Monthly Archives: September 2012

Transatlantic Tales: Homeward bound

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Posted on behalf of Nessa

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My hood is sparkling clean (nearly) and the tangle of chemical structures has been acetoned (of course that’s a real word to chemists) off the glass doors: this can only mean one thing…

I’m writing my final blog post under the headline ‘Transatlantic Tales’ on the plane back from Chicago to Manchester. You may be interested to know that my saga resulted in a whole pile of fantastic chemistry and my first publication to be submitted in the future… and I’m planning to apply for postgraduate study (‘graduate school’) in both the US and the UK.

Working in the organic chemistry department in Illinois gave me experience in reactions and methods that were new to me, many new contacts in the world of careers, and knowledge of how the systems work in both countries — useful for those postgrad applications. In a more real sense, it also happened to be full of incredible and epic chemistry, and great new friends. Working in a fast-paced research group is always going to be a rollercoaster ride, but in the end, being over there was a completely eye-opening and amazing experience, and I’m glad that the series of coincidences that led me to getting to work there all happened.

I’m now off to start my Masters year back in Oxford, where everything I’ve done this summer should put me in good stead! I’ll be honest, there are disadvantages to international study — financial ones being the main consideration in my case — but I’d at least like to think this summer has been well, well worth it.

And now for the next year of fantastic science. For all who read this, good luck with your work, and if your research is working towards a machine that can allow me to be in two places at once, I’m in full support.

Nessa (you can find me on G+ here)

Blogroll: Harder than flight

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Editor’s note: As we continue to invite bloggers out there in the wild to compose our monthly Blogroll column, fourth up is BRSM.

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Why is discovering new drugs not as easy as designing passenger aircraft?

Do you remember how slow your computer was back in 1995 — that is, if you even had one? Remarkably, that was the year that the Boeing 777 entered the history books as the first aircraft designed solely using computers. Ash at The Curious Wavefunction has been pondering the reasons why, despite all the technical advances made recently and the huge impact they’ve had on other fields, computers have yet to make the design of even small-molecule drugs significantly easier. He muses, “we can routinely design airplanes, bridges and skyscrapers on a computer but are still light years behind when it comes to designing even ‘simple’ drugs”. If that seems a little disheartening, let’s not forget that it was only a little more than a century ago that the celebrated physicist Lord Kelvin declared heavier-than-air flying machines entirely impossible.

Meanwhile, lively debate between veteran medicinal chemist and blogger Derek Lowe and the authors of a recent paper in the British Medical Journal has dominated recent posts over at In The Pipeline. The topic: the ‘innovation crisis’ plaguing the pharmaceutical industry. Interestingly, it turns out that one of the authors in question is Professor Donald Light, a man who previously drew flak from Lowe over his co-authorship of a controversial 2011 paper that estimated the average R&D cost of a new drug at the rather low value of just over $40 million.

Finally, in somewhat contrasting posts, See Arr Oh, who blogs at Just Like Cooking, reflects on the tendency of studious chemists to work weekends, while Jess over at The Organic Solution discusses the chemistry behind a problem frequently faced by students: hangovers.

Written by BRSM, who blogs at https://brsmblog.com/

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[As mentioned in this post, we’re posting the monthly blogroll column here on the Sceptical Chymist. This is October’s article]

Blogroll: But is it art?

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Editor’s note: Now that Neil has left the Nature Chemistry fold to move over to Chemistry World, we have invited bloggers out there in the wild to compose our monthly Blogroll column. Third up is See Arr Oh.

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Practical synthetic chemistry shows an artistic side with synthesized doodles, logos and colouring-book molecules.

It’s been a busy summer in the blogosphere! Between ‘arsenic life’ and the newly discovered Higgs boson, science blogs seem more relevant than ever. In all the fuss, though, they may have overlooked some promising chemical artists in their midst.

First up, let’s turn our attention to the 2012 London Olympic Games. Chemists at the University of Warwick decided to commemorate the event by synthesizing a new molecular version of the famed Olympic rings. ChemConnector’s Antony Williams explains that a chalkboard ‘doodle’ evolved into a synthesis of olympicene; the RSC’s ChemSpider SyntheticPages later published the step-by-step details. IBM-Zurich (of pentacene-imaging fame) posted a series of finely resolved atomic images to Flickr.

Next we’ll talk high fashion. At Chemistry World, Phillip Broadwith noted a neat undergraduate synthesis project: making a hydrocarbon to match a clothing label’s logo. After just three steps, Plymouth University’s Mark Cockerton and Simon Belt had their target…but still no word on whether they’ve tied up a sponsorship deal with the apparel company in question!

Speaking of synthetic art, we’d be remiss not to wish a happy belated birthday to organic chemist K. C. Nicolaou. Blogger BRSM prepared a special tribute to his penchant for flashy colours and ancient mythology in the figures that adorn his papers and the graphical abstracts that accompany them. A small group of Blogroll’s ‘usual suspects’ — including Adam Azman, Chemjobber and Dr Freddy — re-imagined K.C.’s classic molecules with new artistic twists. Perhaps these entries will finally prompt publication of that chemical colouring book.

Written by See Arr Oh, who blogs at https://justlikecooking.blogspot.com

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[As mentioned in this post, we’re posting the monthly blogroll column here on the Sceptical Chymist. This is September’s article]

In Your Element round up

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Here’s a round up of the In Your Element essays we’ve published so far. Each non-faded element tile links out to the essay about that element in the journal — these are currently free to access. We’ll update this post as and when we publish new essays.

Most recent element added: lutetium

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Some notes:

1. In case you’re looking at the different colours and scratching your head wondering what on Earth I’ve done, the colour scheme was inspired by this periodic table.

