l actualité chimique canadienne canadian chemical news

Transcription

l’actualité chimique canadienne
canadian chemical news
MAY MAI • 2005 • Vol. 57, No./no 5
PM40021620
ACCN
A fresh look at PHARMACEUTICALS
ACCN
MAY MAI • 2005 • Vol. 57, No./no 5
A publication of the CIC/Une publication de l’ICC
Ta ble of Contents/Ta ble des matièr es
Feature Ar ticles/Ar ticles de fond
Guest Column/
Chroniqueur invité . . . . . . . . 2
Chemistry in Canada—Planning Ahead
R. Stan Brown, FCIC
Letters/Lettres . . . . . . . . . . 3
Personals/Personnalités . . . . . . 3
News Briefs/
Nouvelles en bref . . . . . . . . . 4
Chemputing. . . . . . . . . . . . 10
A Tale of Two Mini Databases
Marvin D. Silbert, FCIC
Chemfusion . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Good Drugs
Joe Schwarcz, MCIC
Chemical Shifts . . . . . . . . . . 15
Cathleen Crudden, MCIC,
and Hans-Peter Loock, MCIC
12 R E M E M B E R W H E N
18 The Recent Evolution of the Pharmaceutical Industry
Canadian and international perspectives
Sébastien Breau
22
’Net Benefits?
Internet pharmacies in Canada
Daphne C. Ripley, MCIC
24
Allergies and the Good Life
Are allergies the new anti-aphrodisiacs? New data and clinical research suggest
that seasonal allergies are taking a significant toll on our Canadian quality of life.
Ross Chang, MD
CIC Bulletin ICC . . . . . . . . . 28
CSC Bulletin SCC . . . . . . . . . 31
CSChE Bulletin SCGCh . . . . . . 38
26
Confusion in the Aisles
Nearly half of Canadians are confused when selecting allergy medication.
Local Section News/
Nouvelles des sections locales . . . 44
Student News/
Nouvelles des étudiants . . . . . . 44
Careers/Carrières . . . . . . . . . 45
Events/Événements . . . . . . . . 49
Cover/Couver ture
ACCN looks at the pharmaceutical industry of the 21st century. Issues involving
pharma have hit the mainstream. They extend beyond the lab—and over the counter.
GUEST COLUMN CHRONIQUEUR INVITÉ
Editor-in-Chief/Rédactrice en chef
Michelle Piquette
CHEMISTRY IN CANADA—
PLANNING AHEAD
Managing Editor/Directrice de la rédaction
Heather Dana Munroe
Graphic Designer/Infographiste
Krista Leroux
R. Stan Brown, FCIC
I
n the January 17, 2005 issue of Chemical
and Engineering News, American Chemistry Society (ACS) president William F.
Carroll unveiled Enterprise 2015—a major
visionary exercise to assess the state of
chemistry in the U.S. ten years from now. It
represents the collective thinking of 30 leaders in industry and academia. The document
can be viewed on the ACS Web site and I
encourage everyone to read it.
It struck me that Canada faces the same
challenges in five major categories relevant
to chemistry—the shape of the enterprise;
economics; science and technology; government policy; and education, workforce and
career. The part that gave me considerable
pause for thought was education since this
ultimately brings the seeds of change to the
other categories.
Canada has a strong university and college
system with fine undergraduate and graduate
chemistry programs. The quality of these has
eroded over the last 25 years as provincial governments snipped away at the budgets for postsecondary institutions. Accordingly, chemistry
departments, like all others, have seen faculty
and support staff decline at the same time that
student enrolment increased. This situation
forced negative changes in the way programs
are delivered because of increasing class sizes,
decreased student contact with professors
and increasing use of machine-graded exams.
There are, however, recent signs that increased
funding for post-secondary education might
be found within provincial government budgets. Ontarians have been told that up to 70%
of new jobs will require some form of postsecondary schooling. In early February, the
Alberta government proposed an ambitious expansion of post-secondary schooling. It seems
now that provincial governments are considering reinvestment in advanced education
and that chemistry departments, like all other
disciplines, could receive significant increases
aimed at improving teaching. If the current
climate of accountability to government
2 L’ACTUALITÉ CHIMIQUE CANADIENNE MAI 2005
prevails, it will be necessary to provide assurance that new money buys quality measurable
by some standard.
Chemistry departments continually modify
their curricula to meet the changing needs of
students and the discipline within constraints
forced by their budgets. Call me an optimist,
but I believe that future increases in funding
may allow us to do something more far-reaching than we’ve considered over the last three
decades. So in anticipation of the possibilities
for increased funding, it seems to me that this
is a perfect time for a department to undertake
a comprehensive evaluation of the current
state of its curricula, to decide how effective its
programs are, how one academic year builds
upon preceding years, the relationship of practical labs to service and specialist courses, and
how to measure the success of the programs.
If chemistry in Canada is to prosper, we will
have to stimulate student interest by making
our programs more appealing, pedagogically
better, more exciting, and more obviously
relevant. I hold that one of the most effective
ways to encourage early student interest is
through dedicating additional effort into our
first- and second-year exposures to chemistry
by increasing student contact with professors, decreasing class sizes, re-evaluating the
pedagogical role of the laboratory components of courses, and reducing the reliance on
machine-graded examinations.
In academia opportunities for change that
bring extra dollars are rare, but they do occur.
The departments that benefit the most are
those that have well-conceived plans that are
ready to go. Those without such plans are
often the losers when accessing additional
institutional funding. A top-to-bottom curriculum review and implementation exercise
anticipating funding increases is time-consuming, but in the end will ensure that our
programs are among the best in the world.
R. Stan Brown, FCIC, is president of the
Canadian Society for Chemistry.
Editorial Board/Conseil de la rédaction
Terrance Rummery, FCIC, chair/président
Catherine A. Cardy, MCIC
Cathleen Crudden, MCIC
John Margeson, MCIC
Milena Sejnoha, MCIC
Bernard West, MCIC
Editorial Office/Bureau de la rédaction
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L’Actualité chimique canadienne/Canadian Chemical
News (ACCN) is published 10 times a year by The
Chemical Institute of Canada / est publié 10 fois
par année par l’Institut de chimie du Canada.
www.cheminst.ca.
Recommended by The Chemical Institute of Canada,
the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the Canadian
Society for Chemical Engineering, and the Canadian
Society for Chemical Technology. Views expressed
do not necessarily represent the official position of
the Institute, or of the societies that recommend
the magazine.
Recommandé par l’Institut de chimie du Canada, la
Société canadienne de chimie, la Société canadienne
de génie chimique et la Société canadienne de
technologie chimique. Les opinions exprimées ne
reflètent pas nécessairement la position officielle
de l’Institut ou des sociétés constituantes qui
soutiennent la revue.
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Business and Current Affairs.
ISSN 0823-5228
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LETTERS LETTRES
PERSONALS PERSONNALITÉS
Industry
All Kidding Aside
Dear Editor,
I was dismayed to see a picture of unsafe
conditions in a lab environment—I am referring to the University of Winnipeg Calendar
shown on p. 32 of the February 2005 issue
of ACCN. Surely somebody at the university
should have taught the students that gas cylinders should always be kept in an upright
position?
B. Bruce Sitholé, FCIC
The Right Fluff
Dear Editor,
I read, with great interest, the guest column by
Joe Schwarcz, MCIC (ACCN, March 2005). I
have also had occasion to see his contributions
in the media. Not to be critical to educators, as
they have complex curriculum issues, but if
high school chemistry students were exposed
to Schwarcz’s style, or angle, in presenting
chemistry, institutions would be filled with
eager future chemists/engineers/technologists.
The “fluff,” as Schwarcz puts it, including the
Chemfusion articles in ACCN, continues to stir
my own interests in chemistry.
Thanks for a great article.
Julie Laliberté, doctorante en biochimie, a
reçu le prix d’excellence en biochimie 2004 de
la société Roche Diagnostic. Ce prix, accompagné d’une bourse, récompense l’étudiante
ou l’étudiant à la maîtrise ou au doctorat en
biochimie qui présente le meilleur dossier
scolaire de l’année en cours. Sous la supervision de Simon Labbé, Laliberté étudie les
bases moléculaires et biochimiques déficientes chez les patients atteints de sclérose
amyotrophique latérale, appelée aussi
maladie de Lou Gehrig.
Mark Stradiotto, MCIC, has been awarded a
considerable research grant from Boehringer
Ingelheim Canada for a project entitled,
“Cationic and Zwitterionic Catalysts Featuring
a New Class of Planar-Chiral Metalloligands:
Applications in Enantioselective Addition
Reactions Based on E-H Bond Activation.”
University
Alfred Bader, FCIC, was granted an honorary doctor of science degree from Simon
Fraser University for 2005. Bader was among
nine other recipients who were honoured for
making outstanding contributions that have
made a difference in our world. Bader is the
co-founder of Aldrich Chemical Co., now
Sigma-Aldrich, the world’s largest supplier of
research chemicals. As well as being a chemist, he is also well-known for being an art
historian and philanthropist.
Government
The University of Saskatchewan’s Jian Yang,
MCIC, was among researchers awarded up
to 40 percent of their project costs by the
Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) New
Opportunities Fund. Yang’s work at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition looks at how
an environmental pollutant is degraded by
microorganisms.
Mark Bonneau, MCIC
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Send your replies to [email protected]
Distinction
Killam Research Fellow for 2005. Seven continuing Killam Research Fellows have also
been renewed for a second year. One of
Canada’s most prestigious research awards,
the Killam Fellowships are administered by
the Canada Council for the Arts.
“This is terrific news,” says vice-principal
(research) Kerry Rowe. “This very prestigious Fellowship recognizes the tremendous
impact that Becke’s work has had over the
past decade in the chemical and physical
sciences. We wish him continued success in
advancing this research through the tenure
of his Killam.”
Becke is internationally renowned for
his research in the field of computational
chemistry—the simulation of molecular
structures, energies, and chemical reactions
by computer calculations. His best-known
work, published in 1993, was the mostcited Canadian paper of the 1990s, and the
second-most-cited in the world.
A Fellow of both the CIC and the Royal
Society of Canada, Becke is a leader in the
development of a relatively new approach
to computational chemistry known as
density functional theory. This theory allows
scientists to perform computer simulations
on much larger problems than are possible
with other approaches, opening the way to
exciting new applications in chemistry, physics, materials science, and biology.
University of Saskatchewan chemistry professor emeritus, Ron Sutherland, FCIC, has
earned the title Chartered Scientist from Britain’s Science Council. The title was awarded
through the Royal Society of Chemistry. The
designation provides professional recognition
across a range of scientific disciplines.
In Memoriam
The CIC extends its condolences
to the families of:
Ross G. Donovan, FCIC
Mohammad A. Kasem, MCIC
Paul D. McLean, FCIC
Maria Santos, MCIC
Queen’s University chemistry professor
Axel Becke, FCIC, is one of seven outstanding
Canadian researchers to be named a new
MAY 2005 CANADIAN CHEMICAL NEWS 3
SFU chemistry lecturer Sophie Lavieri, MCIC (centre), research assistant Shivanand Balram (left), and
teaching assistant Daniel Stevens agree that getting research published is vital to academic success.
Science Writing
Course in Demand
There appears to be a huge demand for a
full-time course or a regular workshop
on getting research papers published for
graduate students and faculty.
The Centre for Writing-Intensive Learning
(CWIL) at Simon Fraser University (SFU)
sent up a trial balloon to gauge interest in
such an offering when it launched Writing
for Science Publication, the nine-week, sixsession workshop, in January. No sooner
was the word out than the workshop
filled with 22 people and another 10 were
wait-listed.
Wendy Strachan, CWIL director, says the
centre surveyed various disciplines for their
interest in such a workshop before launching this one, which is being sponsored by
the faculty of science. “The biggest response
came from the sciences,” says Strachan.
“We’re now looking into securing ongoing
financial support for a regular workshop
series and are hoping an SFU faculty member
will teach it.”
Iain Taylor, a retired University of British Columbia (UBC) biology professor and
a successful editor of scholarly publications
is the only academic widely known in BC to
teach a writing-for-publication workshop to
scholars. So the CWIL brought in Taylor to
share his tablet of commandments.
“A researcher’s work will have less or no
impact unless it can be read by a science
journalist, or more importantly, an individual who makes policy for government or
industry,” argues Taylor. The assistant editorin-chief of the National Research Council
Canada Research Journals emphasizes the
importance of creating a well-structured draft
and developing solid author-peer reviewer
relations. “The scientific sin is to adopt the
attitude that those who don’t know the field
should not be reading the paper.”
Taylor started offering his workshops at
UBC in 1993 to help scholars, “drive out a
first draft of a research paper that is readable
by more than the author’s immediate clique.
Far too many papers were being refused
publication because they were poorly
presented, and many well-established
researchers did not understand the process
of publication.” Taylor notes that 80 percent
of published papers are never cited, adding,
“That indicates a good lot are never read
because of inaccessible writing.”
Sophie Lavieri, MCIC, and Shivanand Balram feel that they are getting invaluable tips
on writing for publication. They are part way
through Taylor’s workshop. “The greatest
strength of this workshop is having an experienced journal editor at the controls,” says
Balram, a department of geography research
assistant pursuing his doctorate. “Transferring this knowledge can shortcut many
frustrating trial and error mistakes out of the
graduate student writing experience.”
“No matter what you are writing about, it
has to be written in a way that anyone can
read it and understand what you have done,
how you did it, and why,” says Lavieri, a
chemistry lecturer who has already written
several papers.
Daniel Stevens, a master of science candidate in geography, withdrew two sessions
into Taylor’s workshop because he realized
his thesis was not at the publishing stage.
However, he still picked up some valuable
tips. Stevens says, “Getting published in
peer-reviewed journals at the graduate level
is proof of those soft-skills that we like to put
on our résumés but have trouble verifying
without an extensive work history.”
Carol Thorbes, Simon Fraser University News
2005 Canadian
Chemical Directory
Camford Information Services is pleased to
announce that the 2005 Canadian Chemical
Directory is now available to order. This
directory provides the most comprehensive
listing of suppliers of pharmaceuticals, feedstocks, intermediates, minerals, metals, and
resins in Canada. The “Companies” section
provides a complete alphabetical listing of
approximately 570 chemical manufacturers
and distributors, listing addresses, contact
information, executives, sales contacts,
manufacturing plants, branch sales offices,
parent and subsidiary companies, principals,
chemical products, and trade names. The
“Products” section lists over 3,300 chemical
products and suppliers.
Please send orders to Bob Douglas
at Camford Information Services Inc.,
38 Groomsport Crescent, Scarborough, ON
M1T 2K9; telephone 416-291-3215; e-mail
[email protected].
Camford Chemical Report
NEWS BRIEFS NOUVELLES EN BREF
Rx&D Supports
Smart Regulation
Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical
Companies (Rx&D) association welcomes
the federal government’s plan to renew
Canada’s regulatory system. This renewed
initiative, under the Smart Regulation Report
on Action and Plans, highlights three areas
of importance to patients, physicians, health
care stakeholders, and the research-based
pharmaceutical community in Canada: the
timeliness, efficiency, and transparency of the
drug review process; the exercise of greater
vigilance regarding the safety and therapeutic
effectiveness of products currently on the market; and access by Canadians to appropriately
prescribed and cost-effective drug therapies.
“This is a significant step forward to align
Canada’s regulatory system with other countries involved in innovation and discovery of
new medicines,” states Rx&D president Russell
Williams.
As this renewal process gets underway,
Rx&D is confident the initiatives to improve
the drug approval process, monitor the safe
and effective use of medicines, and improve
access to new medicines will meet the federal
government’s objective of making Canada
internationally competitive.
“Our member companies are committed
and ready to work in partnership with
patients, stakeholders, and governments
to ensure the health care initiatives under
the Smart Regulation will achieve what is
best for those who matter most—patients,”
concludes Williams.
Petro-Canada to
Operate Oil Sands
Petro-Canada will become a partner in the
Fort Hills Oil Sands Mining Project, currently owned by UTS Energy. Under the
terms of the agreement, Petro-Canada will
assume a 60 percent interest and become
the operator of the project. UTS will own the
other 40 percent.
To pay for its stake, Petro-Canada will
pay 75 percent of UTS’ portion of the
next $1 billion of development capital, or
$300 million. Current plans call for an initial
mining development producing 50,000 barrels/day and corresponding upgrader.
Subsequent development phases would
expand production up to 190,000 barrels/day
of bitumen integrated with upgrading. With
Petro-Canada assuming operatorship, the partners will consider a range of options, including
a 100,000 barrels/day initial mining operation,
before finalizing the development plan.
Photo by Ersa Su
Nano Applications
in Pulp Sector
NanoQuébec and the Pulp and Paper Institute of Canada (Paprican)
have signed an agreement targeting the development of nanotechnology applications for the forestry sector.
Paprican sees nanotechnology development as one of the keys
in improving the competitiveness of the Canadian forestry sector
in very challenging world markets. “We must recognize the level
of competitiveness that we face,” says Wright. “To meet this challenge, and to ensure our survival, it is absolutely essential that
we bring to our industry the most innovative technologies.”
Under the agreement, the two organizations will bring together
their network relationships. Both NanoQuébec and Paprican have
strategic links with universities, industry, and government. In
addition, Paprican will involve its sister institutes—Forintek and
the Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada.
With an initial time frame of three years, the agreement aims
to optimize the impact of nanotechnology on the forestry sector
and to reinforce the competitive position of the key companies
in the sector.
Photo by Steve Ford Elliott
Stellar and Dalton
Join Forces
Stellar International, a domestic pharmaceutical developer, has signed agreements with
Dalton Chemical Laboratories to manufacture Stellar’s NeoVisc and Uracyst products
for domestic and international distribution.
