years, despite major gains in the number of manuscripts published. Meanwhile, the ACS Council acted on a number of matters, including setting next year's membership dues at $99— the same as this year—and selecting candidates for 1997 president-elect. The two candidates, who will run in ACS's annual election this fall, are Daryle H. Busch, Roberts Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of Kansas, Lawrence; and Paul H. L. Walter, professor of chemistry at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and 1993-95 chairman of the ACS Board. Councilors selected the two candidates from a slate of four nominees. The other two nominees were Edward M. Arnett, emeritus professor of chemistry at Duke University, and Richard N. Zare, Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University. The ACS meeting itself drew more than 12,500 attendees, including exhibitors and visitors. Some 5,700 papers were presented on a broad range of topics, and about 225 companies exhibited their products and services at the exposition. The National Employment Clearing House matched about 1,025 job candidates with about 270 job postings by 133 companies. Ernest Carpenter
Shell China executive arrested in Beijing Shell China has just confirmed that one of its executives in Beijing, a Chinese national, was arrested in early February. Shell won't say what her responsibilities were, nor will it release her name. And it claims it does not know why she was arrested. A company spokesman in Hong Kong says: "We are trying to clarify the situation and the circumstances. We are concerned about the lady's well-being. We haven't been allowed to see her. We haven't been given any proper, official reason for the detention. We still do not know exactly what it is that the lady is supposed to have done." But the Hong Kong-based magazine Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) identifies the employee as Xiu Yichun, who was in charge of liaison with the Chinese government on the massive Huizhou (also called Nanhai) project. For two years, Shell has been awaiting approval for construction of a $6 billion refinery and petrochemical complex in the city of Huizhou near Hong Kong in southern China. Shell started planning for the project in the 1980s and is eager to operate service stations bearing its logo in China—something
the Chinese government is not very keen on. Citing Chinese sources, FEER says Xiu has been charged with obtaining state secrets related to approval of the complex. But Shell won't confirm that the arrest is related to the complex. FEER adds that an employee of the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC)—Shell's proposed partner in the project—also has been arrested. The CNOOC employee is described as Xiu's counterpart and is alleged to have accepted bribes. CNOOC confirms detention of its employee. At a news conference in Hong Kong in January, CNOOC President Wang Yan called the Huizhou project one of the top items in his company's ninth five-year plan (1996-2000). He predicted approval soon—during 1996—by the central government in Beijing. Arrest of the executive from the Netherlands-based Shell may raise tensions during a visit to the Netherlands by Chinese Premier Li Peng scheduled for April 18-19. Li will head a 200member delegation, including officials and businesspeople. Jean-François Tremblay
U.S. biochemist begins stay on Russian space station Mir Following intensive training in Russia—including survival drills with a Soyuz space vehicle mock-up/trainer (right) and study of the Russian language—U.S. astronaut Shannon W. Lucid last week flew on space shuttle Atlantis to begin a stay of more than four months aboard Russian space station Mir. Joining Russian cosmonauts Yuri Onufrienko and Yuri Usachev, she will carry out experiments to prepare for an international space station. Lucid, 53, is the first U.S. woman and second astronaut to serve on board Mir. Holder of a B.S. degree in chemistry and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry, all from the University of Oklahoma, she has flown on four previous shuttle missions. Her stay on Mir launches a continuous U.S. presence aboard the station for more than two years. She will be replaced by another astronaut in early August, with the next crew change in December. Last week's linkup was the third of nine shuttle-Mir dockings planned between 1995 and 1998. Atlantis carried supplies and scientific equipment to and from Mir, including experiments to be done under microgravity conditions on combustion, liquid diffusion, protein crystal growth, and liquid-phase sintering. During the five days of linkup, the shuttle crew also performed life sciences experiments and carried out the first U.S. spacewalk on MtVs exterior. Richard Seltzer
APRIL 1,1996 C&EN 7
