Letters Get out the vote! SIRS: We have a situation in the com ing election for President-Elect that de serves the special attention of the ACS membership and which makes it unusu ally important that everybody vote. Last April the Council followed the usual pro cedure of selecting two names to appear on the official ballot. The Council made the selection by voting on a list submitted by the Committee on Nominations and Elections and, as provided by the ACS Bylaws, there was an opportunity for nominations from the floor of the Coun cil meeting; not one was made. Shortly thereafter a valid petition was presented in nomination of Dr. A. C. Nixon (a pro cedure also provided by the Bylaws). Accordingly, the three names: G. S. Ham mond, W. A. Mosher, and A. C. Nixon will appear on the ballot which we re ceive late in October. I surmise that Dr. Nixon, although pres ent at the April Council meeting, chose not to have his candidacy offered at the meeting itself because he suspected that the Council would not nominate him. I further surmise that the procedure of placing his name in nomination by means of a membership petition was carefully planned as a maneuver calculated to be to his advantage. The point is that Dr. Nixon's background and advocacies tend to place him in contrast to both of the Council nominees and the vote should therefore tend to split: Nixon vs. Ham mond or Mosher. This is what happened last year, when the same maneuver was employed. It was nearly successful then; there was a three-way split and Nixon came close to being elected by a num ber of votes representing only about 10% of the membership. Nixon's actions and those of his sup porters are perfectly legitimate. I should also say that I have respect for Alan Nixon both as a person and as a qualified scientist. I agree with some of his views; we have shared some common goals in the association of western ACS coun cilors, for example. His election, however, could well mark a sharp departure from ACS traditions. I don't believe that such a departure should be instituted by the votes of a small minority of the membership, yet this is what could happen if the turnout is the usual 30%. I do consider it to be very important that whoever is elected has at least a halfway respectable man date. This is why I hope that everyone will make a special effort to vote this time. Although nothing can be done with re spect to the coming election situation, I urge a prompt Bylaws change to the ef fect that election to an ACS office be by a majority of those voting. Provision should be made for a runoff election be tween the two leading candidates if nei ther receives a majority vote the first time. This is a common procedure in public elections. Arthur W. Adamson Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
ACS opinions in Delaware SIRS: In his editorial of Aug. 9, Mr. McCurdy mentions the possible detection of "a grounds well of member opinion . . . calling for a revision of the charter and a
swing toward more emphasis on profes sional activities." He also indicated the difficulty in determining the nature and extent of such opinion in a group as large as ACS. We in the Delaware Section have a better idea of what our 3000 members want, as a result of an extraordinary 50% return of a recent questionnaire sent to all our members. For example, when asked what structure they preferred for ACS, only 45% indicated the present structure; almost 53% chose "registered lobbyist" or "collective bargaining agent." This would seem to indicate a strong de sire for more professional activity, even if it means changing the nature of the So ciety to do it. As for specifics, votes heavily in favor of more action were cast in the areas of hiring and firing practices, portability of pensions, and salaries. Also, when asked if higher dues would be acceptable to pay for support ιof increased activity, the vote was about 2 Δ to 1 in favor of paying more money. The complete results for these and other questions, along with a breakdown by age, appeared in the June 1971 issue of the Del-Chem Bulletin (Box 47, Wilming ton, Del.). They should be of interest to other sections, as I cannot believe that ours differs very much from most others. Wilmington, Del. Dennis Chamot
Our back is paddled SIRS: The second paragraph of your in teresting feature article on E. I. du Pont (C&EN, Aug. 16, page 18) contained an amusing error, or an intentional clever neologism: "backpeddling," referring to Du Pont's abandonment of Corfam. Why say "backpedaling" when one can say "backpeddling," meaning selling oneself into unprofitability? Cranford, N.J. Sidney Lauren SIRS: Something in the article on Du Pont needs explanation. Was the begin ning of the third paragraph: "Yet, is this apparent backpeddling. . ." (on Corfam1) intended as an atrocious pun or don't you know how to spell pedal? Coming so soon after the flap in Chemi cal Week about "sounding the toxin" on pollution, it would be nice to know whether our chemical journals need a course in orthography or word-play. If the latter, as an old hand at it, I volunteer to teach the course. F. A. Lowenheim, PhJD. Plainfield, N.J.
