Mean, Green Wheels

Quote of the Week
"I was yelled at, given menial tasks in the department, and not allowed to teach senior chemistry courses."
AMBER F. CHARLEBOIS, FORMER WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY FACULTY MEMBER – p. 33
November 16, 2009
In This Issue:
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Highlights

Cover Story
Stretching Tires' Magic Triangle
Chemical companies hope their innovations can improve the environmental performance of tires without sacrificing safety and durability. (pp. 10-14)

Government & Policy
Protecting Innovation (Member Content)
Supreme Court ruling will impact process patents in biomedicine and technology. (pp. 28-32)

Science & Technology
Prelude To A Kiss Of Death(Member Content)
Targeting early steps in protein disposal could lead to drugs for cancer and more. (pp. 41-43)
Table of Contents
News Of The Week
Pfizer Slashes R&D p. 5
Pharmaceuticals: Company to close six research sites and consolidate others as part of integration with Wyeth.
Chemical Security Bill Wins Approval p. 6
Safety: Legislation requires separate standards for academic labs, large commercial facilities.
GFP In Motion p. 6
Photochemistry: Ultrafast method reveals how green fluorescent protein changes during proton transfer.
Deep Rifts Over Climate Bill p. 7
Senate Hearing: Neither Finance Committee members nor experts agree on legislation's economic impact.
Tech Transfer p. 7
Universities adopt principles to ease developing world's access to discoveries.
A New Blue p. 8
Inorganic Chemistry: Mn-based chromophore points to more planet-friendly pigments.
ACS, RSC Address Sustainability p. 8
ACS News: Societies agree to collaborate to promote chemistry's role in a sustainable world.
Stabilized Helix Cracks Cancer Target p. 9
Chemical Biology: Stapled peptide thwarts Notch, a master cell regulator.
Takeover Titan Samuel Heyman Dead At 70 p. 9
Obituary: Well-known corporate raider in the chemicals sector passes away after open heart surgery.
Business

Some Good News In Third Quarter pp. 18-20 (Member Content)
Chemical earnings are still weak, but quarter-over-quarter comparison is encouraging.
A Mixed Bag From Pharma pp. 21-23 (Member Content)
U.S. companies saw limited growth in third-quarter sales, while flu therapies boosted European results.
The Problem With Butter Flavor pp. 24-26 (Member Content)
Accused by some of causing lung disease, diacetyl is the subject of widespread lawsuits.
Business Concentrates pp. 16-17 (Member Content)
- U.S. Solar Plants Close
- General Electric plans to close its Newark, Del., solar module facility at the end of 2009 and lay off 82 employees...
- Braskem Plans Big Mexican Complex
- Brazilian chemical giant Braskem and Mexican chemical firm Grupo Idesa won an auction of feedstock from Mexican state oil company Pemex that they will use for a new petrochemical complex in Mexico...
- Brondeau Named New FMC Chief
- Philadelphia-based FMC has named Pierre Brondeau, 52, its new chief executive officer, effective at the beginning of next year...
- Plastic Additives Companies Fined
- The European Commission has imposed $260 million in fines against 10 chemical firms for fixing prices of tin and ester heat stabilizers between 1987 and 2000...
- Japanese Firms Join For Polyvinyl Alcohol
- The Japanese companies Sekisui Chemical and Denka Kagaku are forming a joint venture for the water-soluble polymer polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH)...
- Pharma Firms Form Antibody Alliances
- Bristol-Myers Squibb and Alder Biopharmaceuticals will jointly develop and commercialize the monoclonal antibody ALD518, which has completed early Phase II clinical trials as a rheumatoid arthritis treatment...
- Dow Sells Powder Coatings To Akzo
- Dow Chemical will sell its powder coatings business to paint maker AkzoNobel for an undisclosed sum...
- Ford Will Use Straw In New Car
- Ford Motor will use a wheat-straw-reinforced plastic in the third-row storage bins of the 2010 Ford Flex...
- Life Technologies Sets Up Two Deals
- Adding to its polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology offerings, Life Technologies will acquire BioTrove, a developer of high-throughput gene-expression and genotyping analysis systems...
- Sigma-tau Acquires Enzon Drug Business
- Enzon Pharmaceuticals has agreed to sell its specialty pharmaceutical business to Italy’s Sigma-tau Group for $300 million...
- Bayer Launches A Sustainability Plan
- Bayer is boosting its sustainability efforts with the launch of eight projects focused on health care, nutrition, and climate change...
- Lonza Signs PACTs For Biomanufacturing
- The Swiss contract manufacturer Lonza will manufacture Arzerra, a monoclonal antibody developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Genmab...
- Business Roundup
- Mitsui Chemicals, Arkema, Wacker Chemie, BASF’s fuel-cell business, Dow Chemical, Duke University, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Vertex Pharmaceuticals...
ACS News
SCI Scholars Program Offers Industrial Internships p. 48 (Member Content)
Chemistry Olympian In Congressional Record p. 48 (Member Content)
ACS Board Approves 299 Grants p. 49 (Member Content)
Government & Policy

