Volume 74, No. 4, October 2010
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Inside Volume 74, No.4, October 2010 Articles and Features 129 Rotaxanes as Molecular Machines – The Work of Professor David Leigh Anthea Blackburn 136 Hydrated Complexes in Earth’s Atmosphere Anna L. Garden and Henrik G. Kjaergaard 141 Healthy Harbour Watchers: Community-Based Water Quality Monitoring and Chemistry Education in Dunedin Andrew Innes, Steven A. Rusak, Barrie M. Peake and David S. Warren 145 Hot Chemistry from Horopito Nigel B. Perry and Kevin S. Gould 149 Jan Romuald Zdysiewicz, FRACI (1943–2010) Jennifer M. Bennett and Donald W. Cameron 150 Earthquakes and Chemistry Anthea Lees Other Columns 122 NZIC October News 157 Grants and Awards 151 Patent Proze 158 IYC 2011 152 ChemScrapes 159 Subject Index 2010 153 Dates of Note 160 Author Index 2010 156 Conference Calendar Advertisers Inside front cover Thermo Fisher Scientific Editorial 135 NZIC Annual General Meeting Inside back cover Pacifichem Back cover NZ Scientific On the Cover Horopito leaves from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pseudowinteracolorata.jpg – see P 145 121 Chemistry in New Zealand October 2010 New Zealand Institute of Chemistry supporting chemical sciences October News NZIC News Comment from the President and ICY 2011 It is now just a few months until the end of the 2010 – ships with groups such as and that means the start of the 2011 International Year of teachers (both high school Chemistry. I am pleased to report that the major NZIC and primary) and, in my events have been planned and a programme of events for experience, NZIC needs the year written. These will all have been discussed by to demonstrate how it can Council at its September 3 meeting when this is in press. have a positive impact on We have used the services and inspiration of Glenda Lew- the teaching of chemis- is to develop some really exciting ideas and publicity for try in NZ for teachers to the IYC 2011 events will start appearing toward the end consider us a worthwhile of this year, so keep a look out for that. And it is also investment of their time. great to see that, in addition to the larger scale national Through our IYC 2011 activities, we hope to develop events that Council is coordinating, Branch committees a range of useful resources for teachers and the general have enthusiastically embraced this opportunity to pro- public that achieve the aims of IYC 2011 but continue to mote chemistry to the public and have developed a num- have an impact in 2012 and beyond. ber of their own events. Be sure to register on the IYC 2011 website and enter all your local events so the rest of We are putting plans in place to ensure that our web pres- the country can see what is being planned. ence for IYC 2011 is absolutely top-shelf. In my opinion, a useful and informative web-presence is one of the keys During our discussions we have thought very carefully to ensuring the growth of NZIC in the future. The NZIC about how to maximise the impact of IYC 2011. There tag-line is supporting chemical sciences and having an is the need to make a big splash and capture the atten- informative and authoritative NZIC website is one of the tion of the media and public during the year. And so our most direct methods for supporting chemical sciences in programme involves a small number of events that are de- New Zealand. signed to have high profiles for this purpose. At the same Mark Waterland time, IYC 2011 is a good opportunity to build relation- President NZIC NEWS NZIC MEMBERSHIP Mrs Heather Velvin (Freyberg High MATTERS School) 2010 PRIZES Mr Mark Reynolds (Fonterra) Council offers its congratulations FNZIC to the following recipients of its Council has elected to its Fellowship STUDENT MEMBERS 2010 prizes: and offer its congratulations to for- Miss Yiwen (Angela) Pei (University mer Members: The Maurice Wilkins Centre Prize of Auckland) for Chemical Science: Dr Gareth Rowlands (Institute of Mr Nicholas Monahan (Victoria Prof Keith Gordon (Department of Fundamental Sciences, Massey Uni- University) Chemistry, Otago University) versity) Mr Juan Olguin Talavera (University The Fonterra Prize for Industrial Dr Richard Tilley (SCPS, Victoria of Otago) and Applied Chemistry: University) A/Prof. David Harding (Institute of Dr Peter Tyler (Industrial Research BRANCH NEWS Fundamental Sciences, Massey Uni- Limited) versity) AUCKLAND MNZIC In recent months NZIC Branch The Denis Hogan Chemical Educa- seminars in Auckland were given by Dr Geoff Waterhouse (University of tion Award: NZIC President Dr Mark Waterland Auckland) Dr Jan Giffney (St Cuthbert’s Col- (May) (IFS Massey) who spoke on lege, Auckland) Dr Vyacheslav Fifichev (Massey Strongly absorbing and Metal-to- University) ligand charge-transfer states in novel 122 Chemistry in New Zealand October 2010 ruthenium dipyrrin complexes: Prob- from results showing that the loss of practical chemistry at Bristol as part ing ultrafast dynamics with reso- fruity and tropical aromas in Sauvi- of the Chemistry School’s Laborato- nance Raman spectroscopy