News from IUPACpublications.iupac.org/ci/1999/march/ci99033.pdfChemistry International , 1999, Vol. 21, No. 2 33 News from IUPAC Bioinformatics and the Internet Dr. Jürgen Pleiss

Chemistry International, 1999, Vol. 21, No. 2 33

News from IUPAC

Bioinformatics and the InternetDr. Jürgen Pleiss and Professor Rolf D. Schmid, Chair-man and Titular Member of the IUPAC Commissionon Biotechnology (Institute for Technical Biochemis-try, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 31, D-70569Stuttgart, Germany; e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]),contributed the following article on the combination oftwo new technologies that are having a major impacton the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and food indus-tries.

Introduction

At the turn of the millennium, two young technologiescan be singled out which have a major impact on sci-ence, industry, and society: recombinant DNA and in-formation technology. As they combine in the field ofbioinformatics, they are transforming the pharmaceu-tical, agrochemical, and food industries and, as a con-sequence, university education. Much of today’s infor-mation in the life sciences is generated by collabora-tive efforts at different locations worldwide, and effec-tive communication is essential for success. Thus, thehuge amount of data generated by large-scale genomesequencing activities, e.g., the human genome project,depends heavily on computing and telecommunicationsand stimulates further efforts in this area.

Explosive Growth of the World Wide Web

In information technology, the World Wide Web(WWW) has become the dominant global communica-tion network. It is based on the Internet, which hasserved already for more than 20 years as a communi-cation resource among scientists. But only when thehypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) was introduced in1990 did communication via the Internet became suf-ficiently easy and inexpensive to allow its general use.Moreover, HTTP is hardware-independent and thusaccessible even through inexpensive personal comput-ers which are connected directly to the Internet or via amodem to an Internet provider. This development hasstimulated all kinds of commercial activities, and thenumber of Internet hosts and Internet web sites hasreached nearly 40 and 4 million (Fig. 1), respectively1.At present, the number of web sites doubles every year,100 million people worldwide are estimated to be ac-tive Internet users, and business on the order of USD 8billion is done via the Internet. It is expected that withintwo more years the number of active users might in-crease tenfold to reach 1 billion, a dramatic increase

driven mainly by the populous Asian nations, and thatInternet-based sales will account for USD 300 billionor 1% of all global sales within only four years.

Life Sciences and the World Wide Web

Though by now a majority of the 4 million web siteshave a commercial background, the scientific use ofthe WWW will increase as well. Among the initiativesto enhance its quality and speed up transfer of largevolumes of data, the Internet2 project is the most am-bitious. It will start by mid-1999 with 141 participat-ing universities and 14 companies across the UnitedStates. The Internet2 will serve exclusively scientificpurposes and “facilitate and coordinate the develop-ment, deployment, operation, and technology transferof advanced, network-based applications and networkservices to further U.S. leadership in research and highereducation and accelerate the availability of new ser-vices and applications on the Internet”2.

Even now in the era of Internet commerce, manythousands of WWW sites are devoted to the global sci-ence network. In fact, many recent discoveries and de-velopments, particularly in the life sciences, would beunthinkable without the Internet. The modern era oflife sciences started in the 1950s and accelerated in theearly 1970s, when the modern tools of genetic engi-neering were developed, i.e., how to isolate, sequence,and clone DNA and express it in a host organism ofone’s choice. In those early days, DNA sequencing wascumbersome and restricted to single genes, minor geneclusters, or small virus genomes. In order to store theresulting DNA sequences, the National BiomedicalResearch Foundation, Washington, DC, USA, createdthe first sequence databank in 1965.

0

20000000

40000000

Aug-8

1

Aug-8

4

Aug-8

7

Aug-9

0

Aug-9

3

Aug-9

6

Fig. 1 Number of Internet hosts advertised in the DNS(Internet Domain Survey, July 1998,http://www.nw.com/zone/WWW/report.html).

34 Chemistry International, 1999, Vol. 21, No. 2

Table 1. Examples of Useful Web Sites in Bioinformatics

Database Type Description URL

DNA and Protein SequenceDatabases

SRS Browser for 38 databanks in http://www.embl-heidelberg.de/srs5/molecular biology

SWISS-PROT and TrEMBL Annotated protein sequence database http://expasy.hcuge.ch/sprot/sprot-top.html(78,082 and 178,957 sequences,respectively)

PIR Protein Information Resource http://www.nbrf.georgetown.edu/pir/(116,372 sequences) searchdb.html

EMBL Nucleotide Sequence DNA sequence database (3,046,471 http://www.ebi.ac.uk/ebi_docs/embl_db/Database sequences) ebi/topembl.html

GenBank DNA sequence database http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Entrez/(3,044,000 sequences) nucleotide.html

DDBJ DNA Data Bank of Japan http://www.ddbj.nig.ac.jp/(3,073,166 sequences)

Genomics

Pedant at MIPS Software system for completely http://pedant.mips.biochem.mpg.de/automatic and exhaustive analysisof protein sequence sets(21 complete, 21 unfinished genomes)

TIGR Database Microbial database (20 published http://www.tigr.org/tdb/tdb.htmlgenomes, 60 genomes in progress)

Sanger Center Human genome and 24 more genomes http://www.sanger.ac.uk/

Protein Structure

PDB Archive of experimentally http://www.pdb.bnl.gov/determined three-dimensionalstructures (9,179 entries)

Literature Searches

Medline Search for citations http://www4.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/

SWISS-PROT journals list List of online journals http://www.expasy.ch/cgi-bin/jourlist?jourlist.txt

Homology Searches

BLAST Sequence similarity search in 22 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/BLAST/sequence databases and 42 genomes

FASTA Sequence similarity search in 25 http://www2.ebi.ac.uk/fasta3/sequence databases

Structure Prediction

Swiss-Model Homology modeling http://expasy.hcuge.ch/swissmod/SWISS-MODEL.html

Biotech Validation Suite for Quality checks of protein structures http://biotech.embl-heidelberg.de:8400/Protein Structures

PredictProtein Prediction of aspects of protein structure http://www.embl-heidelberg.de/predictprotein/predictprotein.html

Protein Architecture

SCOP Protein structure classification http://scop.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/scop/


Fig. 2 Number of base pairs in the DNA sequence

0

500000000

1000000000

1500000000

2000000000

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

Protein Sequencing Databanks

When DNA sequence information started to grow ex-ponentially during the 1980s, three DNA sequencedatabanks were established as GenBank (National Cen-ter for Biotechnology Information) in Bethesda, MD,USA; the European Molecular Biology Laboratory(EMBL/EBI) Nucleotide Sequence Database, now atthe European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) in Hinxton,UK; and the DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ),Mishima, Japan, serving as mirror sites to each other.As shown in Fig. 2, the DNA databases contained40,000 DNA sequences with a total of 50 million basepairs in 1990, but within only a decade this number hasincreased 40-fold, now reaching 2 billion base pairs.This increase is due largely to advances in DNA tech-nology and robot-assisted sequencing, allowing a shiftfrom genetics to genomics; by now, the complete ge-nomes of 14 bacteria, baker’s yeast, 12 viruses and or-ganelles, and the nematode Caenorhabditis eleganshave been published on the Internet, and many othersare approaching completion, among them the humangenome with a total of about 3 billion base pairs alone.This enormous increase in numbers made new types ofdatabases possible and necessary, e.g., web sites de-voted to particular organisms such as the chromosomemaps of the mouse. As the number of sequenced ge-nomes increases and can be compared to individualgeno- and phenotypes (“polymorphisms”), more andmore important conclusions about the structure andregulation of single genes and proteins and their inter-relation in health and disease can be drawn.

On the level of individual proteins, the first sequencedatabanks were set up in the mid 1980s, includingSwissProt at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics,Geneva, Switzerland, and the Protein Information Re-source established by the National Biomedical ResearchFoundation, Washington, DC, USA. When protein struc-ture analysis by X-ray crystallography and later byNMR spectroscopy began to grow rapidly in the 1970s,the Protein Data Bank (PDB) was established at theBrookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, Long Island,NY, USA. It contains at present over 9000 entries onprotein structures. Protein science, for a long time fo-cused on protein structure and architecture, is now in avigorous development in its own right; comparison of

protein sequences based on DNA analysis and predic-tion of their tertiary structure (“from sequence to struc-ture”) is an active area of research, fueled by the questfor the so-called proteome, the sum of proteins ex-pressed by a genome under different conditions of regu-lation and metabolism.

Bioinformatics Databanks and Web Sites

Table 1 lists a few important examples of the manyextremely useful web sites related to the life sciences.Much of the experimental work required to arrive atsuch findings includes the use of complex algorithmswhich can, in turn, often be found on appropriateInternet pages. Finally, owing to its widespread acces-sibility, the Internet has also become a huge blackboardfor scientific information, including online versions ofscientific journals, free science information (such asthe public database PubMed offered over the Internetby the National Library of Medicine at Bethesda, MD,USA, which allows free access to over 9 million scien-tific publications), tutorials, conference announcements,and information on grants and job offers. As a particu-lar consequence of the Internet, the access to informa-tion of scientists working in less developed countrieshas dramatically increased. Thus, as just four amongdozens of examples, there now exist the following websites:� an Asia-Pacific Network of Science and Technol-

ogy Centers: http://www.sci-ctr.edu.sg/apnstc/� an African Network for Essential National Health

Research: http://www.healthnet.org/afronets/enhr.htm

� a West Africa Research Network (WARN): http://

Table 1. Examples of Useful Web Sites in Bioinformatics (continued)Database Type Description URL

CATH Protein structure classification http://www.biochem.ucl.ac.uk/bsm/cath/

International Organizations

FAO Partnership programs of FAO http://www.fao.org/GENINFO/partner/default.htm

UNESCO Biotechnology fellowship programs of http://www.unesco.org/general/eng/UNESCO programmes/science/life/index.htm


www.yorku.ca/research/crs/prevent/warn.htm� Uninet - The South African Academic and Research

Network: http://www.idrc.ca/acacia/outputs/op-unin.htm

Challenges to Bioinformatics

The present shift from sequencing single genes to se-quencing whole genomes is expected to expand widelyour understanding of the regulation of expression, theinteraction of proteins, and, finally, of the function ofcells and multicellular organisms. Such progress im-plies new challenges to bioinformatics. There are atpresent two major problems:

1. Databases that deal with protein sequences and struc-tures, on one hand, or with the function of wholecells, on the other, contain quite different, thoughinterrelated, types of data. Research groups activein either area tend to chose data formats optimizedfor their particular purpose. As a result, consistencyand coherence of databases can become a majorproblem.

2. The higher the complexity of the data, the more dif-ficult is their analysis and their graphical presenta-tion. Most future projects will be highly interdisci-plinary, requiring the collaboration of experts fromseveral or even many fields. In this situation, it will

vey/; Internet Statistics: Growth and Usage of theWeb and the Internet, http://www.mit.edu/people/mkgray/net/; eMarketer, http://www.e-land.com/;Hermes project, http://www-personal.umich.edu/~sgupta/hermes/

2. The Internet2 project, http://www.internet2.edu/

IUPAC–NIST Solubility Data SeriesDr. Mark Salomon, Editor-in-Chief of the IUPAC Solu-bility Data Series and Titular Member of the IUPACAnalytical Chemistry Division (V), contributed the fol-lowing announcement, which originally appeared as aneditorial by Malcolm Chase in the Journal of Physicaland Chemical Reference Data.

A cooperative agreement between the IUPAC Solu-bility Data Commission (V.8) and the Standard Refer-ence Data Program (SRDP) of the National Institute ofStandards and Technology (NIST) has been signed. Aresult of this agreement is that the IUPAC SolubilityData Series volumes are now part of the Journal ofPhysical and Chemical Reference Data (JPCRD). Thesevolumes will be published four times a years withinthe six yearly issues of JPCRD. The numbering of thevolumes will continue the current sequence establishedby the Solubility Data Commission (V.8) of IUPAC.

The IUPAC Solubility Data Commission was estab-lished in 1979, with the duties and responsibilitieswithin IUPAC to publish critically evaluated solubilityand related thermodynamic data. To produce the com-prehensive compilations and critical evaluations for thevolumes in the Solubility Data Series, the Commissionhas enlisted the aid of over 100 scientists from morethan 25 countries. Volumes 1 through 53 were publishedby Pergamon Press, and Volumes 54 through 65 werepublished by Oxford University Press.

The first article in this series appeared in 1998:Jitka Eysseltovà and Thedford P. Dirkse, IUPAC–

NIST Solubility Data Series, Vol. 66, Ammonium Phos-phates, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 27(6), (1998).

Upcoming articles in this Solubility Data Series toappear in J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data include the follow-ing:

Ari L. Horvath and Forrest W. Getzen, IUPAC–NISTSolubility Data Series, Vol. 67, Halogenated Ethanesand Ethenes in Water, to be published in J. Phys. Chem.Ref. Data, Vol. 28.

Ari L. Horvath and Forrest W. Getzen, IUPAC–NISTSolubility Data Series, Vol. 68, Halogenated Com-pounds C

3 - C

14 with Water, to be published in J. Phys.

Chem. Ref. Data, Vol. 28.Adam Skrzecz, Andrzeij Macynski, and David Shaw,

IUPAC–NIST Solubility Data Series, Vol. 69, TernaryAlcohol-Hydrocarbon-Water System, to be publishedin J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data Vol. 28.

Yuri P. Yampols’kii, Russell Paterson, and Peter G.

be inevitable to support the interaction with data-bases by expert systems, which integrate the knowl-edge of specialists and are user-friendly.

Future of Bioinformatics

As a probable consequence of all these developments,the biological and biochemical experiments of the fu-ture will, to some extent, be carried out not only in vivoand in vitro, but also in silico. Biology-related infor-mation will be the pertinent raw material, available fromdatabases through the WWW, which can be profitable.As seen already in the case of the “gene hunt in silico”,it becomes more and more feasible to transform thiscomputer-based information into valuable research re-sults or even products. Thus, it is becoming a realitythat novel targets for drugs or new powerful biocatalystscan be identified in the huge and growing mass of com-puter-based genomic sequence information and thatmetabolic fluxes in living beings can be clustered, viaa bioinformatics approach, to allow the geneticreengineering of metabolic pathways in microorgan-isms, plants, animals, or man.

References

1. Internet Domain Survey, July 1998, http://www.nw.com/zone/WWW/top.html; The NetcraftWeb Server Survey, http://www.netcraft.com/Sur-


T. Fogg, IUPAC–NIST Solubility Data Series, Vol. 70,The Solubility of Gases in Polymers, to be publishedin J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, Vol. 28.

A complete list of previously published volumes isavailable on the IUPAC web site.

IUPAC, IUPHAR, and IUTOX Report onNatural and AnthropogenicEnvironmental Oestrogens: TheScientific Basis for Risk AssessmentThe scientific underpinning for the controversial inter-national concerns about endocrine disrupters has beenaddressed in detail in a recent issue of Pure and Ap-plied Chemistry (Vol. 70, No. 9, 1998). This effort bythree preeminent international scientific organizationscovers a wide range of scientific aspects and subjectsrelevant to the issue and provides the background in-formation necessary for informed debate.

