Oct 2005: ACCN, the Canadian Chemical News by Chemical Institute of Canada

l’actualité chimique canadienne canadian chemical news ACCN

Nan ot ec h

OCTOBER OCTOBRE • 2005 • Vol. 57, No./no 9

n o lo 88th CSCg y Conference H

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ighlights

The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering (CJChE) publishes original research, new theoretical interpretations and critical reviews in the science or industrial practice of chemical and biochemical engineering or applied chemistry. The CJChE has an eighty-year successful history of producing high-quality, cutting-edge research. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering can now accept your manuscript submissions on-line. Published on a non-profit basis by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, the CJChE welcomes submissions of original research articles in the broad field of chemical engineering and its applications. From the new on-line submissions site: (a) authors can submit their manuscript electronically (MS Word file, TeX file, or PDF file) and track its status as it goes through the review process; and (b) reviewers should be able to check out the manuscripts for review and then submit their reviews electronically.

www.cjche .ca/submissioninstructions.htm

Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering

ACCN

OCTOBER OCTOBRE • 2005 • Vol. 57, No./no 9

A publication of the CIC/Une publication de l’ICC

Ta ble of Contents/Ta ble des matièr es

Feature Ar ticles/Ar ticles de fond

Guest Column/Chroniqueur invité . . 2 Fall Lobbying Meetings Start Again Roland Andersson, MCIC Personals/Personnalités . . . . . . . 3

News Briefs/Nouvelles en bref . . . . 4 Chemputing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 One Click Shows All Marvin D. Silbert, FCIC

CIC Bulletin ICC

16 Optical Projection Lithography—Enabling Nanolithography Photolithography has played the central role in microlithography for decades. Now it is the choice for manufacturing integrated circuits at the nanometre regime. Marius Ivan, MCIC

18 Geared Up for Nano

People, ideas, and infrastructure—the essentials of a world-class environment for nanoscience and nanotechnology research at École Polytechnique and the Université de Montréal.

. . . . . . . . . . 28

CSC Bulletin SCC . . . . . . . . . . 29 NCW News/ Nouvelles de la SNC . . . . . . . . . 36 Student News/ Nouvelles des étudiants . . . . . . . 36 Employment Wanted/ Demande d’emploi . . . . . . . . . 38 Events/Événements . . . . . . . . . 39 Careers/Carrières . . . . . . . . . . 39

Block copolymers on their way to nanodevices Guojun Liu, MCIC

Chemfusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fit to be Fried Joe Schwarcz, MCIC Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Harmonious Universe

Little Goes a Long Way

Robert Sing

22 Talented Flowers

Women in chemistry—a century of progress? Geoff Rayner-Canham, FCIC, and Marelene Rayner-Canham

REMEMBERWHEN

GUEST COLUMN CHRONIQUEUR INVITÉ

Editor-in-Chief/Rédactrice en chef Michelle Piquette Managing Editor/Directrice de la rédaction Heather Dana Munroe Graphic Designer/Infographiste Krista Leroux

FALL LOBBYING MEETINGS START AGAIN

Editorial Board/Conseil de rédaction Terrance Rummery, FCIC, chair/président Catherine A. Cardy, MCIC Cathleen Crudden, MCIC John Margeson, MCIC Milena Sejnoha, MCIC Bernard West, MCIC

CIC members are encouraged to communicate with their MPs Roland Andersson, MCIC

raditionally and continually, The Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) has made a point of actively communicating the interests and concerns of chemists, chemical engineers, and chemical technologists to the federal government. The CIC, through its staff and volunteer members, plays a strong role in both the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE) and the Canadian Consortium for Research (CCR). Both PAGSE and CCR meet throughout the year with MPs and senior bureaucrats to learn new information about government thinking and to share our thoughts on where R&D should be going in Canada. By the summer period, both groups prepare a brief for submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. The chairs of PAGSE and CCR are then invited to speak to the Finance Committee up on Parliament Hill in the fall. In the short five- to ten-minute time period allotted, we try to effectively communicate all the key points in the briefs and to answer the MPs’ questions. The Finance Committee hears from literally dozens of groups over the course of about six weeks. Since the Finance Committee hears from many different organizations and represents only about ten MPs, both PAGSE and CCR continue to meet with other MPs and senior bureaucrats, especially in the fall, to emphasize the key points and messages. This all leads up to the federal government budget, which is normally introduced in February. I would like to ask for your direct participation this year by reviewing the briefs and then asking your MP for a thirtyminute meeting to speak about research

2 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

and development for the well-being of Canadians. If the meeting time constraints are difficult to overcome, you can write a letter to your MP. I guarantee that either the MP or at least someone in his or her office will read your letter and brief the MP. Collectively, our growing CIC membership of 6,000 plus will have a powerful voice. You can find your MP’s coordinates at www. canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html. You can view the 2005 PAGSE and CCR briefs on the CIC Web site at www.cheminst. ca/govrel/docs/pagse/PAGSE_Brief_2005_ Final.pdf and www.cheminst.ca/govrel/ docs/ccr/CCR_Brief_2005_Final.pdf. Since these are public documents, you are highly encouraged to use them in your meeting discussion or letter. Of course, you will also have your personal issues and opinions about the status of R&D and other chemical-related topics. You should openly convey these to your MP. For those of you who can make the time to meet with your MP, the CIC would be most interested in hearing how your discussions went—and what we can learn so the CIC can represent you better in the future. I am the new CCR chair for a three-year term (September 2005 – September 2008) and would greatly appreciate your input.

Editorial Office/Bureau de la rédaction 130, rue Slater Street, Suite/bureau 550 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 613-232-6252 • Fax/Téléc. 613-232-5862 editorial@accn.ca • www.accn.ca Advertising/Publicité advertising@accn.ca Subscription Rates/Tarifs d’abonnement Non CIC members/Non-membres de l’ICC : in/au Canada CAN$55; outside/à l’extérieur du Canada US$50. Single copy/Un exemplaire CAN$8 or US$7. L’Actualité chimique canadienne/Canadian Chemical News (ACCN) is published 10 times a year by The Chemical Institute of Canada / est publié 10 fois par année par l’Institut de chimie du Canada. www.cheminst.ca. Recommended by The Chemical Institute of Canada, the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, and the Canadian Society for Chemical Technology. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the official position of the Institute, or of the societies that recommend the magazine. Recommandé par l’Institut de chimie du Canada, la Société canadienne de chimie, la Société canadienne de génie chimique et la Société canadienne de technologie chimique. Les opinions exprimées ne reflètent pas nécessairement la position officielle de l’Institut ou des sociétés constituantes qui soutiennent la revue. Change of Address/Changement d’adresse circulation@cheminst.ca Printed in Canada by Gilmore Printing Services Inc. and postage paid in Ottawa, ON./ Imprimé au Canada par Gilmore Printing Services Inc. et port payé à Ottawa, ON. Publications Mail Agreement Number/ No de convention de la Poste-publications : 40021620. (USPS# 0007-718) Indexed in the Canadian Business Index and available on-line in the Canadian Business and Current Affairs database. / Répertorié dans la Canadian Business Index et accessible en ligne dans la banque de données Canadian Business and Current Affairs. ISSN 0823-5228

Roland Andersson, MCIC, is executive director of The Chemical Institute of Canada. He can be reached at randersson@cheminst.ca.

www.accn.ca

PERSONALS PERSONNALITÉS

University

Government

Maria DeRosa, MCIC, is a new assistant professor in chemistry at Carleton University. She just completed a post-doctoral Fellowship at the California Institute of Technology where she researched in the field of bionanotechnology. “The challenge in this field is to successfully merge biochemistry and nanotechnology in order to produce biosensors , drug delivery agents, and catalysts, and further our understanding of bioterrorism agents, toxins, and cancer markers,” says DeRosa.

Distinction Stuart Grossert, FCIC, was elected president of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science at their 144th general meeting. Grossert is in the department of chemistry at Dalhousie University. Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, director of the McGill Office for Science and Society, has won the 2005 Sanford Fleming Medal from the Royal Canadian Institute for outstanding contributions to the public understanding of science.

Jean-François Legault, MCIC Andrew Hrymak, MCIC, has been appointed director of the newly established School for Engineering Practice at McMaster University. The school was created by the faculty of engineering in response to the growing need for engineers to manage increasingly complex issues requiring an in-depth knowledge of design, innovation, entrepreneurship, and the impact of technology on society. “This is a new concept in engineering education,” said Hrymak. “The school focuses on providing engineering professionals with the necessary mix of technical and leadership skills at the graduate level to recognize and develop new technologies, and to take those new technologies to market in a safe, efficient, and environmentally sound manner.” Hrymak is a professor of chemical engineering and chair of the department at McMaster University. He was previously director of the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI) and continues as associate director of the McMaster Centre for Advanced Polymer Processing and Design. His research interests include polymer processing, computational fluid dynamics, process simulation and optimization, and finite element methods.

Jean-François Legault, MCIC, has been awarded the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (DCDS) Commendation for his significant contributions to the advancement of chemical and nuclear defence. Legault has been credited by the Canadian Forces with “expand[ing] the national knowledge and interest base for chemical defence by virtue of his assumption of the presidency of the CSChE. Through [the CSChE] and his influence, he has been able to publicize the requirements and advances of chemical defence in the Canadian forces and engender interest on the part of industry and academia in participating in developments.”

Harold M. Schwartz, MCIC Derek Pratt, MCIC, is a new assistant professor of bioorganic and physical organic chemistry at Queen’s University. He holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in the department of chemistry at Queen’s. Pratt works alongside Gino DiLabio, MCIC, on problems in antioxidant chemistry and physical organic chemistry, and they recently published a paper together on the accounts of chemical research. For more on their research, see p. 7.

Harold M. Schwartz, MCIC, a manager with First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada, has won the 2005 Canadian Association for Environmental Analytical Laboratories (CAEAL) Serge Villard Award for his exceptional commitment to the CAEAL program. The award was presented in recognition of his many years as a lead assessor for CAEAL and his significant contribution as a member of the CAEAL Advisory Panel.

Brian Wagner, MCIC Brian Wagner, MCIC, associate professor and chair of chemistry at the University of Prince Edward Island, is one of ten recipients of the 2005 3M Teaching Fellowship Award. Up to ten Fellowships are presented each year to university faculty from across Canada to recognize both teaching excellence and educational leadership. He will be attending the 2005 3M Teaching Fellows retreat at Fairmont le Château Montebello in Quebec in November.

Editor’s Note Thomas T. Tidwell, FCIC, wrote the report entitled, “Canadian Chemistry and IUPAC,” on p. 28 of the July/August 2005 issue of ACCN.

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 3

NEWS BRIEFS NOUVELLES EN BREF

Canadarm of Nanotech

WD02 is an aluminum assembly of the WD at scale 1:1. The parts were machined by EDM (electro discharge machine) with a resolution of 5 microns.

Imagine a robot that’s able to grip atoms and handle particles 100,000 times smaller than a single human hair. Now imagine that the same robot can create new molecules to treat illnesses more effectively, and can help in the development of lighter and more resistant materials. Called “nanorobots,” these molecular workers toil away in the most microscopic of worlds and are considered the “Canadarm” of nanotechnology. These miniature machines will soon allow us to operate directly at the molecular level and improve the efficiency of appliances and tools that are indispensable for modern life—such as computers, airplanes, medical devices, and cars. But before they can reach that point, researchers must first develop and perfect nanorobots that can manoeuvre in spaces where the conventional laws of physics don’t necessarily apply. In fact, at the nanometric scale, the least variation in temperature, luminous intensity, or flow of energy could cause a robot to deviate significantly from its route trying to accomplish its precise task. This is the challenge that Sylvain Martel, scientific director of the new Nanorobotics Laboratory at the École Polytechnique de Montréal, has chosen to tackle. The lab’s new research infrastructure will allow him to develop computer and electromagnetic systems that are capable of guiding and controlling nanorobots working at the molecular scale. “Today’s robots are not adapted to assemble molecules at an acceptable speed. We need to invent new instruments that can handle atoms, one by one, to make revolutionary new molecular structures,” says Martel, who also holds the Canada Research Chair in Conception, Fabrication, and Validation of Micro/Nanosystems, and is a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA. “The Nanorobotics Laboratory allows us to bring together, under one roof, research from a variety of diverse disciplines,” Martel says, “such as information technology, mechanical engineering, and physics to pursue the development of ultra-specialized robots.” The lab’s fundamental research also offers numerous opportunities for industrial commercialization. In fact, several large corporations are watching Martel’s work with great interest, believing it could lead to new industrial processes and the development of new materials. With support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, École Polytechnique de Montréal, and Nano-Québec, the new laboratory will make it possible for researchers to undertake fundamental research not carried out anywhere else in Canada, and in only a handful of laboratories in the world. It will also allow a number of students, like Dominic St-Jacques, to pursue advanced research in leading-edge applications. St-Jacques is a graduate in information engineering who has chosen to pursue his Master’s degree at the Nanorobotics Laboratory. “The lab has allowed me to specialize in an exciting and cutting-edge field that I didn’t even know existed. The complexity of interactions at the nanometric scale is pushing us to develop computational algorithms at a level of difficulty that can’t be compared with those of other disciplines,” says St-Jacques. “I really have the feeling of being a pioneer, of working at the cutting edge of scientific research.” For more information, see the Nanorobotics Laboratory Web site at www.nano.polymtl.ca. Visit the CFI’s electronic magazine showcasing excellence in Canadian research at www.InnovationCanada.ca. InnovationCanada

4 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

Photo courtesy of the Nanorobotics Laboratory at École Polytechnique de Montréal

Minister Anne McLellan looks on as Prime Minister Martin peers through a Raman imaging spectrometer at NINT.

PM’s Stint at NINT Prime Minister Paul Martin got an up-close look at the world of the very small during a recent visit to the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT). Martin and Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan toured laboratories, met researchers and students, and had a wide ranging discussion about the research done at the Institute and the commercialization potential for nanotechnology. The Prime Minister was very curious about the capabilities of the various kinds of microscopes and surface science instruments. A stop at NINT’s chemical analysis lab gave the Prime Minister a chance to view styrene beads using Raman spectrometry, including a specially tooled display of beads that spelled out “Bienvenue PM Martin.”

