Creating Colours Without Pigments Measuring Gases Above the Pacific

Spring 2014

Creating colours without pigments The potential of modiﬁed proteins Measuring gases above the Paciﬁc What holds our bones together? As I see it...

Could we start by taking a look at how things are going in the Numerous fundraising initiatives are under way in the department, department at the moment? designed to support our scientists and their research. Sarah Houlton Sure. Scientifically, we are very success - spoke to head of department Daan Frenkel about what we’re doing ful, and in the past few years we have attracted a number of excellent new staff members, including four lecturers and a professor. Our academic and teaching staff continue to win national and international acclaim – members of staff have won more than 20 prizes in the past year, continue to increase the amount of money brought in to sup - port research, and publish the work they do in major journals.

If things are going so well, why is a programme of fundraising so important? The department delivers excellence on a fraction of the resources available to our Many of our competitors in countries such as the US. “staff have greatly Our research staff are very successful at benefited from the t

generosity of t

raising money via grant applications, i

but these sources don’t necessarily pro - donors when n a h vide start-up funds or money that can setting up their “ t a N

be used flexibly and strategically. Our research groups : o t research priorities cannot, and must in Cambridge o h not, be set solely by the priorities of P external parties. dentships – we have about 280 PhD stu - for the future of chemistry, and not just Flexibility is particularly important dents in the department at the moment in Cambridge – many successful for young scientists as they build up – and, indeed, it’s not that we can’t fill Cambridge URFs and holders of other their groups. For example, they may our fume cupboards. But, increasingly, senior fellowships have gone on to lec - need to buy a piece of equipment and funding sources for PhD students are tureships, readerships and even profes - consumables to allow them to perform directed to particular areas of research sorships at other universities. initial experiments in a new and emerg - and restricted to specific groups of stu - However, while these fellowships are ing area of research that might, at a later dents. This can hamper the pursuit of prestigious and important, unrestricted date, form the basis of a large bid to a new ‘blue sky’ research projects, or even top-up funding to help the research get government or charitable funding prevent us from exploring interesting off the ground would really help. agency. It may also enable them to areas that don’t fall within the scope of Research Springboard money could recruit or retain staff between grants. one of our current doctoral training support travel to meet potential new Our donors have been incredibly awards. Yet these are exactly the sorts of collaborators, or provide consumables important to us in the past, and we projects that at least some Cambridge to explore new directions in research. believe they will be even more impor - students should be carrying out. The donor would have the privilege and tant in future. There is thus a great need for us to be satisfaction of knowing they had an able to say, simply, ‘Here is a fantastic important input in launching a young The Next Generation Fellowship project, you are a fantastic candidate, scientist’s career, and laying the founda - programme has been transfor - you’ve got the place.’ Or maybe a truly tions for their future success. mative, hasn’t it? exceptional candidate wants to do a It certainly has. Many of our staff have project no one had ever contemplated – So the Next Generation Fellows benefited from the generosity of donors if we had the funding we could let them are the next step in the career in setting up their research groups here do it. A donor who funded a Next sequence. What follows that? in Cambridge, via these unrestricted Generation student might be able to see We would love to be able to support grants that enable them to get their something really exciting happening. Next Generation Lectureships. It’s research up and running. Most recently, important to say that we have no plans Silvia Vignolini has been awarded a NGF So the plan is to expand the to increase our overall numbers because from Philip & Patricia Brown. Next Generation programme we feel that our current academic staff We are continually bringing new through all the steps of a level of 55–60 is about right to make a young people into the department, and chemist’s early career? real impact on a number of areas of this scheme gives them a fantastic boost That’s right. The next step of support is chemistry. There’s no need to spread in the early days of their career. We are what we’re calling the Research ourselves too thinly by expanding that, now also looking to expand the Next Springboard. Many of the young and there isn’t the space, either. Generation scheme to benefit a wider researchers starting out their independ - However, the lectureship scheme group of people in different ways, from ent career have a university research fel - allows us to do something slightly dif - students through to lecturers. lowship from an organisation such as ferently. Academic staff places tend to the Royal Society. These prestigious fel - open up when people move elsewhere Can you tell me about these lowships are extremely competitive, or retire, and it may be that we find Next Generation studentships? and only go to the very best. Typically, someone who is so brilliant, and The Next Generation scheme would the fellowship lasts for five years, allow - aligned with our priority areas of allow us to fund individual students ing the scientist to become established research, that we would love to hire

through a four-year PhD. One might as a top-level researcher on the interna - them immediately. think we already have enough stu - tional stage. These people are important continued on page 11

2 Chem@Cam Spring 2014 Reluctant reactions Letters

Are you in Cambridge for the university’s evenings. Others, particularly those from ‘down Alumni Festival in September? Why not under’, preferred the Panton Arms. Both were eChem@Cam visit us in Lensfield Road for our Student worthy successors to the Eagle in Bene’t Street Chem@Cam is now being sent out by email Showcase and Lab Tours? as watering holes for chemistry graduate stu - to those who have asked for a pdf version dents and postdocs, where, I think, many good rather than a hard copy in the mail. Come and learn about the latest cutting-edge ideas emerged from the informal discussions. If you would like to swap your paper research in chemistry, as some of our talented Sandy Todd young researchers give brief presentations magazine for an e-version, send an email about their projects. There will also be lab with the subject line ‘eChem@Cam’ to tours for interested alumni and guests. [email protected], and we’ll send it to you Pub pursuits electronically from the next issue. Don’t Friday 26 September 2014 at 4pm in the Todd forget to tell us your postal address so we Hamied Room – put it in your diary! Dear Editor can check that the correct person is removed John Green’s article, ‘Memories of Lensfield from the mailing list for the paper magazine. From Eagle to Arms Road’, in the last issue of Chem@Cam brought back some memories of the Spread Eagle 50 or You can check out e-back issues at Dear Editor so years ago. By chance, I was telling some of www.ch.cam.ac.uk I read with interest J.A. Green’s article in the the same anecdotes to my grandchildren only a Autumn 2013 issue of Chem@Cam about his few days ago. Kingsley Amis was a friend of my supervisor, memories of the move to Lensfield Road and I recall that John himself was a useful bar bil - the late J. Howard Purnell, and also played a early days working there. I had not heard the liards player, although I think our contempo - useful game of bar billards. On at least one story about my father and the White/Green con - rary, Peter Coates, was acknowledged as the occasion, the landlord of the Spread Eagle fusion before, but can well imagine the scene! local champion. Claims that we played the arranged a match against a team from a pub I do remember the adjournments to the game to give us all a useful insight into molec - somewhere near Barton or Comberton, and I Spread Eagle, now sadly no more, in the ular collisions proved to be unfounded! think I recall that Kinsley played, although the rest of the team came from the department. Yes, the Spread Eagle was popular with mem - bers of the department and it was rumoured, although never substantiated, that Professor Norrish even chose the same wallpaper for his sitting room at home as that in the Spread Eagle public bar! Tony Kallend (1956-62)

Physical origins

Dear Editor On reading my autumn 2013 copy of Chem@Cam , I wondered how you can write about wavefunctions without mentioning the late John Pople or Bob Parr? And how about a list and origins of the Physical Chemistry group at Pembroke? I recall an Australian but not his name. G.J. Mains Can anyone help us with his question about the Pembroke group, or reminiscences about Pople or Parr? Let us know!

