radiochemistry labs, which were only on loan, and were not nevertheless it was a real bonus! will become labs for the new insured at the time! The icing on the cake was that Dave Moorehouse Gibson professor, Clare The year 1988 was an important one and Jeremy Sanders, who was assistant Grey. It’s a huge job, as it involves large – the two departments were finally head at the time, came up with the idea amounts of radioactive decontamination. joined together. Brian Thrush was the of a dedicated technical services centre. In conclusion, I recall a retirement first head of the new department, The original boilerhouse housed two party many years backs for Ivor which was something of a challenge as massive boilers, each at least the size of Meadows, who was a wonderful char - he had to sort out all the facilities that a double decker bus, and they converted acter. He said in his speech that the had previously been duplicated – two that huge, dark area into a dedicated building is relentless, and we smiled a glassblowers, two mechanical work - technical services area. little at that. What he perhaps should shops, two photographers, two elec - A lot of the technicians needed have said was that the people who drive tronics sections and so on. persuading – and you can’t blame them the building are relentless, whether aca - The next head of department was as all they could see was a dark dingy demics, researchers or support staff. Dave King, and during this time there place – it turned out to be fantastic. An And I cannot help but think that we will was an incident that would provide a additional advantage was that it gave continue to go from success to success.

Left: Eric Liddell at the NMR in 1967

Right: Some of the aftermath of the 1973 fire

Chem@Cam Summer 2009 19 Alumni Colloid chemistry in 1940s Cambridge Dear Editor bombs. The invasion of Malaya by the Japanese guished career as Professor of Medicine at Otago Further to your correspondence about the led to a shortage of rubber. University. He obtained a PhD degree in 1938 for Colloid Science department, here is a photograph The Fuel Research Station, Green wich, had research in the colloid science department 1935- of the members of that department in 1944. developed aluminium soap petroleum gels for 1938, where he studied the flow birefringence The department came about after the death flamethrowers, and we tried to find a suitable of solutions of tobacco mosaic virus under the of the professor of physical chemistry, T. Martin mixture for incendiary bombs. In my basement supervision of Joseph Needham. Lowry, in 1936. At the time, the senior man was den I had 100 incendiary bombs with yellow Although I have been in New Zealand for 38 EK Rideal and he would normally have been phosphorus in the base, filled with water. We years, I never met Robinson to thank him for the appointed, but he was seriously ill and not filled them with our mixtures and exploded use of his equipment. It now seems it is too late. expected to survive, so his main assistant, RGW them at the University rifle range. I invented a I recently met another former member of the Norrish, was appointed instead, in 1937. machine called a ‘splashometer’, which tested Colloid Science Department, Lyndsay Gordon, Rideal unexpectedly recovered, and his pres - the mixtures in the laboratory. at a Wellington science meeting. He was there tige was such that the university set him up as The project was taken over by the Americans some years after I left in 1946 and was able to professor of a separate department of colloid when they entered the war, and their particular recall the final departure of Professor E K Rideal science. The department had no fixed teaching mixture used the aluminium soaps of naph - who went to the Royal Institution in London duties like the main physical chemistry depart - thenic and palmitic acid, napalm. I believe the and regretted it. ment, and Rideal was expert in obtaining current mixture uses polystyrene instead. I do hope that now you can make use of my research grants from industry, so it carried out I then carried out a program of studying the memories and my picture, which recalls a group much more research than the main department. flow birefringence properties of aluminium of dedicated and enthusiastic scientists who I joined the department after I graduated in soap gels, using the equipment that had been influenced chemistry on a worldwide scale. 1940, when I was recruited to join AF developed by my predecessor, James Robinson, Yours sincerely Alexander to study aluminium soap gels as an and eventually obtained a PhD for this work. Vincent Gray alternative to the rubber gels that were then Robinson recently died in Dunedin, New 75 Silverstream Road, Crofton used for flamethrower fuels and incendiary Zealand, at the age of 91 after a long and distin - DownsWellington 6035, New Zealand

Back row: GDS Mclennan, Eric Hutchinson, Dr Hurst, Philip George, Alan Robertson, Vincent Gray, Dan Reichenberg, HH Jellinek

Middle row: Len Saggers (technician), Fritz (Fred) Eirich, AA Cameron. RA (Bill) Blease, Elizabeth Frith (Mrs Tuckett), AJB Robertson, GD Coumoulos, Paley Johnson, Geoffrey Gilbert, Cyril Smith (glassblower)

Front row: Miss Morgan (secretary), RF (George) Tuckett, GH Twigg, Jack Schulman, EK Rideal, AE Alexander, EFG Herington, DC Pepper, Cathy Alexander.

