This week's C&EN

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From this week's C&EN, lots of interesting articles:

• I didn't know that a case involving Monsanto's Roundup Ready seeds made it all the way to the Supreme Court. (article by Glenn Hess)
• By Lisa Jarvis, an interview with Lilly's John Lechleiter, CEO and former process chemist. He's says that they're expanding R&D; I hope that's true. 
• A small roundup of new trifluoromethylation methods by Stephen Ritter. 
• This story about a fertilizer plant in Indiana and IEDs in Afghanistan is fascinating, including a short article where they explain how calcium ammonium nitrate is weaponized for use as explosives. (both by Glenn Hess.) 
• From Carmen Drahl, a writeup on #RealTimeChem and a great video on BlogSyn.
• A really nice article on photo conservation science by Sarah Everts. 

I want proof of this claim by AMRI

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Also in this week's C&EN, an interesting writeup of Informex (the fine chemicals trade show) by Rick Mullin:

The fine and custom chemical executives gathered in Anaheim, Calif., last week for the annual Informex exhibition reported that business continues to be strong in pharmaceuticals. A shift in contract manufacturing from China and India back to the West has provided a steady boost to the sector, they said. 

Susan B. Billings, business development manager for Albany Molecular Research Inc., said drug and biotech companies are increasingly interested in working with contract research and manufacturing firms with integrated drug discovery capabilities, “and they are willing to pay for it.” 

At the end of collaboration, Billings said, they want to have meaningful outcomes such as a clinical candidate that they can advance. AMRI has increased its medicinal chemistry resources in the U.S. by 50% since 2011, she said.

I would really be interested to know what this means. Have they expanded their medicinal chemists by 50% in the US? I doubt it. How did they measure to get this number? Does this include the Lilly contractor folks? Also in the same article:

Meanwhile, Asymchem, a U.S.-based firm that does all its manufacturing in China, has been investing in specialized flow chemistry and enzymatic manufacturing, according to Matt Johnson, director of chemical development. “We don’t want to be continually perceived as the cheap alternative to Western supply,” Johnson said.

Good luck there.

Translating ACS President Marinda Wu into Up-Goer Five

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In the beginning of January, ACS President Marinda Wu talked about her plans for ACS in the pages of C&EN. Here's a key portion on #chemjobs (it is not the whole section):

We must learn to view globalization—the movement of research, manufacturing, and consumption around the world—more as an opportunity than a threat. Globalization is here to stay and, indeed, it is accelerating. 

The task force recommendations were presented to the ACS Board of Directors in December to show how ACS can help connect members with more employment opportunities and thrive in an increasingly global environment. After incorporating the board’s feedback, action steps will be finalized and shared broadly with ACS leaders and members to facilitate implementation during the course of this year and beyond. 

For example, we are launching a new International Employment Initiative (IEI) at the April 2013 ACS national meeting in New Orleans at Sci-Mix. Employers with overseas job opportunities will be able to connect with job seekers. IEI will be part of the ACS Career Fair and also the virtual career fair. In addition, a Presidential Career Advancement Symposium highlighting numerous successful career paths including entrepreneurship will be featured at the September 2013 ACS national meeting in Indianapolis.

I found this sadly full of buzzwords, so I decided to do my own version in Up Goer Five language (i.e. the 1000 most common words in the English language) -- let's see if it makes more sense:

The study of stuff, how to make new stuff and the spending of money on stuff will change from how it is now (where we have lots of money, and people in other parts of the world have less money) to a world where many people in other parts of the world have about as much money as us. That is a good thing that might help us make more money and it might not be a bad thing. This will not go away, and it is probably happening faster.  

The people that I asked to help me with this told me and the people who work with me to show how our group can help people find more jobs and do well in this world where people living around our world, but not near us have almost as much money as we do. Once we agree, we will tell you about how to make this happen this year and later.  

Very soon, we are going to help people find jobs not here in the States, but other places in the world. In the fall, we will be talking about how you can make your own job, or ask people to give you money to help make your own job. 

Sounds about right.  

Quick Weeknight Dinner for 2 with Campbell's Skillet Sauces

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Back in November, I changed jobs and transitioned from working about 30-35 hours a week from my home to working 40+ hours a week at an office about 1 hour away from my home. That meant that between the added commute and extra work hours, I suddenly had about 20 less hours a week for household chores, cooking and (as you've probably noticed) blogging.

As you might imagine, this also means that dinner isn't always on the table promptly at 6... or 7... or even sometimes 8! I've definitely started to look for shortcuts and simpler meals for weeknights. So when I heard about the new Campbell's® Skillet Sauces for two that promised an easy #Dinnerin15, I was eager to try them out!

Before heading to my local Albertsons, I checked out the Campbell's Kitchen website and saw that they suggest serving the skillet creation over rice or pasta. So, when I got to Albertsons, that was the first aisle I looked in. Low and behold, there they were between the rice and pasta and near other pre-packaged sauces and gravies:

You can check out my whole shopping trip on Google+.
There are 6 flavors in all - Fire Roasted Tomato, Scampi, Thai Green Curry, Creamy Chipotle, Marsala and Toasted Sesame. I was in a pasta mood, so I went with the scampi skillet sauce pouch so I could do shrimp scampi over whole wheat spaghetti. According to the directions, all you need in addition to the sauce packet is 1 tbsp. of oil, 1 lb. of protein and 15 minutes prep/cooking time. Given my excitement over the possibility of having dinner on the table in about 1/3 the time it usual takes, I also grabbed a bottle of wine so I could turn it into date night!