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. Publisher: Daan Frenkel Contents Editor: Sarah Houlton Photographers: News 4 Nathan Pitt, Caroline Hancox Research 7 Alumni 12 Address: Part III student Ben Stewart Chem@Cam, Department of Chemistry, Chat lines 13 tests out our new mass University of Cambridge, Lensﬁeld Road spectrometry capabilities Cambridge CB2 1EW Puzzle corner 15 Phone: 01223 763865 Photograph: email: [email protected] Caroline Hancox website: www.ch.cam.ac.uk

Chem@Cam Spring 2014 3 News

Parliamentary poster presentation

Wing Ying Chow, a postdoc in Melinda Duer’s group, presented a poster on her chemistry at the SET for Britain event, held at the Houses of Parliament in March. The aim of the event is to encour - age, support and promote scientists, engineers, technologists and mathemati - cians, whom it describes as the ‘engine room’ of continued progress in and development of UK research and R&D and, ultimately, UK plc. t t

i Held in collaboration with British sci - P

n entific societies including the Royal a h t Society of Chemistry, the sessions incl - MP Julian Huppert, Ying, and her poster a N

: uded more than 100 posters from across o t o the breadth of science, engineering and much chemistry knowledge they had, h P technology – or SET – subjects, and just and what level to pitch my explanations Just before Christmas, a delegation from Aramco Overseas visited getting your poster accepted is some - at for each one.’ Cambridge. After a tour of the West Cambridge site, Daan Frenkel thing of an honour. Her poster drew a lot of interest, both welcomed them to a morning of presentations in St Catharine’s, ‘My poster was about the secret life of from chemists in industry and from including Peter Wothers speaking about outreach. The company atoms in collagen and bone,’ Ying says. Cambridge MP – and former Cambridge generously sponsors the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge, and ‘It described our work on developing a chemist – Julian Huppert. ‘It was very Peter finished off with a fiery demonstration, with managing solid state NMR experimental approach inspiring to talk to all these people, as director Nabil Aldabal being (safely!) ‘set alight’, with bicycle that allows us to look at atomic changes many had a chemical background and power provided by Rajeev Shankar from AO’s London office in collagen proteins in intact tissues, were really interested in what I’m trying which is really challenging as collagen to do in the lab and what its applications forms large, insoluble aggregates.’ might be,’ she says. The event was held in the House of ‘It was also fascinating to speak to the Three of 100 Commons’ terrace marquee, which other poster-givers around me, and find In an aim to challenge the UK’s ‘narrow overlooks the River Thames. ‘It was out what they were doing. At a confer - and old-fashioned’ view of science, in packed full of people giving their ence, everyone will be doing things that January the Science Council published a posters, and we were all really busy are at least vaguely related to your own list of the country’s 100 leading practis - explaining them to the competition work. Here, it was all of UK science, so ing scientists. And some of the names judges, parliamentarians and industrial - it was good to be able to talk to people on the list will be rather familiar to ists who attended the event,’ she says. ‘I who are doing cool things from gravity Chem@Cam readers. had to work out really quickly how waves to graphene!’ The list was split into 10 groups of 10 different types of scientists – different by role, not discipline. Investigator scientists included Sir Alan Fersht, who was chosen Linnett lecturer Spectral enhancements for his pioneering research in protein engineering, which he developed as a This year’s Linnett visiting was given in primary method for analysing the struc - early February by Emily Carter of ture, activity and folding of proteins. Princeton University, where she’s the Shankar Balasubramanian is on the Gerhard R. Andlinger professor in list of entrepreneur scientists for his energy and the environment, as well as work in the applications of chemistry to professor of mechanical and aerospace biological and medical sciences, and his engineering and applied computational x

part in the invention of Solexa DNA mathematics. o c n

sequencing technology. Her Linnett lecture, entitled ‘Running a H

And Peter Wothers is named as a combustion backwards: fuels from sun - e n i o teacher scientist, being recognised for light, from first principles’, described r a C

his role in helping to bridge the transi - her pioneering science in the field of : o t

tion between sixth form and university, solar energy. o h through his leadership in developing P the syllabus for the chemistry pre-uni - Two new mass spec machines have been Asha Boodhun versity qualification. installed in the department recently. The with one of the Other familiar faces include Chris Waters Synapt G2-Si and Xevo G2-S will new machines Bishop from Microsoft Research here in now allow proteins and protein com - Cambridge who has given demonstration plexes to be analysed in their native lectures in the department and is on the state, as well as proteins in complex investigator scientist list, as is Janet with small molecules, denatured pro - Thornton, director of the European teins, peptides, and even DNA and RNA. Bioinformatics Institute at Hinxton, and As well as running spectra for formerly an honorary professor here. And chemists in the department, Dijana university chancellor Lord Sainsbury is Matak-Vinkovik says the mass spec team cited as a policy maker scientist. of herself, Paul Skelton and Asha You can see the whole list at Boodhun will be more than happy to http://bit.ly/1dNeeIj train people to run their own.

4 Chem@Cam Spring 2014 www.ch.cam.ac.uk Solar in (moving) pictures Documentary times making sure it was accurate, even though we’d simplified things quite a lot,’ he says. As the intro video is bite-sized, they now plan to make a series of follow-up videos where they’ll go into some of their areas of research in more detail. ‘The first video doesn’t go that deep – it gives a broad picture of what we do and p

Fancy finding out a bit more about the why, and touches slightly on how we do u o r

chemistry that goes on in Erwin it in a colourful, cartoon kind of way,’ he G

Reisner’s lab? Well, thanks to the power says. ‘Then we give a very rapid tour of M O

of the internet – and the creativity of the lab, showing real people doing real z n i five of his group – you can, via a science, with quick captions about what r P

youtube video that gives an introduc - they’re up to.’ r u K

tion to their work on solar fuels. They’re now busy working out what : o t

‘There’s been a real drive to increase to put in the next one. ‘We plan to cover o h the amount of outreach research groups the potential of enzymes and chemical P do, particularly for government-funded synthesis in solar energy, artificial pho - With a cameraman, It’s been a bit of a media frenzy in projects so we can show what is being tosynthesis, and also the concept of sound guy and Erwin Reisner’s lab recently – in March done with taxpayers’ money,’ says post - energy storage and potential energy in the director all an Austrian documentary team spent doc Chris Windle. ‘And quite a few of us future videos,’ Chris adds. ‘It helps that squeezed into the three days there filming a documentary really enjoy talking about our science, our science has obvious real-world lab, the photos about renewable fuels for the Austrian and trying to explain it to non-scien - applications!’ had to be taken national TV network ORF. Erwin and tists. Creating a video seemed like a per - You can see the first video at from the corridor! several of the group were interviewed fect way to do this.’ So the team of http://bit.ly/1o8Nrky – and look out about what they’re up to and experi - Chris, Christine Caputo, Dave Wakerley, for the next instalment later in the year. ments were filmed in the lab. The docu - Claire Wombwell and Jenny Zhang got mentary is being sponsored by the to work. Austrian petrochemical company OMV, The video started out as a storyboard which also funds chemistry in Erwin’s – lots of squares on a big piece of paper, Christian Doppler Lab. where they drew their ideas for visuals One of the interviewees was PhD stu - for each of the points they wanted to get dent Dave Wakerley, who spoke about across. ‘We then worked hard to make using gas chromatography to detect the sure the script balanced explaining hydrogen generated by catalysts ‘I think what’s going on in a clear way, but also they’re going to dub my voice into German, hopefully with a deep James Bond-like voice!’ he says. ‘They also Teaching award for Sally filmed plenty of segments of the group doing chemistry around the lab, such as Sally Boss has won one of this year’s Pilkington Teaching a demonstration of a catalyst making Prizes. These coveted awards recognise outstanding contribu - hydrogen bubbles from water, and we tions to teaching within the university. She splits her time explained what was going on.’ between chemistry and Churchill, where she is an admissions With a cameraman, sound man with tutor and director of studies for chemistry. a boom mike and a director, plus a stills Sally says that news of the award was a very welcome sur - photographer to take pictures of the x o prise. ‘I had no idea that I had been nominated and am grate - process, the lab was rather fuller than c n a ful to those that put me forward,’ she says. ‘I feel very lucky usual while the filming was going on. H

e to be involved in teaching in the department, and to have the And at the same time, the lab was vis - n i l o

r opportunity to teach such bright and focused students.’ ited by OMV’s chief executive and its a C

: head of science and innovation, the o t o Austrian federal minister of science, h

P Matthew’s organic poster prize research and economy and the chief This year’s Alex Hopkins lecture was given Matthew Grayson, who’s in the fourth year of his PhD with and his deputy of the Kronen Zeitung, by materials scientist Mark Miodownik Jonathan Goodman, recently won the Organic & Biomolecular Austria’s largest newspaper. from UCL. The lecture, entitled ‘Strange Chemistry participants’ prize at the Royal Society of ‘It was an exciting visit for our materials’, looked at how new materials Chemistry’s organic division poster symposium. group,’ Erwin says. ‘It’s great to see transform technology, change behaviour Held in the Chemistry Centre at the RSC’s London head - interest on our work from beyond the and shape the world around us, and the quarters in December, the Roche-sponsored event gave 37 scientific community, and that people in changes to the material world that are PhD students the opportunity to present their chemistry to a my home country take such an interest coming our way. The annual lecture, which group of senior organic chemists from academia and industry. in what we’re doing. The feedback was relates chemistry to everyday life and As well as the ‘official’ poster winners, all the participants uniformly positive, and we are already contains an element of humour, is given in got to vote for their own favourite poster, and that’s what looking forward to my group’s visit to memory of Alex Hopkins, a much-loved Matthew won. His poster described his work using both com - OMV’s headquarters and refineries in teaching fellow at Churchill and putational and experimental techniques to gain an insight Vienna during the summer.’ Fitzwilliam, who also played an important into important asymmetric chemical transformation. There are also plans to make an role in the department’s inorganic ‘The knowledge we gain from mechanistic work can then be English language version of the docu - teaching. The lecture is supported in his applied to the rational design of new reactions in other com - mentary. If that happens, we’ll let you memory by Alex’s father, John Hopkins. plex and challenging areas of synthetic chemistry,’ he says. know where you can watch it!

