ACS News
ACS dues, section allotments to rise ACS membership dues, as reported earlier, are slated to increase to $62 next year from $58 this year as a result of council action this spring in Las Vegas (C&EN, April 19, page 60). As the dues rise, so will alloca tions from members' dues to C&EN and local sections. Under the ACS bylaws, the allo cation to C&EN is set at 23% of actual dues. Thus this allocation will rise to $14.26 per full-dues-paying member in 1983 from $13.34 this year. For local sections, the base allot ment for each section will rise to $1360 next year from $1280 in 1982, according to ACS treasurer John Κ Crum. This figure is calculated, as specified in the bylaws, essentially by multiplying the value of the 1982 basic allotment by the same factor by which national dues are to rise for next year, with the resulting amount rounded to the nearest $10. (Actually, the bylaws state that the base allotment be multiplied by the same factor, based on the consumer price index for services, as that used in the escalator formula to calculate national dues. Councilors, however, decided on a smaller increase than this factor allows.) The $4.00 increase in next year's national dues represents a 6.897% increase over 1982. Applying that percentage to the 1982 basic allot ment of $1280 yields an increase of $88.27. When rounded to the near est $10, the percentage increase in basic allotment would exceed the percentage of dues increase, a situa tion specifically forbidden by the by laws. Thus the allotment increase has been rounded downward to the nearest $10, for an $80 increase. In addition to the base allotment, each local section will receive for 1983 a "yearly allotment" based on the sum of its membership and the number of national affiliates assigned to it as of July 1, 1982, also as stipu lated in the bylaws. As a result, the total allotments (base plus yearly) to local sections this year range from $17,518 for the North Jersey Sec tion (the largest section) down to $1484 for the Southwest Georgia Sec tion (the smallest). The total allot ments for all sections in 1982 amount to $596,543. ACS divisions also receive an an nual subsidy. One third of the sub sidy is obtained from national dues to provide partial support for ad 42
C&EN May 31, 1982
ministrative costs of operating the divisions. The other two thirds is allocated from national meetings and expositions income as an incentive to organize quality programs. The annual divisional allotment from national dues consists of a base allotment of $500 for each division, regardless of size, plus $1.00 for each member and national affiliate of the division, counted as of July 1 of the previous year. For 1982, these allot ments from dues range from $6396 for the Division of Organic Chemis try (the largest) to $714 for the Di vision of Geochemistry (the small est). All divisional allotments this year amount to $68,804. The remaining two thirds of divi sional allotments, about $137,600, is derived from national meetings and expositions income. According to a formula approved last year, these funds are distributed on an equal
basis for meeting attraction and ses sion attendance. Thus for 1982, one half the allotment from meetings and expositions income, about $68,800, is being distributed proportionately among the divisions according to their relative success in attracting registrants to national meetings, as indicated by the preferences noted by attendees on their registration cards in 1981. The other half this year is being distributed proportion ately as an incentive for quality pro graming at future meetings, on the basis of recorded attendance at tech nical sessions of the divisions in 1981. Once again, the Division of Organic Chemistry received the top amount from this source. The allotments to divisions for 1983 will depend on membership counts as of this July 1, and on tal lies of registrants' preferences and session attendance during 1982. D
Analytical reagents group updates specifications The ACS Committee on Analytical Reagents met March 25-26 in Washington, D.C. Studies were con tinued on entries for the next edition (7th) of "Reagent Chemicals—ACS Specifications." Final actions were taken as follows: 1. A set of general operating pro cedures was adopted for the work of the committee. 2. A change in the note concerning water determination was approved: "Stabilized Karl Fischer solutions for water titrations, some pyridine-free, are commercially available, and may be found to be satisfactory in place of the one prepared as directed in the current edition (6th)." 3. A capillary melting point method, similar to USP Class I, was adopted. 4. Errata for the 6th edition will appear in Analytical Chemistry later this year. 5. Requirements and tests for the following new reagents were adopted: 1 -amino-2-naphtnol-4-sulfonic acid, chlorobenzene, cupric chloride, fur fural, lithium chloride, mercuric sul fate, and nitrilotriacetic acid. 6. The requirement for Acids and esters in Isopentyl Alcohol was changed to 0.2%. 7. The test for Sulfate in Per chloric Acid should be performed by the procedure printed in the 5th edi tion. 8. A limit of 20 ppm for Antimony was added to the requirements for Phosphoric Acid, and a pulse po-
larographic procedure was adopted for the determination of both Anti mony and Arsenic. 9. The lower and upper limits for the Acidity requirement in Potassi um Hydrogen Sulfate, Fused, were changed to 37.5%, and 38.6%, respec tively. 10. Three requirements for Po tassium Nitrite were changed, as follows: Assay t 96.0%/, Calcium, magnesium, and R>()^ precipitate, 0.01%; and Sodium, 0.5%. Items 2, 6, 7, 9, and 10 are effective immediately. Any questions or comments con cerning these items, or suggestions for additional reagents and testing methods, may be directed to the committee chairman, Wallace 0 . Rohrbough, Union Carbide Corp., Technical Center, P.O. Box 8361, South Charleston, W.Va. 25303. G
MAN AND MOLECULES PLANTS THAT FIGHT BACK David Rhoades University of Washington, Seattle This "Man and Molecules'* program is currently being released to radio stations. Check with ACS News Service for stations broadcasting in your area; telephone (202) 872-4446.