Photo courtesy of NINT

Joining the Prime Minister for his visit to NINT was NRC president Pierre Coulombe. Coulombe had an opportunity to tell the Prime Minister of the importance of NRC cluster programs. During a roundtable discussion with nanotechnology researchers, the Prime Minister learned about the unique partnership at NINT, where group leaders are both NRC researchers and University of Alberta professors. He asked many questions, ranging from “how does the work done at NINT relate to commercialization” to “will nanotechnology help us understand our origin?” He also heard about the robust support for NINT’s cluster development efforts among the local business community. Chris Lumb, CEO of Micralyne Inc. and a member of NINT’s advisory board, told the Prime Minister of the importance of

NINT’s research programs and technology discoveries to growing the small tech sector in Edmonton. The Prime Minister inquired about how many people might be employed in the region a decade from now as a direct consequence of today’s investments. Also discussed was the strategic role of Canada’s nanotechnology efforts in relation to international developments in the field. NINT

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 5

New Soda Recovery Process Paprican and Thynside Holdings Ltd. have reached an agreement for the commercialization of a process for soda recovery in non-wood pulp mills. The process was originally developed by Paprican to debottleneck recovery-limited kraft mills and was demonstrated at the pilot plant level. Through independent studies, Thynside identified the relevance of this technology to non-woodbased soda mills that lack conventional recovery systems. Thynside now offers this process as part of its portfolio of value-added technologies for black liquor treatment. In India, China, and other developing countries, a significant portion of the papermaking fibre supply is derived from small non-wood pulping operations. For such mills, installation of a conventional chemical recovery system is usually uneconomical. For many years, these operations were allowed to discharge their black liquor effluent directly into the environment. Pressured by market globalization and the tightening of environmental impact regulations, these mills are now being forced to install proper

6 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

black liquor treatment systems or shut down their operations. Paprican’s process, combined with complementary lignin recovery technologies developed by Thynside and its affiliates, offers an economically viable solution to treat the black liquor from such small pulping operations while meeting environmental regulations. “We are delighted to see that a technology originally developed for Canadian pulp and paper producers will be useful to nonwood pulp mills located in India, China, and other parts of the developing world,” said Chris Kanters, director of contracts, patents, and licensing at Paprican. “It shows that the expertise and technologies developed by Paprican are relevant to the pulp and paper industry on a global basis. We have always been committed to the protection of the environment and we are proud to see that this technology will not only create economical benefits to the pulp makers but also contribute to improve the quality of life and the environment in the communities where they operate.” According to Jairo Lora, chief technology officer of Thynside, “Paprican’s technology is a perfect complement to our other creative offerings for techno-economically feasible solutions for black liquor treatment in small

non-wood pulp mills. We are most pleased to collaborate with Paprican in implementing this technology to improve the environmental health of the pulp and paper industry in important parts of the developing world.” Paprican

Nano Dictionary It’s basically been a free-for-all in the world of nanotech terminology. Quantam dots, nanoshells, anopeapods—nanoscientists have been inspired by everything from Polish dumplings to Inuit landmarks when naming new nanomaterials. But without any systematic terminology or nomenclature, these myriad descriptors (along with vague terms such as nanoparticle) are quickly becoming a big headache for regulators, patent lawyers, and journal editors. At the American Chemistry Society’s national meeting this year, chemistry professor Vicki Colvin, director of the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology at Rice University, announced that she has spearheaded a project to create a dictionary for the nanoscale. ACS

Photo by Jim Ernsberger

Ottawa Invests in Petrobank’s Heavy Oil Recovery David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry, says Ottawa’s $9-million investment could revolutionize heavy oil production in Canada and around the world. The Technology Partnerships in Canada (TPC) investment is part of a $44.7-million development and demonstration project being undertaken by Petrobank Energy and Resources of Calgary, AB. The Whitesands pilot project will field demonstrate Petrobank’s patented Toe-to-Heel Air Injection (THAI) heavy oil recovery process in the Christina Lake area south of Fort McMurray. The Canadian oil sands are a strategic resource of North American energy, however, current technology for in situ production consumes large volumes of natural gas, fresh water or hydrocarbon solvents, thus providing an opportunity for new technologies to advance and sustain oil sands development. Petrobank’s project will use a new combustion process that combines a vertical air injection well with a horizontal production well. The THAI technology offers a number of advantages over the current steamassisted gravity drainage system for heavy oil recovery, including 70 to 80 percent higher potential resource recovery, lower production and capital costs, minimal usage of natural gas and fresh water, the possibility of a partially upgraded crude oil product and significantly lower greenhouse emissions. Camford Chemical Report

NINT Scientist in New Canada–Japan Exchange NINT’s Jillian Buriak, MCIC, was selected as the first scientist to participate in a highprofile international exchange program. The Canada–Japan Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET) Program organizes international exchanges of outstanding Canadian and Japanese

women who have a reputation for effective public communication. Buriak visited Japan in early March. In addition to heading the Materials and Interfacial Chemistry Group at NINT, Buriak is also a professor in department of chemistry at the University of Alberta. “It was a fascinating—and incredibly busy—four days,” says Buriak. Her schedule included lectures at three universities (Tsukuba, Waseda, and Ochanomizu), where she spoke about her own research in semiconductor surface chemistry. She visited two high schools, and gave talks on nanotechnology in general. One of the high schools runs a Super Science Program for girls (one of 75 in Japan); the other school was the American School in Japan. “The students’ level of knowledge about science was impressive,” notes Buriak. “Their questions were intense.” Buriak also gave a wide-ranging lecture at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. Her talk covered Canada’s strengths in nanotechnology, a profile of NINT and its relationship with the University of Alberta, and current controversies about nanotechnology. Lunch and dinner meetings rounded out her stay. “On a professional level, the exchange was very helpful. I met with the top people in my area—I visited their labs and met their students. There’s a personal connection now, one that you can’t get from just reading the literature. Some interesting collaborations may eventually come from this. On a personal level, I believe that encouraging women to consider scientific careers is important. I’m glad to play a role in this.” The Canada–Japan WISET Program began in 2005. The intention is to operate the program for three years, with about 12 visits in total (six each for Canada and Japan). The establishment of the program was spearheaded by the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, working with the Royal Society of Canada, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) of Japan, and the Science Council of Japan. NINT

Gino DiLabio, MCIC, stands beside a Sun Fire v1280 server that is part of the University of Alberta’s Centre of Excellence in Integrated NanoTools.

Novel Antioxidants NINT’s Gino DiLabio, MCIC, along with co-discoverers Derek Pratt, MCIC, (Queen’s University), and Luca Valgimigli (Università di Bologna), have been awarded a U.S. patent for a new class of antioxidant compounds based on 5-pyrimidinol and 3-pyridinol. Antioxidants are widely used as additives to fuels, lubricants, chemicals, and foods. In the body, antioxidants prevent the oxidation of biological material by preventing the damaging effects of “free radicals”—natural by-products of cell metabolism. Some well-known antioxidants include vitamins E and C. The newly patented class of antioxidant has a key advantage, explains DiLabio. “When you try to boost the antioxidant properties of many natural antioxidants, they become strong oxidants known as pro-oxidants. They can then end up doing more harm than good. In contrast, we can boost the antioxidant properties of our molecules without having them become pro-oxidants.” The research that led to this discovery was started just before DiLabio joined the Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences in 2001. He is now a member of NINT’s Molecular Scale Devices Group. While DiLabio continues to follow the antioxidant research, the focus of his current work at NINT is the modelling the properties of nanostructures on silicon surfaces. NINT

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 7

NEWS BRIEFS NOUVELLES EN BREF

Nano Plastic Sees in the Dark

Biopharma Pilot Plant in Quebec

McGill Hosts NanoForum Canada

Researchers at the University of Toronto (U of T) have invented an infrared-sensitive material that could shortly turn these possibilities into realities. Ted Sargent, Nortel Networks Canada Research Chair in Emerging Technologies at U of T, and his team report on their achievement in tailoring matter to harvest the sun’s invisible rays. “We made particles from semiconductor crystals that were exactly two, three, or four nanometres in size. The nanoparticles were so small they remained dispersed in everyday solvents just like the particles in paint,” explains Sargent. Then, they tuned the tiny nanocrystals to catch light at very short wavelengths. The result is a sprayable, infrared detector. Imagine a home with “smart” walls responsive to the environment in the room, a digital camera sensitive enough to work in the dark, or clothing with the capacity to turn the sun’s power into electrical energy. Existing technology has given us solution-processible, light-sensitive materials that have made large, low-cost solar cells, displays, and sensors possible, but these materials have so far only worked in the visible light spectrum, says Sargent. “These same functions are needed in the infrared for many imaging applications in the medical field and for fibre optic communications,” he says. The discovery may also help in the quest for renewable energy sources. Flexible, roller-processed solar cells have the potential to harness the sun’s power, but efficiency, flexibility, and cost are going to determine how that potential becomes practice, says Josh Wolfe, managing partner and nanotechnology venture capital investor at Lux Capital in Manhattan. Peter Peumans of Stanford University, who has reviewed the U of T team’s research, also acknowledges the groundbreaking nature of the work. “Our calculations show that, with further improvements in efficiency, combining infrared and visible photovoltaics could allow up to 30 percent of the sun’s radiant energy to be harnessed, compared to six percent in today’s best plastic solar cells.”

Medicago has announced the opening of its pilot plant in Québec City. The 14,000 square-foot current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) facility will accelerate the company’s product development programs, providing the necessary capacity to generate clinical trial supplies for Medicago and its partners. “Medicago is well-prepared to supply clinical material for both its own and partner products, in its new gold standard cGMP facility,” says Andy Sheldon, president and CEO of Medicago. “With its outstanding team, Medicago is among the front runners of the top ten most promising international companies developing plant-based innovative biopharmaceutical products for human health. SGF is proud of its association with this young Sainte-Foy company.”

More that 250 researchers, students, and policy wonks gathered in Montréal in June for the second annual NanoForum Canada. This year the three-day agenda included thirty-two scientific talks on the latest discoveries at the nano-scale and panel discussions on public policy and social and legal issues related to nanotechnologies. There were also more than 90 poster presentations by researchers from across Canada. Event co-chair Janusz Lusztyk of the National Research Council Canada said that the discussion on a national nanotechnology strategy and the session on ethical, environmental, economic, legal, and socials issues (NEEELS) related to nanotechnology were added in response to feedback from the year before. Highlights from these sessions will soon be posted on the forum Web site at www.nanoforum.ca. NanoForum 2006 will be held in Edmonton, AB, and will feature tours of the National Institute for Nanotechno logy.

University of Toronto

8 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

Camford Chemical News

Fund Finder Canadian Publications is offering to the public a revised edition of the Canadian Subsidy Directory, a guide containing more than 3,000 direct and indirect financial subsidies, grants and loans offered by government departments and agencies, foundations, associations and organizations. It is deemed to be the perfect tool for anyone seeking funds. The listings include names, addresses, telephone numbers, and Web sites as well as program names and descriptions. Businesses, individuals, municipalities, government departments, institutions, foundations, and associations will find a wealth of information that could help them start a business, improve current activities, set up a business plan, finance personal projects, studies and research, or obtain assistance from experts in various fields. The Canadian Subsidy Directory is sold for $149.95 for the printed copy or $69.95 for the CD-Rom. To order your copy, call Canadian Publications toll-free at 866-322-3376. Camford Chemical News

NINT

CHEMPUTING

One Click Shows All

y first task, after recently purchasing a new computer, was to get it loaded up with all the software I needed. Which programs will I continue to use? Which will I drop? I chose to drop WordPerfect as the only component of the WP package I still use is Quick View Plus, an extra tossed in with the original CD. It’s a shame it was treated that way as I consider it to be one of my most valuable utilities. WordPerfect may be heading to the history books, but Quick View Plus is still very much alive and well. The current version 8.0 does much more than my earlier version 5.0. Take almost any file you have, whether it be a spreadsheet, word-processing file or graphics image. You need specific programs installed before you can prepare those files. In many cases, you also need the same programs to view them. As very few people can afford the luxury of having a plethora of installed programs, out jumps that oft-misused buzzword, “compatibility.” MS Word and Excel claim they can read WP and Lotus files. They try and may do a reasonable job until they encounter any special formatting or graphics. QV8 will give you a better than 95 percent chance of being be able to view and print those same files with all the formatting and graphics intact. It claims it can display several hundred file formats, including many that became extinct when DOS bit the dust. As I made a point of dropping WordPerfect, my first need was to find a route to display my old WP files. QV8 had no trouble displaying them, including some large, fully formatted documents loaded with embedded

graphics. There were some limitations. In a few cases where I pushed my formatting to the limit, some of those features didn’t come out quite right. The important thing was that I could read and print the documents. That was my main need. If I wanted them perfect, I would obviously have to work a bit at it. As MS Word claims it will read WP documents, I looked at the same documents with Word XP. QV8 totally outperformed Word. The latter essentially collapsed whenever the formatting contained more than a few bolds or italics. Looking the other way, QV8 could also display large MS Word documents (I went to well over 100 pages) with extended formatting and a multitude of embedded graphics. In the course of my consulting work, I receive graphics files from AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator and a whole raft of other programs I don’t have. Over the years, I’ve been able to open maybe one in four successfully. For some of the rest, I could often make a deal with someone who had the right program. I would e-mail the files and they would come back translated into something I could read. With QV8, I must have tripled my chances. There are all kinds of files I can now open. In spite of having all that enhanced ability, there were still a few annoying exceptions that drove me up the wall. These were graphics formats, where the ability to work with them seems to depend upon which program made them and which version of that program. I had a couple of exasperating situations where Adobe Acrobat would open an Adobe Illustrator file while QV8 wouldn’t and the very next time it went the other way.

Marvin D. Silbert, FCIC QV8 can be purchased directly from the Web site for US$34. The file is 23 MB and can be installed with the usual one-click action. Once installed, there are two main ways to use it. It can work within Windows Explorer and be activated with a right click whenever you highlight a file. It can also run independently using its own file navigator to search through your file lists. I also have it set up to work within my Eudora e-mail reader to view attached files. It will jump into action if I receive any files not registered with other programs on my system. Another really nice feature is the ability to dig into compressed files without any need to decompress them. As a bonus, if you don’t already have any file compression software, QV8 can also create or decompress ZIP files. While I came close, I couldn’t claim 100 percent success with every file I tried. Trying to do better, would have required buying each and every program that produced those files … and learning how to run them. I’m pleased with that 95+ percent success rate with QV8. It’s still on the top of my utility list and I highly recommend it. I use it almost every day. Quick View Plus, version 8.0, Avantstar, Inc., 18986 Lake Drive E., Chanhassen, MN, 55317, U.S., 952-351-8500, 877-829-7325, www.avantstart.com.