Chem@Cam Spring 2014 5 News

the cucurbituril macrocyclic host mole - fruitful. ‘It will allow us to build some cules that a lot of his work has focused really strong networks and interactions, Visions of China… on in recent years. ‘It’s a really great give- which will really help our research in the and-take,’ he says. ‘Being out here for a future.’ Xi has also helped Oren meet and long stint is enabling me to get so much interact with chemists in other parts of more out of the experience than I would China, and he’s travelled around the coun - in just a month or two. I’ve also been try a fair amount already. ‘I love how able to go to local conferences, interact Chinese chemists have been eager to listen with other faculties at the university, and and talk science, but also show me their it’s been really interesting to watch the wonderfully rich and historic culture.’ ups and downs of the PhD students.’ Being in China with his family has Oren is also organising exchange vis - proved an interesting experience. ‘The its for the members of his group in haze and pollution over the winter Cambridge to Beijing. The first group of months really affected our breathing, five students were in China for a month and something surely has to be done at or so in February/March, and a further a political level about the city’s air qual - six will be making the trip soon. He’s ity,’ he says. ‘But now it’s spring, the Oren and his Oren Scherman is half way through a also hoping that some of the Chinese skies are blue, and the frozen lake near visiting group one-year sabbatical in China. He’s being students will be able to make a return our house melted really rapidly. Within members after hosted by Xi Zhang at Tsinghua Uni- visit to his lab in Cambridge. the space of 10 days in March we went devouring several versity in Beijing. The chemistry commu - Keeping up with his group in from winter gloom to T-shirt weather.’ Peking ducks at nity in China is really buzzing, Oren says, Cambridge means some very long days, n In other news, Oren has won the Quanjude… From and it’s proving a fascinating experience. however. ‘I’ll work from 8am to 4pm at Cram Lehn Pedersen prize for 2014. The the left: Anna Andreou, Zarah ‘I’m really learning from all Xi’s expe - Tsinghua, and at 4pm, it’s 8am in the award, sponsored by RSC journal Walsh, Dongsheng rience and expertise in supramolecular UK, and I spend hours on Skype and ChemComm , recognises work in Liu (now a prof at self assembly of thin films and single- email with my group, including group supramolecular chemistry by emerging Tsinghua, and molecule force spectroscopy of poly - meetings twice a week,’ he says. ‘Modern investigators. It’s named in honour of the formerly a postdoc mers,’ Oren says. ‘We’ve been doing pull- technology makes it possible! I’ve also 1987 chemistry Nobel prize winners. with Shankar off experiments of a functionalised AFM- done some teaching as a guest lecturer, Oren will receive the prize at the Balasubramanian tip from surfaces, and we’re trying to get including a class on technical writing in International Symposium on Macro- in Cambridge), to the bottom of a fundamental energetic English for native Mandarin speakers. cyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry, Lee Cronin from value for a supramolecular host-guest There’s a real hunger for knowledge and which is being held in Shanghai in June. Glasgow University (who was visiting), interaction that fascinates us both. We discussion among the students. This may sound convenient – but in fact host Xi Zhang, already know how to exploit this interac - Fortunately, they speak good English, as he won’t be travelling from Beijing, he’ll Oren, and Emma- tion, and now we’re trying to find out Mandarin is tough. I can describe where be flying in from Saudi Arabia, and then Rose Janecek what is going on at the most basic level.’ I need to get to to taxi drivers, and the going on to Poland for another meeting. In return, Xi’s group are learning from Google Translate app has been invaluable.’ ‘My travel schedule has been interesting, the synthetic knowledge of Oren and his He adds that, scientifically, the to say the least, while I’ve been out group, particularly the derivatisation of exchange has already been extremely here!’ he says. How do you measure atmospheric gases? As part of Cambridge Science Week, a ‘We took people through what we’d do take these measurements, and the feed - team from atmospheric chemistry took on a normal flight,’ Michelle says. ‘John back we had on the sessions was really over the lecture theatre in the Polar gave a briefing, then an instrument spe - positive,’ Michelle says. ‘The project is a Museum next door to explain what goes cialist explained what the machine did, collaboration between many different on during a field campaign – complete and the flight manager explained what universities and institutes, linking up Sam Illingworth with a model of part of the aeroplane we did on board with the data.’ aircraft and ground-based measure - from the University they use to make measurements. They simulated flying over a ground ments. We wanted to bring it to life by of Manchester Michelle Cain, Nicola Warwick and station, where another scientist demon - giving a taster of what we do in the real shows a volunteer John Pyle are part of a multi-institution strated taking measurements in a cham - world, and what happens when things from the audience project studying Arctic methane levels in ber on the marsh. ‘One of the pilots was go wrong!’ The session was filmed, and how to strap northern Sweden. ‘We fly on the nat - there too, and we even had a safety once it’s been edited, look out for a himself in to the ional Facility for Airborne Atmospheric briefing from the cabin crew!’ she says. short video on the internet. 4-way seatbelt Measurements research aircraft, so we The whole experience was interactive can make measurements of methane, – the audience had voting buttons to which is a greenhouse gas, in places that answer questions, with their answers are difficult to reach,’ Michelle says. appearing on the screen. ‘Some of the ‘Everyone assumes the Arctic is frozen, questions showed if they were paying but in the summer there is a lot of wet - attention to what we’d been saying, but land, which is a big source of methane.’ one asked if we should abort the mission Last year, the atmospheric chemistry and go back to base – a weather front was group at York had the plane mock-up coming in, making visibility poor, which made for an event, and the Cambridge is dangerous when you’re flying just 500 team borrowed it for the Science Week feet above the ground.’ They voted to t t demo, also enlisting the help of some keep going – fortunately John declared i P

other members of the collaborative team. that ‘science is not a democracy’ and n a h The mock-up includes four seats, the returned to base, so the simulated flight t a N floor, and a side complete with a couple did not end in a simulated plane crash! : o t of windows, plus one of the instruments ‘The idea was to give the audience a o h that measures methane levels on board. flavour of what it’s really like trying to P

6 Chem@Cam Spring 2014 Research

tonic structures, and how the cell wall works to produce the colour-generat - ing material. ‘It’s really challenging to Chemistry in colour understand how these kinds of struc - tures are formed in plant cell walls,’ she says. ‘By using my background in Some of the most stunning colours found in nature don’t involve optics, I’m looking to find out how the dyes or pigments, but otherwise colourless nanostructures. Silvia materials work both in vitro and in vivo , and comparing the synthetic materials Vignolini is trying to ﬁnd out how they work, and make her own to those observed in plants,’ she says. In many cases where plants create pigment-free colours, this is done via Colours in nature don’t always arise cellulose assembled in a chiral nematic from pigments or dyes. They can also be architecture, similar to the liquid crys - created from otherwise transparent tal molecules commonly found in dis - materials, if the way they interact with play screens. Similar structures with light creates a colour. Silvia Vignolini’s strong a optical response can be also research focuses on studying the obtained in vitro by using cellulose physics and chemistry behind these nanocrystals. phenomena, and creating synthetic materials in the lab inspired by them. NOVEL MATERIALS ‘My PhD was on photonics, and ‘Cellulose nanocrystals dispersed in while I was a postdoc in the Cavendish, water, and at specific concentrations I started looking at the optical response form chiral nematic liquid crystalline of natural, coloured structures, such as phases,’ Silvia says. ‘Importantly, these flowers, leaves and fruit,’ she says. structures can be preserved in a dry ‘Plants – and many animals – can use state and can be exploited as sensing simple materials such as cellulose or and diagnostic tools. I hope this infor - chitin to create nanostructures that mation will help me create novel interact with light to produce strong nanostructured cellulosic materials. If coloration, with no need for pigments we could have sufficient control over to generate the colour.’ the assembly and the nanostructure, we Familiar examples in the animal might be able to make pigments that kingdom include the blue metallic are, essentially, made of paper.’ colour of the morpho butterfly, and the Cellulose is one of the cheapest and buprestidae family of jewel beetles, most abundant polymers on the planet, many of which have beautiful colours and of course, is readily renewable. x o