Wot no mechanisms? John Agar on electrochemistry and thermody - Gone in a flash namics, Professor Norrish on photochemistry, Dear Editor Dr Ashmore on catalysis, Dr Johnson on col - Dear Editor, I was surprised by the comment that F G Mann loids, Dr Kenner on stereochemistry, and Drs Cyril Smith (brother of Eric Smith), the chief was a traditional chemist who included no Sharpe, Palmer and Boys on inorganic chem - glassblower in the department of physical mechanisms in his lectures. In the early 1950s I istry. Sharpe was very keen on fluorine chem - chemistry, once told me that they had to move went to BC Saunders’ organic lectures, but had istry, which I later encountered in the chemical some giant searchlights, presumably for pre- supervisions with Mann in his room at industry. flash photolysis experiments, from the depart - Pembroke Street. To me, he seemed very good on Dr EA Moelwyn-Hughes lectures on physical ment next to the old Cavendish, but one of the explaining the mechanisms of organic reactions chemistry were memorable, varying from very searchlights rolled out of the removal van was from the general structures of the reactants. loud to almost inaudible, as I think he was then seen to be tumbling down Lensfield Road! I also had supervisions from Charles Kemball rather deaf. He went to the trouble of inform - Yours sincerely in physical chemistry, during which he puffed ing us that ‘(Little) g is not the same here that it Rhobert Lewis (Christs 1976) on a very aromatic pipe loaded with Mick is on the top of Snowdon!’ We also had physi - [email protected] McQuaid’s cut plug tobacco, and I think rather cal lectures at 4.30pm on Saturdays, rather a despaired of me. Also from Dr S R Nockolds in poor show, given by a gentleman whose name We always love hearing readers’ mineralogy, and remember that he had awful escapes me, but he always had the air of having trouble balancing the three SU carburettors fit - just returned from Newmarket. reminiscences – contact us at the ted to his ancient Rover tourer - this was before Regards address on page 3 if you’ve any - the days of electronic tuning. Paul Stickland (Trinity 1951) thing to share with fellow readers! Apart from Saunders, lecturers then included [email protected]

20 Chem@Cam Summer 2009 Chat lines Raf’s triple success

Triathlons are hard work – you’ve first Swimming in the got to swim, then it’s a cycle, and to Med (he’s in there round it off, a run. They vary in length, somewhere!), cope with such a long distance!’ 13.5 hours, beating more than 1,000 of but the truly hardcore go in for the cycling and He describes the swim as ‘very vio - the other competitors. ‘Surprisingly, I Ironman form of the event – a 3.8km running his way to lent’, and after accidentally managing to wasn’t particularly exhausted after - swim, 180km on the bike, and as if that an impressive 13.5 drink about a litre of seawater, he was wards, although my legs were a little weren’t enough, it’s rounded off with a hour finishing time left with tummy-ache for the rest of the weak!’ he says. The experience hasn’t full marathon. race. And he’d hurt his knee a month put him off – he’s now planning to And in a fit of bravery (or should that before the race, which led to the run compete in the Lanzarote ironman next be recklessness?) Raphaël Rodriguez, a taking him five hours, where he’d nor - year, which is reputed to be the most postdoc in Shankar Balasubramanian’s mally expect to be an hour and a half difficult in the world. And he hopes to group, went for the ironman option for faster than that. The weather wasn’t kind finish in under 11 hours. his very first triathlon in July. either – the last 40km of the cycle was But why did he take part? ‘I promised ‘It was in Nice, and the swim was in into a fierce head wind, and the sun a good friend that I would do the race if the Mediterranean,’ Raf says. ‘Then the came out during the run, sending tem - she succeeded in her university applica - bike ride had 1,800m of climbing! I’d peratures soaring to 36°C. Many of the tion. She succeeded, and I raced!’ he says. never swum with nearly 3,000 other competitors were forced out of the race ‘I decided to raise funds for Amnesty people before, and I had no experience through dehydration. International as I believe we have the of the transitions between the different Raf did amazingly well for a first- responsibility to protect human rights. I stages. I didn’t know whether I could timer, completing the race in just over was honoured to represent them.’ Chemistry challenged! James’ varsity victory Man-of-the-match at this year’s rugby league varsity match was a chemist – James Shearman – who is in the third year of his Cancer Research UK PhD in medicinal chemistry, jointly supervised by Steve Ley and James Brenton at Addenbrooke’s. The match was played at the Twickenham Stoop – home of the Harlequins teams of both codes – and was even televised live on Sky Sports. A band of chemists made the trek down to Twickenham to support him. ‘It was my fourth varsity match, having previ - ously won one and lost two,’ he says. ‘I was playing prop, and it was fairly close until the last 10 minutes when we scored two tries in quick succession to win by 20 points to 4.’