You can reach our Chemputing editor, Marvin D. Silbert, FCIC, at Marvin Silbert and Associates, 23 Glenelia Avenue, Toronto, ON M2M 2K6; tel. 416-225-0226; fax: 416-225-2227; e-mail: marvin@silbert.org; Web site: www.silbert.org.

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 9

CHEMFUSION

Fit to be Fried

he wienerschnitzel was so large it hung off the plate. Topped with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and lemon juice, it was an absolute treat. I was introduced to the delights of the veal cutlet in the 1950s at my aunt’s restaurant, the “Riviera.” The meat was pounded almost paper thin, battered in flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, and quickly fried to a golden brown. I just loved it. In fact, I still do. The Riviera is long gone, but I have learned to make a pretty acceptable schnitzel myself. But there is a difference—my enjoyment is now tainted by nutritional concerns. Much as I hate to admit it, some pretty dark clouds hang over the frequent consumption of red meat, and fried foods in particular. The words “red meat” and “cancer” now appear in the same sentence in scientific literature with alarming frequency. Articles about the role of diet in cancer commonly conclude that many cases can be prevented by dietary modification. The suggested changes usually involve increasing fruit and vegetable consumption while curbing the intake of red meat and foods cooked at a high temperature. A European study enrolled almost half a million healthy men and women in the 1990s and followed their health status. After about five years, some 1,300 cases of colorectal cancer were detected and the lifestyles of these patients were then compared with those free of the disease. The major finding was that bowel cancer was associated with the intake of red meats and processed meats. Quantitatively, people who ate more than 160 grams of red or processed meat a day were 35 percent more likely to develop bowel cancer than those who ate less than 20 grams a day. 160 grams is not a lot—eat a “quarter pounder” and you’ve got it. Chicken was not implicated and eating fish was associated with a lower risk of bowel cancer.

Joe Schwarcz, MCIC Exactly what the problem is with red and processed meats is hard to say, but it’s a good bet that heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are involved. Heating food unleashes a host of chemical changes. Some changes are desirable—such as destroying bacteria, softening muscle fibers, and developing flavour. Others are not. High temperatures allow compounds such as creatinine in meat to combine with aldehydes to form heterocyclic amines—recognized carcinogens. The higher the temperature, the longer the cooking time, the more HCAs form. These compounds have been implicated in more than bowel cancer. Red meat consumption is associated with prostate, stomach, and pancreatic cancer. Researchers have found that women who routinely eat very well-done meat face a five-fold increase in breast cancer risk when compared with women who eat their meat rare or medium. Why chicken and fish are less risky isn’t clear, but it may have to do with shorter cooking times. This is a welcome observation because chicken and fish are also deemed to be more heart healthy than red meat. At least as long as they are not fried! Harvard Medical School researchers examined the heart function of some 5,000 seniors and found that those who ate broiled or baked fish frequently had lower heart rates, lower blood pressure, and better blood flow to the heart. Those who regularly ate fried fish or fast food fish sandwiches showed a greater incidence of hardening of the coronary arteries and other heart problems. The fat used for frying is the likely culprit here. The cooks at the Riviera probably used some sort of animal fat to fry my wienerschnitzel back in the 1950s. As scientists learned more about the cholesterol-raising properties of such saturated fats, they pushed to replace them with the polyunsaturated fats found in vegetable oils. They degrade more easily when heated and cannot be reused as often as the saturated fats. “Partially hydrogenated”

vegetable oils have better keeping qualities. But hydrogenation converts some of unsaturated fats into the now notorious “trans fats,” which are as bad for the heart as the animal fats. Trans fats have become a pariah and movements are afoot to drive them out of our food supply. But what do we replace them with? Beef tallow or lard? Hardly. Frying in unsaturated vegetable oils eliminates the trans fat problem, but let’s not get too comfortable with these either. There is the emerging issue of trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, or “HNE.” HNE is causing somewhat of a ruckus in the scientific community. HNE forms when polyunsaturated fats—those containing several carbon-carbon double bonds—react with oxygen. Such fats are present in cell membranes and can give rise to HNE, which can then travel through the bloodstream. The bad news is that HNE has been linked with cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, liver and kidney ailments, and even cancer. HNE forms when polyunsaturated oils—particularly those containing linoleic acid (corn, soy, canola)—are heated, especially if heated repeatedly. Those golden fries in restaurants may be laden with HNE! Now for the good news: monounsaturated fats like peanut oil or olive oil are less prone to such contamination. Alas, these are not commonly used in restaurants, so limiting fried foods when eating out is really important. But I won’t give up on my homemade wienerschitzel. I have it less often and fry it in olive oil. Why? Because there is more to life than worrying about every morsel we put into our mouths.

Popular science writer, Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, is a chemistry professor and the director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society. He hosts the Dr. Joe Show every Sunday from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Montréal’s radio station CJAD and on CFRB in Toronto. The broadcast is available on the Web at www.CJAD.com.

10 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

Book Review THE HARMONIOUS UNIVERSE: THE BEAUTY AND UNITY OF SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING By Keith J. Laidler, FCIC, Prometheus Books, ISBN 1-59102-187-1

eith J. Laidler, FCIC (1916–2003), was a pioneer in chemical kinetics and the physical chemistry of enzymes. Professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Ottawa and the author of 13 books and over 250 articles, Laidler devoted his life to the understanding and communication of science. His obituary was published in ACCN in October 2004. Most chemists of my generation learned physical chemistry from his textbooks. In addition to writing books for chemists, Laidler addressed a wider audience—namely laypersons interested in science. The Harmonious Universe, his last book, is a delectable treat, peppered with a host of edifying and amusing historical anecdotes, for non-scientists and scientists alike. According to Laidler, “Today science is having a powerful influence on our material lives and is transforming our culture. For these reasons, it is useful for all of us to have a clear understanding of the methods of science and of how science influences the whole of society.” “My intention is to illuminate a broad spectrum of topics that I think will help the general reader to gain some understanding of the methods of science and of the broad conclusions to which science leads. I have limited my discussions to those aspects of science that I think the non-scientist reader will find most interesting and helpful, and I have indicated some of the difficulties that scientists have had in reaching their conclusions.” Laidler vividly depicts the panorama of our universe from its subatomic realms to the vast reaches of outer space, cogently demonstrates the unity underlying the seeming diversity of the manifold objects in the universe, shows us how best to appreciate its

beauty, complexity, and order, and illustrates the way in which scientists uncover Nature’s secrets. He explores the historical development of our knowledge of some of the most important, far-reaching, and unifying concepts and conclusions of chemistry, physics, astronomy, geology, and biology and demonstrates how the evidence from all these fields leads to a picture of the formation and development of a harmonious universe and of life within it. Laidler presents evidence for atoms and subatomic particles and discusses how the different elements combine to form the millions of known molecules. He considers the relationship between light and electricity, the electromagnetic forces that hold together atoms and molecules, and how they affect the nature of our universe. One chapter details the different forms of energy, Einstein’s insight that matter and energy are convertible, the first two laws of thermodynamics, entropy, Maxwell’s demon, and how energy controls everything that happens and how fast it happens. Another chapter shows that energy exists in tiny packets (quanta) as postulated by Planck’s quantum theory. Laidler also deals with Einstein’s special and general theories and nuclear fission and fusion. Of all the chapters, “The Subatomic Universe,” will be the most difficult for the non-scientific reader. It contains most of the equations and all the book’s five tables. Laidler presents a brief history of geology and astronomy before discussing the big bang theory, the origin of the universe, the formation of the Earth and its age, and some of the processes that occur in the stars. He demonstrates that the same laws govern both animate and inanimate systems. He explores

the general direction of evolution from a single species to an increasing diversity of species—to increased disorder or, in extreme cases, to chaos. Laidler tackles the problem of the different types of truth—religious, legal, historical, and scientific truth. He concludes with a statement that is an ideal swan song for someone aiming to convince non-scientists of the power of science in solving the problems faced by humankind: “Science has had remarkable success in arriving at the concept of a harmonious universe by the use of the judicial method of investigation. I am convinced that the world would be a much better and happier place if all of us followed the same method.” Unlike most books for laypersons, Laidler has not hesitated to include structural formulas and mathematical, chemical, and nuclear equations wherever necessary. He has included 61 figures including portraits of the most important scientists discussed in the text, 10 pages of notes and references as recent as 2001, six pages of suggested reading, a 19-page alphabetical glossary, and a 16-double-column-page index. This modestly priced, inspiring, entertaining, and lucidly written tome makes an ideal gift for anyone interested in the progress of science—especially its human dimensions in the vast, impersonal universe, from its inception, with an emphasis on developments over the past two centuries.

George B. Kauffman is a Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of the Dexter Award in the history of chemistry and numerous other honours. He is a contributing editor of seven journals and magazines.

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 11

LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY Block copolymers on their way to nanodevices

lock copolymers are made by joining covalently polymer chains of different types. The simplest block copolymer is a diblock AnBm consisting of n consecutive A and m consecutive B units joined in a head-to-tail fashion. Block copolymers are all around us and found in cosmetic products, upholstery foam, and adhesive tape, etc. Over the past decade, much progress has been made by Canadian researchers in using them to make nanostructures including nanofibres, nanotubes, hollow nanospheres, and nanospheres with patterned interior and/or surface, etc. More recently, these different nanocomponents are coupled chemically to yield more complex structures, paving the way for the construction of solvent-dispersible nanodevices.

Block copolymer self-assembly Nanostructure fabrication from block copolymers is possible mainly due to the fascinating self-assembling properties of the polymers. In a block copolymer solid, the different blocks of a block copolymer segregate to yield equilibrium block segregation patterns that are highly regular and ordered with periodicity ranging from tens of nanometres to several hundred nanometres. This self-assembly phenomenon of block copolymers has been extensively reviewed. Those who are interested are referred to an excellent introduction article1 for a more detailed account of the subject. What I will describe in some detail below is the self-assembly of block copolymer in block-selective solvent, an area where Canadian researchers have made pioneering contributions. A block-selective solvent solubilizes only some and not all blocks of a block copolymer. In a block-selective solvent, the insoluble block of different chains of a diblock aggregates and segregates from the solvent phase to form a polymer-rich phase that is stabilized by chains of the soluble block. The need to minimize the interfacial energy between this insoluble

12 Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ACTUALITĂ&#x2030; CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

Guojun Liu, MCIC phase and the solvent favours the formation of large aggregates. The need to minimize the stretching of chains of the soluble and insoluble blocks favours small aggregates. A compromise between the opposing forces leads to the formation of micelles of a particular shape with an optimal size. Adi Eisenberg, FCIC, a professor at McGill university, and his graduate student Lifeng Zhang, ACIC, were the first to discover the multiple morphologies of block copolymer micelles and to establish the trend of their morphological variation with polymer composition.2 If the soluble block is long, the insoluble block of a diblock copolymer aggregates to produce spherical micelles. As the length of the soluble block is decreased relative to the insoluble block, cylindrical, vesicular, and then composite micelles and micelles of many other shapes are formed. A composite micelle consists of many aggregated small spherical micelles. Figure 1 shows transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of micelles formed in water from polystyrene-block-poly (acrylic acid), PS-PAA, with different compositions. Figure 2 illustrates schematically the structure and chain packing in four types of diblock copolymer micelles where the grey block is insoluble.

Scheme 1. Structure of PS-PCEMA-PtBA In the seminal work of Eisenberg and Zhang, the micelles were prepared in water. Water is a unique medium in which there exists an intricate interplay of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions.

prepared solvent-dispersible nanotubes from a triblock copolymer polystyrene-block-poly(2-cinnamoyloexyethyl methacrylate)-blockpoly(tert-butyl acrylate), PS-PCEMA-PtBA (Scheme 1), which consisted of 690 styrene, 170 PCEMA, and 200 tBA units, respectively.

Figure 1. Morphological progression of PS-PAA micelles in water as a function of the PS:PAA block length ratio. A. 8.6 for small spheres from PS(500)-b-PAA(58); B. 9.5 for rod-like micelles from PS(190)-b-PAA(20); C. 20.5 for vesicles from PS(410)-b-PAA(20) and D. 50 for large compound micelles from PS(200)-b-PAA(4)

Figure 2. Cross-sectional view of chain packing in diblock copolymer spherical, cylindrical, vesicular, and tubular micelles At that time, these interactions were deemed important in facilitating the formation of micelles with morphologies more complex than the spheres. My group was the first to reproduce in organic solvents many of the micellar morphologies3 observed in water by Eisenberg and coworkers. Ian Manners, FCIC, and Mitchell A. Winnik, FCIC, and their groups at the University of Toronto examined micelle formation from ferrocene-containing block copolymers. For the ready crystallization of the poly(ferrocene) block, they found unique new micellar morphologies. These included the tubular micelles which are cylinder-like with a tubular core.4 The micelles were stabilized in solvents by the soluble chains grafted on both the external and internal walls of the tubes.

Chemical processing of self-assembled block copolymers Block copolymer micelles are stable in a block-selective solvent. They disintegrate with the addition of a solvent good for all blocks. Similarly, the periodic structures in a block-segregated solid disintegrate upon the addition of a good solvent for the block copolymer. For many applications such as in the preparation of size-selective membranes or lithographic masks, it is desirable to chemically process these structures. One of the major contributions of my group has been in demonstrating the diversified ways to use chemical processing for nanomaterial fabrication. Figure 3 illustrates how we

Figure 3. Schematic illustration of the steps involved in preparing PS-PCEMA-PAA nanotubes The first step involved the dissolution of the triblock in a good solvent toluene. Since the block copolymer was designed and synthesized with the right composition, the slow evaporation of the solvent over several days led to the spontaneous segregation of the PtBA and PCEMA blocks in the solid state from the matrix PS block into core-shell cylinders (A→B).5 Such cylinders were packed with high periodicity and order and found throughout the solid film. This was followed by subjecting the film to UV irradiation to crosslink the PCEMA shell cylinder (B→C). Once the cylindrical structure was locked in, we stirred such films in THF to levitate the crosslinked cylindrical domains from the solid film. This yielded individual nanocylinders or nanofibres (C→D). The stable nanofibres were further treated by trifluoroacetic acid in methylene chloride to hydrolyze PtBA to yield nanotubes with poly(acrylic acid)- or PAA-lined cores (D→E). Relying on chemical processing including block-selective crosslinking and sculpturing, we prepared from block copolymers many types of novel nanostructures.