2. I’m an editor, not a web designer/programmer, so while this might not be the most elegant solution, it’ll do for now…

3. If you spot any broken links, please leave a comment pointing out the problem. Try not to be too sarcastic.

Reactions: Russell Johnson

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Russell Johnson is an Associate Editor for Nature Chemistry.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

To be honest it was probably the cumulative effect of quite a few small things. I was always more interested in science than humanities etc… but the memories that stick out are growing blue copper sulphate crystals with my dad, and wanting to know what caused the different colours and the bang on fireworks night. I also had an enthusiastic chemistry teacher at school who encouraged me to study chemistry at university.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be – and why?

I’d like to write novels – unfortunately I’m not sure anyone would want to read them!

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

Well I’ve just joined Nature Chemistry! The most exciting part for me is reading some cutting edge chemistry and seeing some innovative solutions to intractable problems. I can’t say where it will lead but I’m sure it’ll be interesting.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with – and why?

Michael Faraday. Cooking isn’t my strong point but Faraday was meant to be a great experimentalist so perhaps he could investigate ways to improve the dinner while I question him about his research into electromagnetic induction and electrolysis.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab – and what was it?

My last experiment would have been at the end of my PhD. I can’t remember exactly which my final experiment was, but it would have been something like confirming the formation of amyloid fibrils by transmission electron microscopy or searching for conditions to populate a partially unfolding protein state.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

I’d need a survival manual if I was to last more than a few days! Normally I listen to guitar-based pop music, but if I was stranded on a desert island I’d need something to keep me calm so I’d choose Dvořák’s New World Symphony.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions – and why?

Michael Grätzel to hear his thoughts on how solar cells and photo-electrochemistry could help with some of the problems facing society, or someone like William DeGrado to hear about the opportunities for chemistry presented by artificial enzymes. If I’m allowed to choose a historical chemist I’d pick Antoine Lavoisier to find out what inspired him.

Reactions: Peter Shapland

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Peter Shapland is in the Second Generation department of Product Development, GlaxoSmithKline and works on developing new approaches to existing and late stage medicines to improve sustainability, minimise waste, and enhance cost of goods. If significant cost of goods reductions can be achieved this could enable greater access to these products.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

My original intention was to become a veterinary surgeon as I always wanted to use my scientific leaning to help improve the lives of living creatures. Things didn’t work out that way and chemistry was a back up that turned out to suit my way of thinking far better. I’ve always enjoyed solving puzzles and chemistry has always rewarded my efforts to solve the puzzles it poses. Fortunately, working in the pharmaceutical business allows me to satisfy my desire to help people through my work.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be – and why?

I really have no idea but I would like to think it would involve using my hands to create something.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

The 2nd Generation API group at GSK has been tasked with working on new approaches to medicines to enhance access, increase sustainability and minimise waste through innovation and this is a hugely exciting challenge. Improving the “greenness” of our processes is obviously appealing but, for me, the challenge to get anti-virals to many more HIV/AIDS patients around the world is a real motivation. Millions of people cannot afford these life-extending medicines at present so lowering the costs of production should enable many more people to be successfully treated.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with – and why?

Lucius Annaeus Seneca. The conversation could include “stoicism versus other philosophical schools” or just back-stabbing gossip about Caligula, Claudius and Nero, whom he advised. He was an astute political mover who thought deeply about what makes people tick.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab – and what was it?

Last week: It was a Functional Group Interconversion on a steroid (sorry, can’t be more specific). I really like working with steroids as, for a synthetic chemist, they’re highly satisfying molecules to work with. Their rigid structure that is used to teach stereochemistry to graduate students always seems to throw up some unexpected non-trivial result that is exciting to understand. A tendency to crystallise also gains them significant favour with me.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

I’ve just started reading Eihei Dōgen’s “Shōbōgenzō” so would take that and I’d listen to “The Tired Sounds Of …” by Stars of the Lid.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions – and why?

I’m going to nominate a couple. Firstly, I’ll suggest Professor Makoto Fujita. I’ve enjoyed his work for a number of years and, while I’ve never done anything similar, I find it fascinating. He is a wonderful speaker who can communicate his work with exceptional clarity. Secondly, I’ll suggest Derek Lowe whose In The Pipeline blog is essential reading.

Reactions coupled with palladium

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This month’s ‘in your element’ article (subscription required) is from Matthew Hartings (or @sciencegeist as he is known on Twitter) who proposes the bold idea that, rather than carbon, it is palladium that has assumed the role of most important element in many a famous organic reaction. And so he goes on to elaborate — and it appears that he does have a point. Think of some coupling reactions that were recognized by the Nobel prize in Chemistry two years ago, and of the Wacker process.

Another interesting aspect in the history of palladium is that its incredibly practical role initially stemmed from curiosity. Francis Phillips, Professor at Western University (which now goes by the name of the University of Pittsburgh), came across an example of palladium’s catalytic activity as early as 1894, while studying gases in Pennsylvania. Of course, he didn’t exactly start using palladium to couple all sorts of organic molecules through carbon–carbon bonds, and others must be credited for their role in understanding and developing this reactivity — read the article to find out the roles in particular of Smidt and Heck. But still, in 1894 Phillips had described the reaction of olefins over palladium and noted that no CO2 was formed. The rest, as they say, is palladium-catalyzed chemistry.

I just love old manuscripts — of course I like brand new ones, too! I see these a lot more often — and so I went and located here this PDF of the American Chemical Journal in which the work of Phillips appeared.  Jump to the pages 163 and 255 to find out more about the oxidation and chemical properties of gases.

Anne

Anne Pichon (Associate Editor, Nature Chemistry)