Chemists have been gracing University out at home!’ he says. ‘Jeremy Paxman Challenge again – this time represent - was incredibly friendly, and was very ing Clare College. Undergraduate Matt taken with our college mascot, Vin Cliffe and former chemist Gary Weasel – he even told us it was a very McDowell, who’s now in the oncology nice weasel and was only too happy to department. Gary reports that there have his picture taken holding it.’ was even some organic chemistry The team lost their first round match, involved! but scored well and we’re now waiting ‘We had a fantastic time, but it was to find out whether they get through to completely different being on the show the next round as one of the highest- compared with shouting the answers scoring losers. Fingers crossed! James bulldozes his way through an Oxford tackle

Chem@Cam Summer 2009 21 Chat lines Katy’s wedding in a castle It wouldn’t be Chem@Cam if we didn’t group members made the long journey have a wedding to report – and this north for the festivities. ‘We had bacon issue’s Hello Magazine moment is Katy rolls at 10.30pm – and Steve Ley and Bridgwood, who’s just finished her PhD Whiffen ‘lab daddy’ Colin Pearson ate in Steve Ley’s group. most of them!’ Katy says. Katy married another chemist, Ian The happy couple honeymooned in Casely, at Dalhousie Castle, just outside Florence, before moving to the US. ‘Ian Edinburgh. Amazingly for Scotland, she had finished his PhD in Edinburgh two reports that there was no rain! The wed - weeks before the wedding, and we’re ding ceremony took place in the castle’s both now postdocs at the University of chapel, followed by drinks and canapés California Irvine – I’m working for before the wedding breakfast. Events Larry Overman and Ian for Bill Evans,’ were rounded off by a ceilidh, and a she says. ‘So now we get to to enjoy the chocolate fountain. nice sunny southern California weather. Steve and Rose Ley and several other It’s a pretty good start to married life!’ Don’t drop her! Hubby Ian is second from the right

Then the lights came up again for the Cambridge goes to the Proms last piece: Symphony No 3 (Organ) by Saint-Saens. I knew I was going to like it The Royal Albert as soon as I saw the size of the percus - Hall was packed with Prommers for sion section! However, despite noting the Cambridge the word ‘organ’ in the title, I wasn’t celebrations prepared for the amazingly mighty chord, played with all the stops out, which vibrated through the whole auditorium. It was thrilling! We all (including the VC and HRH) waved our flags like mad at the end and stamped and shouted our approval. I expect that for some the highlight was the choral singing, for some the soloists and for others the Cambridge connections which ran through the entire programme, but for me, that A group of department members and 300 members of the combined organ symphony was magnificent! assorted family and friends had a very Cambridge Choirs (including Frank Lee, We were still exhilarated when we special evening out at the Albert Hall on one of the Department’s Computer boarded the minibus for our return trip Wednesday 22 July, reports Liz Alan . There Officers), and the BBC Symphony though when I looked back later most were16 of us in total, including Bill Jones, Orchestra. The atmosphere was celebra - people were gently dozing. Quietly we Tim Dickens, Chris Wilson, Jane Snaith, tory: the leader of the orchestra ,and drove in to the car park at 12.30 am – Vicky Spring, Sian Bunnage, Howard then the conductor, Andrew Davis (a and all agreed we’d had a lovely time the Jones and Mags Glendenning, plus three Cambridge graduate), were greeted night we went to London! Thanks to members of Jeremy Sanders’ group. with rapturous applause. Jeremy and Bill. For me, the journey began more than The music got off to a suitably buzzy two years ago, when I was still working start with Vaughan Williams’ Wasps x o