Polymer/inorganic hybrid nanostructures Block copolymer nanostructures such as the nanotubes described above are soft materials. They will find applications most likely in the medical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. We used them also as templates for the preparation of solvent-dispersible polymer/ inorganic hybrid nanostructures. We prepared, for example, γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the PAA-lined tubular cores of the PS-PCEMA-PAA nanotubes by performing inorganic synthesis there (Figure 4). For their nanometre size, the γ-Fe2O3 particles were superparamagnetic: meaning that they were magnetized only in a magnetic field and were demagnetized when the field was removed. A consequence of this was that the nanofibres attracted one another and bundled only in a magnetic field.5

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 13

Nanomechanical devices With our success in the synthesis of solvent dispersible polymer/ inorganic superparamagnetic hybrid nanofibres that attract one another and bundle in a magnetic field and our success in attaching nanotubes to other nano- or micro-structures, the opportunity for creating nano-mechanical devices are now just at the door. Figure 6 depicts an optical magnetic nanohand that we are currently constructing.

Figure 6. Schematic of the operation of an optical magnetic nanohand

Figure 4. TEM image of PS-PCEMA-PAA/γ-Fe2O3 hybrid nanofibres. The γ-Fe2O3 particles are seen exclusively inside the tubular cores.

Chemical coupling Another advantage for having stabilized block copolymer nanostructures is that we can use them as the building blocks for the construction of more complex structures. We have, for example, recently coupled chemically PS-PCEMA-PAA nanotubes bearing terminal amino groups with microspheres bearing surface carboxyl group. Figure 5 shows a TEM image of “super-surfactant” molecules resulting from the coupling of one nanotube with one microsphere. They are called super-surfactants because the “heads” are watersoluble and the “tails” are hydrophobic just like those found for low-molar-mass surfactant molecules. We are now investigating whether super-surfactant molecules will self-assemble into “supermicelles” in water in analogy to the surfactant molecules.

Figure 5. Super-surfactant resulting from the covalent coupling of one microsphere with one nanotube

The fingers here will consist of polymer/γ-Fe2O3 or polymer/Ni superparamagnetic nanofibres that bundle in a magnetic field to grab a nanoobject. The grabbed object will be moved around by moving a laser beam that traps the microsphere via the optical tweezing mechanism. With various other nanomechanical devices also possible, the future of block copolymer nanostructure research remains intriguing and exciting.

References 1. Frank S. Bates and Glenn H. Fredrickson, “Block Copolymers— Design Soft Materials,” Physics Today 52, 2 (February 1999), pp. 32–38. 2. Lifeng Zhang and Adi Eisenberg, “Multiple Morphologies of Crew-cut Aggregates of Polystyrene-b-Poly(acrylic acid) Block Copolymers,” Science 268 (June 1995), pp. 1728–1731. 3. Jianfu Ding, Guojun Liu and Meiling Yang, “Multiple Morphologies of Polyisoprene-block-poly(2-cinnamoylethyl methacrylate) and Polystyrene-block-poly(2-cinnamoylethyl methacrylate) Micelles in Organic Solvents,” Polymer 38, 21 (October 1997), pp. 5497–5501. 4. Jose Raez, Ian Manners, and Mitchell A. Winnik, “Nanotubes from the Self-Assembly of Asymmetric Crystalline-Coil Poly(ferrocenylsilane-siloxane) Block Copolymers,” Journal of the American Chemical Society 124, 35 (September 2002), pp. 10381–10395. 5. Xiaohu Yan, Guojun Liu, Futian Liu, Benzhong Tang, Han Peng, and Alexander B. Pakhomov, “Superparamagnetic Triblock/Fe2O3 Hybrid Nanofibers,” Angewandte Chemie-International Edition 40, 19 (October 2001), pp. 3593–3596. 6. Guojun Liu, Xiaohu Yan, Zhao Li, Jiayun Zhou, and Scott Duncan, “End Coupling of Block Copolymer Nanotubes to Nanospheres,” Journal of the American Chemical Society 125, 46 (November 2003), pp. 14039–14045.

Guojun Liu, MCIC, is a professor and Canada Research Chair in Materials Science in the department of chemistry at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON. He specializes in polymer nanostructure research.

14 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

CSChE Award in Industrial Practice The award is given to a resident of Canada, a Canadian citizen, or a Canadian group who has made a distinguished contribution in the application of chemical engineering or industrial chemistry to the industrial sphere. This contribution will relate to the practice of chemical engineering and/or industrial chemistry whether it be in research and development, design, construction, and production or some combination of these. Preference shall be given to activities specific to Canadian industry.

The Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering

2006 AWARDS Submission deadline is December 1, 2005

D. G. Fisher Award (sponsored by the department of chemical and materials engineering, University of Alberta, Suncor Energy Foundation, and Shell Canada Limited): The D. G. Fisher Award is awarded to an individual who has made substantial contributions in the field of systems and control engineering. The award is given in recognition of significant contributions in any, or all, of the areas of theory, practice, and education. R. S. Jane Memorial Award: The R. S. Jane Memorial Award is awarded to an individual for exceptional achievement in the chemical profession and the chemical industry in Canada. It is the premier award of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering. The Process Safety Management Award (sponsored by AON Reed Stenhouse Inc.): The award will be presented as a mark of recognition to a person who has made an outstanding contribution in Canada to the Process Safety Management (PSM) Division of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering recognizing excellence in the leadership and dedication of individuals who have led Canada in the field of process safety and loss management (PSLM).

The Syncrude Canada Innovation Award (sponsored by Syncrude Canada Ltd.): The award shall be given to a resident of Canada who has made a distinguished contribution in the field of chemical engineering while working in Canada. Nominees for this award shall not have reached the age of 40 years by January of the year in which the nomination becomes effective. The deadline for submission to these awards is December 1, 2005. For the full Terms of Reference, please visit the Web site at www.chemeng.ca/ cscheawards/ or contact the CIC National Office for a hard copy. Please send all documents as an e-mail attachment in the format of your choice. For any other paper documents that cannot be sent electronically, mail one copy. Submit nominations to: Awards Coordinator Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering Suite 550, 130 Slater Street Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 Tel.: 613-232-6252, ext. 223; Fax: 613-232-5862; E-mail: awards@cheminst.ca.

OPTICAL PROJECTION LITHOGRAPHY—ENABLING NANOLITHOGRAPHY Photolithography has played the central role in microlithography for decades. Now it is the choice for manufacturing integrated circuits at the nanometre regime.

hotolithography is one of the technologies that operate in the nanometre regime and has had a tremendous influence on our society during the last few decades. Invented by Alois Senefelder in Bohemia in 1798, lithography has quickly become one of the most popular printing techniques. Today’s photolithography uses the same basic principle and has become the main technology used in computer chips and printed circuits manufacturing. The silicon chip industry has followed the technology roadmap that was initially published in 1965 by a physical chemist, Gordon Moore. Moore predicted that by 1975, a computer chip would contain 65,000 circuits. Computer chips with a resolution of 90 nm are fabricated today using excimer lasers with wavelengths at 193 nm. There are quite a few technologies available for integrated circuits fabrication. Electron beam lithography (EBL), extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL), ion beam lithography (IBL), X-ray lithography (XRL), and nanoimprint lithography (NIL) have been developed during the years, but they did not make it to mass production. By far, the most commonly used technology is optical projection lithography. All of the above technologies use the top/bottom approach. However, a new technique has gained attention in the past few years. Self-assembly of molecules following certain patterns makes use of the bottom/up approach and the size of the features can go to as low as a few nanometres. The materials used in optical projection lithography consist of a resist and the substrate, usually silicon wafer. The resist is a complex mixture of polymers and photoactive components. The photolithographic process involves a few steps, depicted in the diagram from Figure 1.

16 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

Figure 1

Marius Ivan, MCIC

By 2010, a new technology should replace 193 nm immersion lithography and at this moment it is not clear which one will win the race. In the first step, a pattern from a mask is transferred through a complex projection optical system to the photoresist coated on top of the silicon wafer. Photochemistry that occurs in the exposed regions will induce a difference in solubility between the exposed and unexposed regions. This may be only one step in the manufacturing process, but it is the most important one, and the amount of time and money invested in new materials with better performances is impressive. If the exposed regions become soluble, they are washed away during the developing step, in which case one obtains a positive image. If the exposed regions become insoluble, the ones washed away are the unexposed regions in which case one obtains a negative image. The next steps in the fabrication process are etching and stripping. Photoresists have evolved at the same time as the wavelengths used in photolithography. From novolac-based resists used at 436 and 365 nm to phenolic based resists at 248 nm, poly(methylmethacrylate) resists at 193 nm, and fluorinated polymers at 157 nm, the evolution had to take into account the absorbance of the polymer at the wavelength of irradiation, as well as its stability under the tough etching conditions. The source of radiation also evolved, from UV lamps to F2 excimer lasers. The continuous race towards shorter wavelengths has a scientific explanation, since the features size (R) is given by the formula below:

R = k1

λ NA

where k1 is a parameter in the range 0.4–1.0, λ is the wavelength of radiation and NA is the numerical aperture. Smaller features size can be obtained either by decreasing k1 and λ or by increasing NA.

The technique currently used in optical projection lithography has a Canadian connection in that it makes use of a concept developed at the beginning of the 1980s by Ito, Frechet and Wilson, namely chemical amplification (CA). Frechet was at the time professor in the department of chemistry at the University of Ottawa and collaborated with researchers from IBM in the field of photolithography. The idea is simple and versatile. A photoacid generator (PAG) is introduced in the photoresist, during exposure to radiation the PAG is photolyzed and produces H+ and other photoproducts. Upon heating, H+ will catalyze the deprotection of a t-Boc or t-Bu protected carboxylic pendant group, releasing isobutene, CO2 in the case of t-Boc groups, and recovering the proton, thus inducing a solubility of the polymer in the exposed regions (Scheme 1). The proton can then catalyze another deprotection and the chain will continue. Washing with a basic solvent will remove the material from the exposed regions of the photoresist, leaving alternating lines and spaces.

Scheme 1 As the race towards smaller features continues, new obstacles and challenges have to be overcome. Economic factors dictate which technology is used. Since the equipment for computer chip manufacturing costs on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars, the industry shows an understandable inertia when it comes to making radical changes. Changing the wavelength in optical lithography is easier than adopting a completely new technique. The pressure moves then on to the chemists who have to design and synthesize new polymers that are transparent at the wavelength used, that can withstand tough etching conditions, stick to the substrate, and show a clear discrimination in terms of solubility between the exposed and unexposed regions. There are also difficulties presented by the optical components. They must be adapted as well, and in the case of 157 nm photolithography, this was the main obstacle that led

the industry to hunt for another solution for the 60 nm and 45 nm nodes. At 157 nm, the absorbance of the materials designed so far has been too high and the exposure has to be done either under vacuum or under a nitrogen atmosphere, increasing the cost of the final product. Fluorinated copolymers emerged as one solution for photoresists at 157 nm, but after Intel announced in 2003 that it stopped the 157 nm project, the attention focused mainly on 193 nm. The feature size obtainable with 157 nm is 45 nm, only 25 percent less than with immersion 193 nm photolithography—and it just does not justify the costs. Immersion lithography at 193 nm appears to be the next technique to be used for integrated circuits with 60 nm spatial resolution. Features as small as 30 nm have been obtained in a laboratory with optical lithography, however, there is a long way from the lab bench to industrial scale. The competition is open for all the lithographic techniques after the 193 nm generation, and at this time no one has gained a strong

advantage over the others. By 2010, a new technology should replace 193 nm immersion lithography and at this moment it is not clear which one will win the race. New materials with exciting properties at the nanometre scale are being developed and may replace the classic polymer-based photoresists. Building structures from the bottom up appears to be a solution, polymers deposited through spin coating will be replaced by self-assembling structures with sizes on the order of a few nanometres. Molecular circuits will probably be the ultimate goal, but before that there is still a long road ahead with exciting and challenging obstacles.

Marius Ivan, MCIC, is a PhD candidate in the department of chemistry at the University of Ottawa, under the supervision of J. C. (Tito) Scaiano, FCIC. His research is in the field of photochemistry.

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 17

GEARED UP FOR NANO

Fullerene (C60) in a metal-organic framework

People, ideas, and infrastructure—the essentials of a world-class environment for nanoscience and nanotechnology research at École Polytechnique and the Université de Montréal. Nanoscience and nanotechnology present tremendous opportunities to develop new knowledge and to translate such knowledge into innovative materials, products, and services that will profoundly affect our daily lives and sustain our economies. The impact of “nano” will be pervasive, reaching across numerous domains and industrial sectors including materials, life sciences, medicine, and information and communication technologies. The Université de Montréal (UdeM) and École Polytechnique de Montréal (Poly), along with their partners in NanoQuébec, have been actively laying down the foundation of a world-class environment for nano research. This foundation will ensure a strong and sustained nanotechnology knowledge base for Quebec, the prerequisite of an effective strategy for innovation and economic outcomes.1 This foundation is multifaceted. Foremost has been the recruitment of high-calibre researchers to complement an existing base of excellence in materials science and nanoscience research and to extend activities into new areas. UdeM and Poly have jointly constructed a new building (see p. 20) to unite many of the campus’s research groups focused on nanoscience in a stimulating multidisciplinary environment. With funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Quebec government, considerable resources have been added to their research instrumentation base and central facilities. Finally, they have played an active, if not defining, role in federating initiatives such as NanoQuébec that link and support the

18 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

Robert Sing

regional research strengths and promote innovation and economic outcomes. The breadth of nanoscience research on campus runs the gamut from synthesis of nanoscale building blocks through assembling individual devices all the way to integrated nanosystems. A lengthy list of researchers and their activities is no doubt less rewarding to the reader than highlighting a select few, largely located within the new building, that exemplify UdeM’s and Poly’s objective of creating a dynamic environment for synergistic interactions that enable nanoscience research across disciplinary and institutional boundaries.

