DED UN 18 O 98 F N Y O T R E I T H C E N O A E S S S L T A E A C R C I N S M S E E H C C TI N O CA February 2008 Vol. LXXXVI, No. 6 N • AMERI Monthly Meeting Book Review Jointly with NOBCChE; Dr. Joyce P. Foster and What Einstein Told His Cook 2. A review by Dennis Dr. Valerie P. Wilson speak at Simmons College Sardella 2008 Richards Award Summer Scholar Report To Robert G. Bergman, U. California at Berkeley By Margaret Thompson and David R. Haines Connections to Chemistry 2008 October 17, 2007 ACS Education Division, Washing- Richards ton, DC. The 2007 Connections to Chemistry program was held at Burlington High • Five workshops were offered in the Medal School on Wednesday, October 17th. late afternoon. Each teacher partici- There were 112 High School Chem- pated in two of them. Awarded to istry teachers from 72 schools from • Terri Taylor presented a workshop at Massachusetts, Maine, New Hamp- the program on the high school shire and Connecticut. Each received chemistry initiative by the ACS. Robert G. a bag with the ACS logo. Among sev- • After dinner, the keynote address was eral items in each bag were a copy of given by Dr. Lori Krim Gavrin in the October issue of the Journal of Chemical and Screening Sciences Bergman Chemical Education with a username from Wyeth Research. The program Professor Robert G. Bergman of the and password for temporary full access is posted in detail on the NESACS Department of Chemistry of the Uni- to JCE Online (October 17 – Novem- website. versity of California, Berkeley, has ber 17, 2007), a copy of the October Following the keynote speaker, a raffle been selected by the Richards Award issue of ChemMatters, and a copy of a was held that included three one-year Committee as the recipient of the 2008 recent issue of C&EN that was pro- subscriptions to the Journal of Chemi- Theodore William Richards Medal. vided by the ACS. In addition, each cal Education, three one-year member- The Richards Medal Award dinner and participant received a year’s subscrip- ships in the Division of Chemical presentation has been scheduled for tion to ChemMatters, and a certificate Education’s/ CTC (Chemistry Teacher Thursday, March 13, 2008 at the Har- for three hours of Professional Devel- Connection), /and various items with vard Faculty Club, followed by the opment. the ACS logo. Award Lecture in the Pfizer Lecture • The participants were welcomed by Five high school chemistry clubs Hall in the Mallinckrodt Laboratory on Mukund Chorghade, the NESACS are being connected to college student Oxford Street. chair, and by Terri Taylor from the affiliate chapters. N Office of High School Chemistry, N G.R. Weisman Ruth Tanner 2 The Nucleus February 2008 The Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society, Inc. Contents Office: Marilou Cashman, 23 Cottage St., Natick, MA 01360. 1-800-872-2054 (Voice or FAX) or 508-653-6329. Connections to Chemistry 2 e-mail: mcash0953(at)aol.com _______________________________ Any Section business may be conducted via the business office above. 2008 Richards Award 2 NESACS Homepage: ___________________________________ http://www.NESACS.org To Professor Robert G. Bergman, University of California at Berkeley David Cunningham, Webmaster ACS Hotline, Washington, D.C.: Book Review 4 1-800-227-5558 __________________________________________ Officers 2008 What Einstein Told His Cook 2. The Sequel, by Robert L. Wolke with recipes by Chair: Marlene Parrish. Reviewed by Dennis Sardella Marietta Schwartz Chemistry Department, UMASS-Boston Monthly Meeting 5 Boston, MA 02125 _______________________________________ 617-287-6146; marietta.schwartz(at)umb.edu Jointly with NOBCChE. Evening Speakers: Dr. Joyce P. Foster, Williams College Chair-Elect: Dr. E. Joseph Billo and Dr. Valerie P. Wilson, Brown University. Topic: "Mentoring Matters across 13 Shattuck Street the Diverse Populations in the Academy." Natick, MA 01760 508-653-3074, joseph.billo(at)verizon.net February Historical Events in Chemistry 8 Immediate Past Chair: ____________________ Mukund Chorghade By Professor Leopold May, Catholic University of America 14 Carlson Circle, Natick, MA 01360 508-651-7809 and 308-3891 The October NESACS Monthly Meeting 9 Chorghade(at)comcast.net _____________________ Secretary: Photos by Morton Z. Hoffman. The Henry Hill Award and Recognition of 50- Michael Singer Sigma-Aldrich year Members 3 Strathmore Rd., Natick, MA 01360 508-651-8151X291; msinger(at)sial.com Summer Scholar Report 10 Treasurer: ________________________________ James Piper "Preparation of photo-reactive analogs of an inverse agonist of the glucagon- 19 Mill Rd., Harvard, MA 01451 like peptide-1 receptor" By Margaret W. Thompson and David R. Haines, 978-456-3155, piper28(at)attglobal.net Department of Chemistry, Wellesley College Auditor: Anthony Rosner Cover: Archivist: (l-r) Adelaide Cromwell (widow of Henry Hill), Anthony Cromwell Hill Myron S. Simon (son of Henry Hill), Dr. Ruth Tanner (2007 Henry A. Hill