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FIFTY YEARS AGO IN THE SOUTHWEST RETORT

The upcoming ACS tour speaker for March will be Prof. F. J. Bollum of the University of Kentucky. His lectures will be on one of two topics, “The Chemistry of Genetics” and “Biosynthetic Polydeoxynucleotides.” Texas Section Award. Also at Rice Dr. John L. Margrave recently presented seminars at Michigan State and the University of Pennsylvania. A recent speaker at Rice was Dr. Dudley Herschbach.

The North Texas Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy will hold its second Dallas Spectroscopy Symposium on April 20. The morning session will be on mass spectroscopy with keynote speaker Dr. R. W. Kiser of the University of Kentucky. The afternoon session will be on infrared spectroscopy with Dr. J. R. Ferraro of Argonne National Labs as keynote speaker.

In the Dallas Ft.Worth ACS Section Dr. Thomas Hinkson of Tarleton State has been given a $30,000 three year grant by the Welch Foundation. At UT-Arlington Dr. Donald Martin has received a three year $45,000 grant from the Welch Foundation. Dean Peter Girardot and faculty member Dr. Tom Cogdell have each received one year extension of their Welch grants. A Ph.D. program in chemistry for UTArlington has been approved by the Board of Regents. At North Texas State Welch grants have been awarded to Drs. B. R. Russell, S. J. Norton, G. R. Dobson, and W. T. Brady. Recent Ph.D. graduate Dr. Larry Smith has accepted a job at American Hoechst Corp. Dr. James L. Marshall recently gave a seminar at Texas A&M. Welch grants were awarded to East Texas State faculty Drs. Kenneth Ashley, Moses Attrep, and Law-

rence Neff.

In the Southeastern Texas ACS Section Welch Professor Joe L. Franklin, Jr. of Rice was recently awarded the Southeast In the ACS South Plains Section Dr. Henry Shine of Texas Tech gave seminars on “Cation-Radical Chemistry” at Colorado State University and the University of Colorado. Welch Professor C. W. Shoppee gave a seminar at Texas Christian University on “Aspects of Nucleophilic Substitution.” In the Texas A&M ACS Section, construction has begun on a new

Compiled by 66,000 square ft

E. Thomas Strom Chemistry Research Annex. Dr. T. T. Sugihara gave a seminar at Michigan State University, while Dr. Ron D. Macfarlane recently gave seminars at Michigan State and McMaster Universities and also at the Soreg Nuclear Center in Israel. Dr. J. H. Lunsford was the guest speaker at the Catalysis Club of Chicago, where he gave a talk on “Applications of EPR Spectrscopy to Problems in Catalysis.” In the University of Arkansas ACS Section, NSF has given the chemistry department a grant to conduct an “Undergraduate Research Participation Program” for the summer of 1971 under the direction of Dr. Leslie B. Sims. The ten week program will involve ten undergraduate students from this region working in the areas of chemical dynamics and synthesis.

The Chair’s Corner

Welcome to 2021, and we all hope we are starting to turn the corner on COVID-19. I am very excited to serve as chair of the DFW Local Section of the ACS in 2021. I believe we have many exciting opportunities for 2021.

Like all other things, COVID-19 impacted most of the activities of the DFW Local Section of the ACS in 2020. We were able to host one live event in February where Dr. Bill Carroll provided an excellent presentation about molecular plastics re-

cycling. We also held our first virtual event in November, where Mrs. Jo King, who won the 2020 ACS Southwest Region HS Teaching Award for Excellence in Chemistry Teaching, presented about teaching during the pandemic. We were able to nominate and award the Doherty, Schultz, and Chemistry Ambassador Awards in 2020. Additionally, we were able to nominate for the 2020 ACS SWRM High School Teaching Award. Congratulations to: • Nicolay V. Tsarevsky: Winner of the Wilfred T. Doherty Award for 2020. • Nicole Lyssy: Winner of the Werner

Schulz Award for 2020.

• William H. Hendrickson Jr.: Winner of the Chemistry Ambassador Award for 2020.

