LETTER
POINT-COUNTERPOINT
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YOUR COVER STORY about Richard Smalley was interesting, but it had an an noying problem (C&EN, Oct. 9, page 13). Yes, Smalley was brilliant, politically astute, and from what I hear, a very nice guy. But as Smalley himself admitted, he was first turned on to nanotechnology after reading K. Eric Drexler's "Engines of Creation." Then, in their famous disagree ment, Smalley was wrong about "sticky fingers," he was wrong about "fat fingers," and he was blatantly wrong about "dry en zymes" (C&EN, Dec. 1,2003, page 37). So why not at least give Drexler a nod? At stake is not just a question of fair ness to Drexler. As Thomas Vandermolen pointed out recently in Air & Space Power Journal (2006,20», 96), the cost of a limited view of molecular nanotechnology might be our survival. C&EN did the world a huge service by publishing the Point-Counterpoint debate between Drexler and Smalley. However, that debate should have gone further, perhaps by considering the experimental results of scanning probe microscope-assembled molecules, for example (Science 1999,286, 1719; Ann. Rev. Phys. Chem. 2003,54,307). The recent National Nanotechnology Initiative review (newton.nap.edu/catalog/ 11752.html ) pointed out, quite correctly, that it is very difficult to analyze Drexler's vision of quickly building atomically pre cise, complex, large-scale industrial objects such as computers or spacecraft at very low cost. But the review committee ac cepted that Drexler's technical arguments make use of accepted scientific knowledge. Therefore, the committee called for delin-
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CORRECTIONS • Nov. 27, page 37: C&EN incorrectly identi fied the 2007 National Science Foundation Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute on Sustainability & Green Chemistry. The institute is a summer school program that will be held in Mexico City from May 29 to June 10,2007. NSF funding and support from the ExxonMobil Foundation will provide full travel support to accepted graduate and postdoctoral students. Information and ap plication details for the program are available atchemistry.org/greenchemistry/summer. html. The deadline for receipt of applications is Feb. 16,2007. • Nov. 20, page 96: Nelson J. Leonard helped synthesize chloroquine, an antima larial cancer drug, not chloroquinone.
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DECEMBER 11, 2006
eating desirable research directions not already being pursued by the biochemistry community; defining and focusing on some basic experimental steps that are critical to advancing long-term goals; and outlining some "proof-of-principle" studies that, if successful, would provide knowledge or en gineering demonstrations of key principles or components with immediate value. I hope and expect C&EN and its readers to answer this call. Tihamer T. Toth-Fejel Ann Arbor, Mich. HOW TO REACH US CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS LETTERS TO T H E EDITOR • Our e-mail address is
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