Inside Volume 76, No.4, October 2012 Articles and Features 118 Ionic liquids: Some of their remarkable properties and some of their applications Owen J. Curnow 123 The evolution of chemistry and medicine in the 18th and 19th centuries Michael Edmonds 127 Enlivening science for secondary school students: interschool competitions at CPIT David J. Hawke 129 When plants bite back: A broadly applicable method for the determination of cyanogenic glycosides as hydrogen cyanide in plant-based foodstuffs Darren A. Saunders 132 The Olympic rings and the chemistry of olympicene 133 Implications of a novel interpretation of the isosbestic point R. Sanjeev, V. Jagannadham and R. Veda Vrath 135 Obituary: Professor Martin Fleischmann, March 1927 – 3 August 2012 Other Columns 110 Comment from the President 139 Dates of Note 110 NZIC October News 141 Conference Calendar 117 Chemistry News 141 Grants and Awards 132 Science Scene 142 Author Index 138 Patent Proze 142 Subject Index Advertising Inside front cover ThermoFisher Scientific 122 NZIC AGM Inside back cover Sigma-Aldrich Cover Front cover: Exploring plant-derived medicines in the 18th and 19th centuries. See article by Edmonds, page 123. Photo by Matt Walters, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury. 109 Chemistry in New Zealand October 2012 Comment from the President Time flies; welcome to ard Tilley of Victoria University of Wellington. Each and the last issue of CiNZ every year the standard of applications for our prizes rein- for 2012. First of all a forces the high quality of chemistry research and teaching reminder of something in New Zealand. I mentioned in the Janu- NZIC News ary issue: our mem- And, finally, back to my Comment from the July issue bership; we had 905 requesting entries for the “Top Ten List” of Chemistry’s members in 2011; the Greatest Challenges: Thanks to everyone for their emails 2012 number of paid – here is your list: up members (to date) is • Activation of nitrogen to reduce the energy (and cost) only 798. Please remind of the industrial production of ammonia (a process that your colleagues and stu- currently sustains about a third of the world’s popula- dents to support NZIC; tion) we support chemistry in New Zealand at ev- • The origins of chirality ery level and the more • A stable and economic water-splitting catalyst to sup- members we have the more we can do. One of our ma- port biomimetic systems jor activities is providing national conferences; our na- tional meeting will be in Wellington next year tentatively • What is life? Why do some collections of molecules booked for 2-5 December, and the biennial ChemEd (i.e., living organisms) exhibit it and others not? Teacher’s Conference will be in Dunedin in 2013. The de- • C-H activation of alkanes tails of these meetings will be announced in future issues of CiNZ and ChemEd NZ so keep an eye out for updates • The development of nanoscale cell-specific delivery in the next couple of issues of our publications. systems to target drugs to diseased cells — an advance that would revolutionize many medical treatments Another key activity each year is the awarding of our • Advances in battery technology to support pollution- prizes. In this issue you will find details of this year’s free transportation winners. Congratulations go first to Rudi Jansen who was awarded the ABA Books Denis Hogan ChemED prize; • An improved theory of chemical bonding the award was announced when Rudi was co-presenting • Controlled nuclear fusion (we allow physicists in the “Chemistry Extravaganza” in Christchurch – this is a NZIC!) series of practical demonstrations to a public audience. Congratulations also go to the recipients of our two re- • Development of photovoltaic systems using materials search prizes. Our Industrial and Applied Chemistry that are earth-abundant and cheap award this year has been given to Professor Brian Rob- If you have the answers, publish first inCiNZ ! inson and Dr Stephen Moratti at Otago University; and the Maurice Wilkins Centre prize for Chemical Science Julian Eaton-Rye this year has been awarded to Associate Professor Rich- NZIC President New Zealand Institute of Chemistry supporting chemical sciences October News NZIC NEWS BRANCH NEWS included marine waxes, squalene, The 2013 NZIC Conference is to be phospholipids and long chain poly- held from 2-5 December in Welling- AUCKLAND unsaturated fatty acids, and their as- ton on the Pipitea campus of Victoria At a July NZIC branch seminar, Dr sociated chemistry. University. The venue is Rutherford Laurence Eyres, Chairman of the University of Auckland House, a key down-town venue close NZIC Oils and Fats Specialist Group, to the Wellington railway station, presented on Industrial lipid chem- The School of Chemical Sciences public transport, accommodation istry: some experiences 1974-2012. at the University of Auckland has and various hospitality options. The Laurence was able to provide a very been increasingly occupied with conference chairman is Richard Fur- interesting