The 19-chapter report, Natural and AnthropogenicEnvironmental Oestrogens: The Scientific Basis for RiskAssessment, was prepared by IUPAC in collaborationwith the International Unions of Pharmacology(IUPHAR) and of Toxicology (IUTOX), and with thesupport of the International Council for Science (ICSU).The subject, commonly known as endocrine or hor-mone disrupters, is a complex, emotional, and contro-versial issue for which many scientific questions re-main. Several aspects related to human and environ-mental health are presented, and the conclusions andrecommendations drafted by the presidents of the threeUnions review the policy issues and how they relate tothe science.

This publication is the result of continuous effortsto address issues of societal and industrial concern ob-jectively, involving the chemical sciences. A similarreport on chlorine was published in September 1996.

For further information, visit http://www.iupac.org/publications/pac/special/0998/, or contact the IUPACSecretariat.

A New NMR Data Standard for theExchange and Archiving forMultidimensional Data SetsAntony N. Davies

ISAS, Institut für Spektrochemie und AngewandteSpektroskopie, Bunsen-Kirchhoff-Str.11, Postfach 1013 52, 44013 Dortmund, Germany.

With multidimensional spectroscopic techniques play-ing an ever-increasing role in the life of an NMR spec-troscopist, it didn’t take long for the need for a newNMR data exchange standard for multidimensional datasets to arise. This requirement was formally established

last year at the Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Reso-nance Conference (ENC) in Asilomar, CA, USA. Aninternational task group was set up to develop this dataexchange standard for multidimensional NMR experi-ments and is currently working under the auspices ofthe International Union of Pure and Applied Chemis-try (IUPAC). This article describes how the processbegan, how the need for a new data exchange standardwas established, and when we can expect to be able tomake use of implementations in our software updates.

Introduction

In 1997, a discussion session at the ExperimentalNuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference (ENC) in theUSA raised the question of exchange and long-termstorage of multidimensional data (see Fig. 1). The en-suing discussion revealed that there was a need but alsoa severe lack of information on the subject, so a discus-sion meeting was organized for the following ENC heldlast year at Asilomar entitled “A Standard Format forNMR Spectroscopy”.

Following a presentation covering the current state-of-the-art, a lengthy discussion was held as to the de-sirability of a new standard and the best way forward.It was agreed that a new internationally recognizedexchange standard was urgently required. A workinggroup was established and many delegates volunteeredto help design and build the new standard—includingkey people representing the major NMR manufactur-ers, industrial and academic NMR users, and represen-tatives of independent software houses. In addition,following the ENC a number of experts active in thisfield who responded positively to the proposal have beencontacted and have agreed to work on the Task Group.

Proposal to IUPAC

Following the discussion meeting, a formal proposalwas made for IUPAC to organize a Limited Term TaskGroup to develop, document, and validate a new spec-

Figure 1. Although solutions are available for short-and long-term NMR data storage, and for exchangeand long-term archiving of conventional NMR data,there is currently nothing available for n-D NMR data.


troscopic data standard for multidimensional NMR datasets. The proposal was presented to the IUPAC Stand-ing Committee on Printed and Electronic Publications(CPEP)1 in June and the project agreed.

This Task Group is limited to the lifetime of thisproject and function as proposed in the “Changes inOrganization and Management of IUPAC ScientificActivities” from the IUPAC Strategy Development andImplementation Committee.2 The Task Group wouldbe coordinated through the current CPEP Working Partyon Spectroscopic Data Standards (JCAMP-DX),3 with

the finished documentation being laid before the CPEPfor approval before being published in Pure and Ap-plied Chemistry.

Work Plan

The key to the success of this project is the productionof a generic (manufacturer-independent) data dictio-nary describing a multidimensional NMR experiment.It is envisaged that most of the initial work developingthe data dictionary will take place via the Internet withinthe first six months. However, experience has shown

n-D NMR RegistrationName

Organization Type Instrument ❏❏❏❏❏ Independent ❏❏❏❏❏ Academic ❏❏❏❏❏Manufacturer

Organization

Address

Country

Tel.: Fax: E-mail:

Request for records in the new n-D NMR ProtocolRemember—the new protocol will be generic and not manufacturer-specific. Only fields that complywith this criterion will survive the review process.

All records require the following elements for the protocol:

NAME TYPE [OPTIONS] DESCRIPTION

Please enter the NAME of your requested record. NAMEThis field should be short but descriptive, ande.g., PULSSEQUENCE

Please select one of TEXT for free AFFN for free STRING if onlythe following data formatted formatted numerical options from a pre-types. Your field comments, etc. values defined list are to bemay be one of either. allowed

❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

If you have chosen STRING, you must now enter the list of possible options. Remember to includedefinitions for all options in the detailed description field below.STRING OPTIONS:

Finally, please provide a detailed description of what purpose this field serves! How should these databe handled by software?

Should this field be optional or required? REQUIRED ❏❏❏❏❏Why? OPTIONAL ❏❏❏❏❏


that when developing these standards, at least oneround-table discussion by the key participants is nec-essary to iron out difficulties of principle and to reachcompromises between different points of view. The useof e-mail does not lend itself to arbitrating over diffi-cult semantic differences!

During development, all documentation will be avail-able freely over the Internet to registered participants,testers, and members of the task group. It will be madeclear that these are draft documents only and are not tobe cited until officially published.

A progress review will take place at the end of Feb-ruary 1999 before the ENC’99 in Orlando, FL, USA.An initial report including the draft data dictionary willbe made available by, and presented to, the ENC’99 inMarch 1999, and the IUPAC CPEP meeting during the37th IUPAC General Assembly in Berlin in August 1999.

With the finalization of the data dictionary, test fileswill be produced to aid development work by the manu-facturers and independent software houses. Develop-ment work will be supported throughout 1999, includ-ing round-robin testing of the new files. It is planned tohave the protocol ready for publication in Pure andApplied Chemistry and software implementations avail-able in releases by the manufacturers the following year.Finalized implementation documentation should alsobe made available during this phase. A final reportshould be made to ENC’2000 in March 2000.

New Data Dictionary

The current stage—and probably by far the hardest—is to define the information content required/desiredwithin the NMR data file. To do this, the data dictio-nary must be generic and not manufacturer-specific,but at the same time contain enough information toannotate the experimental data fully.

By the middle of July, a web site was set up to gathersuggestions for the data dictionary4. It was pointed outto the Task Group that they should first make them-selves acquainted with the structure of the protocolsalready agreed and published5 to see how the recordsare built up. Only then would it be advisable to pro-ceed to the data entry web pages where they shouldregister before proceeding to the data dictionary entrypages.

We will gladly take suggestions from anyone withexperience in this field, so if you wish to participate inthis action, follow the instructions above. When regis-tering, please allow the cookie to be set, as this willmean you only have to register once. All further at-tempts to access these pages will then go straight to thedata entry pages. If you do not have access to theInternet, we would be grateful to receive your propos-als by returning the form on page 38 either by post orfax (+49 231 1392 418).

Geography

Although the Task Group is geographically localizedto North America, Europe, and Japan, this concentra-tion seems to be unavoidable owing to the location ofthe manufacturers and independent software houses.IUPAC is, however, very keen to ensure global accessto its activities, so the Internet will be used to advertisethe presence of the draft documents for comment toobtain a geographical broad review of the proposalsbefore they are presented to the CPEP for the ultimatestamp of approval.

Conclusion

I hope the activities reported here will quickly returnresults of benefit to the whole spectroscopic commu-nity. The work put into developing these standards isvoluntary, and a tremendous vote of thanks must goout to those who have devoted so much time and en-ergy to these projects in the last decade. Although suchwork will probably never win Nobel prizes, in our com-puter-dominated working environment, maintaining theavailability and accessibility of data might well be thekey to many of the more successful industrial and re-search efforts in the future. Nowadays, we cannot af-ford to let knowledge die either with the retirement ofkey workers or the phasing out of a particular com-puter technology.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the Joint Committee on Atomicand Molecular Physical Data and Bruker for financialsupport of the IUPAC CPEP Working Party on Spec-troscopic Data Standards (JCAMP-DX) in 1998. Iwould also like to thank the Bundesministerium fürBildung Wissenschaft, Forschung, und Technologie;and the Ministerium für Schule und Weiterbildung,Wissenschaft, und Forschung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany for financial support. Finally, Ihave to give a big round of applause to the IUPACWorking Party members who have wrestled for so longwith these problems: Peter Lampen, Robert Lancashire,Bob McDonald, Peter McIntyre, and Doug Rutledge,not forgetting Steve Heller at NIST for his unflaggingsupport and encouragement.

References

1. http://www.iupac.org/standing/cpep.html2. http://www.iupac.org/news/archives/1998/october/

index.html3. http://www.iupac.org/standing/cpep/

wp_jcamp_dx.html4. http://www.isas-dortmund.de/projects/jcamp/

ndnmr.html5. http://www.isas-dortmund.de/projects/jcamp/


Present Status of Science in Cuba:Focus on ChemistryDr. Alberto J. Núñez Sellés, President of the CubanChemical Society (Ave 21 & 200, Atabey, Apdo. 16042,CP 11600 Havana, Cuba; e-mail: [email protected],Fax: 537 336 471), furnished the following article (ed-ited below for space considerations), based on his Open-ing Lecture at the Third International Congress inChemistry, which was held in Havana from 1–4 De-cember 1998.

Origins of Cuban Science

In Cuba, chemistry has played a key role since the nine-teenth century. The beginning of Cuban science is linkedto the appearance of Cuban creoles (criollo) from Span-ish parents or people of mixed heritage from Spanishsettlers and African slaves (mulato) in the eighteenthcentury. The present Universidad de La Habana (Uni-versity of Havana) was founded in 1728, with strongSpanish, French, and Italian influences. The first Cu-ban scientific society, Sociedad Económica de Amigosdel País (Economic Society of Country Friends), es-tablished in 1793, aimed to contribute to the social andeconomic development of the country through the ap-plication of scientific knowledge; it is the oldest Cubanscientific society still active today.

Nineteenth Century Scientific Development inCuba

The nineteenth century was decisive for scientific de-velopment in Cuba. Reverend Felix Varela introducedexperimental teaching of physics and chemistry inSeminario San Carlos (1812), and his work was con-tinued by Professor José Antonio Saco and José de laLuz Caballero. Tomás Romay developed concepts ofimmunization and tested his smallpox vaccine on him-self and his family with success at the beginning of thenineteenth century. Carlos J. Finlay discovered theAedes aegypti mosquito as the yellow fever transmitter(1881), thereby introducing this new concept of dis-

News and Notices from Other Societies and Unions

ease transmission. The first institution for scientific re-search in Cuba, the Instituto de InvestigacionesQuímicas (Institute of Chemical Research), wasfounded on 18 November 1848 by a Spanish profes-sor, José Luis Casaseca, who served as its director until1858. The Institute’s first efforts were devoted to thestudy of Cuban natural products and soils applied tohygiene, industry, agriculture, and medicine. ProfessorAlvaro Reynoso, Institute Director from 1859–1868,developed the most comprehensive study at that timeabout sugar cane cultivation (1862), Ensayo sobre elcultivo de la caña de azúcar (Essay about Sugar CaneCultivation), from a chemical point of view consider-ing soil composition and nutrients, fertilizer composi-tion, and water intake. His book was translated intomany foreign languages, and led to a true scientific revo-lution in the development of sugar cane crops. Profes-sor Reynoso’s work demonstrated how much chemis-try was supporting Cuban agriculture and led to thecreation of the Cuban Chemical Society in 1865.

The first national Academy of Sciences in America,Real Academia de Ciencias Médicas, Físicas y Natu-rales de La Habana (Royal Academy of Medical, Phys-ics, and Natural Sciences), was founded in Cuba in1861; thus, the present Academia de Ciencias de Cuba(Academy of Sciences of Cuba) has a history of 138years. The development of Cuban science and chemis-try in the nineteenth century is closely intertwined withthe struggle against Spain, which began in 1868, sevenyears after creation of the Academy. Several Academyfounders served in the Liberation Army, and some diedon the battlefield. The highest exponent of Cuban so-cial, literary, political, and scientific knowledge in thenineteenth century was José Martí, who died fightingagainst Spanish troops in 1895 and is considered Cuba’sNational Apostle.

Early Twentieth Century Obstacles forCuban Science

The intervention of the U.S. Army in the war betweenCuba and Spain (1898–1902) heralded the beginningof the twentieth century for Cuban society, includingscience. After 30 years of war, the Cuban population,comprising mostly farmers and people living in thecountryside, was reconcentrated in the cities by theSpanish regime (1896–1898) to dilute Liberation Armysupport, but without proper housing or food. This op-pression led to an extended famine within the wholepopulation, more than 300,000 deaths, and the migra-tion of most prominent university graduates to theUnited States or Europe. Cuban scientific activity also


declined severely at the beginning of the twentieth cen-tury as part of the whole social breakdown.

Weak official support from the Government for thedevelopment of science in Cuba in the first half of thetwentieth century, after official proclamation of theRepublic (1902), led to a stagnation of scientific activ-ity at the lowest level since the eighteenth century. Forexample, in 1958, the Academy of Sciences of Cubawas attached to the Ministry of Justice as an associa-tion, the National Geographic Society belonged to theMinistry of State, and the National Weather Observa-tory was part of the Cuban navy; all had minimal bud-gets, and some were sponsored by individuals or foun-dations. Educational status, as a basis for scientific de-velopment, was polarized and dependent on the eco-nomic capacity of the Cuban family. In 1958, almost40% of the Cuban population were illiterate, and morethan half of Cuban children had neither classrooms norteachers. It was almost impossible to think about de-velopment of science under those conditions. Despitethese privations, Juan Tomás Roig thoroughly studiedCuban flora, Pedro Kourí pioneered discoveries on theorigin and treatment of tropical diseases, and FernandoOrtiz published social research on the origin of Cubannationality. New state Universities were founded, suchas the Universidad de Oriente (1947) and theUniversidad Central de Las Villas (1957), with lowbudgets devoted almost entirely to education and vir-tually nothing for research. On the other hand, privateUniversities, such as the Universidad Católica de SantoTomás de Villanueva (1946), were organized with re-sources and style comparable to U.S. universities, butonly accessible to the wealthiest Cuban families. Theconstruction of a new building for the School of Chem-istry (today, the Faculty of Chemistry) at the Univer-sity of Havana was completed in the 1950s, and it wasfollowed by the creation of the Center of ChemicalResearch at the Universidad de Oriente within the Fac-ulty of Natural Sciences. These two facilities, togetherwith laboratories and a small pilot plant for sugar caneproduction at the Universidad Católica de Santo Tomásde Villanueva, became centers for the development ofCuban chemical R&D and education before 1959 withseveral hundred chemists. The polarization between apoor official university and a rich private one was alsopresent in primary and high schools until 1961, whenschools and universities were nationalized, and substan-tial support was given to the whole educational sys-tem, including R&D at the universities. The first halfof the twentieth century can be called “the dark time”for the development of Cuban chemistry as well as sci-ence.

