n e w s of t h e w e e k them. As Earle pointed out, 100% of the moon's surface has been intimately mapped, but a mere 5% of the ocean has been similarly explored. "This is the time Against the tranquil backdrop of Monterey to do in the 21st century what our prede- Much to the frustration of federal R&D ofBay, Calif., President Bill Clinton earlier cessors did for land and space," Earle said. ficials, the sanctions imposed on India by At the conference, Clinton made offi- the U.S. in the wake of its nuclear tests last this month signed a measure extending the U.S. ban on offshore oil drilling, and he cial a 10-year extension of the nation's month have put on hold all new contact proposed several sweeping initiatives to offshore drilling ban, with the added between U.S. research agencies and their clause that marine sanctuaries be perma- counterparts in the Indian government. As protect, restore, and explore the oceans. C&EN went to press, the agencies were Clinton was in California for a two-day nently protected from such drilling. He also proposed a $224 million ini- expecting the White House to announce National Ocean Conference, organized by Commerce Secretary William M. Da- tiative to "enhance the health of the rules clarifying which research activities ley and Navy Secretary John H. Dalton, ocean while expanding ocean opportuni- would be allowed and which ones disalto focus the U.S. role in the United Na- ties in responsible ways for the environ- lowed by the sanctions. tions-designated Year of the Ocean. ment." The initiative would include meaResearch relations between the U.S. and Speakers included Clinton, Vice Presi- sures to protect overfished species such India are extensive but low key. No comdent Al Gore, first lady Hillary Rodham as swordfish, to remediate ocean pollu- pendium exists on the number or worth of Clinton, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), tion, and to bring harbor technology to the bilateral research agreements between state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly the two countries or on the number of Indiand Rep. Sam Fair (D-Calif.). an researchers doing work in the U.S. This is a "historic event. Never before levels. Other projects would include $12 mil- "That's something we've been talking about have the highest officials in this country come together to focus on ocean issues," lion to place hundreds of monitoring doing but haven't gotten around to it," says said noted oceanographer and marine bi- buoys in the North Atlantic and North one State Department source. ologist Sylvia A. Earle, former National Pacific Oceans. A $6 million proposal However, the National Institutes of Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration calls for the restoration of 18 damaged Health has 100 Indian postdocs doing rechief scientist and currently a research coral reefs in the Atlantic and Pacific search in its various laboratories in Bethesassociate at the Smithsonian Institution. Oceans and the Caribbean Sea and pro- da, Md. Their work has not been affected, During the event, speakers expounded tection for other reefs. Clinton also asked but no new researchers are being brought on the importance of the oceans to the Congress to fund his $2.3 billion Clean on board. And at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in Adanta, a major environmental health of Earth, as well as Water Action plan. to the economy and transportation. The Finally, the President implored Con- epidemiological survey of infectious disease oceans, they noted, are a vital component gress to ratify the UN Convention on the incidence in India has been put on hold. of atmospheric and climatological cycles Law of the Sea, an international agreeThe National Science Foundation overand should be a major target for scientific ment for governing the oceans proposed sees several research projects in the U.S. exploration and research. in 1982, which entered into force in 1994 and India under its U.S.-lndia Cooperative Research Program. Most of that program is Yet although the oceans are vitally im- without U.S. support. "There is not a scientist here in any dis- supported by the $25 million U.S.-lndia portant, relatively little is known about cipline who seriously believes Fund that goes back to the days when the we will ever turn the tide on U.S. assistance programs were providing dangerous trends until we have grain to India. As compensation, India cona uniform legal system provid- tributed rupees to the fund. But, said one ing the framework necessary to NSF source last week, "Everything is on give us a global approach to hold with India. We are just not making any new awards." this problem," Clinton said. Things were also up in the air at the NaGore announced that military data from submarine- tional Institute of Standards & Technology hunting systems and data on in Gaithersburg, Md. "We have about 30 ocean temperature and salinity Indian guest researchers here," says a staff levels would be declassified person at NIST's Office of Academic & Inand made available for climate- ternational Affairs, "and they are still on the job. But as part of our guidance from the change and marine studies. Such studies and protective State Department, NIST has cut off all other measures are vital not only for contact. We have had a collaboration with humans, but also for marine the Indian National Physical Laboratory for life, Earle said. Because the various standards, but that is on hold." boundaries of the U.S. extend The Department of Energy, which does 200 miles into the surround- more business with India than any other ing seas, "more of your con- agency, has likewise suspended new stituents are fish than people," projects. Space activities are moot, beClinton and Gore learn about tidal pool ecosystems from she informed Clinton. "It's too cause India's space program has been rungraduate students Raphael Sagarin (left) of the bad fish can't vote." ning independently of the National AeroUniversity of California, Santa Barbara, and Nancy Elizabeth Wilson nautics & Space Administration. Eufemla of Stanford University.
