RSC News - pp7-14 - Royal Society of Chemistry

FEBRUARY 2004 

Outreach brings education 

and industry together 

RSC initiative aims to inspire young people to study chemical sciences 

INSIDE… 

2 NEWS 

RSC consults with members over governance; 

and exam excellence rewarded. 

ATTRACTING TALENTED STUDENTS into 

chemical science courses is important 

for the future sustainability and growth 

of the chemical and pharmaceutical 

industries in the UK and mainland Europe, 

and to the future of academe and chemistry. 

Over the coming months, the RSC will be 

providing support material for outreach activities 

to help those in higher education (HE) and 

industry inspire more young people to study the 

chemical sciences. It will also be helping HE 

institutions market their courses more effectively 

to students in schools and colleges. 

This is part of the RSC’s current Campaign 

for Chemistry (see RSC News, November 

2003) and supports existing initiatives for 

students and teachers in schools and 

colleges, and in HE. It also builds on many 

activities that are already successfully 

delivered by universities, industry and 

members of the RSC’s local sections. The RSC 

is well placed to coordinate these activities, 

and the academic and industrial communities 

have indicated their desire for the RSC to act 

as a central coordinating body for outreach, 

supported by the Education and 

Qualifications Board (EQB). 

Although, the number of students doing 

A-level chemistry has remained roughly 

constant over the past 10 years, the number 

of students completing a first degree in 

chemistry has fallen by 20 per cent in six 

years, albeit from an all time high. But, as 

more than 90 per cent of those taking 

A-level chemistry do not go on to study a 

chemistry degree, increasing the number of 

students studying A-level chemistry may have 

minimal effect on the uptake to university 

chemistry courses. 

Such statistics emphasise the need for the 

chemical science community to take action 

and to organise successful outreach activities 

to help promote the opportunities that science 

can offer. This is likely to be broader than the 

Government’s initiative on widening 

participation which is aimed at attracting into 

university those students who would not 

normally have considered entering HE. 

The RSC will be disseminating good 

practice and ideas to academics who take on 

responsibility for outreach activities within 

their university – information packs, case 

studies and briefing sessions are currently 

being developed. It will also be acting as a 

broker for collaborative initiatives between 

industry, HE, and schools and colleges, 

working in collaboration with other 

professional bodies, trade associations, and 

the Government and its agencies. 

In 2003, the RSC and the Higher Education 

Funding Council for England (Hefce) held 

three successful dinners across the UK, 

bringing together people from HE, industry 

and business, and from schools and colleges. 

Building on these events, the RSC is liaising 

with Hefce regarding funding from Aimhigher, 

a joint initiative between Hefce and the 

Learning and Skills Council (LSC) aimed 

at encouraging partnership activities 

between schools and colleges, universities 

and industry. 

● For more information on outreach, contact 

Libby Steele, email: education@rsc.org 

4 SCIENCE POLICY 

Sean McWhinnie, RSC science policy manager, 

provides an update on the RSC’s policy work. 

7 DIARY DATES 

Your guide to forthcoming RSC events. 

11 EVENTS 

Details of events on electroanalysis, forensic 

analysis and the micro:nano interface. 

12 MAXIMISING 

MEMBERSHIP 

The benefits of professional 

development and working 

towards CChem. Plus, a chance 

to work on Chemistry World. 

14 MEMBER NEWS 

RSC members recognised in New Year’s 

Honours List. Plus recipients of the RSC’s 

research fund grants. 

16 AND FINALLY 

The winning entries from Chemistry Week’s 

limerick competition and great offers on 

RSC books. 

WWW.RSC.ORG

NEWS 

RSC to consult members 

on new governing body 

WELCOME TO THE February issue of 

RSC News. This month, members are 

invited to participate in a review of the 

RSC governance structure (see right). 

While this may at first seem rather 

inward looking, it is a logical and 

necessary consequence of the 

successful reforms of the RSC’s 

membership structure. 

The broadening of the chemical 

sciences and increasing diversity of 

professional practice is evident in 

members joining the RSC. Their 

influence is hugely positive and we 

need to make sure the RSC is 

structured to take advantage. 

A quick flick through these pages 

illustrates the extraordinary diversity 

within a modern professional society. 

The front page article on outreach 

exemplifies our support for the core of 

our discipline, while the announcement 

about Chartered Scientist illustrates our 

wider role in qualifying and professional 

standards across science. The articles on 

RSC involvement with REACH and with 

the establishment of a European 

Research Council demonstrate the need 

to be increasingly active in policy 

matters on an international scale. 

Balancing loyalty to our roots while 

changing and extending influence is an 

ever-present challenge for governance 

and staff alike. 

TONY ASHMORE 

REGISTRAR 

Contact the editor at Thomas Graham House 

(address on page 16) or call 01223 432265 or 

email rscnews@rsc.org 

AS REPORTED IN last month’s RSC News, the 

RSC’s Council has established a steering 

group, led by President Elect Simon 

Campbell, to consult the membership on a 

new governing body for the RSC. 

The structure of the current Council was 

devised in the late 1970s as a means of 

unifying the RSC’s four predecessor bodies. It 

has about 50 members – some directly 

elected, some representing interest groups, 

some nominated by local sections and others 

appointed to chair the RSC’s Boards. 

Council’s view is that its current 

membership is neither sufficiently diverse to 

represent the now very wide ranging 

scientific and professional interests of 

chemical scientists, nor is it sufficiently small 

and cohesive to provide strategic direction to 

the RSC in the rapidly changing environment 

advice on the overall direction of the RSC 

and its major programmes. The 

membership of such a body would be 

drawn from across the full spectrum of the 

RSC’s membership and various groupings; 

● a smaller Trustee Body to provide strategic 

direction, discharge the legal and other 

responsibilities of a governing body and to 

act as Trustees to the Charity. 

When the steering group has finished its 

work, Council will put any proposed changes 

to a vote of the membership. 

Consultation with members will be 

essential. Further details will appear in future 

issues of RSC News. The proposals will also 

be discussed during the 2004 series of 

regional meetings, which will be held before 

the meeting of Council in May. Details of 

these meetings are given below. 

in which the RSC operates. 

Having taken advice from the Charity 

Commission and reviewed current practice in 

related Learned and Professional societies, 

Council has asked the steering group to 

consult and bring forward plans for: 

● a general assembly of members to give 

● If you would like to be invited to one of 

these meetings, please contact David 

Lindores by email at lindoresd@rsc.org 

Comments on Council’s proposals are 

welcome and should be sent to Tony 

Ashmore at ashmorea@rsc.org 

Region Place Date 

Ireland Dublin 19 February 

North East Huddersfield 10 March 

Midlands Leicester 18 March 

Scotland Stirling 23 March 

North West Liverpool 1 April 

South West Bristol 15 April 

Wales Aberystwyth 29 April 

Eastern Cambridge 4 May 

A meeting in the South East region was held in London on 20 January. 

Younger members are the Voice of the Future 

THE RSC IS TO HOST Voice of the Future 2004, the third annual meeting in this unique series of 

events for younger scientists. This is an exciting opportunity for all scientists, under the age of 35, 

to voice their concerns and to share their ideas with members of the House of Commons Science 

and Technology Select Committee. 

Voice of the Future 2004 will take place on Monday 22 March at Portcullis House, 

Westminster, London. 

● If you would like to take part, contact Julie Smart at Burlington House (address on page 16) 

or email smartj@rsc.org For more information go to www.rsc.org/lap/parliament/vof04.htm 

2 RSC NEWS 


RSC rewards 

exam success 

EACH YEAR THE RSC awards prizes to those 

students achieving the highest mark in A-level, 

Higher and Advanced Higher examinations in the 

UK. This year a prize was also awarded for the 

best chemistry investigation at Advanced Higher 

in Scotland. This was awarded in memory of the 

science education researcher Craig Gray. 

Each student receives a cheque for £100 and a 

copy of the RSC publication Cutting Edge 

Chemistry. The prizes are presented by the 

appropriate Local Section. All the winners are 

listed on page 15. 

Left to right Fred Wildridge, head teacher at Grange 

Academy; Ben Hall; Councillor Tommy Farrell, chair of 

the Education Committee; John Mulgrew, director Of 

education and social services, East Ayrshire Council 

THE RSC WAS awarded Licensed Body status of 

the Science Council in December 2003. 

Commencing 1 January 2004, the RSC is able to 

award Chartered Scientist (CSci) to 

appropriately qualified RSC members. In the 

future, those applying for Chartered Chemist 

(CChem) will be able to apply for CSci at the 

same time. The RSC has also been given 

permission to ‘grandparent’ suitably qualified 

existing RSC members; further details will be 

announced in the near future. 

Becoming Chartered sends a clear signal to 

future employers, colleagues and the public 

about the quality of an individual’s scientific 

BNFL first again with accredited training 

A BNFL SELLAFIELD graduate trainee has 

become the first RSC member to be awarded 

CChem under the new regulations through RSC 

accredited training. The company is also the first 

to have a group of trainees successfully 

complete the initial stage of the accreditation 

scheme (admission to MRSC). 

BNFL has enjoyed great success with RSC 

accreditation. In 1990, it was the first company to 

achieve RSC accreditation of its graduate training. 

In 2001, it was first to achieve re-accreditation 

under the revised membership structure. 

The latest success was achieved following an 

assessment visit in November 2003, hosted by 

Chris Boulden of 

West Buckland 

School, receives 

his award 

Science Council names RSC as Licensed Body 

knowledge, application and professionalism. 

The award of CSci and CChem sets the 

individual practitioner at a high level within their 

profession. Both awards not only demonstrate 

the achievement of a high-level education, but 

also the ability to practice the profession at a 

high level, and the maintenance and continued 

progression of scientific competencies and 

abilities. The award of CSci requires revalidation 

every five years via submission of a continuing 

professional development (CPD) report. 

● For further information contact 

David Barr at Thomas Graham House 

or email barrd@rsc.org 

Clare Sharpe, graduate development manager, 

and Graham Hutson, senior chemistry mentor, 

with Professor Derek Nowell representing the 

RSC. The BNFL accredited scheme is flourishing. 

It currently has 17 graduates registered, with 

plans for a further seven candidates. RSC 

accreditation is regarded as a considerable asset 

by BNFL both to demonstrate its status as a 

world class company and to recruit and retain 

top quality chemistry graduates. 