and gold tinges. However, plants also c Working out how it is arranged in a n use this photonics strategy to achieve a coloured plant cell wall should provide H

iridescence in many flowers, including n the basis for fabricating pigment-free i l o tulip and hibiscus, and also fruits like r coloured materials, Silvia believes. a C

the metallic blue of Pollia condensata , or : ‘There are so many exciting possibil - o t marble berry. o ities,’ she says. ‘I’m trying to extract cel - h This ability to create coloured effects P lulose from sources such as wood pulp relies on the colourless polymeric mate - strong colours created by chitin nanos - and cotton, and use it to create bioin - rial forming nanostructures whose scale tructures, while in plants the colour spired materials with strong optical is comparable to the wavelength of light arises from cellulose-based nanostruc - functionalities, with colour generated – about 300–700nm. Perhaps the most tures,’ she says. ‘I started working with by cellulosic nanostructures. This would familiar example of this phenomenon is cellulose to try and replicate the struc - have real advantages – coloured materi - the soap bubble. The liquid soap is tures found in nature following a bio - als could be created without having to transparent, but if a bubble is blown, mimetic route – by using the same use expensive or toxic pigments.’ this creates a thin film, and beautiful materials that nature uses.’ colours start to appear. Understanding how the plant cell Born: Florence, Italy, where she went to school. i n

‘The colours are the result of con - walls assemble these fascinating struc - i

Education: A first degree in physics from University of l

structive interference of light reflected tures in nature is not as straightforward o Florence in 2005 was followed by a PhD with Diederk at the interface of air as it might appear at first sight. The cell n

Wiersma on light propagation in semiconductors at the g and the thin water wall structure contains many more i V

European Institute for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), V

soap bubble,’ Silvia complex elements than simply cellulose C

also in Florence. a

explains. Many dif - – cellulose microfibrils are embedded i v

ferent kinds of into a pectin matrix, linked via a hemi - Career: She came to Cambridge in 2010 for a postdoc l with Ullrich Steiner and Jeremy Baumberg in the i

nanostructures cellulose such as xyloglucan, and lignin S can create this fills these gaps to give it strength. They Cavendish on the optical properties of natural effect and, as also contain small amounts of other materials, receiving a BBSRC fellowship. She was well as thin substances including structural pro - appointed lecturer in chemistry in December 2013. films, more teins, enzymes, and structures such as Interests: Her main passion is cooking, and she says complex 3D microtubules that regulate growth. that, as an Italian, she loves eating out, drinking wine structural archi - And, of course, the composition varies and wine tasting. She also enjoys theatre and cinema. tectures can cre - from plant to plant. Did you know? Her nanny was British, and when she ate colour. At the heart of Silvia’s research is the was a kid she decided that when she grew up, she’d ‘Jewel bee - application of physical chemistry tech - go to the UK to teach all the British children Italian, tles, for exam - niques to try and understand how because English is too difficult to learn! ple, have really plants use cellulose to assemble pho -

Chem@Cam Spring 2014 7 Research The potential of modiﬁed proteins

design the conjugate in such a way that It’s not easy to modify individual amino acids in proteins without the linker between the two parts will break, releasing the drug molecule, in destroying them. That’s what Gonçalo Bernardes is trying to do the right place at the right time. He’s also looking at small molecule drug conjugates. Antibodies have their drawbacks – they do not easily travel through the blood vessel walls into the disease targets, and typically only 0.1% of an injected antibody will actually reach the tumour. ‘We’d love to be able to engineer small drug-like molecules or peptides that would find it easier to reach the diseased cells while sparing healthy tissues,’ he says. ‘But there are a number of challenges. Smaller mole - cules tend to be cleared from the circu - lation quickly, so we need to engineer them so they remain in the circulation for longer, reach the targets, and are taken up by the diseased cells.’ This is x o c particularly important if the drug target n a

H is inside the cell. e n

i In some cases, however, the drug l o r should not be internalised by the cell. a C

: ‘Perhaps a cytokine could be conjugated o t o to the targeting molecule, which would h P attract the body’s own immune system Proteins consist of long strings of the cells, or even if it is taken up at all, to kill the cancerous cells,’ Gonçalo says. amino acids, and the order and identity or how trafficking between the cells ‘In this case, we need it to stay outside of these amino acids, as well as the way works,’ he says. ‘We’re trying to create the cell. But if it is designed to interact the proteins then arrange themselves homogeneous conjugates of IL-7 where with DNA inside the cell, say, it needs to into 3D structures is key to their biolog - we’ve made specific modifications at be engineered to be internalised by the ical function. Altering individual amino points of the protein that aren’t target cell, and the linker will also need acids to modify the biology is very dif - involved in receptor binding, but will to be engineered so that it lets go of the ficult to do specifically, and the main allow us to study what happens after it cancer killing molecule at the right focus of Gonçalo Bernardes’ chemistry binds to its receptor. We then hope to time, once it has reached the right place is to develop reactions to do this. use this information to devise delivery to have its effect.’ Importantly, they should take place in strategies for cancer-killing drugs using Vaccines are another potential use of protein-friendly water. The ultimate aim IL-7 to target the diseased cells.’ the technology. In collaboration with is to create chemically defined protein Antibody–drug conjugates can be Novartis Vaccines, he’s looking to create conjugates that assist in developing an used to direct highly potent cancer glycoprotein vaccine candidates – pro - understanding of key biological drugs precisely to cancer cells, but in teins attached to sugars, essentially. ‘The processes, and also conjugates that order to release the drug, a chemical idea is to engineer defined glycosylated could be used as targeted drugs in can - reaction has to take place once it peptides based on disease-causing anti - cer and inflammatory diseases. reaches the cell to break the link gens that give an immune response,’ he One project he’s working on is to between the antibody and the cancer says. ‘The normal way to do this is to take reactions that have already been drug. If he can work out where in the attach the sugars to lysine residues on applied successfully to small molecules, cell the protein ends up after it binds to an immunogenic protein. There might and use them on proteins. ‘This is usu - its receptor, this will allow them to be 50 lysines in the protein, so that’s 50 ally extremely challenging!’ Gonçalo explains. ‘The reactions have to work Born: Lisbon, Portugal here, before returning to his family in Lisbon,

under aqueous conditions and at physi - Education: An undergraduate degree from the and the Institute of Molecular Medicine where s he’s the director of a new chemical biology unit. e ological pH if the proteins are going to Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon in d r

maintain their folding correct and Portugal with a year in Oxford led to a DPhil Interests: He splits his time between a

retain biological function. We want to with Ben Davis, followed by a brief postdoc. Cambridge and Lisbon; his wife Filipa, also an n r

use very mild and efficient chemistry to Career: He moved to Berlin in 2008 on a Marie Oxford DPhil chemist, will have their first baby e modify proteins at pre-determined B Curie fellowship with Peter Seeberger at the this summer. In Lisbon, he lives by the sea and points on the chain.’ o Max Planck Institute, before moving to the surfs every Saturday, and loves snowboarding in l An example is the hematopoietic the winter. He’s also fascinated by computer a

world of biotech at Portuguese-American ç growth factor interleukin-7, which company Alfarma in 2009. In late 2010 he engineering, and founded a company in n plays a pivotal role in aggressive T-cell returned to academia and Dario Neri’s group at Portugal that makes hardware systems that o G acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and ETH, Zürich, developing an anticancer antibody– monitor and control devices in real time. some other cancers. Gonçalo wants to drug conjugate. He arrived in Cambridge in Did you know? In his younger days, Gonçalo understand what happens to IL-7 after it

June last year as a Royal Society university played roller hockey for Portugal, reaching the V binds to its receptor on the cancer cells. research fellow, spending Monday to Thursday heady heights of U17 European champion. C ‘We don’t know how it is taken up into

