Adapting And Hopeful

Quote of the Week
"I could teach freshman chemistry in almost any university in this country today using the same book I used when I took the course 40 years ago. That's not right."
GREGORY A. PETSKO, PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY, – p. 35
November 2, 2009
In This Issue:
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Highlights

Cover Story
Employment Outlook
Recession moves out-of-work chemists to reinvent themselves; employers eye Gen Y; civil service may attract more scientists. (pp. 45-58)

Business
Late Is Good In Contract Pharma (Member Content)
With loss of early-stage drug-manufacturing business, CPhI exhibitors vie for late-stage opportunities. (pp. 16-19)

Science & Technology
Promoter Quadruplexes
Folded DNA structures in gene-activation sites may be useful cancer drug targets. (pp. 28-30)
Table of Contents
Employment Outlook
A New Normal p. 45
Record unemployment requires a realistic attitude and creative thinking.
Down But Not Out pp. 46-52
Chemistry jobs took a beating this year, prompting out-of-work chemists to reinvent themselves.
On The Move p. 48
Marcel Goes To St. Louis
External Research p. 50
Ken Does The 1-2-3 Step.
Quality Control p. 52
Jeff Lands On His Feet.
Courting Generation Y pp. 53-55
Companies revamp programs to attract and retain young superstars.
Working For Uncle Sam pp. 56-58
The recession may lead more chemists to pursue careers as civil servants.
News Of The Week
High-Risk Energy Projects Get Funds p. 9
Grants: Big winners include Foro Energy, DuPont, and MIT.
Winning Projects Web Exclusive
ARPA-E's first round of grants includes 37 projects.
Inhaled Nanotubes Reach Lung Lining In Mice p. 10
Nanotoxicology: Carbon structures cause unique physiological effects, study shows.
Emergency Drug Fills Vaccine Void p. 10
Pandemic: FDA allows use of unapproved flu drug while vaccine supplies lag
European Firms Test The Bottom p. 11
Third Quarter: Optimism appears in some earnings reports.
Career Track p. 11
Students who study science don’t always stay in the field.
Sparking A Sign Of Life p. 12
Crystal Growth: Specialized light source drives formation of optically pure amino acid derivatives.
Hydrogenation Without Metals p. 12
Catalysis: Fullerenes drive nitro-to-amino conversion of aromatics under mild conditions.
Cut-And-Paste GFP p. 13
Protein Engineering: Method opens green fluorescent protein to better scrutiny, design.
Climate Science p. 13
Aerosol effects could complicate air-quality and climate policy.
Business

Late Is Good In Contract Pharma pp. 16-19 (Member Content)
With loss of early-stage drug-manufacturing business, CPhI exhibitors vie for late-stage opportunities.
Hikal Branches Out Web Exclusive
Indian fine chemicals manufacturer sets up contract research arm.
Cellulosic Test Bed pp. 20-21 (Member Content)
Coskata tries out waste-to-ethanol engineering at new plant. (With Video)
Business Concentrates pp. 14-15 (Member Content)
- Lonza Cuts Jobs, Spending
- In light of several unexpected events, especially since the end of September, Swiss custom chemicals maker Lonza says its 2009 operating earnings will be about $360 million...
- Celanese, PPG Plan Resins For China
- Two firms have launched expansion plans for coatings resins in China. Celanese is expanding its vinyl acetate/ethylene polymer emulsion plant in Nanjing by the first half of 2011...
- Chinese Firm Slates Vinyl Acetate Plant
- China’s Jiangsu Sopo will build a vinyl acetate plant in Zhenjiang, China, using technology licensed from DuPont. The 330,000-metric-ton-per-year plant is expected to open in 2013...
- Wacker, Dow Corning Expand In China
- Wacker and Dow Corning have started construction on an addition to their fumed silica plant in Zhangjiagang, China...
- Monsanto Will Get Air Products’ H2
- Air Products & Chemicals will build a world-scale hydrogen plant at Monsanto’s Luling, La., facility, where Roundup-brand glyphosate herbicide is produced...
- SABIC, Albemarle Link For Catalyst
- Albemarle and an affiliate of Saudi Basic Industries Corp...
- Ferro Eliminates 230 More Jobs
- Ferro initiated cost reduction projects in October that will result in the loss of 230 jobs by mid-2010 and $14 million in severance payments...
- BASF To Shut Down Maleic Anhydride
- BASF plans to shut down a 115,000-metric-ton-per-year maleic anhydride facility in Feluy, Belgium, at the end of 2009...
- GSK And SuperGen In Epigenetics Pact
- GlaxoSmithKline and SuperGen will work together to discover cancer therapies based on epigenetic, or gene expression, targets...
- Thermo Fisher, Symyx Launch Joint Product
- Thermo Fisher Scientific and R&D productivity firm Symyx Technologies have launched a new product...
- Astellas Signs Up Medivation Drug
- Astellas Pharma and Medivation have signed a deal to develop and co-commercialize MDV3100, a Medivation drug currently in Phase III trials for the treatment of prostate cancer...
- Biotech Companies Make Merger Deals
- Ligand Pharmaceuticals will acquire Metabasis Therapeutics by initially paying about $1.8 million to Metabasis stockholders and making future cash payments...
- Lonza Inks Biotech Manufacturing Pacts
- Swiss contract drugmaker Lonza will manufacture Alnara Pharmaceuticals’ lead product, liprotamase, at its site in Kourˇim, Czech Republic...
- DNP Raises Funds For Succinic Acid
- DNP Green Technology has raised $12 million in financing from a syndicate led by Sofinnova Partners, a French venture capital firm...
- Business Roundup
- Johnson Matthey, Metabolix, Evonik Industries, Metabolon, Linde, Dow Chemical and Dole Foods, Aceto, Malvern Instruments and Kaiser Optical Systems, Cephalon...
ACS Comment
Give Till It Hurts p. 42 (Member Content)
ACS News
Hispanic Outreach p. 43 (Member Content)
ACS goes to annual conference on engineering, science, and technology.
Travel Support For Women Chemists p. 43 (Member Content)
Chemistry Ambassadors Have The Right Credentials p. 43 (Member Content)
Books

