FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: December 22, 2009

ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: December 22, 2009

Contact

News Items in This Edition

The air in some school classrooms may contain higher levels of extremely small particles of pollutants — easily inhaled deep into the lungs — than polluted outdoor air, scientists in Australia and Germany are reporting in an article in ACS’ semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Scientists in China are reporting an advance that may improve the natural wonders of wool — already regarded as the “wonder fabric” for its lightness, softness, warmth even when wet, and other qualities. The study is in ACS’ Langmuir, a bi-weekly journal. They say the discovery could give wool a “brain,” placing it among other “smart” fabrics...

Scientists in Canada are reporting the development of a fast, inexpensive “dipstick” test to identify small amounts of pesticides that may exist in foods and beverages. The study was published in ACS’ Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal. Their paper-strip test is more practical than conventional pesticide tests, producing results in minutes...

With would-be goblins and ghosts set to drape those huge fake spider webs over doorways and trees for Halloween, scientists in Wyoming are reporting on a long-standing mystery about real spider webs: It is the secret of spider web glue. The findings are an advance toward a new generation of biobased adhesives and glues. A report on the study was published in ACS’ Biomacromolecules, a monthly journal.

A major analysis of the climate debate concludes that the majority of scientists agree that global warming is primarily man-made, although a vocal minority of skeptics is holding onto the idea that Mother Nature is the cause. The cover story of current issue Chemical & Engineering News, ACS’ weekly newsmagazine, appears at the conclusion of the much-publicized United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Journalists’ Resources

  • Save the Date: ACS 239th National Meeting, March 21-25, 2010, San Francisco
    Join more than 10,000 scientists expected to gather in San Francisco March 21-25 for one of the year’s largest and most important scientific conferences. The 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society will feature 8,000 reports on new discoveries about chemistry, medicine, health, food, fuels, the environment and other topics.
  • Press releases, briefings, and more from ACS’ 238th National Meeting
    www.eurekalert.org/acsmeet.php

    http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acslive
  • Must-reads from C&EN: The mystery of Stradivarius’ dulcet tones
    The source of that renowned heavenly sound from Stradivarius violins remains a mystery after a five year-study at the Museum of Music in Paris. It revealed that the varnish on the instrument is ordinary linseed oil, plus a coating of an oil resin containing common crimson pigments. An expert on the Stradivarius called the finding “startling” because it contradicts well-established research concluding that all Stradivarius violins have a solid mineral layer, which could have explained the beautiful sound. To read the story, go to violin.
  • Writing on Green Chemistry?
    Here is a treasure trove of important scientific research articles published in 2008.
    http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/op900082k
  • ACS Pressroom Blog The ACS Office of Public Affairs’ (OPA) pressroom blog highlights research from ACS’ 36 peer-reviewed journals and National Meetings.
  • Bytesize Science blog Educators and kids, put on your thinking caps: The American Chemical Society has a blog for Bytesize Science, a science podcast for kids of all ages.
  • ACS satellite pressroom: Daily news blasts on Twitter
    The satellite press room has become one of the most popular science news sites on Twitter. To get our news blasts and updates, create a free account at https://twitter.com/signup. Then visit http://twitter.com/ACSpressroom and click the ‘join’ button beneath the press room logo.
  • ACS Press Releases
    Press releases
    on a variety of chemistry-related topics.
  • General Chemistry Glossary
  • Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS)
    Whether you want to learn more about caffeine, benzoyl peroxide (acne treatment), sodium chloride (table salt), or some other familiar chemical, CAS Common Chemistry can help. The new Web site provides non-chemists and others with useful information about everyday chemicals by searching either a chemical name or a corresponding CAS Registry Number. The site includes about 7,800 chemicals of general interest as well as all 118 elements from the Periodic Table, providing alternative names, molecular structures, a Wikipedia link, and other information.
  • Science Connections from CAS
    CAS - Science Connections
    is a series of articles that showcases the value of CAS databases in light of important general-interest science and technology news. Topics range from fruit flies to Nobel Prize winners, with the CAS - Science Connections series pointing to CAS databases for a more complete understanding of the latest news.

For Wired Readers



Note to Journalists and Other Viewers

This is the latest American Chemical Society (ACS) Office of Public Affairs Weekly PressPac with news from ACS’ 36 peer-reviewed journals and Chemical & Engineering News.

This information is intended for your personal use in news gathering and reporting and should not be distributed to others. Anyone using advance ACS Office of Public Affairs Weekly PressPac information for stocks or securities dealing may be guilty of insider trading under the federal Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Please cite the individual journal, or the American Chemical Society, as the source of this information.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 154,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.