Dalton Chemical Laboratories is a contract pharmaceutical manufacturer located
in Toronto, ON, that supplies chemistry and
analytical services to the biotechnology and
pharmaceutical industries in the areas of
medicinal chemistry, fine chemical manufacture, custom peptides, and antisense oligo
production. Dalton has a site establishment
licence and is registered with Health Canada
as a drug-testing lab.
Dalton Chemical provides cGMP manufacturing and sterile filling capabilities to
its customers at any stage of the regulatory
process (Phase I, II, III, or commercial). In
its cGMP facilities, the company can produce APIs at the gram or kilogram scale.
Dalton can carry out sterile fills to produce
batches of finished drug product in filled
vials or syringes, either aseptically filled or
terminally sterilized, under fully validated
conditions.
“Working with some of the world’s
leading pharmaceutical companies to create
new drugs and optimize the synthesis,
production, and sterile fill of their therapeutic candidates, Dalton is pleased add
our relationship with Stellar to our growing
list of innovative customers,” says Dalton’s
president and CEO, Peter Pekos, MCIC.
Stellar’s president and CEO, Peter
Riehl, adds, “Stellar’s business has grown
substantially over the past few years and
out-licensing agreements will push this
growth over the capacity of our current
facility. Dalton Chemical has the ability to
meet this increased demand well into the
future. Dalton Chemical will also allow
Stellar to meet the quality standards of
a growing, global customer base. This
is a great opportunity for two maturing Canadian companies to enhance their
presence in domestic and international
markets.”
President of Toshiba of
Canada Limited, Mitsuhiro
Kurihara (right), stands
with the creators of Body
M.A.S.S. (left to right)
Audrey Tran, Monica
Segall (teacher), Sinthu
Varatharajah, John Zhu,
and Ivan Chak.
Students Shine Bright
at ExploraVision
Coached by their chemistry teacher, Monica
Segall, four grade 11 students from Don
Mills Collegiate Institute in Toronto, ON,
have designed a drug-dispensing garment
that has attracted international attention.
Segall’s students are among 24 regional
winning teams in one of the world’s largest
science and technology competitions—the
13th annual Toshiba/National Science
Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards
program. The students compose one of
only 24 teams chosen from a total of 4,405
team entries, representing the participation of 13,597 students from Canada and
the U.S. Their winning project is entitled
“Body M.A.S.S.” It proposes a special garment that would monitor a wearer’s life
signs and crucial nutrient and mineral levels,
administering pharmaceutical products
when needed. Non-intrusive glucose and
cholesterol monitors would complement the
network of embedded sensors and provide
regular updates.
This year, the ExploraVision program competition saw a dramatic increase in overall
Canadian participation. There was a 48 percent
increase in participating Canadian schools, resulting in a 40 percent increase in the number
of Canadian-team entries submitted. In
addition, 33 other teams in Canada received
an Honourable Mention. ExploraVision,
sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
asks students to imagine ideas for future
technologies that could exist in 20 years. The
projects were judged on proposed innovative ideas that combine imagination with
scientific principles.
“Toshiba congratulates the students of
Don Mills Collegiate for their achievements.
As a technology company, Toshiba understands the importance of supporting science
education and helping promote imaginative
thinking among young people,” says Mitsuhiro
Kurihara, president and CEO, Toshiba of
Canada Limited. “Today’s students represent
the future, and their innovative ideas form the
foundation of all future progress.”
For the next phase of the competition, the
winning teams will create working Web sites
to convey their ideas. Eight finalist teams will
be selected this month. Students on each of
the four first-place teams will each receive
a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond. Eight finalist
teams will attend the ExploraVision Gala
Awards Weekend in Washington, DC, in June
where they will receive their prizes.
Media Profile
New Class
of Antibiotics
for Superbugs
Affinium Pharmaceuticals has selected a
drug candidate for development of a novel
MRSA antibiotic to be used in hospital and
community settings. The candidate is one
of multiple compounds from Affinium’s
Galapagos program.
“It is important that our development
candidate operates via a novel mechanism
of action with very novel chemistry, and
distinct from any other antibiotic on the
market. Our drug candidates selectively
inhibit a bacterial pathway to kill bacteria
without any detectable side effects to the
analogous human pathway. Because of their
unique way of working, we believe resistance will be slow to develop,” said Judd
Berman, senior vice-president of chemistry.
“Our team selected Affinium’s first development candidate after evaluating animal data
from over 150 front-runner compounds with
potent MRSA activity from this new antibiotic class. We selected the first compound
for its potential as an IV and oral antibiotic
for hospital and community MRSA.”
“The recent advancements of our MRSA
program represent an important milestone in the development of a new class of
breakthrough antibiotics for us. The last
time the industry targeted a new pathway
with an antibiotic that bugs had never seen
before was the fluoroquinolone class in the
1960s. Fluoroquinolones now represent
over $7 billion in world wide annual sales,”
said John D. Mendlein, Affinium’s Chair
and CEO. “In its early stages, our Galapagos project was probably too pioneering for
big pharma to support. There were too many
“news”—new target, new pathway, new
chemistry, new paradigm, and new drug design technology. However, Affinium’s novel
approach to drug discovery has allowed our
team to accelerate the development of our
MRSA program. In addition, we are currently working to leverage our new class
for commercially attractive second-generation products to treat other serious bacterial
infections. With further scientific insights,
substantial additional investment in R&D,
and more hard work, we have the potential
to turn our Galapagos project into multiple
medical breakthrough products for patients
who are suffering from a wide range of bacterial infections. Given almost daily reports
of antibiotic-resistant infections both in
institutional and community settings worldwide, we believe our Galapagos franchise
is potentially of great significance to public
health and the overall reduction of health
care costs.”
Affinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Alberta Hydrocarbon
Upgrading Strategy
The petrochemical industry in Alberta has
undergone very significant growth based on
natural gas-derived ethane feedstock. Today,
very few expansion opportunities remain
as there is insufficient incremental ethane
extraction potential beyond what is needed
to supply existing operations, allowing for
some minor incremental expansion through
debottlenecking. As gas production from the
Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin has
probably peaked, any new petrochemical investments in Alberta will have to be founded
on a different business model.
Alberta is in the fortunate position of having vast hydrocarbon resources over and
above conventional oil and gas, specifically
oil sands and coal. The province’s vision for
the year 2020 sees:
• Alberta producing 430,000 barrels/day of
conventional oil; another 300,000 bbl/d
will flow through the Alberta Hub from
other provinces and territories;
• Alberta producing 11 billion cubic feet/
day of natural gas; another 10 Bcf/d will
flow through the Alberta Hub from the
North and other provinces;
• Alberta producing three million bbl/d of
bitumen with two million bbl/d being
upgraded to synthetic crude oil (SCO).
Of this, one million barrels/day are converted into refined petroleum products in
regional refineries or used as petrochemical feedstocks. The remaining bitumen
and SCO will be exported;
• Alberta producing 40 million tonnes/year
of coal;
• Alberta exporting 2.5 million MWh/year
of electricity.
The key feature of this vision is to maximize the amount of resource upgrading that
occurs within the province rather than simply exporting crude resources. Upgrading to
SCO yields a better return to the economy
than exporting crude bitumen. Value-added
processing to refined petroleum products
and petrochemicals pushes the multiplier to
even higher levels.
A consortium of companies has been
working with the Alberta government over
the past two years to explore the feasibility of using oil sands-derived fractions as
feedstocks for producing refined petroleum
products and petrochemicals. Achieving this
vision will require an estimated $100 billion
in new capital investments from a number of
companies, to build:
• two new upgraders/refineries;
• two new flexible feed crackers;
• eight new petrochemical derivative
plants;
• expanded pipeline infrastructure.
Industry Canada
Photo by Zela Flick
Gareth Chaplin, MCIC
Young PhD Tackles
Pharmaceutical
Drying Techniques
The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) has
its own Doogie Howser. And although he
may not be a teenage whiz-kid doctor working in the emergency room, at 26, Gareth
Chaplin, MCIC, is significantly ahead of his
peers after completing his PhD in chemical
engineering this year.
“I beat all my friends from high school to
the PhD!” he continued, “But it’s pretty crazy,
I never thought I could finish my PhD this
young. In fact, at one point, I wasn’t sure I’d
finish one at all.”
An undergraduate student at the University
of New Brunswick in 2000, Chaplin worked
under the tutelage of Todd Pugsley, MCIC.
After Pugsley took a job at the U of S, three
undergraduate students who had worked
closely with him, including Chaplin, decided
they’d head west with their professor.
After fast-tracking his master’s and writing
the PhD qualifying exam (which he cites as
one of the toughest hurdles he faced in completing his doctorate), Chaplin settled in to
his research, which focused on the drying
process of pharmaceuticals.
He looked at the fluidized bed drying of
pharmaceutical granules. The unit operation
dries the pharmaceutical powders by forcing
air through them at such a high velocity that
it causes bubbling and vigorous mixing.
This is similar to what you see in a pot of
vigorously boiling water, explained Chaplin.
By analyzing pressure fluctuations collected
throughout the drying process using a chaos
analysis technique, Chaplin was able to
detect changes in the hydrodynamics within
the vessel, which could not be determined
using traditional signal analysis techniques.
These changes may be critical in the application of this drying process in the production
of future protein- or peptide-based and highpotency pharmaceuticals.
“This was really interesting to me because
it was practical and because it was new,”
said Chaplin. “A lot of pharmacists looked at
this process, but not a lot of engineers, even
though it’s an engineering process. So I was
excited to be bringing something new to the
actual industrial engineering process.”
Chaplin was also the first to apply Electrical Capacitor Tomography (ECT) to the
drying of pharmaceuticals. This tomographic
technique, similar to those used in medical
imaging (such as CAT scanners), allowed
for imaging of the inside of the dryer during
operation throughout the drying process.
The information provided by this technique
allowed for the interpretation of the results
from the pressure fluctuation measurements.
In the future, this sensor could be implemented industrially, giving operators valuable
information about the changes in the process
that may lead to product degradation.
Having his research partially funded by
the government through an NSERC grant
and an industrial drug company was an ideal
situation, explained Chaplin. “It wasn’t too
controlled by the company, but it wasn’t too
controlled by me doing whatever I wanted.”
Now that his PhD research is complete,
Chaplin has spent the past term as a teacher
himself—something he believes is going to
be a big part of his future—but maybe not
quite yet.
“I’ve really enjoyed teaching, but I think
I’m going to try to get into industry to gain a
different perspective on engineering.”
David Hutton, University of Saskatchewan
On Campus News
Apotex Supports
Manitoba’s New
Pharmacy Facility
of pharmacy in building a new teaching
and research facility. In recognition of
this gift, the building will be called the
Apotex Centre.
“A new building to house the next generations of pharmacists is key to alleviating the
shortage of pharmacists in this country, and
we are proud to be a part of it,” says Jack
Kay, president of Apotex Inc. “Apotex is a
great Canadian business success story, but
it does not stop there—giving back to our
communities is just as important and also,
Manitoba is home to a significant portion of
Apotex Group companies and employees.”
“We are delighted that Jack Kay and his
corporation share in the university’s vision
of developing an advanced teaching and
research facility for the faculty of pharmacy,
which will see increased collaboration
between pharmacy students and those in the
faculties of medicine and dentistry,” says
Emöke Szathmáry, president and vice-chancellor of the university.
The new facility will double teaching
and research capacity to 70,000 square feet.
Components of the new facility will include
advanced lecture theatres, an undergraduate
teaching laboratory with bench space for
75 students, a manufacturing lab designed
to provide hands-on experience in aseptic
formulation and small-scale manufacturing
techniques, a pharmaceutical care lab that
will include a simulated dispensary system
and patient counselling area, and comprehensive research facilities.
“The Prescription for the Future:
Supporting Pharmacy Teaching and Research
at The University of Manitoba” campaign was
launched to raise $17 million towards establishing a new facility. The Manitoba government has already contributed $7 million to
the project through its commitment for infrastructure renewal at the university.
The Apotex Group has 5,300 employees
in 21 facilities in Ontario and Manitoba. It
exports to 115 countries over 250 medicines
that it develops and manufactures in Canada.
The Apotex Group is the largest research
and development spender in Manitoba and
first across Canada in the pharmaceutical
industry.
The University of Manitoba Bulletin
Apotex Inc. has pledged $3 million to
assist The University of Manitoba’s faculty
CHEMPUTING
A Tale of Two Mini Databases
Filing your notes with Card 2000 and AZZ Cardfile
T
here are numerous database programs
available for filing large masses of data.
The CIC National Office has one for
membership records and the Canada Revenue
Agency has one to keep track of taxpayers and
their payments. What about those relatively
small jobs that used 3" x 5" filing cards a few
years ago? Microsoft included a very primitive
file program called Cardfile with Windows
3.1. The screen showed a string of small cards
sorted alphabetically by title. When 3.1 was
phased out, Cardfile was dropped. I copied it
over to 95 and continued to use it for another
decade as my address book. It was simple and
could dial the first number it found in each
card. I kept hoping for a version 2, capable of
using some of the bells and whistles that MS
added as Windows progressed from 3.1 to XP,
but that didn’t happen.
With a bit of help from Chemputing, Vic
Forde, FCIC, and I recently got together again
after some four decades. We discussed a need
for a simple database. We located two shareware products: Card 2000 (www.asprosoft.
com) and AZZ Cardfile (www.azzcardfile.
com). Vic tried AZZ. He and the developer
Antanas Zdranys are both amateur radio
operators. I tried 2000 as it claimed to be a
replacement for my old Cardfile address book.
Vic was kind enough to summarize his
comments for me. Our experiences were
quite similar. Both programs are simple to use
and fully compatible with the latest versions
of Windows. They also incorporate many of
those extra bells and whistles that were lacking in Cardfile. One might describe them as
next-generation Rolodex filing systems. These
virtual versions don’t clutter up your desk
and there are no restrictions to the amount of
information that can fit on a card or how many
cards you can use. You’re never going to run
out of space. If you want to set up a number
of separate databases, e.g. an address list, an
equipment inventory, a list of references, or a
list of recipes, there’s no need to go out and
buy another Rolodex. You just put them into
separate files and call them as you need them.
Unlike the Rolodex, these programs have the
capability to print a single card or the entire
database. The files can also be exported to a
word processor program.
To use it as a Rolodex, just start a new
card. This could be a reference to a published
article or an item for an inventory of what’s
in your house. Give it a title and enter the
information manually. Each new card will
automatically be sorted by title. You can also
grab information from any open file. Highlight and press Ctrl-C to copy and go over to
your card and press Ctrl-V. If the document is
not too complex, the formatting should come
over intact. If it’s a highly formatted document, you can expect to lose some of that
formatting and may have to work at it a bit.
Remember how people taped business cards
on Rolodex cards in the past? Now, they can
be scanned and pasted as graphics images.
Individual cards can be customized with coloured backgrounds and a choice of fonts,
complete with colour, underlining, bold, and
italics. With the old Rolodex you could easily
lose track of where you put things. These programs can be searched for individual words
or phrases. AZZ uses the Windows Ctrl-F and
2000 keeps the Cardfile F4 and F6.
Vic set out to catalogue many years of
material from his files. You know the type
of job. You have one of those big piles that
you are always planning to organize tomorrow, but you have that fear of filing and
Marvin D. Silbert, FCIC
conveniently find something else to do to put
it off. AZZ provided a simple way to get things
rolling. For years, I had used Cardfile to dial
the numbers and Word to print my hard copy.
It’s not the best way to do things, but I wasn’t
ready to tackle the job of reorganizing them.
I wanted a single address book that would:
(a) take my Cardfile list directly; (b) dial the
number; and (c) print the list in a convenient
booklet. 2000 did everything for me and in a
much better way than I had been doing things
before. My biggest complaint about Cardfile was that it would dial the first number
it found. This required formatting the entry
with the telephone number first and multiple
records for companies where I contact people
with different numbers. With 2000, they all go
in a single record with no formatting restrictions. To telephone someone, just highlight
the appropriate number and click the little
telephone icon. If the entry includes e-mail
or Web site addresses, click on them to bring
up the respective e-mail program or Web
browser. If this doesn’t function properly for
you with 2000, it’s not seeing the riched20.
dll file in the c:\windows\system32 directory.
Place another copy in the 2000 directory.
Vic and I were happy with our respective
choices. Which is right for you? Being shareware, you can try them and then buy the one
you prefer. The respective costs are US$19.95
and $12.00.
You can reach our Chemputing editor,
Marvin D. Silbert, FCIC, at Marvin Silbert and
Associates, 23 Glenelia Avenue, Toronto, ON
M2M 2K6; tel. 416-225-0226; fax: 416-225-2227;
e-mail: [email protected];
Web site: www.silbert.org.
CHEMFUSION
Good Drugs
Modern pharmacology is a fascinating blend of “natural” and “synthetic” substances
N
ow repeat after me: “The properties of a substance depend on its
molecular structure and not on its
ancestry; whether the substance is synthetic
or natural is totally irrelevant when it comes
to assessing effectiveness and safety.”
The belief that “natural is better” is so widespread, and so … wrong! A thousandth of a
milligram of botulin toxin will kill an adult.
And it’s perfectly natural. Scorpion venom,
cocaine, nicotine, morphine, and a myriad
of other naturally occurring substances are
remarkably toxic as well. They are not toxic
because they are natural. They are toxic
because their molecules just happen to interfere with some aspect of body chemistry. Of
course, such interference is not necessarily
negative. Although morphine is highly toxic, at
appropriate doses it is a wonderful pain killer.
The same is true for synthetic substances.