Post-Revolutionary Development ofCuban Science

After the Cuban revolution in 1959, the new Govern-ment assigned science a high priority within the na-tional development program. As early as January 15,1960, at the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of theCuban Speleological Society, Fidel Castro declared, “Elfuturo de Cuba tiene que ser un futuro de hombres deCiencia.” (The future of Cuba has to be a future of menof science.) Since 1991, January 15 is commemoratedas the National Day of Science, and the highest awardfor the most distinguished Cuban scientists, the Medal“Carlos J. Finlay”, is given by the Council of State.Those laureate scientists have included several chem-ists.

Present Status of Chemistry in Cuba

The beginning of the present status of chemistry in Cubamust be placed in 1961, when a major campaign againstilliteracy was undertaken and more than 1 million Cu-bans learned to read and write in one year. Today, chem-istry lessons start in the 8th degree (high schools); 28university faculties graduate B.Sc. chemists(Licenciados en Química), chemical engineers, orchemistry teachers for high schools and colleges; and3 Polytechnic Institutes in Chemistry graduate chemi-cal technicians to work in factories and laboratories. Inthe last 35 years, more than 160,000 students have beengraduated from these educational facilities as chem-ists.

The first research institutions created in 1963, after1959’s revolution, were based on the development ofchemistry for the exploitation of Cuban natural re-sources. These include the Instituto Cubano deInvestigaciones de Derivados de la Caña de Azúcar(Cuban Research Institute of Sugar Cane Derivatives),founded to develop high value-added products fromsugar cane by-products, and the Laboratorios deInvestigación de Minerales “Isaac del Corral” (Re-search Laboratories of Minerals), with the purpose ofexploring and chemically analyzing Cuban ores. Sugarcane crops and nickel ores were and are the most abun-dant natural resources in Cuba and were taken as themain basis for R&D efforts for a sustainable nationaldevelopment. Also in 1962, the Academy of Sciencesof Cuba adopted a new organization and became a na-tional body to support native scientific development.

In the 1960s and 1970s, emphasis was placed on thecreation of new research and development facilities,where chemistry deserved a large investment. The mod-ern era of chemical development in Cuba started withthe inauguration of the National Scientific ResearchCenter (1965) and the acquisition of the first mass andnuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers. Most of the


chemists and biotechnologists working in Cuba atpresent took their initial steps in chemical research atthat institution, where the monthly Revista de CienciasQuímicas (Journal of Chemical Sciences) is edited to-day. The other present-day Cuban chemical journal isthe Revista Cubana de Química (Cuban Journal ofChemistry), edited at the University of Oriente and spon-sored by the Cuban Chemical Society.

The biotechnological revolution came upon theworld scene in the 1980s, and it provided an opportu-nity for the Cuban scientific community to be presentat the forefront of science. Chemists have been involvedin the production of alpha interferon from leukocytessince 1981, and a contagious working fever started withthe acquisition and structural elucidation of recombi-nant proteins (via new mass and nuclear magnetic reso-nance spectrometers from Japan), development of di-agnostic and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, pro-duction of restriction enzymes, etc. Several new re-search centers with well-equipped chemical laborato-ries were built, including the Center of Genetic Engi-neering and Biotechnology (1986), Center of Immu-noassay (1987), Institute Finlay (research, development,and production of vaccines, 1989), Center of Pharma-ceutical Chemistry (1989), and Center of MolecularImmunology (1994).

The support given to biotechnology led to the im-provement of R&D in chemistry and a larger presenceof chemists in national programs of decisive importancefor the social and economic development of the coun-try. Chemical R&D is present in 12 of the 14 NationalPrograms in Science and Technology managed by theMinistry of Science, Technology, and Environment, asindependent or related projects in basic and appliedresearch. At present, there are more than 220 scientificinstitutions in Cuba, without considering university fac-ulties, and 40 of them (18%) are devoted, entirely orpartially, to R&D in different fields of chemistry, in-cluding medicine, agriculture, oil, mining, textiles,heavy and light industries, sugar, food, cosmetics, etc.Today, Cuba spends 1.2% of its GDP on the develop-ment of science and has 1.7 scientists and engineersper 1000 inhabitants, figures that are very close to thoseof Canada and several times above those of mostnondeveloped countries.

Success of the Third International Congress inChemistry

The Cuban Chemical Society, CCS (an IUPAC Ob-server), was reorganized in 1978 after several decadesof inactivity. CCS is one of the most active scientificsocieties in Cuba today, with more than 1000 affiliates,a number that significantly increased after the ThirdInternational Congress in Chemistry (1–4 December1998), organized by CCS and sponsored by IUPAC,

the Latin American Network in Chemical Science(RELAQ), and several foreign companies and Cubanscientific and industrial institutions. The Congresshosted around 700 participants from 19 countries, and645 papers were presented as lectures, oral communi-cations, or posters. The Congress demonstrated howchemistry is present today in all strategic plans for na-tional development and showcased the high creativityof Cuban chemists in solving complex problems. Ses-sions devoted to chemistry education and the historyof chemistry also attracted a large audience.

The aim of the Congress was to present and discuss,in a broad cultural andsocial atmosphere, re-cent scientific, indus-trial, and educationaladvances in all fields ofchemistry. The signifi-cance and contributionof the Congress to inter-national chemistry wasunderscored by the op-portunities it providedfor participants to havediscourse with chemistsfrom all parts of theworld, taking into ac-count the “transfer ofknowledge” from de-veloped to nondeveloped countries, mainly those fromLatin America.

Plenary lectures included talks by Dr. HerbertHauptman (Buffalo, NY, USA), Nobel Laureate inChemistry (1985), who presented his work on directmethods for determining crystal structures from X-raydiffraction data; Professor Rene Roy (Ottawa, Canada),who discussed his work on the design and synthesis ofmultivalent neoglycoconjugates for the study ofnanoscale carbohydrate–lectin interactions; ProfessorLester Mitscher (Lawrence, KS, USA), who discussedhis experience with the use of combinatorial chemistryto develop new therapeutic agents; Professor AdamoFini (Bologna, Italy), who discussed fundamentals andapplications of microwave energy in several fields ofchemistry, mainly organic synthesis; Dr. Julio San Ro-man (Madrid, Spain), who talked about his contribu-tions to the development of natural and synthetic poly-mers for therapeutics; Professor Ernest Eliel (ChapelHill, NC, USA), also IUPAC Representative at the Con-gress, who provided insights about chemistry teachingin high schools and colleges in the USA; Professor JoseFernández (Havana, Cuba), who focused on his recentexperience in mechanochemistry; and Dr. RolandoPellón (Havana, Cuba), who presented his work aboutinnovations on the Ullman-Goldberg reaction usingwater as a solvent. These last two lecturers were awarded


the National Award inChemistry, given for thefirst time in Cuba by theCuban Chemical Soci-ety. The Opening Lec-ture about the presentsituation of science andchemistry in Cuba wasdelivered by the author, and has been summarized abovein this article. CCS is working now to have worldwideparticipation in its International Congresses (programmedevery three years). The Fourth International Congress inChemistry is scheduled for 17–21 April 2001, at the Con-ventions Palace, Havana.

Future of Chemistry in Cuba

Cuban chemists are focused now on a more competi-tive chemistry and R&D to obtain products of socialand economic importance for national development,such as new vaccines against AIDS, cancer, cholera,and dengue hemorrhagic fever; new therapeutic mono-clonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer and im-mune diseases; development of low-energy consump-tion technologies; studies of Cuban biodiversity for theexploitation of natural resources in terms of candidatesto become new drugs; development of new materialsfor both medical and building applications; diversifi-cation of nickel production for high value-added prod-ucts, and continuous evaluation of environmental im-pact for new investments, especially in the tourism area,as the main priorities. Chemistry, biochemistry, andchemical engineering are among those disciplines, ac-cording to the Ministry of Science, Technology, andEnvironment, in which Cuba has to maintain or reach alevel of excellence in R&D in order to apply scientificresults to industrial technologies. This work is severelyhampered by the restrictions of the U.S. trade and fi-nancial blockade, which imposes upon Cuban chem-ists austere limitations in terms of chemicals, equip-ment, and spare parts supplies, which have to be boughtfrom Europe or Asia, whenever possible, at even five-fold times the current prices in the United States. Cu-ban chemists are meeting such challenges as the dawnof the Third Millennium approaches.

Scientific Committee on Problems of theEnvironment (SCOPE) of theInternational Council for Science (ICSU)SCOPE represents� synthesis, assessment, and evaluation of informa-

tion available on natural and human-made environ-mental changes and the effects of these changes onpeople;

� 30 years at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary re-

view of existing and potential environmental prob-lems, and a seminal role in the development of ma-jor international research programs;

� a recognized authority at the interface between thescience and decision-making spheres, providingadvisers, policy planners, and decision makers withanalytical tools to promote sound management andpolicy practices; and

� a worldwide network of 40 national science acad-emies and research councils, and 22 internationalscientific unions, committees, and societies to guideand develop its scientific program.

SCOPE is an international, nongovernmental, non-profit, and interdisciplinary body of natural scienceexpertise. Its scientific program is designed to coverenvironmental issues—either global or shared by sev-eral nations—in urgent need of interdisciplinary syn-theses. SCOPE was established by the InternationalCouncil for Science (ICSU) in 1969. Throughout theworld, SCOPE brings together scientists from a widerange of disciplines to identify emerging or potentialissues likely to influence the world environment.

SCOPE acts at the interface between the science anddecision-making spheres, providing advisers, policyplanners, and decision makers with the analytical toolsto promote sound management and policy practices.SCOPE takes pride in its track record, bringing atten-tion to bear on emerging issues and foreshadowing anumber of the important environmental research pro-grams that are operative today. By providing synthesesand assessments of scientific information on globalenvironmental problems, and pointing out gaps inknowledge, it indicates new directions for research andinnovative approaches.

SCOPE undertakes joint projects with internationaland intergovernmental organizations. The United Na-tions Environmental Program (UNEP) and SCOPE haveestablished a firm and mutually beneficial working re-lationship as they confront environmental issues world-wide. UNESCO, the UN program covering education,science, and culture; the European Commission; andthe World Health Organization (WHO) are also part-ners with shared concerns.

Through cutting-edge evaluations and assessments,SCOPE focuses attention on major issues such as 1)human alterations of the life-sustaining cycles of car-bon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus; and 2)biodiversity, including biological invasions and thefunctional significance of biodiversity. SCOPE took onthe ambitious and demanding role of coordinator of acritically important project on indicators for sustain-able development. It actively supported the input ofproject results into political debate and, in particular,the UN’s Commission for Sustainable Development


(CSD) process to reach a reasonedconsensus on the use of indicators inthe decision-making and policy-plan-ning process.

Project results are usually pub-lished as monographs, state-of-the-science analyses, and evaluationsof environmental issues, widely ref-erenced in scientific literature. In re-cent years, SCOPE has also sought toreach out to a wider public throughpublications which speak to the needsand requirements of practitioners inthe policy, planning, and deci-sion-making processes.

The General Assembly, whichmeets every three years, establishesthe scientific program. An elected Executive Commit-tee directs SCOPE’s activities between Assemblies.Scientists involved in the conduct of the program vol-untarily contribute their expertise and time.

The 1998–2001 scientific program focuses on theconcepts and practices of sustainability. Projects areorganized under three clusters of closely related andinteractive studies:

Cluster 1: Managing Societal and Natural Re-sources (MSNR)

The first cluster projects are founded on scientific re-search, but emphasize the application of this scientificknowledge in developing options for practices and poli-cies leading to a more sustainable biosphere. Projectsinclude the following:� Sustainable Biosphere Project

� Economy and environment

� Ecological engineering and ecosystem restoration

� Global Invasive Species Program (GISP)

� Earth system services and human population

� Environment in a Global Information Society (EGIS)

� The role of environmental sciences in agriculturalpractice

� Urban waste management

� Material flow analysis

� Implications of aquaculture and mariculture onbiodiversity and ecosystem processes

Cluster 2: Ecosystem Processes and Biodiversity(EP&B)

The second cluster of projects focuses on ecosystemprocesses, how these processes operate and interact withhuman activities, and the significance of biological di-versity in relation to ecosytem functioning. Projectsinclude the following:

� Groundwater contamination

� Nitrogen transport and transformation

� Earth surface processes, material use, and urbandevelopment (ESPROMUD)

� Soils and sediments: biodiversity and ecosystemfunctioning

� Dynamics of mixed tree/grass systems

� Behavior of large-scale ecosystems

� Use of stable isotopes to study biogeochemicalcycles in relation to global change

� Land–ocean nutrient fluxes: silica cycle

� Interactions of the major biogeochemical cycles

� Use of molecular biology in the study of environ-mental issues

Cluster 3: Health and Environment (H&E)

The third cluster projects develop methodologies forassessing chemical risk to human and nonhuman tar-gets, and use case studies of environmental contamina-tion to assess the health and environmental risks of spe-cific chemicals. Projects include the following:� Methodologies of assessing exposure to combustion

products: particles and their semivolatile constitu-ents (SGOMSEC 14)

� Radioactivity from nuclear tests (RADTEST)

� Mercury transport and transformation

� Cadmium in the environment

� Radioactivity at nuclear sites (RADSITE)

� Vector-borne diseases and environmental change

� Endocrine disrupters/modulators

sustainability

ecosystem &biodiversity

health &environment

managing natural &societal resources

SCOPE 1998�2001

TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY


ent for inland and coastal discharges. Large- and me-dium-scale industries have their own infrastructure andresources, and they have adopted their own effluenttreatment schemes so as to render their dischargestreams environmentally safe.

Small-scale industries, because of their limited re-sources in terms of finance, space, and technology, can-not afford to treat their wastes. The concept of Com-mon Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) was evolved toprovide necessary assistance to this sector, wherein thewastes generated by a number of industries are broughttogether to a central place and treated. A number ofplants are in operation in different parts of India. Sig-nificant variations in the composition of the wastewa-ter arising from a cluster of industries has created diffi-culties in ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness ofthe CETP. Insisting on a pretreatment system by theindividual industries to ensure consistency of the com-position of effluents would defeat the very purpose ofCETP. With the knowledge that the addition of domes-tic sewage improves the treatability of industrial waste-water, a new approach, referred to as a Combined Ef-fluent Treatment Plant, has evolved, wherein the domes-tic sewage of the surrounding community is jointly treatedwith the industrial wastewater1.

Water Management in Indian Industries

The migration of population and the clustering of in-dustries around urban centers have escalated the de-mand for good-quality water, both for industrial anddomestic use. Inadequate natural resources and in-creased generation of sewage have created problems,both in the supply of water and disposal of sewage,forcing the government to increase the water chargesand effluent cess. In urban centers, a dual pricing sys-tem for water is being adopted, whereby water for do-mestic consumption is charged less. Furthermore, in-dustries are encouraged to set up water recovery or de-salination plants to meet their demands. Consequently,industry has not only started adopting measures to mini-mize waste, but also has been looking for various meansby which they can recover and recycle their wastewa-ter. Some industries, such as Rashtriya Chemicals andFertilizers Ltd., have successfully experimented to re-cover and reuse water from their regenerant wastestreams using reverse osmosis and are in the process ofsetting up large-capacity plants.

