The Challenge of Protein Folding Laser

Spring 2006 The challenge of protein folding Free radicals in organic synthesis Laser spectroscopy of surfaces Energy efficiency and climate change As I see it... Peter Spitz has spent his life in the chemical industry. He started out as a chemical engineer, and founded the consultancy Chem Systems, which was acquired by IBM in 1999. He continues to work as an advisor to chemical industry senior management, and spoke to Sarah Houlton about some of the current issues facing the sector What scope is there with current Europe and the American Chemistry What will the long term conse - technology for replacing petro - Council (ACC) in the US to improve the quences be if they fail? chemicals with natural materials? industry’s image. I think the problem is I think there will be more banning of There has been a lot of talk about replac - that whenever they think they’ve gained certain products, some justified but not ing petrochemical hydrocarbons with a little PR ground, there’s another necessarily a good thing in all cases. natural materials, particularly making explosion or revelation of people being There is a lot of evidence to suggest that polymers from starch and intermediates adversely affected by some chemical. when DDT was completely phased out, based on ingredients such as corn. It’s impossible to avoid this sort of bad it led to a huge increase in the incidence Progress is being made, but it’s going to PR, and I don’t see how companies will of malaria in Africa and Asia, and there be a very long, slow haul. ever completely avoid it it – so they just are now second thoughts about whether While a number of companies have have to live with it. The problem is that it was a good idea, but it was done. said they intend to make more use of when it is translated into proposed action Now Greenpeace and some of the natural materials as feedstocks, it’s (or overreaction) by government bodies, more extreme environmental groups going to take another couple of decades it creates an enormous problem for the have proposed the elimination of chlo - for this to take off. The impetus isn’t chemical industry. The original proposals rine, which would be disastrous. Chlo - going to be so much that it can save oil, of the European chemicals evaluation and rine is essential for purifying drinking it’s more environmentally based. There testing programme, Reach, would have water. People say it could be replaced will be enough oil for petrochemicals been extremely costly, almost prohibi - with ozone, but that would be tremen - for a long, long time; the big replace - tively so, and fortunately the proposed dously expensive, and ozone only persists ment incentive is much more on the testing requirements have been cut back. for a short time and does not inhibit bac - fuel side where a great deal of effort is The industry associations try to do terial growth in the pipes downstream of being made with biodiesel and ethanol. their best to educate the public with the treatment plant. When the conse - examples, and I think it helps a lot. The quences are properly considered, a ban Is it mainly the big companies American Plastics Council ran a wonder - would make no sense at all. that are working in the area? ful campaign several years ago on the Yes, because it requires huge new invest - basis of ‘Plastics make it possible’, which The chemical industry has changed ments without achieving breakthrough improved that industry’s perception by greatly since you began your economics. But many chemical compa - the public substantially. Industry has to career. Why is industrial chemistry nies have said – and I believe they mean figure out how to best present their pos - still an attractive career option? it – that they’re in favour of sustainable itive contribution to society to the public. When I graduated, industrial chemistry development. There’s a PR aspect. I’m I think the better a job they do there, the was glamorous. Petrochemicals were not cynical about their motives, though. better the image is going to be. They just growing rapidly, with many new inven - I just think companies have to be eco - haven’t done the best job so far. tions being made. Now the industry is nomically driven, regardless of whether mature, and image problems and a lack they are altruistically inclined or not. Are they getting better? of seemingly exciting new developments I think most processes using natural The recent campaign started by the ACC, make industrial chemistry of less interest raw materials are more complicated or I think, is a lot better than what it has to graduate students who are more likely less direct, for example fermentation. done in the past – it does a good job of to choose areas like pharmaceuticals, There are a number of products that presenting to the public how chemicals biochemistry or nanomaterials. have been made from natural materials are necessary to shape their lives, and To me, the exciting part of the chemi - for a long time, such as citric acid and how people can’t do without them. I cal industry was taking an invention from high fructose corn syrup plus, of course, think the next step will have to be adver - the lab to a commercial plant, making the ethanol but, in general, processes are not tising by industry groups to try and get product for a dollar a kilo rather than the that economical, and difficult to scale up. people to buy into the facts. thousands of dollars it would cost in a They have to understand that, like any test-tube. That opportunity still exists. It’s In what other ways can compa - industry, the chemical sector is subject to still thrilling to walk through a large nies address the bad image of certain hazards which are outweighed by chemical plant and realise a product is the chemical industry? the good that they enjoy every day from being made there on a hundred million I don’t think there are any easy answers. the products it makes. That’s going to be pound a year scale. There’s an excitement A lot of money has been spent by difficult, but we have to continue to try being in a large chemical plant I think industry organisations such as Cefic in and educate the public. can’t be matched anywhere else in industry. CV Peter Spitz Born: Vienna, Austria consultants, which has among its clients some of the Education: Peter attended schools in Austria and largest multinational chemical firms andmerchant banks. France, high school at Germantown Friends School in Interests: Author of two books on the chemical Philadelphia, and graduated in chemical engineering industry. He is a founding member of Chemical Heritage from MIT. Foundation, which is involved with the history of Career: After several years at Esso Engineering, he chemistry from alchemy to the present. Peter is also an joined Scientific Design Company where he was in avid skier and golfer. charge of designing and starting up new petro chemical Did you know? Peter and wife Hilda have three sons, plants. He left to found Chem Systems, a management all with MBAs from highly-rated universities, who are consulting firm that eventually had offices in New York, respectively a chief financial officer of a large firm, a London, Paris, Tokyo and Bangkok. More recently, Peter high yield bond analyst and an investment banker. Still, founded a strategy boutique in partnership with other Peter says, it’s not yet time to retire. 2 Chem@Cam Spring 2006 Reluctant reactions Letters Dear Editor, the reaction proceeded ‘extraordinarily temporarily blind and have to go home. The letter from Antony Barrington readily’. One began to wait for the Antony was responsible for the defin - Brown ( Chem@Cam 25) rang a bell phrase every time, in case a particular ing moment in my scientific career. with me as I was probably a contempo - reaction was somewhat reluctant! B. Lythgoe was delivering a tedious lec - rary of his (I regret to say that I cannot Yours sincerely, ture on unlikely organic reactions and remember him after all these years). Keith Parsons had reached the contribution from a I well remember Dr Saunders’ remark Solihull, West Midlands Dr. Lössen. Antony brightly called it the [that it’s both the malodorous element Dead Loss Rearrange ment. I knew then in human excrement, and the straw - that I would never be a narrow special - berry flavour in strawberry ice-cream], Footballs and atoms ist chemist, but a generalist or even a polymath. Dear Editor, When I discovered it was easier to As chemistry gets more and more spe - make money than work I entered on a cialised I had been considering drop - new profession as a chartered layabout. ping Chem@Cam . Fortunately you I decided to endow some scholarships have now published some delightful and wrote to Chem@Cam asking why contributions from Vincent Gray and scientists did PhDs. Despite reminders, I Antony Barring ton Brown. only received one charming letter from I did not meet Vincent at Emmanuel a non-doctorate. I instructed the because I spent several years swanning trustees that awards should not be made around the smouldering wreck of the to postgraduate students. Drittes Reich. We did work together on My most recent foray into science coal during which he imparted his con - was when I wrote to David King at the siderable skills in colloid science. After DTI explaining why on thermodynamic he left, I did some work on the high grounds atomic power stations should temperature flash pyrolysis of coal.

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