Have you ever considered vitamin C as a
synthetic substance? Almost all of the vitamin
C sold in the world is synthetic. In the most
common process, glucose is treated with hydrogen at high pressure to convert it to sorbitol, which is then fermented with the bacteria
Acetobacter xylinum to yield sorbose. A series
of chemical reactions then converts sorbose to
vitamin C. This vitamin C is identical in every
way to that found in fruits and vegetables. It is
“nature-identical.” While isolation of vitamin
C from natural sources is certainly technically possible, it is financially prohibitive and
functionally unnecessary. Simply stated, what
matters is the final molecular structure, not
how it was arrived at. Some drugs are isolated
from natural sources and used unaltered,
some are isolated and chemically modified,
and others are synthesized from scratch.
Modern pharmacology is a fascinating blend of
“natural” and “synthetic.” The “statin” drugs
used to reduce blood cholesterol levels are a
good case in point.
Many people think of cholesterol as the
villain involved in causing heart disease. But
there would be no life without cholesterol. It
is an important component of cell membranes
and the precursor for important biomolecules
such as testosterone and bile acids. There is,
however, no requirement for cholesterol in the
diet since we are quite capable of synthesizing
it. But as early as 1910, researchers recognized
that cholesterol also had a nasty side. It was
present in the arteriosclerotic “plaques” that
clog arteries and cause heart disease. Scientists
became interested in the mechanism by which
cholesterol was made in the body, with hopes
of exploring possibilities to limit its synthesis and perhaps reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems. Beginning in the late 1940s,
researchers learned that most cholesterol synthesis takes place in the liver where a series of
enzymes piece the molecule together. The critical step in the synthesis involves an enzyme
with the tongue-twisting name of hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG
CoA reductase). Researchers figured that if
the activity of this enzyme could be impaired,
cholesterol synthesis could be reduced, perhaps offering some benefit to people with high
blood levels of cholesterol. But where would
one search for a substance that could interfere
with a cholesterol synthesizing enzyme?
Scientists at Sankyo Pharmaceuticals in
Japan had an idea. They knew that many
plants and fungi produce toxins to deter animals from eating them. Poison ivy and poison
mushrooms are classic examples. Akira Ando
and colleagues reasoned that since herbivores
rely on cholesterol biosynthesis, some plants
Joe Schwarcz, MCIC
or fungi may have developed protective mechanisms by producing chemicals that interfered
with such synthesis. These plants or fungi
would then be toxic to non-carnivorous animals. So the researchers began a systematic
investigation of organisms that might produce
HMG CoA reductase inhibitors. Molds of the
penicillium species were good candidates
because they produce compounds that interfere
with life, i.e., the “antibiotics.” In 1976, Ando
isolated a compound from a mold fermentation
broth that turned out to be an effective inhibitor of cholesterol biosynthesis. Compactin, as
the compound came to be called, offered great
hope for reducing blood cholesterol levels.
Unfortunately, due to numerous side effects,
the hope was not realized. But compactin did
clearly demonstrate the principle that cholesterol could be reduced by means of HMG CoA
reductase inhibitors! The challenge was to find
one with a better safety profile.
Numerous pharmaceutical companies
mounted research programs to find an
“improved” compactin. Merck hit pay dirt
with lovastatin (Mevacor), another fungal metabolite. Then chemists went to work altering
the molecule in hopes of coming up with an
even better version. Such efforts yielded simvastatin (Zocor), which can be appropriately
labelled as a “semi-synthetic” compound. Of
course, many compounds are synthesized
before a successful one is found as chemists
slowly learn the structural features a molecule
needs for efficacy and ones that are responsible
for side effects. Then comes the ultimate challenge of making a molecule that incorporates
the desirable features from scratch. One of
the most popular statins, Pfizer’s atorvastatin
(Lipitor), is an example of a totally synthetic
statin and has an excellent risk-benefit profile.
Popular science writer, Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, is
a chemistry professor and the director of McGill
University’s Office for Science and Society. He
hosts the Dr. Joe Show every Sunday from 3:00
to 4:00 p.m. on Montréal’s radio station CJAD
and on CFRB in Toronto. The broadcast is
available on the Web at www.CJAD.com.
To celebrate the CIC’s 60th
anniversary this year, ACCN will
feature photos, articles, stories,
letters, and other memorabilia
related to the chemical industries.
This special retrospective will
appear in each issue in this
section called REMEMBERWHEN.
Submit YOUR memories to
[email protected].
REMEMBERWHEN
Bayer’s cerivastatin (Baycol) was also a
synthetic statin, but it was removed from the
market because of side effects. And of course,
compactin—the prototype statin—was never
marketed because of unacceptable side effects.
And it was all “natural.” So repeat after me
… the properties of a substance depend on
its molecular structure, not on whether it is
natural or synthetic
REMEMBERWHEN
REMEMBERWHEN
Chemical Shifts
What’s new in chemistry research? Chemical Shifts offers a concentrated look at Canada’s latest developments.
Cathleen Crudden, MCIC, and Hans-Peter Loock, MCIC
Ring around the Ruthenium—
New advances in olefin
metathesis
The Ruthenium-catalyzed olefin metathesis
reaction has revolutionized organic chemistry. No reaction has been introduced in the
past decade that has had such an effect on
the way organic chemists make molecules.
Although ring-opening metathesis reactions have been well known in the polymer
community since the 1950s, it wasn’t until
the early 1990s that Grubbs and co-workers
described ring-closing variants of interest to
Scheme 1
Scheme 2
organic chemists. Since that time, the reaction has expanded such that virtually any
type of olefin can be prepared via metathesis
chemistry.
A major reason for the success of the
metathesis reaction is the well-defined
catalysts that have been developed for this
reaction, such as ruthenium alkylidenes 1a
and 1b. The two common catalysts have
either a phosphine or a carbene ligand as
the non-labile ligand on Ru (Scheme 1). The
active catalyst is then generated by dissociation of the phosphine trans to this ligand,
which is often the slow step of the reaction.
The presumed mechanism of the reaction
is based on a proposal made by Chauvin
in the 1950s. The reaction begins by
dissociation of a ligand cis to the alkylidene,
followed by complexation of the olefin
substrate. The reversible formation of a 4membered ring ruthenacycle is the key step,
which is followed by a retro cycloaddition in
the opposite sense to give the newly formed
olefin. Despite the fact that this mechanism
has been in the literature for almost 50 years,
and despite the significance of the reaction to organic and polymer chemistry, the
ruthenacycle has never been observed. In
fact, theoretical calculations have predicted
that for certain catalysts, the ruthenacycle
may be only a transition state!
In a recent development (Angew. Chem.
Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 6161), the Piers group at
The University of Calgary has developed a
catalyst that does not need to be initiated by
phosphine loss. Remarkably, by changing
the nature of the alkylidene ligand, Piers and
co-workers can isolate a stable 14 electron
complex (2, Scheme 2). More remarkably,
Piers and graduate student Patricio Romero,
ACIC, have recently been able to observe the
key ruthenacycle for the first time by reaction of 2a with one equivalent of ethylene
(J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 2005, ASAP, Scheme
2). Upon addition of 13C-labeled ethylene
to a solution of 2a, the Piers group observes
incorporation of the label into the ruthenacycle and production of 13CH2=CHPCy3+.
The incorporation of the label is also
shown to be reversible by the use of excess
13CH =13CH , which results in scrambling
2
2
of the label into all the sites on the metallacycle. The complex is also highly active for
the ring closing metathesis of the standard
substrate employed to test catalysts, diethyl
diallyl malonate, with reaction taking place
even at –50°C, and going to completion
upon warming to room temperature.
The stability of the ruthenacycle is strongly
dependent on the ancillary ligand, such that
the phosphine-ligated species 2b does not
give an observable ruthenacycle at temperatures from –50°C to room temperature, but
rather shows starting material at low temperature, followed by onset of catalytic activity at
higher temperatures without any observable
intermediates. The authors postulate that the
highly electron rich, σ-donating Ν-heterocyclic
carbene in 2a stabilizes the electron deficient
Ru (IV) intermediate.
A strong bond between the
nobles: spectroscopy of XeAuF
Noble gases and noble metals are quite selective in the elements they form bonds to. One
would therefore think that they are even less
likely to form covalent bonds to each other.
On the other hand there are now quite a few
neutral molecules that display fairly strong
noble-gas (Ng) to noble-metal (M) bonds.
Over the past years Michael Gerry, FCIC,
postdocs Corey Evans (now at Leicester) and
Stephen Cooke and their co-workers at The
University of British Columbia have identified
a large number of molecules of the general
form NgMX where Ng = Ar, Kr, Xe; M =
Cu, Ag, Au and X = F, Cl, Br. The molecules
have been characterized by Fourier transform
microwave spectroscopy, and it was found
that all of them are linear and the Ng-M bond
is short and rigid. The interaction strength
between the noble gas atom and the noble
metal increases in the orders of Ar<Kr<Xe
and Ag<Cu<Au, leading one to suspect that
the molecule XeAuF should show the strongest of these bonds. In a recent publication in
the Journal of the American Chemical Society
(126, 51, 2004, p. 17000) Gerry and Cooke
confirmed spectroscopically that this is indeed the case. The XeAu bond really is shorter
than the sum of benchmark Xe and Au covalent radii. Also, nuclear quadrupole hyperfine
structure has shown a major reorganization
of the electron distribution of both Xe and Au
on complex formation. Ab initio calculations
indicated a XeAu bond energy of about 100
kJ/mol, i.e., well into the regime for covalent
bonds and much larger than expected for van
der Waals bonding. It is then interesting to
ask how much of the bond strength actually
arises from the attraction of the Au-F dipole to
the polarizable xenon atom. Using empirical
calculations, Gerry and Cooke found that only
about ten percent of the bond energy can be
attributed to purely electrostatic interactions.
The ab initio calculations have also produced
a significant negative local energy density
at the XeAu bond critical point, implying a
buildup of electron charge at that point and
formation of a genuine XeAu covalent bond.
Chemical Shifts also noted that the title of
the paper, “XeAuF,” must be one of the shortest in the chemical literature, proving again
that good things come in small packages.
The nitrogen HOMO
undergoes a CAT scan
Most chemists treat molecular orbitals as
abstract mathematical constructs that help explain, for example, the geometry and reactivity
of molecules. Direct probing or even imaging
of the “electron clouds” is complicated because electrons are so darn small, light, and
fast. Also, since the entire molecular system
is actually described by a single wavefunction, it is not clear if single-electron orbitals
even exist. Scanning tunnelling microscopy
(STM) as well as electron momentum spectroscopy (EMS) can provide spatially resolved
electron densities but do not have a high
spatial resolution and are not readily suitable for time-dependent studies. Recently,
researchers at the National Research Council
Canada (Ottawa) have added another technique that makes use of electron scattering
to construct “tomographic” images of the
highest-occupied molecular orbitals of small
molecules. In a highly readable article in
Nature (Dec. 16, 2004, Vol. 432, p. 867) David
Villeneuve, together with NRC researchers
Paul Corkum, Jiro Itatani (now at Berkeley),
graduate student Jérôme Levesque, post-docs
Hiromichi Niikura and Dirk Zeidler as well
as INRS-EMT researchers Henri Pépin and
Jean-Claude Kieffer, describe how molecular
orbitals can be mapped with very high spatial
resolution using a sequence of two cleverly
prepared femtosecond laser pulses.
Not only does this technique give a spatial
resolution comparable to what can be calculated using accurate ab initio methods, but
it also lends itself to time-resolved measurements, bringing up the tantalizing possibility that the evolution of molecular orbitals
in the course of a chemical reaction might
eventually be observable.
Similar to medical tomography, the
researchers first require their subject to hold
still, while they are taking the “picture.” This
is achieved by creating a rotational wavepacket using a 60 fs laser pulse. After 4.1 ps,
the wavepacket rephases, and for all practical
purposes, the sample molecules are aligned in
space. Then a 30 fs laser pulse is launched,
which ejects an electron from the HOMO. Due
to the use of an intense, non-resonant laser,
only the highest energy electron is able to tunnel out, thereby making the process selective
to the HOMO. Within the first optical cycle of
the laser pulse, i.e., within 2.7 fs, the electron
is first propelled away from the molecule. But
as the electric field changes direction, the
electron is forced back to recollide with the
molecular ion. What has been described as a
classical motion is, of course, really a quantum
mechanical electron wave packet with a width
that is large compared to the dimensions of the
target molecule. This means that the N2+ ion
“sees” a plane electron wave colliding with its
remaining electrons. The electron has a small
probability of recombining with the parent ion,
and as it does so, it radiates in the XUV portion of the spectrum in a series of harmonics
of the driving laser frequency. Previously, the
NRC group had demonstrated the generation
of up to the 47th harmonic of the 800 nm laser
pulse. Here, it is observed that the spectrum of
harmonics emitted from the recollision process
depends on the angle at which the electron
wave hits the target molecule. This angle can
be changed simply by rotating the polarization plane of the 30 fs pump laser pulse with
respect to the molecular alignment axis. In
some way, this procedure is in analogy to a
rotating X-ray source in 3D tomography (CAT
scans). Harmonic spectra obtained at 19 different angles were analyzed and the 3D shape of
the molecule’s wave function was derived.
The results of the NRC group have attracted
considerable attention for a number of
reasons. First, the method actually probes
molecular wave functions and not electron
densities. Also, it only probes the molecular wave functions (orbitals) to which the
recolliding wavepacket has a “coherence
relationship”—in this case the HOMO! Second, the measurement is fast on the timescale
of nuclear motion, and it should therefore be
possible to map out the evolution of molecular
orbitals as the molecules are changing shape,
e.g. during a bond fission or even a unimolecular chemical reaction. The authors argue that
the technique can also be extended to larger
molecules as long as the field that drives the
electron’s motion is close to zero at the time
of recollision. Finally, other orbitals may be
probed by using electronic excitation prior
to the tomography experiment, which would
simply populate a higher lying molecular
orbital thereby making it the new HOMO.
Sulfur compounds with
incredibly high bond orders—
Passmore strikes again!
Although triply bonded species are commonplace in organic chemistry, with alkynes
being stable, easily prepared and handled
species, the same is not true of the heavier
main group elements. In fact, significant effort
has gone into preparing even doubly bonded
species of elements such as silicon and germanium, although these are now well accepted
structures thanks to the work of two prominent Canadian chemists, Adrian Brook and
Kim Baines, among others. The next challenge
is triply bonded main group elements, which
brings us into considerably murkier waters.
As a row in the periodic table is descended,
the heavier elements have less and less tendency towards the formation of multiple
bonds. Quite recently, a compound with the
formula of RSiSiR has been prepared. Analysis
of the material by X-ray crystallography shows
that it is bent, indicating more double bond
character than triple (Sekiguchi, A., Kinjo, R.,
Ichinohe, M., Science 2004, 305, 1755–1757.
West, R., Science 2004, 305, 1724-1725). Calculations put the bond order of this compound
at 2.6, while other calculations have predicted
bond orders in the range of 1.9–2.3 for related
structures (Malcom, N. O. J., Gillespie, R. J.,
Popelier, P. L. A., J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans.
2002, 333–3341. Bridgeman, A. J., Irland, L.
R. Polyhedron 2001, 20, 2841–2851). The corresponding lead compound is even more bent
and very likely contains a Pb–Pb single bond,
with the remaining electrons residing as lone
pairs on the Pb atoms.
Interestingly, the elements of group 16 and
17 are known to form relatively stable multiply
bonded structures, even without large bulky
groups as stabilizers, such as S=SF2, which
has a bond order of greater than 2. Despite
this fact, these elements have remained under
the radar of most main group chemists trying
to prepare molecules with unusually high
bond orders. Thankfully, Jack Passmore’s
group at the University of New Brunswick
specializes in the chemistry of this part of the
periodic table. As early as 1980, they reported
the crystal structure of two interesting sulfur
compounds: S2I4 (MF6)2 (where M = As or
Sb), which have the shortest S–S bond lengths
reported for an isolated compound (1.854(6)
and 1.818(10) Å) (Chem. Commun., 1980,
289). These values correspond to Pauling
bond orders of 2.4 and 2.7! Note that S2I42+
is isoelectronic to P2I4, which contains a P-P
single bond, so the expected S-S bond order
was one.
Although previous attempts to obtain
FT-Raman spectra were unsuccessful, the
Passmore group, in collaboration with
researchers from Karlsruhe Germany and
Jyväskylä Finland, has recently succeeded in
obtaining solution FT-Raman data confirming the extremely high bond order in these
molecules (Scott Brownridge, T. Stanley
Cameron, Hongbin Du, Carsten Knapp,
Ralf Kö1ppe, Jack Passmore, J. Mikko
Rautiainen, and Hansgeorg Schnölckel,
Inorg. Chem., 2005, 44, 1660). The bond
distances derived from more accurate X-ray
data obtained by crystallographer T. Stanley
Cameron from Dalhousie University, the
stretching frequencies and force constants all
point to very high bond orders for the S–S and
I–I bonds in these molecules.
The newly determined bond distances for
the AsF6 salt put the bond distance at 1.842(4)
Å, implying a bond order of 2.4. In addition,
the stretching frequency of the S–S bond was
found to be 734 cm–1, which indicates that
the bond order should be 2.2 after a normal
coordinate analysis, gave a force constant of
5.08 mydn/Å. Importantly, the solution phase
data show that the short bond distance is not
a crystallographic artifact, and that the S2I42+
species has an extremely high bond order, in
the same range as that recently reported for
the first isolated disilyne, without the need for
large bulky groups protecting the S–S multiple
bond. Based on all of the data collected by the
Passmore group, it appears that the best representation of this remarkable compound is as a
multiply bonded S2 cation, weakly bound to
two I2 partial charged cations.
Cathleen Crudden, MCIC, is an
associate professor at Queen’s University
in Kingston, ON.
Hans-Peter Loock, MCIC, is an
assistant professor at Queen’s.