Role of Membranes in Water Recovery and Reuse

Membrane processes, with their variety and flexibility,are characterized by ambient temperature operation, lowenergy consumption, and modular nature. The physico-

Reports from IUPAC BodiesWater Pollution Management inIndia (VI.3)

Introduction

The rapid pace of industrialization and the greater em-phasis on agricultural growth for overall developmenthave brought in a host of environmental problems inrecent years in India. Financial and technological con-straints have led to inefficient conversion processes,thereby leading to generation of larger quantities ofwaste and resulting pollution. The concentration of in-dustries in certain pockets and the skewed distributionof rainfall have further compounded the scenario. Thus,India encounters water quality problems both on ac-count of water pollution and overexploitation of ground-water.

Government Measures on Water PollutionControl

Major industries in India responsible for water pollu-tion are fertilizers, sugar, textiles and chemicals, minesand minerals, pulp and paper, leather tanneries, andprocess industries. Pollution problems in India are ad-dressed by a combination of legislative, punitive, andmotivational measures. The government of India hasenacted a number of pieces of legislation, such as theWater (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974and amended in 1988; the Water (Prevention and Con-trol of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977 and amended in 1991;and the Environment Protection Act, 1986, etc. Theproblem is compounded by the presence of a large num-ber of small-scale industries. A system of environmen-tal audit has therefore been introduced to enable theproduction units to evaluate the raw materials, utilities,and operational efficiencies to effect any possiblemidcourse corrections and minimize environmentalpollution. Imposition of cess for water required andwastewater produced represent the punitive measuresthat would force the industries to reduce the pollutionload. At the same time, the government has come outwith a number of schemes to encourage setting up oftreatment plants to mitigate the pollution load throughsubsidies and soft loans.

Water Pollution Mitigation by Industries

Initially, the affected industries directed their efforts totreat their effluents so as to meet the discharge normssuch as MINAS (minimum allowable standards), usu-ally defined in terms of temperature, pH, BOD, COD,suspended loads, and toxic constituents such as mer-cury, chromium, cadmium, etc. The norms are differ-


chemical mechanism of separation requires only limiteduse of chemicals, making the process eco-friendly. Insome cases, the processes allow the recovery of valuablechemicals for reuse. Membranes are available in the mar-ket covering a wide range of characteristics.

Water recycling and reuse, in this context, has as-sumed greater significance. Thus, industries have re-sorted to methods whereby they can recover and reusewater. The general scheme2 followed, as shown below,consists of preliminary, primary, and secondary treat-ments for the reduction of suspended matter and bio-contaminants.

A scheme consisting of reverse osmosis at the ter-tiary treatment stage has been adopted on a trial basisby Madras Fertilizers Ltd. (MFL) and Madras Refiner-ies Ltd. (MRL) to recover good-quality water from sew-age. The water thus recovered is being used as a boilerfeed after polishing through demineralizers. This pro-cess has encouraged the state government to adopt thescheme for Chennai, traditionally a water-starved cityin India, for recycling about 30 MGD of water for in-dustrial use.

Management of Drinking Water

The overexploitation of groundwater has particularlyaffected the availability of good-quality drinking waterin remote villages of India. A significant number ofvillages have problems related to brackishness and con-tamination by iron, fluoride, arsenic, etc. Rain harvest-ing and groundwater recharge techniques are beingencouraged to make the villages self-sufficient, but theyhave limited potential. Membrane processes, such asreverse osmosis and electrodialysis, have been widelyadopted for the provision of drinking water for salin-ity-affected villages, but a number of improvements arerequired in order to simplify the operating features soas to absorb the technology under the ruralinfrastructural constraints.

Future Scenario

It is expected that in the future all process industrieswill have water recycling plants and coastal industriesmay adopt seawater desalination plants either usingprocess waste heat or reverse osmosis membranes.Domestic water requirements would be met with natu-ral resources, while industrial requirements may haveto be supplemented by desalination.

Assessment of the Current Technology

Membrane technology, though originally developed fordesalination, has made a major impact in a number ofindustrial separations. With reference to desalinationand effluent water treatment for reuse, the technologyis considered mature enough for large-scale exploita-tion. Whether for domestic use or industrial processwater requirements, the cost of desalted water, how-ever, continues to be an area of attention. Cost-reduc-tion strategies include reduction in process energy re-quirements by adopting/integrating energy-recoverysystems and enhancing permeate recovery through bet-ter feed water pretreatment practices and employinghigh-salt rejecting membranes. These measures arepartially adopted for seawater desalination in India.

Seawater desalination on a large scale is generallyconsidered for industrial process water needs in Indiarather than for domestic use. For small-capacity brack-ish water desalination in rural inland areas, membranetechnology is at present facing a setback owing to thehigher cost of water produced and operational prob-lems such as nonavailability of skilled manpowerneeded for plant operation and frequent electric powerbreakdowns. Regarding effluent water treatment forreuse in industries, membrane technology is most suitedfor Indian conditions and is being rapidly adopted.

References

1. Mehta, G.; Prabhu, S. M; Kantawala, D. J. IAEM1995, 22 (3), 276–287.

2. Maudgal, S. C. J. IAEM 1995, 22 (3), 203–208.

B. M. Misra

Final Report on the Design and FieldTesting of a Teaching Package forEnvironmental Chemistry (CTC)(An IUPAC/ICSU Project)The design of a package for teaching selected aspectsof environmental chemistry has been completed. Thepackage has also been field-tested through a series ofhands-on workshops. The details of the work, whichwas carried out in Bangalore and Delhi under the aus-

Schematics of Municipal Wastewater Reuse

Preliminary treatment

Primary treatment

Secondary treatment

Tertiary treatment

Agriculture

Aquaculture

Industry

Wastewater treatment Disposal


pices of the Jawaharlal Nehru Center for AdvancedScientific Research, are as follows:

Design of the Package

1. Four instruments for measurement of pH conduc-tance, absorbance, and temperature have been de-signed in two versions: (a) a desktop model, and (b)a handheld model. The desktop model can be inter-faced to a personal computer and has provisions formains as well as battery operation. The handheldmodel is battery-operated only and is designed forfield work.

2. A microprocessor-based four-channel data loggerhas been designed for use in field-based monitor-ing, as it can be interfaced to sensors. The data log-ger can also be interfaced to a personal computerfor downloading data.

3. A three-in-one instrument called an Aqualyzer, con-sisting of a meter, conductometer, and colorimeter,has been designed. The unit has maximum applica-tion for water analysis, but it can also be used forother applications. The unit can be easily expandedto include an electronic thermometer.

4. An electronic kit has been designed for teaching/learning of basic electronics (including integratedcircuits or ICs).

5. A micro-scale chemistry kit has been designed intwo versions. In one version, the comboplate de-signed at the Radmaste Centre, University ofWitwatersrand, is used, while in the other version,the plate is of Indian origin.

6. The usability of a camcorder has been investigatedfor making video clips to supplement the print ma-terial and for use in multimedia modules.

7. A multimedia presentation has been developed de-

scribing the microchemistry kit. Similar presenta-tions, on selected aspects of environmental science,have also been investigated.

8. Over 100 activities/experiments have been standard-ized using (a) the electronic kit, (b) the electronicinstruments, and (c) the small-scale chemistry kit.

Field Testing

About 20 hands-on teacher–student workshops wereconducted at Bangalore, Delhi, Bombay, Jaipur, andMadras to validate the instruments, the kits, and theactivities. In addition, the ICSU/IUPAC package wasused/demonstrated and/or exhibited at the followinginternational meetings/workshops:1. International Symposium on Cost-Effective Science

Education, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI,USA (14–26 July 1996)

2. Workshop on Low-Cost Instrumentation, Universityof Lusaka, Zambia (22–29 Nov. 1996)

3. Workshop on Low-Cost Instrumentation, Universityof Mutare, Zimbabwe (4–9 June 1997)

4. Exhibition of Low–Cost Instrumentation., IUPACGeneral Assembly, Geneva (22–29 August 1997)

5. Low-Cost Instrumentation for Environmental Moni-toring, Bangalore, India (9–14 March 1998)

6. Workshop on Low-Cost Instrumentation, Male,Maldives (17–20 March 1998)

7. Demonstration of Low-Cost Instrumentation at theScience Education Sector, World Bank, Washing-ton DC, USA (5 May 1998)

8. 7th International Conference on Chemistry in Af-rica, Durban, South Africa (6–10 July 1998)

K. V. Sane

New Books and Publications

New Books from the Royal Society ofChemistry

Fatty Acids

The Royal Society of Chemistry published Fatty Ac-ids, the latest supplement to McCance & Widdowson’sThe Composition of Foods, in December 1998. Thebook, compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisher-ies and Food, forms a major update to the official UKfood tables. It provides new, authoritative fat and fattyacid composition data for an extensive range of foodsconsumed in the United Kingdom that are significantsources of fat.

Fatty Acids presents data on up to 37 individual fattyacids for over 520 foods, of which 130 are new to theUK food composition tables. The composition data,detailed in easy-to-read tables and expressed per 100 gof food, cover total fat, total saturates, total cis and to-tal trans mono- and polyunsaturates, 13 individual satu-rated fatty acids, 14 individual monounsaturated fattyacids, and 10 individual cis-polyunsaturated fatty ac-ids.

Supplementary tables provide cholesterol and phy-tosterol content for foods that are new to this supple-ment to The Composition of Foods.

With a comprehensive introduction, an appendixdescribing fatty acid nomenclature, and a food index,


Fatty Acids is an essential reference source for profes-sionals and researchers in food science and nutrition,dietitians, students, and the food industry.

Fatty Acids, Supplement to McCance &Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods. ISBN:0854048197; softcover; Approx. 200 pages; Price: GBP32.50.

The book may be ordered from: Turpin DistributionServices Ltd, Blackhorse Road, Letchworth SG6 1 HN,UK

Tel: +44 (0)1462 672555; Fax: +44 (0)1462 480947;E-mail: turpin@rsc-org.

For further details contact: Mike Corkill, The RoyalSociety of Chemistry, Thomas Graham House, SciencePark, Milton Road, Cambridge CB0 4WF UK

Tel: +44 1223 432381; Fax: +44 1223 423429;E-mail: [email protected].

Metabolic Pathways of Agrochemicals

This major new reference source was launched at the 9thIUPAC Congress on Pesticide Chemistry held in Lon-don, 2–7 August 1998. The two-volume publication pro-vides comprehensive coverage of the chemical degrada-tion and metabolism of agrochemicals in soils, plants,and animals. Organized by compound class for ease ofuse, and covering 40 years of literature, it comprises:

� Separate entries for each pesticide

� Overviews of the metabolism of specific classes ofagrochemicals

� Key similarities and significant differences betweenindividual chemicals in the class

� Extensive bibliography

� Comprehensive, high-quality indexes

Editor-in-Chief Terry Roberts, of JSC InternationalLtd, and his team of international experts have exten-sive experience in the field. Part 1, available now, cov-ers Herbicides and Plant Growth Regulators, while Part2 will feature Insecticides and Fungicides. For furtherdetails, contact: The Sales & Promotion Department,The Royal Society of Chemistry, Thomas GrahamHouse, Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge CB44WF; Tel.: +44 1223 420066; Fax: +44 1223 423429;E-Mail: [email protected]; Web Site: http://www.rsc.org.

New Publications from theWorld Health Organization

Benefit�Risk Balance for Marketed Drugs: Evaluat-ing Safety Signals, Report of CIOMS WorkingGroup IV

CIOMS 1998, 160 pages (English), ISBN 92 9036 0682, CHF 15.-/USD 13.50; In developing countries: CHF.

10.50, Order no. 1840020. WHO distribution and sales,CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.

This report presents and explains a standardizedmethodology for reassessing the established benefit–risk relationship of a marketed drug when a new safetyproblem arises. Addressed to drug manufacturers andregulatory authorities, the book responds to the absenceof any standard, systematic procedure for assessingnewly detected hazards, balancing risks against ben-efits, and reporting the results. The recommended ap-proach, which reflects the consensus reached by 24 rep-resentatives of industry and government regulatoryauthorities, includes detailed advice on concepts andprocedures for determining the magnitude of the safetyproblem and deciding on the appropriate action, whetherinvolving a routine change in product information orimmediate withdrawal of the drug from the market. Theuse of a standard reporting form, presented here for thefirst time, forms a central part of the recommended pro-cedure.

The report adopts a public health approach aimed atencouraging consistent practices, on the part of bothregulators and companies, when a major safety prob-lem is signaled. Throughout, examples from case stud-ies are used to illustrate pragmatic responses to the manydifficult problems involved. Information ranges from achecklist of questions to consider when evaluating ben-efits, through an agreed-upon method for scoring therelative seriousness of different adverse reactions, torecommendations for the standard visual presentationof data. Particular attention is given to procedures thatcan help minimize bias when risk profiles are preparedfor competing products from the same therapeutic class.

The report has five chapters. The first provides anoverview of recommended principles, the factors in-fluencing benefit–risk assessments, and the types of dataand analytical approaches that should be used. Chapter2, which forms the core of the report, presents a stan-dard five-part reporting form and provides detailedguidelines for its completion. Examples from case his-tories are used to illustrate basic principles and meth-odologies for collecting and analyzing the data neededfor benefit estimation, risk estimation, benefit–riskevaluation, and the analysis of options for action. Thechapter also suggests standardized ways of displayingdata when profiling and quantifying risks or compar-ing the risk profiles of competing drugs.

Chapter 3 covers the decision-making process, in-cluding advice on how to select the best options foraction and how to determine the responsibilities of regu-lators and companies. The remaining chapters discussissues unaddressed or unresolved by the working group,and summarize key recommendations and proposals.

The report concludes with a series of appendices,which include in-depth case histories for seven drugs,a model for the quantification of risks (accompanied


by a detailed example of how the model works in prac-tice), and a summary of results from a survey of ac-tions taken by manufacturers and regulatory authori-ties when postmarketing safety issues arise.

Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality, SecondEdition, Addendum to Volume 1: Recommendations

1998, viii + 36 pages (available in English; French andSpanish in preparation) ISBN 92 4 154514 3 CHF 14.-/USD 12.60; In developing countries: CHF 9.80 Orderno. 1154404.

This addendum to Volume 1 of Guidelines forDrinking-Water Quality summarizes new findings thathave become available since the second edition waspublished in 1993, and that call for a reconsiderationof selected guideline values issued at that time. In ad-dition, guideline values for four substances are pre-sented here for the first time. The addendum is part ofWHO’s ongoing effort to ensure that recommendationsabout the safety of chemical substances found in drink-ing water are in line with the latest scientific data.

For some of the substances under review, previouslyestablished guideline values have been revised in thelight of new evidence. For others, new findings con-firm the continuing validity of previous recommenda-tions. In addition, guideline values for four substancesare presented here for the first time.

Updated or new evaluations are provided for seveninorganic substances (aluminium, boron, copper, nickel,nitrate, nitrite, and uranium), four organic substances(edetic acid, microcystin-LR, benzo[a]pyrene, andfluoranthene), ten pesticides (bentazone, carbofuran,cyanazine, 1,2-dibromoethane, 2,4-dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid, 1,2 dichloropropane, diquat, glyphosate,pentachlorophenol, and terbuthylazine), and a disinfec-tant by-product (chloroform).

