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by J. W. Lorimer
The
10th International Symposium on Solubility Phenomena
was held at the Home of Scientists "Frédéric
Joliot Curie" in the Sts. Constantine and Helen resort complex
north of Varna in Bulgaria on the Black Sea, from 21 to 26 July
2002. Unlike previous symposia which consisted of invited lectures
and papers given in non-overlapping sessions, this symposium was
accompanied by a Workshop on Solubility Phenomena– Application
for Environmental Improvement, whose sessions were held in parallel
with the symposium, except for one joint session. One hundred-eighty
participants from 37 countries took part. Of the scientific participants,
50 were from Bulgaria and 117 from elsewhere.
The new Subcommittee
on Solubility and Equilibrium Data of the IUPAC Analytical Chemistry
Division met over the two days prior to the symposium, with Professor
Heinz Gamsjäger (Austria) as the chair. The symposium and workshop
were chaired by Professor Christo Balarew, with Dr. Stefka Tepavitcharova
as scientific secretary; both are from the Bulgarian Academy of
Sciences.
The symposium and workshop were organized by the Bulgarian Academy
of Sciences, the Subcommittee on Solubility and Equilibrium Data,
and the International Centre of Black Sea Studies. IUPAC was the
majorsponsor of the symposium as part of the IUPAC program to provide
financial support for international symposia in developing and economically
disadvantaged countries. Support was also received from the Bulgarian
Academy of Sciences; the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science in Europe,
Venice; and the U.S. Army Research Development and Standardization
Group, UK. Sponsors for the Workshop, in addition to the Bulgarian
Academy of Sciences and UNESCO, were the International Centre of
Black Sea Studies, Athens; the European Commission, Directorate
General Research; Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Paris;
International Ocean Institute, Malta; Cesum-BS, Centre of Excellence,
Varna; Chernomorski Solnizi AD, Burgas; and Black Sea Technological
Campany, Varna. The symposium and workshop received good coverage
in the local Varna press and on Bulgarian radio.
The opening ceremonies were presided over by Professor Balarew,
symposium chair. Professor Ivan Gutzow (Bulgaria) gave the opening
plenary address on "Solubility and Crystallization in Biological
Fluids and the Problems of Life and Health," a topic that served
as an excellent introduction to both the symposium and workshop.
The Symposium was organized in 12 sessions divided among the four
sections: Quantitative Structure-Solubility Relationships; Solubility
Diagrams, Phase Relationships, and their Application; Application
of Solubility Data for Environmental Improvement of Polluted Waters
and Soils; and Application of Solubility Data in Marine-Type Solutions
and Industrial Waste Treatment. Fourteen plenary lectures and 21
contributed papers made up these sessions, and 47 posters were presented
during two evenings. The contributions themselves covered a wide
spectrum of solubility phenomena, from fundamentals of dissolution
processes through new data and modelling of solubility processes
to many applications.
The workshop was organized in six sessions divided among the three
sections: Pollution Level and Pollution Sources of Danube, Dnieper,
Dniester, Bug, and Other Rivers Flowing into the Black Sea; Black
Sea Fluxes, Monitoring of the Black Sea (including a roundtable
discussion); and Reinforcement of Regional Participation in Integrative
European Programmes for Solving Ecological Problems (with a roundtable
discussion on regional cooperation). Three plenary lectures, 25
contributed papers, and 28 posters were presented. The plenary lectures
given at both the symposium and the workshop are to be published
in Pure and Applied Chemistry under the editorship of David
Shaw (USA).
The extensive participation of delegates from countries with Black
Sea coastlines, as well as of those from countries that have historical,
economic, and political connections with the Black Sea, was a noteworthy
feature of the workshop. The workshop thus provided a valuable forum
for scientific workers to meet one another and to learn of the several
national and international programs that are addressing the many
problems connected with the ecological health of the Black Sea.
Participants enjoyed a half-day excursion to Balchik, followed
by a memorable dinner at the Ethnographic Complex "Chiflika"
in the village of Chukurovo in the Dobrich region.
J.
W. Lorimer is a professor at the University of Western Ontario,
Canada, and a long-time IUPAC member.
www.igic.bas.bg/10thISSP
www.iupac.org/divisions/V/502