Protecting Innovation pp. 28-32 (Member Content)
Supreme Court ruling will impact process patents in biomedicine and technology.
A Hostile Workplace pp. 33-36
William Paterson University faces charges of gender harassment, discrimination in its chemistry department.
Exploring the 'Double Bind' pp. 37-39 (Member Content)
Symposium explores contributions of race, ethnicity, and gender to science's demographics.
Government & Policy Concentrates p. 36 (Member Content)
- BPA Linked To Male Sexual Dysfunction
- Chemical Safety: Study of Chinese workers raises concerns about human exposure to controversial plastics chemical...
- Air Rule Planned For PVC Plants
- By 2011, EPA will limit emissions of hazardous air pollutants from polyvinyl chloride and copolymer production plants...
- Oregon Judge Rules For Army In Lawsuit
- A circuit court judge in Oregon has ruled in favor of the Army in a dispute with a coalition of activists...
- Senate Panel Approves Biosecurity Measure
- The Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee has approved legislation designed...
- Climate-Change Costs Top $10 Trillion
- The International Energy Agency estimates $10.5 trillion in cumulative investments will be needed...
» more government & policy news...
Awards
Awards p. 49 (Member Content)
Nominations Sought For Student Award p. 49 (Member Content)
Call For Nominations For Spencer Award p. 49 (Member Content)
Deborah Rice Wins Heinz Award p. 49 (Member Content)
People
Obituaries p. 50 (Member Content)
Science & Technology

Prelude To A Kiss Of Death pp. 41-43 (Member Content)
Targeting early steps in protein disposal could lead to drugs for cancer and more.
Ubiquitin Tagging On Demand Web Exclusive
Having the right tools is the key to understanding ubiquitination, or the tagging of proteins with ubiquitin that marks them for disposal.
Reintroducing Thorium pp. 44-46 (Member Content)
A largely forgotten natural resource holds vast nuclear power potential.
Electron-Transfer Proteins Tweaked p. 47 (Member Content)
Modifications for better control of redox potential and reactivity.
Science & Technology Concentrates pp. 39-40 (Member Content)
- Copper Transport Tag Team
- Two proteins form a transient complex in order to hand off copper on a cellular transport pathway
- Solar Lithium Mystery Solved
- Our sun contains far less lithium than similar stars––because it has planets
- Light Walks Oil Drops Across Water
- Chemists use the power of light to control surface tension and drive liquid droplets across a liquid surface
- Coupling Olefins With Z-Selectivity
- Terminal olefins can be coupled to selectively produce the Z-alkene, thanks to novel metathesis catalysts
- Preventing Cell Death Halts Hearing Loss
- Antioxidants suppress a protein that initiates apoptosis in inner ear neurons, stopping hearing loss in mice
- Catnip Fuels Route To Cancer Killer
- The first enantioselective synthesis of a complex terpene anticancer prospect begins with a psychoactive ingredient
- Hydrogen From Vitamin C
- Rewired bacterial photosynthetic machinery uses electrons supplied by ascorbate to reduce hydrogen ions in a bioreactor
- Covalent Gold
- Photoelectron spectroscopy firms up knowledge on the true nature of gold’s bonding
» more science & technology news...
Editor's Page
Preparing The Future p. 3
The Departments
Letters p. 4
Newscripts p. 56
Stealing Metal, Metal Allergy
This Week Online
C&EN Webinar

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