Electronic materials for tomorrow and beyond Richard Martel, Patrick Desjardins, and Alain Rochefort share much of their research equipment and neighbouring offices in the new building. Martel is a chemist from UdeM and the others are from engineering physics at Poly. Together with Michel Côté and Carlos Silva, both from physics (UdeM), they form an exceptional and tight nucleus. They were all hired within the last six years and are all focused on basic research relating to nanostructured electronic materials and devices, and in particular, molecular and organic electronics and optoelectronics. These are the essentials of the flexible displays and the inexpensive disposable diagnostic devices of tomorrow and, potentially, the ever-more powerful computer chips beyond those that

Image courtesy of Michel Côté and Vladimir Timochevski, Université de Montréal

will ultimately be achieved with silicon-based technologies. The strength of the group lies in their ability to take a holistic approach to the research to combine their expertise and a shared ambition to move the research forward in a significant way. Desjardins brings his depth of knowledge in the areas of crystal growth, thin film physics, and surface science. He also has a firm basis in device fabrication. Martel contributes experimental depth in the integration of molecular nanodevices, such as carbon nanotube transistors, as well as in the probing and understanding of their fundamental properties. Rochefort and Côté provide the group with the essential theoretical and computational expertise needed to successfully interpret experimental results and to model the electron transport and optical properties of molecular devices and supramolecular assemblies. Silva, the most recently recruited, focuses on energy dynamics of organic semiconductor materials, in particular novel conjugated supramolecular nanostructures.

Building devices from the bottom up The common denominator for another centre of activity on campus is selfassembly—widely recognized as a critical underpinning of nanotechnology’s ability to deliver on many of its promises. Not only can self-assembly effectively lead to molecular devices and materials with predefined structure and function (materials by design), it can also lead to the critically required ability to direct or template the assembly of individual nanodevices into nanosystems of complex architecture. It can do this with the massively parallel capabilities that are a major challenge for top-down approaches as dimensions shrink to the nanoscale. Research interests in self-assembly on campus cover a range of component building blocks and assembling interactions, and span length scales from a few to hundreds of nanometres. At one end of the scale, James Wuest, FCIC, is synthetically programming multiple predetermined noncovalent directional interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, into small molecules for assembly of ordered materials with predictable nanoscale structural features such as porosity. Moving up the length

scale, Antonella Badia, MCIC, is focused on ultrathin organic films of self-assembled alkyl-thiol monolayers or phase-separated lipid mono- and bilayers and seeks to achieve complex lateral structure on surfaces that can serve as nanoscale templates for molecular electronics and biosensors. Françoise Winnik, MCIC, is also focused on the structure/assembly/function relationships of polymers leading to nano-devices. In her case, she focuses on amphiphilic polymers that assemble into micellar devices for drug delivery applications. At the upper end of the length scale, Geraldine Bazuin, FCIC, is exploring a supramolecular approach that combines small molecule mesogens with the block copolymers that self-assemble to produce hierarchal structure with mesoand nanoscale features, also amenable to templating nanoscale patterns.

Tools of the trade To enable this broad spectrum of research, Martel and Desjardins are overseeing the installation of a $20 million set of cutting-edge tools with partners at McGill University, the Institut national de recherche scientifique, and the Université Laval. Many of these tools are custom-designed to meet their specific needs. These tools will include a unique cluster of three nanometre-resolution imaging tools, a low-energy electron microscope (LEEM), a fast scanning-tunnelling microscope (STM), and a nano-Auger system. These tools will afford them and their colleagues a detailed dynamic view of the processes involved in the growth of nanomaterials and patterning of surfaces. Desjardins recognizes that the effort to set up these facilities is demanding. “But the payoff is tremendous,” he says. “We will be able to assemble just about any device we want and characterize not only the final performance, but every step in the growth, synthesis, and assembly of the materials that make up the device.” Through the efforts of Wuest, amongst others, a new $12 million infrastructure for combinatorial science is also being installed on campus and at McGill University. The infrastructure will create a unique facility in Quebec and support a growing base in combinatorial chemistry focused equally on materials science as on therapeutic entities. This will add automated parallel synthesis

and high throughput characterization instruments, allowing researchers to more widely and efficiently explore the parameter space for their materials and, in doing so, build up the necessary understanding of structure/ assembly/property relationships for creating materials by design. These new toolsets are critical to and enabling a broad range of forefront nanoscience research on campus and regionally. More importantly, they join a rich family of existing and new central facilities on campus and throughout NanoQuébec’s member institutions. These facilities provide researchers with an unparalleled ensemble of facilities for synthesis, assembly, fabrication, and detailed characterization at the nanoscale—from atomic and molecular building blocks to integrated devices and nanosystems. Martel echoes the view of many nanoscience researchers in Quebec, “This infrastructure is an essential foundation of Quebec’s and Canada’s potential success in nanotechnology. It enables research of the highest level, allowing us to be competitive on a worldwide basis, to attract excellent new colleagues and collaborators, and to offer exceptional training environments for our students. In my view, long-term support for operation of these resources is a most valuable investment.”

References 1. Clive Willis, “Charting the Way for Nanotechnology in Quebec,” ACCN, December 2004, pp. 16–17.

Robert Sing received his BSc and PhD degrees in chemistry from McGill University. He is currently the nanosciences coordinator for the Université de Montréal and École Polytechnique following on his role as founding administrative director of NanoQuébec

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 19

World-class facilities support nanoscience research and help attract high-calibre researchers. The Université de Montréal and École Polytechnique have jointly constructed the $60 million pavilion J.-Armand-Bombardier devoted primarily to research and graduate-level training in the area of materials science and nanoscience. This hub of multidisciplinary activity is home to faculty and their research groups, 20 in total, from chemistry, engineering physics, chemical engineering, and pharmacy. The five-storey building comprises 6,700 square metres of lab space including clean rooms and an isolated vibration-free laboratory set on a monolithic block of concrete. The award-winning building features a unique, spacious, and luminous architecture, a conference room, numerous meeting rooms, and common areas that foster inter-group and interdisciplinary exchanges. It also houses the campus’s first business incubator with five laboratory-and-office suites. An impressive array of advanced instrumentation worth well over $120 million is already installed in the building or soon will be.

Boosting Canadian nanotech companies Nanometrix Inc. is one of four companies currently installed in the J.-A.-Bombardier Incubator. The nanotech company recently received a NanoBriefs Nano50 award recognizing its technology for large-area (roll-to-roll) monolayer processing as one of the top 50 nano-technologies of 2005. The incubator contributes to the emergence and growth of innovative technology-based businesses by providing them with access to facilities dedicated to R&D activities within a modern research complex close to teams of seasoned investigators and a state-of-the-art research equipment pool. Gilles Picard, co-founder of the company, is enthusiastic about their presence in the Bombardier incubator. “We could not have found a better location for our company at this stage,” he says. “The facilities provided within the incubator definitely fulfil our needs, but it is the interaction with the expertise and access to advanced instrumentation that are the real benefits.” Regular interaction with the campus nanoscience coordinator and the GCM central facilities manager helps the companies locate the expertise and resources to satisfy their short-term needs as well as to explore other potential applications for their technology.

Along with a remarkably rich collection of essential tools for materials synthesis and characterization will be unique facilities for nanoscale imaging, materials deposition and growth, device fabrication and prototyping, and combinatorial materials synthesis. Once commissioned, the majority of these instruments integrate into the central facilities pool, thereby ensuring efficient operation and accessibility to the broad research community—both academic and industrial.

20 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

To visit the new Nanoscale Science and Technology Portal for the Université de Montréal and École Polytechnique, go to www.nano.umontreal.ca. Photo courtesy of Bernard Lambert, Université de Montréal

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Talented Flowers Women in chemistry—a century of progress?

omen have actively contributed to the field of chemistry for over 100 years. Though conditions have changed, our studies on the history of women in chemistry1 have shown that many deep-rooted problems and challenges remain.2

Awards One consideration is the issue of awards for women chemists. Though the dawn for women has risen many times, the midday sun seems more elusive. In 1898, Henrietta Bolton had described the optimistic future for women pursuing science careers.3 She contrasted the “clinging, fainting, willowy heroine, dear to the hearts of our grandmothers” with the “alert, athletic, breezy woman” of the end of the 19th century who was ready to make great discoveries in science. And, indeed, women did make great progress.4 Table 1 shows the women recipients of Nobel prizes in the physical sciences.5

Women recipients of Nobel prizes in the physical sciences * DATE

RECIPIENT

TOPIC (SUBJECT)

1903 1911 1935 1963 1964

Marie Curie Marie Curie Irène Joliot-Curie Maria Goeppert-Meyer Dorothy Hodgkin

Radioactivity (physics) Radium (chemistry) Artificial isotopes (chemistry) Shell model of the nucleus (physics) Crystal structure of vitamin B12 (chemistry)

* Many consider that Rosalind Franklin (chemistry) and Lise Meitner (physics) should also have received Nobel prizes.

Table 1 It is interesting that the women who received the awards performed their research in the first half of the 20th century. One explanation is that the nature of research changed. In the early years, it was performed by individuals or small groups. Thus, Hodgkin insisted on keeping her group small and intimate, Goeppert-Meyer worked alone, and both Curies worked primarily with their spouses.1 As De Solla Price pointed out in his seminal book,6 science changed to become the preserve of large groups. Recipients became less bench researchers and more CEOs. Attitudes have also changed. Though science research has always possessed a degree of competitiveness, the rivalry for awards and large research grants has intensified over the last 50 years.7 So should we be surprised that women have vanished from this ultimate accolade? The lack of women laureates in sciences echoes the paucity of top women CEOs in business. John Tierney described the situation for executive positions as follows:8

22 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

Geoff Rayner-Canham, FCIC, and Marelene Rayner-Canham “ ... There will always be some jobs that women, on average, will not want as badly as men do. Some of the best-paying jobs require crazed competition and the willingness to risk big losses—going broke, never seeing your family and friends, dying young ... It’s not fair to deny women a chance at those jobs, but it’s not realistic to expect that they’ll seek them in the same numbers men will ... [Women] realize, better than men that in life there’s a lot more at stake than money [or fame].” There is now an international prize specifically for women scientists. Established in 1998, the L’Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science has provided recognition for women scientists around the world with five recipients each year, one from each continent.9 It is unfortunate that the recipients—and indeed the award itself—have such a low level of recognition in this country. For British women scientists, the Royal Society instituted the very prestigious Rosalind Franklin Award in 2003 (the recent inception indicates the continuing and international nature of the problem). At the instigation of Francis Garvan, the American Chemical Society initiated an award specifically for women chemists in 1937.10 The first recipient of the Garvan Medal, Emma Perry Carr (1880–1972), was totally opposed to such an award. She contended that it would only be a few years before women chemists claimed their share of awards as there were no remaining barriers. However, looking at the paucity of women in the annual award lists for the CIC, the American Chemical Society, and the Royal Society of Chemistry, it is clear that much progress still needs to be made.11 Even in the last decade, few women have been award recipients of the CIC and its constituent societies. Apart from the Clara Benson Award, there have been only two awards won by more than one woman: the Lanxess (ex-Bayer) Award for High School Chemistry (four times) and the Union Carbide Award (three times). There are two other factors working against women being nominated for, or receiving the traditional awards. Nomination requires nominators. Nomination is more likely if the candidate is a member of an “invisible college” (a network of people of similar interests).12 Thus, a woman chemist might be an eminent candidate for an award, but lack the network to promote her candidacy. The other problem is more structural. As our research,13 and that of Henry Etzkowitz14 has found, women tend to move into interdisciplinary fields more than men. Thus the long-standing awards for the traditional divisions of chemistry may not be totally appropriate for the current era and may specifically work against the success of women chemists. Table 2 shows the diversity of backgrounds of the recipients of the Clara Benson Award.

Recipients of the Clara Benson Award and their subject areas15 YEAR

RECIPIENT

FIELD

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Violet Birss Penelope Codding Helle Tosine Margaret Back Monica Palcic Suzanne Fortier Caroline Preston Sharon Roscoe Kim Banes Soledade Pedras Eugenia Kumacheva Mary Fairhurst

Electrochemistry Biological medicinal chemistry Environmental chemistry Physical chemistry Enzymology Crystallography Soil chemistry Electrochemistry Photochemistry/organometallics Agrochemistry Polymer chemistry Industrial analytical chemistry

Table 2

The very leaky pipeline Women have always had an aptitude for science. 16 So why all the problems for women in science? The first hurdle arises from the greater attrition rate during the educational process (the Leaky Pipeline Problem). Eztkowitz has commented:14 “At each transition point the number of women [in science] decreases at a significantly higher rate than for men; for women the pipeline is an exceedingly leaky vessel.” So what are some of the perceived reasons? The attitude of some instructors has been shown to play an important role. There is a misguided belief that there should be “tough” courses to thin out the numbers or intimidation tactics, such as attaching a course drop form to papers of students who had failed a test. These strategies are more effective against women students as Schiebinger has noted:17 “Women may fall victim to weeding-out practices (verbal intimidation/”killer” courses) more than men because competition intensifies their culturally induced sense of self-doubt.” And it is not just the so-called “weak” students we are losing, as Sheila Tobias wrote:18 “When we ‘weed out’ students from science courses, we are in fact pulling out some of the most talented flowers.”

The Imposter Syndrome is one of the pervasive problems for women in science. This is something many women students and women academics have admitted to us in private but that rarely arises in the public forum. The term was best described by Susan Watson:19 “There can be very talented women at the tops of their classes who still feel that their male colleagues are much smarter and that any moment someone’s going to reveal how stupid and incompetent they really are.” This is a deep-rooted cultural phenomenon resulting, in part, from the male culture being to brag rather than admit ignorance while the female culture emphasizes deprecating and reticent behaviour. One of the accepted ways to combat the leaky pipeline is to provide support. Mentoring is necessary for both genders, but particularly for women students. One of the common threads through the sagas of the successful pioneering women chemists was the role of mentor. In this regard, the small university/college environment offers a much greater opportunity to provide a mentoring role for undergraduates over that of a large “multiversity.” Chemists also have to be on guard to give examples that are not solely rooted in the male experience. It requires a conscious effort to find relevant examples for all our students.20 And we need to demonstrate the constructive and beneficial side to chemistry, not just the “bangs and smells.”21

Anne-Marie Weidler Kubanek and Margaret Waller interviewed women college science students about science careers. The authors came to the following conclusions about the reasons some women drop out from science:22 “Young girls are often told by their parents and also at high school that they can be anything they want; they just have to work hard and want it badly enough ... if they are taught that everything is possible, that sex and gender do not matter, then when they come up against the limits of what is possible, easy, or acceptable, they can only conclude that it is their fault.” Kubanek and Waller also reported frequent references by the interviewees to the career versus family dilemma: “In their classes, they are presented with an image of science careers and of science as a field that requires total commitment—science is only for the best and most dedicated—you have to give it your all ... They serve to exclude young women who foresee that the period of their lives when they are expected to do their most ground-breaking work will coincide with the time they are most likely to be preoccupied with raising young children. They know that if they choose to have a family they will not always be able to give science their all.” Graduate school brings its own problems, more for women students than men. Many students of both genders need a supportive graduate supervisor. But in addition, women often face a male-culture laboratory:23 “The head of the lab was your basic absentee landlord ... Most of the postdocs were male and there was a lot of going out to the bar to watch football together and that kind of thing I really felt excluded from ... There were times when I felt they had all those things in common that I didn’t share—their love for science fiction and Star Trek for example.” Thus, it is incumbent upon the supervisor to ensure that the laboratory atmosphere is not exclusionary. At the same time, the aspiring graduate student should examine OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 23

the laboratory atmosphere as much as the calibre of research in their choice of graduate school. And when research labs are planned, it is important to take into account the need for socialization. It can be very lonely for a graduate student if they are isolated in an individual lab or remote location. Finally, there is the nature of the scientific presentation. This can be extremely intimidating for some students, pursuading them that they are incompetent researchers. Is it not better to provide critical encouragement rather than a devastating demolition?