● If your organisation is interested in achieving 

accreditation of its company training, contact 

David Barr at Thomas Graham House 

or email barrd@rsc.org 

Towards a European 

Research Council? 

THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH Council Expert 

Group (ERCEG), under the chairmanship of 

Professor Federico Mayor, has published its 

report on the need for a new European 

dimension to research funding. 

The report states that a European Fund for 

Research Excellence should be established by 

the EU and a European Research Council 

(ERC) should be created to manage the Fund. 

Dr John Taylor, Director General of the Research 

Councils, UK, was a member of ERCEG. 

The ERC is seen as supporting 

‘investigator-driven’ research with the aim of 

encouraging interdisciplinary and risk-taking 

projects, especially in emerging research 

areas. At least €2 billion per annum should 

be available from the Fund during its initial 

stages. The intention of the ERCEG is that 

the Fund should be financed out of an 

increased European R&D budget and not at 

the expense of existing national activities. 

The European Science Foundation (ESF), 

which earlier published a position paper, 

New structures for the support of highquality 

research in Europe, by a group led 

by Sir Richard Sykes, has stated that it is 

willing to play a prominent role in building 

up the ERC. 

The ERCEG now submits its report to the 

Danish Minister for Science, Technology and 

Innovation, Helge Sander, who was 

responsible for ERCEG’s establishment. If the 

Fund is to be operational in time for the 

seventh Research Framework Programme a 

political commitment needs to be made by 

the EU by the end of this year. 

Professor Dave Garner, chair of the RSC 

International Affairs Advisory Group, 

welcomes the proposals to establish a 

European Research Council. The RSC will 

join forces with the Gesellschaft Deutscher 

Chemiker (GDCh) and other members of 

the Federation of European Chemical 

Societies (FECS) in discussions concerning 

the establishment of the ERC, to ensure that 

chemistry and its associated scientific 

disciplines derive benefit from the new 

funding opportunities that will arise from 

this initiative. 

● The full ERCEG report is available at 

www.ercexpertgroup.org/finalreport.asp 

WWW.RSC.ORG RSC NEWS 3

NEWS 

Spotlight on RSC 

Interest Groups 

Bio-Organic Group 

RSC works to influence policy 

Sean McWhinnie, RSC science policy manager, provides an update of the 

RSC’s science policy initiatives 

THE BIO-ORGANIC GROUP is one of the 

largest Groups within the RSC with almost 

700 members. The Group’s activities reflect 

the rapidly growing interest in bio-organic 

chemistry which can be defined as the 

application of chemical principles and 

techniques to solve biological problems. This 

encompasses: the synthesis of natural 

products and other biologically active or 

medicinal compounds, the use of microorganisms 

or enzymes as synthetic reagents 

(biotransformations); the biosynthesis of 

secondary metabolites; and the elucidation, 

by chemical means, of biological pathways 

and reaction mechanisms. The development 

of gene manipulation technology and the 

availability of genomic information 

continuously provide an enormous number 

of new opportunities for developments in 

bio-organic chemistry. 

The Group organises various scientific 

meetings on behalf of its members. In 

2003, topics included the chemistry and 

applications of nucleosides, nucleotides and 

nucleic acids as well as recent advances in 

the chemistry and biochemistry of 

carbohydrates. A particular highlight of the 

Group’s calendar is a one-day meeting 

featuring 20-minute talks by up to 16 finalyear 

postgraduate students, highlighting 

novel ideas and fascinating results of 

science at the interface between chemistry 

and biology. Meetings for 2004 include: 

– Chemistry of the Cell, University of 

Birmingham, 30 March 2004 

– International Symposium on Bio-Organic 

Chemistry (jointly with IUPAC) University 

of Sheffield, 28 June – 1 July 2004 

– Biennial Autumn Meeting on Bio-Organic 

Chemistry, University of Leicester, 

September 2004. 

– Postgraduate Meeting, University of 

Leeds, December 2004 

● New members of the Bio-Organic Group 

are always welcome. For details email 

Mark Bamford at Mark.J.Bamford@gsk.com 

or Stan Roberts at smrsm@liv.ac.uk 

For full details about all of the Interest 

Groups see www.rsc.org/lap/rsccom/dab/ 

subgroup.htm 

THE RSC’S ACTIVITIES IN SCIENCE policy range 

from liaising with the Research Councils, to 

making submissions to the House of 

Commons Science and Technology Select 

Committee. For the most part, our agenda is 

set for us in terms of the policy statements 

produced since we are often responding to 

consultation documents from bodies such as 

the Higher Education Funding Councils and 

government departments or to requests for 

evidence from Select Committees. The recent 

past has been a particularly busy period as 

there have been many consultations dealing 

with university funding. 

Issues concerning the funding of chemistry 

in universities have come into particularly 

sharp focus over the past few months since 

three universities have announced that their 

chemistry departments are to be closed. The 

reasons for closure vary but the RSC believes 

that, relative to other subjects, chemistry is 

particularly expensive and consequently 

bottom-line financial management decisions 

tend to affect chemistry adversely. The RSC is 

currently undertaking research to assess the 

true cost of chemistry in universities in order 

to work out by how much university 

chemistry is under funded. We hope to have 

the outcome of this study in the next few 

months. 

An on-going area of interest for the RSC has 

been the careers of women in academic 

chemistry. At present, women represent 

almost 40 per cent of the undergraduate 

intake – a healthy figure relative to physics 

and engineering – but the proportion of 

female chemistry professors is less than 

two per cent. Only civil engineering has a 

lower proportion. Two projects carried out 

for the RSC by Evaluation Associates have 

looked at ‘factors affecting the career choices 

of chemistry graduates’ and at ‘the 

recruitment and retention of women in 

academic chemistry’. 

The first study established that retention 

was the key issue and that if the position 

was to improve enough to make women 

want to stay in chemistry, the culture had to 

change. The second report, launched in 

January 2003, recognised that the difficulties 

for women of sustaining academic careers, 

and progressing to the level which reflects 

their abilities, often relate to the organisation 

and culture of science, engineering and 

technology, and the departments and 

institutions in which they work. 

The report identifies what it is about the 

culture in certain departments and/or 

universities that causes women to apply 

for and accept posts, and what encourages 

them to remain in these departments and/or 

universities. Further work is planned in this 

area but with a focus on industry. 

The RSC is also planning policy work with 

the Institute of Physics during 2004 and 

hopes to undertake a joint study looking at 

ethnic minorities in chemistry and physics. 

Amongst the variety of other policy 

activities the RSC undertakes, liaison with the 

research councils forms a major part. 

The RSC’s most frequent and long standing 

contact is with the EPSRC’s Chemistry 

Programme; we also have fruitful 

relationships with the Materials and Life 

Sciences Interface Programmes through the 

Materials Chemistry and Chemical Biology 

Forums. The RSC has increasing contact with 

the BBSRC, and hopes to develop a stronger 

relationship with NERC now that the 

Environment, Sustainability and Energy Forum 

has been established. 

Another major policy activity is being 

overseen by the Environment, Health and 

Safety Committee. This committee is 

coordinating the RSC’s response to the 

European Commission’s proposed REACH 

regulations (see article on page 5). 

The RSC is currently working on a policy in 

respect of the proposed European Research 

Council so that our views are clear in advance 

of any future consultation on the issues. The 

RSC intends to develop policy in a range of 

other areas over the coming months. 

● Full details of all the RSC’s policy 

activities can be found at 

www.rsc.org/lap/polacts/polindex.htm 

● If you have any comments or questions, 

please contact Sean McWhinnie at 

Burlington House (address on page 16) or 

email mcwhinnies@rsc.org 



EU proposal on chemicals 

puts the onus on industry 

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION proposal for a 

new regulatory framework for the control of 

chemicals is arguably the most significant 

development on controlling chemicals in the 

European marketplace for many decades. 

Under the proposed new system called 

REACH (Registration, Evaluation and 

Authorisation of CHemicals) enterprises that 

manufacture or import more than one tonne 

of a chemical substance per year would be 

required to register it in a central database. 

REACH gives greater responsibility to industry 

to manage the risks from chemicals and 

removes the distinction between ‘existing’ 

(listed in the 1981 EINECS inventory) and 

‘new’ chemicals. 

The RSC finds the latest version of ‘REACH’ 

to be more balanced and more pragmatic 

than earlier versions. However, it still has 

significant concerns about the workability of 

some aspects of the proposal and the 

resources and expertise available for coping 

with REACH. In principle, the RSC would 

welcome a single harmonised regime for 

assessing and controlling the effects of 

chemicals on health and the environment. 

THE FIRST ANNUAL MEETING of 

the RSC Interest Groups was 

held at Burlington House on 

1 December 2003. Over 70 

representatives from the Interest 

Groups attended this event to 

take part in discussions about 

many of the RSC’s current 

activities, including: campaigning 

for the chemical sciences; raising 

its profile with the media; 

providing educational resources to schools 

and colleges; and promoting the benefits of 

RSC membership. 

The event was chaired by Dr Barry Price, RSC 

honorary treasurer, who commented on the 

many diverse interests represented at the 

meeting and the key role RSC Interest Groups 

play in promoting the importance of the 

chemical sciences. Initial feedback from the 

meeting suggests that this event was very useful 

Among the key issues that the RSC would 

like to stress are that: 

● It is important that REACH is based on risk 

rather than on intrinsic hazard alone, as 

hazard is not a good measure of the actual 

threat that a substance poses to humans or 

the environment. 

● REACH should be compatible with existing 

and proposed international initiatives on 

the control of chemicals. 

● REACH should only require data that has 

real value. This is particularly true for ‘existing 

chemicals’ that have been in use for many 

years with no apparent adverse effects. 

● One particular concern is that REACH could 

lead to useful chemicals ceasing to be 

available because they generate insufficient 

profit to cover the cost of testing. 

● The RSC fully supports the principle of 

transparency under REACH. However, a 

balance needs to be found between 

transparency and commercial confidentiality. 

● REACH should not inhibit innovation. If the 

Commission equates innovation with 

substitution, this strategy is unlikely to lead 

to true innovation. 

Interest Groups hold inaugural meeting 

as a networking opportunity and, indeed, a 

number of groups have already contacted each 

other with future joint activities in mind. 