8 Chem@Cam Spring 2014 www.ch.cam.ac.uk different glycoproteins that might be made, and with albumin in the circulation,’ he says. ‘When can release CO from them in live cells,’ he says. each one can generate different biological these molecules dissolve in plasma they start to ‘CO is a signalling molecule, and we’ve shown it responses. We’re focusing on generating chem - fall apart and react with exposed nucleophiles can also act as an immunomodulator, suppress - ically defined protein conjugates whose activity on plasma proteins. It is the slow release of CO ing important markers of tumour progression in will be much more specific.’ from these newly formed protein adducts that a mouse model. We’ve had some interesting Another drug-related project, following on accounts for the therapeutic CO observed in results that we’ve yet to publish where the from some of the work he did during a spell in animal models of disease.’ model mice were given our metalloprotein industry at Alfarma, is on CO-releasing mole - Gonçalo is now engineering proteins to create alongside standard of care. These early results on cules. ‘Current technology to do this uses metal chemically defined CO-releasing metallopro - the combination therapy are very promising, carbonyls that release CO only after they react teins in vitro . ‘We’ve now demonstrated that we and I’m excited to see where it will go.’

up with flight plans on the ground,’ he Chasing western Paciﬁc storms says. ‘We had about 20 flights, and I flew on about a dozen of them. Other mem - Neil Harris has just got back from six bers of the department were also weeks in the western Pacific, coordinat - involved – Rod Jones had an instrument ing a campaign to measure gases on board, and he and three of his group released by the ocean during the big were out there at different times, and convection storms that are common John Pyle’s group are doing some mod - there in January and February. ‘The sea elling. About 10 other UK institutions surface temperatures are the warmest in are also involved; all of these measure - the world, and it gets the most vigorous ment campaigns are very collaborative.’ storms,’ he says. ‘The ocean releases Although the main base was in Guam gases containing chlorine, bromine and – a US unincorporated territory, which iodine, all of which can deplete ozone if is small but reasonably affluent – the they make it into the stratosphere. And measurements were being made in this is the major time and place for more remote areas. ‘We flew to a couple them to get into the stratosphere.’ of small islands four hours away, landed The lifetimes of these gases in the and refuelled, and then flew further atmosphere ranges from a few hours to Science Foundation’s Gulfstream 5 air - The FAAM BAe-146 south to reach the equator,’ he says. ‘We a few months, and so for significant craft made measurements from the top takes off above stayed in these small islands overnight, amounts to reach the stratosphere they of the 146’s range up to about 15km. the US NSF’s returned to the equator the next day, have to head up pretty quickly – so if The third craft was a NASA Global Gulfstream 5 and then headed back to the north.’ they’re emitted from the ocean during a Hawk unmanned vehicle, a reconnais - That was the plan – but it didn’t big storm, they get up there in a few sance vehicle built for the military, always quite work out. ‘Rod was stuck hours. ‘We wanted to see how much was which measured between 14 and 20km for a week on an island called Chuuk in released by the ocean,’ he says. ‘We’re above the ground. It can stay in the air the Federated States of Micronesia particularly interested in bromine com - for a whole day. because of problems with the aircraft,’ pounds, as if you add up everything ‘The idea was that we measured what Neil says. ‘There are 70 Japanese wrecks known from human activities, there is went into the convection storms at the from World War 2 there, so the divers still an unexplained fraction of stratos - bottom, with the other two measuring love it, but the island is really poor, and pheric bromine. These storms have been what comes out at the top,’ Neil says. the potholes in the road so bad it takes a proposed as the most likely cause.’ ‘The storms are enormous – the biggest long time to drive anywhere in the tiny Three different projects were running ones reach heights of more than 15km.’ island. They saw a very different side to at the same time. The UK one, which Just getting the short-range BAe 146 the region from Guam – one of the Neil was coordinating, involved the aircraft out to the base in Guam was a hotels there was also occupied by a lot of NERC research aircraft, the FAAM BAe- challenge – it took nine flights and five tropical wildlife! But Rod reports it was 146, measuring gases low down in the days to get there, with overnight stops in a great experience for team-building.’ atmosphere – the bottom five or six Italy, the Middle East, India and Malaysia. There has been no campaign like this kilometres, including very low down ‘My main responsibility was coordinat - in the past because the region is so near the ocean surface. The US National ing with the other aircraft, and coming remote. ‘It was an amazing experience, The UK team pose both in Micronesia, and Palau where we with the FAAM also stayed with the plane,’ Neil says. aircraft. Neil’s ‘Everyone there was extremely friendly wearing orange in and helpful. These islands are atolls and the centre, and extremely flat, and so they are at real Rod’s on the far risk from climate change. And from a right of the photo funding point of view, it was a real achievement getting three entirely sepa - rate but inter-related projects up and running in the same remote place at the Rod took this pic same time.’ from the window of the aircraft. It’s scarily close to the water – the front of the plane is 100 feet above the ocean, and the rear, where he was sitting, even lower!

Chem@Cam Spring 2014 9 Research

even showed that physical mixtures of A crystalline mystery… caffeine and benzoic acid convert into the co-crystal within seconds after physical New active drug molecules sometimes mation involving caffeine and benzoic mixtures were exposed to the contami - pose huge challenges to the formulators acid is thermodynamically feasible, for - nated lab atmosphere! This is intriguing, whose job it is to turn them into dosage mer Cambridge chemist Graeme Day, because contamination of labs with crys - forms that patients can take. Increasing now at Southampton, also ran crystal tal seeds has caused a lot of problems at numbers of exciting potential medicines structure prediction calculations that some pharma companies in the past, even have low solubility or other poor showed the co-crystal really ought to leading to product withdrawal.’ physico chemical properties, making it exist. ‘We used fluorinated benzoic acids They’re now trying to work out what’s difficult to form crystals that will dissolve to make co-crystals with caffeine, going on, and if the phenomenon is effectively in the stomach when they’re because fluorobenzoic acids are are very more widespread. They’ve identified made into tablets. Sometimes this can be similar in size and shape to benzoic other elusive co-crystal systems that fixed by turning them into salts, but if acid, and are expected to yield co-crys - might be expected to form, and are there is no acid or base functionality in tals that could be isostructural to the designing heteronuclear seeds to induce the molecule, that’s not possible – and elusive target co-crystal,’ Krešo says. crystallisation. ‘Ultimately, we want to be even if it is, the properties might still not ‘And when we used these to seed crystal able to come up with guidelines for be right. An alternative is to make a co- formation, it worked, proving this elu - designing seeds that will allow co-crys - crystal, where two different molecules sive crystal form does, indeed, exist.’ tals with better physico-chemical prop - are crystallised together. This alters the But that wasn’t the end of the story. erties to be formed much more easily,’ physical properties, while leaving the ‘After we’d introduced the caffeine– Krešo adds. ‘Is the strange phenomenon pharmacological properties unchanged. fluoro benzoic acid co-crystals in the lab, we found with caffeine–benzoic acid Finding the right partner molecule we found that caffeine–benzoic acid co- generally applicable? And why did such isn’t simple, though, and sometimes crystals would happily form without small amounts of the seed change the pairs of molecules that on paper look using seeds at all,’ he says. ‘We assumed outcome of crystallisation experiments like they should form co-crystals refuse this must have been because only tiny that were performed afterwards? to crystallise. Bill Jones’ group is look - amounts of the fluorinated seeds were Caffeine and benzoic acid may not cure ing to make it easier to pinpoint all needed to kick off the crystallisation, and Forcing co-crystals cancer, but it’s really important to under - potential co-crystals for an active drug some small and undetectable amounts of to form is not stand why some model compounds do molecule, and which would be best. them must have contaminated the lab. always as easy not want to form co-crystals, which ‘Multiple groups had reported that a This was very surprising to us.’ as it might be… could help fix these issues for real drugs.’ model system of caffeine and benzoic So they spoke to researchers at the acid wouldn’t form co-crystals,’ explains University of Zagreb in Croatia, plus the Krešo Bu čar, who’s a Royal Society University of Iowa and pharma company Newton international fellow in Bill’s AbbVie in the US, and asked them to see group. ‘That was very curious, as the if they could make the caffeine–benzoic two molecules are equipped with the acid crystals without any seeds. And they functional groups that should mean a couldn’t. ‘We shipped them samples of co-crystal would form easily, and imida - our heteronuclear seeds, which enabled zoles like caffeine are often partnered the co-crystals to form, and any attempts successfully with acid molecules.’ afterwards without the seeds also To determine whether co-crystal for - worked,’ he says. ‘Experiments at AbbVie