• Jo L. King: Winner of the 2020 ACS

SWRM High School Teaching Award. The Executive Committee is very excited about 2021. Unfortunately, given the ongoing pandemic, we will start virtually this year. On February 19th Angela K. Wilson, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Michigan State University, is the National President-Elect of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Wilson will serve as president of the society in 2022. Dr. Wilson will present a talk entitled, “The ACS: Past, Present, and Future.” We are looking at an industry-focused talk in March, and a graduate-student led roundtable in April. Further engagement of our colleagues in the industry and our graduate students are focus areas for 2021. We will also be hosting the local Meeting in Miniature virtually on May 01, 2021. Much more information to come on all of these topics. Once again, the executive committee is very excited about 2021 and the local section's future. If there is anything that I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time (trey.putnam@ttuhsc.edu). Best, Trey Putnam

February 19 ACS-DFW Virtual Meeting - Dr. Angela Wilson

Please attend the first ACS-DFW virtual meeting of 2021, on Fri, Feb 19 at 6:30 pm. "The ACS: Past, Present and Future"

ACS DFW Local Section is happy to host a virtual talk by Dr. Angela K. Wilson

Angela K. Wilson, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Michigan State University, is the National President-Elect of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Wilson will serve as president of the society in 2022. Dr. Wilson will present a talk entitled, “The ACS: Past, Present and Future.”

Date: Friday, February 19, 2021 – Talk beginning at 6:30 PM

Location: Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7176687551)

From the ACS Press Room

A Non-destructive Method for Analyzing Ancient Egyptian Embalming Materials

“Nondestructive Analysis of Mummification Balms in Ancient Egypt Based on EPR of Vanadyl and Organic Radical Markers of Bitumen”

Analytical Chemistry

Ancient Egyptian mummies have many tales to tell, but unlocking their secrets without destroying delicate remains is challenging. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Analytical Chemistry have found a non-destructive way to analyze bitumen ––the compound that gives mummies their dark color –– in Ancient Egyptian embalming materials. The method provides clues to the bitumen’s geographic origin and, in one experiment, revealed that a mummy in a French museum could have been partially restored, likely by collectors.

The embalming material used by Ancient Egyptians was a complex mixture of natural compounds such as sugar gum, beeswax, fats, coniferous resins and variable amounts of bitumen. Also known as asphalt or tar, bitumen is a black, highly viscous form of petroleum that arises primarily from fossilized algae and plants. Researchers have used various techniques to analyze Ancient Egyptian embalming materials, but they typically require preparation and separation steps that destroy the sample. Charles Dutoit, Didier Gourier and colleagues wondered if they could use a non-destructive technique called electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to detect two components of bitumen formed during the decomposition of photosynthetic life: vanadyl porphyrins and carbonaceous radicals, which could provide information on the presence, origin and processing of bitumen in the embalming material.

The researchers obtained samples of black matter from an Ancient Egyptian sarcophagus (or coffin), two human mummies and four animal mummies (all from 744–30 B.C.), which they analyzed by EPR and compared to reference bitumen samples. The team discovered that the relative amounts of vanadyl compounds and carbonaceous radicals could differentiate between bitumen of marine origin (such as from the Dead Sea) and land-plant origin (from a tar pit). Also, they detected vanadyl compounds that likely formed from reactions between the vanadyl porphyrins and other embalming components. Intriguingly, the black matter taken from a human mummy acquired by a French museum in 1837 didn’t contain any of these

From the ACS Press Room

compounds, and it was very rich in bitumen. This mummy could have been partially restored with pure bitumen, probably by a private collector to fetch a higher price before the museum acquired it, the researchers say.

The authors acknowledge funding from Agence Nationale de la Recherche and the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France.

2021 DFW Section Officers

Chair: Trey Putnam Chair-elect: Mihaela C. Stefan Past Chair: Mihaela C. Stefan Treasurer: Martha Gilchrist

Secretary: Heidi Conrad Councilors: Mary Anderson, Linda Schultz, E. Thomas Strom, and Jason McAfee Alternate Councilors: Michael Bigwood, John McIlroy, Daniela Hutanu, and Danny Tran

From the ACS Press Room

A Mild Way to Upcycle Plastics used in Bottles into Fuel and Other High-value Products

“Conversion of Polyolefin Waste to Liquid Alkanes with Ru-Based Catalysts under Mild Conditions”

JACS Au

Plastic is ubiquitous in people’s lives. Yet, when plastic-containing items have fulfilled their missions, only a small amount is recycled into new products, which are often of lower quality compared to the original material. And, transforming this waste into highvalue chemicals requires substantial energy. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ JACS Au have combined a ruthenium-carbon catalyst and mild, lower-energy reaction conditions to convert plastics used in bottles and other packaging into fuels and chemical feedstock.

