IUPAC e-press 15 May 2003

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This is the first issue of the "IUPAC e-press" newsletter.  This newsletter is distributed to scientific magazines and journals that have readership with a potential interest in current and recent IUPAC activities.  I would like to invite you to use the excerpts below in your publication, and encourage you to explore the links.  Please ask any questions you may have about the featured news, and thank you for your support of IUPAC.

Most Sincerely,
Laura Abernathy, Communications Specialist
[email protected]

CONTENTS:
IUPAC PRIZE WINNERS, 2003
IUPAC announces the winners of the 2003 Prize for Young Chemists
<http://www.iupac.org/news/prize/2003_winners.html>
PUBLICATIONS

Issue devoted to the review and research papers based on of the International Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Products
        <http://www.iupac.org/publications/pac/2003/7502/index.html>
Examines behavior of stable and unstable chemicals in the atmosphere
<http://www.iupac.org/publications/books/author/fogg.html>
Systematic critical presentation of the methods for obtaining solubilities is given
<http://www.iupac.org/publications/books/author/hefter.html>
Whether a compound is of natural or synthetic origin is irrelevant in the development of new drugs.
<http://www.iupac.org/publications/pac/2002/7410/7410x1957.html>



IUPAC PRIZE WINNERS, 2003
IUPAC has announced the winners of the 2003 IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists. The IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists was established for the encouragement of outstanding young research scientists at the beginning of their careers. This year's winners are:

~ Roman Boulatov, "Synthesis and Reactivity of Metalloporphyrins in (A) Biomimetic Studies of Terminal Oxidases and (B) the Preparation of Novel Heterodinuclear Multiple Metal-Metal Bonds";
~ Gonzalo Cosa, "Mechanism of Degradation of Pharmaceutical Products and Analogues, and Development of a Novel Fluorescence Technique for DNA-damage Detection ";
~ Martin Trent Lemaire, "Synthesis and Coordination Chemistry of Chelating Verdazyl Radicals";
~ Christoph Schaffrath, "Biosynthesis and Enzymology of Fluorometabolite Production in Streptomyces Cattleya";
~ Kaihsu Tai, "Simulations of molecules and processes in the synapse".

In addition to a monetary award of USD 1000, the winners from both 2002 and 2003 will attend the IUPAC Congress, 10-15 August 2003, in Ottawa, Canada, and plan to present posters covering the topics of their theses. Three Honorable Mentions were also awarded to: S. Nagendran, Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur; Vincent Semetey, Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg, France (currently at Harvard University, MA, USA); Lei Wang, University of California in Berkeley, CA, USA (currently at University of California in San Diego, CA, USA).

The IUPAC Prize is awarded every year. The entry deadline for the 2004 Prize is February 1, 2004.
<http://www.iupac.org/news/prize/2003_winners.html>

PUBLICATIONS
Special Topic of PAC-Natural Products
The traditional centrality of natural products in organic chemistry is reflected in an unbroken series of biennial IUPAC symposia reaching back to 1960. The riches of Nature continue to offer inspiration and, increasingly, new challenges and opportunities for discovery and exploitation at interdisciplinary interfaces. This evolving process is reflected in the scientific program of the 23rd International Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Products, held in Florence, Italy from 28 July to 2 August 2002, which presented works devoted to a broad cross-section of traditional subdisciplines, while also featuring a range of topics such as proteomics, genetics, and molecular biology. The lectures from the Symposium are contained in a Special Topic issue of the IUPAC Journal, Pure and Applied Chemistry.

This special issue offers lectures involving the diverse coverage of structures and function in life processes, as well as novel approaches for synthesis of complex bioactive compounds, and converges on a unifying theme of the interdisciplinary foundations of drug design and synthesis. The theme is encapsulated in the opening plenary lecture with an account of new therapeutic leads inspired by Nature, and a concluding plenary presentation highlighting the design and execution of classical and new-generation synthetic strategies in pursuit of natural and unnatural targets. Biomimetic and chemoenzymatic approaches recur throughout as a complementary component of modern synthetic methodology, and exemplify the rapidly expanding boundaries of the chemistry –biology interface. New insights into biosynthetic pathways and advances in functional genomics and proteomics research featured prominently in the symposium program, and are reflected in some of the presentations in this collection. Similarly,advances in spectroscopic and computational techniques continue to facilitate problem solving and predictive power.