ellers,’ he says. ‘We also keep a close eye on the Atmospheric data curation literature for any new experimental data that is published, incorporate it into the database, and For someone who retired in 2007, Tony Cox turns out, it was rather timely, as we’re now make sure that the recommendations are kept remains remarkably busy in the department. He even more concerned about climate and atmos - up to date.’ remains a member of the IUPAC Task Group on pheric pollution, and these data are extremely The evaluations are also published periodically Atmospheric Chemical Kinetic Data Evaluation, important in those studies,’ he says. in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics , which provides evaluated chemical data for When Tony moved to Cambridge in 1995, he which provides hard-copy peer-reviewed ver - atmospheric chemistry used in global, regional teamed up with Glen Carver, and helped sions of the material on the website. ‘Six volumes and urban climate and air quality atmospheric develop a web-based portal for the IUPAC data, have been published in the past eight years,’ Tony models, data which have never been more which went live in 2000 as an efficient way of explains. ‘We have just heard from IUPAC that important than today. getting it all out into the community. With they have renewed the project’s funding until the ‘The group’s activities go back to the late funding from the EU’s Accent project, further end of next year.’ 1970s, when it was set up to provide interna - developments and improvements were made to And the future? Tony believes the scope will tional data for modelling ozone depletion, and the database. remain focused on the kinetics of gas phase, I was one of its original members,’ he says. However, Glen moved on in 2012, and the photochemical and heterogeneous reactions on ‘Back then, CFC-based ozone depletion IUPAC group was concerned about the future of atmospheric aerosols. ‘There will be individual remained a theory, and the data enabled calcu - the Cambridge website in the absence of fund - new reactions added, though,’ he says. ‘If a new lations to be made for models of the atmos - ing from the UK research councils. CNRS in pollutant thought to be significant, for ozone phere in an attempt to predict future ozone France offered to host the database at its data depletion, is discovered, we will certainly look at amounts in the presence of CFC breakdown centre in Paris, and at the beginning of 2014 it the data for it, and come up with recommenda - products.’ At that time, there was no standard - officially moved over to its new home. tions. The database does not contain absolutely isation of data, and this was an attempt to do Of course, any database like this needs a con - everything needed to model the chemistry of the this, and supplement the data that was already stant stream of new evaluated data to keep it up atmosphere, but it’s a fundamental part of it, and being collated in the US. to date, and Tony continues on the panel that without it, we would not be in a position to Over the years, its remit extended to other provides it. ‘If a new chemical reaction is dis - carry out the important modelling studies that atmospheric chemistry questions, covering covered in the atmosphere, for example, we help us understand the changes in chemical stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry. ‘As it will look at data that will be needed by mod - composition of the air and climate.’

10 Chem@Cam Spring 2014 www.ch.cam.ac.uk What’s in your bones? collagen fibril mineral platelet It’s been known for years that bone she says. ‘There was a throwaway line in mineral crystals comprise stacks of the paper that they’d tried citrate, but it small, thin layers of calcium phosphate. gave a very disordered amorphous solid But what’s in between the crystals, hold - they couldn’t characterise. We know ing them together to create bones, was there’s a lot of citrate in bone, but not collagen fibril unclear. Now, Melinda Duer’s group has where it is. And this gave us an idea.’ managed to find out – it’s a gel-like Citrate has three carboxylic acids and collagen fibril ‘goo’ based on citrate. a hydroxyl group, all of which can coor - ‘It was obvious that something bound dinate to calcium. ‘We duplicated the lit - mineral platelet the mineral platelets together tightly, but erature experiment, and got the same water/citrate layer which had to have some sliding capabil - apparently highly disordered solid,’ she citrate molecule ity to give the bone its flexibility, allow - says. ‘But its solid-state NMR spectrum ing the crystals to move relative to each was fascinating – half the signals were other, but also drag them back to their very sharp, and the other half incredibly original starting place when they get broad. Our immediate thought was that collagen fibril moved out of alignment by external there were two phases, yet electron forces,’ Melinda says. ‘We thought it microscopy experiments showed no form exothermic, risking causing nearby Top: the old view ought to be something that’s flexible, so suggestion of this – they said we had proteins (including bone’s collagen of bone; below it, most likely something disordered and single crystals, with homogeneous size matrix) to denature through heating, if the new model semi-fluid, but it wasn’t clear what.’ and shape distribution.’ bones comprised large solid crystals of Perhaps surprisingly, there is still a lot They concluded that within both the hydroxyapatite they would be extremely of conflicting data about the composi - octacalcium phosphate-citrate material brittle, and too weak to walk on. tion of bone mineral. Some suggest that and within bone crystals, there were The discovery might have potential in it’s predominantly hydroxyapatite; oth - regions of very solid plates of hard cal - osteoporosis treatment, too. ‘In healthy ers think that at least half the phosphate cium phosphate, with gel-like mobile bones, the mineral crystals are formed is in the form of hydrogen phosphate, regions of citrate and water (and hydro - in tiny tunnels between the collagen, which is absent in hydroxyapatite; and gen phosphate) bridging the gaps where the citrate, calcium and minerals it’s known that there’s a lot of water in between them. are forced together,’ she says. there, but no-one has ever managed to ‘It works because citrate is an asym - ‘Osteoporosis may happen because the pin down where it is. metric shape, so even in an ordered cal - holes in the collagen matrix are too None of the models satisfy all the cium phosphate lattice, it will always large, allowing big, brittle hydroxyap - requirements – but Melinda thinks her create “holes” around it, which fill with atite crystals to be formed as the citrate new model finally fits all the data we water,’ she says. ‘The citrate can coordi - can escape. Perhaps we shouldn’t be know about. nate via any one of its four “arms”, so focusing on building new mineral as an ‘About four years ago, one of my stu - can coordinate in many different ways. osteoporosis treatment, but building a dents, Erika Davies (now in a research This mean that region remains highly new collagen matrix with the right sized position at the University of New South disordered and mobile – and crucially, holes for the citrate to be forced to be Wales), found an old paper in the liter - non-solid.’ incorporated.’ ature about the formation of octacal - And that’s probably a good thing for cium phosphate with various different the health of our bones. Not only is the E. Davies et al. PNAS March 2014, dicarboxylic acids incorporated in it,’ process by which large mineral crystals doi/10.1073/pnas.1315080111

continued from page 2 Next Generation Lecturer a Next Generation huge opportunity for donors to help us. Could we appoint them five years ahead of a Fellowship to boost their early research. And, of In the near term, we have been raising funds planned retirement and not miss this unique course, we don’t exclude the possibility that a for a Chemistry of Health building on the opportunity? It happens more often than you donor might want to fund an additional lec - Lensfield Road site. With this building, we hope might think. The Next Generation lectureship tureship in perpetuity! to achieve stronger interactions with industry, scheme would enable us to be flexible and by encouraging industrial scientists to spend appoint exceptional scientists when we find What about the building? Do we need time in the department working alongside our them. This scheme would fund their initial investment there? staff on areas where chemistry can make real salary; it would also be nice if someone gave a Absolutely. Lensfield Road is a very sturdy inroads into human health. This new building building dating back to the 1950s, so it’s cer - won’t be the end, though – the ultimate aim is Next Generation Fellows tainly not falling apart, but ensuring it meets to make sure the whole department is housed past and present the needs of modern research is increasingly in a way that is more fitting for the 21st cen - difficult, and we want to move away from tury, and the exciting and important chemistry Philip & Walters- refurbishment and on to renovation. This will, that is being done here in Cambridge. Patricia Brown Kundert clearly, require major investment, and not typi - Matt Gaunt Charitable Trust cally the amount of money a single donor For more information about how you might be Silvia Vignolini would cover. But we do know that donors at able to help with our fundraising initiatives, please Jonathan Nitschke different levels can make a huge difference. contact Daan at [email protected] – Frances & Carol Robinson We already have lecture theatres in Lensfield he would be happy to tell you more. Augustus Oren Scherman Road named after donors – Bristol-Myers And if you’re going to be in Cambridge for the Newman Squibb, Pfizer and the Wolfson Foundation – Alumni Festival on Friday 26 September, do come Foundation plus, of course, the Unilever Centre for and visit us! There will be a programme of talks and David Klenerman Welton Molecular Sciences Informatics, and a seminar tours in the department that afternoon. Further Tuomas Knowles Foundation room named after the very generous donor Yusuf information about the event and how to register will David Spring Sophie Jackson Hamied and his Cambridge mentor Lord Todd. be in the next issue of Chem@Cam, and also on When we move on to renovation, there will be a the department website nearer the time.

