Volume 37, Issue 5-6

As the world economy continues to return, if somewhat haltingly, to a more vibrant state, it is good to be able to report that during the past twelve months there have been significant and beneficial changes in all aspects of the financial management and operation of the Union. It goes without saying that it has not been possible for IUPAC to emerge completely unscathed from the very difficult financial conditions that have prevailed during and since the recession, but we have come through these circumstances very well. More importantly, we have now set the foundations in our revenue generation and financial management information systems and expenditure controls that will enable us to progress and prosper in the future. The Executive Director and Secretary General have worked this year to bring the management accounting for all operations in-house and the Secretariat is now using new GAAP-compliant software. The recent appointment of a financial controller will ensure that our management accounting is undertaken in a much more timely manner.

It was an historic event for the Korean Chemical Society (KCS) to host the 45th IUPAC World Chemistry Congress (WCC) and the 48th IUPAC General Assembly (GA) in August 2015. It was the first time that the WCC and GA have been hosted in Korea since KCS became a member in the early 1960s. KCS applied for membership in 1961 and the application was approved the following year. Dr. Dong Il Kim and Prof. Sun Kyung Kim attended the 22nd GA in London in 1963 as the first KCS delegates.

Imagine a scenario in an academic research lab: you are working on a chemical system that has not yet been well characterized, perhaps looking at new catalysts, trying new reagent combinations, or scaling up a new reaction for more sample. How might you gauge the reactivity potential against the equipment and procedures in place to ensure control is maintained? How do you identify critical points in the system where subtle or even inadvertent changes in condition or operation could send things awry, possibly becoming dangerous? How do you assess the potential hazards of untried chemistry? Is there any helpful information readily available at your fingertips? Would a search engine as accessible as Google be able to turn up appropriate data for such scenarios?

I previously reported on Medicinal Chemistry in IUPAC, its accomplishments during the previous decade from 1992 to 2002, and its relationships with industry, in an article in Chemistry International [1]. Medicinal Chemistry is a key topic for the Subcommittee on Drug Discovery and Development (SC-D3) of the IUPAC Chemistry and Human Health Division (Div VII).

Waste, a very popular word these days, commonly refers to a human-made product with no significant value, which must be eliminated. When I was younger, I studied at a technical college in the south of Mexico City. I used to ask my teachers what happens to chemical waste generated at the clinical laboratory. Today, I study metallurgical chemical engineering, but I cannot forget my old questions about chemical waste, because some chemical waste has properties that make it hazardous to health and the environment.

Thieme Chemistry, IUPAC, and the Editors of SYNTHESIS, SYNLETT, SYNFACTS, and Science of Synthesis announce the Thieme–IUPAC Prize for 2016. This award is presented every two years on the occasion of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry – International Conference on Organic Synthesis (IUPAC–ICOS). The 2016 ICOS will be held at IIT Bombay in Mumbai, India, 11-16 December 2016. The prize is awarded to a scientist under 40 years of age whose research has had a major impact in synthetic organic chemistry.

The 2016 IUPAC-SOLVAY International Award for Young Chemists is intended to encourage outstanding young research scientists at the beginning of their careers. The awards are given for the most outstanding Ph.D. theses in the general area of the chemical sciences, as described in a 1000-word essay. The award is generously sponsored by Solvay.

The IUPAC-ThalesNano Prize was established in 2011. It will be awarded again in 2016 and will be presented at the 14th International Conference on MicroReaction Technology (IMRET) in September 2016 Beijing, China. A contribution to travel expenses will be provided.

IUPAC is now seeking nominations for the 2016 CHEMRAWN VII Prize for Green Chemistry. The CHEMRAWN VII Prize was first announced in August 2008* and since, has been awarded every two years at the IUPAC International Conference on Green Chemistry. The Prize of USD 5000 is granted to a young investigator (less than 45 years of age) from an emerging region who is actively contributing to research in Green Chemistry. The Prize was been awarded to Noureddine Yassaa (Algeria) in 2010, Rashimi Sanghi (India) in 2012 and Vânia G. Zuin (Brazil) in 2014.

The IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (II.1) met under the chairmanship of Dr. Juris Meija, at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Austria, prior to the 48th IUPAC General Assembly in Busan, Korea, in August 2015. Following its meeting, the Commission recommended a change to the standard atomic weight of ytterbium. The IUPAC Bureau, at its meeting on 14 August, approved this change.

In the 1970s, IUPAC’s Solubility Data Commission (now the Subcommittee on Solubility and Equilibrium Data) embarked on a project to compile and critically evaluate experimental data for solubility in systems of scientific and practical interest. The first volume in the IUPAC Solubility Data Series, covering the solubility of helium and neon in liquid solvents, was published in 1979. Subsequent years saw many volumes on gas-liquid, liquid-liquid, and solid-liquid solubilities. These volumes are an invaluable scientific resource.

Five exceptional women scientists from around the world received the 2015 L’ORÉAL-UNESCO Prize in Physical Sciences in an Awards Ceremony which took place on 18 March 2015 at the Grand Amphitheatre of the Sorbonne University (Paris, France). The Awards promote scientific excellence and the contribution of women to science, in particular in Life Sciences and the Physical Sciences, and in the service of advancement of knowledge, its impact on society, and sustainable development. By giving these female researchers increased visibility, the awards show the way for new generations, encouraging young women to follow their example.

The African Academy of Sciences’ executive director Berhanu Abegaz has been elected chair of the UNESCO International Basic Sciences Programme (IBSP) scientific board.

On 25 May 21015 Prof. Balarew was awarded the Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius 1st class – the highest award for scientific achievements conferred by the President of Bulgaria. This prestigious honor adds to several national and international awards already conferred to Prof. Balarew for his scientific and applied achievements.

On 20 April 2015, Professor Nikola Kallay passed away in his sleep, leaving a huge gap in his family, among his friends and colleagues, and in the chemical community as a whole.