The News Magazine of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) CHEMISTRY International July-August 2007 Volume 29 No. 4 Young Ambassadors for Chemistry in South Africa Sustainable Development Speaking to the Public and Education About Chemistry From the Editor CHEMISTRY International f you are a member, a fellow, or an affiliate, and receive Chemistry The News Magazine of the International Union of Pure and International (CI) regularly, I have a job for you. Go next door, have a Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Icoffee break with your colleague, and have a chat about IUPAC. Surely, you must have an IUPAC project or two on your radar screen that you www.iupac.org/publications/ci can use as an example to explain the sort of things IUPAC does. There is more to us than nomenclature and terminology. So, pick what tickles your Managing Editor: Fabienne Meyers interest most and go share your enthusiasm with your peer. CI is just one Production Editor: Chris Brouwer medium, but surely the website is a more complete resource, as is the Design: CB Communications scientific journal Pure and Applied Chemistry, which includes all IUPAC technical reports and recommendations. All correspondence to be addressed to: One does not need to be actively Fabienne Meyers involved in a project to appreciate IUPAC, c/o Department of Chemistry its value. In an organization of volun- Boston University teers, where an individual’s expertise Metcalf Center for Science and Engineering is the key value, everyone’s involve- 590 Commonwealth Ave. ment is appreciated. In fact, one of Boston, MA 02215, USA the best ways to support IUPAC is by encouraging your colleague to E-mail: [email protected] become an affiliate. Phone: +1 617 358 0410 IUPAC provides an infrastructure to address global issues and facilitate Fax: +1 617 353 6466 communication among chemists worldwide. 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The 2007 subscrip- While IUPAC uses its global perspective to fulfill its mission and con- tion rate is USD 99.00 for organizations and USD tribute to the application of chemistry in the service of Mankind, we ask 45.00 for individuals. Subscription orders may be you to use your local perspective to expand and diversify the IUPAC net- placed directly with the IUPAC Secretariat. Affiliate work. Tear off the last page of this issue and have your colleague return it Members receive CI as part of their Membership to us. Thanks in advance for your help spreading the word about the role subscription, and Members of IUPAC bodies receive of IUPAC—and have an enjoyable coffee break. CI free of charge. Reproduction of Articles Fabienne Meyers Unless there is a footnote to the contrary, repro- [email protected] duction or translation of articles in this issue is www.iupac.org/publications/ci encouraged, provided that it is accompanied by a reference to the original in Chemistry International. Cover: The week-long Young Ambassadors for Chemistry (YAC) event culminated in the central square of Grahamstown, South Africa, where the Periodicals postage paid at Durham, NC 27709- teenagers pictured interacted with the public and showed them what they 9990 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: had learned about chemistry. Around 80 students in their school uniforms Send address changes to Chemistry International, spent the afternoon on the square showing the public that chemistry is IUPAC Secretariat, PO Box 13757, Research Triangle part of life and that it can also make it better. The square was decorated Park, NC 27709-3757, USA. with posters from the competition Chemistry for Humanity. See report on page 21. ISSN 0193-6484 Contents CHEMISTRY International July-August 2007 Volume 29 No. 4 President’s Column 2 Features Sustainable Development and Education: Where Does Chemistry Fit? by Rietje van Dam-Mieras 4 Speaking to the Public About Chemistry: A Three-Point Primer by David A. Evans 8 The Eurobachelor: An Update by Terry Mitchell 12 Tools of the Trade Adjustment, Estimation, and Uses of Equilibrium Reaction Constants in Aqueous Solution by Vladimir Y. Buzko, Igor V. Sukhno, and Leslie D. Pettit 14 Up for Discussion Resolving Ambiguous Naming for an Ionic Liquid Anion by Gregory J. Wilson, Anthony F. Hollenkamp, and Anthony G. Pandolfo 16 IUPAC Wire 2007 IUPAC Prizes for Young Chemists 19 Election of IUPAC Officers 19 Highlights of the Executive Committee Meeting 19 ChemZoo Announces the Release of the ChemSpider Service 20 PAC is CrossRef Enabled 28 The Project Place Young Ambassadors for Chemistry in Grahamstown, South Africa 21 Principles of Chemical Nomenclature 23 Metal-Focussed -omics: Guidelines for Terminology