THE RECENT
EVOLUTION OF THE
PHARMACEUTICAL
INDUSTRY
Canadian and international perspectives
A
lthough at first glance, defining the nature of the pharmaceutical industry seems fairly straightforward, the task is
actually complex. The industry cannot be narrowed down
to one specific group of companies. It is made up of a number of
stakeholders, each of which pursues its own interests in a market
environment constrained by government regulations. Borrowing a
sports analogy first used by Gordon and Maule, “The drug game
becomes complicated because of the number of players with differing
and interacting interests, and because government plays the role of
supplier, customer, and insurer as well as referee, and has to change
roles as circumstances dictate.”1
In Canada, as in most industrialized countries, the major players
are governments (federal and provincial), manufacturers and
researchers (i.e., innovators), distributors (including wholesalers
and retailers), hospitals, and finally the customer. Together with
industry, government and consumer associations, regulatory bodies,
and so forth—the pharmaceutical industry constitutes an extensive
web indeed. Within this scheme, as we shall see, the team captain
or pivotal player is the manufacturer/producer of pharmaceutical
products.
Consequently, the scope of this study will focus on the industrial
production or manufacturing component of the pharmaceutical
industry. However, since research and development is a vital part of
the industry and given that manufacturers themselves often take on
the roles of wholesalers/distributors, we will also review these two
components.
What exactly is the pharmaceutical industry? The standard
definition of the pharmaceutical and medicine industry, according
to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), is the
following: the industry comprises “establishments primarily engaged
in manufacturing drugs, medicines, and related products for human
Sébastien Breau
or animal use. These establishments may undertake one or more
of several processes, including basic processes, such as chemical
synthesis, fermentation, distillation and solvent extraction, grading,
grinding and milling, and packaging in forms suitable for internal and
external use, such as tablets, vials, ampoules, and ointments.”2
Although this definition encompasses a wider range of products
than the outdated Standard Industrial Classification (SIC [1980])
system, it still remains too constraining since it is centred exclusively
on pharmaceutical manufacturing firms, too often ignoring the
growing number of health-related biotechnology companies and
products—which have become known as biopharmaceuticals.
Furthermore, because of its significant knowledge-based
component and in an effort to better grasp the economic weight of
the pharmaceutical industry as a whole, we shall broaden the definition to include professional, scientific, and technical services along
with some health care services. In particular, we look at research and
development activities in the life sciences, which comprise establishments primarily engaged in conducting research and experimental
development in the fields of medicine, health, biology, biotechnology,
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pharmacy, veterinary, and other allied
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medical and diagnostic laboratoriesand
mainly
engaged
in providing
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Taking a closer look at the production
alsoNational
helps Office.
to draw
a clearer picture of who is involved in the pharmaceutical industry,
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label each
what is produced, and how. Generally
speaking,
wepiece
can break down
with
your
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a caption
the process through which a pharmaceutical product
flows, into four
and
your
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basic steps: research, primary production, secondary production, and
to ensure
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distribution and commercialization (see
Figureits1).
Following
is a brief
description of each of those steps.
Research is at the source of the industrial
process. As stated by Harry C. Eastman in
his pioneering “Report of the Commission
of Inquiry on the Pharmaceutical Industry,”
research activity is made up of fundamental
(or basic), applied, and clinical research
including preclinical research.3 The goal of
basic research is the advancement of scientific knowledge, with no thought being given
to a specific application. Typically, it involves
the synthesis of chemical compounds, the
discovery of new biological/biotechnological
processes, as well as animal experimentation.4
This type of research is generally carried out
by in-house researchers and is concentrated
in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, the U.K.,
and France, where most pharmaceutical multinationals have their head offices. In some
instances, however, and one could argue that
this is becoming increasingly the case, basic
research takes place in specialized institutes,
universities, or hospitals renowned for the high
quality of their research.
Applied research, as the name implies,
is aimed at the advancement of scientific
knowledge with a specific practical application.
For example, one could study production
processes to better the quality of products or
reduce their production costs. For that reason,
it is conducted at a centre of manufacturing
activity, which more often than not is at
company headquarters.
As for clinical research, it consists of
screening new products and testing them on
humans with a view to winning regulatory
approval. This research is conducted through
private contract research organizations
and/or clinical trials networks/laboratories
(universities and hospitals) in each market
country in order to meet domestic regulatory
requirements.
The next step in the supply chain is primary
production.5 The primary production of active
ingredients—the chemical substance responsible for the claimed pharmacological effect
of a drug6—has its roots in fine chemistry,
organic chemistry, and, increasingly, biotechnologies. This process is usually based on
economies of scale—high volumes of production at the least possible cost—and requires
large amounts of capital, sophisticated
equipment, and highly qualified personnel.
Piggybacking off research and development,
this production phase is considered an input
to the actual pharmaceutical transformation
process, which occurs in the following stage.
Indeed, secondary production (or formulation) takes place when active ingredients
are formulated or manufactured into
pharmaceutical products in their final dosage
form. This process is far less intricate than
primary production, and as a result it is usually much more decentralized to domestic
market countries in order to meet specific
requirements (i.e., packaging, labelling, etc.).
Finally, distribution of the products is also
decentralized to domestic market countries.
From wholesalers to hospitals and retailers
(pharmacies), the funnelling of drug products
to consumers is the last important component
in the production process.
All things considered, pharmaceutical
products can be categorized according to
their intended purpose—that is:
• diagnostic (to aid in the detection of
a disease);
• therapeutic (treatment); and
• vaccines and other biological products
(prevention).
Products included in the diagnostics category are instruments and reagents used for
the screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of
diseases. For the most part, they consist of:
• immunoassays (tests for hormones,
allergies, HIV, etc.);
• clinical chemistry (enzymatic, electrochemical, and chromatographic techniques);
• hematology testing (blood counts);
• diabetes (omnipresent on the home-testing market); and
• microbiology tests (supplies of bacterial cultures and various probe tests for
specific microorganisms).
From the industry’s standpoint, therapeutic drugs are typically labelled according
to their patent status. For instance, patented
drugs (also known as innovative or brandname drugs) provide a manufacturer with
the exclusive right to make and sell a drug
for a certain period of time. Non-patented
drugs, in contrast, refer to generic copies of
existing patented drugs and other specialty
products that were previously subject to patent protection.7
For the average consumer, on the other
hand, drugs are most often referred to as
either prescription or non-prescription
medicines. In the first case, prescription
medicines are usually prescribed by
physicians and dispensed by pharmacists,
both in hospitals and in the community
via drugstores. As for non-prescription
medicines, or over-the-counter (OTC)
drugs, they consist of self-medication
drugs available without a prescription at
assorted retail outlets. Among the more
familiar OTCs are remedies for headaches,
colds, and upset stomachs. But therapeutics also include natural health remedies,
the functional foods, and nutraceuticals
technology. Their emergence into the sphere
of pharmaceuticals can be attributed, among
other things, to the increasing use of traditional medicines derived from plants, herbs,
and other natural sources as alternatives to
modern medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Finally, the emergence of biotechnologies
has also injected new life into vaccines and
other biological products. Combined with the
fact that vaccination is no longer limited to
infants, a growing number of companies are
focusing their resources on the development
of new and improved vaccines. Advances
in vaccines against sexually transmitted
diseases, flu vaccines, adjuvants (substances
pooled with antigens to enhance the immune
response), and high-tech vaccines such as
naked DNA vaccines (that involve genes
instead of proteins) are expanding the boundaries of this field. In addition to vaccines, this
group of products contains other biological
materials such as plasma, blood products,
insulin as well as scores of other hormones,
serums, and enzymes.
In short, the pharmaceutical industry is
made up of a wide variety of players, each of
which engages in one or more functions in
the production process.
References
1. J. Gordon and C. Maule, “Who Are the
Players?”, The Canadian Pharmaceutical
Journal (February 1989): 68–73.
2. In keeping with the North American
Industry Classification System (NAICS),
products manufactured include
anesthetics , antibiotics (including
veterinary ), antiseptics (medicinal),
blood derivatives (for human or veterinary use), botanical products (medicinal,
ground, grade, and milled), contact lens
solutions, contraceptive preparations,
cough medicines, diagnostic agents,
endocrine products, feed additives,
herbs (grinding, grading, and milling),
hormones and derivatives, vaccines,
veterinary products, vitamins, and water
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
decontamination or purification tablets
(Statistics Canada, Ottawa, 1997).
H. C. Eastman, Report of the Commission
of Inquiry on the Pharmaceutical Industry
(Ottawa, 1985), 450.
Patented Medicine Prices Review Board
(PMPRB), Eleventh Annual Report (31
December 1998).
Québec, ministère de l’Industrie, du
Commerce et de la Technologie, Point de
mire sur l’industrie pharmaceutique au
Québec (Québec, 1993).
As labelled by the Patented Medicine
Prices Review Board.
A note to the reader: most innovative companies in Canada are regrouped under the
Rx&D association, Canada’s Research-
Photo by Patti Adair
Based Pharmaceutical Companies
(formerly the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Canada), while
generic companies are represented by the
Canadian Drug Manufacturers Association
(CDMA).
Sébastien Breau joined the Canadian Institute
for Research on Regional Development as an
economist/researcher in 1999. His primary
research interests are regional economics and
the knowledge-based economy. Most recently,
his work has focused on the changing
Chapter I, “The Recent Evolution of the
Pharmaceutical Industry: International and
Canadian Perspectives,” from Sébastien
Breau’s Profile and Prospects of the Biopharmaceutical Industy in Atlantic Canada,
Moncton, CIRRD, 2001 was reprinted with
permission from the Canadian Institute for
Research on Regional Development. For the
full report, visit http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/
Collection/C89-4-85-2001E.pdf.
structure of economic activity in Atlantic
Canada, the dynamics of regional labour
markets, interprovincial migration trends,
and the phenomenon of convergence between
Canadian provinces.
‘NET BENEFITS?
Internet pharmacies in canada
I
nternet pharmacies first appeared in 1999. Since then, the number
of Internet pharmacies has grown into the hundreds worldwide,
with a large number centred in Canada, selling drugs primarily
to Americans.
It is difficult to assess the number of Internet pharmacies operating in Canada. However, recent Health Canada statistics approximate
270 Canadian pharmacies operating either strictly via the Internet,
or a combination of traditional methods and the Internet, and/or
other means of distance dispensing (e.g. ordering by e-mail or fax
and delivery by mail, courier, taxi, or messenger). It is also estimated
that Canadian Internet pharmacies sold about $840 million worth of
pharmaceuticals to about 1.8 million Americans in 2003, representing about 60 percent of the cross-border traffic in pharmaceuticals for
that year. These figures represent about half the annual sales made to
American consumers by foreign pharmacies.
The primary reason Americans are purchasing pharmaceuticals in
Canada is Canada’s cap on the price of patented medicines set by
the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB). The cap has
resulted in some cases in a 40 percent or greater price savings over
corresponding medicines purchased in the U.S.
While it is not illegal in Canada to export pharmaceuticals
to another country, Internet pharmacies do give rise to Canadian concerns. For instance, under Canadian law, only written
prescriptions from provincially licensed physicians can be filled by
a Canadian pharmacy, including a Canadian Internet pharmacy.
Some Canadian physicians are reviewing information provided by
the patient and a U.S. prescription from an American physician, and
providing a prescription to the Internet pharmacy without seeing the
patient or having any other form of direct patient contact. Provincial
medical regulatory authorities consider this a violation of their rules
and are cracking down. For example, in 2004, Manitoba’s College of
Physicians and Surgeons found two physicians in contravention of its
prescribing practices; in one case fining the physician $10,000.
Daphne C. Ripley, MCIC
The federal government is also considering action. In addition to
concerns surrounding prescribing practices, the government is concerned about adequate supply of pharmaceuticals for Canadians. The
Minister of Health is reportedly considering:
• prohibiting the export of drugs at PMPRB prices;
• prohibiting the sale of prescription drugs outside of an established
patient-practitioner relationship;
• limiting the sale of prescription drugs to patients present or resident
in Canada; and
• prohibiting or limiting drug exports, especially of certain drug
products, where there is reason to believe that supply could be
compromised.
While currently legal to export pharmaceuticals under Canadian
law, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) position is
that U.S. law prohibits the importation of foreign versions of FDAapproved drugs, and re-importation of FDA-approved drugs by other
than the manufacturer. Importation of drugs may also be illegal under
other U.S. laws, including those governing the proper labelling and
packaging of pharmaceuticals. For the most part, the FDA has not
enforced these laws against individual consumers. A reason being
the difficulty in policing importation by individuals, and a general
policy exempting importation of pharmaceuticals for personal use
under certain conditions.
There has been some movement in the U.S. to legalize importation
of foreign prescription drugs. For instance, the Medicare Prescription
Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act (the MMA) was passed in
December 2003, giving the Secretary of Health and Human Services
the authority to promulgate regulations to allow importation of
certain prescription drugs from Canada. Under the MMA, importation
by pharmacists, wholesalers, and individual consumers would
be possible. Regulations haven’t been passed, and as a condition
precedent, the Secretary must first certify that such a program will
pose no additional risk to public health and safety, and will result in
Photo by Mark Csabai
Photo by Patti Adair
significant cost reduction to American consumers. It is not expected that the Secretary
will pass such regulations, particularly in
view of the December 2004 Department of
Health and Human Services Task Force on
Drug Importation “Report on Prescription
Drug Importation.” The task force was instituted as a result of the MMA, and among its
key findings are the extraordinary difficulty
and cost of ensuring the safety and effectiveness of products imported by individuals,
and the projected small percentage of overall national savings by legalizing commercial
importation.
Concerns over the safety of pharmaceuticals obtained over the Internet are not
unfounded. In a recent study by the U.S.
General Accounting Office of drugs ordered
from Internet pharmacies from around the
globe, reported problems included:
• absence of a label providing patient
instructions for use;
• absence of warning information;
• unconventional packaging;
• damaged packaging;
• receipt of non-FDA-approved drugs; and
• receipt of counterfeit or non-comparable
products.
For instance, it was reported that a sample
purporting to be the narcotic pain medication OxyContin was shipped in a plastic
compact disc case wrapped in brown packing tape without labels or instructions. It
was also reported that samples received of
Viagra, OxyContin, and Accutane (an acne
medication) were counterfeit or not comparable to the U.S. marketed product, either
having less quantity of the active ingredient
or having a significantly different chemical
composition. Fewer problems were reported
with drug products received from Canadian
Internet pharmacies than the other foreign
Internet pharmacies studied.
Health Canada’s Health Products and Food
Branch Inspectorate is also monitoring the
safety of Canadian Internet pharmacies. In
a recent study of 11 pharmacies involved in
distance dispensing, all were found generally
compliant. Noted areas of non-compliance
involved potentially unsafe shipping practices
of temperature-sensitive medications, obtaining prescription drugs from pharmacies not
having the appropriate licence to wholesale
drugs, and the filling of electronically signed
or rubber-stamped prescriptions—all of
which were reported rectified. Potential areas
of non-compliance with other laws outside of
Health Canada’s jurisdiction were reportedly
brought to the attention of the appropriate
regulatory authorities. Health Canada is planning further inspections this year.
The control of Internet pharmacies has
not just been addressed at the governmental
level. Some pharmaceutical companies have
taken matters into their own hands by blacklisting Internet pharmacies, refusing or limiting supply, in an effort to prevent sales of
their drug products to American consumers.
The first company to attempt to block Internet
pharmacies from selling to Americans in
this manner was GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
Complaints to the Competition Bureau of
Canada resulted in a March 2003 decision
by the Bureau not to proceed against GSK;
the Bureau found no evidence that the Competition Act was violated. More recently,
according to a February 10, 2005 Pfizer news
release, Pfizer has commenced private legal
action against two Internet pharmacies relating to the sale of counterfeit Viagra.
Despite the potential for harm, there are
many in favour of Internet pharmacies.
Many argue that Canadian Internet pharmacies are safe, and effectively provide the
same drug product that is available in the
U.S. Social policy concerns over providing
affordable drugs to Americans who could
not otherwise afford the treatment and the
number of people employed in the Internet pharmacy business are also considered
by many as points in favour of Internet
pharmacies.
Nevertheless, based on the strong comments
made by the Minister of Health, it is very likely
that some federal regulation of Canadian Internet pharmacies is on the horizon.
References
In addition to references noted in the body of
the text, the following references were also
consulted, and relied upon in preparing the
above article:
1. “Summary Report of the Compliance
Inspections of Canadian Pharmacy Sites
Involved in the Sale of Prescription Drugs
Via the Internet or Via Distance Dispensing,” Health Products and Food Branch
Inspectorate, November 2004.
2. Evidence presented to House of Commons
Standing Committee on Health—Internet
Pharmacies on February 14 and 16, 2005
in Ottawa.
3. U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services Task Force on Drug Importation
“Report on Prescription Drug Importation,” December 2004.
4. Paul Samyn, “Ottawa Eyes Ban on Export
of Patented Drugs: Generic Drugs Not
Part of Plan,” Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, February 19, 2005.
6. U.S. General Accounting Office Report on
“Internet Pharmacies: Some Pose Safety
Risks for Consumers,” June 2004.
Daphne C. Ripley, MCIC, is an associate
with the intellectual property law firm of
Smart & Biggar. She is a lawyer and patent
agent, with a focus in procuring patent
protection for chemical inventions.
She received her MSc in chemistry from
Queen’s University in Kingston, ON.
ALLERGIES AND THE GOOD LIFE
Are allergies the new anti-aphrodisiacs? New data and clinical research suggest
that seasonal allergies are taking a significant toll on our Canadian quality of life.
I
s a runny nose ruining the mood? With the season of sniffles,
sneezes and itchy, swollen eyes upon us, new data suggests that
not only do our romantic lives slow down March through June,
but allergies might be affecting more than our libido. Two thousand
Canadians were surveyed in a study conducted in February by the
allergy medication manufacturer Reactine. According to the Reactine
Quality of Life* data, productivity, social interactions, relationships,
and our sense of self are all significantly hampered by symptoms of
allergies. With life so stretched and pollen counts peaking, it begs the
question: How are allergies affecting our overall well-being?