Global production of sturdy, single-use plastic for toys, sterile medical packaging, and food and beverage containers is increasing. Polyolefin polymers, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, are the most common plastics used in these products because the polymers’ molecular structures — long, straight chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms — make materials very durable. It’s difficult to degrade the carbon-to-carbon bonds in polyolefins, however, so energy-intensive procedures using high temperatures, from 800 to 1400 F, or strong chemicals are needed to break down and recycle them. Previous studies have shown that noble metals, such as zirconium, platinum and ruthenium, can catalyze the process of splitting apart short, simple hydrocarbon chains and complicated, plant-based lignin molecules at moderate reaction temperatures requiring less energy than other techniques. So, Yuriy RománLeshkov and colleagues wanted to see if metal-based catalysts would have a similar effect on solid polyolefins with long hydrocarbon chains, disintegrating them into usable chemicals and natural gas.

The researchers developed a method to react simple hydrocarbon chains with hydrogen in the presence of noble- or transition-metal nanoparticles under mild conditions. In their experiments, ruthenium-carbon nanoparticles converted over 90% of the hydrocarbons into shorter compounds at 392 F. Then, the team tested the new method on more complex polyolefins, including a commercially available plastic bottle. Despite not pretreating the samples, as is necessary with current energyintensive methods, they were completely broken down into gaseous and liquid products using this new method. In contrast to current degradation methods, the reaction could be tuned so that it yielded either natural gas or a combination of natural gas and liquid alkanes. The researchers say implementing their method could help reduce the volume of post-consumer waste in landfills by recycling plastics to desirable, highly valuable alkanes, though technology to purify the products is needed to make the process economically feasible.

The authors acknowledge funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office and Bioenergy Technologies Office.

From the ACS Press Room

Ultra-absorptive Nanofiber Swabs could Improve SARSCoV-2 Test Sensitivity

“Ultra-absorptive Nanofiber Swabs for Improved Collection and Test Sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 and other Biological Specimens” Nano Letters

Rapid, sensitive diagnosis of COVID-19 is essential for early treatment, contact tracing and reducing viral spread. However, some people infected with SARS-CoV-2 receive false-negative test results, which might put their and others’ health at risk. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters have developed ultra-absorptive nanofiber swabs that could reduce the number of false-negative tests by improving sample collection and test sensitivity.

Currently, the most sensitive test for COVID -19 involves using a long swab to collect a specimen from deep inside a patient’s nose, and then using a method called reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA. But if the viral load is low, which can occur early in the course of infection, the swab might not pick up enough virus to be detectable. Jingwei Xie and colleagues wanted to develop a nanofiber swab that could absorb and then release more viruses and other biological specimens, improving the sensitivity of diagnostic tests.

The researchers used an electrospinning technique to make 1-cm-long cylinders composed of aligned nanofiber layers, which they coated with a thin layer of gelatin and bonded to plastic swab sticks. In lab tests, the porous nanofiber cylinders absorbed and released more proteins, cells, bacteria, DNA and viruses from liquids and surfaces than the cotton or flocked swabs commonly used for COVID-19 testing. The team made dilutions of SARS-CoV-2 virus, swabbed the liquid samples and tested for viral RNA with RT-PCR. Compared with the two other types of swabs, the nanofiber ones reduced the false-negative rate and detected SARS-CoV2 at a 10-times lower concentration. In addition to allowing more accurate and sensitive COVID-19 testing, the nanofiber swabs have far-reaching potential in diagnosing other diseases, testing for foodborne illnesses and helping forensic teams identify crime suspects from miniscule biological specimens, the researchers say.