The cooking process for the sauce and shrimp was as simple as the 3 easy steps that were promised. Heat oil, cook protein, add sauce. And all of that could easily be accomplished in 15 minutes. Since I had to boil water for pasta, though (and don't have an induction burner), it took an official total of 24 minutes. But that was still a HUGE time saver, cutting my usual dinner making time by about half and allowing me to set up a little dinner date for 2 at the table (instead of on the couch...):


Prepared exactly according to the package directions, the scampi looked creamy and wonderful:



And it was good, but also very rich. I thought it needed a little more balance, so I added some more parsley, fresh ground pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice for Shrimp Scampi a la Valley Writer:



My husband and I both agreed it was very good--and we would definitely have it again. The portions were ample, easily feeding 2 hungry adults whose main meal is dinner. (For smaller eaters, you could probably stretch this to 3 meals.) The only thing I would (will) do differently next time is to add some marinated artichoke hearts or other veggies for a more complete meal.

If you're interested in trying out Campbell's Skillet Sauces, pop over to their Facebook page and grab a $1 off coupon by the end of January. They also have coupons on display in-store through January, but all of them were gone when I went shopping - so plan ahead!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Campbell's. All opinions expressed are my own. #cbias #Social Fabric 

Things to Do in San Diego's Balboa Park

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There are many well-known San Diego attractions that you will want to consider when you are planning a visit to this popular Southern California city. Whether you are in the city for business or pleasure, or even if you're a local that needs to entertain out-of-town visitors, you definitely won't run out of things to see. One of the best places you could go -- especially if you like the outdoors -- is Balboa Park.
Although there are plenty of attractions to see, Balboa Park is unique in that it offers a lot of diversions to keep you and your guests busy. Among the various attractions you can see on the park, there are some must-see locations which you should visit to make your sightseeing excursion complete.
One of these "must-see" attractions is the Star Trek exhibition. It contains all the original costumes and props as well as the sets that were used in all series and films of Star Trek. If you are going to get an admission ticket, you would also be granted access to other exhibits on the Air and Space Museum.
If flowers are more to your taste, then the poinsettia display will rank as your number one among the San Diego attractions. The display can be found on the Botanical Building and features more than five hundred poinsettias that were arranged in harmony with the rest of the botanical wonders around which came from all over the world. You do not have to spend anything to see the display because it is for free.
If you are searching for IMAX film among the San Diego attractions, then you can have a single ticket so that you can be admitted to one of the new films on IMAX that are shown on a seamless dome screen which is very modern. If you know of the zoo in San Diego, you would probably visit it too; but if you are going to go there, it is advisable that you go early so that you can avoid the business of the day. One of the unique things to see in the zoo is the Panda Research Station and perhaps you could go there directly.
You may have a long list of other San Diego attractions that are worth seeing, just be sure to save at least a few days of your vacation for exploring Balboa Park and all the sites it has to offer. You won't be disappointed.


Romel have been writing articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his blogs more often for tips and advice that helps people with the interest for short sales in San Diego and great passion and knowledge for San Diego Coastal and all the different options & providers available in the market today. Find out for more info also here sandiegorealestatecafe.com

Podcast: Dr. Rubidium on #AnnieDookhan

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In the third part of our epic podcast with Dr. Rubidium, See Arr Oh and I interview her on the Annie Dookhan case. Dr. Rubidium worked as a forensic chemist, so this is a nice explanation of the case and its odd aspects:



Thanks to See Arr Oh for the timepoints:

0:04 - Introduction
0:46 - A Hot Mess
1:25 - Too Productive = A Problem
2:19 - CJ as drug dealer
2:45-9:00 - Dr. Rubidium explains it all: How do analytical chemists test illegal drugs?
9:04 - Dookhan: Tip O' The Iceberg?
11:55 - Analytical Standards - 'Keys to the Castle'
13:35 - Chemists in Court
15:04 - Part-time Harvard Doctorate
16:12 - "This wasn't a surprise to anyone she worked with"
17:36 - Selling paper in Scranton, PA
19:10 - "And that's the other title for the podcast!"
19:21 - Bonus track

And yes, podcast listeners, I am working towards a RSS feed for the podcasts. I think I'll be setting up a separate blog for it, since I can't seem to figure out other ways of doing so. Hopefully by the next one.

Ivory Filter Flask: 2/19/13 edition

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Good morning! Between February 12 and February 18, 11 new academic positions were posted on the C&EN Jobs website. The numbers:

Total number of ads: 11
- Postdocs: 1
- Tenure-track faculty:  8
- Temporary faculty: 1
- Lecturer positions:  1
- Staff positions:  0
- US/non-US: 8/3

Akron, OH: The University of Akron is looking for an assistant professor of analytical or bioanalytical chemistry.

Farmville, VA: Longwood University desires a M.S./Ph.D. chemist to be an assistant professor of organic or organometallic chemistry.

Alliance, OH: University of Mount Union desires an assistant professor of biochemistry. I hear they have a decent football team.

Pittsburgh, PA: The University of Pittsburgh desires a lecturer for general chemistry; it is a one-year renewable position.

Sanford, FL: Seminole State College of Florida desires a M.S. chemist for a tenure-track teaching position.