The Shroud of Turin and Other Mysteries:

Mid-Hudson Chemist NON-PROFIT ORG.

American Chemical Society U.S. POSTAGE PAID

P.O. Box 160
124 Raymond Avenue
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604 NEWBURGH, NY PERMIT NO. 2701

Winter/Spring 2004 Program

January 22 - Presentation: Dr. James H. Davis, Department of Chemistry, University of South Alabama

Topic: Ionic Liquids - Environmental Implications

Location: SUNY New Paltz

February 26 -Presentation: Dr. John Galbraith, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Marist College

Topic: The Nature of the Chemical Bond: The Legacy of Linus Pauling in the Age of Computational Chemistry

Location: Vassar College

March 25 - Presentation: Dr. G. Barrie Kitto, Director, Center for Biotechnology,

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Austin

Topic: Biotechnology Developments: Applications in Biochemistry

Location: SUNY New Paltz

April 21 - 5^th Annual Undergraduate Chemistry Research Symposium

Location: Marist College

Ionic Liquids –

Environmental Implications

Dr. James H. Davis

Department of Chemistry

University of South Alabama

Thursday, January 22, 2004

Light Refreshments at 6:30PM

Talk at 7:00PM

Lecture Center Room 104

SUNY New Paltz

Contact Dr. John Harrington (SUNY New Paltz) at

(845) 257-3728 or by e-mail at harringj@newpaltz.edu

About the January 22 Lecture:

Ionic liquids (IL) are defined as salts or salt mixtures that melt below 100^oC. More than chemical curiosities, IL can dissolve an array of organic and inorganic substrates. As solvents, IL manifest no measurable vapor pressure, in stark contrast to molecular liquids. Given that evaporative loss is the single largest means by which volatile chemicals are discharged into the environment, IL have the potential to facilitate the greening of many chemical processes. This talk will provide a basic introduction to ionic liquid properties and their uses in synthesis, separations and other applications. Special attention will be paid to “task-specific” ionic liquids, unique IL compositions capable of acting as both solvent and reagent/catalyst for specific applications.

Dr. Davis received his B.A. in Industrial Chemistry from the University of North Alabama in 1982. He received his Ph.D. in 1986 from Vanderbilt University, having done his dissertation research in organometallic chemistry under the direction of Professor Charles Lukehart. Following a three-year postdoctoral stint at the University of Virginia doing carborane research with Professor Russell Grimes, he joined the faculty of Brandeis University as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Davis returned home to Alabama in 1995, joining the faculty of the University of South Alabama where he is currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry. Dr. Davis was recently selected as the USA Dean of Arts & Sciences Lecturer for the 2003 academic year.

The Nature of the

Chemical Bond:

The Legacy of Linus Pauling in the Age of Computational Chemistry

Dr. John Galbraith

Department of Chemistry and Physics

Marist College

Thursday, February 26, 2004

Light Refreshments at 6:30PM

Talk at 7:00PM

Science Visualization Lab

3^rd Floor Mudd Chemistry Building

Vassar College

Contact Dr. Sarjit Kaur (Vassar College) at (845) 437-5745 or by e-mail at sakaur@vassar.edu

About the February 26 Lecture:

The first edition of Linus Pauling’s classic text “The Nature of the Chemical Bond” was published in 1939. From the most basic General Chemistry course to the most advanced cutting edge chemical research, much of our current understanding of bonding is a result of this text. However, Linus Pauling did not have access to the computational resources that we take for granted today. Even a small personal computer can quickly solve the mathematical equations that describe the forces holding atoms together in (small) molecules. This talk will show how new results from modern Computational Chemistry have led to a more detailed description of chemical bonding than was possible in Pauling’s time. It will begin with a general description of chemical bonding and computational methods and then move to current research involving p bonding, d bonding, and coordinate covalent (dative) bonding.

Dr. Galbraith obtained his B.A. in Chemistry from Colorado College and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Georgia. In 2001, after postdoctoral appointments at Hebrew University and the University of Washington, he joined the faculty of Marist College where he is currently an Assistant Professor of Chemistry.

Directions to Vassar College:

http://www.vassar.edu/directions/

From Rte. 9 northbound: Drive 9.5 miles north from the intersection of I-84 and Rte. 9 to the exit for Spackenkill Road (Rte. 113). IBM is on the left. Proceed about half a mile on Spackenkill Road. Turn left at the second traffic light onto Wilbur Boulevard. Turn right when Wilbur ends at Hooker Avenue. Turn left at the first traffic light onto Raymond Avenue. Enter the college through the stone archway on the right.