Learning About Sushi pp. 40-41
The art and science of a Japanese culinary delight are presented in a lavishly illustrated book.
Government & Policy

Energy's Hidden Cost pp. 24-25 (Member Content)
Market price does not reflect major health damage from production and use of coal, oil.
Government & Policy Concentrates p. 22 (Member Content)
- OSHA Begins Process To Regulate Dust
- OSHA has published an advanced notice of proposed rule-making to formally regulate combustible dust...
- Smart Grid Grants Total $3.4 Billion
- The Obama Administration has awarded $3.4 billion in stimulus package funds as grants for...
- U.S. Unprepared For Bioterrorism Attack
- The U.S is failing to address the urgent threat of biological terrorism, warns a panel of experts...
- Schedule Set For Mercury Reductions
- Clean Air: Court gives EPA deadline of 2011 to regulate metal in power plant emissions...
- Rocket Launch Comes After Critical Review
- NASA successfully launched its Ares I-X test rocket on Oct. 28...
» more government & policy news...
Education

Revisiting The Premed Curriculum pp. 35-38
Updating premedical education to reflect modern science could improve the experience for other students, too.
Awards
Awards p. 44 (Member Content)
Winners Of Graduate Organic Fellowships Announced p. 44 (Member Content)
Outstanding Teaching Award To Bimal Banik p. 44 (Member Content)
SACNAS Honors Jorge Gardea-Torresdey With Award p. 44 (Member Content)
Science & Technology

Promoter Quadruplexes pp. 28-30
Folded DNA structures in gene-activation sites may be useful cancer drug targets.
The Dawn Of Academic Chemistry pp. 32-34
Philipps University, in Marburg, Germany, celebrates the 400th anniversary of the earliest chemistry professorship.
Science & Technology Concentrates pp. 26-27 (Member Content)
- DNA Shape Directs Proteins
- Sensing the shape of DNA’s minor grove, not simply following DNA’s sequence, helps DNA-binding proteins find their proper place.
- Novel Fluoropolymer For Fuel Cells
- Sumitomo scientists report a new type of sulfonated fluoropolymer that is a potential breakthrough in developing polymer-electrolyte membranes.
- New Syntheses Of Galanthamine And Codeine
- A novel combination of reactions shortens the pathway to structurally similar Alzheimer’s medicine and narcotic analgesic.
- Microscopy Method Achieves Nanoscale Diffraction
- Combining convergent-beam electron diffraction and ultrafast electron microscopy creates an even faster electron microscopy technique.
- Bimetallic Base Has Proton-Pulling Power
- Zinc and sodium join up to pull protons away from C–H bonds in cyclic ethers and alkenes without destroying the molecules.
- Getting A Clue About Cortistatin’s Activity
- Crucial isoquinoline ring in natural product’s structure leads researchers to a set of potential kinase targets for cancer and vision therapies.
- Aqueous Cross-Coupling For Proteins
- Palladium aminopyrimidine catalyst sets up the right conditions for proteins to easily participate in cross-coupling reactions.
- Computational Study Scrutinizes Mixed-Valence Systems
- Researchers in Germany have devised a simple, reliable protocol for computationally evaluating model organic electron-transfer reactions.
» more science & technology news...
Editor's Page
Chemical Synthesis p. 3
The Departments
Letters p. 4-7
Newscripts p. 64
Mark Trail Update, Hair-Pulling Relief!
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