NEWS
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Richard R. Ernst, professor of physi cal chemistry at the Federal Techni cal Institute (ΕΤΗ) in Zurich, Swit zerland, has won the 1991 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences hon ored Ernst because of his many methodological developments in the field of NMR spectroscopy. Working with Weston A. Anderson of Varian Associ ates in 1966, Ernst invented FT-NMR, a technique that multiplied sensitivity 10-100 χ compared with that available using dispersive instruments. He also devised 2D NMR techniques, which have helped researchers to increase resolution, determine structures of biologically important macromolecules, and study rates of chemical and conformational change. Ernst earned his Ph.D. at ΕΤΗ in 1962 and worked for Varian Associates from 1963 to 1968. He then joined the faculty at ΕΤΗ, where he invented the first 2D NMR techniques in 1975 and 1976.
Vern Berry Memorial Award Nominations are requested for The Vern Berry Interna tional Graduate Student Prize. This award will be pre sented to a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in separations sciences. The 1992 winner will receive $1500 and travel expenses to attend the HPLC '92 meeting June 14-19 in Baltimore, MD. In addition, the researcb group will receive $1000. For more information, contact Barry L. Karger or Thomas R. Gilbert, Barnett Institute of Chemical Analysis and Materials Science, Northeastern Univer sity, Boston, MA 02115 or The Vern Berry Memorial Foundation, 32677 Reservoir Road, Boston, MA 02167. Nominations must be postmarked by Feb. 28.
Human Genome Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Health and Environmental Research has awarded five Human Ge nome Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships as part of a program created to offer recent doctoral degree recipi ents challenging opportunities to conduct research in support of the DOE Human Genome Program. Fellow ship periods of up to two years are served at host uni versity and DOE laboratories that perform DOE-spon sored research for the Human Genome Program. This year's winners include Xiaohua Huang of Stan ford University (host: University of California at Berke ley), Ben Koop of Wayne State University (host: Califor nia Institute of Technology), Markley Leavitt of the
University of Arizona (host: The Salk Institute for Bio logical Studies), Carol Soderlund of New Mexico State University (host: Los Alamos National Laboratory), and Harold Swerdlow of the University of Utah (host: Uni versity of Utah). Stipends are $35,000 for the first year and $37,000 for the second year. Applicants must either hold or expect to complete their doctoral degrees within three years of starting their fellowships. The next application deadline is Feb. 1. For more information, contact Oak Ridge As sociated Universities, SEED Division, P.O. Box 117, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117 (615-576-4805).
Carbon-13 Diamonds Researchers at the GE Research and Develop ment Center have syn thesized the world's first large gem-quality diamonds composed of 99% 13 C. (Naturally occurring diamonds contain only 1% of the isotope.) The synthesis process involves two steps. In the first, 13 Molecular structure of C dia methane gas is used as mond. The black atoms are 13C, a carbon source for a and the few white atoms in the low-pressure chemical vapor deposition tech center are 12C. nique that produces ag gregates of small diamonds with the desired isotopic composition. In the second step, high-pressure technol ogy is used to dissolve and recrystallize the aggregates into gem-quality diamonds weighing a carat or more. GE scientists say that the isotopic composition of the diamonds is limited only by the purity of the methane. Ford Motor Company scientists performed high-reso lution X-ray measurements on the diamonds and found that they contain more atoms per cubic centimeter at room temperature than any other solid known to exist on Earth, a distinction previously held by naturally oc curring diamonds. The lattice-structure arrangement of carbon atoms, combined with the small distance be tween atoms and the strength of the carbon—carbon bond, gives diamonds their unique properties. Research ers found that as the 13 C concentration increases, the interatomic distance decreases slightly (by 1.5 parts in 10,000), corresponding to an increase in atomic density. Although this result is expected on theoretical grounds, this is the first observation of the isotope effect on the lattice constant of diamonds. The smaller lattice con stant is important because some scientists speculate that the 13 C diamonds may be harder than natural dia monds. Work is under way to test this possibility by making comparative measurements of properties such as the material's elastic and vibration constants.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 63, NO. 24, DECEMBER 15, 1991 · 1177 A
