In Memoriam D. Stanley Tarbell (1913–1999), Chemist and Historian of Chemistry

Dr. Dean Stanley Tarbell, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of chemistry at Vanderbilt University, where he served on the faculty from 1967 to 1981, died on May 26, 1999 in Bolingbrook, Ill. Earlier he taught for many years and chaired the chemistry department at the University of Rochester. In retirement, he and his wife, Ann Tracy Tarbell, researched and wrote articles and books on the history of chemistry in the U.S. For his writings he received the American Chemical Societys Dexter Award for Distinguished Contributions to the History of Chemistry in 1989. He was an avid reader and book collector, a linguist who taught himself Arabic, Russian, and classical Greek, and a lifelong baseball fan.     

Inhibition Performance of Lignocellulose Degradation Products on Industrial Cellulase Enzymes During Cellulose Hydrolysis

This study examined the inhibition performance by the major lignocellulose degradation products, including organic acids, furan derivatives, lignin derivatives, and ethanol, on a broadly used commercial cellulase enzyme Spezyme CP (Genencor International, Rochester, NY, USA) to cellulose hydrolysis at both the well-mixing state (shaking flask) and the static state (test tube). The cellulase activity in the cellulase complex of Spezyme CP was assumed to be one single “cellulase”, and the apparent kinetic parameters of this cellulase enzyme were measured as an approximate index of the inhibitory effect to the industrial cellulase enzyme. The inhibition performance of these degradation products was compared and analyzed using the determined apparent kinetic parameters. All the degradation products strongly inhibit the cellulose hydrolysis by cellulase enzyme, and the inhibitions on cellulase were all competitive type. The order of the inhibition strength by the lignocellulose degradation products to cellulase is lignin derivatives > furan derivatives > organic acids > ethanol. This study gave a quantitative view to the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose under the inhibition performance of the lignocellulose degradation products and will help to understand the lignocellulose recalcitrance to enzyme hydrolysis.     

Spectrophotometric studies of transcurium element halides and oxyhalides in the solid state

The present state of a microscale spectrophotometric technique is described. The unique advantages of applying both spectrophotometric and X-ray powder diffraction methods on the sample, in order to identify and characterize newly synthesized compounds, are also discussed. Analytical Chemistry Division, ORNL. Research sponsored by the Division of Physical Research, United States Energy Research and Development Administration under contracts with Union Carbide Corporation and the University of Tennessee (Knoxville).     

Biosorption and biodegradation of bisphenol A in an activated sludge system

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Research on biosorption and biodegradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in the environment is crucial for pollutant remediation. In this study, the specific biosorption...     

英国国家科研与创新署学科交叉研究资助机制及启示

Newly established in 2018, the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) strengthens the strategic coordination of the UK research and innovation system by bringing together seven Research Councils, Research England, and Innovate UK. Through its nine organizations, UKRI funds multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research in a number of priority areas. It also runs the Strategic Priorities Fund to support multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research in strategic areas identified by government policies as well as the Global Challenges Research Fund to promote challenge-led interdisciplinary research needed by developing countries. The UKRI makes significant efforts to engage stakeholders in the development, design, and implementation of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary programs. It has also developed a range of mechanisms to improve the evaluation of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary projects. Chinese science and innovation funding agencies could draw upon the UKRI experience from four aspects to advance interdisciplinary research in China.     

Research on Fires of Plastic Building Materials

Research on fire, smoke, and toxic products generated in building fires carried out by QMC Industrial Research is described. The approach to real fire problems combines model studies by laboratory analysis or computer modeling with large-scale testing of components.     

Molecular dynamics simulation study on zwitterionic structure to maintain the natural behavior of polyalanine13 in aqueous environment

Molecular dynamics simulations are applied to the initial stage of polyalanine13 conformational transi- tion from α-helix to random coil in aqueous environment and the interaction of polyalanine13 with zwitterionic and hydrophobic surfaces respectively in the same condition. The analysis of secondary structure, hydrogen bonds, RMSD, dihedral distribution, and the degree of adsorption are performed. The results show that zwitterionic structure maintains the natural behavior of polyalanine13 in water to a better extent, which should be an indirect proof of the hypothesis of "maintain of normal structure."     

Non-NAA bomb Detection

Research sponsored by the Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, under contract DE-AC05-840R21400 with Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.     

Fortieth Anniversary of the New Brunswick Laboratory

Research sponsored by the Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract DE-AC05-84OR21400 with Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.     

The enegry idea drought

Research sponsored by the Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract DE-AC05-840R21400 with Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.     