Professional progress A diminishing number of women climb the academic ladder. Women are disproportionately highly represented in the ranks of technician and laboratory instructor. A very noticeable drop-off point for women is the MSc degree. Yet many academic institutions rely on the women who terminate their educations at this step. Without the women with this qualification, the ranks of the laboratory instructors and two-year college teachers would be severely depleted. Thus, true gender equality of employment, should it ever arrive, could actually cause its own problems. There are numerous challenges for women in academia beginning with the hiring process.24 As Catherine Didion has pointed out, letters of reference can be interpreted differently depending upon the gender of the applicant:25 “Qualifiers, even well-intended, can be destructive: ‘she is the best woman scientist we have’ implies there are better men ... [The terms] ‘aggressive’ and ‘assertive’ are regarded as positive assets for men but [are] often interpreted very negatively for women.” There is also the Clone Hiring Factor. People tend to want to hire people like themselves. Thus white male faculty empathize with young white male applicants and consciously or sub-consciously devise reasons why one of those applicants best fits the requirement of the position.17 The informal interview process itself may hold an inherent bias by taking each applicant to a bar for a “couple of drinks” to see how “they fit in.” In fact, the departmental culture can be an important problem in making it female-unfriendly. If the social events

24 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

still rely on male-based sporting activities or alcohol-centred events, then many women are likely to avoid, or quit, that institution. Finally in hiring, there is the Marie Curie Syndrome that was first described in the 1930s. Women applicants are compared to an exceedingly high standard. If they are one of the superstars, then their future is assured. But how does the normal well-qualified woman applicant fare? As has been repeated in various variants: “True equality will only be reached when universities hire as many average women academics as they do average men.” Hiring is only the first challenge. Several studies have shown that, on average, women scientists tend to have higher teaching loads. They tend to get assigned more often to large introductory courses, and tend to be more conscientious about class preparation.17 Women’s willingness to take on non-research duties (such as extra teaching and outreach, for example) can count against them in the promotion context.26 According to the same study, more women leave chemistry than any other discipline. Attempts by women scientists to organize and redress perceived inequalities do not always work as Etzkowicz has noted:14 “Seemingly innocuous measures like calling together an informal group of women were sometimes perceived negatively and forestalled ... Untenured women, concerned that participating in activities for women would set them apart, were sometimes unwilling to participate.” But it is the nature of the department environment that is so important. Etzkowicz reports:14 “Isolation is widely recognized as a problem for women in academic science, carrying with it a variety of negative consequences including stigma, depletion of self-confidence, and exclusion from access to informal sources of professional information [invisible colleges].” The Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists (COACh) is an organization that has been formed to assist women chemists in the U.S. COACh offers workshops for women chemists at different stages in their careers, from post-doctoral to senior professorial positions.27

The argument is widely accepted that a critical mass of women is required in any unit before change in a culture will occur— a number of 15 percent has generally been accepted. Etzkowicz argues that it is not just a matter of numbers:14 “We found that attainment of critical mass only partly resolved the dilemma of women in academic departments. The fallacy of critical mass as a unilateral change strategy is that female faculty pursue strikingly different strategies .... Female scientists split into subgroups following one of two paths, ‘the traditional male’ and the ‘relational female’ models.” Etzkowicz contends that only when the proportion of relational females exceeds about the 15 percent value will departments reach a more gender-neutral culture. But as much as anything, the major challenge comes from balancing personal and professional life.

A career and ...? We must start with what we regard as the classic quote:28 “A retired Cambridge lecturer was asked whether she regretted not marrying. She replied that she would have been glad to marry, had she only found someone who would have made a good wife.” Marriage typically brings advantages to males—such as a relief from household duties—while for a woman, more work is acquired.29 “Women college professors shoulder considerably more of the household labour than do their male colleagues— particularly when they are married and there are children in the home ... Furthermore, men tend to over-report the hours they devote to household labour while women under-report their hours, particularly in the case of highly educated women and men.” Women scientists tend to marry scientists—and in their own discipline. This raises the challenge of the dual-career couple.30 For dual-career couples, deciding on employment plans is one of the most important decisions of their lives. And when a position arises for one spouse in a different location, the decision must be made as to whether the other

spouse can/will move. There is the particular challenge of the trailing spouse—a competent academic married to a scholarly star. The trailing spouse can finish up in frustrating dead-end positions while watching their star spouse accumulating tenure, promotion, and awards.31 Planning for children is obviously a major complicating factor in women chemists’ lives. First, there is the necessity before attempts at conception and particularly during the first trimester of avoiding lab contact with all teratogens, all beta-emitters, organic solvents, and DNA-chelating agents.32 Also, there is the pressure to have “vacation babies” or “sabbatical babies.” Schiebinger reported on a study of women scientists:17 “The goal for these women was to have babies without maternity leave, without a pause in productivity, without appearing to be different from their male colleagues ... Women report that they continue to produce scientific papers at the expected rate by eliminating

almost everything but work and family. What went first was time for themselves—movies, novels, workouts, dinner parties.” Caroline Wolff commented on the guilt she experienced returning to her research following maternity leave:33 “When I first returned to work, I had all of those feelings of guilt about leaving my child with a stranger. Isobel (9 months) looked at me with her big blue eyes as if to say ‘where are you going, Mummy?’ I will never forget that moment.”

half-way to solving them. Chemistry is a fascinating field of endeavour that should be, and must be, rendered more women-supportive. To quote the title of Schiebinger’s book, Has Feminism Changed Science? The answer can only be—not yet—but hopefully soon.

Endnotes See www.accn.ca/oct2005_talentedflowers_ endnotes.html

Geoff Rayner-Canham, FCIC, is a professor of chemistry at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Corner Brook, NL. Marelene Rayner-Canham has

Where from here? The challenges for women in science have been with us for a century. They cover all of the physical science disciplines and span the globe. The problems are multifaceted in nature and there are no simple solutions. However, being aware of the problems is

retired from the physics department. They are the co-authors of Women in Chemistry, two other books, and 15 research papers on the history of women in science. Share your thoughts with them at grcanham@swgc.mun.ca or mrcanham@swgc.mun.ca.

ACCN’s images of women in chemistry 1952 to 1992

REMEMBERWHEN

A selection of

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 25

REMEMBERWHEN

REMEMBERWHEN E. A. Thompson, FCIC (right), was the first woman on the CIC board of directors.

CIC BULLETIN ICC

JEAN BÉLANGER ELECTED CIC HONORARY FELLOW Jean M. Bélanger, HFIC, is the latest CIC member to be granted the title of Honorary Fellow. Bélanger’s feuille de route is quite extensive and impressive and his achievements have been recognized both nationally and internationally. Bélanger graduated from the University of Ottawa in 1957 with a BASc (chemical engineering), cum laude. He began his working career with Shell Canada at its Montréal East refinery. Bélanger then returned to Ottawa and joined the public service. Between 1962 and 1978, he assumed increasing responsibilities in trade and industrial policy, culminating in his appointment to the post of director general of Industrial Policy in 1971. In 1978, Bélanger was appointed director of defence, External and Cultural Affairs in the Programs Branch of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. In 1979, Bélanger acceded to the position of president for the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association (CCPA). During his tenure, the CCPA introduced Responsible Care®, an ethically based initiative that drives companies, with the personal commitment of their CEO, to handle safely products from initial conception to eventual disposal. This initiative has now been adopted by the chemical industry in over 50 countries throughout the world. Bélanger has personally given presentations on the subject in many countries, including Australia, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile. For his role in the development of this initiative, he was named to the Global 500 Roll of Honour of the United Nations Environment Program in 1990. He has also been awarded the Environment Medal of the Society of Chemical Industry (U.K.), the Vanguard Award of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (U.S.), and the International Award of the SCI, Canadian Section. In 1997, he was named a Fellow of the CIC and in 2002, he was named a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada. In 1996, Bélanger was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, and the Prime Minister appointed him to the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. Since his retirement from the CCPA, Bélanger has served as a consultant to a number of associations on the subject of product stewardship, voluntary approaches to environmental management, and voluntary approaches as alternatives to regulations. In April 1997, he was asked to take over the Major Industrial Accident Council of Canada as interim chair, having been its original chair from 1988 to1990. This organization brought together ministries of the federal government, provincial governments, emergency services, and various Canadian industries in a joint effort to promote prevention, preparedness, and response to major industrial accidents.

28 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

During his career, Bélanger served on the boards of several organizations, such as the Institute for Chemical Science and Technology, the Environmental Science and Technology Alliance of Canada, and the International Trade Advisory Committee (Environment) to the Minister of International Trade of Canada. He served as CIC chair from 2001 to 2002 and was appointed in 2002 as chair of the advisory board to the Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology of the National Research Council Canada.

Here are the other distinguished CIC members who have already been elected Honorary Fellows for exceptional contributions to the chemical sciences and engineering profession: A. Bader, HFCIC C. W. Bowman, HFCIC A. J. Carty, HFCIC H. C. Clark, HFCIC N. Epstein, HFCIC R. J. Gillespie, HFCIC W. N. Hall, HFCIC W. E. Harris, HFCIC J. E. Newall, HFCIC R. V. V. Nicholls, HFCIC J. C. Polanyi, HFCIC L. W. Shemilt, HFCIC

CSC BULLETIN SCC

ILLUMINATING CHEMISTRY— REPORTS ON THE 88TH ANNUAL CSC CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION A Note from the Conference Chair The 88th annual Canadian Society for Chemistry Conference and Exhibition was held in Saskatoon, SK, May 28 to June 1, 2005. The theme of the conference, “Illuminating Chemistry,” was chosen to highlight both the lustrous history of the chemical sciences in Saskatoon and the opening of the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan. By all accounts, the conference was a great scientific, financial , and social success— registration was just shy of 1,400. The focus of the conference was the Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium and Conference Centre. Scientific meetings were held there, in the adjacent Quality (now Hilton) Hotel and in the nearby quadriplex movie theatre, and business meetings were held in the riverbank hotels. The novel theatre venues proved particularly popular. Some speakers were able to give their talks in the same location as the movie “Kicking and Screaming,” with billboard publicity, though none of the title activity was actually observed in these sessions. Dale Ward, MCIC, and his scientific program committee put together a first-rate technical program, containing 43 symposia across ten Subject Divisions and about 1,200 papers in total. Sessions were well attended throughout the full four days of the conference. Highlights included the opening plenary lecture by Gregory Petsko, Brandeis University, entitled, “The Road to Resolution: A Structural Enzymologist’s Adventures Beyond 1 Angstrom,” and the plenary lecture by NSERC Gold Medalist Tito Scaiano, FCIC, University of Ottawa, entitled, “Carbanion Studies: From Drug Photostability to Carbanion Kinetics and New Photocages,” on the final day of the conference. The conference was also highlighted by a salute to the 60th anniversary of the CIC and the unveiling of a plaque to designate the National Research Council’s Prairie Regional Laboratory as National Historic Chemical Landmark. The laboratory, now the Plant Biotechnology Institute, was where Ray Lemieux, FCIC, achieved his synthesis of sucrose,. The CLS proved to be a popular attraction. About 320 conference attendees signed up for conducted tours of the synchrotron facility on the University of Saskatchewan campus, and the hands-on synchrotron workshop that followed the conference was fully attended. Hats off to Jeff Cutler, MCIC, and his team at the CLS for their organizational work. Finally, may I add my own personal thanks to the conference organizing committee and our volunteers for their hard work, to Myra Gordon for her expert assistance as conference consultant, and to the many sponsors—particularly the University of Saskatchewan—who helped make the 88th conference in Saskatoon a resounding financial success.

And the Winner Is ...

Many delegates came to visit the CSC booth during the 88th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition held in Saskatoon, SK, May 28–June 1, 2005. Visitors to the ballot box had the chance to win a 4.1 mega-pixel digital camera. The lucky winner was Nola Etkin, MCIC, from the University of Prince Edward Island, PE. She is pictured here showing off her prize. Congratulations Nola!

Ron Steer, FCIC Chair of the conference organizing committee

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 29

CSC BULLETIN SCC

CSC CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

he chemistry of strained E-cycloalkenones was described by André Beauchemin, MCIC, from the University of Ottawa in the New Frontiers in Chemical Synthesis symposium organized by Frederic West, MCIC, and Dale Ward, MCIC. These intermediates, easily accessible via UV-initiated isomerization of the corresponding Z-alkenes, are highly reactive ground state molecules. The inherent reactivity of these molecules has been largely ignored by synthetic chemists. However, Beauchemin, along with graduate student Joseph Moran and undergraduate student Tanya Suen, have shown that efficient 1,4-additions of imidazoles, pyrazoles, and triazoles can be accomplished under optimized conditions (Equation 1). The results are consistent with a strain-release activation mechanism, and the conditions are complimentary to the use of Lewis acids normally required to promote such additions. Evidence for the involvement of a E-cycloalkenone intermediate was obtained when irradiation was performed at low temperature, followed by addition of the nucleophile in the absence of light, which afforded the addition product in ~ 20% yield. This experiment also ruled out the possibility of excited state intermediates, which have short lifetimes. Ongoing work involves the development of new reactions of highly strained E-cycloalkenes and E-cycloalkenones. Short-term goals include using this synthetic scheme in the total synthesis of natural products.