● If you have any comments or suggestions 

about the RSC’s Interest Groups please 

send your emails to Anne Bennett at 

bennetta@rsc.org 

● For further information on the RSC’s 

Interest Groups please visit 

www.rsc.org/lap/rsccom/dab/subgroup.htm 

Join the RSC online 

APPLICATION FORMS FOR joining the RSC 

and for transfer between categories of 

membership can now be completed and 

submitted online. 

You can also use this new online service 

to pay your annual subscription, pay for 

ongoing subscriptions to journals, join any of 

our Interest Groups and update your 

personal details. 

To access this service, go to 

www.rsc.org/members 

and click on one of the following links: 

– Online applications 

– Membership subscription renewal 

– Update your personal/contact details 

You will need your membership number and 

password (which, unless previously changed, 

is date of birth in YYYYMMDD format). New 

members can sign up first using the 

appropriate link. 

Inorganic web resource 

A new web gateway for inorganic 

chemistry is now available at 

www.rsc.org/science/inorganic.htm 

It features inorganic highlights, and free 

access to two Dalton Transaction 

papers, plus links to the journal and 

Dalton Division web pages. 

Travel funds for RSC 

Interest Groups 

A NUMBER OF RSC Interest Groups have 

been asking about funding from the 

Angela and Tony Fish Bequest. The terms 

of this Bequest have now come to an end 

so that funding from this particular scheme 

is no longer available. 

However, the RSC is currently working on a 

new central RSC Travel Funds scheme which, 

it is anticipated, will come into operation later 

this year. It is expected that there will be a 

call three times a year for members, including 

RSC Interest Groups, to apply for travel 

bursaries. These bursaries will be available 

primarily for students to attend a particular 

meeting. Further details will be available once 

the new scheme comes into effect. 

● All enquiries from RSC Interest Groups 

should be directed to Anne Bennett, 

email: bennetta@rsc.org 


NEWS 

Member survey results 

to be announced 

DID YOU KNOW that the majority of RSC 

members have worked for the same 

employer for more than 10 years? 

This and other interesting facts are 

coming out of the analysis of the 

professional survey that the RSC carried out 

during 2003. The objectives of the survey 

were to ascertain the type of work that 

members do, and to gain an insight into 

members’ employment conditions at the 

beginning of the 21 st century. A 25-question 

survey was sent to a random selection of 

3,000 members, and we were delighted at 

the 50 per cent return rate – thank you to 

everyone who took part. 

The survey asked for information about 

the type of work the member does, type of 

employer he/she works for, type of 

employment contract, length of service, 

number of employers during his/her career, 

annual leave entitlement, occupational sick 

pay, work-life balance options, time spent 

working outside the UK, pension arrangement 

and work after official retirement. 

Beginning next month, we will bring you 

highlights of the findings in RSC News. 

New copyright regulation 

for library users 

ON 31 OCTOBER 2003 the European 

copyright directive came into force in the 

UK. The main difference for all users of 

libraries in the UK is that the ‘fair dealing’ 

exclusion has been restricted to ‘noncommercial 

use’ only. If any library user 

requests a photocopy which will be used for 

a ‘commercial purpose’ then they will be 

required to pay an extra copyright fee. For 

self-service copying this fee is currently 

£9.00 (including VAT). For document delivery 

a publishers-specific fee is payable which 

can vary between £1.50 and £20.00 or more. 

The average for chemistry journals is about 

£15.00. See www.rsc.org/lic/copyright.htm 

for further details. 

● Any member concerned about this new 

regulation should contact Nicola Best on 

020 7440 3374 or Nigel Lees on 020 7440 

3371. Alternatively email library@rsc.org 

Turn your hidden treasure into 

cash: RSC calls for budding authors 

THE BBC TV PROGRAMME Cash in the Attic 

encourages people to seek out their old 

possessions and auction them for cash. As 

the programme’s website says, “it’s the show 

that turns your hidden treasures into cash and 

your dreams into reality”. 

Think about this and your work life. Have 

you written technical notes or a review 

article to help new work colleagues, or your 

existing staff, which could be amplified or 

expanded into a handbook for a wider 

audience? Or can the lecture notes you have 

painstakingly prepared, in the absence of any 

suitable course books, be converted into a 

textbook? Or are there ideas, in the most 

amazing attic of them all, which are just 

waiting to explode out of your head on to 

the printed page? 

Can the RSC ‘turn your dreams into reality’? 

The RSC is committed to the advancement of 

the chemical sciences, and its applications, 

through its publications and is always eager to 

see proposals for new books. 

We are looking for practical handbooks, 

research monographs, advanced 

undergraduate and graduate textbooks in the 

chemical sciences – particularly those in core 

chemistry and the bio- and nano-sciences – 

but we are open to suggestions. We would 

be delighted to consider all of your ideas! 

RSC books are produced to exacting 

standards, competitively priced and marketed 

direct from our Cambridge offices and 

through agents and distributors worldwide. 

As an internationally renowned publisher 

and chemistry specialist, we offer speedy 

publication and high quality presentation. 

And that’s not all – you would be offered a 

competitive royalty and friendly, specialised 

editorial support. 

To evaluate your book proposal we need 

certain information. In brief, you need to 

let us have your preferred book title; an 

overview of the aims and coverage of the 

book; a statement about the target audience; 

a table of contents; your estimates on how 

many words may be written and when these 

might be delivered to us; and information 

about you. 

Who knows, you may be able to turn your 

hidden treasure into cash! 

● To find out more go to www.rsc.org/is/ 

books/publishbook.htm 

A ‘Knovel’ idea from the RSC’s library 

WOULDN’T IT BE great if you could search over 

500 electronic databanks and electronic books 

from the RSC’s website free of charge? From 

March 2004 to December 2004 (a 10 month 

trial) you will be able to do just that. 

Check out www.knovel.com to see the 

electronic information resources that will be 

available to you soon. This innovative service 

is being brought to a PC near you (at your 

place of work or at home) by the RSC’s 

Library and Information Centre (LIC), already 

recognised as a prime membership benefit 

and one the world’s great chemical science 

collections. 

Knovel is a web-based service that brings 

together scientific resources in an easy-tosearch 

format and has an excellent collection 

in chemistry and related subjects. You will be 

able to search and print out relevant content 

from a range of titles including: Lange’s 

Handbook of Chemistry, Perry’s Chemical 

Engineers’ Handbook, Handbook of 

Carcinogen Testing, Handbook of Sealants 

and Adhesives, Endocrine Disrupting 

Chemicals, Yaws’ Handbook of 

Thermodynamic and Physical Properties of 

Chemical Compounds, Handbook of 

Hazardous Spills Technology, EU Food Law – 

a Practical Guide, Cosmetic and Toiletry 

Formulations, Plastics Additives – an 

Industrial Guide, Industrial Solvents 

Handbook, Handbook of Hazardous Materials 

Spills Technology, and Handbook of Physical 

Vapor Deposition (PVD) Processing. 

This development is the first of a number 

of trials that the LIC will roll out to members 

remote from Burlington House over the next 

few years. The stated aim is to create a virtual 

chemical knowledge centre, accessible from 

anywhere in the world. 

● All enquiries should be sent to 

Nigel Lees, manager, Library and Archival 

Services at library@rsc.org 



DIARY 

Your guide to RSC events in the coming month 

This section lists RSC events for February 

and early March 2004 that are held on the 

RSC conference database. Further details of 

any of these meetings can be obtained 

from the named contact or from the 

chemsoc website at www.chemsoc.org/ 

CFCONF/alldetails.cfm? followed by the 

specific ID number at the end of each entry, 

e.g, www.chemsoc.org/CFCONF/ 

alldetails.cfm?ID=11822 

SCOTLAND 

17 February, 4pm ID=11602 

Edinburgh and South East Scotland Section 

Bourke Lecture: Patterns, Templates and 

Ordering in Thin Films: from Magnetic 

Garnets to Polymer Films and Beyond 

University of Edinburgh 

● Prof David Andelman, Tel Aviv University 

Contact Neil Robertson 

T 0131 650 4755 E neil.robertson@ed.ac.uk 


Mid-Scotland Section 

Detection of Horse Doping by 

Analytical Chemistry 

Falkirk College 

● Prof John Monaghan, Edinburgh University 

Contact Dr Peter Ansell 

T 01324 692225 E pete.ansell@enichem.it 

25 February, 11.15am ID=12601 

Tayside Section 

Endowed Lectureship Sir Edward Frankland 

Prize Award: From Clusters to Nanoparticles: 

Catalysis and Devices 

University of Dundee 

● Prof B F Johnson, University of Cambridge 

Contact Dr R T Baker 

T 01382 344330 

25 February, 3.45pm ID=11325 

Aberdeen and North Scotland Section 

New Chemistry of Oxides and Microporous Materials 

University of Aberdeen 

● Prof Matt Rosseinsky, University of Liverpool 

Contact Marcel Jaspars 

T 01224 272895 E m.jaspars@abdn.ac.uk 

25 February, 3.45pm ID=11400 

Edinburgh and South East Scotland Section 

Lecture: Quantitative Approaches to 

Molecular Recognition 

Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh 

● Prof Christopher Hunter, University of Sheffield 

Contact Ted Lindsell 

T 0131 451 8028 E W.E.Lindsell@hw.ac.uk 


Glasgow and West of Scotland Section 

Metals and Hydrogen Bonds 

University of Glasgow 

● Dr Lee Brammer, University of Sheffield 

Contact Dr Andrew Sutherland 

T 0141 330 5936 E andrews@chem.gla.ac.uk 



Annual General Meeting, followed by Vino d’Amore 

University of Glasgow 

● Dr Ian Dunkin, University of Strathclyde 

Contact Dr Andrew Sutherland 

T 0141 330 5936 E andrews@chem.gla.ac.uk 

5 March, time tba ID=12605 


Walsh Lectures 


Contact Dr R T Baker 

T 01382 344330 

9 March, 2pm ID=12562 

Mid-Scotland Section 

Chemical Science and a Career: The Science of 

Meeting the Everyday Needs of People Everywhere 

Falkirk College 

● Dr Caroline Cordery, Unilever R&D 

Contact Dr Peter Ansell 

T 01324 692225 E pete.ansell@enichem.it 

10 March, 3.45pm ID=11326 

Aberdeen and North Scotland Section 

John Jeyes Endowed Lecture: 

The role of ocean-atmosphere exchanges in the 

chemistry of the earth 

University of Aberdeen 

● Prof Peter Liss, University of East Anglia 

Contact Marcel Jaspars 

T 01224 272895 E m.jaspars@abdn.ac.uk 

10 March ID=11882 


A Chemist’s View of Genetic Analysis 

University of Strathclyde 

● Prof Tom Brown, University of Southampton 

Contact Dr Duncan Graham 

T 0141 548 4701 E duncan.graham@strath.ac.uk 

10 March, 7.30pm ID=12607 


Discovering Masterpieces and Detecting 

Forgeries. Can Chemistry Help? 