Technical advance or national SIRS: Re the article on "Food process ing: search for growth" (C&EN, Aug 23, page 17), I have the following comment: Why do you not just stop promoting this ill-advised and unscientific tampering with our food supply? A majority of the legal adulterations being proposed within the covers of our magazine can only be justified by inflating the worth to the con sumer of the additives and minimizing their harmfulness. Many of the activities being proposed as "progress" in food processing were de plored in Germany during World War II as ersatz, or inferior substitutes for the real thing. I guess they are a lot better chemists than we are, and certainly a lot more honest not to try to "public rela
tions" a national scandal into a great advance. Apparently we intend to keep on with commercial misapplication of chemical knowledge until it becomes a disgrace to be connected in any way with the chemi cal industry or profession or until we destroy our nation just as Rome and Greece did with lead as a food additive for preservation and sweetening. My estimate is that the chemical house keeping that we are being subjected to is producing three or four times the vol ume of injury produced by automobile accidents. Liebig's 1840 discovery of chemical farming was made obsolete by Darwin's 1880 discovery of biological or ecological farming. These excesses in the misapplication of chemical knowledge are offsetting medical advance as far as the total health of the nation is concerned. Since 1954 there has been little significant improvement in longevity in this country. Other nations are leaving us behind healthwise. Yet spokesmen for continu ing the present level of chemical folly keep claiming that we are all living so much longer. One extremely influential advocate of government and industry even made claims that, if true, would mean the average life span in this country was 95 years. You do not have to be a statis tician to know such claims are false. Francis Silver, P.E. Consulting Environmental Engineer, Reg istered Chemical Engineer, Martinsburg, W.Va.
Role of education SIRS: Re "Brevity is the soul of wit" and the editorial by Leon Mandell (C&EN, Aug. 30): No student has any rights unless he has signed a contract agreeing to pay the full costs of his education by means of deferred tuition payments. Alan Richter, Ph.D. Laboratory Cell Suppliers, Frederick, Md. SIRS: It was very enlightening to read Prof. Mandell's editorial on "An educa tional culture medium." I do not dispute his claim that education cannot cure society's problems. However, educated people can make a move in the right di rection. Ignorant people cannot, as we have proved and still are proving. It's great that Emory University is at tracting large numbers of chemistry majors but what function in society are they to be allowed to serve? The chemist, although locked in his laboratory, is not immune to society's ills. It's his choice whether he wants to make them better, worse, or just ignore them. Education has in the past chosen to ignore such mundane matters. All I ask is that the student be given a choice. Dr. Milan Wehking Department of Chemistry, Wisconsin State University, River Falls
Microorganisms and the ecosystem SIRS: First, I should like to express my appreciation of the excellent review of mercury problems by Lloyd Dunlap (C&EN, July 5, page 22). I found it useful and very clarifying. There are two points I should like to raise. The article states (page 33) that "little of the mercury in fossil fuels is trapped with the flyash; instead it apparently is a gaseous product of combustion." This OCT. 4, 1971 C&EN 7
point is obviously important. I n t h e various reports on mercury in coal that I have seen, it is assumed that all the mercury is emitted into the atmosphere from combustion equipment, b u t I have seen no evidence presented. I agree t h a t mercury would pass through the flame a n d probably into t h e stack in gaseous form. I n cooler regions, I should have thought adsorption on flyash particles, amalgamation with metals, or plain condensation on the stack walls might well remove some mercury. The kind of evidence one needs is a comparison of mercury input to a power station by representative samplings with mercury output in the flyash over the same period. Analysis for mercury in the gas above the electrostatic precipitator would be desirable, b u t probably difficult. I should be grateful if you could let me know your sources of information on this point. The article quotes Dr. John Wood as recommending the elimination or the great reduction of microbial populations in sediments. This seems to m e an extraordinary proposition for a biochemist to make. I n the first place I do not understand how we can "eliminate essential n u t r i e n t s " from lakes and the oceans and thus starve microorganisms, since the benthic organisms have lived happily in a n a t u r a l food web for millions of years before m a n arrived. Even if we could, imagination boggles at the thought of w h a t the consequences might be. The role of microorganisms in the sediments of lakes and oceans is far from being understood, b u t they m u s t have a role in decomposing or altering organic debris, maintaining t h e carbon and nitrogen cycles, controlling to some extent p H and Eh, etc. In the past, the Zechstein Sea (which covered m u c h of central Germany) h a d a large input of a n u m b e r of metals including copper, zinc, cobalt, and nickel, probably adsorbed on mineral particles or complexed in some way. Sulfate-reducing bacteria produced H 2 S which precipitated the metals as sulfides in w h a t is now known as the Kupferschiefe. If the bacteria h a d not been there to precipitate the metals, the latter would presumably have been leached into solution and made the sea sterile. This is merely one example of the sort of thing that could happen with ill-informed interference with the ecosystem. In fact, to come back to Dr. Wood's point, I should think it probable that if we eliminate the microflora in aqueous sediments we should probably have no fish to load with mercury. Again, thank you for the article. Peter H. Given Professor of Fuel Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Industry and academe SIRS: The suggestion of Richard P. Neville (C&EN, Aug. 23, page 2) that industry p r o m o t e closer liaison between the theories explored in academe and t h e realities of industrial chemistry is excellent. Teachers have a natural tendency to replicate themselves in their students by firing t h e m with enthusiasm for t h e problems with which they were ignited in graduate school by their professors. One other way to introduce a m u t a n t into these genetics is to give b o t h staff members and students t h e opportunity to 8
C&EN OCT. 4, 1971
experience t h e thrill of solving problems t h a t confront the industrial chemist. Industry could fund research assistantships b o t h at the undergraduate and graduate level for research in areas and on problems of m u t u a l interest. Retired chemists from a given company could b e hired as liaison agents to act as consultants for the company to t h e college. One caveat would be t h a t the problems should be of a broad character and n o t specific problems of the type usually handled by t h e applications laboratory of the company, or submitted to a private consultant by the company. In this way more chemists would b e graduated w h o would not disdain working on applied research, in fact they might find this research as interesting and as challenging as any academic problem, if not more so, because of its immediate relevance. Our d e p a r t m e n t is one of many departments in this country t h a t require research b o t h for t h e B.S. a n d M.S. degree. We would be happy to participate in a project of this nature. George J. Beichl Professor of Chemistry, St. Joseph's College, Philadelphia, Pa.