Towards a European Research Area

Research in Europe is not coordinated enough and is too reticent about knowledge transfer. EU Research and Development Commissioner Philippe Busquin aims to change this. His “Communication” on European research, presented in January, has been widely discussed over the past few months. A detailed statement of the CDCh will be presented in our next issue.     

Intercomparison of IAEA airborne particulate matter reference material

Fifty air filters with fine and coarse fractions were prepared from NIST 2710 contaminated soil. Eighteen pairs were made and sent to laboratories of the Coordinated Research Program (CRP) on Applied Research on Air Pollution Using Nuclear-Related Analytical Techniques for elemental determination. The results of this intercomparison are discussed in this paper.     

Atom-surface elastic scattering in the presence of laser radiation

A qualitative discussion on atom-surface elastic scattering taking place in the presence of laser radiation is given. It is suggested that appreciable effects of laser radiation on diffraction patterns may be expected if the laser radiation is capable of inducing electronic transitions in atoms with a large probability.Research sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFSC), United States Air Force, under Contract No. F49620-78-C-0005, and the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CHE77-27826. The United States Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation hereon.Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, 1976–1980; Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, 1975–1980.     

General rubber high-strength adhesive

General rubber adhesives with a high strength developed at the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Materials State Research Center of the Russian Federation Federal State Unitary Enterprise and their foreign analogs are described. The main properties of the high-strength elastic adhesive of a new modification provided for gluing the rubbers with metals in the course of vulcanizing are given.     

World War I, international participation and reorganisation of the Japanese chemical community

What kind of "war" did Japanese chemists fight during World War I, and what impact did their experiences have on Japanese chemistry in its aftermath? By focusing on the role of Jōji Sakurai (1858-1939), this paper attempts to answer these questions by looking at the drastic changes in the international relationships of the Japanese chemical community caused by the war. It examines how the Japanese National Research Council was established in 1920 as part of the International Research Council, a product of the reconfiguration of international scientific powers triggered by World War I. This paper argues that Sakurai advocated the establishment of the National Research Council after the American model of wartime mobilisation of science, coordinated fractured Japanese chemical communities for international functions, and facilitated Japan's participation and increased influence in international scientific associations such as the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, established in 1919.     

Neutron activation analysis at the research reactor center of IPEN/CNEN-SP- biological and environmental applications

The Research Reactor Center (CRPQ) of IPEN/CNEN-SP operates the IEA-R1 Research Reactor, at a nominal power of 2 MW thermal, on a 64 hour per week continuous cycle. The IEA-R1 is a pool type reactor, moderated and cooled by light water, with graphite as a reflector. One of the main activities of CRPQ is the neutron activation analysis, which is applied to many fields of research, in collaboration with other institutes and universities. The Research Reactor installations are also intensely used for human resources development in the field of radiochemistry and neutron activation analysis, at graduate and post-graduate levels. In the present paper, an overview will be presented of some of the neutron activation analysis research lines that are being developed, comprising environmental and health-related applications. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Volumetric estimation of metals via precipitation with organic reagents

Summary A rapid volumetric method for the estimation of nickel has been proposed. The procedure consists of the precipitation of nickel with dimethylglyoxime followed by the hydrolysis of the oxime in hydrochloric acid solution and the titration of hydroxylamine formed with permanganate using cupric chloride as catalyst.Published by permission of the Director, Mines Branch, Department of Mines and Technical Surveys, Ottawa, CanadaAt present National Research Council of Canada Post-doctorate Research Fellow     

Current status of neutron activation analysis and aplied nuclear chemistry

A review of recent scientometric studies of citations and publication data shows the present state of NAA and applied nuclear chemistry as compared to other analytical techniques.Research sponsored by the Office of Energy Research, U. S. Department of Energy, under Contract DE-AC05-84OR21400 with Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.     

Adsorption of alachlor by montmorillonites

The adsorption of the tertiary aromatic amide alachlor by Na-montmorillonite and Al-polyhydroxy-montmorillonite was investigated by DTA, XRD, SEM and Thermo-FTIR Spectroscopy. This molecule is adsorbed into the interlayer space of the montmorillonite, replacing interlayer water. In this organo-clay complex the interlayer water forms hydrogen bonds with N or O atoms of the tertiary amide group. Samples which were aged during six months degraded by hydrolysis to give mainly secondary amide. This reaction was catalysed by Al-polyhydroxy-montmorillonite more than by Na-montmorillonite.Dedicated to Prof. Menachem Steinberg on the occasion of his 65th birthdayThis research was supported in part under Grand No. HRN5544 GOO2069, US-Israel Cooperative Development Research Program, Human Capacity Development, Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support and Research, USAID, and in part under Grant No. I 195128 12/91, German-Israeli Foundation (GIF) for Scientific Research and Development.