● Dr A Burnstock, Courtauld Institute, London 

Contact Dr I M Eggleston 

T 01382 344319 

10 March ID=12614 


Visual Elements Exhibition 


Contact Dr I M Eggleston 

T 01382 344319 E i.m.eggleston@dundee.ac.uk 


AD Scottish Region 

Annual General Meeting 

Scottish Whisky Research Institute 

● Dr John Conner, SWRI 

Contact Dilys Jeffrey-Smith 

T 0131 441 1464 E D.jeffreysmith@tiscali.co.uk 

WALES 

16 February, time tba ID=11120 

South East Wales Section 

The N-Heterocyclic Carbene Paradigm – A New 

Dimension in Ligand Design 

Cardiff University 

● Dr Andreas Danopoulos, University of Southampton 

Contact Dr Paul W Jones 

T 01656 841720 E pjones.sewales@ntlworld.com 

17 February, 4.15pm ID=11491 

North Wales Section 

Batteries as Essential Components of a Green 

Energy Supply System 

University of Wales, Bangor 

● Prof Derek Pletcher, University of Southampton 

Contact Dr A Croft 

T 01248 382391 E a.k.croft@bangor.ac.uk 

24 February, 4.15pm D=11352 

South Wales West Section 

John Jeyes Endowed Lecture – 

The Role of Ocean-Atmosphere Exchanges in the 

Chemistry of the Earth 

University of Wales, Swansea 

● Prof Peter S Liss, University of East Anglia 

Contact Dr Peter Douglas 

T 01792 205678 x 4204 E p.douglas@swansea.ac.uk 



Flat, Twisted and Purple Frilly Molecules 


● Dr David Harrowven, University of Southampton 

Contact Dr Paul W Jones 


2 March, 4.15pm D=11353 

South Wales West Section 

From Magic through Folk Medicine to Chemistry 

and Drugs 

University of Wales Swansea 

● Prof Keith Jones, Kingston University 

Contact Dr Peter Douglas 

T 01792-205678 x 4204 E p.douglas@swansea.ac.uk 

2 March, 4.15pm D=11489 

North Wales Section 

Edward Frankland Award Lecture: Small and 

Beautiful: New Catalysts for Clean Technology 

University of Wales, Bangor 

● Prof Brian F G Johnson 

Contact Dr A Croft 

T 01248 382391 E a.k.croft@bangor.ac.uk 

9, 10 & 11 March, 10 am and 1pm ID=12567 

Mid-Wales Section 

Demonstration Lecture: Science and Energy 

Theatre Felinfach 

● Mr A J S Williams, University of Wales, Aberystwyth 

Contact Mr A J S Williams 

T 01970 622291 

10 March, 5pm ID=12591 


Forensic Investigation – the Role of Radiography 

in Forensic Science 

University of Glamorgan 

● Mark Viner, Barts and the London NHS 

Contact Dr Paul Jones 


15 March, 5pm ID=12588 


The Investigation of Mechanisms in Environmental 

Catalysis using Time Resolved Methods 


● Prof Robbie Burch, Queen’s University Belfast 

Contact Dr Paul Jones 


SOUTH EAST ENGLAND 

12 February ID=12650 

Marketing Group 

CChem Revisited 

RSC, Burlington House, London 

Contact Mike Maunder 

T 01932 346942 

E maunder@speedibrews.free-online.co.uk 


DIARY 

12–13 February ID=12126 

Joint Pharmaceutical Analysis Group 

BIOVAL 2004: two-day international workshop 

meeting, dealing with larger bio-molecules 

RPSGB, London 

Contact Dr John Clements 

E science@rpsgb.org.uk 

17–18 February, 9.30am to 3pm ID=12538 

Kent Section 

Magical Science for Primary Schools. 

A day of Discovery by Pro-Education 

Corn Exchange, Maidstone 

Contact Rupert Meadway 

T 01732 220111 E rupert.meadway@businesslinkkent.com 


Thames Valley Section 

Enlightening Plastics: 

New Materials for Flat Panel Displays 

Harris Lecture Theatre 

● Dr Paul Burn, Dyson Perrins Laboratory, Oxford 

Contact John Roddom 

T 01635 40995 E events@soci.org 


Chilterns and Middlesex Section 

Younger Members’ Event: Chemistry and the Law 

University College 

● Talks from chemists now in legal careers about 

what their job involves as a solicitor, barrister or a 

patent attorney. The talks are followed by drinks. 

Contact Alex Rogers 

E arogers@boult.com 

23 February, 6pm for 6.15pm start ID=11377 

Downland Section 


The Plough Inn, Rusper 

Contact Terry Page 

T 01483 722987 E thpage@talk21.com 


Kent Section 

Theophilus Redwood Endowed Lecture: Molecules 

Under the Microscope: Probing Structure and 

Recognition with the Atomic Force Microscope 

University of Kent at Canterbury 

● Prof S J B Tendler, University of Nottingham 

Contact Michael Went 

T 01227 823540 E m.j.went@kent.ac.uk 

25 February, 7pm for 7.30pm ID=11696 


Smack, Crack, Weed and Speed 

Reading University 

● Dr Mike Griffin, Forensic Science Service, London 

Contact Mike Jenkins 

T 01635 253704 


South East Region, Analytical Division 


Venue tba 

Contact Dr A H Andrews 

E 106777.723@compuserve.com 

3 March, 1.30pm ID=12440 

Environmental Chemistry Group 

Symposium and Distinguished Guest Lecture: 

Environmental Chemistry from Space 

The Linnean Society of London 

● Various Speakers 

Contact Michael Leggett 

T 020 8996 7107 E mike.leggett@bsi-global.com 

11 March, 9.30am to 3pm ID=12540 

Kent Section 

Magical Science for Primary Schools. 

A day of Discovery by Pro-Education 

Ashford and Folkestone 

Contact Rupert Meadway 

T 01732 220111 E rupert.meadway@businesslinkkent.com 

12 March, 5.30pm ID=12298 


Space 

Oxford Playhouse 

● A Martynov and A Volkov, Russian cosmonauts 

Contact Phil Smith 

T 01635 862735 E phil.h.smith@ntlworld.com 

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND 


Bristol and District Section 

Women Members’ Network Meeting 

Venue tba 

Contact Hazel Mottram 

T 0117 954 6395 E hazel.mottram@bristol.ac.uk 


Peninsula Section 

A New Aspect of Heterocyclic Chemistry 

University of Exeter 

● Prof Charles Rees CBE FRS, Imperial College 

Contact Dr Richard Walton 

T 01392 263462 

24 February ID=12295 

Mid-Southern Counties Section 

Probing the Atmosphere – Understanding 

Ozone Depletion 

University of Southampton 

● Dr Neil Harris, European Ozone Research 

Coordinating Unit, Cambridge 

Contact Philip Gale 

T 02380 593332 E philip.gale@soton.ac.uk 

25 February, 10.30am ID=11655 

Dalton Division 

Functional Complexes of d- and f- Block Metals 

University of Bristol 

● Prof P Braunstein, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg 

● Prof D Parker, University of Durham 

Contact Stanley Langer, RSC 

T 020 7440 3325 E langers@rsc.org 



Tilden Lecture: Chiral Lanthanide Complexes: 

Structure, Dynamics and Function 


● Prof D Parker, University of Durham 

Contact Dr Mike Coles 

T 0117 942 1994 E mike_coles@hotmail.com 



Nyholm Lecture: Recent Studies with Bimetallic 

Complexes and Clusters 





26 February, AGM 6pm, Lecture 7.15pm ID=12513 


Annual General Meeting, followed by Joint 

RSC/SCI Lecture: Eruption of the Soufrière Hills 

Volcano, Montserrat 

The BAWA Pavilion 

● Prof Steve Sparks, Department of Earth Sciences, 






Joint RSC-ASE Lecture: Logic in Transition 

Metal Chemistry 


● Dr Colin Chambers, Chemistry Consultant and 

Chief Examiner for AQA Chemistry 

Contact Manoj Chitnavis 

T 01392 258712 



Adventures in Natural Product Synthesis 


● Prof Richard Taylor, University of York 

Contact Dr Richard Walton 

T 01392 263432 

10 March, 5.15pm ID=11630 


Internet-scale Sensing and the Environmental 

Nervous System 

University of Plymouth 

● Prof Dermot Diamond, Dublin City University 

Contact Prof Steve Rowland 

T 01752 233013 

15 March, 12.30pm for 1pm ID=11405 

Mid-Southern Counties Section 

Retired Members’ Lunch 

Grosvenor Hotel, Bournemouth 

Contact Trevor McCombie 

T 01202 692548 E trevormccombie@beeb.net 

EASTERN ENGLAND 


East Anglia Section 

Schools Lecture Years 8/10: Fireworks 

Northgate High School, Ipswich 

● Rev Ron Lancaster, Kimbolton Fireworks 

Contact Ms Linda Walker 

T 01473 210123 


East Anglia Section 

Quiz Night 

UEA 

Contact Mrs Louise Ottignon 

T 01502 478136 

4 March, 1pm ID=12314 

Essex Section 

Sex, Molecules & Pasta 

Essex University, Colchester 

● Dr Graeme Jones, University of Keele 

Contact Dr A G Osborne 

T 020 8590 2021 


Mid-Anglia Section 

Chemistry at Work 

Queensbury School 

Contact John O’Toole 

T 01223 894174 E john.otoole9@btopenworld.com 

13 March, 10am to 4pm ID=12235 


Cambridge Science Festival: Crash, Bang, Squelch! 