and Dr gnon Blanc wines, commonly ob- ry Sciences, known as the ChemLabS Michael Edmonds (August) (CPIT) served over the first year in the bottle, programme. It has been designated on Fluorine, Plant Nutrients and Ani- comes about, not from oxidation and one of England’s 74 Centres for Ex- mated Chemistry. wine closure issues, but from hydro- cellence in Teaching and Learning. lysis of a key acetate component in University of Auckland the wine. As with all ester hydrolyses On July 14, Dr Michael Edmonds (Applied Sciences and Allied Health, The second annual June Chemistry of this type, the reaction is acceler- CPIT) addressed the Branch on Fluo- Research Showcase was a highlight ated by lowering the pH or by rais- rine, plant nutrients and animated for the Department, and featured PhD ing the temperature, emphasizing the chemistry. He presented material student presentations from Norizah need for greater refrigeration during from a range of research projects that Abdul Rahman, Lauren Ferguson, prolonged storage of NZ’s leading he has been involved in over the last Catrin Guenther, Philip McGill, export wine. ten years that included the synthesis Elizabeth McKenzie, Claire Rye, Recent seminars from visitors to of novel monofluorinated molecules, Zoe Wilson, Tsz Ying Yuen. The day Chemistry have included: Dr Don the analysis of the nutritional content also featured a thought-provoking Eigler (IBM Fellow, IBM Almaden of NZ edible plants, and the devel- address by Steve Wilson (Managing Research Center) who spoke on opment of interactive chemistry ani- Director, Talbots Plastics Ltd.) who Spin Excitation Spectroscopy (and mations as teaching resources. The underlined the need for the clever the development of a new kind of annual Branch dinner was held at chemistry and thinking for industries spin spectroscopy to interrogate Visions restaurant, CPIT campus, on that thrive in the NZ setting. both the energetics and dynamics of July 29 and it was enjoyed by all who A different well attended event rec- spin systems on the atomic scale); attended. ognized several research facilities in Zvonimir Katancic (Chemical En- On August 18, Erskine visitor to the the basement that included the Pho- gineering and Technology, Univer- Canterbury University’s Chemistry ton Factory, the Auckland Microfab- sity of Zagreb), a research visitor to Department, Prof. Philip Doble, pre- rication Facility and the XRD Labo- PERC, who spoke on Fire retarded sented a talk entitled Environmental ratory. They have taken up premises polymer nanocomposites; Dr Ashton and forensic applications of hyphen- there over the past year or so with Partridge (Massey University) who ated quadrupole time of flight – mass the NMR Centre and Free Radical gave an overview of research devel- spectrometry (QTOF-MS) to a good Research facility. The high quality opments in his group in sensing and turn-out of NZIC members. Prof of these research facilities and their photovoltaics research and the appli- Doble gave details of a quick and personnel was recognized, along with cations of nanotechnology in a range cheap assay for 130 different pesti- their importance for future research of areas. Prof. Kevin Smith (Novel cides (in 12 minutes) in vegetables directions within the Department and Materials Lab, Boston University) developed at the Sydney University wider University. also presented a seminar on Organic Photovoltaics. of Technology, and how the combina- A/Prof Yacine Hemar joined the De- tion of capillary electrophoresis with partment in July as a new member Prof Peter Schwerdtfeger is to chair QTOF-MS enabled the identification of the Food Science programme and two symposia at Pacifichem 2010 and quantification of minute amounts has already been successful in gain- and present some of his own work. of disperse dyes extracted from single ing permission to establish a Food fibres and the techniques relevance to Microstructure Facility, based around CANTERBURY crime scene investigations. the physical chemistry of food mate- May 12th saw a fascinating talk by The Canterbury Westland School’s rials. Yacine has been appointed re- Darren Saunders from ESR on Food Science and Technology Fair was cently to the Editorial Board of the forensics: the application of foren- held over Sunday and Monday Au- Elsevier Food Hydrocolloids journal. sic sciences to the investigation of gust 29/30 at the AMI stadium in Dr David Ware, a well-established food safety, quality and authentic- Christchurch. Darren Saunders member of the Department, was ap- ity. Branch members were enthralled judged the projects on behalf of the pointed Senior Tutor with the role (and occasionally repulsed) by cases Canterbury Branch and prizes for the of Departmental Laboratory Man- of foreign matter, undesirable taints best chemistry related exhibits were ager. A number of our general staff and false claims associated with awarded to: have recently received Professional foods that have been investigated by + Development Awards and included Thomas Ferguson (Year 9 category) the ESR Food Chemistry Laboratory.