Equation 1. From tires to pucks and bandages to condoms, natural rubber is an integral part of Canadian society. Rubber is found in more than 40,000 consumer products including 400 medical devices. The high performance properties of natural rubber have not been easily duplicated due to its chemical structure and high molecular weight (> 1 million Daltons). Andrew Scholte, MCIC, a graduate student at the University of Alberta, presented a paper co-authored by his supervisor, John Vederas, FCIC, in the Natural Products: Chemistry and Biology symposium organized by Soledade Pedras, MCIC, and Erika Plettner, MCIC, on the biosynthesis of rubber. Specifically, the stereochemical requirements of rubber transferase, the enzyme responsible for propagation of rubber molecules were described. This particle bound enzyme catalyzes the polymerization of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) units with an allylic diphosphate of the growing rubber chain. Using deuterium labelled analogs of IPP, it was demonstrated that the cryptic stereochemistry of rubber transferase is similar to that of other related cis-prenyl transferases including undecaprenyl diphosphate synthase (see Scheme 1). Thus, the pro-S hydrogen (Hs) is preferentially cleaved during the polymerization, and si face addition to the allylic diphosphate occurs with overall inversion of stereochemistry. Through this 30 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

work the Alberta group is revealing the three-dimensional arrangement of substrates within the active site of rubber transferase, illustrating the stereochemistry of the enzyme and providing a better mechanistic understanding of how rubber is biosynthesized.

Scheme 1. In the Main Group Chemistry symposium, organized by Neil Burford, MCIC, the coordination chemistry of the phosphadiazonium cation, Mes*NP+ (Mes* = 2,4,6-tri-t-butylphenyl), was described by recent PhD graduate Heather Spinney, MCIC, in Neil Burford’s group from Dalhousie University. The iminophosphine Mes*N=POTf (OTf = triflate) reacts with a wide variety of ligands (L), which affect dissociation of the triflate anion from phosphorus. The resulting cations are best described as 1:1 adducts of a neutral ligand on a phosphadiazonium Lewis acceptor (1), and highlight the potential for electron-rich centres to behave as Lewis acids in spite of the presence of a lone pair of electrons at the acceptor site. Phosphadiazonium cations with both bidentate- and tridentatechelating ligands (2 and 3), as well as donor-rich adducts (4) where more than one monodentate ligand coordinates to the phosphadiazonium acceptor have also been prepared. In all complexes, both P N π-bonding and the stereochemically active lone pair at phosphorus are retained, highlighting new hypervalent bonding environments for phosphorus(III). These new complexes are significant in that they combine a relatively high electron count at phosphorus with a relatively low coordination number. More importantly, these bonding environments are synthetically accessible only via the coordination chemistry of phosphorus(III) as a Lewis acceptor.

Equation 2. In the Trends in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry symposium organized by Gilles H. Peslherbe, MCIC, Erin Johnson, a graduate student from Queen’s University, gave a talk on the development of a post-Hartree-Fock model of intermolecular interactions. The London dispersion interaction is responsible for attraction between non-polar molecules and is of great importance in describing structure and reactivity in many areas of chemistry. For example, dispersion interactions affect solvent-solute interactions, physisorption of molecules on surfaces, and protein structure. However, dispersion is difficult to model accurately and DFT methods, such as B3LYP, do not include the

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necessary physics. This often leads to qualitatively incorrect predictions when DFT is applied to dispersion-bound systems. In her talk, Johnson proposed a novel DFT method, developed in Axel Becke, FCIC’s group at Queen’s University, which is capable of accurately modelling dispersion. Dispersion attraction between molecules arises when an instantaneous dipole moment in one molecule induces a dipole moment in a second molecule. What, however, is the source of these instantaneous dipoles? The new approach proposes that the instantaneous dipole is generated by the dipole moment of the molecule’s exchange hole, which polarizes the electron density in a neighbouring molecule. The new method is no more computationally expensive than existing DFTs and yields remarkably accurate dispersion coefficients, intermolecular separations, binding energies, and potential energy curves. This method represents a promising approach for modelling systems where dispersion interactions are necessary to describe the chemistry.

Figure 2. 2D-TLC bioautography reveals active anti-microbial compounds.

Figure 1. The potential energy curve for methane dimer calculated using the exchange hole dipole model (HF+BR+Edisp) compared to accurate high level theory (CCSD(T)). In the Best Practices in Teaching at the Biology-Chemistry Interface symposium organized by Khysar Pasha, MCIC, undergraduate student Naomi Jackson from the King’s University College in Edmonton won the Chemical Education Division’s Reg Friesen Award for her discussion of ways to bring more life to undergraduate laboratories. Working with Peter Mahaffy, FCIC, and Grace Greidanus-Strom, MCIC, she has improved and applied techniques such as 2D-TLC bioautography to develop experiments that explore the chemistry and medicinal properties of Allium Sativum, otherwise known as garlic. A square TLC plate is developed in two dimensions, covered with inoculated agar and incubated to expose antimicrobial compounds. Jackson used HPLC to isolate the primary antibacterial compound, shown by a ring of inhibition on the 2D-TLC bioassay in Figure 2, and characterized as allicin by IR, GC-MS, and 1-H, 13-C and 2D-NMR. She has carried out experiments that demonstrate allicin’s inhibition of proteolytic enzymes such as papain, with proteolytic activity assayed by the setting of Jello and the degradation of gelatin protein layers in photographic film. Jackson also described a spectrophotometric assay for allicin content in different commercial garlic products and described the transport of allicin across membranes, reporting experiments where rubbing a garlic clove on a person’s foot leads to a garlic taste in the mouth a few minutes later. This can be understood by laboratory calculations of partition coefficients and membrane permeability experiments.

In the Analytical Environmental Chemistry symposium organized by Renata Bailey, Yuan Yao, MCIC, from the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC), Environment Canada, described the Canadian Atmospheric Network for Currently Used Pesticides (CANCUP). This three-year national air surveillance program, which is co-led by Tom Harner and Pierrette Blanchard of MSC, is attempting to assess atmospheric levels of currently used pesticides (CUPs). The highest levels of some fungicides and insecticides including chlorothalonil and endosulfans were found in Kensington, PE. Quebec and Ontario sites showed high air concentrations of herbicides and insecticides. The prairie site, Bratt’s Lake, showed the highest levels of several herbicides, e.g. triallate and 2,4-D. In Abbotsford, BC, high levels of insecticides used for berry production were observed. For many of the pesticides investigated, this is the first time these measurements have been made. The capability of passive air sampling for CUPs was demonstrated in the study. Ongoing work involves addressing issues regarding transboundary transport and the atmospheric fate of CUPs.

Figure 3. Levels of currently used pesticides across Canada determined by a national air surveillance program. New insights into Ru-catalyzed macrocyclization reactions were described by Melanie Eelman, MCIC, a post-doctoral fellow with Deryn Fogg, MCIC, from the University of Ottawa, in the Mechanistic Organometallic Chemistry symposium organized by Warren Piers, OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 31

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MCIC, and Jennifer Love, MCIC. Ring-closing metathesis (RCM) of dienes offers a powerful method for the construction of macrocyclic compounds relevant to organic synthesis. Competing oligomerization, however, has long been a concern. Classic “tricks” aimed at circumventing oligomerization include use of dropwise addition, high dilutions and high temperatures, the latter aimed at maximizing the entropic discrimination between intra- and intermolecular reaction. Using inert-atmosphere MALDI mass spectrometry and GC analysis, it was shown that oligomerization with loss of ethylene, is dominant even under dilute conditions (0.005 M; see Figure 4). This unexpected finding implies that macrocyclization proceeds via an oligomerizationbackbiting sequence, rather than direct ring-closing of the diene. This means that dropwise addition is not only unnecessary, but presumably detrimental to reaction rates. Indeed, addition of substrate in a single dose accelerated oligomerization, but permitted quantitative cyclization over a much shorter times. High dilutions remain a key, consistent with the operation of a concentration-dependent ring-chain equilibrium.

Figure 4. Admet and backbiting processes in RCM metathesis In the symposium Frontiers in Biophysical and Bioanalytical Chemistry organized by Kathy Gough, MCIC, David Cramb, MCIC, Robert Campbell, MCIC, and Tanya Dahms, MCIC, graduate student Jody Swift, ACIC, presented a talk on the development of a method for in vivo assessment of ligand receptor binding using two photon excitation fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (TPE-XCS), co-authored by supervisors David Cramb (University of Calgary) and Tanya Dahms (University of Regina). TPE-XCS is ideally suited for ligand receptor studies in physiologically relevant conditions Additionally, the ability to simultaneously excite two different fluorophores, the zero background nature of the technique, and the inherently small detection volume (femtolitres), make this method ideal for miniaturization. In XCS, interacting species are labelled with fluorophores with nonoverlapping spectra. Emission from the sample is spectrally separated and collected simultaneously in two separate detection channels (C). A cross–correlation signal is obtained only when the two distinctly labelled species are physically linked, and the uncorrelated signal (autofluorescence) will time average to zero. In contrast to conventional fluorescence assays, which monitor down stream effects of binding, direct quantification of binding of ligands to a desired receptor is possible, and the binding parameter Kd can be obtained and compared against other fluorescent and radioassays. Currently this system is being applied to study a library of ligands for the human mu opioid receptor. It’s time for chemists to go with the flow! In the Multicomponent Reactions and Combinatorial Chemistry symposium organized by Dennis Hall, FCIC, Michael Organ, MCIC, from York University described

32 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

Figure 5. Simplified cartoon of G protein coupled receptor binding. The receptor and ligands are labeled with spectrally separate fluorescent dyes and a signal is only detected when the two are in physical contact. a continuous flow, microwave-assisted, parallel-capillary microreactor. Using this conceptually new synthetic approach, any number of compounds can be prepared rapidly and in any physical quantity desired (mg to g). Unlike conventional parallel synthesis that requires a reaction vessel for every compound synthesized, this approach prepares discrete products in a single device that are separated from each other by time. Using the multiple inlets that feed into common reacting chambers, multi-component coupling reactions can be carried out sequentially in parallel capillaries to provide arrays of structurally complex molecules in a single operation. And, finally, an age-old question has been answered: yes, we can put metal in a microwave. Dramatic rate enhancements have been demonstrated using glass capillaries coated with thin films of Pd metal and flowing reactions mixtures through them while irradiating with a focused microwave.

Figure 6. Continuous flow, microwave-assisted, parallel-capillary microreactor In the Nucleic Acid-Peptide symposium organized by Youla S. Tsantrizos, MCIC, Masad J. Damha from McGill University presented a new gene silencing approach involving the design of an oligonucleotide (ON), which, when delivered into the cell, binds to cellular RNA, thus forming an ON:RNA duplex. Under the action of an intracellular ribonuclease (e.g. RNase H or Slicer), the viral RNA component of the duplex is decomposed by hydrolysis, while the ON is regenerated for further binding and reaction. Until recently, the only compounds capable of recruiting RNase H activity were DNA-based ONs. When administered systemically, these compounds have a weak inherent binding affinity for mRNA, which requires the ingestion of high

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concentrations, with attendant toxicity and side effects. When arabinose is derivatized with fluorine at the carbon 2 position (2’F-ANA), a remarkable enhancement in RNA binding affinity results, and selective hydrolysis of bound RNA occurs efficiently in the resulting 2’F-ANA: RNA duplex. By contrast, RNA and 2’F-RNA do not trigger RNase H activity, establishing that the stereochemistry at carbon 2 is a key determinant in the activation of this enzyme. In a series of studies comparing 2’F-ANA to available gene modulating chemistries, an improvement in duration of gene response while improving efficacy and safety was observed. A drug candidate for the treatment of respiratory diseases is scheduled to enter clinical trials in 2007.

Figure 7. Interaction of FANA and mRNA In the Advances in Chiral Materials symposium organized by Bob Lemieux, MCIC, and Cathleen Crudden, MCIC, from Queen’s University, Michael Pollard, MCIC, from the University of Groningen presented a paper co-authored by Ben Feringa in which a light-driven molecular motor was described. Immobilization of such a molecular motor onto a surface transforms relative rotary motion of the two “halves” (rotor and stator) of the molecule into absolute rotary motion of a “rotor” relative to a “stator.” A thin (5 nm) gold surface layer on quartz was used to immobilize the thiol-functionalized organic devices. Pollard was able to verify the presence of a monolayer with CD spectroscopy—the only CD spectrum known for a covalently bound monolayer! To improve this technology further and completely avoid quenching by surface plasmons, the motor could also be self-assembled as a monolayer directly onto the surface of quartz. CD spectroscopy of this monolayer was again crucial to provide evidence for both the photochemical and thermal isomerization steps. Research is continuing to harness work from these systems.

Ingrid Pickering from the University of Saskatchewan gave a talk on X-ray absorption spectroscopy and imaging in the Environmental Bioinorganic Chemistry symposium organized by Jürgen Gailer, ACIC. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a synchrotron light technique that gives information on the local structural and electronic environment of a particular element. The method can be used to examine the element in any physical form (e.g. solution or solid) and can be applied to a complex sample such as a biological tissue, essentially without pretreatment. XAS imaging can generate two-dimensional maps of the different chemical forms of the element, such as arsenate and arsenite. For example, the hyperaccumulating fern Pteris vittata, can take up arsenate from its medium, transform it to arsenite, and store it in its leaves. XAS imaging shows, for the first time, the presence of arsenate within the transport vessels and an arsenic-thiolate species surrounding the veins. Facilities for XAS and XAS imaging will be available on the Hard X-ray Micro Analysis beamline at the Canadian Light Source (www.lightsource.ca). John Crabtree of Micralyne, gave a lecture in the Analytical Separations and Microdevices symposium organized by Charles Lucy, FCIC. In a collaboration between Crabtree and Chris Backhouse at the University of Alberta, improvement in the resolution of DNA separation was achieved through repeated inversions of the electrophoretic field applied to the glass microfluidic chip during the experiment (see Figure 9). Most gel-based separations of sub-kilobase DNA fragments are performed at lower applied electric fields to ensure that a fragment’s electrophoretic mobility in the gel varies with the reciprocal of its length. Separations performed under high fields will strongly bias the DNA’s orientation with the field as DNA migrates through the gel; this bias causes fragments of different lengths to co-migrate. The method described repeatedly alternates between the low- and highfield regime, using a low field in the forward direction to effect the separation through the length of the channel, and a high field in the reverse direction to “rewind” the separation to the beginning of the channel, preserving the relative fragment positions, and allowing the channel to be re-used to enhance the resolution of the separation.