Evaluations of chemical substances published in thisaddendum supersede evaluations of the same substancespreviously published in Volume 1 of the Guidelines.

The guideline values recommended by WHO are notmandatory limits. Such limits should be set by nationalor regional authorities, using a risk–benefit approachand taking into consideration local environmental, so-cial, economic, and cultural conditions.

Toxicological Evaluation of Certain VeterinaryDrug Residues in Food

Prepared by the Fiftieth Meeting of the Joint FAO/WHOExpert Committee on Food Additives; WHO Food Ad-ditives Series, No. 41, 1998, vi + 173 pages (English),ISBN 92 4 166041 4, CHF 50.-/USD 45.00; In devel-oping countries: CHF 35.- no. 1270041.

This book evaluates the design and findings of stud-ies relevant to the safety assessment of selected veteri-

nary drug residues in food. The book, which is part ofa long-running series prepared by the Joint FAO/WHOExpert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), givestoxicologists, the food industry, and regulatory agen-cies a record of the scientific evidence considered whenthe Committee allocates or revises acceptable daily in-takes and other endpoints.

Emphasis is placed on studies that relate specificexposure levels to specific toxic effects or guide themeaningful extrapolation of animal data to the humancondition. Through its careful attention to questions ofstudy design, methodology, and the validity of reporteddata, the book also demonstrates the strict safety stan-dards used by JECFA in its efforts to protect consum-ers from any possible toxicological or pharmacologi-cal hazard linked to the consumption of veterinary drugresidues.

Separate toxicological monographs are presented forfour anthelminthic agents (eprinomectin, febantelfenbendazole, and oxfendazole), three antimicrobialagents (gentamicin, sarafloxacin, and tetracyclines),three antiprotozoal agents (diclazuril, imidocarb, andnicarbazin), one production aid (recombinant bovinesomatotropins), and one tranquilizing agent(azaperone).

Pesticide Residues in Food 1997, Part I: Toxicologi-cal and Environmental Evaluations

Prepared by the joint FAO/WHO Meeting on PesticideResidues 1998, ix + 359 pages (English) ISBN 92 4166513 0, CHF 80.-/USD 72.00; In developing coun-tries: CHF 56.- Order no. 1280013.

This book presents detailed evaluations of the avail-able toxicological and other safety data for thirteenpesticides and one metabolite that have the potential toleave residues in food commodities. Data on risks posedto the environment by an additional two pesticides arealso included.

The evaluation is part of an ongoing series of activi-ties coordinated by FAO and WHO since 1963 and usedto advise governments and the Codex AlimentariusCommission of possible hazards to consumers arisingfrom the presence of pesticide residues in food. To thisend, panels of experts, jointly appointed by the twoagencies, scrutinize data submitted by pesticide manu-facturers and regulatory authorities. Conclusions, whichare based on a rigorous assessment of all relevant toxi-cological studies, form the basis for the acceptable dailyintakes for humans established by the Joint FAO/WHOMeeting on Pesticide Residues.

Toxicological evaluations cover the following pes-ticides: abamectin, amitrole, chlormequat, fenamiphos,fenbuconazole, fenthion, fipronil, guazatine, lindane,malathion, methidathion, phosalone, triforine, and ametabolite of glyphosate, aminomethylphosphoric acid


(AMPA). Also included are evaluations of the environ-mental effects of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid(2,4-D) and mevinphos.

Boron

Environmental Health Criteria, No. 204 1998, xviii +201 pages (English with summaries in French and Span-ish), ISBN 92 4 157204 3, CHF 42.-/USD 37.80; Indeveloping countries: CHF 29.40, Order no. 1160204

This book evaluates the risks to human health andthe environment posed by boron, a naturally occurringelement widely distributed, in the form of various inor-ganic borates, in the oceans, sedimentary rocks, coal,shale, and some soils. Boron is also used in laundrybleach and in the manufacture of glass, glass products,fertilizers and herbicides, antiseptics, and pharmaceu-ticals. Because boron is widely detected in drinkingwater and occurs naturally in fruits, nuts, and vegetables,the report gives particular attention to health risks as-sociated with exposure of the general populationthrough diet and drinking water.

A section on sources of human and environmentalexposure cites evidence that boron enters the environ-ment mainly through volatilization from seawater, vol-canoes, geothermal steam, and natural weathering ofclay-rich sedimentary rock. Although industrial usesaccount for much smaller releases, the report notes thatall of the boron from the sodium perborate containedin detergents ultimately enters the wastewater system,and is not removed by standard water treatment proce-dures.

The environmental behavior of boron is covered inthe next section, which concludes that boron does notpersist in the atmosphere to a significant degree, adsorbsonto soil particles, accumulates in aquatic and terres-trial plants, but does not magnify through the food chain.Numerous findings indicate that boron is an essentialmicronutrient for higher plants. A section on environ-mental levels and human exposure cites diet and drink-ing water as the principal sources of exposure for thegeneral population. Occupational exposure to boroncompounds is judged to be potentially significant, withinhalation of dusts singled out as the most significantroute of exposure. Concerning kinetics and metabolismin laboratory animals and humans, numerous studiesdemonstrate that boric acid and borax are readily ab-sorbed from the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts,widely distributed, and rapidly excreted in urine.

The most extensive section reviews findings fromtoxicity studies in laboratory mammals and test sys-tems. General clinical signs of exposure are describedas depression, ataxia, occasional convulsions, decreasedbody temperature, and violet red color of skin andmucous membranes. The review found unequivocalevidence that the male reproductive tract is the princi-

pal target of toxicity. The review also cites several re-cent reports indicating that boron in physiologicalamounts is beneficial to, if not essential for, higher ani-mals.

An evaluation of the few human studies of toxicityconcludes that exposure is associated with short-termand reversible irritant effects on the upper respiratorytract, nasopharynx, and eye. The most frequently ob-served symptoms involve the gastrointestinal tract andinclude vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nau-sea. Less frequently observed symptoms include leth-argy, rash, headache, light-headedness, fever, irritabil-ity, and muscle cramps. Data on carcinogenicity werejudged inadequate for evaluation. In line with findingsfrom animal studies, the review found several recentstudies demonstrating that boron is a dynamic trace el-ement that can affect the metabolism or utilization ofnumerous substances essential to life processes.

On the basis of all evidence considered, the reportestablished a tolerable intake for boron of 0.4 mg/ kgbody weight per day.

Guide to Drug Financing Mechanisms

J. Dumoulin, M. Kaddar, and G. Velasquez, 1998, vii +55 pages (available in English; French in preparation)ISBN 92 9036 068 2 CHF 19.-/USD 17.10; In devel-oping countries: CHF 13.30, order no. 1150461.

This book provides a practical guide to the use ofeconomic criteria to analyze a country’s pharmaceuti-cal sector and identify ways to improve the drug sup-ply. Addressed to decision makers responsible for for-mulating drug policies, the book aims to facilitate theanalysis of expenditure on drugs within the context ofa government’s overall economic policies and priori-ties. With this goal in mind, the book explains the manycomplex economic factors that influence the drug supplyand identifies the corresponding policy options availablefor introducing changes in different situations.

Information ranges from a discussion of strategiesfor avoiding surpluses or shortages of drugs, through acomparison of the advantages and disadvantages of fourmethods of delivering drugs to pharmacies, to the simplereminder that cost alone should never be the sole crite-rion for drug selection in national procurement schemes.Throughout the book, recommended policies and strat-egies are presented in line with the overall objective ofensuring that safe, effective, good-quality drugs areavailable to those who need them at the least possiblecost.

The book opens with a brief analysis of three inter-related systems that shape the pharmaceutical sector:the pharmaceutical supply system, the financing sys-tem by which the manufacturers and distributors ofdrugs are paid, and the information system which in-fluences consumer demand and prescribing practices.


Against this background, subsequent chapters explainhow these three systems affect the performance of thepharmaceutical sector during the distinct steps of drugselection, procurement, distribution, and prescribing.Each step is discussed in terms of the objectives of anational drug policy, the processes that allow these ob-jectives to be attained, and the structures and organiza-tional arrangements needed to carry out these processesand attain these objectives.

The chapter on selection considers strategies foravoiding drugs of no therapeutic interest, reducing thenumber of drugs, and increasing the efficiency of avail-able drugs. Methods for measuring drug costs and effi-cacy are also presented and illustrated with examplestaken from different countries. Chapter 2 explains theadvantages and disadvantages of three common strate-gies for drug procurement: blind confidence, system-atic distrust, and cooperation. Examples from variouscountries are used to demonstrate the effects that spe-cific procurement strategies can have on both immedi-ate and future drug costs.

Distribution is covered in Chapter 3, which consid-ers factors that influence geographical, physical, andeconomic access to drugs. Particular attention is givento the advantages and disadvantages of different op-tions for financing drug consumption and preventingstock shortages, surpluses, and losses of drugs. The fi-nal chapter considers lines of action for improving pre-scribing practice and thus reducing the economic costsof irrational prescribing.

New Publications from ILSI Europe

Recycling of Plastics for Food Contact Use

As more packaging options are proposed for food andbeverage products, the opportunities to reuse materi-als, especially plastics, for these purposes are growingas well. The quality and safety aspects of recycling tech-nologies thus need to be carefully examined for themajor polymer types. Plastics recycling technology forfood purposes clearly must remove potential chemicalcontaminants to an acceptable level of safety that ad-dresses public health concerns. With this in mind, theILSI Europe Packaging Material Task Force conveneda workshop in London (UK) in March 1997 to exam-ine the scientific database on the safe recycling of plas-tics for food contact use. The discussions of the expertsparticipating in the workshop and subsequent meetingsto produce guidelines and recommendations on thesubject appear in a new publication in the ILSI EuropeReport Series. It covers recycling operations, feedstockfor recycling, challenge tests and surrogates, as well asmigration test conditions and limits.

Functional Food Science in Europe

In response to concerns from the scientific communityworldwide about recent developments in the under-standing of the functional food concept, ILSI Europeelaborated, in 1995, a project proposal for a EuropeanCommission Concerted Action aimed at establishing ascience-based approach for the concept. The goal ofthis concerted action was to establish a multidisciplinaryEuropean network to (1) critically assess the sciencebase required to provide evidence that specific nutri-ents positively affect physiological functions, (2) ex-amine the available science from a function-drivenrather than a nutrient-driven point of view, and (3) reacha consensus on targeted modifications of food and foodconstituents and options for their application.

To attain these objectives, a First Plenary Meetingwas organized in 1996 in Nice (France) to assess thestate of the science. Based on the results of this meet-ing, six areas in human physiology were identified:development, growth, and differentiation; substratemetabolism (including metabolic aspects of physicalactivity); defense against reactive oxidative species;cardiovascular system; gastrointestinal physiology andfunctions; and behavioral and psychological functions.Individual Theme Groups (ITGs) composed of indus-try and nonindustry scientists were established to pro-duce theme papers that would critically review the sci-ence base of the functional food concept in each area.The exercise focused on characterizing specific bodysystems, assessing methodologies, identifying nutri-tional options to modulate functions, evaluating poten-tial safety implications, examining the role of technol-ogy, critically assessing the required science base, andsuggesting areas where further research is needed. Theresulting documents were scrutinized in a Second Ple-nary Meeting in 1997, in Helsinki (Finland), and havenow been published as a supplement to the British Jour-nal of Nutrition.

Food Safety Management Tools

Throughout the world, food manufacturing, distribu-tion, and retailing is becoming a highly complex busi-ness. Raw materials are traded on a global scale, anever-increasing number of processing technologies areused, and a vast array of products are available to theconsumer.

Such a complexity necessitates the development ofcomprehensive control procedures to ensure the pro-duction of safe, high-quality food.

Despite progress in medicine, food science, and thetechnology of food production, illness caused byfoodborne pathogens continues to present a major prob-lem of both health and economic significance. A newreport describes several tools to use in an integrated


approach to the management of food safety, such aselements of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), theimportance of applying HACCP (Hazard Analysis Criti-cal Control Point) within a GMP framework, and aquality management system as a means of effectivelymanaging total product quality. Although the primaryfocus of this report is microbiological issues, the gen-eral principles addressed are applicable to the manage-ment of chemical and physical contaminants as well.

This publication, in the ILSI Europe Report Series,was undertaken under the auspices of the ILSI EuropeRisk Analysis in Microbiology Task Force.

All ILSI Europe publications are available uponwritten request (E-mail: [email protected]).

Other Books and Publications

Chemicals from Plants: Perspectives on PlantSecondary Products

Edited by N. J. Walton, Institute of Food Research,Norwich Lab., UK.This book is principally concerned with the relativelycomplex small molecules produced by plants, whichare important as drugs, fine chemicals, fragrances, fla-vors, and biologically active dietary constituents. In awide-ranging series of thematic essays, it covers keyaspects of their role in plant ecology; their metabolismin the plant; their discovery, characterization, and use;and their significance in the diet. Biotechnology, in-cluding prospects for the genetic engineering of meta-bolic pathways, for biotransformations and also for theproduction of biologically active proteins, is the focusof the final section of the book. The overall aim of thevolume is to provide, in each of the selected subjectareas, a personal critique which is readily accessible tothe advanced undergraduate student and to the nonspe-cialist research worker alike.

ContentsClasses and Functions of Secondary Products fromPlants (J. B. Harborne); Characterization and Controlof Secondary Metabolism (A. J. Parr et al.); Agricul-tural Production and Extraction (S. G. Deans & K. P.Svoboda); Modern Methods of Secondary ProductSeparation and Analysis (T. A. von Beek); StructureElucidation of Plant Secondary Products (G. Massiotet al.); Plant Drug Discovery and Development (M,Simmonds et al.); Conservation of Plant Resources (M.Simmonds & W. Blaney); Disease Prevention and PlantDietary Substances (G. R. Williamson et al.); Manipu-lation of Plant Chemical Production by Genetic Engi-neering (C. R. Martin & A.. J. Michael); Production ofBiologically Active Proteins in Plants (G.

Lomonossoff); Biotransformations (M. C. R. Franssenet al.); Biotechnology and Plant Secondary Products—The Future (V. De Luca).

UN/ECE Comprehensive Chemical LegislationDatabase (CHEMLEX) on CD-ROM

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe(UN/ECE) launched a database on chemical legislation(CHEMLEX) from 25 countries on CD-ROM. The da-tabase covers 15 sectors of the chemical industry, in-cluding asbestos, fertilizers, materials in contact withfoodstuffs, transport of dangerous chemicals, and la-beling. Over 600 text summaries are given, with com-plete reference to the original acts. The database is search-able by country, keyword, act reference, and date. Actsare chained as well (so amendments to an act can be foundwith the act itself). Summaries and titles are generallyprovided in the original language, as well as in English.

The database, which also includes European Com-munity directives, is intended to provide useful infor-mation and guidelines for countries worldwide that stillhave little or no chemical legislation. It will also givemanufacturing companies, trading companies, legisla-tors, and lawyers instant access to information that isnormally difficult to obtain. It should also appeal toinstitutes studying industrial development, trade, andinvestment possibilities. The research was undertakenwith assistance from the European Commission.