University of Cambridge 

● Members of Cambridge Hands-on Science (CHaOS) 



Your guide to RSC events in the coming month 

Contact Davina Stevenson 

E des28@cam.ac.uk 


Essex Section 

Science Week activities 


Contact Ana Belenguer 

E amb84@cam.ac.uk 



Cambridge Science Festival 


● Lecture-Demonstrations ‘The Physical Attraction of 

Chemical Reactions’ at 11am, 1.30pm and 4pm by 

Dr Peter Wothers. ‘Chemical Magic’ hands-on activities 

ongoing throughout the day 

Contact Ana Belenguer 

T amb84@cam.ac.uk 

MIDLANDS 


North Staffordshire Section 

Astrochemistry 

Keele University 

● Prof Ian Sims, Université de Rennes 1, France 

Contact Dr David McGarvey 

T 01782 584142 E d.j.mcgarvey@chem.keele.ac.uk 


Birmingham and West Midlands Section 

The Application of Computer Simulations 

to Biological Systems 

University of Warwick 

● Dr Jon Essex, University of Southampton 

Contact Prof Martin Wills 

T 024 7652 3260 E M.Wills@warwick.ac.uk 


East Midlands Section 

Section Meeting 

University of Leicester 

● Dr John Owen 

Contact Dr Bernard Rawlings 

T 0116 252 2105 E bjr2@leicester.ac.uk 



Student Chemical Society Lecture: 

A Career in Research 

University of Nottingham 

● Dr Chris Hayes, University of Nottingham 

Contact Dr Martin McCoustra 

T 0115 9513568 E martin.mccoustra@nottingham.ac.uk 



Interfaces in Ionic Systems – Some Surprising Effects 

University of Birmingham 

● Prof Paul Madden FRS, University of Oxford 

Contact Dr Roy Johnston 

T 0121 414 7477 E roy@tc.bham.ac.uk 



Introducing Soft Nanotechnology 


● Prof Tony Ryan, University of Sheffield 

Contact Dr Jon Preece 

T 0121 414 3528 E j.a.preece@bham.ac.uk 



Borrowing Hydrogen – An Unusual Trick 

in Organic Synthesis 


● Prof Jonathan M J Williams, University of Bath 

Contact Dr Martin Wills 


23 February, 2pm to 5.30pm ID=12560 


Third Leicester Half-Day Catalysis Symposium 

Venue tba 

● Various speakers 





Student Chemical Society Lecture: Smack, Crack, 

Speed and Weed – A Forensic Chemist’s Tale 


● Dr Mike Griffin, Forensic Science Service, London 

Laboratory 

Contact Dr Martin McCoustra 




Visit to Bass Brewery 

Bass Brewery Museum, Burton Upon Trent 

Contact Tony Szpala 

T 01623 727162 E tszpala@tst-ltd.com 



What Would You Like for Lunch, Dr Frankenstein? 

Nottingham Trent University 

● Prof P Lilliford, University of York 





Chemical Biology Lecture: From Acetate to 

Actinorhodin – the Enzymology of Polyketide 

Biosynthesis 


● Dr Russell Cox, University of Bristol 





Harnessing Organometallic Chemistry: 

Progress and Plans 


● Prof Susan Gibson, King’s College London 




NMRDG, Science and Technology Board 

Advances in NMR on Small Amounts of Material 

AstraZeneca R&D, Charnwood 

Contact Richard Lewis 

T 01509 644062 E richard.j.lewis@astrazeneca.com 

1 March, 3pm ID=11498 

North Staffordshire Section 

The Changing Atmosphere 

Keele University 

● Dr P S Monks, University of Leicester 

Contact David McGarvey 

T 01782 584142 E d.j.mcgarvey@chem.keele.ac.uk 



Synthesis of natural & unnatural materials: 

a matter of conjugation 


● Prof Andrew Holmes, University of Cambridge 



4 March, 6.45pm ID=11565 




● Dr David Kelly, University of Cardiff 





Student Chemical Society Lecture: 

The Magic of Chemistry 


● Dr Malcolm Armstrong, Theatrical Pyrotechnics Ltd 

Dr Martin McCoustra 


9 March, 7pm ID=11451 


The Story of Nitric Oxide: How a Small Toxic 

Molecule Made it to the Big Time 


● Prof Martin Hughes, King’s College, 

University of London 

Contact Mr David Jones 

E d.j.jones@freenet.co.uk 

10 March, 4.30pm ID=12154 


Interfaces in Ionic Systems – 

Some Surprising Effects 


● Prof Paul Madden FRS, University of Oxford 

Contact Dr Roy Johnston 

T 0121 414 7477 E roy@tc.bham.ac.uk 

10 March, AGM at 6.15pm, talk at 7pm ID=12484 


Annual General Meeting, followed by Smack, 

Crack, Speed and Week – a Forensic Chemist’s Tale 


● Dr Mike Griffen, Metropolitan Police Drugs Division 

Contact Trevor Birt 

T 01527 833641 E trevorjbirt@aol.com 

11 March, 4pm ID=11525 


Pizzas, Polymorphs & Pills 


● Prof Roger J Davey, UMIST 



NORTH EAST ENGLAND 


Southumbria Section 


The Kingsway, Cleethorpes 

Contact Jeff Wilson 

T 01472 871653 


Newcastle upon Tyne and North East Section 

Distinguishing Left from Right: 

Chiral Molecules at Surfaces 

University of Newcastle upon Tyne 

● Prof Neville Richardson, University of St Andrews 

Contact Dr Ian Edwards 

T 0191 222 7130 E ian.edwards@ncl.ac.uk 


DIARYYour guide to RSC events in the coming month 


Teesside Section 

Luminescent Molecules as Information Processors 

University of Durham 

● Prof Amilra P de Silva, Queen’s University Belfast 

Contact Peter Scott 

E p.j.h.scott@durham.ac.uk 


Sheffield and District Section 

Nyholm Lecture: Functional Ligands for Reactivity 

and Catalysis with Metal Complexes 

Sheffield University 


Contact Richard King 

T 0114 222 9309 E r.m.king@sheffield.ac.uk 

18 February, 6.30pm, buffet at 6pm ID=12578 

North Humberside Section 


University of Hull 

Contact Dr Tom McCreedy 

T 01482 466407 E T.McCreedy@hull.ac.uk 



Poisons from the Sea – Or When To 

Avoid the Fish Course 


● Dr Jim Ballantyne, University of Swansea/Director 

EPSRC National Mass Spectrometry Centre 


T 0114 222 9309 E r.m.king@sheffield.ac.uk 


Analytical Division North East Region 

Analysis Of Endocrine Disruptors 

Central Science Laboratory 

● Various Speakers 

Contact Warwick Anderson 

T 01904462561 E w.anderson@csl.gov.uk 



Telomerase and Telomeric DNA: 

New Targets for Chemical Biology 

University of Newcastle upon Tyne 

● Prof Stephen Neidle, School of Pharmacy, London 

Contact Dr Ian Edwards 



Huddersfield Section 

W E Scott 6th Form Lecture: 

Choctastic – The Science of Chocolate 

University of Huddersfield 

● Dr A Matthews, De Montfort University, Leicester 

Contact Dr Stephen Turner 

T 01422 359462 E steve@turners7.freeserve.co.uk 



Industrial Lecture by CIBA Speciality Chemicals 





Southumbria Section 

Wine tasting evening and lecture: 

Chemistry Behind Wines – Pain or Pleasure? 

Franklin College, Grimsby 

● Jeff Fieldsend 

Contact Mike Lidgard 

T 01472875000 daytime E mike.lidgard@franklin.ac.uk 

3 March, 12.30pm ID=11873 



Venue tba 





Theophilus Redwood Lecture: Molecules Under 

the Microscope: Probing Structure and 

Recognition with the Atomic Force Microscope 


● Prof S J B Tendler, University of Nottingham 


T 0114 222 9309 E R.M.King@sheffield.ac.uk 

4 March, refreshments at 4pm, ID=12517 

lecture at 4.15pm 

Central Yorkshire Section 

Backbones of the Sexes: 

Vertebral Dimorphism in Males and Females 

University of Bradford 

● Dr Robert Pastor, University of Bradford 

Contact Dr Nazira Karodia 

T 01274 233790 E n.karodia@bradford.ac.uk 




Parkmore Hotel, Eaglescliffe 

Contact Dr Neil Cameron 

T 0191 3342008 E n.r.cameron@durham.ac.uk 

8 March, refreshments at 6pm, ID=12519 

lecture at 6.30pm 

Central Yorkshire Section 

The Chemistry and Physics of Ice Cream 

University of York 

● Dr Andrew Cox, Unilever Research 

Contact Dr John McGrady 

T 01904 434539 E jem15@york.ac.uk 

9 March, 5.15pm ID=12324 


Smallpox, Anthrax and Syphilis: 

Weapons of Mass Destruction 

University of Durham 

● Prof T H Pennington, University of Aberdeen 

Contact Peter Scott 

E p.j.h.scott@durham.ac.uk 

9 March ID=12118 

RSC 

Improving Teaching & Learning in Chemistry Using ICT 

Sheffield Hallam University 

● Mr Steve Lewis, Head of Chemistry at Shrewsbury 

Sixth Form College 

Contact Lorraine Hart, RSC 

T 020 7440 3350 E hartl@rsc.org 

10 March, 12pm for 12.30pm ID=11874 


Opto-electronics 


● Prof M Bryce, University of Durham 



10 March, 5.15pm ID=12326 


Section meeting 

University of Teesside 

● Prof David Russell, University of East Anglia 

Contact Dr Zulf Ali 

T 01642 342463 E z.ali@tees.ac.uk 

15 March, 6.30pm ID=12585 


Committee Meeting plus Wine Tasting 

Northumbria University 

● Mark Savage, wine critic for the Journal 

Contact Ian Edwards 


NORTH WEST ENGLAND 


Lancaster and District Section 

Leather – Ancient Material for 

a Modern World 

Vincent’s Bistro, Preston College 

● Richard Turner, Deputy Chief Executive of SATRA 

Contact Harry Clarke 

T 01995 640003 E harry.clarke6@btopenworld.com 


Cumbria Section 

Radioactive Waste and Environmental 

Molecular Science 

The Chase Hotel, Whitehaven 

● Prof Francis Livens, Radiochemistry Centre, 

University of Manchester 

Contact Alex Jenkins 

T 01946 774597 E aj42@bnfl.com 

10 March, 4.30pm ID=12737 

Liverpool Section 

Transition Metals and Catalysis 

University of Liverpool 

● Dr Helen Aspinall 

Contact Dr Helen Aspinall 

T 0151 794 3528 E hca@liverpool.ac.uk 

15 March, 6pm ID=12302 

Manchester and District Section 


followed by a Dinner 

Simply Heathcotes, Manchester 

Contact John Grime 

T 01706 379860 

IRELAND 

12 February, time tba ID=11412 

Republic of Ireland Section 


Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin 

Contact Prof Kevin Nolan 

T 00 353 1 4042803 E kbnolan@rcsi.ie 


Northern Ireland Section 

Andrews Club Lecture: 

Molecules and Dust in Stars, 

Nebulae and the Interstellar Medium 

Queen’s University Belfast 

● Prof P Sarre, University of Nottingham 

Contact Dr M Migaud 

T 028 9027 4339 E m.migaud@qub.ac.uk 


Northern Ireland Section 

Andrews Club Lecture: 

Catalysis Using Gold 

Queen’s University Belfast 

● Prof G Hutchings, Cardiff University 

Contact Dr M Migaud 

T 028 9027 4339 E m.migaud@qub.ac.uk 



EVENTS 

Key speakers lined up for electroanalysis event 

New developments in potentiometric electroanalysis: 

towards lower levels of detection and higher precision 

ORGANISED BY THE RSC Electroanalytical 

Group, this conference will be held in 

St Mary’s College and the Department 

of Chemistry, University of Durham on 

31 March and 1 April 2004. 

This conference will demonstrate a new 

aspect of ion-selective electrodes (ISE), 

which will permit their application at lower 

levels of ions than previously possible. 