From Rte. 9 southbound: Exit at Spackenkill Road (Rte. 113) and follow directions above.

Directions to SUNY New Paltz:

http://www.newpaltz.edu/about/directions.html

From the South, take NYS Thruway (I-87) north to Exit 18, make a left onto 299 at the light (heading towards New Paltz). Go about 2-3 miles, and turn left onto South Manheim Boulevard (Rte. 32 South). If you are coming from the North, take NYS Thruway (I-87) south to Exit 18. Take 299 towards New Paltz. If you are coming across the Mid Hudson Bridge, turn right onto Rte. 9W North. Proceed 2 3/4 miles to traffic light at intersection with Rte. 299. Turn left onto 299 and proceed approximately 6 miles to New Paltz. Turn left onto South Manheim Boulevard (Rte. 32 South).

Biotechnology Developments: Applications in Biochemistry

Dr. G. Barrie Kitto

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

University of Texas at Austin

Thursday, March 25, 2004

Light Refreshments at 6:30PM

Talk at 7:00PM

Auditorium, Coykendall Science Building

SUNY New Paltz

Contact Dr. John Harrington (SUNY New Paltz) at

(845) 257-3728 or by e-mail at harringj@newpaltz.edu

Additional information about the March lecture will be sent to the Mid-Hudson ACS listserv

Executive Board

Election Results

Chair-elect: John Galbraith

Councilor: David Straus

Secretary: Dan Freedman

Member-at-large: Cynthia MacMahon
Treasurer: Joan Skinner

Executive Committee:

Chair, John Harrington; Chair-Elect, John Galbraith; Past Chair, Sarjit Kaur; Treasurer, Joan Skinner; Secretary, Daniel Freedman; Councilor, David Straus; Alternate Councilor, Timothy MacMahon; Members–at–Large, Lynn Maelia, Mary Dery, Cynthia MacMahon; Program Chair, John Harrington; Public Relations Chair/ NCW Coordinator, Michelle Rodden; Awards Chair, Patti Cusatis; WCC Chair: Mary Dery; Mid-Hudson Chemist: Editor: Gissel Mentore; Publisher: Patti Cusatis.

Local Section Website: http://membership.acs.org/M/MidHud/

Join the Mid-Hudson ACS listserv! Send an e-mail message to listserv@acc.msmc.edu with the following
command in the body of your message: subscribe acs-mh

50-Year Members Recognized

The Mid-Hudson Section is pleased to announce that we have two scientists who have been members of the American Chemical Society for 50 years. Dr. David Straus and Dr. W. Raymond Siegart were honored at our December Award Dinner. Sincere congratulations are extended to these men for this special milestone!

Earth Day 2004
Mark down April 22 on your calendar! Chemists Celebrate Earth Day – look for more details in the next newsletter. The theme: What Do You Know about H₂O?

Also, check out the Music Video Contest

(see www.chemistry.org/earthday in

February for rules).

College Recognition Awards – 2003

The following students were nominated to receive the College Recognition Award for 2003. The Mid-Hudson Section presents these awards to an outstanding student from each of the colleges in the Section. The students were nominated by the chemistry faculty at their college based on a strong academic record in their chemistry studies. The recognition consists of a $75 cash award and a certificate. These students were recognized at the Award Dinner in December. Please join us in congratulating these deserving students!

College Student Advisor

Bard Mahmud Hussain Dr. Kim Touchette

Marist Glen Ferguson Dr. Johnny Galbraith

Vassar Christine Phillips Dr. Miriam Rossi, Dr. Joe Tanski

SUNY Dutchess Nancy Pope Dr. Abdul Brimah

SUNY Ulster Lisa Stafford Prof. Dennis Swauger

SUNY Orange Michael Coulthard Dr. Pak Leung

SUNY New Paltz Sophia Morriseau Dr. Preeti Dhar

USMA at West Point Melissa Roy LTC Bradley Dick

Mount Saint Mary Doraine DeWitt Dr. Lynn Maelia

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER AWARD NOMINATIONS SOUGHT

The Mid-Hudson Section of the American Chemical Society is soliciting nominations for its High School Chemistry Teaching Award. The purpose of this award is to encourage and reward excellence in the teaching and promotion of chemistry. The winner of the award will receive a plaque and a $200 prize. Additionally, the winner will be nominated for the regional ACS award in High School Teaching. Recipients of the Regional Awards become candidates for the James Bryant Conant Award in High School Teaching sponsored by Albemarle Corporation, given to the nation's best chemistry teacher. We invite your nominations of outstanding teachers for this award. Please contact Patti Cusatis ((845) 569-1359 or by e-mail at patti63@aol.com) to receive the guidelines for nomination and a nomination form.