with Jeremy as head of department. He Overture, and was followed by a spe - c n was chair of the 800 Committee, and cially commissioned orchestral piece by a H

e

had his first, hush-hush, meeting with Ryan Wrigglesworth (a Fellow of n i l o

Nicholas Kenyon, then director of the Corpus Christi), The Genesis of Secrecy. r a C

BBC Proms, to discuss a possible When the composer came on at the end : o t

Cambridge Prom as part of the Univ- he received a well-deserved and rousing o h ersity’s 800th Anniversary celebrations. cheer! Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical P Between them, Jeremy and Bill had Songs followed – a very varied piece, managed to get a handful of the prized and an appropriate ending for an enjoy - tickets, and Bill put on a minibus to get able and diverse first half. us there. As soon as we’d left the out - After the interval came Stanford’s skirts of Cambridge we ate our sand - Magnificat, and Nunc Dimittis – one of wiches – and enjoyed pointing out the loveliest versions of these familiar landmarks on the way in to London, psalms that I’ve ever heard. It was awe- arriving outside the Albert Hall in plenty inspiring to hear 300 voices united in of time to get a restorative drink! perfect harmony. At this point, the full Once inside, having been given flags choirs left the stage and the spotlights and badges at the door, we did some turned to the younger choirs of St John’s Computer officer Charlotte Bolton has moved on – not to another celebrity spotting, picking out the vice- and King’s College. Their unaccompanied CO role, but to become a student again as she’s starting an MRes chancellor and Prince Charles. Come Holy Ghost (Jonathan Harvey) was degree in ocean science at Southampton in the autumn. Past and The Albert Hall was stunning in plum appropriately haunting, and Ascending present COs were on hand to give her a send-off. From the left: Greg and gold, and we had a splendid view of into Heaven by Judith Wier was by turns Willatts, Mike Rose, Chris Chalk, Dave Pratt, Phil Marsden, Charlotte, the huge stage, soon occupied by about challenging and lyrical. Tim Dickens, Catherine Pitt, Robert Cumberland and Stuart Taylor

22 Chem@Cam Summer 2009 Puzzle corner

A little more Sudoku Naphthalene resistance Not to be outdone by Graham Quartly, when he’d finished the benzene resistance problem from the last issue on his long MS H C ferry trip, David Wilson decided to go one better, and devised this puzzle, based on naphthalene. He was tempted to try IT SE hexabenzocoronene, but that would have been just a bit too brain-mangling! SC Anyway. The technician at St. Richard’s heard about his fel - low technician at St. Anne’s making a model of benzene using resistors, and decided to go one better by making a model of

C ERY naphthalene. Thus he connected

1

two resistors in parallel to repre - 8

sent a double bond, while single 9 2 ET 7 resistors stood for a single bond.