“The World Health Organization defines quality of life as related to
health as a state of complete physical, psychological, and social wellbeing—not merely the absence of disease,” says Iris Greenwald, MD,
leading Toronto-based family practitioner. “The concept of quality
of life surrounding allergies is taking centre stage and will become a
major topic of discussion in coming years—the term allergy ‘sufferer’
is well coined.”
How are you?
Canadians coping with seasonal allergies are
considered the “silent sufferers”—because they
are rarely hospitalized, don’t require surgery or
other sophisticated interventions and their dayto-day survival is not threatened, allergies are
not taken seriously as having a major impact
on their lives. The effects, however, are well
documented and suggest that the physical and
corresponding psychological effects of allergic
symptoms play a significant role in reducing
overall quality of life.
Ross Chang, MD
“During allergy season, my life slows to a stop,” says a seasonal
allergy sufferer surveyed. “I go to work, I take care of my family, but
I just get by on the bare minimum. I feel like I’m at 50 percent of
myself four months of the year.”
The data suggests that Canadian allergy sufferers relate to this feeling, with 74 percent stating that their suffering increases irritability
and fatigue and 55 percent claiming reduced productivity (housework,
on-the-job, academia). This corresponds with previous Reactine data,
which suggests that 83 percent of human resource professionals feel
that employee productivity is diminished due to allergic symptoms.
From a social perspective, a further 43 percent state that allergies
hinder or reduce social interactions and 26 percent claim reduced
libido—ranging from 23 percent among women to 31 percent
among men.
It’s no wonder we’re not feeling sexy. Sufferers claim that their allergies cause them to feel: irritable (57 percent), lethargic (29% percent),
He said / She said
Canadian male allergy sufferers
are more likely to claim …
allergies reduce productivity, social
interactions and libido
Canadian female allergy sufferers
are more likely to claim …
allergies make them irritable, lethargic,
unattractive, and unbearable
they would have more intimate relations if
they could rid themselves of their allergies
they would be in a better mood and more
productive at home/work if they could
rid themselves of allergies
they use allergies as an excuse for not
having romantic/intimate interaction with
their partner
they use allergies as an excuse for calling
in sick to work and cancelling social
engagements
Photos by Reid Parham and Mela
unattractive (14 percent), and unbearable
(13 percent). Interestingly, only 16 percent
of sufferers claim that if they could rid themselves of their allergy suffering, the area of
their life that would improve the most would
be intimate relations. Sufferers are focused
more on sleep (58 percent), being in a better overall mood (52 percent), and increasing
productivity (44 percent).
How do we achieve
the good life?
“You can live in a bubble,” says Greenwald,
who states that while this would reduce
symptoms, overall quality of life would continue to be compromised by not being able
to enjoy day-to-day activities and social
interaction. “But because you can’t run or
hide from pollen and other allergens, the
most effective solution to increasing quality
of life is to block allergens.”
Numerous studies looking at the impact
of allergies on quality of life have been
published that suggest that regular treatment
can lead to not only significant reduction in
symptoms, but also an overall increase in
quality of life. In the report “Improvement of
Quality of Life by Treatment with Cetirizine
in Patients with Perennial Allergic Rhinitis,”
J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. (August 1996),
J. Bousquet et al. showed that comparing the
second-generation antihistamine cetirizine
to placebo after one and six weeks improved
quality of life across nine domains, with
an improvement of at least 30 percent in
seven domains. The domains include physical functioning, physical role, bodily pain,
general health, vitality, social functioning,
emotional role, and mental health.
The group’s follow-up study, “Further
Improvement of Quality of Life by Cetirizine
in Perennial Allergic Rhinitis as a Function of
Treatment Duration,” J. Invest Allergol. Clin.
Immunol. (March–April 2000), suggested that
while there was significant improvement after
one week of treatment, a further five-week
course of therapy not only maintains this
improvement, but continues to enhance quality of life significantly above and beyond this.
Greenwald states that to achieve this level
of satisfaction, choosing the best treatment
option is key. Greenwald also states that in
addition to reduced quality of life, untreated
allergies are a serious health issue, which
can include asthma and other complications, such as sinus infections and possibly
ear infections. “Living in a reduced overall
state is not necessary—treating your allergies is key to enjoying the good life March
through June.”
* Reactine Quality of Life data, Decima
Research, March 2004. This national sample
of 663 Canadian allergy sufferers, 18 years
or older, is accurate within +/-X percentage
points.
Ross Chang, MD, is a leading Vancouver-based
allergy specialist and president of the BC
Society of Allergy and Immunology.
Quality of Life—
the Canadian Allergic Mosaic
As our allergies peak at varying times across the country, the impact of our symptoms
vary as well …
• To be or not to be? Albertans are more likely to state allergies cause irritability
and fatigue, but interestingly, they are least likely to describe themselves
as irritable when suffering from allergies.
• Chill out! Allergy sufferers in the Atlantic provinces are the least bothered
by their allergy suffering—they’re not likely to blame their symptoms on
reduced productivity or lethargy nor as an excuse to call in sick to work
or to avoid romance.
• No surprise! Ontario allergy sufferers are most likely to claim allergy suffering
reduces productivity and makes them unattractive.
• Social butterlies? Albertans are most likely to hide away and avoid social
interactions when suffering and are most likely to use allergies as an excuse
to cancel social engagements. Allergy sufferers in British Columbia are quite
the opposite—not allowing allergies to get in the way of a little fun.
• Oooh la la: Quebec allergy sufferers are most likely to claim allergy
suffering reduces their libido, while sufferers in British Columbia least likely.
However, British Columbians are more likely to use allergies as an excuse
not to be romantic!
Reactine Quality of Life data
Photo by Michael Slonecker
CONFUSION IN THE AISLES
Nearly half of Canadians are confused when selecting allergy medication.
A
ccording to a recent poll by Decima Research*, a whopping
48 percent of Canadians say selecting an allergy medication
is confusing. Being perplexed when perusing the allergy aisle
is hardly the best scenario with allergy season in full swing. So, Pfizer
Consumer Healthcare went directly to the source—allergy sufferers—
to try to find some clarity among the confusion.
What grabs the attention of allergy sufferers?
Let’s face it—the allergy aisle can be overwhelming. But most allergy
sufferers are off to a good start, with an astounding 87 percent reading
the labels of the allergy medication they purchase. But with so many
Canadians confused, this begs the question: Do we understand what
these labels mean? Is it lack of information or do sufferers even know
what to look for?
“Knowledge is the key,” says Marvin Bernstein, a Toronto-based
pharmacist. “Allergy medications are so vastly different. If you don’t
understand the active ingredients among the various brands or how
the treatment is processed within the body, you may be choosing
the wrong allergy medication. A lot of the confusion comes from not
understanding what information is essential to make an informed
choice.”
According to the data, Bernstein is 100 percent correct. While the
poll revealed that allergy sufferers are reading labels, their purchasing decisions are not heavily influenced by the ability of the antihistamine to diminish their symptoms. In fact, only 15 percent are influenced by the medicinal ingredient in the medication and 22 percent
are influenced by the symptoms listed on the label. Quebecers are
most influenced by symptoms listed on the label at 33 percent, while
this is a concern for only 14 percent of sufferers in British Columbia.
In fact, brand recognition is what leads purchase decisions at 31 percent, with Albertans leading the pack (39 percent), followed by British Columbians (38 percent) and Atlantic Canadians (37 percent).
Poll results also revealed that only one-third of allergy sufferers
consider “long-lasting relief of symptoms” as the most important
function of their medication, while 24 percent look to “fast-acting
symptom relief” and 21 percent consider “lack of side effects” to be
most crucial.
“Allergy sufferers need to be educated,” says Bernstein. “Brand
recognition is of course important—consumers want safe products
they can trust. But each of these brands is using different types of
active ingredients, which vary in their side effects [and in] the way
the ingredients are processed in the body and their appropriateness
for children.”
Bernstein cites the active ingredient cetirizine as a good example.
“Cetirizine is the most widely used second-generation anthistamine
in Canada and worldwide because it is not processed by the liver,
resulting in low risk of drug interaction and incidence of side effects.
This also means the medication is active immediately, providing relief
within the hour, often within 20 minutes.”
Inquiring minds
Pharmacists are frequently asked about allergy medications—in fact
several times a day. Bernstein suggests that taking control of your
allergies means asking your medical professional these important
questions, understanding your triggers, finding ways to avoid them,
and making educated choices about your allergy medication.
“Understanding allergy labels is essential to managing your condition. Of course, it’s always advisable to talk to your family doctor or
pharmacist about your specific symptoms and current medications
when looking for the most appropriate treatment.”
* This independent survey was conducted by Decima Research in Spring
2004. This national sample of 2,000 Canadian adults 18 years or older
is accurate within +/- 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Photo by Kristofer Schwab
Allergy Aisle Know-How
Understanding what’s behind the label
For the 48 percent of Canadians who find choosing an allergy medication extremely confusing*,
effectively stopping or controlling symptoms—especially when the pollen count is high—may be
a source of great frustration. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Pharmacist Marvin Bernstein
provides Canadians with the “Three S’s” behind allergy medication know-how. Being able to
read the label effectively will help stop symptoms before they stop you.
The Three S’s
1. Solution
Label reading—choose the right medication for allergy relief
If you have allergies, you suffer from rhinitis (swelling of the lining of the nose). While the label
doesn’t always indicate it, what you want to reach for is an antihistamine. Antihistamines combat the effects of histamine. Histamine is a chemical released by certain cells in the body during
an allergic reaction, causing the traditional symptoms of allergies: runny nose and watery eyes.
Antihistamines are classified into two categories:
• First generation—with a long history in the market, first generation antihistamines are
effective, but can cause drowsiness;
• Second generation—second-generation antihistamines are a good choice to manage allergy
symptoms and allow you to function normally.
For those really bad days, when your sinuses are feeling the pressure, use an antihistamine that
also features a decongestant for sinus control. There are also a number of products on the market
designed specifically for children from age two. Be sure to consult with your doctor prior to use.
2. Symptoms
Label reading—look for your symptoms listed on the label
Read the label to ensure you choose the appropriate antihistamine medication for your symptoms.
• Labels should indicate the symptoms the medication will treat or prevent, for example: itchy,
watery eyes; sneezing; runny nose; sinus congestion; and/or itching due to allergic skin reactions such as hives;
• Most allergy medications have “fast” on their labels—but this can be misleading, as certain
medications are more fasting-acting at relieving symptoms than others. Some antihistamines
only start to work any where from one to three hours.
3. Substance
Label reading—look for the active ingredient listed on the label
Not all antihistamines are created equal. It’s the active ingredient that makes the difference,
especially as overmedicating/drug interactions are key concerns for allergy sufferers.
Dosage
• Most antihistamines come in two strengths—a regular and an extra strength. Also, make
sure you read the label for its recommended dosage instructions. Many brands on the market
offer relief for a 24-hour period, which means only one dosage per day.
* This independent survey was conducted by Decima Research in Spring 2004. This national
sample of 2,000 Canadian adults 18 years or older is accurate within +/- 2.2 percentage points,
19 times out of 20.
Photo by Cém Ozdogan
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THE CHEMICAL INSTITUTE OF CANADA
2005 AWARD WINNERS
LAURÉATS ET LAURÉATES DES PRIX 2005
DE L’INSITUT DE CHIMIE DU CANADA
The CIC Medal
La Médaille de l’ICC
The CIC Medal is presented as a mark of
distinction to a person who has made an
outstanding contribution to the science of
chemistry or chemical engineering in Canada.
La Médaille de l’ICC est décernée à une
personne en guise de reconnaissance pour sa
contribution exceptionnelle à la chimie ou au
génie chimique au Canada.
1978. Among his many honours, Guthrie has
held the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the E. W.
R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, the Syntex
Award (CSC), the Alfred Bader Award (CSC),
a Killam Fellowship, and was recently made a
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Guthrie has always been an active member
of the Canadian chemical community, serving as a member of the NSERC Grant Selection
Committee, chair of the Biochemistry Division
of the CSC, a member of the CSC Accreditation
Committee, and has organized and participated
in countless CSCCE and POMS meetings.
The common theme in Guthrie’s research
has been the search for deeper understanding
of the factors governing rates of chemical reactions so that these rates may be predicted from
the structures of the reactants. His research up
until 1995 is summarized in his Syntex Award
Lecture, and more recent work is summarized
in his Bader Award Lecture, both published in
the Canadian Journal of Chemistry.
The CIC Award for
Chemical Education
J. Peter Guthrie, FCIC, FRSC
Department of Chemistry
The University of Western Ontario
J. Peter Guthrie, FCIC, was born in Port Elgin,
ON, in 1942, and received a BSc from The
University of Western Ontario in 1964. He
obtained his PhD from Harvard in 1968 under
the direction of Frank Westheimer. After a
post-doctoral fellowship at Princeton, he
joined the faculty at Western in 1969 as an assistant professor, becoming a full professor in
Le Prix de l’ICC pour
l’enseignement de la chimie
(Formerly the Union Carbide Award)
(Anciennement le prix Union Carbide)
Sponsored by / Parrainé par
The Chemical Education Fund /
Le Fonds de l’enseignement de la chimie
The CIC Award for Chemical Education
Award recognizes a person who has made
outstanding contributions in Canada in
education at the post-secondary level in the
field of chemistry or chemical engineering.
Le Prix de l’ICC pour l’enseignement de la chimie souligne l’importante contribution d’une
personne dans le domaine de l’enseignement
de la chimie ou du génie chimique au Canada
au niveau postsecondaire.
Ron Martin, FCIC
University of Waterloo
Ronald Martin was born in Québec City. He
completed his BSc and MSc at St. Francis
Xavier University in 1963 and 1965, respectively, followed by a PhD at The University of
Western Ontario in 1969. After a post-doctoral
position at the University of Southampton, he
returned to Western in 1970. He has served
on the executive of the Chemical Education
and Environmental Divisions of the CIC and
has received numerous teaching awards.
He has been active in initiatives in university teaching including the establishment
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of the Graduate Environmental Chemistry
Program at Western. He carries out an active research program with nearly 60 papers
in peer-reviewed journals with an emphasis on innovative interdisciplinary research
including cooperative programs with Surface Science Western and the Universities of
Auckland, Heidelberg, and South Australia.
The most recent research using Synchrotron Radiation Analysis has been carried out
jointly with the biology and anthropology
departments at Western; this work will be assisted by the new Canadian Light Source at
the University of Saskatchewan.
Martin was appointed adjunct research
professor at the Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia, in 2004.
Future work will include the development
of interdisciplinary graduate courses with
departments such as anthropology while
continuing synchrotron-based research on
metals in the rhizosphere and human teeth.
The Environmental
Improvement Award
Prix pour l’amélioration
de l’environnement
The CIC Environment Division /
La Division de l’environnement de l’ICC
The Environmental Improvement Award is
presented to a Canadian company, individual, team, or organization for a significant
achievement in pollution prevention, treatment, or remediation.
Le Prix pour l’amélioration de l’environnement
est décerné à une compagnie, un individu, une
équipe ou une organisation canadienne pour
une réussite significative dans le domaine de
la prévention et le traitement de la pollution
au Canada.
The Macromolecular Science
and Engineering Award
Le Prix des sciences et du
génie macromoléculaires
NOVA Chemicals Corporation
The Macromolecular Science and Engineering
Award is presented to an individual who has
made a distinguished contribution to macromolecular science or engineering.
Sam Marcuson
Inco Technical Services Limited
Sam Marcuson graduated from The College
of William and Mary with a BS in chemistry in 1972. Having gained an interest in the
extraction of metals, he went on to receive
MS and EngScD degrees in mineral engineering from Columbia University. In 1980, after
three years in the research department of Engelhard Minerals and Chemicals Corporation,
he joined Inco Limited at the Sheridan Park
technical centre in Mississauga working to
develop pyrometallurgical processes. In 1988,
he transferred to Inco’s Copper Cliff Smelter
as supervisor of process development to
lead the development of a novel method for
copper processing—one of the key components of Inco’s Copper Cliff sulphur dioxide
abatement program. After 13 years in technical management in Copper Cliff, Marcuson
moved to Inco Technical Services Limited as
director of product research, leading research
into new products such as nickel powders.
Marcuson is a member of the Metallurgical Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) and
served as president in 1986–1987. While
in Sudbury, ON, he was a member of Laurentian University’s Engineering Advisory
Council and was also an adjunct professor. He continues his professional involvement as chair of the Metallurgical Society’s
of CIM Publications Committee. Marcuson
has published over 20 refereed papers and
holds seven patents relating to research he
has conducted while at Inco.
Le Prix des sciences et du génie macromoléculaires est décerné à un individu pour sa
brillante contribution dans les domaines des
sciences ou du génie macromoléculaires.
Eugenia Kumacheva, MCIC
University of Toronto
Eugenia Kumacheva is one of the most
eminent polymer chemists in Canada. Her
research on polymer thin films, polymer
nanostructured materials, and self-assembly
has achieved broad international acclaim.
Kumacheva’s reports on confinementinduced phase transitions in thin liquid
films was published in Science. Her work
on the new mechanism of lubrication by
polymer brushes was published in Nature.
Kumacheva ’s studies of supramolecular
assembly of rigid-rod polymers shed light on
the mechanisms of fibrogenesis of proteins.
Her studies of forces acting between thin
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layers of polymer gels led to the fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of
polymer association and biolubrication. Her
group has pioneered studies of convection
in polymeric fluids, and for the first time,
trapped and replicated highly non-equilibrium periodic patterns in the solid films.
