Back Issue
Volume 86, Number 51: December 22, 2008
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Table of Contents
- News of the Week
- Business
- Government & Policy
- Science & Technology
- Education
- ACS News
- Editor's Page
- The Departments

Cover Story
Chemical Year In Review 2008
A dozen stories reprise chemists' major achievements this year.
C&EN will not publish an issue on Dec. 29, 2008. Our next issue will be Jan. 5, 2009. C&EN staff members wish all of our readers a happy holiday season.

News of the Week
High-Sensitivity Imaging
Raman-based method maps lipids in cells and drugs in tissue.
Hexion, Huntsman Drop Merger Deal
With a $1 billion settlement, the Huntsman takeover saga ends.
Jobs Ax Hits Specialties Sector
A downturn in industrial markets fuels a wave of downsizing.
Chemical Makers Invest In Solar
New projects target raw materials and research.
Fungal Warfare
A newly identified molecule involved in plant defense could inspire design of new fungicides.
Nanotube Building Block Created
Route to cycloparaphenylenes could lead to new ways to make carbon nanotubes.
Risk From Phthalates
When evaluating phthalates, EPA should assess other chemicals with similar androgen-disrupting effects, report says.
Two-By-Two To Zaragozic Acid
Two-carbon reagent helps build natural product's core while reducing redox steps.
Making Rare Isotopes
Energy Department chooses Michigan State University for $550 million facility.
Education
Women Now 16% Of Chemistry Faculty
C&EN's annual survey of chemistry departments reveals a little progress.
» Business
December 22, 2008

Year in Review
As recession turns into a global economic crisis, chemical demand slips and chemical makers cut back.
Business Concentrates 
- U.S. Companies Form Lithium Battery Alliance
- Sunoco Chemicals Goes Up For Sale
- Westlake, Lyondell Idle Ethylene Plants
- Mallinckrodt Opens Dutch Electronics Lab
- Evonik Adds To Chinese Slate
- European Companies Take Long Holiday
- Teijin Puts Recycled Polyester Into Tires
- Bristol-Myers, Pfizer Set More Job Cuts ...
- ... As Biotech Firms Scale Back Jobs
- Exelixis And BMS Advance Collaboration
- Bayer Strengthens R&D
- BASF And Vorbeck Link For Graphene
- Business Roundup
» Government & Policy
December 22, 2008

Bush's Legacy At EPA
Agency's close links to Bush yields a mixed bag of decisions, some of which may tie the hands of the next Administration.
Three EPA Chiefs In Eight Years: Two Governors And A Bureaucrat
Legislative Review
Congress spends time debating chemically related bills, passes few laws.
Government & Policy Concentrates
» more government & policy news...
» Science & Technology
December 22, 2008

Beetle Epidemic Escalates
Applying pheromones and injecting insecticides may help prevent bark beetles from decimating trees. With Video
What's That Stuff? Frankincense And Myrrh
Culture and chemistry meet in fragrant plant-based incense.
Digital Briefs
New Software and Websites for the Chemical Enterprise.
Science & Technology Concentrates
- Fingerprints Reveal Drug Use
- Putting A Limit On Heart Attack Damage
- Ultracentrifugation Separates Nanotubes Wall-By-Wall
- Multicenter Bonds Define Golden Cages
- Improved Pathway To Tetracycline Antibiotics
- Cluster Formation Is Key To Carbonate Crystallization
- Dipeptide Crystals For Gas Storage
- Wee Welding With Nanosolder