A major nontariff barrier to trade in chemical prod-ucts is the lack of harmonized legislation in the chemi-cal industry in various countries. With many countrieshaving very little or no chemical legislation, numerousproblems arise in trade, as well as in the domestic arena.Examples of chemical legislation already in force inthe major industrialized countries can be models forthose countries needing to create effective legislation,preferably in harmony with existing legislation in othercountries. Such legislation is necessary for improvedworking conditions, transportation regulations, label-ing of products, environmental parameters, and otherfactors in the worldwide chemical industry.

Priced at USD 250, the CD-ROM may be orderedthrough the normal United Nations publications salesagencies or direct from the United Nations sales of-fices in New York or Geneva. Please quote ISBN num-ber 92-1-100776-3 or sales number GV.E.98.0.1 7.

Further information can be obtained from: HowardHornfeld, UN/ECE Trade Division, Enterprise Devel-opment Program, Palais des Nations, 429-3, CH-1211Geneva 10, Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 917 32 54; Fax: +41 22 917 01 78;E-mail: [email protected]

Web site: http://www.unece.org/indust/chem.htm


Pesticide Leaching in Polders: Field and ModelStudies on Cracked Clays and Loamy Sand

Klaas R Groen. Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat.Directoraat-Generaal Rijkswaterstaat. DirectieIJsselmeergebied. Lelystad 1997. ISBN 90-369-1209-1.This book deals with the topic of the role of models inthe evaluation of the environmental fate of pesticidesas well as the management and assessment of the riskrelated to their use, taking into account a very specificcondition: pesticide leaching in polder areas. The studyis divided in two parts: 1) data collection, and 2) devel-opment and application of a model for simulation ofpesticide transport. The field study was carried out inthree experimental areas, situated in theIJsselmeerpolders, differing in soil characteristics(loamy sands and cracked clay soils). The research pro-gram took into account four pesticides,1,3-dichloropropene, metamitron, aldicarb, and si-mazine.

The scenario analysis showed that pesticide and soilcharacteristics, time of application, lateral boundaryconditions, and weather conditions are all factors af-fecting the amount concentrating in the drain pipes and,thereby, the fraction available for leaching. Moreover,it gave fundamental information on the measures to betaken in order to reduce leaching, as follows: 1) allow-ing pesticide application only during a certain period;2) increasing drain depth; and 3) decreasing preferen-tial flow by increasing the ploughing depth.

Even though it concerns a very specific subject, thisstudy offers a lot of general information to the reader.It is recommended not only to field experts but also toall those dealing with environmental problems relatedto pesticide use.

National Profile to Assess the

Chemicals Management in Slovenia

Toward the Implementation of the Recom-mendations of Chapter 19 of Agenda 21 onthe Environmentally Sound Management ofChemicals, December 1997.

Chemicals are present in all segments of human life, inall parts of their life cycle—from production, treatmentprocessing, distribution, storing, transport and use, tochemical waste management and disposal. This bookmainly concerns industrial chemicals, agricultural pes-ticides, biocides, and consumer chemical products.These chemicals make life possible or at least easierbut, nevertheless, their impact can be harmful because

the more that large quantities of chemicals are in use,their potential misuse can represent a risk to humanhealth and the environment. Slovenia is especially sen-sitive to certain kinds of environmental damage becauseit is geographically and hydrogeologically very diverse.Furthermore, a great part of the territory is karstic withinterconnected underground drinking-water resources,which means that the pollution at one part of the coun-try could endanger many other parts.

It has been recognized that an appropriate level ofchemical safety can only be reached by a joint actionof all governmental and nongovernmental stakehold-ers involved. Thus, measures for appropriate manage-ment of chemical risks and for ensuring sustainabledevelopment must be taken with a concerted stepwiseapproach at all levels, including individual. In line withinternational recommendations and according to ourown need, the Intersectoral Committee on the Manage-ment of Dangerous Chemicals (ICMDC) was estab-lished by the Government of the Republic of Sloveniain the summer of 1996. To facilitate information ex-change and to avoid duplication of work, which cancause a loss of very limited financial and manpowerresources, ICMDC began to work as a central coordi-nating, advisory, and facilitating body with the func-tion of a catalyst. The work accomplished in thesemonths has shown that in Slovenia in this field manythings still have to be put in order, while some of themwe only have to give a final touch to. To begin withrebuilding and upgrading of the system, first an assess-ment of the situation (a national profile) had to be pre-pared. Like a living organism, the chemical safety fieldis constantly developing in every country; therefore,the document should be revised and updated periodi-cally and additional pieces added to the mosaic. In thecountries in transition to the market economy, such asSlovenia, the situation changes quickly. The presentversion of the national profile was drafted before IFCS11 in Ottawa in February 1997.

The National Profile served as a basis for the identi-fication of potential priorities which were then set atthe National Priority Setting Workshop in November1997. According to the Resolution of the Governmentof the Republic of Slovenia, within the framework of atwo-year pilot project, the Intersectoral Committee isto prepare a national program for integrated chemicalsmanagement. Although Slovenia has rich experiencewith the preparation of a national program for environ-ment protection, the approach in this field will be dif-ferent—more detailed and integrated—and instead ofunisectoral, a multisectoral approach will be taken.1000 Ljubljana, Stefanova 5, Slovenia; Tel.: (386)61-178-605 1; Fax: (386) 61-123-1781.


Reports from Commissions

Commission on High-TemperatureMaterials and Solid StateChemistry—II.3

Minutes of Commission Meeting in Ljubljana,Slovenia, 12�13 June 1998

Chairman�s Remarks and Reports from IUPACCorish and Rosenblatt reported on the recent eventsconcerning the future role and organization of IUPACactivities. The IUPAC Executive Committee (EC) on 4April 1998 discussed the report of the Strategy Devel-opment and Implementation Committee (SDIC). Thead hoc SDIC was appointed in 1997 to develop a stra-tegic plan for the Union and to suggest the procedureto redirect IUPAC’s major scientific activities toward aproject-based system, to replace the existing Division/Commission structure. The EC accepted the SDIC re-port and decided unanimously to recommend that theBureau approve the SDIC proposals at their meeting inSeptember 1998. These proposals will provide newpolicy for IUPAC’s future development. IUPAC Presi-dent Jortner sent a letter to commission officers on 21April 1998 asking for a wide-ranging discussion of thedetails and ramifications of the SDIC proposals.

The summary of recommendations on the organiza-tion and management of scientific activities and thesummary of formal actions required were distributedto members of Commission II.3. Under the SDIC pro-posals, the IUPAC Council will be asked in 1999 toterminate all existing commissions at the end of 2001.Instead of commissions, the division committees are tobecome the focus of scientific work in the Division,and to have overall responsibility for initiating, devel-oping, and managing the work of the Division. Thecommittees would solicit ideas for projects from Na-tional Adhering Organizations (NAO), National Chemi-cal Societies, Regional Federations, IUPAC Fellows,and participants at relevant IUPAC symposia. Futureprojects would be carried out by Task Groups appointedfor the (usually short-term) duration of the project andfunded adequately to permit completion of the projectin the planned time frame. A committee on ProjectEvaluation Criteria was recently established to advisethe EC and the Bureau on criteria for the evaluation ofproject proposals, on the mechanism for approval ofsuch proposals and allocation of resources, and on cri-teria for the assessment of the outcome of the projects.Corish is a member of this committee.

Corish asked for responses to the proposals in theSDIC Report by 31 July. In particular, opinions and

proposals were sought relevant to the following items:(i) Division Committee—nomination and election ofthe Committee and Officers, size and responsibilitiesof the Committee; (ii) future of the Commissions ofDivision II—the need for long-term Commissions af-ter 2001; and (iii) Project-Driven System—how will itwork within the Division, how should the proposed TaskGroups be organized and managed? Members of Com-mission II.3 were asked to communicate their commentsto Chairman Spear.

Project Reports

230/23/89 Terminology for Diffusion in the SolidStateKizilyalli reported on a previously refereed draft manu-script, “Definition of Terms for Diffusion in the SolidState”, by M. Kizilyalli, J. Corish, and R. Metselaar.Corish and Chadwick volunteered to perform a finalreview of the manuscript, with special care taken toensure that the symbols used are in agreement withIUPAC recommendations. They will FTP the finalizedmanuscript to Rosenblatt by 12 July. Rosenblatt willmaintain it on a server for FTP downloading(LORENZO.WINS.LBL.Gov). The referees will beinformed by e-mail that a revised manuscript is nowavailable for their viewing. Each reviewer is being in-dividually contacted to preserve the confidentiality oftheir identities.

230/24/93 Chemical Research Needed to ImproveHigh-Temperature Processing of Advanced CeramicsKolar distributed a short progress report. Several sug-gestions for improvement and additions to the draftmanuscript distributed at the Geneva meeting were re-ceived. Kolar will prepare an amended version of thereport and send it by e-mail to Spear by 15 August.Spear will review and edit it before the 10 Septembermeeting of the Inorganic Division executive commit-tee of Corish, Rosenblatt, and Busch at Berkeley. Corishmay use this draft to illustrate Commission II.3 activ-ity in the materials field at the Bureau Meeting in Frank-furt on 26–27 September. In parallel, Kolar and cowork-ers will work further on the document. The reviseddocument will be sent to commission members at thebeginning of 1999 for comments and suggestions. Anamended manuscript will be reviewed at the Commis-sion II.3 meeting in Berlin in August 1999. The title ofthe report should be amended to read “Chemical Re-search Needed to Improve High Temperature Process-ing of Advanced Ceramic Materials”.


that contain the original data and the full details of theanalysis technique.

PST-16 Teaching of High-Temperature MaterialsChemistry at UniversitiesCommission regrets that because of a recent accident,Balducci was neither able to attend the meeting nor toprepare an extensive report. However, Balducci in-formed the chairman that he would submit a report tocommission members by the end of summer 1998.

WB-3 Structure and Properties of Ceramic FibersLewis was not present to report, owing to the examina-tion schedule at Warwick University. In a short writtenreport, he informed the commission that there are newdevelopments in the field but the progress is slow inrelation to commercially available fibers. If the periodas a watching brief (WB) is soon to expire, Lewis wouldbe prepared to initiate a task force (TF); however, it isnot clear that a survey, defining structure and proper-ties, is within the meaning of an IUPAC TF. Commis-sion members believe the project is timely and justi-fied. It is necessary to find experts willing to help in thefurther definition and carrying out of the project. Lewismentioned that he needs to reconsider his continuedparticipation in IUPAC projects. Spear will contactLewis to clarify this matter.

230/9/83 High-Temperature Mass SpectrometryIonization Cross-SectionsChatillon’s report contains 3 sections (metals, ioniza-tion cross-sections, and thermodynamics), including 40pages of text, 140 references, and a limited number oftables and figures. Data on the cross-sections proposedby Man are being considered for inclusion as an Ap-pendix. Chatillon will convey the document to Drowart,who will complete the tables for this project during June/July. Chatillon will prepare a new draft report, whichwill be given to “mass spectrometry” experts beforethe Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on “High Tem-perature Materials: Processing and Diagnostics” in Ply-mouth, New Hampshire on 19–24 July 1998. Chatillonwill not attend the conference, but Drowart and Hastiewill coordinate discussions with experts at this GRC.Suggestions will be recorded and communicated toChatillon. Chatillon and Drowart will complete thedocument in September. The final document, reviewedby Spear, Rosenblatt, and Corish, will be ready for re-view by the commission at the IUPAC meeting in Ber-lin in August 1999.

230/25/93 Surface Analysis of CeramicsLewis was not present to report. In a written report, heinformed the commission that the two other contribu-tors to this project (Dowsett and Watts) have made nofurther progress owing to pressure of teaching and re-search. Prospects for completion before the 1999 meet-

230/27/95 Terminology of Vapor DepositionSpear reported that Carlsson will share responsibilityfor managing the efforts of several experts to providemore breadth to the project. Leskala will oversee atomiclayer epitaxy (ALE) terminology; Hastie will handlelaser ablation terminology, and Teer will collect termi-nology for PVD processes. Chatillon volunteered toprovide names of experts for help with the MBE termi-nology area. A draft report for review by the Commis-sion is planned for the Berlin IUPAC meeting.

SC-2 (232/1/91) Characterization of CarbonaceousMaterials and New CarbonsBoehm reported that the compilation of various nationalstandards for the characterization of carbon materialsis close to completion. Professor E. Heintz (U. of Buf-falo, NY, USA) will send the finalized manuscript inthe near future, and Boehm will forward it to the othermembers of SC-2 for comment without delay.

PST-18 Calculation of Equilibrium ThermodynamicProperties of High-Temperature SuperconductorsVoronin submitted an extensive report entitled “Ther-modynamics of High-Temperature Superconductors inYttrium-Barium-Copper-Oxygen System, Part 1: Y-123Solid Solution”, which includes an analysis of resultsof experimental and theoretical investigations. About3000 experimental results obtained in 220 miscella-neous experiments published in 57 papers have beenprocessed simultaneously to obtain the most reliableGibbs energy of the Y-123 solid solution in the tem-perature region from 250 oK to 1300 oK. A linear errormodel was employed for the simultaneous assessmentand compared with results of the conventional weightedleast squares method. The benefit of the new approachis emphasized. Voronin estimates that the project maybe finished within 1.5 years.

In the discussion, the necessity was pointed out todistinguish between original scientific contributions andIUPAC commission reviews. Some of the results men-tioned above have been previously published. It wasconcluded that the final IUPAC commission reportshould be edited and compared to the distributed docu-ment, by referencing previously published articles thatdescribe experimental and calculated procedures andresults. The commission report to be published in Pureand Applied Chemistry (PAC) should summarize con-clusions developed from the review and analysis of theglobal body of work performed, and should explain thescientific and technological importance of the uniquedata analysis. The value of publication in PAC will beto inform interested readers about the existence of thecollected data and a new tool for their interpretation.

Voronin will prepare a modified commission-spon-sored article for PAC that summarizes conclusions andapplications while referencing available journal articles


ing are poor. Spear will contact Lewis to clarify furtherprospects for this project.

230/29/95 Teaching Experiments in Solid StateChemistryKizilyalli’s report includes a list of 21 experiments de-veloped and edited by various authors. The initial twosets of experiments, edited by Kihlborg and presentedat the Guildford meeting, were developed at StockholmUniversity and the Indian Institute of Technology atMadras, respectively. Those sets of experiments weretested by Kizilyalli in Ankara, and most were foundsuitable. In 1997, several new experiments developedby Kizilyalli were added to the list.

As a next step, Kizilyalli will reorganize the formatof each experiment to include (1) equipment needed,(2) chemicals needed, (3) time required, and (4) safetyissues at the beginning of the write-up. The plan is tomake the experiments available to interested personson the IUPAC web site. Corish will contact John Jost toaccomplish this. Spear will contact Jimmie Edwardsfor help in preparing the web site. Spear will also con-tact Kihlborg to see if the experiments he submitted forthis project are available on a computer disk to savework in retyping. Spear will also inform the Gordonconference participants of this project, and will ask forinterest and a willingness to contribute to the testingand editing of written documents. Kizilyalli will informthe IUPAC Committee on Teaching Chemistry (she is amember) and check their interest in publicizing theavailability of experiments on the IUPAC web site.Spear is willing to serve as a contact between Kizilyalliand the IUPAC web site person. He will also determinethe possibility of securing IUPAC funds for secretarialhelp, if needed.