Please note that nominations must be submitted by April 2, 2004 to:

Patti Cusatis
Awards Chair
Mid-Hudson Section of the American Chemical Society
15 Arrowhead Court
Newburgh, NY 12550

Attention: High School Teachers and Students

The Mid-Hudson Section of the American Chemical Society will be participating in the International Chemistry Olympiad for 2004. We are starting the selection process to choose 8 participants from the Mid-Hudson Section. These 8 participants will take the National Chemistry Olympiad qualifying exam on Saturday, April 17, at Mount St. Mary College, Newburgh, NY. Part of the National exam will consist of a laboratory practice section, as in past years. Twenty students will be chosen nationally from the results of the national exam to participate in a study camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in June. From these students, the national team will be selected to represent the U.S. in Kiel, Germany in July.

To select our 8 students, we will hold Local ACS Section qualifying exams, which will be administered at your school, should you choose to participate. If you feel that your school has students who can compete in the Local Section exams, or are a high school student who would like to participate, please let us know. We will then send you or your teacher a copy of the 2002 Local Section exam and an answer key, which you can use to prepare, along with the rules of the exam.

We encourage you to take part in this exciting program! Contact Lynn Maelia by phone: (845) 569-3131, fax: (845) 562-6762, e-mail: maelia@msmc.edu or mail at Mount Saint Mary College, 330 Powell Avenue, Newburgh, New York 12550.

ACS Undergraduate Chemistry Research Symposium

April 21, 2004

The Mid-Hudson Section of the American Chemical Society is pleased to announce the fifth annual Undergraduate Chemistry Research Symposium to be held at Marist College on Wednesday, April 21 from 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

The symposium provides a chance for area undergraduate students in the chemical sciences to present their research. Work in all areas of chemistry, environmental science, molecular biology, and related fields is welcome. The poster presentations will be held from 4:30-6:00 PM, followed by dinner and a guest speaker.

The Symposium: The symposium will be held from 4:30-6:00 PM in rooms 348A and 349 in the Student Center at Marist College. Set-up must be completed by 4:30 PM. As in previous years, all research will be presented as posters. To present a poster, please submit an abstract of 200 words or less. The format for the abstract should adhere as closely as possible to the following guidelines: 1) 12 point Times-Roman font, 2) One inch margins, 3) MS Word document, 4) The abstract title should be typed in capital letters, followed by the authors' names and institution name, institution address, and telephone number in lower case letters. Advisor’s name should be followed by an asterisk (*), if included. Please submit the abstract no later than Friday, April 8 by email to John Galbraith. If you are unable to meet this deadline, please contact John Galbraith by phone or email. We will have poster easels available for the first 35 participants; tables will also be available. Your poster should be self-supported on cardboard or posterboard backing. The standard size for ACS posters is 48 inches wide by 36 inches high. You will be contacted before the symposium to confirm acceptance of your abstract. Please note: there will be a $25 conference fee per poster up to $100 maximum per school.

Please submit, via email or diskette, your abstract to:

Dr. John Galbraith

Department of Chemistry and Physics

Marist College

3399 North Road.

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Phone: (845) 575-3000x2264

Email: john.galbraith@marist.edu

Dinner: Please make reservations with John Galbraith by Friday, April 8. Dinner will be at 6:30 PM at The Cabaret in the Student Center immediately following the symposium.

Directions to Marist College: Marist College is located off Rt. 9 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Refer to the following link for driving directions: http://www.marist.edu/welcome/direct.html/. The Student Center is located at the rear of the Marist campus. Enter the Main Entrance of the campus and continue down the hill. The Student Center is the domed building to the left. Rooms 348A and 349 are on the third floor.

All About NATIONAL CHEMISTRY WEEK 2003 from the NCW Coordinator, Michelle Rodden

K-12 Poster Contest

One hundred thirty-six posters were accepted in this year’s contest! The Mid-Hudson first place winners in each category will be sent to National ACS to compete against the first place winners from all sections at the next National meeting. Our first place winners will receive a framed ACS Commemorative stamp. Second place winners will receive a beaker mug. Third place winners will receive a ceramic ACS mug.