"Journalistic pollution" SIRS: Re "Columnist spurs formation of ecology college" (C&EN, Aug. 23, page 34): I believe this to b e an admirable, courageous and very worthwhile undertaking by Jack Anderson. Equally worthwhile and courageous would be for h i m to clean u p the "journalistic pollution" of innuendoes, half-truths, and some garbage that often invades his syndicated columns. Harry E. Anschutz, Jr. Decatur, Ala.
Sulfur sent after mercury SIRS: For the past several months we have explored the utility of using sulfhydryl compounds to reduce the mercury content of fish. In this respect, we found Harry Browning Moore's (C&EN, Aug. 23, page 3) thoughts on this subject to be quite interesting. Preliminary data at our laboratory show that the mercury content of comminuted fish tissue can be reduced by as much as 50% by extraction with dilute saline solutions containing 0.1 to 0.25% of L-cysteine HC1. Similar results were also obtained when the extractions were m a d e with isopropyl alcohol, containing t h e same quantities of t h e cysteine. In accordance with the above observations, we therefore concur t h a t this approach could prove useful in controlling the mercury contents in several classes of foods. John Spinelli Research Chemist, National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Fishery Products Technology Center, Seattle, Wash.
ably a r o u t e which would b e acceptable to most m e m b e r s of t h e profession a n d industry. An additional factor is t h a t this type of p r o g r a m could conceivably reverse the technology import problem which h a s contributed in p a r t to our present dollar difficulties. Eli M. Pearce, Ph.D. Somerville, N.J.
On professionalism SIRS: I n t h e past three a n d a half years I lost two jobs, one after nearly eight years and the other after one and a half. Both times my immediate management seemed suddenly angry; I was m a d e to feel as though I were being fired for cause, while n o causes were stated and in fact there were none to state. H u r t by this treatment, I did n o t see then w h a t appeared on calmer reflection to be their feelings of guilt. Now, in C&EN (July 26, page 12) we find w h a t a lot of firms are doing to salve these feelings. The article may serve to inform managements about w h a t others are doing, b u t it will b e scant consolation to the employee. Many of us older castoffs realize—despite all the versatility and experience we offer, and willingness to accept less pay—that we will probably never work in t h e industry again. It could have been done differently. A letter appears in the same issue (page 39), "Salary cuts across the board." Correspondent Mehta gives us good arguments for salary cuts b u t misses the most important. I t is the most potent cure available for an inflated economy; and inflation has to be reversed before recession and unemployment can b e ended. Many of us will recall that salary cuts were universally applied in the 1930's. I t did not m a t t e r that cuts were not enough and ultimately people h a d to b e let out because the first cuts h a d already deflated prices like magic. What is so unsettling now is that, w h a t with union demands in perpetuity and the entanglements of group plannery, industry seems to have retrogressed in its policies since even those wicked times. Chemical professionals—liberal or conservative, activist or pacifist, environmentalist or industrialist, hawk or d o v e m u s t now unite to professionalize our society and end a long restraint that can only be described as masochistic. We are being reminded again about t h e many evils of professionalism. We know it is n o t a panacea. Professionalism for scientists and engineers today is a little like Democracy—it is confusing, chaotic, self-defeating, inefficient, disappointing to most of u s , enervating to many, infuriating to some, and seemingly unworkable. It is all of these things until we consider the alternatives, and they are all one thing—they are intolerable. Vernon R. Gutman Saratoga, Calif.
An egg a day Lobby for R&D SIRS: A real opportunity exists for ACS to be h e a r d in attempting to solve t h e present dilemmas of chemical R&D. ACS and its m e m b e r s should lobby for a federal tax subsidy for R&D to b e given to industry. This approach would provide research incentives for industry at sufficiently low cost so as to provide overall increased R&D expenditures and is prob-
SIRS: I a m intrigued by H a r r y Moore's letter on adding sulfur to our food. Surely t h e easy answer would b e t o prescribe that we m u s t all eat at least one egg per day as a medicine. The nutritive a n d other benefits of egg eating would then b e a welcome secondary benefit. J. A. Sherred San Francisco, Calif.