perspective on oils and planning around a major building re- neaux (IRL) and the organising com- fats, and various fatty acid deriva- development project. An important mittee is being led by Rob Keyzers tives, over his 35-year career in the step in the process came at the end (VUW). Planning is well advanced. New Zealand food industry. Topics of June when the University Council 110 Chemistry in New Zealand October 2012 approved the $200M upgrade to the Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Prize sity of Cleveland, Ohio, on Phos- the ‘301’ building on the corner went to Meder Kamalov, with Bren- phorus as a carbon copy and as a of Symonds and Wellesley Streets dan Harvey and U Bin Kim being photocopy for conjugated polymer that houses the School of Chemical second equal. PhD student Sarah and materials chemistry, with a focus Sciences. Future planning includes Thompson was also one of eight stu- on new materials based on benzoxa- the demolition of an existing south dents to make the final of the three- phospholes, benzobisoxaphospholes, podium, to be replaced by a 10 storey minute thesis talks in a University- and higher analogues having high 23,500m2 structure and refurbishment wide competition. fluorescence quantum yields. A/Prof of the existing 301 tower building. Stephen Moratti from the Univer- Several departments within the Notable achievements by School sity of Otago spoke on the synthesis Faculty of Science will be located in staff include the appointment of Prof. and applications of gels for use in the new building, with completion Margaret Brimble as an Associate surgery, including the synthesis and planned for 2017. Over the next few Editor for Organic and Biomolecular properties of a promising chitosan- years many of the current chemistry Chemistry, published by the Royal dextran gel. Prof Janine Cossy, from operations will need to be relocated Society of Chemistry, following six the Laboratoire de Chimie Orga- as part of the building programme. years of service on the Journal’s Edi- nique ESPCI Paris Tech, presented torial Board. Dr Siew Young Quek on Methods to access heterocyclic On the staffing front, Dr Geoff received a Fellowship Award from compounds applications, with meth- Waterhouse has been appointed the New Zealand Institute of Food ods outlined for the synthesis of bio- as a senior lecturer in physical Science and Technology at their logically active complex natural and chemistry. Geoff has been involved conference last week, to mark Siew non-natural heterocycles. Dr Bill in research and teaching within the Young’s contribution and achieve- Telford from the National Cancer School for some years, and he will ment in research and teaching in Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA, have particular responsibilities for Food Science and Technology over presented on Novel laser sources for developing links with the Australian the past 12 years. School manager flow cytometry – covering the entire Synchrotron. Geoff was recently Cathy Comber received a Faculty of visible spectrum, including develop- successful as a co-investigator on a Science Professional Staff Award in ments in laser technology and the Human Frontier Science Programme Professional Development. This will ever-expanding palette of fluorescent grant to investigate the chemistry of enable her to attend the 2012 Tertiary probes available to life scientists. visual trickery: mechanisms of egg Education Management Conference Dr Nigel Lucas from the University colour mimicry in parasitic cuckoos. in Adelaide in September. of Otago presented on Well-defined, soluble synthetic graphenes and gra- The annual Chemistry Research The School of Chemical Sciences was phene-metal complexes, covering the Showcase was held in June, and fea- pleased to welcome Larraine Barton, synthetic and supramolecular chem- tured over 70 posters and 24 short oral Head of Science at Pakuranga Col- istry of graphenes, graphene-based presentations by first year PhD stu- lege in Auckland, to spend time on ligands and complexes, along with dents, from which six students were an Endeavour Teacher Fellowship. their solution, solid-state and sur- chosen to give full oral presentations. Larraine is undertaking a project in- face organisational properties. A/Prof A number of prizes were awarded vestigating soil geochemistry on the Shelli McAlpine, from the School of within the student competitions. For Goldie vineyard, Waiheke Island, Chemistry at the University of New the second-year poster competition, hosted by A/Prof Paul Kilmartin and South Wales, talked about Macro- first place and the Baldwin Prize A/Prof Jeff Mauk from the School of cyclic peptides – the perfect tools to went to Lian Hsien Kho, with second Environment. In August the School explore protein function, and a recent place to Jiayi Wang and third place farewelled Vern Rule on his retire- discovery that led to a new class of to Karl Fraser. In the general poster ment after 43 years of service as part Hsp90 regulators.