Award Recipient) and 20 Somerset Rd. Newton, MA 02465; 617-332-5273 Martin Isaks (University of Massachusetts Lowell). Taken at the October NESACS Romysimon(at)mindspring.com Monthly Meeting. Photo by Morton Z. Hoffman. Trustees: Joseph A. Lima, Esther A. H. Hopkins, Deadlines: Michael E. Strem April 2008 Issue: February 11, 2008 Councilors Alternate Councilors May 2008 Issue: March 11, 2008 Term Ends 12/31/2008 Doris I. Lewis Patrick M. Gordon Morton Z. Hoffman Michael P. Filosa Christine Jaworek-Lopes Lawrence Scott Mary Burgess Liming Shao Donald O. Rickter S.B. Rajur Term Ends 12/31/2009 The Nucleus is published monthly, except June and August by the Northeastern Section of the American Catherine Costello Julia H.Miwa Chemical Society, Inc. Forms close for advertising on the 1st of the month of the preceding issue. Text Patricia Mabrouk Alfred Viola Michaeline F. Chen Jerry P. Jasinski must be received by the editor six weeks before the date of issue. Dorothy J. Phillips Eva B. Binnun Editor: Michael P. Filosa, Ph.D., editor, ZINK Imaging Inc., 1265 Main Street, Amy Tapper Barney Grubbs Waltham, MA 02451 Email: Michael.Filosa(at)zink.com; Tel: 781-386-8479. Term Ends 12/31/2010 Associate Editors: Myron S. Simon, 20 Somerset Rd., W. Newton, MA 02465, Tel: 617-332-5273 Thomas R. Gilbert Timothy B. Frigo Sheila E Rodman, Konarka Techologies Inc., 116 John St. Suite 12, Lowell, MA Pamela Nagafuji Mark Froimowitz 01852 email:srodman(at)konarka.com tel 978-569-1414 Robert Lichter David Cunningham Michael Singer Erik Rozners Board of Publications: Vivian K. Walworth (Chair), Mary Mahaney, David Cunningham Business Manager: Karen Piper, 19 Mill Rd., Harvard, MA 01451, Tel: 978-456-8622 All Chairs of standing Advertising Manager: Vincent J. Gale, P.O. Box 1150, Marshfield, MA 02050, Committees, the editor Tel: 781-837-0424; FAX: 781-837-1453 of THE NUCLEUS, and Contributing Editors: Morton Hoffman, Feature Editor; Dennis Sardella, Book Reviews the Trustees of Section Calendar Coordinator: Sheila Rodman, email: srodman(at)konarka.com Funds are members of the Photographers: Morton Z. Hoffman and James Phillips Board of Directors. Any Coun cilor of the American Chemical Society Proofreaders: Donald O. Rickter, Myron S. Simon, Vivian K. Walworth, E. Joseph Billo residing within the section area is an ex officio Webmaster: David Cunningham, webmaster(at)nesacs.org member of the Board of Directors. Copyright 2008, Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society, Inc. The Nucleus February 2008 3 Book Review Corporate Patrons ($2000+) Abbott Laboratories What Einstein Told His Cook 2. The Sequel, by Robert L. Wolke, Lyophilization Service of New England with recipes by Marlene Parrish (W.W. Norton & Co., 2005) 444 Merck pp., ISBN 0-393-05869-7; $25.95 hard cover) National ACS Reviewed by Dennis J. Sardella Novartis Department of Chemistry, Merkert Chemistry Center, Pfizer Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 Sepracor Strem Chemicals Take equal parts of recipe and science, Wolke, an emeritus professor of Vertex Pharmaceuticals leaven with a dash of terrible puns, and chemistry at University of Pittsburgh, Patrons ($1000-$1999) stir them smoothly into a base of ques- debunks a range of dubious claims and Astra-Zeneca R&D Boston tions and answers about the mysteries foodie folklore, for instance, the idea IRIX Pharmaceuticals of the kitchen and what do you get? that adding salt or vinegar before boil- Millenium Pharmaceuticals The recipe for Robert Wolke’s thor- ing eggs will prevent them from crack- Shasun Pharmaceuticals oughly enjoyable (if rather bland-look- ing, that “light” olive oil contains ZINK Imaging ing) book, What Einstein Told His fewer calories than “regular” olive oil, Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. Cook 2. The Sequel. Like its prede- and in the process, introduces a num- cessor, What Einstein Told His Cook: ber of chemical principles. In addition, Donors ($300-$999) Kitchen Science Explained, “Einstein for those who want to go a bit more Cambridge Major Laboratories 2” is based on material taken from deeply into the scientific background, Occidental Petroleum Wolke’s seven-year tenure writing the the book is peppered (no pun intended) Organix Washington Post’s “Food 101” column with what Wolke calls “Sidebar Sci- PCI Synthesis and is presented in a question-and- ence”, boxed discussions in the mar- Royal Society of Chemistry answer format, in ten chapters devoted, gins, covering such topics as the Serono Research Institute respectively, to drinks (both alcoholic compressibility of cork (p. 55), Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and non-), dairy products, vegetables, enzymes (p. 13), “electron kidnappers” fruits, grains, sea foods, meats, spices, (p. 49), micronutrients (p. 125), fatty “galley gear”, and (mostly) sweets. acid sidechains (p. 181), osmosis (p. 188), nitrites (p. 285), solvation (p. 316), capsaicin (p. 338), redox reac- tions (p.