TF 20 Terminology Used in Sol-Gel Processing ofAdvanced Ceramics and Inorganic/OrganicPolymeric Substances (Pool Project)Holland was not present to report. In a written report,she informed the commission that the contributor tothe project from Commission IV.I is now Dick Jones ofKent University. Holland met with Jones and other ex-perts (John Wright and Mark Smith). She included alisting of abbreviations and terms in her report as anexample of the type of information and style of presen-tation for the Sol-Gel Nomenclature report. The list wasdiscussed at the UK/Ireland Sol-Gel Workshop in Lon-don in April and will be shown at the meeting of IUPACCommission IV.I in July in Sydney. Holland will alsoarrange a meeting with Jones, Livage, and Hess (andpossibly others) over the summer of 1998. The aim isto have a complete draft document of terms at the com-mission meeting in Berlin in August of 1999.

Spear will contact Holland, commend her on thework completed to date, and strongly encourage her tomeet with Livage and other experts. It seems possibleto secure financial support, if needed, and to completethe project and prepare the final draft document for theIUPAC meeting in Berlin.

PST-19 Thermochemical and ThermophysicalProperties of Refractory Metal CarbidesBalducci was not present to report. He and De Mariawill present a report in July. Chatillon may join theproject after completion of the mass spectrometry cross-section project.

230/28/95 Terminology of Silicon Nitride-BasedCeramicsMetselaar was not present to report. He informed thecommission that, after receiving comments from a num-ber of reviewers, a revised proposal was published inthe J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. and the Bull. Amer. Ceram. Soc.Because no additional comments were received as aresult of these efforts, the manuscript should be sent to15–25 additional reviewers. Spear will inform Metselaarto proceed.

PST-20 Classification and Nomenclature of Phos-phorous CompoundsKizilyalli’s report elaborated on the need for this projectand informed the commission of several inconsisten-cies or ambiguities in the phosphate literature.Rosenblatt had previously contacted the chairman ofnomenclature commission in the Inorganic Division;however, no definite opinion was received. In order todecide on justifying this project for Commission II.3, alisting of phosphate compounds with inconsistenciesor ambiguities in their naming should be sent to thenomenclature commission for their inspection andproper naming. In an accompanying letter, it should bestated that the aim of Commission II.3 is not to intro-duce new rules for nomenclature but, rather, to assignnames according to existing rules and to classify thecompounds. Kizilyalli should prepare the list and sendit to Corish, who will contact the chairman of the no-menclature commission.

Potential New Projects

New projects will be affected by future IUPAC policyto support short-term projects, not titular members. TheBureau meeting in September will shed more light onthis matter. Commission II.3 may propose importantprojects, for example, concerning materials. New com-mission members should be engaged in projects withintheir area of expertise.


Other Topics

HTMC-X in 2000Hilpert reported that the conference will be held at Jülichfrom 10–14 April 2000 (Monday–Thursday). Mail ask-ing for IUPAC sponsorship was sent to Jost, and HTMC-X has been announced in Chemistry International asapproved. An international advisory committee has beenestablished. Plenary lectures are foreseen as coveringgeneral overviews of alloys, ceramics, thermodynamicmodeling, and CVD (coatings). Keynote lectures willbe delivered by younger scientists. A visit to Jülich KFAlaboratories will be arranged for Friday, 15 April.Hands-on demonstrations of thermodynamic databaseswill be organized. A proceedings volume may be is-sued by the Jülich Institute. The first circular will beissued shortly, and the conference will be announcedin materials-related journals.

HTMC-XI in 2003Rosenblatt reported that he will contact prospectiveorganizers within months. The actual deadline for de-termining the location of HTMC-XI is the HTMC-Xmeeting in April 2000 (see above).

Commission II.3 Meeting in 1999The commission meeting will be during the GeneralAssembly in Berlin, 7–14 August.

Report from CTCKizilyalli reported. CTC Chairman Bradley summarizedthe future actions and some dilemmas at the CTC meet-ing in Geneva. His observations were distributed toCommission II.3 members. CTC launched an interna-tional critical review of chemical education, with theimportant objective of providing the basis for transmit-ting chemical principles into associated disciplines, suchas materials chemistry and chemical biology. The planis to produce approximately 10 manuscripts on suit-able subjects and publish them by June 1999. CTC willwork out the details of a formal agreement withUNESCO to secure funding for this project. Commentsconcerning this action are solicited.

D. KolarSecretary of Commission II.3

Prizes and Awards

Maison de la Chimie Foundation PrizeThis prestigious award, created in 1986, is intended tohonor an original work in chemistry of benefit to man-kind, society, or nature. The year 2000 prize, to beawarded to one or several recipients, irrespective ofnationality, has a value of 150,000 FF.

All entries must be presented through a learned so-ciety or through a national or international scientificorganization, such as IUPAC. Entry forms, a report onthe work of candidates, and copies of the most signifi-cant publications related to this work must be regis-tered by the Secretariat of the Maison de la ChimieFoundation before 15 May 1999. Entries will be judgedby an international jury composed of a chairman and10 prominent members recognized for their work inchemistry. The jury for the year 2000 prize includes

three former laureates (Peter B. Dervan, Professor ofChemistry, California Institute of Technology, Pasa-dena, CA, USA, 1996; Claude Helene, Membre del’Institut, Professeur au Museum National d’HistoireNaturelle, Directeur Scientifique du Groupe Rhone-Poulenc, 1996; and Professor Herbert W. Roesky,Institut fur Anorganische Chemie der UniversitatGottingen, 1998), and six scientists whose nationalityis other than French. The jury will choose the prizewinner by majority vote, and the laureate will be in-vited to present a lecture on his or her work at the awardceremony on 18 January 2000 at the Maison de laChimie in Paris. Unsuccessful entries may be renewedfor subsequent awards of the prize.

For entry forms or additional information, contactthe Secretariat, Prix de la Fondation de la Maison dela Chimie, 28, rue Saint-Dominique, 75341 Paris Cedex07, France, Tel: 01 40 62 27 00; Fax: 01 40 62 95 21.

King Faisal International PrizeThe 1999 winners of the annual King Faisal Interna-tional Prize (KFIP) for Science (Chemistry) and Medi-cine (Allergic Diseases) have been announced inRiyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Professors Ryoji Noyori (Chemistry Department,Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan) and Dieter Seebach


(Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Federal Polytech-nic School ETH, Zurich, Switzerland) have been hon-ored for their outstanding work in developing newmethods for the preparation of organic chiral moleculesand for the achievement of selective and efficient chemi-cal synthesis. Their contributions enable the manufac-ture of new compounds with enormous benefits formankind, ranging from agriculture to medicine. Pro-fessor Noyori’s work has numerous applications rang-ing from the formation of many natural products, suchas vitamins, nucleic acids, prostaglandins, and alkaloids,to industrial processes. Professor Seebach’s work in-volves the development of new synthetic methods andthe use of a wide range of procedures to investigatenew organic compounds.

Professors Patrick G. Holt (Senior Principal Re-search Fellow, National Health and Medical ResearchCouncil of Australia, Perth, Australia) and Stephen T.Holgate (Medical Research Council Clinical Professorof Immunopharmacology, University of Southampton,UK) have been honored for their work on respiratoryallergies. Professor Holt’s pioneering studies on therespiratory immune responses to inhaled allergens havemajor implications on understanding asthma. His ex-perimental and clinical studies on atopic sensitizationand immune modulation very early in life have poten-tial applications in the prevention of allergies in infants.This experimental work could well pave the way forthe development of vaccines for the prevention ofasthma. Professor Holgate’s research has focused onasthma as an inflammatory disease and demonstratedthe role of chemical signals from mast cells which playa key role in allergies and the role of specific immunecells in prolonging the inflammatory response. His re-search on asthma has also included the role of viralinfections, fibrosis, and genetic predisposition to aller-gic diseases.

The KFIP Science and Medicine awards were intro-duced in 1982 and 1983, respectively, and three KFIP

laureates have gone on to win Nobel Prizes. Nomina-tions for each KFIP are accepted from relevant institu-tions and organizations from around the world, and in-dependent experts examine the work of nominated can-didates during two elimination rounds. Finalists arejudged by autonomous specialist selection committeesin Riyadh. Each award includes a gold medal and acash endowment of SR 750,000 (USD 200,000).

Nominations for the year 2000 KFIP in Science (Bi-ology) and Medicine (Aging) are due by May 31, 1999.Further information on nomination procedures can beobtained from the General Secretariat, King Faisal In-ternational Prize, P.O. Box 22476, Riyadh 11495, SaudiArabia, Tel: +966-1-465-9030; Fax: +966-1-465-6524;E-mail: [email protected], Web site: http://www.kff.com.

James Economy Wins AmericanChemical Society Mark AwardProfessor James Economy, chairman of the materialsscience and engineering department at the Universityof Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA and Presidentof the IUPAC Macromolecular Division Committee(IV) from 1994–1997, has won the 1998 Herman F.Mark Polymer Chemistry Award. This award, sponsoredby Dow Chemical Company, consists of an honorariumand a plaque and is presented by the ACS Division ofPolymer Chemistry in recognition of outstanding re-search and leadership in polymer science.

Professor Economy has played a key role in macro-molecular research and development during his 45-yearcareer in industry and academia. His work has includedthe design and development of new polymer systems,such as liquid crystalline materials for structural uses,recyclable thermosetting resins, flame-resistant textiles,new fibers for environmental control, microelectronicdevices, and inorganic preceramics. He has publishedover 170 papers and his name appears on 60 U.S. pat-ents.

Conference Announcements

12th International Symposium onPolymer Analysis and Characterization(ISPAC-12), 28–30 June 1999,La Rochelle, FranceThis three-day Symposium will consist of invited lec-tures, poster sessions, discussions, and information ex-change on the latest developments involving polymercharacterization approaches, techniques, and applica-tions. Special sessions will focus on polymer separa-

tions, characterization of complex systems, polymerstructural analysis, morphology, dynamics, and analyti-cal aspects of polymer aging and degradation, as wellas other areas of polymer analysis.

Preceding the Symposium, there will be a one-daycourse on “Techniques for Polymer Analysis and Char-acterization”. Course content will include liquid chro-matography of polymers, mass spectrometry, solutionNMR, and scanning probe microscopy.

For further information, please contact Professor


Josef Janca, Universite de la Rochelle, Avenue Marillac– 17042 La Rochelle Cedex 01, E-mail:[email protected]; Tel: 33 546 458 218; Fax: 33 546458 243; ISPAC web site: http://www.chem.cmu.edu/ispac/.

13th Bratislava InternationalConference on Polymers: Separationand Characterization ofMacromolecules,4–9 July 1999, Bratislava, SlovakiaThis Conference, sponsored by the Polymer Instituteof the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Slovak Chemi-cal Society, and the Slovak Society of Industrial Chem-istry, will include lectures and poster sessions on liquidchromatography of synthetic and biological macromol-ecules, development of size-exclusion chromatographyincluding coupled procedures, liquid chromatographyof oligomers, and unconventional and emerging tech-niques of separation and characterization of macromol-ecules.

For further information, please contact Dr. DusanBerek, Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences,Dubravska cesta 9, SK-842 36, Bratislava, Slovakia,E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]; Tel:+421-7-378 2306 or 378 2254; Fax: +421-7-375 923or 377 414; Web site: http://www.savba.sk/polymer/CONFER.HTM or http://www.savba.sk/~upoldber/.

17th ICHC International Congress ofHeterocyclic Chemistry,1–6 August 1999, Vienna, AustriaFor information, contact Professor Dr. Fritz Sauter,Chairman of the ICHC 1999, Institute of OrganicChemistyr, 154, Vienna University of Technology,Getreidemarket 9, A-1060 Vienna, Austria, E-mail:[email protected]; Fax: +43 1 5866931; Website: http://www.sbq.org.br/DIV-SO/congres.htm.

58th Chemical Conference andExhibition and 7th Caribbean ChemicalConference, 3–6 August 1999,Hato Rey, Puerto RicoFor information, contact Colegio de Quimicos de PuertoRico, 658 Calle Peñuelas, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico 00918,Tel: (787) 763-8070 or (787) 753-2027; Fax: (787) 758-2615 or (787) 753-2022.

4th International Symposium onPhilosophy, History, and Education inAnalytical Chemistry,3–4 September 1999, Vienna, AustriaThe featured topic of this Symposium will be “Analyti-cal Chemistry and the Law”.

For further information, please contact ProfessorWolfhard Wegscheider, Department of General andAnalytical Chemistry, University of Leoben, Franz-Josef-Strasse 18, A-8700 Leoben, E-mail:[email protected]; Tel: ++43-3842-402-340;Fax: ++43-3842-402-543; Web site: http://www.unileoben.ac.at/~chemie/wegschei.html.

Symposium on Common Themes inTranscription and RNA Processing,6–8 September 1999,Buenos Aires, ArgentinaThis Symposium has been organized by the Universityof Buenos Aires, Argentina; MRC, Edinburgh, Scot-land, UK; and ICGEB, Trieste, Italy. It will be limitedto 20 participants, who will discuss their experiencewith transcriptional regulation of eukaryotic genes,mechanisms of mRNA alternative splicing, couplingbetween transcription and mRNA processing, and fac-tors involved in RNA processing.

For more information, please contact ProfessorAlberto R. Kornblihtt, Lab. Fisiologia y Biologia Mo-lecular (LFBM), Dpto. De Ciencias Biológicas, Fac.De Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Univ. De BuenosAires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón II, 1428 BuenosAires, Argentina, E-mail: [email protected]; Tel:(541) 576-3386/68; Fax: (541) 576-3321.

113th AOAC International AnnualMeeting and Exposition,26–30 September 1999,Houston, Texas, USAThis meeting focuses on analytical methodology andlaboratory management for chemists, microbiologists,and other scientists working in analysis of foods, bev-erages, feeds, fertilizers, pesticides, soil, water, humanand animal drugs, hazardous wastes, forensics, andother related areas.

Scheduled program topics include adulteration offoods; advances in nutrient analysis; analytical chem-istry of phycotoxins in seafood and drinking water;detection of genetically modified organisms (GMO);feeds, seeds, and fertilizers; food safety initiative—sea-food, produce, and beef; mega reg (pathogen reduc-tion); proficiency testing; uncertainty of results; and theWiley Award Symposium on Immunochemical Tech-


niques in Food Contami-nant Analysis.

The meeting will alsofeature numerous postersessions and RegulatoryRoundtables on nutrientand dietary supplementsand on Hazard AnalysisCritical Control Points(HACCP) and accredita-tion, where representa-tives from regulatoryagencies worldwide willtalk about upcoming pro-grams and meet in smallgroups to answer ques-tions, learn about con-cerns, and discuss issuesin depth.