He used the standard Kekulé

TY MI 3

model of naphthalene, as shown, 6

but on this occasion simply con - 10

5 RT structed the carbon skeleton, 4 leaving out the hydrogen atoms. The resistors that he used TY E S were each 160 ohms. He intended to connect the nodes representing carbon atoms successively in pairs to obtain a set of different effective EM RY resistances. He recognised that there would be a number of trivial duplications arising from reversal, reflection or rota - As most of our puzzle correspondents rather like Chemdokus, tion, but nevertheless expected to get eighteen separate resist - it would seem churlish to deprive them of their puzzling hit ances, thus: this issue. As suggested by Tom Banfield, this time it’s simple – not elements but the nine letters of the word ‘CHEMISTRY’. 1→2, 1 →3, 1 →4, 1 →5, 1 →6, 1 →7, 1 →8, 1 →9, 1 →10 But how simple is the puzzle? I guess the judge of that will be 2→3, 2 →4, 2 →5, 2 →6, 2 →7, 2 →8, 2 →9, 2 →10 and 9 →10. how many entries we get... (→ denotes direction of flow of current) The usual £20 is on offer to the first one randomly picked in whatever manner we decide next time around! On checking, however, there proved to be only fifteen values of effective resistance available. Explain, for his benefit and without using calculation, which pairs of nodes when con - nected yield duplicate values. He then investigated the current flowing from node 9 to Last issue’s winners node 10, using only the connections listed above, that there quent career as a vet back in 2005. were two instances in which no current flowed, and just one Benzene resistance As luck would have it, John – who in which the current was reversed and flowed from 10 to 9. We also got a great response to Graham now lives in Altadena, California – sent Again, explain without calculation which nodes were Quartly’s benzene resistance puzzle. in a solution inspired by Lewis Carroll. involved. Those who got it wrong shall remain He says: ‘The problem is a linear one Unfortunately, your editor is a hard woman and thinks that nameless… but these people remem - and may be scaled linearly, hence it may besides sending in these explanations, you should earn your bered enough O-level physics to send in be worked using 1-ohm resistors. The £20 prize by actually calculating the resistance in each case! the correct answer: John Carpenter, Red Queen: “What’s one and one and (The good news is that only in the last case do you need more Victor Ostanin, Peter Jenner, David one and…” Between any two para-car - than the standard formulae for combining resistances in series Wilson, Richard Brown, Kevin Rogers, bon atoms there are two paths, one of or in parallel). The inevitable £20 will wing its way to the first Julian Huppert, Godfrey Chinchen, two ohms and the other 2.5 ohms. This complete set of correct answers we randomly select. Christian Hill, Dave Stone, John Nixon, results in a net (no pun intended) resist - Norman Sansom, Dorn Nixon, John ance of 1.1111111.....ohms (That £20 prizes are on offer for each puzzle. Send entries Jacobs, David Griffin, Annette Quartly, should please the Red Queen, too) Now by email to [email protected] or by snail mail to Jeff Smith (who says that idly flicking add one ohm each for the two bonds to Chem@Cam, Department of Chemistry, University of through Chem@Cam during a coffee the para-H atoms and multiply by 99. Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW break, he thought the answer was so Voila, 308! obvious he must have misunderstood the problem!), Mike Barlow, Dave ChemDoku Chambers, Alison Griffin, Neil Borthwick, John Wilkins (who says ChemDoku continues to attract plenty McKelvie, Dorn Nixon, Norman thank goodness the puzzle didn’t use of correct entries, and our ‘gets per - Sansom, Christian Hill, Godfrey buckminsterfullerene), Paul Stickland, sonal’ puzzle in the last issue was no Chinchen (now in retirement after Stephen Marsden, Richard Moss and AJ exception. many years of an enjoyable career in Wilkinson, Jim Dunn, Gordon Hall, Reg Correct entries were received from H catalysis research at ICI), Richard Lewis, Hugh Aldred and H. Stokes. Stokes, Robin Cork, Reg Lewis (of the Brown, David Wilson (who saved the And the winner is John Jacobs, who infamous 1946 class), Tony Pike (who puzzles for a 24 hour ferry crossing asked for his £20 prize to be donated to says he’s from the famous 1945 class), from Portsmouth to Santander) and the Phyllis Croft Foundation for Canine Mark Roberts, Ian Fletcher, Peter Roger Duffett. Epilepsy – set up by one of his contem - Entwistle, Bill Collier, John Turnbull, Jim The lucky winner picked by this poraries, and those with long memories Dunn, AJ Wilkinson, Andrew Milner, issue’s random number generator is may remember that Chem@Cam inter - Mike Barlow, Tim O’Donoghue, Paul Andrew Milner, who’s in the mainte - viewed chemistry alumnus Phyllis about Littlewood, Tom Banfield, Annette nance section here in the department. her wartime experiences and subse - Quartly, Mike Harris, Richard Congratulations!

Chem@Cam Summer 2009 23 The students’ sense of relief when the five-hour exams had finished was palpable

Chem@Cam is written, edited and produced

by S ARAH H OULTON

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