and Critical Evaluation of Analytical Approaches 24 Altered Crop Protection Agent Residues in Transgenic Crops 24 Provisional Recommendations IUPAC Seeks Your Comments 25 Making an imPACt Glossary of Terms Used in Photochemistry, 3rd edition 26 Chemical Speciation of Environmentally Significant Metals with Inorganic Ligands 26 Properties and Units in Clinical and Environmental Human Toxicology 27 Guidelines for Potentiometric Measurements in Suspensions 27 Bookworm Natural Products and Biodiversity 29 Advanced Polymers for Emerging Technologies 30 Thermodynamics, Solubility, and Environmental Issues 30 Chemistry for Water—CHEMRAWN XV 31 Stamps International, Conference Call page 3 Coordination Chemistry by Klaus R. Koch 32 Polymers for Advanced Applications by Ronald D. Sanderson and Aneli Fourie 33 Advanced Materials and Polymer Characterization by Michael Hess 34 Where 2B & Y 36 Mark Your Calendar 38 President’s Column Streamlining IUPAC in the schedule of the meetings so that in the future EC members would have a brief meeting immediately Operations after the conclusion of the Bureau meetings to review by Bryan R. Henry and implement pending actions. This would lead to two meetings of the EC per year (vide infra). he goal of the ad hoc The Bureau elects three members of the EC, makes Committee for Streamlining decisions on policies to be ratified by the Council, TIUPAC Operations, established identifies and monitors strategic issues for in-depth in October 2006, was to find opera- discussion by the EC, reviews and identifies the role tional efficiencies within the existing of the Bureau and the tasks of its members at the first IUPAC structure (see Nov-Dec 2006 meeting of the Bureau following Council, fills casual CI, p. 2). The members of the com- vacancies on divisions and standing committees as mittee were Michael Jaffe, Anders well as temporary vacancies among officers, and rati- Kallner, Venceslav Kaucic, Fabienne fies decisions of the EC. The streamlining committee Meyers, Kook Joe Shin, and myself as recommended that a motion be brought to Council chair. The committee was aware that to extend voting rights on the Bureau to operational changes in the operational structure of IUPAC were standing committee chairs. Despite the fact that debated, but not accepted at our last two Council these standing committee chairs are appointed to the meetings. However, there were significant expres- Bureau rather than elected, it was felt that they should sions of support for measures to make IUPAC opera- function as full Bureau members. tions more efficient. Suggestions came from several The duties of Council are clearly laid out in our members of the Union as well as from the committee Statutes and Bylaws. While the report emphasizes members. As our starting point, the only real con- the key roles of Council, no substantive changes in straint was to consider suggestions that introduced responsibilities were recommended. However, sev- streamlined procedures without altering the current eral operational changes were suggested and will structure. be implemented for the Torino Council meeting. We will have a more detailed annotated agenda for the The report of the committee will be presented at Council with proposed time allocations for each item, both the Bureau and Council meetings at the General references and links to any supporting documenta- Assembly this August in Torino. As a precursor to tion, and a series of expected actions and possible those discussions, I thought it would be helpful to motions. Agenda items will be identified as “for dis- provide some background to the committee’s delib- cussion,” “for decision,” or “for information.” erations and to summarize its conclusions. The report “Information” items will generally consist of writ- was considered at the recent meeting of the Executive ten reports received from IUPAC bodies, and these Committee (EC). All but one of the recommendations reports will be received for information without oral could be implemented without changes to IUPAC repetition. Discussion will be restricted to questions Statutes and Bylaws. The committee report was and clarifications. The purpose of these changes is approved by the EC, and the executive director was to allow us to deal with routine matters more expe- asked to add the appropriate recommendations from ditiously. Hopefully, the changes will allow Council the report to the list of Bureau/EC action items. Thus, more time to think strategically and to engage in real many of the efficiencies have been put in place and discussions of matters that are important to the Union will affect our deliberations at the General Assembly and its members.