NEWS OF THE WEEK
FRANK WESTHEIMER DIES AT 95
Chemistry on the enzymatic transfer of hydrogen and the reaction catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase ofwhich he was an author received an ACS Division of the His tory of Chemistry Citation for Chemical Breakthroughs during a ceremony at the University of Chicago in OBITUARY: Chemist is remembered March. Westheimer accepted the award last June during for analytical and imaginative a ceremony at Harvard (C&EN, July 3,2006, page 49). approach to organic chemistry "He had an unusual approach to organic chemistry," says Daniel E. Koshland, professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of Westheimer's early RANK H. WESTHEIMER, Morris Loeb Professor graduate students. Koshland says Westheimer was of Chemistry, emeritus, at Harvard University, meticulous and imaginative, and he approached his ex passed away at his home in Cambridge, Mass., on periments as if he were unlocking a puzzle. April 14 after a long illness. He was 95. Westheimer received a B.A. from Dartmouth Col Westheimer was a keyfigurein 20th-century chem lege in 1932 and a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1935. He went istry. "His research was deeply influential, enormously to Columbia University as a National Research Fellow instructive to his colleagues, and empowering to their in the then-newfieldof physical organic chemistry science," says Nobel Laureate and Harvard University and joined the faculty of the University of Chicago in professor emeritus E. J. Corey. 1936. He was a visiting professor at Harvard in 1953 and Over four decades, Westheimer tackled fundamen joined the faculty there in 1954. tal scientific challenges, from calculating electrostatic Westheimer received numerous awards, including effects in organic chemistry to inventing molecular the U.S. National Medal of Science, the U.S. National mechanics to determining mechanisms of chromic Academy Award in Chemical Sciences, and the Robert acid oxidations. His research also led to the demon A. Welch Foundation Award. ACS awarded Westheimer stration of the need for pseudorotation in the hydro its highest honor, the Priestley Medal, in 1988. lysis of phosphate esters and to the invention of photoWestheimer's wife, Jeanne, passed away in 2001. He affinity labeling. is survived by their two daughters, Ruth S. Westheimer The classic 1953 paper in the Journal ofBiological and Ellen Westheimer.-LI Ν DA WANG
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Westheimer in June 2006.
CHEMSPEC INDIA CHARGES ON
editor of the Indian magazine Chemical Weekly, which was cohosting the trade show, says there were 2,000 exhibitors occupying 220 stands this year. Last year, 3,200 exhibitors showed their wares in 290 stands. At tendance numbers for the whole show were not avail EXHIBITION: Trade show able at press time, but Raghavan says that nearly 5,000 preserves relevance despite visitors showed up on thefirstday, whereas 8,500 smaller number of exhibitors came over two days last year. The show's smaller size was largely due to increased competition from other trade fairs, Raghavan says. HE THIRD CHEMSPEC INDIA trade show took In particular, he notes that the pharmaceutical ingre place on April 18-19 in the Indian business hub of dients trade show CPhI India was held for the first Mumbai. The trade fair for sellers and buyers of time last December. "I am not surprised we had fewer fine and specialty chemicals attracted a diverse domes booths," Raghavan says. tic and international audience who appeared satisfied Companies from China accounted for about onewith the event despite its being smaller than last year's. third of the exhibitors. Isabel Dong, a project manager for China Council for the Promotion of International In a comment Trade, says Chinesefinechemicals producers are curi representative of the ous about the Indian market. In recent years, she says, reactions of many ex Indian pharmaceutical producers have been buying hibitors at the show, more and more chemicals from China. Pankaj Kapoor, presi dent of acetyls, ethaBut many Chinesefinechemicals producers selling nol, and specialty gases to India still don't have a reliable agent to represent at Jubilant Organosys them in the country, she says. She further notes that says, "There is less of a being insufficiently familiar with India can be costly. crowd this year, but the Chinese companies, she says, have at times shared discussions are more confidential pricing information with their competi substantial." tors in India, mistaking them for potential customers.-JEAN-FRANÇOIS TREMBLAY Ravi Raghavan, the
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