The issue was coordinated by Prof. J. Bull, IUPAC Special Topics Editor, and is part of an ongoing project which seeks to recognize and offer more in-depth coverage of certain IUPAC-sponsored events featuring new and emerging themes in all branches of the chemical sciences.
Conference Editor: Prof. Bruno Botta, Chairman of the Organizing Committee.
Pure Appl. Chem. Vol. 75, No. 2-3, pp.141-419 (2003)
<http://www.iupac.org/publications/pac/2003/7502/index.html>

* Chemicals in the Atmosphere: Solubility, Sources and Reactivity
Fogg, P. and Sangster, J. (Eds.)
John Wiley & Sons, 2003 [ISBN: 0-471-98651-8]

Solubilities of natural and man-made gases and vapours present in the atmosphere are important in determining their fate in the environment. A high solubility implies that the gas or vapour will be readily removed from the atmosphere by rain. A low solubility implies that it will be removed more slowly.
This book is the outcome of a Commission on Solubility Data project and follows discussions extending over several years between members of the IUPAC commission and the Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry. It provides a broad survey and theoretical basis of many aspects of the behaviour of stable and unstable chemicals in the atmosphere. There is special emphasis on heterogeneous processes at all levels of the atmosphere, and modern techniques of investigation and of modelling processes are discussed. Experimental data relating to interaction of gases with cloud droplets and with surfaces of solid particles are included, along with a detailed account of theoretical and practical aspects of Henry's law constants. Experimental values were compiled and evaluated for dissolution of 15 inorganic and 153 organic stable compounds in pure water, and in some cases, sea water.
<http://www.iupac.org/publications/books/author/fogg.html>


* The Experimental Determination of Solubilities
Hefter, G. and Tomkins, R.P.T. (Eds.)
John Wiley & Sons, 2003 [ISBN: 0-471-49708-8]

The importance of solubility phenomena has been long recognized throughout science. For example, in medicine, the solubility of gases in liquids forms the basis of life itself; in the environment, solubility phenomena influence the weathering of rocks, the creation of soils, the composition of natural water bodies and the behaviour and fate of many chemicals. However, until now, no systematic critical presentation of the methods for obtaining solubilities has been given.

The book, divided into five sections, first addresses the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic background necessary for a full understanding of solubility phenomena. The next three sections cover the major types of solubility determinations according to the physical state of the solute: gases, liquids and solids. The final section deals with technologically important areas related to solubility where traditions are sufficiently different to justify their separate presentation.

Each chapter aims to be comprehensive but not encyclopaedic, with coverage of the reliable methods in the particular area. Illustrations have been included to enable the novice investigator to quickly develop apparatus of their own. Where appropriate, contributors have included sets of data to enable workers to properly assess the quality of their apparatus, technique and data.
<http://www.iupac.org/publications/books/author/hefter.html>

* Natural and Synthetic Substances
J.G. Topliss, A.M. Clark, E. Ernst, C. Hufford, G.A.R. Johnston, J.M. Rimoldi, and B.J. Weiman
Pure Appl. Chem.  74(10), 1957-1985, 2002

The IUPAC Subcommittee on Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Development has produced a technical report concluding that natural substances and synthetic compounds are complementary as sources for new drugs. Concerns over the implications of natural vs. synthetic compounds are raised in topics ranging from herbal supplements and medicinal agents to chemical warfare.  Whether a compound is of natural or synthetic origin is irrelevant.

Natural compounds typically have complex structures not easily obtained by synthetic chemistry. Often however, the natural compound needs to be modified synthetically to enhance its desirable medicinal properties, or to reduce its toxic properties. Many useful medicinal agents are obtained by total synthesis. A chemist interested in developing a new drug for a particular disease has the option of starting with a naturally occurring substance or with more basic raw materials.

The safety and efficacy of a drug molecule is a function of its chemical structure, not its origin. The molecular structure defines its interactions with other molecules in the body, and is the reason why a substance exhibits desirable or undesirable activities.
<http://www.iupac.org/publications/pac/2002/7410/7410x1957.html>



IUPAC was formed in 1919 by chemists from industry and academia. For nearly 85 years, the Union has succeeded in fostering worldwide communications in the chemical sciences and in uniting academic, industrial and public sector chemistry in a common language. IUPAC is recognized as the world authority on chemical nomenclature, terminology, standardized methods for measurement, atomic weights and many other critically evaluated data. More information about IUPAC and its activities is available at www.iupac.org.