Conference on oceans draws Clinton
6 JUNE 22, 1998 C&EN
Sanctions hit U.S.-lndia science relations
What has been unclear throughout the discordant dialogue of the past few weeks is the overall status of U.S. science relations with India. Relations have been cool in space and nuclear energy research of all types since India's 1974 bomb tests, which, along with India's refusal to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, raised tensions that have only been exacerbated by the latest tests. But as the Indian research community sees it, now is the time for relations to increase rather than decrease. In fact, Indian research agencies would like the India-U.S. relations to be on a par with the U.S-China science relationship. "That's what we have been telling people," says Ashok Jain, science counselor at the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C. "We need to have more interaction. If the U.S. has it with China, it doesn't make sense not to have it with India." Wil Lepkowski
First synthesis of manzamine A An extraordinarily complex natural product has finally yielded to total chemical synthesis. Chemistry professor Jeffrey D. Winkler and graduate student Jeffrey M. Axten of the University of Pennsylvania report the first total synthesis of manzamine A in an upcoming communication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (published June 13 ASAP, http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/ journals/jacsat/browse_asap. html). Isolated in 1986 from a sponge harvested near Okinawa, Japan, manzamine A is one of the most complex polycyclic alkaloids known. The highlight of its unique multicyclic structure is a rare 13membered ring that girds the molecule's midsection like a belt. Manzamine A has shown cytotoxic activity against mouse leukemia cells. That, along with its unusually complex structure, has stimulated wide research interest in the compound. When manzamine A was first identified, "there was just nothing like this known in the world of alkaloid natural products chemistry," says chemistry professor David J. Hart of Ohio State University, Columbus. Hart is a synthetic chemist with an interest in alkaloid natural products. "People wondered, 'Do we have the weapons, in terms of skills as synthetic chemists, to put this together?' So it has attracted a lot of attention. There are at least a dozen groups
worldwide, and probably more than that, Key reaction sequence provides high that have published level of stereochemical control approaches to this molecule." Photoaddition/ Winkler and Axfragmentation/ Mannich closure ten's strategy was to use photochemistry to control the establishment of the alkaloid's stereochemistry. The key to the synthesis was a multistep "vinylHO ogous amide photoaddition/fragmentation/ Mannich closure" sequence developed earlier in Winkler's lab. The sequence included a photoaddition that formed a fourManzamine A R = ferf-butoxycarbonyl membered ring, a ringfragmentation step, and a carbon-carbon bond-forming reaction containing six-, six-,five-,and eight-memthat closed a six-membered ring. bered rings. After that, a series of functionThis set of reactions made it possible to al group manipulations were carried out use an eight-membered ring with a single to complete the synthesis. stereocenter in the photoaddition subThe total synthesis, says Hart, "is a sigstrate as a template to control the creation nificant accomplishment—no doubt about of three other stereocenters in the natural it—and a nice piece of chemistry." product's tetracyclic core—a structure Stu Borman
COD
Lyondell acquires Arco Chemical in $5.6 billion deal Lyondell Petrochemical will acquire Atlantic Richfield's 82% holding in Newtown Square, Pa.-based Arco Chemical. Having been less than successful in the highly cyclical commodity chemicals and oil-refining business, Lyondell will buy the diversified chemical maker whose annual sales are about $4 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of this year. Lyondell, which had 1997 revenues of $2.9 billion, will pay $57% per share in cash for Arco Chemical, or $5.6 billion. Arco Chemical shares traded at $50% just before news of the negotiations broke. Los Angeles-based Atlantic Richfield will tender to Lyondell the 80 million shares of Arco Chemical it now owns. Lyondell will also seek to buy the 18% of shares now publicly held and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. "The acquisition of Arco Chemical's global leadership positions in propylene oxide and downstream derivatives, along with advanced technologies, will enable
Lyondell to diversify its earnings base and product portfolio," says Marvin O. Schlanger, Arco Chemical president and chief executive officer. Earlier this month, Atlantic Richfield said it expected to reduce its stake in Arco Chemical to about 50% (C&EN, June 8, page 14). It planned to sell $850 million in stock to Arco Chemical, which in turn planned to sell shares to the public. Atlantic Richfield is focusing on core oil and gas businesses and planned to use the proceeds from the Arco Chemical sale to pay for its recent $2.6 billion purchase of Union Texas Petroleum. Atlantic Richfield can now raise considerably more cash and rid itself of its remaining chemical operations in one fell swoop. The irony here is that it will sell those chemical operations to Houstonbased Lyondell, itself an Atlantic Richfield operation until 1989, when Atlantic Richfield sold more than 50% of the petrochemical operation's shares to the public. In September 1997, Atlantic Richfield paid off debt security holders with Lyondell shares and Lyondell itself purchased the balance. To better survive a downturn in ethylene and derivatives, Lyondell formed Equistar Chemical in December, first with MilJUNE 22, 1998 C&EN 7