The keynote speakers are: 

Prof Eric Bakker (Auburn University, USA) – 

‘Ion-selective electrodes with low detection 

limits: the state of the art’ 

Prof Erno Lindner (University of Memphis, USA) 

Forensic Analysis 2004 

University of Lincoln, UK, 20–22 June 2004 

FORENSIC ANALYSIS 2004 will present recent 

developments in forensic investigations 

including the use of forensic analysis in 

terrorism, human identification, fire, arson 

and explosives, and instrumentation. 

Keynote speakers: 

Diane France (Colorado State University, USA) 

Dieter Deforce (University of Gent, Belgium) 

Roger Ide (Forensic Science Investigations, UK) 

Peter White (University of Lincoln, UK). 

The full programme can be found on the 

RSC website, where you can also register 

online: www.rsc.org/lap/confs/fac.htm 

● For further information contact Penny 

Mohamed at Burlington House (address on 

page 16) tel: 020 7437 8656 or email: 

conferences@rsc.org 

– ‘ISE optimization based on imaging the concentration 

profiles in the sensing membrane’. 

Supporting speakers include Dr E A H Hall 

(Cambridge), Prof K Toth (Budapest), Prof A 

Lewenstam (Finland), Prof A K Covington 

(Newcastle), Dr Chuntian Zhao (Durham), 

Prof M F Cameos (Lisbon), Dr Le Goff 

(Plymouth) and Dr R Brown (NPL). 

Offers of contributions for posters are 

welcome. 

● For further information contact 

Dr R Kataky, Department of Chemistry, 

University of Durham, DH1 3LE or email 

ritu.kataky@durham.ac.uk 

Travel grants to aid 

researchers 

THE RSC-SCI Sir Eric Rideal Trust annually 

offers financial assistance of up to £300 to 

promising academic research workers in the 

field of colloid and surface science to attend 

conferences and/or visit relevant research 

institutions. 

Applications are invited from scientists and 

young academics aged between 25 and 35 

for travel during the period from 1 June 2004 

to 31 May 2005. The closing date for 

applications is 28 February 2004. 

● For further information and application 

forms, contact the Rideal Trust, SCI Member 

Services Dept, 14-15 Belgrave Square, 

London SW1X 8PS; tel: 020 7598 1505; 

email: awards@soci.org 

The Micro:Nano 

Interface 

Glasgow, UK 

15–16 March 2004 

THIS MEETING WILL explore frontier science 

and cutting edge technologies at the 

interface between micro- and nanotechnology 

and provide a platform for 

networking between engineers and 

scientists as well as between small and 

large companies, academia and government. 

The main themes include: 

● The Micro and Nano Interface... 

The Great Divide? 

● Industrial Perspective and 

Commercialisation 

● The Cutting Edge. 

The key speakers are: 

Harold Craighead (Cornell University, USA) 

– ‘The Micro:Nano Interface’ 

Mark Welland FRS (Nanoscience Centre, 

University of Cambridge, UK) – ‘Magnetic 

Logic – the Magnetic Microchip’ 

Sharon Smith (Lockheed Martin, USA) – 

‘Applications at the Micro:Nano Interface for 

Defence and Homeland Security’ 

David Bott (ICI, UK) – ‘Applications at the 

Micro:Nano Interface – a View of the Future 

from the Chemicals Industry’ 

Andreas Manz (Institute für Spektrochemie 

und Angewandte Spektroskopie, Germany) 

– ‘Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: a 

Chemistry Perspective’ 

Justin Molloy (National Institute of Medical 

Research, MRC, London, UK) – ‘Muscle: a 

Nano-Micro Fabricated Device’ 

Symposium promises to be rewarding 

A WHOLE-DAY Materials Chemistry Forum/Dalton Oxford) and three Industrially-sponsored Award 

Division symposium entitled ‘Rewarding Solids lectures. Professor J T S Irvine (University of St 

and Surfaces’ will be held in the Department of Andrews) will lecture on ‘Fuel Cell Science and 

Chemistry at the University of St Andrews at Technology’, Professor PF McMillan (University 

10.30am on Thursday 18 March 2004. 

College London) on ‘Solid State Chemistry’ and 

This will incorporate an Interdisciplinary Professor N V Richardson (University of St 

Award Lecture by Professor P G Bruce 

Andrews) on ‘Surface and Colloid Chemistry’. 

(University of St Andrews), a Corday-Morgan 

Medal Lecture by Professor R E Morris 

● For further information contact Stanley 

(University of St Andrews), a Meldola Medal Langer, Burlington House (address on page 

Lecture by Dr M A Hayward (University of 16) or email langers@rsc.org 

Register online at www.rsc.org/MicroNano 

● For more information and a registration 

form contact the RSC conference team, 

Burlington House (address on page 16) 

tel 020 7437 8656 or email 

conferences@rsc.org 

In association with 

the RSC journal 

Lab-on-a-Chip. 

In collaboration with the IoP and IEE. 

WWW.RSC.ORG RSC NEWS 

11

MAXIMISING ME 

Working towards Chartered Chemist status 

ACHIEVING CHARTERED status in any 

profession denotes to the wider community a 

high level of specialised subject knowledge 

and professional competence. Chartered 

Chemist (CChem) is awarded by the RSC, so 

if you are an experienced, practising chemist 

who has an in-depth knowledge of your 

subject you may be eligible to apply. 

If you can demonstrate significant personal 

achievements based upon chemistry, 

professionalism in the workplace and a 

commitment to maintaining technical 

expertise through continuing professional 

development (CPD), read on. To become a 

Chartered Chemist you are required to: 

● be MRSC or FRSC; 

● hold an RSC accredited degree or 

equivalent; 

● demonstrate that the chemical knowledge 

Professionally 

speaking 

ANTHONY 

CRAWSHAW MRSC 

is a 29-year-old 

analytical chemist 

who has an HND in 

Science (Chemistry) 

and a BSc (Hons) in 

Chemistry from 

Sheffield Hallam 

University (an RSC accredited degree). 

After temping in various QC labs Anthony 

joined Quintiles in April 1999 as an 

analyst in the Pharmaceutical Analysis Lab 

and is now a laboratory supervisor. Here, 

Anthony explains how working towards 

CChem is helping his career progression. 

WHAT ARE YOUR DAY-TO-DAY 

RESPONSIBILITIES? 

I am responsible for the day-to-day 

running of several projects. This includes 

organising the workload for three analysts 

within my team, as well as checking any 

work performed, preparing reports and 

protocols. 

I am also responsible for organising any 

personal development or technical training 

needs for my team. 

and skills derived from your education and 

training are critical to fulfiling the 

requirements of your job; 

● demonstrate the development of 12 

professional attributes. 

The Professional Development Programme 

(PDP) is the normal route to CChem and is 

part of the RSC’s CPD framework. The PDP is 

undertaken in employment and is for a 

minimum period of two years, with guidance 

usually provided through your line manager 

or an experienced colleague, who acts as 

a mentor . 

The PDP relates primarily to your 

achievements, approach and attitude towards 

work and work-related matters. On behalf of 

the RSC, the mentor supports you and 

ensures that the activities pursued are in 

accordance with high level professional 

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE CAREER PLANS 

AND WHAT ADDITIONAL SKILLS DO YOU 

NEED TO ACHIEVE THEM? 

Although I still feel that I am not fully 

rounded with regards to several analytical 

techniques, I would ultimately like to move 

upwards into a more managerial role. I now 

need to develop further my personal skills 

through expanding my technical knowledge 

and keeping up to date with the industry. I 

also need to develop my communication, 

organisational and multi-tasking skills. 

Other areas I want to focus on are 

developing my oral and written presentation 

skills and time management. 

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO DEVELOP 

THESE SKILLS? 

Quintiles offers a very rigorous training and 

development programme, specifically tailored 

to my level within the department. Working 

towards CChem gives me an advantage 

as the assessment encourages me to be 

pro-active in developing these skills in 

addition to following the company’s own 

training programme. 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CCHEM 

TO YOU AND YOUR COMPANY? 

More and more, industry is placing a 

greater emphasis on personal development 

and working towards CChem has made 

me re-focus on my career and get back to 

practice that can ultimately be recognised by 

the award of CChem. Alternatively, if you have 

more than 10 years of appropriate 

postgraduate experience, CChem can be 

achieved via a Direct Award. This works in a 

similar way to the PDP but you are able to 

relate your application retrospectively to your 

experience. 

● If you are interested in working towards 

CChem, find out more by contacting David 

Barr at Thomas Graham House (address on 

page 16), call 01223 432258 or email 

barrd@rsc.org. Full details are also available 

at www.rsc.org/members/cchem.htm 

The RSC’s CPD framework is available to all 

members. For a copy of the framework go 

to www.rsc.org/members/cpd/index.htm or 

email cpd@rsc.org 

the basics of chemistry. The Professional 

Development Programme (PDP) has 

encouraged me to work with people 

outside my own department, providing 

great networking opportunities. It has 

also given me an incentive to try and 

broaden my scope within our business 

and find new business opportunities/ 

services that may be of interest to 

our clients. 

