ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: December 9, 2009

Contact

• Science Inquiries: Michael Woods, Editor, 202-872-6293
• General Inquiries: Michael Bernstein, 202-872-6042

Older dental fillings contain form of mercury unlikely to be toxic

A new study on the surface chemistry of silver-colored, mercury-based dental fillings suggests that the surface forms of mercury may be less toxic than previously thought. It appears online in ACS’ journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. In the study, Graham George and colleagues note that mercury-based fillings, also called amalgams, have been used by dentists to repair teeth for well-over a century. In recent decades...

Toward a fast, accurate urine test for pneumonia

Scientists are reporting a discovery of the potential basis for a urine test to diagnose community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), a difficult-to-diagnose disease that is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. The test could save lives by allowing doctors to begin the right treatment earlier than often occurs at present. The study appears online in ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research...

• 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: X-rays by the roll
  The simple act of peeling common adhesive tape from a roll triggers the emission of light and flashes of X-rays intense enough to image bones in a finger by exposing commercial dental X-ray film. That’s the latest surprising information from the world of tribology, the study of the physical and chemical phenomena associated with friction, wear, and lubrication. It could lead to new low-cost X-ray sources for scientific research and medical imaging. For a copy of the story, go to X-rays.
• 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’ 34 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.

• Bytesize Science
  Bytesize Science is a science podcast for kids of all ages that entertains and educates, with new high-definition video podcasts and some episodes in Spanish. Subscribe to Bytesize Science using iTunes. No iTunes? No problem. Listen to the latest episodes of Bytesize Science in your web browser.
• Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions
  This special series of ACS podcasts focuses on some of the 21st Century’s most daunting challenges, and how chemists and other scientists are finding solutions. Subscribe at iTunes or listen and access other resources at the ACS web site www.acs.org/GlobalChallenges.
• Science Elements
  Science Elements is a podcast of PressPac contents that makes cutting-edge scientific discoveries from ACS journals available to a broader public audience. Subscribe to Science Elements using iTunes. Listen to the latest episodes of Science Elements in your web browser.
• SciFinder® Podcasts
  Interested in healthful plant phytochemicals, nanotechnology, or green chemistry? Check out the SciFinder series of podcasts, which explore a vast array of current interest topics and new discoveries in the 21st century. The SciFinder podcasts are available in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese.

Back to Top