Chem@Cam Spring 2014 11 Alumni

apparatus in Lensfield Road. The recalci - trant ozoniser is safely (sic) tucked away Of princesses and ozone underneath the bench. At least, I had no problem with the other hazard on view, Bob’s apparatus in namely the bank of large condensers Lensfield Road, that were charged to a high voltage to with ozoniser generate the flash to initiate the flash hidden safely photolysis. The HO 2 radical eluded me. under the bench I think the glass shock tube explosion must have been before my time at Lensfield Road, I graduated in 1957, and the first months of my PhD research were spent in the basement of the department in Free School Lane. I had to dismantle the apparatus, and rebuild it in the new lab. This would have been in 1958. The purpose of going to Liverpool was to combine kinetic spectroscopy with shock tube techniques. As the glass version indicates, the shock wave needs to flow down a vessel of constant cross- section. In order to have a sufficient optical path for spectroscopy, the shock tube I had in Liverpool was of rectangu - lar cross-section. It ws a copper wave guide. Unfortunately, on evacuating the low pressure side, the guide bowed inwards. This had to be rectified by I was very interested in – and amused by On one of my explosions, a piece of glueing metal plates on the longer sides – J.A. Green’s article in the Autumn the glass vacuum line landed rather of the low pressure end of the guide. 2013 edition of Chem@Cam . I have to close to a visitor. The mark that I have is Operating the shock tube did cause a confess that the intervening years have of a scar on my right forefinger about an boom, but not a destructive one like the removed my recollections of Dr Green, inch long, shaped like an elongated occasional one produced by ozone though I might cheekily point out that comma, the result of jabbing a piece of decomposition. he has slightly demoted me by giving glass into my finger while repairing the My family had some ‘adventures’ in me only one ‘eff’ instead of two in my vacuum line. Liverpool, but they are another story. surname! I sometimes wonder what I married in 1957 after my first Suffice to say that we rented a house in became of the third occupant of our lab. degree, and my wife and I were living in Penny Lane. My recollection of Mike Osborne is that an upstairs flat in De Freville Avenue. Bob Tuffnell, his appearances in the lab were some - Nature took its course, and we had to Long Bennington, Newark. times sporadic. move to Barton to accommodate the As it is, I seem to have made some - newcomer. Indeed, by the time I took thing of a mark on the Department of up a postdoctoral post in Liverpool in Physical Chemistry in Lensfield Road – 1960, we had two daughters. Both of and it has left its mark on me. And like them followed me to Selwyn in due Dr Green, I too remember the intense course to read biochemistry. colour of solid ozone. I might mention two other ‘marks’. Some months ago, an article in Having little money and no car, I had to Chem@Cam drew attention to my cycle the three or four miles from the being the only student in a formal 1960 lab to Barton. On one occasion, I had to photograph of the department who was pass a car on Barton Road that was not wearing a tie. As an aside, I have a parked facing the ‘wrong’ way. No memory of when Princess Margaret doubt being anxious about pulling out opened the new building. All the profes - into oncoming traffic, the driver (I for - sors were lined up in the foyer, fully bear to mention her gender) presented Dear Editor gowned and hooded. We research stu - her bonnet to me, and I found myself You were good enough to print a letter dents were ranged round the back of the spread-eagled on it. I still have a from my father, Dr. Byomkesh Biswas, foyer, gowned but not hooded. My crowned tooth as a memento. in Chem@Cam Autumn 2010. Sadly, memory is the look on Princess The other mark is one I made, proba - my father passed away some months Margaret’s face as she came in – it was bly on one of my explosive days. Being ago, at the age of 85. one of obvious uncertainty as to which disheartened and facing into the wind, I I am sending you this picture, way she was meant to turn. was grinding my way uphill with my because others in it may remember him Another memory is of the then Revd head down, with the result that I col - well. It is of the Colloid Science Hardy at Selwyn describing me as ‘an lided with a stationary car. That cost me. Research Group back in 1960 or 1961, earnest young man’ so that, in self- The car belonged to Robin Page, who and my father is extreme left in the defence, I do wonder whether I swore was another inhabitant of Barton. His back row. about the consequences of one of my name may be familiar to some readers as Best regards little explosions. Tony Callear was also a one-time presenter of the TV show Sanjoy Biswas working with ozone at the time – did he ‘One man and his dog’. Is anyone else in the photo reading this? not have any explosions? The only photograph I have is of my We’d love to hear from you!

12 Chem@Cam Spring 2014 Chat lines

routine to music from Meatloaf. This is Strictly chemistry? the sixth time they’ve been British champions, a record, and not only are Here at Chem@Cam , we love stories Rob pictured right they currently rated number 1 in the about the unusual things people do in with partner UK, they’re highly rated internationally their spare time. Rob Less definitely fits Rachel Hardisty too. Next stop competition-wise is the into this category – he’s part of the Latin (and trophy), and European Championships in Germany formation dancing team who are the below in full in May, when they’ll be dancing a new current British champions. formation action routine for the first time. This one has Rob, a postdoc in Dom Wright’s with the team music by Shirley Bassey. group working on dehydro coupling ‘Competing can be pretty stressful, as reactions for hydrogen storage, first we’ve trained so hard for months and it took up ballroom dancing as a first year all comes down to six minutes on the undergraduate more than a decade ago. dancefloor, and you just hope nothing ‘This was before the Strictly Come goes wrong,’ he says. ‘Anything can hap - Dancing phenomenon caused dancing pen – you could miss a step, or some - to become really popular!’ he says. ‘The one might fall over, and all that hard university dancing club is pretty big, work is for nothing. But once I’m on the and everyone around me seemed to be floor, I find that autopilot kicks in, and I taking up dancing in my first term. So in don’t have to think about what the next the Lent term I went along to see what easy to carry on. Step up XS Latin (ex- step is. It’s all about muscle memory, the fuss was about, and I’ve been student, geddit?!) – a Latin formation and not having to think about what hooked ever since.’ team invented as a way of allowing for - you’re doing – the training takes over.’ He started competing for the univer - mer students to continue with their The team is always looking for new sity ballroom dancing team during his competitive dancing. It meant a move members, so if anyone in the depart - PhD with Jeremy Rawson, but once he from ballroom-style dancing to Latin ment fancies giving it a go, give Rob a was no longer a student, it wasn’t so (and more sparkly costumes!), but he shout, or look at the team’s website, loves it – and remains hooked. xslatin.org. It even has videos of Rob Competition Latin formation dancing and the team in action! involves eight couples performing a six- minute routine, which has to contain Once again, last December the South elements of all five of the international Caat mthber idge Rotary Club borrowed competitive Latin dances – rumba, most of the department’s car park at samba, cha cha, paso doble and jive. The the weekends so they could raise routines are put together by the team’s money for charity by charging trainer/choreographer. ‘He then gives Christmas shoppers to park here. us a hard time in training twice a week,’ They report that of the £32,000 total Rob says. ‘The rumba is my favourite – raised by their various Christmas car probably because it’s the slowest!’ parking schemes around Cambridge, The team won the British nearly £5000 came from the Championship late last year in chemistry department car park. Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom with a

Readers with long memories may remem - 1970s (mind you, only Brian could not been sorry when the evening drew L–R: Freddie Lewis, ber our pleas for members of the remember this fact). to a close. The measure of success of this Jack Lewis, Doug Yarrow, Dave Lewis/Johnson group to get in touch as a We even had colleagues from 1972 one was that all of us felt the time had Howe, Pat 40th anniversary reunion was being returning from the US, Portugal and flown, and left wanting more. McArdle, John planned. Somehow the report fell through Ireland. We also were able to make con - Doug Yarrow Evans, Brian Johnson, Antonio the cracks, but we’re pleased to say the tact with several other colleagues from Domingos, Jim reunion did indeed happen in November 40 years ago who sent on best wishes If you’re holding your own reunion, do let Howell, Neil 2012, as Doug Yarrow belatedly tells us… for the event but where logistics, and for us know and send us a photo! And, of Connelly, Jonathan colleagues in the US, the proximity of course, if you need help tracking down your Ashley-Smith and Rob Edwards. Dear Editor, Thanksgiving precluded them from labmates for a reunion, we’re always happy Martyn Twigg was Many thanks for all your help in making attending. Gerard Jaouen and John to print a plea... taking the photo! contacts in advance of the Lewis/ Welsman had hoped to be with us but Johnson 40th Reunion. The event was a unfortunately could not make it. The great success, with 20 of us sitting down evening was so enjoyable that we have for dinner in Jesus College. Unfor - agreed we should have a 43rd Reunion tunately, Jack and Freddie were unable in 2015! Therefore I would be grateful if to stay with us for dinner, but they did you could include reference to this in enjoy the first 45 minutes over drinks Chem@Cam and ask any who were meeting everyone again. associated with Jack and Brian in or Jack was in very good spirits. Brian around 1972 to get in contact. and Chris Johnson were with us I was particularly disappointed unable throughout, with Brian in typically to trace Colin Eady or John Segal, and ebullient mood and little changed in hope if any of your readers have knowl - physique or complexion from the Greek edge of them they could ask them to God of a centre-half who used to blunt make contact. opposition attacks in those classic inter- Once again, thanks for all your help. I lab football encounters of the early have been to other reunions where I had