I feel that the RSC’s PDP is well 

structured and extremely effective. I meet 

once a month with my mentor to discuss 

my progress and any new ideas. 

I feel that any member who is eligible 

but not currently working towards CChem 

should seriously consider it. It may seem 

like a lot of additional work, but in reality, 

if it is well planned and maintained, the 

PDP almost runs itself. At the end of the 

two years you will not only be highly 

regarded within your own company but 

also to any prospective employer. 

ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH ANY 

OTHER RSC ACTIVITIES? 

As the RSC Younger Member Rep for 

Edinburgh and South East Scotland, I am 

the first point of contact for members under 

35 in the local area. I also attend local 

section meetings and organise events for 

younger members. I am also the RSC Rep 

for Quintiles. 



MBERSHIP 

Wanted: an enthusiastic young science writer 

THE RSC IS OFFERING student members a his experience confirmed his ambition to follow 

work placement opportunity on its new a career in science publishing. “I learned how to 

monthly magazine, Chemistry World. 

write numerous different types of articles, from 

The ideal candidate will be a young, 

industrial news items to full-length features, and 

enthusiastic student member of the RSC who the whole experience simply reaffirmed my wish 

is approaching the end of a degree or 

to be a science writer in the future,” he says. 

postgraduate course. The person selected will 

spend eight weeks with the RSC’s news team ● If you would like to be considered for the 

in Cambridge. The fellowship is supported by 2004 placement, send us your CV, together 

a bursary of £1,600 – generously provided by with a letter explaining why you feel you 

The Marriott Bequest Trust. 

would benefit from the experience and 

The aim of the Marriott student scheme is enclosing any samples of your written 

not necessarily to turn scientists into 

work (if you don’t have any examples then 

journalists, but to give them the chance to compose your own Chemical Science-style 

sample some of the opportunities available in piece) to: Editor, Chemistry World, Thomas 

publishing. The RSC is keen that as many Graham House (address on page 16). 

chemical scientists as possible are familiar Closing date for applications is 14 March 

with communication techniques and that the 2004. Please provide both home and 

profession is well-represented in the media. term-time contact addresses and 

Michael Nagle, 2002’s Marriott student, says telephone numbers. 

RI offers ‘science graduate of the year’ award 

L’OREAL AND the Royal Institution (RI) are To apply, candidates should submit a onepage 

summary of their research, indicating the 

inviting applications for The Science Graduate 

of the Year Award from students working in way in which it meets the criteria, together 

the life sciences, physical sciences, chemistry, with a CV and a report from their supervisor. 

plant sciences and medicine. 

There is no application form to complete. 

Now in its fifth year, the award is open to 

● Send applications, quoting reference 

young researchers in British and Irish universities SG04/02, to: Head of Programmes, The 

who have not yet submitted their doctoral Royal Institution,21 Albemarle Street, 

thesis. The award recognises high quality 

London W1S 4BS or by email to 

research which shows originality and innovation. obrown@ri.ac.uk 

The winner will receive £6,000, media training ● For further information visit 

and life membership of the RI. All candidates www.rigb.org/events/awards.html 

selected for interview will be given special Applications to arrive no later than 

recognition, media training and a £200 prize. Friday 5 March 2004. 

Careers day proves useful for students 

SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT chemical involved with your university chemical 

society has given undergraduate and 

society, why not get in touch with local 

postgraduate students the chance to find or national companies and hold your 

out about potential employers and how own event? 

membership of the RSC can help with 

The RSC can help student chemical 

career development. 

societies by providing funds and lecture 

At a recent careers day, students heard a grants for such events, which can help attract 

number of presentations from representatives other sponsors. Sponsorship will help finance 

of Unilever, Pfizer, Celltech, GSK and the RSC, an event and provide the kind of profile 

who highlighted what companies look for in needed to attract students. 

new graduates. 

Careers days are a great way to find out ● For more information on funding go to 

more about specific careers. If you are 

www.rsc.org/getinvolved 

Younger members and 

Local Section join forces 

THE MID-ANGLIA Younger Members 

Network joined forces with the Mid-Anglia 

Local Section in December to hold the 

2003 RSC Medicinal and Organic Chemistry 

Postgraduate Symposium. 

The symposium attracted delegates from 

as far afield as Cardiff and St Andrews, and 

showcased the innovative research of six 

postgraduate speakers and 40 poster 

delegates. Professor Chris Moody of Exeter 

University gave the keynote lecture on 

Heterocycles and Peptides. 

RSC members won all the prizes, with the 

poster prize being jointly awarded to Karen 

Johnston (Herriot Watt University) and 

Charles Papageorgiou (Cambridge 

University) who said: “The level of chemistry 

at the conference was extremely high and I 

feel privileged to have won this award. It 

was also very exciting and stimulating to 

share my chemistry with my fellow students 

and pick up some useful suggestions.” 

Charlotte Haskins (Cardiff University) – 

pictured above – received the presentation 

prize for her talk on ‘Applications of 

5-endo-Trig Cyclisations to Target 

Syntheses’. Charlotte was grateful for the 

chance to talk about her project and said: “I 

was delighted to win the award; the whole 

day was fantastic – great talks and some 

really interesting posters. I think symposia 

like this are really important – it’s very rare 

for students to get the opportunity to speak 

about their work.” 

The day concluded with a mixer meeting 

which provided an excellent informal 

networking opportunity for both students 

and sponsors. 

This symposium was sponsored by the 

RSC, OSI Pharmaceuticals, GSK, 

AstraZeneca, Organon, Astex Technology, 

Pfizer and Lilly. 


MEMBER NEWS 

Deaths 

● Mr Phillip Atkinson CChem MRSC – Business development 

manager, Sensient Flavors Ltd. Died 18 September 2003, aged 42. 

● Mr Barrie James Cann MRSC – Scientist, Shell Global Solutions. 

Died 9 September 2003, aged 48. 

● Mr John Elwyn Charles CChem FRSC – Retired. Died 9 May 2003, 

aged 80. 

● Mr Allan James Cliffe MRSC – Retired higher scientific officer, AFRC 

Institute of Food Research. Died 12 August 2003, aged 64. 

● Mr Joseph Holgate Cooper CChem FRSC – Retired headmaster, 

Ripon City School. Died 29 November 2003, aged 79. 

● Professor John Wynford Daniel CChem FRSC – Retired visiting 

Professor of Toxicology, Queen Elizabeth College, University of London. 

Died 6 October 2003, aged 76. 

● Mr Eric Dernie CChem FRSC – Retired operations manager, ICI Plc, 

Fibres Division. Died 27 October 2003, aged 74. 

● Mr James Ronald Eglen CChem FRSC – Retired senior county 

adviser, Education Department, Lancashire County Council. Died 28 

October 2003, aged 75. 

● Dr Eustace Anthony Evans CChem MRSC – Retired manager, 

Group Patents, Amersham International Ltd. Died 19 September 2003, 

aged 72. 

● Professor Roy Foster CChem FRSC – Retired Professor of Physical 

Organic Chemistry, University of Dundee. Died 8 November 2003, 

aged 75. 

● Mr Derek Francis Gentle CChem FRSC – Retired director, European 

Operations, Conix Corporation. Died 4 June 2003, aged 66. 

● Mr Danny Ramnanan Goberdhan MRSC – Retired executive officer, 

Department of Trade & Industry. Died 9 July 2003, aged 62. 

● Mr Ronald Arthur Hancock CChem FRSC – Retired research 

manager, Arcotronics Ltd. Died 15 October 2003, aged 78. 

● Mr Derek William Houghton CChem FRSC – Retired director of 

quality assurance, G D Searle & Co Ltd. Died 1 November 2003, 

aged 77. 

● Mr Paul John Jackson MRSC – Retired analytical chemist, 

Ferro-Alloys & Metals Ltd. Died 28 October 2003, aged 56. 

● Mr John Arthur Law CChem FRSC – Retired operations services 

manager, Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd. Died 2 October 2003, aged 77. 

● Dr George Sidney Sach CChem MRSC – Retired senior chemist, 

Research Institute, Smith Kline & French Res Ltd. Died 26 March 2003, 

aged 74. 

● Dr Rowland Whincup Saville CChem FRSC – Retired senior 

consultant, MG Bennett & Assoc Ltd. Died 8 September 2003, 

aged 78. 

● Mr Malcolm William Simpson CChem MRSC – Retired self 

employed consultant. Died 6 October 2003, aged 65. 

● Mr David Francis Smith MRSC – Head of physical science, 

Eastholm School. Died 15 August 2003, aged 54. 

● Mr Richard Walter Thompson CChem FRSC – Retired senior principal 

chemist, Laporte Industries Ltd. Died 7 September 2003, aged 69. 

● Mr William Henry Towne CChem MRSC – Retired works shift 

manager, ICI Ltd, Mond Division. Died 2 October 2003, aged 78. 

● Dr Geoffrey Arthur Wood CChem MRSC – Retired senior chemist, 

London Transport. Died 28 August 2003, aged 83. 

● Mr Jonathan Mark (known as Mark) Woodburn CChem MRSC – 

Formerly senior formulation research scientist, BASF Agro Research. 

Died 7 November 2003, aged 46. 

RSC members receive New Year’s Honours 

THE RSC IS delighted to announce the names of those members who received awards in 

the Queen’s New Year Honours List, published on 30 December 2003. 

OBE 

● Professor Roy Michael Harrison CChem FRSC 

The Queen Elizabeth II Birmingham Centenary Professor 

of Environmental Health. 

Awarded an OBE for services to environmental science. 

MBE 

● Mr Terence Bucknall CChem MRSC 

Environmental Protection Officer, Environment Agency. 

Awarded an MBE for services to environmental protection 

in East Lancashire. 

● Mr Colin Howard Johnson CChem FRSC 

Director, Techniquest. 

Awarded an OBE for services to science. 

● Miss Dorothy Florence Leslie CChem FRSC 

Retired. Awarded an MBE for services to the Samaritans 

and to the community in Horsham, West Sussex. 

● Dr Malcolm Leonard Windsor CChem FRSC 

Secretary, North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation. 

Awarded an OBE for services to salmon conservation. 

● Dr David Nisbet Wilson MRSC 

Director, Lead Development Association International. 

Awarded an MBE for services to lead production. 