Kumacheva opened up a new field in
polymer materials science. Her group has
discovered novel strategies for synthesis
and fabrication of polymer nanocomposites
with periodic structures and thus produced
unique polymer materials—photonic crystals
for 3D optical data storage, optical limiters
and switches, strain and biosensors, and
films for security documents.
Recently, her interests shifted to polymer
materials with structural hierarchy embracing
nano-, meso, and micrometer length scales.
She also developed a highly novel strategy to
polymerization in constrained geometry of
microfluidics. At the University of Toronto,
her highly innovative work resulted in 12
patent applications (three patents issued).
Kumacheva has published about 84 papers
and given about 60 invited lectures. In
recognition of her accomplishments, she
was awarded a Canada Research Chair in
Advanced Polymer Materials, the Clara
Benson Award, the (CSC) Schlumberger
Award (Oxford University), the Premier’s
Research Excellence Award, and the International Chorafas Foundation Award. Her
achievements in the field of nanostructured
materials have been reported in The Globe
and Mail, Silicon Valley North, Mclean’s
(2001), High Tech Materials Alert, Inventive
Women (2001), Chemical Innovation (2002),
Photonics Research (2002, 2004), and Science
Today (2004).
The Montréal Medal
La Médaille Montréal
The Montréal Local Section /
La Section locale de Montréal
Margaret-Ann Armour, FCIC
University of Alberta
Margaret-Ann Armour was born in Scotland
and educated at Edinburgh University where
she obtained BSc and MSc degrees. She
worked as a research chemist in the papermaking industry for five years before going to
the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and
graduating in 1970 with a PhD in physical
organic chemistry. After post-doctoral fellowships at the Universities of Edinburgh and
Alberta, she joined the chemistry department
at the University of Alberta as supervisor of
the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories 1979–1989 and since July 1, 1989 has
been assistant chair.
Her research has been in the handling and
disposal of small quantities of hazardous
chemical wastes. The results of the work
are described in the Hazardous Laboratory
Chemicals Disposal Guide, published by CRC
Press (third edition, 2003). Armour is vicechair and convenor of Women in Scholarship,
Engineering, Science and Technology
(WISEST), a committee of the vice-president
(research) with a mandate to take action to
increase the proportion of women in decisionmaking roles, especially in the sciences and
engineering. In 1994, WISEST won a Michael
Smith Award and in 1996 the Excellence in
Science and Technology Public Awareness
Prize from the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Foundation.
Armour has received a number of awards
for her teaching, encouragement of women
into the chemical sciences, sharing her love
of science with school children and the general public, and her research. Her most recent
awards include the Sarah Shorten Award of
the Canadian Association of University Teachers (2001), the Governor General’s Award in
Commemoration of the Persons Case (2002),
the Gordin Kaplan Award of the Canadian
Federation of Biological Societies (2003),
Maclean’s honor roll of Ten Canadians
Making a Difference (2003), the American
Chemical Society Award for Encouraging
Women into the Chemical Sciences (2004),
the Distinguished Alumna Award from the
University of Alberta (2004), and one of
100 Edmontonians of the Century (2004).
Armour serves as vice-chair of the Board of
St. Andrew’s and St. Stephen’s Colleges, and
is on the Board of SHAD International and
the Board of the Pacific Basin Consortium
for Hazardous Waste Research and Management. She is a past president of the Edmonton
Glenora Rotary Club.
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CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR CHEMISTRY
2005 AWARD WINNERS
LAURÉATS ET LAURÉATES DES PRIX 2005
DE LA SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE DE CHIMIE
The Alcan Award
Le Prix Alcan
Alcan International Limited
The Alcan Award is presented to a scientist
residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution in the fields of inorganic
chemistry or electrochemistry.
Le Prix Alcan est décerné à un scientifique
résidant au Canada qui a contribué de façon
remarquable aux domaines de la chimie inorganique ou de l’électrochimie.
Warren Piers, MCIC
The University of Calgary
Warren Piers obtained his BSc degree at The
University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1984
and continued there as an NSERC Postgraduate Scholar under the tutelage of Michael
Fryzuk, FCIC. He then spent two years at
the California Institute of Technology as an
NSERC and Killam Post-Doctoral Fellow with
John Bercaw. From 1990–1995, he was an assistant professor at the University of Guelph.
He then moved back to western Canada to
join the chemistry department at The University of Calgary as an associate professor. In
July 2000, he was appointed to the S. Robert
Blair chair in Polymerization Catalysis and
Polymer Synthesis, an endowed research chair
sponsored by NOVA Chemicals, and promoted
to full professor. His research interests include
chemistry of perfluoroaryl diboranes, mechanistic organometallic chemistry in catalysis,
and in the development of novel boron-based
organometallic materials. Piers has more than
95 independent scholarly publications. Honours awarded include the John C. Polanyi
Prize in Chemistry (1991), an Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation Research Fellowship (1996–2000),
an NSERC E. W. R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (2000–2002), the Royal Society of Canada
Rutherford Medal in Chemistry (2000), the
Catalysis Lecture Award (2002), and the Merck
Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research Award
(2003). Other interests include ski and general
mountaineering and he has bagged more than
40 summits in the Canadian Rockies.
Alfred Bader Award
Le Prix Alfred Bader
Alfred Bader, HFCIC
The Alfred Bader Award is a mark of distinction and recognition of a scientist under the
age of 60, for excellence in organic chemistry
research.
Le Prix Alfred Bader souligne l’excellence des
travaux recherche d’un chercheur de moins de
60 ans en chimie organique.
John Vederas, FCIC
University of Alberta
John Vederas is a professor of chemistry and
holds a Canada Research Chair in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry. He obtained
a BSc degree in chemistry from Stanford
University and a PhD in synthetic organic
chemistry with the late George Büchi from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He
subsequently worked with Christoph Tamm
at the University of Basel in Switzerland and
with Heinz Floss at Purdue University. He
joined the University of Alberta in 1977 as
an assistant professor. He has received recognition for research and teaching from the
University of Alberta, including the Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate
Teaching (1995), the University Cup for
Research and Teaching (1998), the J. Gordin Kaplan Award for Excellence in Research
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(2003), and the Killam Award for Excellence
in Mentoring (2003). He is a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Canada (1997) and was
awarded the Merck Sharp Dohme Award
(1986), the John Labatt Award (1991), and
the R. U. Lemieux Award (2002) from the
CSC. He has served in numerous scientific
organizations, was president of the CSC
(2002–2003), and a member of Council at
NSERC (2001–2004) and chair of its Committee on Scholarships and Fellowships.
Award for Pure or Applied
Inorganic Chemistry
Le Prix de chimie inorganique
pure ou appliquée
The Inorganic Chemistry Division /
La Division de chimie inorganique
The Award for Pure or Applied Inorganic
Chemistry is awarded for outstanding contribution to industrial or academic inorganic
chemistry, within the five calendar years preceding the year of nomination.
Le Prix de chimie inorganique pure ou appliquée est remis en reconnaissance de l’apport
exceptionnel à la chimie inorganique dans
le milieu industriel ou universitaire au cours
des cinq années civiles précédant la mise en
candidature.
Canada. He completed his BSc at the University of Alberta in 1987 and his PhD in
organometallic chemistry with Martin Cowie,
MCIC, at the University of Alberta in 1990.
He was an NSERC post-doctoral fellow in organometallic chemistry at Oxford University
with Malcolm Green in 1991, and at Caltech
in 1992–1993 with John E. Bercaw. After a
short stint with Jeff Stryker at the University
of Alberta studying Ziegler-Natta catalysis, he
switched fields to study nanoporous materials as a post-doctoral associate with Jackie
Ying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology department of chemical engineering
from 1994–1996. He is currently a professor
of chemistry at the University of Windsor and
directs a research group focused on hydrogen storage and the electronic and catalytic
properties of electroactive mesoporous transition metal oxides. Antonelli is the author
of over 50 publications and was the winner
of the Ontario Premier’s Research Excellence
Award, a Royal Society of Britain Research
Award, and the NSERC AGENO award.
The Bernard Belleau Award
Le Prix Bernard Belleau
Bristol Myers Squibb Canada Co.
of California, Berkeley (MSc, D. S. Noyce),
and met his enduring passion, synthesis, at
the University of Oregon (PhD, V. Boekelheide) and National Research Council Canada,
Ottawa (post-doc, O. E. Edwards). He was
appointed to the faculty at the University of
Waterloo in 1967 and stayed, including from
1992 as Monsanto/NSERC chair, until 1998,
at which time he accepted the Bader chair in
Organic Chemistry at Queen’s University.
Following the early contributions of Beak,
Meyers, and many others, Snieckus has
developed the directed ortho metalation
reaction to its current status as a key concept
in aromatic chemistry. The anionic orthoFries, DoM-Suzuki, anionic Friedel-Crafts,
and remote metalation are synonymous with
Snieckus group chemistry. Over 100 graduate
students and 70 post-doctoral fellows have
received training in his laboratories.
Snieckus has received 16 major awards;
since 2001, the Cope Scholar and the Arfvedson-Schlenk Awards, and the Order of the
Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania. He is
consultant to 12 companies and editor of the
Canadian Journal of Chemistry, Synlett and
Science of Synthesis (Lithium). He now plays
less hockey and listens to more jazz.
Boehringer Ingelheim Award
Le Prix Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
The Boehringer Ingelheim Award is awarded
to a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant
whose PhD thesis in the field of organic or bioorganic chemistry was formally accepted by a
Canadian university in the 12-month period
preceding the nomination deadline of March
1 and whose doctoral research is judged to be
of outstanding quality.
Victor Snieckus, FCIC
Queen’s University
David Antonelli, MCIC
University of Windsor
David Antonelli was born in Chicago, IL,
in 1963 and raised in the U.S., U.K., and
Victor Snieckus fell under the spell of organic
chemistry through the teachings of Ayer,
Brown, Crawford, Darwish, and especially
Rube Sandin at the University of Alberta
(BSc, Honours). He learned respect for
physical organic chemistry at the University
Le Prix Boehringer Ingelheim est remis à un
citoyen canadien ou à un résident permanent
dont la thèse de doctorat dans le domaine de
la chimie organique ou bio-organique a été
officiellement acceptée par une université canadienne au cours des douze mois précédant la
date limite de mise en candidature, à savoir
le 1er mars, et dont les travaux de recherche se
démarquent par leur qualité.
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The Clara Benson Award
Le Prix Clara Benson
The Canadian Council of University
Chemistry chairs (CCUCC) / Le Conseil
des directeurs de département de chimie
des universités canadiennes (CDDCUC)
The Clara Benson Award is presented to
a woman for her distinguished contribution
to chemistry.
Rami Hannoush, MCIC
Harvard University
Rami Hannoush completed his PhD in bioorganic chemistry (dean’s honour list) at
McGill University in 2002, where he discovered
a novel class of RNA inhibitors of HIV-reverse
transcriptase under the supervision of Masad
J. Damha, FCIC. While at McGill, he received
the Winkler Award for Best PhD Thesis, and
the D. W. Ambridge Prize for the most outstanding graduate in science and engineering.
During the course of his doctoral studies,
Hannoush was awarded an NSERC post-graduate scholarship, and he was involved with
the synthesis and physicochemical studies of
novel 2’,5’-RNA motifs and evaluation of their
promise for anti-HIV therapeutic applications.
In 2003, he was awarded an NSERC Post-Doctoral Fellowship, which he tenured at Harvard
University with Matthew D. Shair and Tom
Kirchhausen, studying the cellular process
of protein secretion by using natural product
mimetics. Hannoush is currently interested
in the area of chemical biology, with special
emphasis on novel approaches to identify
the target and biological mechanism of small
chemical molecules that inhibit the growth of
cancer cells.
Le Prix Clara Benson est décerné à une femme
pour souligner sa contribution remarquable
au domaine de la chimie.
sciences laboratory at Fort Saskatchewan and
representing R&D on the Fort Saskatchewan
site leadership team.
Fairhurst has held various executive positions in the Edmonton Local Section of the
CIC and served as treasurer for the 1992 CSC
Conference in Edmonton, AB. In addition,
she has been involved in numerous scientific
review and assessment committees for the
Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and
the Alberta Science and Research Authority
(ASRA). She has also served on both the
Alumni Council and the Senate of the
University of Alberta and is an active supporter of the WISEST program.
The E. W. R. Steacie Award
Le Prix E.W.R. Steacie
MDS Sciex
The E. W. R. Steacie Award is given to a
scientist for a distinguished contribution
to chemistry.
Le Prix de E.W.R. Steacie est décerné à un
chercheur pour souligner sa contribution
remarquable dans le domaine de la chimie.
Mary Fairhurst, FCIC
Dow Chemical Canada Inc.
Mary Fairhurst was born in Montréal and
received her BSc Honours in chemistry from
Marianopolis College. She taught chemistry as a CUSO volunteer in Ghana for two
years before beginning graduate studies at
the University of Alberta. Her graduate work
in analytical chemistry was focused on the
use of NMR spectroscopy to study the solution chemistry and kinetics of metal-amino
acid complexes. Fairhurst spent one year as
a Killam Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Trace
Analysis Research Institute at Dalhousie
University in Halifax, NS. She joined Dow
Chemical Canada as an analytical chemist
and has worked at Dow’s Fort Saskatchewan
location for more than 23 years. Fairhurst’s
career at Dow has covered a variety of
areas, including analytical method development and process research along with
a few assignments in Dow’s production
laboratories. Her current position as R&D resource leader involves leading the analytical
Tom Ziegler, FCIC
The University of Calgary
Tom Ziegler was raised in Denmark and graduated from the University of Copenhagen in
1972 with a Cand.Scient degree in theoretical chemistry. He obtained a PhD from The
University of Calgary (1978) where he has
been a full professor since 1991 and currently
holds a Canada Research Chair in theoretical
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inorganic chemistry. In the last 30 years, he
has worked with the development of density
functional theory as a practical tool in transition metal chemistry and homogeneous
catalysis. This has lead to computational
methods of use in spectroscopy, thermochemistry, structure determination, and molecular
dynamics. He is a Fellow of both the Royal
Danish and Royal Canadian Societies.
The Fred Beamish Award
Le Prix Fred Beamish
Eli Lilly Canada Inc.
The Fred Beamish Award is given to recognize
individuals who demonstrate innovation in
research in the field of analytical chemistry,
and whose research is anticipated to have significant potential for practical applications.
Le Prix Fred Beamish vise à reconnaître les
chercheurs qui font preuve d’innovation
dans le domaine de la chimie analytique et
dont les travaux de recherche laissent entrevoir des possibilités d’applications concrètes
considérables.
Post-Doctoral Fellow (1998–2000) at the
University of Alberta with D. J. Harrison
where he worked on microfluidic devices that
incorporate functionalized micro-spheres for
solid phase extraction and electrochromatography. Oleschuk then joined the department of
chemistry at Queen’s University as an assistant
professor in 2000. His current interests are
in the development of polymeric microfluidic systems. His laboratory is investigating
polymer surface modification strategies to
enhance micro device performance as well as
developing novel strategies to couple microfluidic devices with mass spectrometry.
The Maxxam Award
Le Prix Maxxam
Maxxam Analytics Inc.
The Maxxam Award is presented to a scientist
residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of analytical
chemistry while working in Canada.
Le Prix Maxxam est décerné à un chercheur
résidant au Canada qui s’est distingué dans
le domaine de la chimie analytique alors qu’il
travaillait au Canada.
promoted to his current position of senior
research scientist.
He has published 140 technical reports
and papers, and five books. He founded the
biennial international conference EnviroAnalysis—the sixth meeting is planned for
May 2006. Clement has taught environmental/analytical chemistry at the University of
Waterloo, The University of Western Ontario,
and Sheridan College, and coordinates the
hiring of co-op and summer students at the
MOE laboratory. He also serves on the Board
of Directors for the Canadian Council for
Human Resources in the Environment Industry (CCHREI), and frequently presents
lectures and workshops to undergraduate
students on environmental employment and
job search strategies.
As a member of the Environmental and
Analytical Divisions of the CSC, Clement has
been involved with the organization of several conference sessions over the years, and
in the award programs of both divisions. As
Environment Division chair in 1992–1993,
he helped revive the Environmental Improvement Award.
Clement received the 1991 Francis W.
Karasek Award for achievements in environmental analytical chemistry, the 1992
McBryde Medal for a significant achievement
in pure or applied analytical chemistry, and
was one of the first winners of the Amethyst
Award in 1993 for outstanding achievements
by Ontario civil servants. Clement earned
the distinction of Fellow of Canadian Certified Environmental Practitioner (CCEP) in
2002 (Environmental Research category).
The Merck Frosst Centre for
Therapeutic Research Award
Richard Oleschuk, MCIC
Queen’s University
Richard Oleschuk obtained his PhD degree
in analytical chemistry from The University
of Manitoba in 1998. His research involved
the development of polymer-based extraction methods for metal complexes, and
polymeric membrane sample preparation
for the MS under the direction of Art Chow,
FCIC. He then spent two years as an NSERC
Le Prix du Centre de
recherche thérapeutique
Merck Frosst
Ray Clement, FCIC
Ontario Ministry of the Environment
After graduating from the co-op chemistry
program at the University of Waterloo, Ray
Clement earned his PhD in analytical chemistry. In 1982, he joined the Ontario Ministry
of the Environment (MOE), Laboratory Services Branch, where he supervised the Dioxin
laboratory for several years before being
The Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic
Research / Le centre de recherche
thérapeutique Merck Frosst
The Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic
Research Award is given for a distinguished
contribution in the field of organic chemistry
or biochemistry by a young scientist.
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Le Prix du Centre de recherche thérapeutique
Merck Frosst est attribué à un jeune scientifique qui s’est distingué dans les domaines de
la chimie organique ou de la biochimie.
cyclophanes (including their possible link to
baldness), non-planar polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons, inverse electron demand DielsAlder chemistry, synthetic methodology, and
the total synthesis of natural products.