Chem@Cam Spring 2014 13 Chat lines Christmas cheer The assistant staff Christmas party had an added extra this time, in the shape of the president of the university magic society amazing everyone with his sleight of hand. Nathan Pitt took the photos

Clockwise from above right: Claire Rutterford and Caroline Hancox are bamboozled by magician Evangelos Avgoulas; Vicky Spring, John Holman and Caroline Hancox; Andy Milner and Rachael Jefferies; Isabelle de Wouters and Daan Frenkel; Tony McPherson and Peter Wothers; Dave Plumb, John Davies and Roger Ward; Daphne Kaufhold and Glenda Harden

14 Chem@Cam Spring 2014 Puzzle corner

ment, and 3000 miles away from Ginola the compounds, which sums to –1002; he thinks Last issue’s solutions feline prize-picker (so, I’m afraid, Karl Railton- there might be a potassium analogue, which Woodcock’s ‘go kitty!’ in his entry didn’t would be –1056, but hasn’t been able to con - ChemDoku Plus work), we’ve had to resort to the more tradi - firm its existence; however, K 2[(H)Os 4(CO) 12 ] The missing element in Keith Parsons’ tional bits-of-paper-in-a-Sainsbury’s-bag tech - does exist, and sums to –1043. ChemDoku Plus was aluminium, with its nique. And the prize goes to… Martin Robiette. Julian Langston has an even higher one, with atomic number 13 being the ‘missing link’ in strontium ruthenium oxide (Sr 2Ru 3O10 , the Fibonacci sequence, which all the other ele - An abundance of elements 1530), and matched Paul Littlewood’s -530 ments make up. A few readers had alternative This puzzle from David Wilson brought some with U 4F18 . Patrick Barrie, meanwhile, sug - suggestions! Correct entries came from Tim interesting suggestions for high and low atomic gested a mineral found on the moon, O’Donoghue (who claimed it was far from Al- values. John Wilkins suggests zirconia (Zr 2O3, Fe 8Ti 3Zr 2Si 3O24 , at 1641, and gives another imentary this time), Richard Moss (who sug - 856) as highest, and the lowest he could come vote to the far less exotic phophotungstic acid. gested that the missing element was krypton, up with was uranium hexaiodide (UI 6, –410). But the winner is Keith Parsons, who man - named from the Greek ‘kryptos’ meaning ‘the Paul Littlewood has zirconium diselenide aged to get by far the highest and almost the hidden one’), David Wilson, Mike Barlow, Paul (ZrSe 2, 550) and tetrauranium octadecafluo - lowest numbers. Manganese carbide, Mn 23 C6, Littlewood, Robert Broughton, Richard Brown ride (–530). Karl Railton-Woodcock, bemoan - scores 3575. ‘I didn’t believe such a compound (who says that looking back at his computer ing the Australian heatwave while Chem@Cam existed, and when I saw it first in my trusty files, he was amazed to find that he has been was in the grip of the polar vortex, suggested 1940s inorganic chemistry textbook, I thought whiling away his time on these puzzles since Zr(PO 4)4 at 1096 and Y 5(P 3O10 )3 at –570. Ian it must be a misprint,’ he says. ‘However, further November 2003, but hasn’t solved them all), Fletcher suggests zinc nitride (Zn 3N2, 988) and searches revealed that it does exist.’ And on the Kim Whittaker, Tom Banfield, Bill Collier (who phosphotungstic acid (H 3PW 12 O40 , –1226). negative side, he suggests paratungstic acid, said the connection wasn’t too difficult for any - Godfrey Chinchen confesses he failed to beat H10 W12 O48 , only 10 greater than the multiply one who has read ‘The Da Vinci code’ which, of David’s –413, but did rather better on the posi - suggested phosphotungstic acid. ‘I have checked course, features a Fibonacci sequence), Patrick tive side, with an oxide of praseodymium, this on the internet, as it also seems a most Barrie, Karl Railton-Woodcock, Morgan Pr 6O11 , which he calculates as 1286. Tim unlikely compound,’ he adds. Unlikely, maybe. Morgan, Diana Sandford (who says she recog - O’Donoghue, who says he was a member of the But it’s enough to win you the prize! nised the sequence easily as she used to use the Lewis/Johnstone group, where colleagues were series as hotel safe codes while on holiday!), Ian producing all sorts of clusters containing Os Who’s who? Fletcher, Wendy Annan, Martin Robiette, and CO groups, and Ru gives even better scores, This one offered a little light relief after the Godfrey Chinchen, Robin Pope (who said it so Ru(CO) 12 scores 744; he’s also come up brain-mangling inorganic salts of the previous was mendelevium, as it was named after the with –214 for an Fe macrocycle he synthesised puzzle – Alan is the protein chemist, is a fellow chap who himself predicted so many missing as part of his research plenty of years ago. of King’s, and drives a red car. elements in his memorable table), Paul Carr, Pat Robert Broughton has ZrSi 2 (742) and phos - Correct solutions came from Richard Moss, Lamont Smith (who suggested francium as the photungstic acid again. David Wilson, Paul Littlewood, Robert atomic numbers of Li and B add up to O, Richard Brown has zinc antimonide (Zn 4Sb 3, Broughton, Richard Brown, Kim Whittaker, Tim Se+Sc=Cs, and He+Fr=Se), Donald & Hazel 1297), and also says there are some ‘rather silly’ O’Donoghue, Julian Langston, Bill Collier, Stedman, Audrey Herbert and Keith Parsons. intermetallics, such as Cu 31 Sn 9, or Chinese Patrick Barrie, Karl Railton-Woodcock, Ian And John Wilkins said he was struggling to high tin bronze, which sums to 2782 but he’s Fletcher, Wendy Annan, Martin Robiette, complete the puzzle, but did work out the not sure it counts. He then also went down the Godfrey Chinchen, Paul Carr, Pat Lamont Smith, Fibonacci connection. osmium route with Na 2[Os 4(CO) 13 ], a com - Audrey Herbert and Keith Parsons. And the As Chem@Cam is currently in the depart - pound used in the synthesis of osmium cluster prize goes to... Wendy Annan. Congratulations!

H rules also apply – so each row and col - This issue’s puzzles H H umn and 3x3 block can only contain H a H each of the first nine elements once. Pascal’s triangle H Ne Ne H Here’s another brain-boggler from H b c b H Ti Ca Al N O David Wilson… possibly a little less H Ar d d Ar H complicated than his abundant ele - H e x Cf x e H Ca F Si ments? Readers will be familiar with Sounds simple enough... well, actu - Pascal’s triangle, in which each term in a ally it doesn’t! Get those brain cells given line takes the value of the sum of working, and good luck... O Be Al Li V the two terms above it, thus 1 Si Ne 1 1 Double killer ChemDoku 1 2 1 Our other David puzzle-setter, David Ca Li Ar 1 3 3 1 Thompson, has come up with yet If the triangle is extended and these another ChemDoku alternative. After his Ca Cl N Ca Al numbers are taken to be atomic num - killer ChemDoku a couple of issues ago, bers (so replace 1 by H, etc), what are he’s made it even more complicated. the elements in the last permissible line This time, there are no internal ‘cages’ O Mg Li of such a triangle, for known elements? telling you which squares make up the But David suspects that’s too easy for groups whose atomic numbers add up B Al F O Si C@C readers. So here’s another Pascal’s to that of the element in the top left cor - triangle, with some elements entered in. ner – just those top-left-corner ele - Na S The catch is that the elements a, b, c, d ments. There are no single letter cages and e have been entered after being and, as a hint, Li can only be made from transformed into a different element by H+He (or, of course, He+H!). David Email your puzzle entries to a simple chemical rule, before going on says the idea of the transmutation of the [email protected], or you can to calculate the next line. Element x is elements may give some readers who do send them by snail mail to not subject to this rule. Deduce the rule, not possess a Philosopher’s Stone some Chem@Cam at the address on p3 and identify the elements. food for thought. Normal ChemDoku

Chem@Cam Spring 2014 15 So that’s what the ocean emits during storms!

Chem@Cam is written, edited and produced

by S ARAH H OULTON

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