NEWS OF THE WEEK
LAYOFFS HIT ARGONNE LAB FEDERAL FUNDING: Budget uncertainty
forces staff cuts, fiscal review
A
NTICIPATED FUTURE battles in Congress over
the Department of Energy’s research funding levels have prompted one of the department’s oldest and largest laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory, to lay off 48 workers. The layoffs, in the offices of the director and laboratory operations, followed an assessment of the lab’s financial situation and R&D budget uncertainties, Director Eric D. Isaacs said in a memorandum to staff, released on Aug. 5. “The ongoing national debate about America’s investment in scientific research has made us keenly aware of the need to achieve our mission more efficiently and to find ways to reduce spending wherever possible,” Isaacs said. In addition to the 48 layARGONNE NATIONAL LAB
Funding woes have led Argonne to cut staff.
NICKEL UNITES PROTONS RAPIDLY CATALYSIS: Synthetic complex can speed production of H2 by a factor of 10
A Ph
N P P
Ph
Ni N
Ph Ph P P
Ph
Ph PNNL catalyst Ph = phenyl
2+
SYNTHETIC NICKEL COMPLEX can catalyze
the electrochemical combination of protons to produce hydrogen at rates more than 10 times faster than the fastest hydrogen-producing enzymes can, according to a study published in Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.1205864). The investigation highlights the role of molecular features that endow low-cost catalysts with record-setting kinetic properties. Catalysts that use electrical energy to mediate production of fuels such as hydrogen—and those that facilitate the reverse reaction, oxidation—are widely expected to play a central role in future energy platforms. Such catalysts may be incorporated into future water-splitting systems for solar energy conversion to mediate the step in which two protons taken from water are joined to form a hydrogen molecule. Platinum readily catalyzes hydrogen production and/or oxidation. Yet the metal’s high cost and relative scarcity have motivated researchers to study hydrogenase enzymes, which do both jobs via complexes based WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
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offs, 27 employees took voluntary buyouts earlier this year. Altogether, the 75 personnel cuts are expected to save the laboratory $13 million per year, he said, out of a $640 million annual budget. The layoffs were “a difficult decision,” Isaacs stressed. “By trimming our operations and refocusing on the bottom line, we are demonstrating our fiscal responsibility, improving the delivery and effectiveness of our mission support functions, and safeguarding the laboratory’s ability to do groundbreaking science in the months and years ahead,” Isaacs wrote in the memo. In addition to the personnel cuts, Argonne has designed and implemented a “reorganization plan” to streamline operations and save money. “To get this economy moving again and spur job creation, we must get federal spending under control at every level,” Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), a longtime advocate for the lab, tells C&EN. “At the same time, we cannot lose sight of the scientific investments that are responsible for America’s long-term economic competiveness. “As Congress follows Argonne’s lead in reexamining its own budget,” says Biggert, a senior member of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee, “I plan to continue to prioritize key science and technology programs at places like Argonne that help grow our economy and create jobs.”—RAJ MUKHOPADHYAY AND JEFF JOHNSON
on iron and nickel—inexpensive, abundant metals. Natural enzymes are not easily produced in bulk quantities and may not stand up to industrial conditions. But they exhibit molecular features that researchers can mimic in designing more durable catalysts. In the new study, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) incorporated an aminebased proton relay similar to the one found in [FeFe]hydrogenase enzymes into their nickel catalyst. The synthetic complex contains two seven-membered cyclic diphosphine ligands each with a pendant amine group. On the basis of catalysis tests using protonated dimethylformamide as the proton source, the team, which includes Monte L. Helm, R. Morris Bullock, Daniel L. DuBois, and coworkers, finds that the new catalyst acts more than 10 times faster than the fastest natural enzyme and 100 times faster than the group’s previous best catalyst. The team notes that the fast-acting catalyst is nearly 100% efficient in terms of electrons in and hydrogen molecules out but still not “perfect” catalyst. They’re addressing that issue now. “This paper unveils a major catalyst design breakthrough,” remarks Thomas B. Rauchfuss of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Several years ago, he adds, the PNNL team seized on the proton-relay concept and has been using it to develop catalysts that are faster and more efficient ever since.—MITCH JACOBY
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