The R. U. Lemieux Award
Le Prix R.U. Lemieux
The Organic Chemistry Division /
La Division de chimie organique
The R. U. Lemieux Award recognizes a distinguished contribution in organic chemistry.
Graham Bodwell, MCIC
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Graham Bodwell was born hairless in Epsom,
Great Britain in 1962. He moved to BC in
1971, where he graduated from high school
in 1979 with a full head of hair. He studied
chemistry (co-op program) at the University
of Victoria and obtained his BSc (Honours)
degree in 1984 with some signs of thinning
on top. His Honours and subsequent MSc
research with Reg Mitchell, FCIC, spawned a
lifelong interest in cyclophane chemistry. Following completion of this degree with more
substantial thinning in 1986, he moved to
Braunschweig, West Germany, to pursue doctoral studies in the group of Henning Hopf,
again working on cyclophanes. After receiving his doctorate (rer. nat., with distinction
and an ever-growing bare patch) in 1989, he
crossed the Channel to join the group of Steve
Davies at Oxford, where he worked in the
area of asymmetric synthesis and grew his
remaining hair very long in a vain attempt to
divert attention from the ravages of nature. In
1992, he accepted an assistant professorship
at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Bodwell was tenured and promoted to
associate professor in 1997, at which point
he joined forces with nature and laid waste
to the few remaining pockets of resistance.
This cleared the way to the President’s Award
for Outstanding Research in 1998, the PetroCanada Young Innovator Award in 1999 and
promotion to full professor in 2001. Bodwell’s
current research interests are in the areas of
Le Prix R.U. Lemieux souligne une contribution remarquable dans le domaine de la
chimie organique
chemistry at McMaster University, where he
still remains and where, in 1989, he became
professor emeritus.
In 1969, he was awarded the degree of
DSc in organic and biochemistry by the
University of London and, much more
recently, in 2004, the DSc honoris causa by
McMaster. In 1971, and again in 1989, he
spent a semester as an “academic guest”
at the ETH, Zurich. He served as visiting
professor in the department of organic chemistry of the Technical University of Denmark,
Lyngby, in 1977, at the University of Karlsruhe in 1981 with a NATO Senior Scientist
Award, in the department of pharmaceutical
chemistry, University of Tokyo, in 1983 with
a Canada–Japan Exchange Award, and in
the department of pharmaceutical biology,
University of Bonn, in 1989.
In 1980, he was elected to Fellowship in
the Royal Society of Canada. He received the
CIC John Labatt Award in 1983.
Ian Spenser, FCIC
McMaster University
Ian Spenser graduated with a BSc Honours in
chemistry from the University of Birmingham
in 1948. He obtained a PhD in biochemistry
from King’s College, University of London,
in 1952. A post-doctoral year in 1953–1954
in the group of Léo Marion at the National
Research Council Laboratories in Ottawa,
ON, introduced him to Canada and to the
investigation of natural product biosynthesis—a field of study that became the focus of
his research career.
After a brief return to the U.K. to a Lectureship in the department of biochemistry
and chemistry at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College, University of London, he came back to Canada in 1957 to an
assistant professorship in the department of
CSC BULLETIN SCC
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
REVUE CANADIENNE DE CHIMIE
On-line submission and peer review (OSPREY)
takes flight
Le système OSPREY – Soumission et examen
en direct des articles – prend son essor
W
râce à un nouveau système de soumission par le Web, la
Revue canadienne de chimie se prépare à devenir une revue
électronique véritablement internationale
Soumettre un article en dix minutes… l’envoyer pour examen
aux directeurs scientifiques et à des pairs des quatre coins du globe
en évitant les retards postaux… soumettre des évaluations et prendre des décisions par Internet… obtenir l’acceptation en quelques
semaines au lieu de plusieurs mois.
Le rêve de l’édition électronique est demeuré un songe pour
de nombreux éditeurs scientifiques. Les systèmes électroniques
d’examen par les pairs et d’édition se sont révélés être fastidieux
et coûteux. La promesse d’un flot de travail sans papier ne s’est pas
réalisée, comme toute personne qui a examiné un article ou qui a
publié une revue peut vous le dire.
La Revue canadienne de chimie a fait un grand pas en avant pour
devenir véritablement internationale et électronique, grâce au
lancement en mars dernier d’un nouveau système électronique de
soumission et d’examen par les pairs.
La Revue canadienne de chimie est reconnue par la Société
canadienne de chimie (SCC) comme son principal organe de publication des articles de recherche. La Revue, publiée depuis 1929 par les
Presses scientifiques du CNRC, s’efforce de répondre aux besoins des
chercheurs de la SCC en améliorant l’efficacité de l’examen par les
pairs et de la publication. Qui plus est, de nombreuses innovations
électroniques sont prévues au cours des prochains mois.
La première de ces innovations est un nouveau système de soumission et d’examen en direct des articles, mis au point par les Presses scientifiques du CNRC en collaboration avec la Commonwealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), l’homologue du CNRC
en Australie. Tout comme le CNRC, la CSIRO possède un important
service d’édition de revues; outre qu’il est très occupé, il a besoin de
rejoindre un public mondial et de publier rapidement. En combinant
les besoins différents des deux organisations, il a été possible de créer
un système souple qui peut être adapté pour répondre aux besoins
précis des 30 et quelques revues qui l’utiliseront.
Le système a été baptisé OSPREY (on-line submission and peer
review – soumission et examen en direct par les pairs), d’après le
magnifique oiseau, le balbuzard pêcheur, indigène à l’Australie et
au Canada.
La Revue utilise un système de soumission et d’examen en direct
depuis de nombreuses années, mais la version précédente avait été critiquée par ses utilisateurs. En outre, le fabricant avait fait faillite, laissant
le CNRC devant un choix – maintenir le système existant ou en créer ou
en acheter un nouveau? L’approche concertée a permis de concevoir un
système fabriqué sur mesure pour répondre à nos besoins.
ith a new Web-based submission system, the Canadian
Journal of Chemistry is poised to become a truly international electronic journal.
Submitting an article in ten minutes … sending it to editors and
peer reviewers around the globe without mail delays … submitting
reviews and making decisions over the Internet… getting to acceptance in weeks, not months.
The dream of electronic publishing has remained just that—a
dream—for many scientific publishers. Electronic peer review and publishing systems have turned out to be cumbersome and expensive. And
the promise of a paperless workflow has not held true, as anyone who
has reviewed an article or published a journal can tell you.
The Canadian Journal of Chemistry (CJC) has taken a major step
toward becoming truly international and electronic, with the introduction of a new on-line submission and peer review system at the
end of March 2005.
CJC is recognized by the CSC as its principal organ for the publication of research papers. The journal, published since 1929 by the NRC
Research Press, is working to meet the needs of CSC researchers by
improving the efficiency of peer review and publication. Many electronic innovations are planned over the coming months.
The first of these is a new on-line submission and peer review system, developed by NRC Research Press in collaboration with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)—
NRC’s counterpart in Australia. Like the NRC, CSIRO has a large and
busy journal publishing operation, and needs to be global and fast to
publication. Combining the different needs of the two organizations
has led to the creation of a flexible system that can be tailored to the
precise requirements of the 30 or so journals that will be using it.
The system has been dubbed OSPREY (On-line Submission and
Peer Review), after the magnificent bird native to both Canada
and Australia.
CJC has had on-line submission and peer review for many years,
but the earlier system had been critiqued by its users. As well, the
manufacturer had gone under, leaving the NRC at a crossroads—to
maintain the existing system or to make or buy a new one? The collaborative approach made it possible to design a custom-built system
to meet our needs.
Benefits of the new system to CJC’s editorial office and users include:
• Completely Web-enabled. Offices and users only need a current
Internet browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer) to use the system
from anywhere in the world;
• Notification by e-mail. An e-mail goes to the next user at each
step, to ask him or her to review a manuscript, make a decision,
or revise a manuscript;
• Security. The confidentiality of manuscripts and peer review is protected by a username/password system as well as by a secure site;
G
Les avantages que le nouveau système apporte au bureau de la
rédaction de la Revue et aux utilisateurs sont les suivants :
CSC BULLETIN SCC
• Ease of submission. Submission takes as little as ten minutes,
and authors can submit their tables and figures as part of their
manuscript file, or in separate files;
• PDF-based file management. Files move through peer review and
decision in PDF format—accessible by anyone working anywhere;
• Documentation of all steps. A complete history of all submissions,
reviews, revisions, and correspondence is held on the system;
• Speed. Peer review proceeds without mail, saving valuable time
and speeding the steps to acceptance and publication;
• A work in progress. Comments from editorial offices and users are
welcome, and the software is improved and revised at least once a
year. All users benefit from the feedback of all other users.
Visit OSPREY to submit your manuscript to CJC: cjc.nrc.ca/osprey.
Or click on “For Authors” from the CJC home page (www.cjc.nrc.ca).
Carolyn Brown
Manager of the journals program at the NRC Research Press
• Entièrement exploitable sur le Web. Les bureaux de rédaction et les
utilisateurs n’ont besoin que d’un navigateur Web à jour (Netscape
ou Internet Explorer) pour utiliser le système depuis n’importe
quel endroit du monde.
• Notification par courrier électronique. Un message électronique est
transmis au prochain utilisateur à chaque étape pour lui demander
d’évaluer un manuscrit, de prendre une décision ou de réviser un
manuscrit.
• Sécurité. La confidentialité du manuscrit et de l’examen par les
pairs est protégée par un système de nom d’utilisateur/mot de
passe ainsi que par un site sécurisé.
• Facilité de soumission. Il faut à peine 10 minutes pour faire une
soumission, et les auteurs peuvent présenter leurs tableaux et figures comme partie de leur fichier de manuscrit ou dans des fichiers
distincts.
• Gestion de fichiers architecturée autour du format PDF. Les fichiers
passent par le processus d’examen confraternel et décisionnel en
format PDF, ce qui assure une accessibilité à tous, peu importe leur
emplacement.
• Documentation de toutes les étapes. Un historique complet de
l’ensemble des soumissions, des examens, des révisions et de toute
la correspondance est maintenu dans le système.
• Rapidité. L’examen par les pairs se déroule sans courrier, ce qui
permet d’économiser du temps précieux et d’accélérer les étapes
menant à l’acceptation et à la publication.
• Un travail en évolution. Les commentaires du personnel des
bureaux de rédaction et des utilisateurs sont les bienvenues et
le logiciel est amélioré et révisé au moins une fois l’an. Tous les
utilisateurs profitent de la rétroaction des autres utilisateurs.
Visitez OSPREY pour soumettre votre manuscrit à la Revue canadienne
de chimie (http://endeavour.cisti.nrc.ca/publisher/access.view?journ
alCode=CJC&language=f), ou cliquez sur « Aux auteurs » à partir de
la page d’accueil de la Revue (http://revcanchim.cnrc.ca).
Carolyn Brown
Gestionnaire du programme des revue aux
Presses scientifiques du CNRC.
CSChE BULLETIN SCGCh
CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATIONS
(2005–2006)
PRÉSENTATION DES CANDIDATS POUR LE CONSEIL
D’ADMINISTRATION DE LA SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE
DE GÉNIE CHIMIQUE (2005-2006)
T
he Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) Nominating Committee, appointed under the terms of CSChE bylaws
Article 8, Section k, has proposed the candidates listed below
to serve as CSChE officers for 2005–2006. Jean-François Legault,
MCIC, CSChE past-president and chair of the Nominating Committee,
is pleased to announce the candidates for the 2005–2006 election of
the CSChE. Additional nominations for candidates may be submitted
by members to be received at National Office no later than Tuesday,
May 17, 2005. Ten or more voting members must support additional
nominations in writing. Those elected, whether by ballot or acclamation, will take office immediately following the AGM of the Society in
Toronto on October 18, 2005.
President 2005–2006
Paul Stuart, MCIC, is a professor in the department
of chemical engineering at École Polytechnique de
Montréal, and the holder of an NSERC Environmental
Design Engineering chair whose theme is Process Integration in the Pulp and Paper Industry. He received
his PhD in chemical engineering from McGill University in 1992—he was the last student of the late
William Gauvin, a founding member of the CSChE
and its president in 1966–1967. Prior to joining École
Polytechnique in 2000, Stuart was a process engineer
for 12 years serving the pulp and paper industry including as company associate and manager of process
engineering at Beak Consultants Limited, as partner
and manager of environmental services at Simons Environmental
Group, and as director of the Montréal process and environmental
engineering group of H.A. Simons Limited. Stuart is active on many
committees related to his field of research including currently as a
L
e comité des candidatures de la Société canadienne de génie chimique (SCGCh), nommé aux termes de l’article 8 de la section k
des règlements de la SCGCh, propose les candidats suivants aux
postes d’administrateurs de la SCGCh pour l’exercice 2005-2006. JeanFrançois Legault, MICC, président sortant de la SCGCh et président du
comité des candidatures, est heureux de présenter les candidats aux
élections pour l’exercice 2005-2006. Les membres peuvent présenter
d’autres candidats au plus tard le mardi 17 mai 2005. Les mises en
candidature supplémentaires doivent être appuyées par écrit par au
moins dix membres votants. Les personnes élues, au scrutin ou sans
concurrent, entreront en fonction immédiatement après l’Assemblée
générale annuelle de la Société qui se tiendra le 18 octobre 2005.
Président, 2005-2006
Paul Stuart, MICC, enseigne au sein du département de génie chimique de l’École polytechnique de
Montréal et est titulaire d’une chaire CRSNG en génie
de conception environnementale dont le thème est
l’intégration des procédés sans l’industrie des pâtes et
papiers. Il a obtenu son doctorat en génie chimique
de l’Université McGill en 1992 – il a d’ailleurs été le
dernier étudiant de feu William Gauvin, un membre fondateur de la SCGCh dont il fut président en
1966-1967. Avant de se joindre à l’équipe de l’École
polytechnique en 2000, Stuart a travaillé comme
ingénieur des procédés durant 12 ans au service de
l’industrie des pâtes et papiers, notamment à titre
d’associé et gestionnaire des procédés opérationnels de Beak Consultants Limited, de partenaire et directeur des services de l’environnement
du Simons Environmental Group et en tant que directeur du groupe de
génie des procédés et de l’environnement de Montréal de H.A. Simons
member of the NRCan Advisory Board on Energy Science and Technology (NABEST), vice-chair of the Canadian Design Engineering Network
(CDEN), and he is on the NSERC Strategic Grants panel. He is a professional engineer in the Province of Quebec and continues to consult to
the pulp and paper industry through his company, Processys Inc.
Stuart has been an active member of the CSChE since 1982. He
served in various capacities with the Montréal Local Section during the
1980s including a term as chair, and was technical program co-chair
of the Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference held in Montréal in
2000. He was also director of conferences from 2000–2003 and vicepresident from 2004–2005 on the CSChE Board. He has co-chaired the
Symposium in Process Integration at the CSChE conference for the last
four years, and is organizing the first Forum on Design in Chemical
Engineering at this year’s conference in Toronto.
2005 Statement to the CSChE
As a technical association for chemical engineers, the CSChE has provided a focus for the
development of Canadian chemical engineering for the benefit of society. With the emerging challenges and opportunities of globalization, the role of chemical engineering in the
wellbeing of humanity has assumed increasing importance. Canadian chemical engineering
has become a global leader in the technologies used to secure clean air, water, and soil and
to develop fuel cells, heavy oil extraction and upgrading, nuclear power generation, chlorine-free pulp bleaching, and generic pharmaceutical manufacturing. The CSChE LIVE plan
developed in 1997 was visionary and has served the CSChE well. The CSChE must continue
to develop programs that will offer its members opportunities for Lifelong learning, Involvement and commitment, Voice of reason, and Ethics and responsibility.
Competence and productivity will determine the future prosperity of Canada. Continuous training will ensure competence. Process and product innovations will improve
productivity. As the leading technology disseminator of chemical engineering, the CSChE
must institute a continuous improvement program to enhance the effectiveness of the annual conference and the CSChE’s journal, The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering.
Globalization is demanding competitiveness beyond technical competence. To achieve
multi-disciplinary capability without diluting its own core competence, the CSChE must
seek reputable partners to offer training programs in ecology, logistics, international trade,
financing, technology commercialization, venture capital, and organizational management. To deliver improved value of membership with the limited corporate resources,
traditional and non-traditional partners will be sought to provide comprehensive benefit
packages. The CSChE will help its members excel in technical competence, innovate with
confidence and achieve financial success.
Limited. Stuart est membre actif de plusieurs comités liés à son domaine
de recherche. En effet, il est présentement membre du Comité consultatif de RNCan sur les sciences et les technologies énergétiques (CCRSTE),
vice-président du Réseau canadien de la conception en ingénierie
(RCCI) et membre du comité des subventions stratégiques du CRSNG.
Il travaille toujours comme ingénieur professionnel dans la province de
Québec et continue d’apporter ses services d’expert-conseil à l’industrie
des pâtes et papiers par l’entremise de son entreprise, Processys Inc.
Stuart est membre de la SCGCh depuis 1982. Il a occupé plusieurs fonctions au sein de la division locale de Montréal durant les
années 1980, notamment celles de président et de coprésident du programme technique du Congrès canadien de génie chimique qui a eu
lieu à Montréal en 2000. Il a été directeur des congrès de 2000 à 2003
et vice-président de 2004 à 2005 au sein du conseil d’administration
de la SCGCh. Il a également coprésidé le Symposium sur l’Intégration
des procédés lors des quatre derniers congrès de la SCGCh et travaille
à l’organisation du tout premier forum sur la Conception en génie
chimique pour le congrès de cette année à Toronto.
Exposé à la SCGCh pour 2005
En tant qu’association technique pour les ingénieurs chimistes, la SCGCh offre un point de
concentration pour le développement du génie chimique canadien au bénéfice de la société.