14 RSC NEWS 


RSC awards research fund grants 

THE RSC RESEARCH FUND Committee has 

allocated a total of £31,120 to 27 members this 

year. The fund exists to support chemical and 

chemical education research in institutions 

with limited means, and is supplemented by a 

subvention from the Analytical Chemistry Trust 

Fund to support applicants researching into 

appropriate areas of chemistry. 

The successful applicants for 2004 are: 

Dr M F A Adamo (Royal College of Surgeons, 

Dublin); Professor M J Ahmed (University of 

Chittagong, Bangladesh); Professor M Barón 

(Universidad de Belgrano, Buenos Aires, 

Argentina); Professor M A I Barsy (South 

Valley University, Aswan, Egypt); 

Dr M M F Choi (Hong Kong Baptist 

University); Professor A De (Indian 

Association for the Cultivation of Science, 

Kolkata, India); Dr A Economou (Aristotle 

University of Thessaloniki, Greece); 

Dr O B Familoni (University of Lagos, Nigeria); 

Dr M G Francesconi (University of Hull); 

Dr A N Gachanja (Jomo Kenyatta University of 

Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya); 

Dr F Goycoolea (Centre of Research for Food 

and Development, Sonora, Mexico); 

Dr Y A Jackson (University of the West Indies, 

Mona, Jamaica); Professor S N Karkhanis 

(Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune, 

India); Professor S F Kimbu (University of 

Yaounde 1, Cameroon); Dr A Kotali (Aristotle 

University of Thessaloniki, Greece); 

Dr M N V R Kumar (National Institute of 

Pharmaceutical Education and Research, 

Mohali, India); Dr T A Lawless (Weymouth 

College); Professor Ji Liang-Nian (Zhongshou 

University, Guangzhou, China); 

Dr S Liawruangrath (Chiang Mai University, 

Thailand); Dr P K T Lin (Robert Gordon 

University, Aberdeen); Dr E G Mata 

(Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina); 

Dr S McDowell (University of the West Indies, 

Bridgetown, Barbados); Dr A W G Platt/ 

Dr A Lees (Staffordshire University, Stoke-on- 

Trent); Dr O A Rakitin (N D Zelinsky Institute 

of Organic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia); 

Dr Qi Jun Song (Southern Yangtze University 

Jangsu, China); Professor Run-Cang Sun 

(South China University of Technology, 

Guangzhou, China) and Dr M C Tedford (Bell 

College, Hamilton). 

● The closing date for grant applications for 

2005 is 31 October 2004. Details are available 

from Stanley Langer, Burlington House 

(address on page 16), tel: 020 7440 3325, 

fax: 020 7734 1227, or email: langers@rsc.org 

RSC rewards top marks for students 

EACH YEAR THE RSC awards prizes to those students achieving the highest mark in A-level, 

Higher and Advanced Higher examinations in the UK. See news item on page 3. 

Student School Exam Board 

Brendan Joseph 

Christian Brothers’ 

Northern Ireland CEA 

Gallagher 

Grammar School 

Ysgol Gyfun 

Welsh Joint Education 

Emma Lucy Smith 

Aberaeron 

Committee 

Joanne Elizabeth Reeve The Grange School Edexcel 

Hyeyoun Chung St Paul’s Girl’s School Edexcel 

Christopher A Boulden West Buckland School OCR 

Sophie Atkinson 

The School of St Helen 

and St Catherine 

OCR 

Mark A Rodrigues Birkenhead School AQA 

Alexander Toby 

John Shutter 

Tonbridge School 

AQA 

Ben Hall Grange Academy Scottish Qualifications 

Authority 

Paul A Paterson 

Hamilton Grammar Scottish Qualifications 

School 

Authority 

Alan J Rankine 

Best Chemistry Investigation 

Elgin Academy 

for Advanced Higher 

Analysts needed for 

Road Traffic Act booklet 

A NEW EDITION of the RTA booklet will be 

printed in spring 2004 and we are looking 

for new entries to add to the list. 

The booklet, containing a list of analytical 

chemists who are able to undertake the 

analysis of blood and urine specimens for 

the determination of the alcohol content, is 

published by the RSC, in collaboration with 

the Association of Public Analysts, as a 

service to the public. 

To be included in the RSC booklet you 

must be a member of the RSC who has 

attained a high academic standard, and have 

practised the profession of chemistry for an 

approved period. 

● If you are interested in being included 

in the booklet, contact Julie Franklin for 

an informal discussion, tel 020 7440 

3312, email franklinj@rsc.org 

Changing job? 

IF YOU CHANGE job, please remember to 

inform the Membership Administration 

Department at Thomas Graham House to 

have your records updated. 

If you would like the news included in 

RSC News, you must specifically ask for the 

information to be forwarded. Alternatively, 

you can write to the Editor, RSC News at 

Thomas Graham House (address on page 

16) or email rscnews@rsc.org 

Young medicinal chemist 

receives memorial award 

THE CAPPS GREEN Zomaya Award Committee 

is delighted to announce that Dr Jon Bentley 

MRSC, research leader in Medicinal Chemistry 

at GSK Verona, Italy, has won the inaugural 

Capps Green Zomaya Award. 

This award is for younger medicinal 

chemists and is named in memory of three 

chemists tragically killed in a light plane 

crash in 2001. The award consists of £1,000, 

plus a medal. 

Dr Bentley will be presenting a lecture on 

novel 5HT 2c receptor agonists at the RSC 

Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Sector’s 

East of England Medicinal Chemistry 

Symposium, to be held on 22 April 2004 at 

the Fielder Centre, University of Hertfordshire. 


AND FINALLY... 

Limerick competition: 

the winning entries 

CONGRATULATIONS TO both winners in our 

two categories of the Chemistry Week 

limerick competition. We received around 

1,500 entries of such high quality that it has 

taken a lot longer than expected to draw up a 

shortlist – let alone choose the winners! 

The winners and runners up are as follows: 

ADULT CATEGORY 

Winner: Ron Falder, Lilleshall, Shropshire. 

Second place: Denis Cruse, Tonbridge School. 

Runners-up: I Bratt, L Conroy, P Kyle, 

TH Page, D Peasgood, J Power, J P Poyser, 

J Samson, C R Seabourne, Y Ridge, 

H Thompson, A Wilson and S Wise. 

UNDER 16s 

Winner: Abigail Murcott (age 11) of King 

Edward V1 High School for Girls, Edgbaston. 

Joint second places: Helen Parsons (Year 8), 

Highworth School, Ashford, Kent. 

Grace Howson (age 10) Waterlooville, Hants. 

Runners-up: Charlotte Birch, Katie Rowberry, 

Emma Lester, Thomas McDougall and 

Marisa Barnard. 

We had multiple entries from 50 schools 

with King Edward VI High School for Girls, 

Edgbaston sending in nearly 200 entries 

and King’s School, Ely sending nearly 80. 

A special mention too should go Highworth 

School, Ashford for its 86 entries, many 

of which included colourful illustrations. 

Head of chemistry, Dr Jane Bridge, said: 

“It was a great idea and lots of fun – we 

shall be doing it again!” 

In the adult section, Dr Ian Bratt, South 

Africa, deserves a highly commended 

award for sending in 39 limericks 

for 39 different elements. Also, thanks to 

Mr D Peasgood for making the judging 

so enjoyable with his amusing entries. 

The quality of the entries was so 

good that we will be publishing a 

selection of the limericks in both 

RSC News and Education in Chemistry 

in the next few months and also on 

the RSC website. 

The first and second prize winning 

entries are shown on the right. 

Special introductory offer exclusive 

to RSC members! 

THE RSC HAS just published A History of Beer and Brewing by Ian Hornsey of Nethergate Brewery. 

With over 600 pages of fascinating facts, why not while away the winter evenings by discovering 

the mysteries of this ancient beverage? (Go to www.rsc.org/books/6305 for full details of the book 

and its content.) The normal price to members is £25.75 – but you can take advantage of a special 

introductory offer and buy this book for just £20.00 – a saving of 50 per cent on the full price. 

This special offer, and the sale offers listed below, are only valid until 31 March – so 

don’t delay! To order any of the titles, please contact our sales department on 01223 432360 

(email sales@rsc.org) quoting reference RSCnews03. 

Title 

Chemical Analysis in the 

Laboratory: A Basic Guide 

Chemistry, Society and Environment: 

A New History of the British Chemical Industry* 

ISBN 

Original 

member price 

Sale price 

0 85404 646 1 £12.00 £10.00 

0 85404 599 6 £45.50 £40.00 

Assessment and Reclamation of Contaminated Land 0 85404 275 X £21.25 £15.00 

Food Safety and Food Quality 0 85404 270 9 £21.25 £15.00 

Trace Element Speciation for Environment, 

Food and Health* 

0 85404 459 0 £48.75 £40.00 

UNDER 16s – WINNER 

There is a dull metal called zinc 

That can help keep your health in the pink 

Some say it beats colds, 

It can treat burns and scolds 

And will cure a sore throat in a wink! 

Abigail Murcott 

UNDER 16s – JOINT SECOND PRIZE 

The soil has so much uranium 

It killed my prize geranium 

It would have won shows, 

But now it just glows 

Enough to light up a stadium. 

Helen Parsons 

ADULT – WINNER 

The compounds of sodium are great, 

If you can tell the chloride from chlorate 

The one makes fried chips 

Tastes good on your lips, 

The other clears weed from your gate. 

Ron Falder 

ADULT – SECOND PRIZE 

Silicon has a role as a semi- 

Conductor in PCs that many 

Enjoy for a game, 

Mail, net, book a plane - 

And these small chips are now ten a penny. 

Denis Cruse 

UNDER 16s – JOINT SECOND PRIZE 

Cobalt is vital to me 

For it’s a part of the vitamin B 

It also makes ink 

That’s a very pale pink 

But when dry, it’s invisible, tee hee! 

This poem is making you think 

“But how do you turn it back pink?” 

(Silly old you 

It turns back BLUE) 

To do this you heat up the ink. 

Grace Howson 

CONTACT US 

ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY 

Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BA 

Tel: +44 (0)20 7437 8656 

Fax: +44 (0)20 7437 8883 

Thomas Graham House, Science Park, 

Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 0WF 

Tel: +44 (0)1223 420066 

Fax: +44 (0)1223 423623 

email: rsc@rsc.org 

www.rsc.org 

Registered Charity Number 207890 

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2004 

Please note: all titles are soft cover, except those marked *

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