A large Expo will dis-play the latest in analyti-

cal laboratory equipment and services, and will pro-vide the opportunity to discuss needs with vendors andlearn about how to improve your laboratory.

Training courses held before and after the meetingwill include sessions on implementing good laboratorypractices (GLPs); intralaboratory (in-house) analyticalmethod validation; ISO9000, ISO/IEC Guide 25, andthe laboratory; practical SFE methodology for theAOAC methods program; quality assurance for ana-lytical laboratories; quality assurance for microbiologi-cal laboratories; and statistics for method development.

For more information, contact the AOAC Interna-

tional Meetings and Education Department, E-mail:[email protected]; Tel: +1-800-379-2622 or +1-301-924-7077; Fax: +1-301-924-7089; Web site: http://www.aoac.org. The web site will have regularly updatedinformation about the meeting.

8th International Conference onMultiphoton Processes,3–8 October 1999,Monterey, California, USAICOMP Conference topics include above threshold ion-ization; high-order harmonics – XUV radiation pro-cesses; novel ultrashort pulse effects on atoms andmolecules; multiphoton ionization, dissocation, andCoulomb explosion of molecules and clusters; coher-ent control of atomic and molecular processes (Rydbergwave packet creation, manipulation, and characteriza-tion; vibrational wave packet control); stabilization; andrelativistic effects in strong fields.

For up-to-date information, see the conference website at http://www.engr.ucdavis.edu/~icomp8/icomp.html. Also, e-mail or write Conference Co-ChairsRick Freeman and Ken Kulander, College of Engineer-ing, Department of Applied Science Davis-Livermore,University of California, Davis, Hertz Hall, P.O. Box808, L-794, Livermore, CA 94550 [email protected] with your name, address, tele-phone, and fax numbers to make sure you will get allsubsequent announcements regarding the conference.

Conference CalendarVisit http://www.iupac.org for complete information and further links

1999

Functional Dyes

31 May–4 June 19994th International Symposium onFunctional Dyes, Osaka, Japan.Prof. Yasuhiko Shirota, Faculty ofEngineering, Osaka University,Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.Tel.: +81 6 879 7364Fax: +81 6 877 7367E-mail: [email protected]

Polymer Systems

7–10 June 19993rd International Symposium onMolecular Mobility and Order inPolymer Systems, St. Petersburg,Russia.Prof. A. A. Darinskii, Chairman;Mrs. I. Kovalenko, Coordinator;Institute of MacromolecularCompounds, Bolshoy pr. 31, St.Petersburg, 199004 Russia.Tel.: +7 812 213 2907Fax: +7 812 218 6869E-mail: [email protected]

Biodiversity and Bioresources

11–15 July 19992nd International Conference onBiodiversity and Bioresources—Conservation and Utilization,Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais,Brazil.Prof. Alaide Braga de Oliveira,Faculdade de Farmacia—UFMG,Av. Olegario Maciel 2360,30.180-112 Belo Horizonte,Brazil.Fax: +55 31 337 9076E-mail:[email protected]


Polymerization Methods

12–15 July 199939th Microsymposium, Advancesin Polymerization Methods:Controlled Synthesis ofFunctionalized Polymers, Prague,Czech Republic.Dr. Jaromir Lukas, Institute ofMacromolecular Chemistry,Academy of Sciences of the CzechRepublic, Heyovskeho na. 2, 16206 Praha 6, Czech Republic.Tel.: +420 2 360341Fax: +420 2 367981E-mail: [email protected]

CHEMRAWN - Postponed

20–25 June 1999 To be resched-uledCHEMRAWN XII—AfricanFood Security and NaturalResource Management: The NewScientific Frontiers,Nairobi, Kenya.Dr. Pedro Sanchez, InternationalCenter for Research inAgroforestry, P.O. Box 30677,Nairobi, Kenya.Tel.: +254 2 521003Fax: +254 2 520023E-mail: [email protected]

Memorial K. I. Zamaraev

28 June–2 July 1999International Memorial K. I.Zamaraev Conference on PhysicalMethods for Catalytic Research atthe Molecular Level, Novosibirsk,Russia.Prof. V. N. Parmon, BoreskovInstitute of Catalysis, 5, Prosp.Akad. Lavrentieva, Novosibirsk,630090, Russia.Tel.: +7 3832 343269Fax: +7 3832 343056E-mail: [email protected]

Advanced Materials

14–18 July 19991st IUPAC Workshop on NewDirections in Chemistry. Work-shop on Advanced Materials:Nanostructured Systems (IUPAC-WAM-1), Hong Kong.Prof. M. A. El-Sayed, School ofChemistry and Biochemistry,

Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA.Tel.: +1 404 894 0292Fax: +1 404 894 0294E-mail: [email protected]

Organo-Metallic Chemistry

18–22 July 199910th International Symposium onOrgano-Metallic ChemistryDirected Towards OrganicSynthesis (OMCOS 10),Versailles, France.Prof. J. P. Genet, Laboratoire deSynthese Selective Organique etProduits Naturels, E.N.S.C.P.—UMR CNRS 7573, 11 rue Pierreet Marie Curie, 75231 ParisCedex 05, France.Tel.: +33 1 44 276743Fax: +33 1 44 071062E-mail: [email protected]

Carotenoids

18–23 July 199912th International Symposium onCarotenoids, Cairns, Australia.Prof. George Britton, School ofBiological Sciences, The Univer-sity of Liverpool, Crown Street,Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK.Fax: +44 (151) 794 4349.

Rheology of Polymer Systems

19–22 July 199919th Discussion Conference onthe Rheology of Polymer Sys-tems, Prague, Czech Republic.Dr. Jaromir Lukas, Institute ofMacromolecular Chemistry,Academy of Sciences of the CzechRepublic, Heyovskeho na. 2, 16206 Praha 6, Czech Republic.Tel.: +420 2 360341Fax: +420 2 367981E-mail: [email protected]

Ionic Polymerization

19–23 July 1999International Symposium on IonicPolymerization, Kyoto, Japan.Dr. Shiro Kobayashi, Departmentof Materials Chemistry, GraduateSchool of Engineering, Kyoto

University, Kyoto 606-01, Japan.Tel.: +81 75 753 5608Fax: +81 75 753 4911E-mail: [email protected]

Analytical Science

25–30 July 1999Analytical Science into the NextMillennium (SAC 99), Dublin,Ireland.Prof. Malcolm R. Smyth, Facultyof Science, Dublin City Univer-sity, Dublin 9, Ireland.Tel.: +353 1 704 5308Fax: +353 1 704 5032E-mail: [email protected]

Solution Chemistry

26–31 July 1999XXVI International Conferenceon Solution Chemistry, FukuokaCity, Kyushu, Japan.Prof. Hitoshi Ohtaki, Departmentof Chemistry, Faculty of Scienceand Engineering, RitsumeikanUniversity, 1-1-1 Noji-Higashi,Kusatsu 525, Japan.Tel.: +81 775 61 2777Fax: +81 775 61 2659

Visas

It is a condition of sponsorshipthat organizers of meetings un-der the auspices of IUPAC, inconsidering the locations ofsuch meetings, should take allpossible steps to ensure thefreedom of all bona fide chem-ists from throughout the worldto attend irrespective of race,religion, or political philoso-phy. IUPAC sponsorship im-plies that entry visas will begranted to all bona fide chem-ists provided application ismade not less than threemonths in advance. If a visa isnot granted one month beforethe meeting the IUPAC Secre-tariat should be notified with-out delay by the applicant.


E-mail:[email protected]

Plasma Chemistry

2–6 August 199914th International Symposium onPlasma Chemistry, Prague, CzechRepublic.Prof. M. Hrabovský, Institute ofPlasma Physics, Za Slovankou 3,P.O. Box 17, 182 21 Praha 8,Czech Republic.Tel.: +420 2 824751Fax: +420 2 8586389E-mail: [email protected]

IUPAC General Assembly

7–13 August 1999IUPAC Secretariat.Tel.: +1 919 485 8700Fax: +1 919 485 8706E-mail: [email protected]

IUPAC Congress

14–19 August 1999Frontiers in Chemistry: MolecularBasis of the Life Sciences, Berlin,Germany.Gesellschaft DeutscherChemiker– GDCh, PO Box 90 0440, 60444 Frankfurt Am Main,Germany.Tel.: +49 69 7917 358/360/366Fax: +49 69 7917 475E-mail: [email protected]

Colloquium SpectroscopicumInternationale

5–10 September 199931th ColloquiumSpectroscopicum Internationale1999, Ankara, Turkey.Prof. Dr. O. Yavuz Ataman,Department of Chemistry, MiddleEast Technical University, TR-06531 Ankara, Turkey.Tel.: +90 312 210 3232Fax: +90 312 210 1280E-mail:[email protected]

Macromolecule-MetalComplexes

6–10 September 1999

8th International Symposium onMacromolecule-Metal Complexes(MMC-VII), Tokyo, Japan.Prof. Eishun Tsuchida, Depart-ment of Polymer ChemistryWaseda University Toyko 169-50,Japan.Tel.: +81 3 5286 3120Fax: +81 3 3209 5522E-mail:[email protected]

Organic and OrganoelementChemistry

7–11 September 1999Horizons of Organic andOrganoelement Chemistry, to thememory of Prof. A. N.Nesmeyanov, on the 100thanniversary of his birth, Moscow,Russia.Prof. Y. N. Bibnov, INEOS, Vavilovstr. 28, Moscow.Tel.: +7 (095) 135 6165Fax: +7 (095) 135 5085E-mail: [email protected]

Toxicology

6–10 November 19994th Congress of Toxicology inDeveloping Countries, Antalya,Turkey.Prof. Semra Sardas, Gazi Univer-sity, Faculty of PharmacyToxicology Department, TR 06330Ankara, Turkey.Tel./fax: +90 312 212 30 09E-mail: [email protected]

2000

Bio-organic Chemistry

30 January–4 February 20005th IUPAC Symposium on Bio-Organic Chemistry (ISBOC-V),New Delhi, India.Prof. S. Ranganathan,Biomolecular Research Unit,Regional Research Laboratory,Trivandrum 695 019, India.Tel.: +91 471 491 459Fax: +91 471 490 186

High Temperature MaterialsChemistry

4–10 April 200010th International Conference onHigh Temperature MaterialsChemistry, Aachen, Germany.Prof. K. Hilpert,Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH,Institut fur Werkstoffe derEnergietechnik (IWE 1), 52425Jülich, Germany.Tel.: +49 2461 61 3280Fax: +49 2461 61 3699E-mail: [email protected]

Mycotoxins and Phycotoxins

21–25 May 200010th International IUPACSymposium on Mycotoxins andPhycotoxins, Sao Paulo, Brazil.Dr. Myrna Sabino, InstitutoAdolfa Lutz, AV Dr. Arnaldo 355,Sao Paulo, Brazil, 01246-902.Fax: +455 (11) 853 3505E-mail: [email protected]

Organic Synthesis

1–5 July 200013th International Conference onOrganic Synthesis (ICOS-13),Warsaw, Poland.Prof. M. Chmielewski, Institute ofOrganic Chemistry, Kasprzaka44, 01-224 Warsaw 42, PO Box58, Poland.Tel.: +48 22 631 8788Fax: +48 22 632 6681E-mail: [email protected]

Macromolecules

9–14 July 200038th International Symposium onMacromolecules (MACRO 2000),Warsaw, Poland.Prof. Stanislaw Penczek, PolishAcademy of Sciences, ul.Sienkiewicza 112, 90363 Lodz,Poland.Tel.: +48 42 81 9815Fax: +48 42 684 7126E-mail:[email protected]

Coordination Chemistry

9–14 July 200034th International Conference on


Coordination Chemistry (34-ICCC), Edinburgh, Scotland.Prof. P. Tasker, Chairman, Dr.John F. Gibson, Secretary, TheRoyal Society of Chemistry,Burlington House, London W1VOBN, UK.Tel.: +44 171 440 3321Fax: +44 171 734 1227E-mail: [email protected]

Polymers in Medicine

17–20 July 200040th Microsymposium Polymersin Medicine, Prague, CzechRepublic.Dr. Jaromir Lukas, Institute ofMacromolecular Chemistry,Academy of Science of the CzechRepublic, Heyovskeho na. 2, 16206 Praha 6, Czech Republic.Tel.: +420 2360341Fax: +420 2367981E-mail: [email protected]

Photochemistry

22–27 July 200018th Symposium onPhotochemistry. ”Photochemistryinto the New Century”, Dresden,Germany.Prof. Dr. Silvia E. Braslavsky,Max-Planck Institut fuerStrahlenchemie, Postfach 101365,D-45413 Muelheim an der Ruhr,Germany.

Tel: +49 (208) 306 3672Fax: +49 (208) 306 3951E-mail: [email protected]

Chemical Thermodynamics6–11 August 200016th IUPAC Conference onChemical Thermodynamics,Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Prof. M. A. White, Department ofChemistry, Dalhousie University,Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J3,Canada.Tel./Fax: +1 902 494 3894E-mail:[email protected]

Thermal Analysis andCalorimetry14–18 August 2000 12th Interna-tional Congress on ThermalAnalysis and Calorimetry,Copenhagen, Denmark.Dr. O. Toft Sorensen, MaterialsResearch Departmen,tRiso National Laboratory DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark.Tel: +45 4677 5800Fax: +45 4677 5758E-mail: [email protected]

Natural Products

1 September 200022nd International Symposium onthe Chemistry of Natural Prod-ucts, Sao Paulo, Brazil.Dr. M. Fátima das G.F. da Silva,Universidade Federal de SaoCarlos, Depto. de Quimica, ViaWashington Luiz, km 235, CP676,

How to Apply for IUPACSponsorship

To apply for IUPAC sponsor-ship, conference organizersshould complete an AdvancedInformation Questionnaire(AIQ). The AIQ form is avail-able at http://www.iupac.org orby request at the IUPAC Sec-retariat, and should be returnedbetween 2 years and 12 monthsbefore the conference. Furtherinformation on granting spon-sorship is included in the AIQand available online.

Sao Carlos, Brazil.Tel.: +55 16 274 8208Fax: +55 16 274 8350E-mail: [email protected]

Biotechnology

3–8 September 200011th International BiotechnologySymposium, Berlin, Germany.Prof. G. Kreysa, DECHEMA eV—c/o 11th IBS, Theodor-Heuss-Allee 25, 60486 Frankfurt/Main,Germany.Tel.: +49 69 7564 205Fax: +49 69 7564 201E-mail: [email protected]

Food Packaging

8–10 November 20002nd International Symposium onFood Packaging—Ensuring theSafety and Quality Food, Vienna,Austria.Dr. L. Contor, ILSI Europe, 83,Avenue E. Mounier, Box 6, B-1200, Brussels, Belgium.Tel.: +32 (2) 762 0044Fax: +32 (2) 771 0014E-mail: [email protected]


FPO, Pure and AppliedChemistry Ad

News from IUPACpublications.iupac.org/ci/1999/march/ci99033.pdfChemistry International , 1999, Vol. 21, No. 2 33 News from IUPAC Bioinformatics and the Internet Dr. Jürgen Pleiss

Documents