Serving the chemical, life sciences, and laboratory worlds
VOLUME 91, NUMBER 5 FEBRUARY 4, 2013
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COVER STORY
COPING WITH THE HELIUM SHORTAGE
Ruined instrument magnets and high operating costs spur interest in alternatives.
CAFFEINE TOXICITY
GOVERNMENT & POLICY 20 21
Energy-drink craze has regulators and scientists worried about how to determine ne safe levels of the stimulant. PAGE 9
Chemical makers seek a more aggressive trade policy during the President’s second term.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 25 26
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ACS NATIONAL AWARDS 31
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2013 WINNERS
Diebold, Goroff, Kauzlarich, Palkowitz, Porter, Russell, Sanford, and Tatsuta.
IMMIGRATION REFORM
Congress and the White House want changes that will positively affect foreign scientists working in the U.S.
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GATORADE INGREDIENT CHANGE
PepsiCo will remove brominated vegetable oil after an uptick in consumer concerns.
SIR DAVID P. LANE, CHIEF SCIENTIST, A*STAR
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A BETTER NANOSCALE VIEW
New approach to NMR spectroscopy yields chemical and structural information at the nanoscale, scientists say.
NEW EQUIPMENT IN THE OPERATING ROOM
Using a mass spectrometer to analyze cancerous tissue may tell surgeons whether they removed all malignancy.
NEWS OF THE WEEK 4
CONCENTRATES DUSTUP OVER STAPLED PEPTIDES
Ruckus over the performance of the potential drugs illustrates challenges for a maturing field. 29
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “People assume science is linear, and it’s not. There are personalities involved and opinions held, and it’s messy.”
CONCENTRATES INDUSTRY MAKES PUSH FOR EXPORTS
SPECIALTIES FIRMS MAY SEE SHAKE-UPS
Investors for both Ferro and Calgon Carbon want new directors, management. 6
NEW FRONT TO FIGHT SUPERBUGS
Enzyme action enables resistance genes to spread and could be inhibited, study says. 7
CHEMICAL FIRMS HOLD ON
Fourth-quarter earnings were mixed, but many companies with good management stayed in the black.
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RODENTICIDE ON THE ROPES
EPA moves to ban d-CON-brand poisons because they lack child safety features, may harm wildlife. 8
MISSING OIL POLLUTION
THE DEPARTMENTS 2 3 36 36 40
LETTERS EDITOR’S PAGE ACS CAREER TIPS CLASSIFIEDS NEWSCRIPTS
Tests show standard methods to detect oil in the environment might miss some compounds. 8
SIZING UP SILICON QUANTUM DOTS
Silicon light-emitting diodes come in new colors after sorting nanocrystals by size.
BUSINESS 13 15
CONCENTRATES DRUGS APLENTY
FDA drug approvals hit a 16-year high in 2012; most are small molecules. COVER: Shutterstock/C&EN CENEAR 91 (5) 1–40 • ISSN 0009-2347