Figure 9. DNA separations through electrophoretic field inversions

Cathleen Crudden, MCIC Hans-Peter Loock, MCIC Queen’s University

Figure 8. Light-driven molecular motors

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 33

The 88th CSC Conference—at a glance

34 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 35

NCW NEWS NOUVELLES DE LA SNC

STUDENT NEWS NOUVELLES DES ÉTUDIANTS

2005 PESTCON WINNER NCW WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THE SPONSORS FOR NCW 2005 LA SNC AIMERAIT REMERCIER TOUS LES PARRAINS DE SNC 2005 Gold/Or CIC Chemical Education Fund Dow Chemical Canada Inc. Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research

Silver/Argent Anachemia Science Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. Cognis Canada Corporation H.L. Blachford Ltd. L.V. Lomas Ltd. Rhodia Canada Rohm and Haas Canada Inc. Syncrude Canada

Bronze Atofina Canada Inc. Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association Diagnostic Chemicals Ltd. John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd. MDS Sciex Recochem Inc. Seastar Chemical Syngenta Crop Protection (Canada) Inc.

Patricia Keen, MCIC, is the 2005 Pestcon Graduate Scholarship recipient. The Scholarship has been established in support of post-graduate work in pesticide and contaminant research. Keen is currently in her third year of PhD study at The University of British Columbia (UBC) in the resource management and environmental studies (RMES) program. She completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry at UBC and worked as an environmental chemist and toxicologist in a private consulting firm after graduation. Keen completed a MSc at UBC also in RMES under the supervision of Ken Hall in 2002, which examined the environmental effects of an endocrine disruptPatricia Keen, MCIC ing contaminant (4-nonylphenol) on coho salmon. This research project inspired Keen to further explore environmental consequences of bio-active contaminants. The central focus of the PhD research involves the determination of antibiotics, primarily from agricultural veterinary medicine sources, in the receiving environment using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and measuring occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes in natural ecosystem bacteria by real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses. Keen is particularly interested in contributing to the scientific knowledge for making sound decisions that address risks which exist in the complex realm where ecosystem health and human health intersect.

CSChE 2005 STUDENT AWARD WINNERS Edmonton Chemical Engineering Scholarship Bourse de génie chimique d’Edmonton

Sponsored by / Parrainé par The Edmonton CSChE Local Section / La section locale d’Edmonton de la SCGCh The Edmonton Chemical Engineering Scholarship is given to an undergraduate student in chemical engineering entering the second, third, fourth, or fifth year of studies at a Canadian university. The scholarship recognizes leadership qualities and demonstrated contributions to the CSChE via participation in the student chapter and for above-average academic performance.

36 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

STUDENT NEWS NOUVELLES DES ÉTUDIANTS

La Bourse de génie chimique d’Edmonton est octroyée à un(e) étudiant(e) en génie chimique de premier cycle commençant la première, deuxième, troisième, quatrième ou cinquième année d’un programme d’études d’une université canadienne. Cet(te) étudiant(e) se distingue par ses qualités de leadership, sa participation active à la SCGCh par l’intermédiaire des chapitres étudiants, et son rendement universitaire au-dessus de la moyenne. The 2005 award winner, Michael Jacobson, ACIC, is in his fourth year of an accelerated master’s degree in chemical engineering at The University of Western Ontario. His involvement in the CSChE has consisted of being a member, co-president, and treasurer over the past three years. During this time he helped to organize social functions, fundraisers, and the trip to the 2004 CSChE conference in Calgary, AB. Jacobson’s master’s work is on the conversion of agricultural waste to bio-oil by the use of a mobile pyrolysis reactor. The aim is to be able to convert waste closer to the source, thereby reducing costs for transport of raw materials, and hopefully persuade farmers to stop burning waste. The main raw materials being considered for this reactor are bagasse and rice straw, although other choices of feedstock should be possible.

Le gagnant de 2005, originaire des Cantons de l’Est, Benoît Laroche a, par les professions de ses parents, grandi à travers les procédés de pâtes et papiers. Cette expérience l’a poussé vers le génie chimique, à l’Université de Sherbrooke. Maintenant finissant, Laroche est persuadé d’avoir choisi le bon domaine. Grand impliqué à l’université ainsi que dans sa communauté, Laroche a su acquérir des aptitudes fortement utiles à travers, entre autre, du conseil d’administration de l’Université de Sherbrooke et plusieurs de ses comités, de l’association des étudiants en génie, ainsi que du chapitre étudiant de la SCGCh. Jumelés à ses expériences de travail en pâtes et papier, en placage ainsi qu’en pétrochimie, les compétences acquises, tant lors de son implication que de ses études, promettront à Benoît de vivre sa profession d’ingénieur chimique avec succès et passion.

CANADIANS GO BRONZE

Sarnia Chemical Engineering Scholarship Bourse de génie chimique de Sarnia

From left to right: Canadian team guide, Lu Li An; head mentor, François Gauvin, MCIC; Diane Quan; Joel Tousignant-Barnes; Kuan-Chieh (Robert) Tseng; Adam Lerer; and mentor, Catherine Filteau.

Sponsored by / Parrainé par The Sarnia Local Section / La section locale de Sarnia This scholarship is presented to an undergraduate student in chemical engineering about to enter their final year of studies at a Canadian University. It is offered to a student who has achieved academic excellence as well as demonstrated contributions to the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, such as participation in student chapters.

Team Canada has returned from the 2005 International Chemistry Olympiad in Taiwan in July 2005 with three bronze medals. Team members Diane Quan, Joel Tousignant-Barnes, Kuan-Chieh Tseng, and Adam Lerer competed for Canada. Congratulations to all!

Cette bourse est octroyée à un(e) étudiant(e) en génie chimique de premier cycle commençant la dernière année d’un programme d’études dans une université canadienne. Cet(te) étudiante se distingue par ses qualités de leadership, sa participation active à la SCGCh par l’intermédiaire des chapitres étudiants, et son rendement universitaire au-dessus de la moyenne.

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 37

STUDENT NEWS NOUVELLES DES ÉTUDIANTS

UVIC HOSTS WESTERN CANADIAN UNDERGRADUATE CHEMISTRY CONFERENCE

On May 5–7, 2005, the University of Victoria played host to the Western Canadian Undergraduate Chemistry Conference (WCUCC)— themed “new perspectives.” The conference was a showcase of undergraduate talent representing 14 different universities from across western Canada. With over 90 student registrants, and 66 student presenters, this was one of the largest attended WCUCC’s in recent memory. The conference started with a bang, as University of Victoria celebrity, Dr. Zonk (a.k.a. Reg Mitchell, FCIC) followed up the plenary lecture by Rik Tykwinski, MCIC, with Dr. Zonk’s pyrotechnic chemistry magic show. This high tempo was propagated the following day, by a diverse group of wonderful student presentations. The various student winners represent a sampling of the high-calibre undergrad researchers who will be emerging from western Canada’s educational and chemistry research programs. Not to be outdone, plenary lectures by David Harrington, MCIC (fuel cells), and Cliff

Baar, ACIC (polymerization catalysis in industry), were also met with equal applause. WCUCC 2005 also hosted a career and graduate school recruitment fair, where students could explore some post-undergraduate options. Organizers would once again like to thank the sponsors, registrants, and volunteers for making this year’s WCUCC a phenomenal success. Please visit our Web site for more pictures and details: www3. telus.net/public/bdkoivis/wcucc_2005_home_page.htm. The conference shuffles through the western provinces and WCUCC 2006 will be jointly hosted in Edmonton (May 4–6) by the King’s University College and the University of Alberta. For more information regarding WCUCC 2006 please contact Grace GreidanusStrom (King’s UC). Bryan Koivisto, MCIC

EMPLOYMENT WANTED DEMANDE D’EMPLOI

COMING SOON ... CIC MEMBERSHIP

renewals will be delivered this fall.

38 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

Experienced professional chemical engineer in DCS control and process with capital project commissioning looking for immediate position preferably in Ontario. Contact Chris Petrus at 705-566-5584.

EVENTS ÉVÉNEMENTS

CAREERS CARRIÈRES

Canada Conferences May 9–12, 2006. Climate Change Conference, Ottawa, ON. Web site: www.csche2006.ca. May 27–31, 2006. 89th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition, Halifax, NS. Web site: www.csche2006.ca. October 15–18, 2006. 56th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Sherbrooke, QC. Web site: www.csche2006.ca. October 28–31, 2007. 57th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Edmonton, AB. Web site: www.cheminst.ca/ conferences/cic_calendar__e.htm#Engineering. October 19–22, 2008. 58th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Ottawa, ON. Web site: www.cheminst. ca/conferences/cic_calendar__e.htm#Engineering.

U.S. and Overseas December 15–20, 2005. Pacifichem 2005 Conference, Honolulu, HI. Web site: www.pacifichem.org.

VARIAN HPLC LAB EQUIPMENT

FOR SALE

by the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

2 pumps, autosampler, 2 detectors (UV and fluorescence), and computer with data acquisition and analysis software. Good condition. Asking Price: $15,000. Separate modules also on offer at negotiable prices. Contact: (613) 841-4868 or mmolepo1021@rogers.com

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 39

CAREERS CARRIÈRES

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING MICHAEL SMITH LABORATORIES UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA The Michael Smith Laboratories is seeking applications for a tenuretrack faculty position at the level of Assistant Professor. The 1993 Nobel Laureate Michael Smith established this interdepartmental unit, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary research in state-of-the-art facilities. The position requires a candidate who will establish a vigorous research program in biological engineering. Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering or a related field, and have a record of demonstrated success in collaborative research between engineering and biology. Applicants from a broad range of areas will be considered, including biomaterials, tissue engineering, cellular therapy, bioprocessing, biofuels, as well as the engineering of gene therapy, genomics and proteomics. Relevant industrial experience and eligibility for registration as a Professional Engineer are desirable. The successful candidate will hold a crossappointment with the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, to include all his or her teaching responsibilities. Applications are being accepted on-line at http://www.michaelsmith.ubc.ca/employment/faculty. In addition, three letters of reference should be sent directly by referees to bioeng@msl.ubc.ca. Closing date is November 15, 2005. Screening of applicants will begin November 22, 2005, and continue until the position is filled. Expected start date is July 1, 2006. UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified persons to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

40 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE OCTOBRE 2005

CAREERS CARRIÈRES

The 19th Canadian Symposium on Catalysis May 14-17, 2006 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada www.engr.usask.ca/19csc2006 This Canadian Symposium on Catalysis serves as a forum of showcasing the latest achievements, promoting exchange of ideas, and stimulating new developments in all aspects of catalysis, not only for Canadian researchers but also for international colleagues. The theme of the 2006 meeting is “BUILDING CATALYTIC BRIDGES BETWEEN ACADEMY AND INDUSTRY.” Scope: The meeting will focus on, but not be limited to, the following topics: • Catalysts and Processes for Heavy Oil Upgrading • Fuel Processing and Fuel Cell Catalysis • Surface Science Including Synchrotron Applications • Catalysis in Green Chemistry • Catalysis for Environment • Catalysis for Polymer Production • Homogeneous Catalysis • Photocatalysis • Unsteady State Catalytic Processes • Novel Catalyst Preparation and Other Topics in Catalysis

An abstract of 300 - 350 words (excluding references) should be submitted by November 28, 2005, electronically to 19csc.2006@usask.ca in the attachment of a MSWORD, WORDPERFECT or ADOBE-pdf file. Although the symposium will focus on the topics mentioned in “Scope”, any contribution dealing with original research directly related to any area of catalysis will be considered. Acceptance of contributions as oral or poster presentation will be based on the content of the submitted abstract. All abstracts must be in a ready-to-print format to be included, if accepted for oral or poster presentation, in the programme book distributed to all symposium attendees. For detailed format requirement in abstract preparation, visit www.engr.usask.ca/19csc2006/index2.html For further information, visit www.engr.usask.ca/19csc2006

York University –

Chemistry: Faculty of Science and Engineering Assistant Professors, Department of Chemistry, York University The Department of Chemistry invites applications for two tenure-track positions at the Assistant Professor level, one in Organic Chemistry and one in Biological Chemistry or Biochemistry. The candidates will have a PhD and post doctoral experience in those disciplines and an outstanding research record. The candidate’s research experience should build on existing research programs in York’s Chemistry Department. Information about the Department and its research is found at: http://www.chem. yorku.ca/. Successful candidates will be expected to develop strong, externally-funded research programs and to contribute to teaching Chemistry-related courses at undergraduate and graduate levels. Please see website for further information. Applicants should send a curriculum vitae, an outline of research plans, single copies of three publications, and arrange to have three signed letters of reference sent to Chair, Search Committee (Biological Chemistry/ Biochemistry, or Organic Chemistry) at the Department of Chemistry, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada. Applications will be accepted until November 1st 2005. The positions will commence July 1, 2006. All positions at York University are subject to budgetary approval. York University is an Affirmative Action Employer. The Affirmative Action Program can be found on York’s website at www.yorku.ca/acadjobs or a copy can be obtained by calling the affirmative action office at 416736-5713. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents will be given priority.

Tenure-Stream Appointment in Bio-organic Chemistry The University of Toronto at Mississauga, Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences, invites applications for a tenure-stream position in Bio-organic Chemistry at the rank of Assistant Professor, effective July 1, 2006. Applications will be accepted in all areas of bio-organic chemistry but preference will be given to candidates with research interests in biomacromolecules or at the biology chemistry interface. Applicants should possess a Ph.D. in chemistry, a strong academic background, an excellent research record and potential for excellence in teaching. The successful candidate will be expected to conduct an active and innovative research program and be able to teach organic chemistry at the undergraduate level and their research specialty at the graduate level. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. The successful candidate will be located in the Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences, University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM), and will also be a member of the graduate Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto. Further information can be found at http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/cps. The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Applications will be accepted until November 1, 2005. Applicants should provide a curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching philosophy and interests, an outline of their proposed research, and should arrange to have three confidential letters of recommendation sent on their behalf to: Professor G.W.K. Moore, Chair, Bio-organic Chemistry Search Committee, Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6.

OCTOBER 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 41

ADVERTISEMENT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; For information/comments please see www.chem.ucalgary.ca/csc2000/milestones.htm

56e Congrès canadien de génie chimique

Annonce préliminaire du 15 au 18 octobre 2006

Delta Sherbrooke Hôtel et Centre des congrès Sherbrooke (Québec) Canada

Société canadienne de génie chimique • www.csche2006.ca

56th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference

Preliminary Announcement October 15â&#x20AC;&#x201C;18, 2006

Delta Sherbrooke Hotel and Conference Centre Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering â&#x20AC;˘ www.csche2006.ca