From the ACS Press Room

An Anode-free Zinc Battery that could Someday Store Renewable Energy

“An Anode-Free Zn-MnO2 Battery” Nano Letters

Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, could help decrease the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. But first, power companies need a safe, cost-effective way to store the energy for later use. Massive lithium-ion batteries can do the job, but they suffer from safety issues and limited lithium availability. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters have made a prototype of an anode-free, zinc-based battery that uses lowcost, naturally abundant materials.

Aqueous zinc-based batteries have been previously explored for grid -scale energy storage because of their safety and high energy density. In addition, the materials used to make them are naturally abundant. However, the rechargeable zinc batteries developed so far have required thick zinc metal anodes, which contain a large excess of zinc that increases cost. Also, the anodes are prone to forming dendrites –– crystalline projections of zinc metal that deposit on the anode during charging –– that can short-circuit the battery. Yunpei Zhu, Yi Cui and Husam Alshareef wondered whether a zinc anode was truly needed. Drawing inspiration from previous explorations of “anode-free” lithium and sodium-metal batteries, the researchers decided to make a battery in which a zincrich cathode is the sole source for zinc plating onto a copper current collector.

In their battery, the researchers used a manganese dioxide cathode that they preintercalated with zinc ions, an aqueous zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate electrolyte solution and a copper foil current collector. During charging, zinc metal gets plated onto the copper foil, and during discharging the metal is stripped off, releasing electrons that power the battery. To prevent dendrites from forming, the researchers coated the copper current collector with a layer of carbon nanodiscs. This layer promoted uniform zinc plating, thereby preventing dendrites, and increased the efficiency of zinc plating and stripping. The battery showed high efficiency, energy density and stability, retaining 62.8% of its storage capacity after 80 charging and discharging cycles. The anodefree battery design opens new directions for using aqueous zinc-based batteries in energy storage systems, the researchers say.

The authors acknowledge funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

Nano Lett. 2021, 21, 3, 1446–1453, Publication Date:January 20, 2021

Copyright © 2021 American Chemical Society

From the ACS Press Room

Juicing Technique could Influence Healthfulness of Fresh-squeezed Juice

“Untargeted Chemometrics Evaluation of the Effect of Juicing Technique on Phytochemical Profiles and Antioxidant Activities in Common Vegetables” ACS Food Science & Technology

With the New Year, many people are making resolutions to eat healthier, by eating more vegetables, for example. But those who don’t like the taste or texture of some vegetables might prefer to drink them in a home-squeezed juice. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Food Science & Technology have found that the choice of household juicing technique can influence the phytochemical content and antioxidant activity of common vegetable juices.

Home juicing machines have become popular in recent years, with different types available. For example, blenders crush vegetables with fast, spinning blades, and the resulting juice is typically thick, with much pulp and dietary fiber. In contrast, highspeed centrifugal juicers quickly pulverize veggies and separate out pulp and fiber, making for a thinner juice. Low-speed juice extractors squeeze juice with a horizontal auger that rotates vegetables at a low speed, producing the least heat of the three methods and also removing pulp and fiber. Juicing can alter the levels of health-promoting phytochemicals and antioxidants in raw vegetables by exposing inner tissues to oxygen, light and heat and releasing enzymes. Therefore, Junyi Wang, Guddadarangavvanahally Jayaprakasha and Bhimanagouda Patil at Texas A&M University wanted to compare the phytochemical and antioxidant contents of 19 vegetables juiced with these three techniques.

After preparing juices with the different methods, the researchers observed that, in general, blending produced juices with the lowest amounts of some beneficial compounds, such as vitamin C, antioxidants and phenolics, probably because the technique produced the most heat. Low-speed juicing generated the highest amounts of beneficial compounds, although exceptions were found for certain vegetables. However, likely because of their higher fiber content, blended vegetable juices had the highest amounts of α-amylase inhibitors, which could help reduce hyperglycemia after a meal. The researchers then used mass spectrometry and chemometrics to identify and quantify 85 metabolites in juices prepared by the three methods, finding that the lowspeed juicer produced more diverse metabolites than the other two methods, but the relative abundances for the three juicing methods differed based on the veggie type. Therefore, different vegetables and juicing methods could produce unique health benefits, the researchers say. The authors acknowledge funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Specialty Crop Research Initiative.