Étant donné l’émergence des défis et d’opportunités résultant de la globalisation, l’importance
du rôle du génie chimique dans le bien-être de l’humanité connaît une croissance constante.
Le génie chimique canadien joue un rôle de leader dans les technologies utilisées pour assainir l’air, l’eau et le sol, et dans le développement de piles à combustible, l’extraction et
l’amélioration de l’huile lourde, la production d’énergie nucléaire, le blanchiment sans chlore
des pâtes et papiers, et la fabrication de médicaments génériques. Le plan LIVE de la SCGCh
élaboré en 1997 était visionnaire et a très bien servi la SCGCh, qui doit continuer d’élaborer
des programmes offrant à ses membres la possibilité d’apprentissage continu, de participation
et d’engagement, de raisonnement, et d’éthique et responsabilité.
La compétence et la productivité assureront la prospérité future du Canada. La formation
continue assurera la compétence. Les innovations apportées aux produits et aux processus amélioreront la productivité. En sa qualité de premier diffuseur des technologies en
génie chimique, la SCGCh se doit d’instituer un programme de formation continue dans
le but d’améliorer l’efficacité du congrès annuel et du Canadian Journal of Chemical
Engineering.
La mondialisation exige une compétitivité qui va bien au-delà des compétences techniques. Pour atteindre une capacité multidisciplinaire sans pour autant diluer ses compétences essentielles, la SCGCh doit s’adjoindre des partenaires dignes de confiance lui
permettant d’offrir des programmes de formation en écologie, logistique, commerce international, finances, commercialisation des technologies, capital de risque et gestion
organisationnelle. Pour assurer une plus-value au statut de membre malgré un effectif
limité, la SCGCh s’associera à des partenaires traditionnels et non traditionnels qui lui permettront d’offrir des programmes complets. La Société aidera ainsi ses membres à atteindre
l’excellence dans leurs compétences techniques, à innover en toute confiance et à atteindre
le succès financier.
Vice-President 2005–2006
David T. Fung, MCIC, is the chair and CEO of the
ACDEG group of companies. He has investment partnerships in North America and Asia, especially China
and Canada. He obtained his BSc, MSc, and Doctorate degrees in chemical engineering from McGill
University in Montréal, QC, and completed the senior
business executive program at Queen’s University in
Kingston, ON. Fung was the research manager of C-I-L
Inc. and managed the C-I-L Chemical Research Laboratory in Mississauga, ON. Subsequently, he became
the president of Chemetics International Company of
Vancouver with five divisions on four continents and chemical plant
projects on six continents. He has sponsored research projects at and
commercialized technologies from Canadian universities. Fung is actively involved on the boards and/or advisory boards of educational
institutions, professional associations, and trade associations. He is
chair of the International Trade Committee of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), British Columbia Division, member of the
CME’s national Board of Directors, and that of the Canada China Business Council.
Fung is a professional engineer in BC and has been an active member of the CSChE since 1970. He is a member of the Economics and
Business Management Division and CSChE award selection committees. He was the vice-chair and chair, respectively, of the 1991 and 2002
Canadian Chemical Engineering Conferences in Vancouver, BC.
Statement of Policy
The CSChE was created in 1966, and has evolved along with the Canadian chemical
engineering community over nearly four decades. We can be proud of its role as a
technical association serving the interests of chemical engineers in industry, academia,
and government.
The Society should continue to build on its existing programs and strengths, and create
new initiatives to increase its visibility nationally and internationally in the coming years.
I will work hard to focus on this overall vision.
First and foremost, the CSChE must have a strong balance sheet in order to achieve its
goals. The Society should follow through on the measures that have been outlined and
executed over the past few years to ensure a balanced budget. We should focus on our
existing program strengths, continuing to increase membership as we have over the last
several years. Certain programs should be evaluated, and possibly modified to enhance
their impact on our overall financial position.
Canada will host the 2009 World Congress of Chemical Engineering. As we approach
this exciting event, it is appropriate that we distinguish ourselves relative to other chemical engineering societies around the world, including when appropriate, taking a position
on important issues where chemical engineering knowledge is pertinent to the debate.
We should identify opportunities within existing programs to celebrate our evolution as
a Canadian engineering community, our successes in research and innovation, and our
traditions as an open and inclusive community.
Our annual conference has a unique and informal format. It effectively captures
Canadian research activities, and has an increasingly strong international reputation. We
can also be proud of The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. We need to examine
these two vehicles, and as 2009 approaches, develop initiatives that raise the visibility of
Canada’s chemical engineering community and thereby further strengthen our Society.
Canadian chemical engineers have a lot to be proud of. The CSChE needs to collaborate
with Canadian chemical engineering departments and Canadian industry to prepare for
2009, which should provide a great forum to celebrate successes with our peers from
around the world.
Vice-président, 2005-2006
David T. Fung, MCIC, est président directeur général
du groupe d’entreprises ACDEG. Il possède des partenariats d’investissement en Amérique du Nord et en
Asie, plus précisément en Chine et au Canada. Son
baccalauréat, sa maîtrise et son doctorat en génie
chimique ont été obtenus à l’Université McGill de
Montréal (Québec), et il a complété un programme de
gestion supérieure à la Queen’s University de Kingston (Ontario). Fung était directeur de la recherche
à C-I-L Inc. et dirigeait le Laboratoire de recherche
chimique de C-I-L à Mississauga, en Ontario. Il est
par la suite devenu président de Chemetics International Company à
Vancouver, entreprise qui possède cinq divisions dans quatre continents
et des projets d’usines chimiques dans six continents. Il a commandité
des projets de recherche et commercialisé les technologies d’universités
canadiennes. Fung s’implique activement au sein de conseils et/ou de
conseils consultatifs de maisons d’enseignement, d’associations professionnelles et d’associations commerciales. Il est président du Comité
du commerce extérieur des Manufacturiers et exportateurs du Canada
(MEC), Division de la Colombie-Britannique, membre du Conseil
d’administration national des MEC et du Conseil commercial CanadaChine.
Fung est ingénieur enregistré en Colombie-Britannique et est
membre actif de la SCGCh depuis 1970. Il est également membre des
comités de sélection des prix de la Division de gestion économique
et commerciale et de la SCGCh. Il était respectivement vice-président
et président des Congrès canadiens de génie chimique de Vancouver
(C.-B.) en 1991 et 2002.
Énoncé de politique
La Société canadienne de génie chimique (SCGCh) a été créée en 1966. Depuis près de
40 ans, elle évolue de pair avec la communauté canadienne de génie chimique. Nous pouvons être fiers de son rôle en tant qu’association technique représentant les intérêts des
ingénieurs chimistes de l’industrie, du monde de l’enseignement et des gouvernements.
La Société devrait continuer de miser sur ses programmes actuels et ses forces ainsi
qu’amorcer de nouvelles initiatives pour accroître sa visibilité aux niveaux national et
international au cours des prochaines années. Je vais déployer des efforts soutenus pour
atteindre cet objectif.
D’abord et avant tout, la SCGCh doit afficher un solide bilan afin de pouvoir atteindre ses objectifs. Elle devrait donner suite aux mesures définies et mises en oeuvre ces
dernières années pour assurer un budget équilibré. Nous devrions nous concentrer sur
les points forts de nos programmes et continuer d’accroître le nombre de nos membres
comme nous avons réussi à le faire au cours des dernières années. Certains programmes
devraient être évalués et éventuellement modifiés pour accroître leur impact sur notre
situation financière générale.
Le Canada accueillera le Congrès mondial de génie chimique en 2009. Au moment
où nous approchons de cet événement d’importance, il faut se distinguer des autres
sociétés de génie chimique du monde entier, y compris, le cas échéant, se prononcer sur
des questions importantes lorsqu’elles font appel à des connaissances en génie chimique
pertinentes pour le débat. Nous devrions relever au sein des programmes existants les
possibilités de célébrer notre évolution en tant que communauté canadienne de génie, nos
réussites dans le domaine de la recherche et des innovations ainsi que nos traditions en
tant que communauté ouverte et favorisant l’intégration.
La formule de notre congrès annuel est unique et informelle. Elle intègre efficacement
les activités canadiennes de recherche et, de plus en plus, elle acquiert une solide réputation au niveau international. Nous pouvons aussi être fiers de la revue The Canadian
Journal of Chemical Engineering. Nous devons examiner ces deux moyens de diffusion et,
à l’approche de 2009, créer des initiatives qui augmentent la visibilité de la communauté
canadienne de génie chimique et, par le fait même, renforcent davantage notre position.
Les ingénieurs chimistes canadiens ont beaucoup de raisons d’être fiers. La SCGCh
doit collaborer avec les départements de génie chimique et l’industrie canadienne pour se
préparer au congrès de 2009, qui devrait assurer une tribune privilégiée pour célébrer nos
réussites avec nos pairs du monde entier.
Treasurer (2005–2008)
Ali Esmail, MCIC, received his BSc in chemical engineering from the University of Saskatchewan in 1987.
After graduation, he joined Dow Chemical working in
process design, plant operations, environmental management, and supply chain management. Since 2000,
he has managed projects in the oil and gas industry
and now holds a project development position at
Shell Canada Ltd.
From 1991 to 1995, Esmail was active as the industrial liaison in the Edmonton CSChE local section,
organizing community science projects and member
professional development. From 2003 to 2004, he was on the executive of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and
Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA), Calgary Branch. Most recently,
he was treasurer for the CSChE 2004 conference in Calgary, AB.
He is fluent in French and English. Esmail is also a member of
APEGGA, the Project Management Institute, and the American
Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Directors (2005–2008)
Tom Boughner, MCIC, general manager of Pope &
Talbot Ltd. in Mackenzie, BC, hails from Charlotteville
Township on Ontario’s “South Coast,” graduating from
secondary school in Port Dover in 1965. He received
a BASc in chemical engineering from the University
of Waterloo in 1970. He is a registered PEng in British Columbia and Ontario and has served on two
PEO Chapter executives. He has 35 years of technical,
engineering, operations, and capital project experience
in pulp and paper mills in three provinces. His career
spans ever-increasing levels of responsibility: process
engineer, maintenance and engineering manager, pulp production
manager, paper production manager and general manager.
Boughner has significant production management experience in
kraft pulp manufacturing, supplemented with production responsibility for groundwood specialty paper. In April 1999, he was appointed
to his current position with responsibility for all operational and
business aspects of a 225,000 tpy bleached chemical market pulp
mill with 255 employees and gross annual sales of $200 million.
Boughner is a member of the Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada (PaPTAC). He has served on three committees in
the U.S. and in Brazil. He currently serves as CSChE Process Safety
Management Division chair. He is a Rotarian, is certified by Hockey
Canada as a coach and instructor; is chair of the Board of CHMM-FM
community radio, is the manufacturing industry spokesperson on the
Mackenzie Community Policing Committee, and serves on the chemical engineering industrial advisory committee of The University of
British Columbia.
Trésorier (2005-2008)
Ali Esmail, MICC, a obtenu son baccalauréat en
génie chimique de la University of Saskatchewan
en 1987. Diplôme en main, il s’est joint à l’équipe
de conception des procédés de fabrication de Dow
Chemical, passant ensuite aux opérations de l’usine,
à la gestion de l’environnement puis à la gestion de la
chaîne d’approvisionnement. Depuis 2000, il a dirigé
des projets dans l’industrie pétrolière et gazière et
occupe présentement un poste de développement de
projets chez Shell Canada Ltée.
De 1991 à 1995, Esmail assurait la liaison avec les
entreprises au sein de la section locale de la SCGCh d’Edmonton, organisant des projets scientifiques communautaires et encourageant le
développement professionnel des membres. De 2003 à 2004, il faisait
partie de la direction de l’Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA), section de Calgary.
Plus récemment, il agissait comme trésorier au congrès de 2004 de la
SCGCh à Calgary.
Il est parfaitement bilingue (français et anglais). Esmail est également membre de l’APEGGA, du Project Management Institute, et de
l’American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Directeurs (2005-2008)
Tom Boughner, MICC, directeur général de Pope &
Talbot Ltd. à Mackenzie (C.-B.), est originaire de Charlotteville Township, sur la « Côte Sud » de l’Ontario
et obtenait son diplôme de l’école secondaire de Port
Dover en 1965. Il a complété un B.Sc.A. en génie
chimique à la University of Waterloo en 1970. Il est
ingénieur enregistré en Colombie-Britannique et en
Ontario et a siégé au sein de deux comités exécutifs de
chapitres PEO. Il compte 35 ans d’expérience technique,
en génie, exploitation et projet d’immobilisations en
pâtes et papiers dans trois provinces. Au cours de sa carrière, son niveau
de responsabilité n’a cessé d’augmenter, passant d’ingénieur des procédés à directeur de l’entretien et du génie, directeur de la production des
pâtes, directeur de la production du papier et directeur général.
Boughner a une importante expérience en gestion de la production
dans la fabrication de la pâte kraft, ainsi que dans la production du papier de pâte mécanique. En avril 1999, il a été nommé à son poste actuel
et assume la responsabilité de tous les aspects opérationnels et commerciaux d’une usine de pâte blanchie de 225 000 tonnes par an comptant
255 employés et un chiffre d’affaires annuel de 200 millions de dollars.
Boughner est membre de l’Association technique des pâtes et
papiers du Canada (ATPPC). Il a siégé au sein de trois comités aux
États-Unis et au Brésil. Il est actuellement président de la Division de
gestion de la sécurité des procédés à la SCGCh. Il est membre du Club
Rotary, est un entraîneur et instructeur certifié par Hockey Canada,
est président du Conseil de la radio communautaire CHMM-FM, est
porte-parole de l’industrie manufacturière au sein du Mackenzie
Community Policing Committee, et siège au comité consultatif industriel en génie chimique de la University of British Columbia.
Ajay K. Dalai, MCIC, obtained his BSc and MTech
from India and his PhD in chemical engineering from
the University of Saskatchewan (USask). He is a professor and Canada Research Chair in bioenergy and
environmentally friendly chemical processing in the
department of chemical engineering at USask. Dalai
has been a member of CIC since 1987. He was chair
of North Saskatchewan Section in 1997–2000, and
has been a member of the executive committee of the
Catalysis Division since 2000.
Dalai has a reputed and widely known catalysis and chemical reaction engineering laboratory
(CCREL) for academic and industrial research, and
has tremendous contacts in industry and academia, both nationally
and internationally. He has a high energy level and the ability to
motivate and interact successfully with both those who work with
him and with his many colleagues and peers who work beside him.
Dalai’s current focus has been the development of gas to liquid (GTL)
technologies including biodiesel and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
process. His other research interests are value-added products from
biomass, solid acid catalysis for the production of alkylates, activated
carbon production and applications for mercury and hydrogen sulfide
capture, and hydroprocessing of heavy gas oil derived from Athabasca
bitumen. He has published over 90 research papers in international
journals and conference proceedings. He has written over 60 research
reports for funding agencies, and has presented over 115 papers at
national and international conferences. Dalai has supervised/co-supervised over 50 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. He has
been a member of many international professional societies and has
organized many national and international symposiums including
the Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference (1999 and 2001),
North American Catalysis Society Conference (2001), the AIChE
Conference (2003), and the Pacifichem Conference (2005). He has
given over 20 invited lectures in his areas of expertise in Canada, the
U.S., Australia, China, and India. He is a member of many national
and international strategic initiates on bio-economy. He has held
the Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award (1999), the Syncrude Owl
Award (2003), and most recently, the Kentucky Colonel Award (2004).
Ajay K. Dalai, MICC, a obtenu son baccalauréat et
sa maîtrise technique en Inde, et son doctorat en
génie chimique de la University of Saskatchewan. Il
est professeur et membre du Programme des chaires
de recherche du Canada en bioénergie et traitement chimique écologique au département de génie
chimique de la University of Saskatchewan. Dalai
est membre de l’ICC depuis 1987. Il a été président
de la section Saskatchewan Nord pendant trois ans
(1997–2000) et est membre du comité de direction
de la Division des catalyses depuis 2000.
Dalai possède un laboratoire réputé de catalyse et
de génie des réactions chimiques pour la recherche
universitaire et industrielle et il a de nombreux contacts dans ces
deux domaines à l’échelle nationale et internationale. Il est très énergique et sait motiver et interagir tant avec ses subordonnés qu’avec
ses nombreux collègues et collaborateurs. Dalai travaille actuellement au développement des technologies gaz-liquide, y compris le
biodiésel et les processus de synthèse Fischer-Tropsch. En recherche, il s’intéresse également aux produits à valeur ajoutée dans
les domaines de la biomasse, la catalyse des acides solides dans la
production d’alkylats, la production de charbon actif et les applications de capture de mercure et de sulfure d’hydrogène, ainsi que
l’hydrotraitement du gasoil lourd dérivé du bitume d’Athabasca. Il a
publié au-delà de 90 mémoires de recherche dans des revues internationales et comptes rendus de congrès. Il a rédigé plus de 60 rapports
de recherche pour des organismes de financement et a présenté plus
de 115 exposés dans le cadre de congrès nationaux et internationaux.
Dalai a supervisé ou co-supervisé plus de 50 étudiants de deuxième
cycle, de troisième cycle et post-doctorat. Il a été membre de plusieurs
corporations professionnelles internationales et a organisé de nombreux symposiums nationaux et internationaux, y compris le Congrès
canadien de génie chimique (1999 et 2001), le Congrès de la North
American Catalysis Society Conference (2001), le congrès de l’AIChE
(2003) et le congrès Pacifichem de 2005. Il a été invité à présenter
plus de 20 conférences dans son domaine de compétence au Canada,
aux États-Unis, en Australie, en Chine et en Inde. Il est membre de
plusieurs comités stratégiques nationaux et internationaux en bioéconomie. Il a reçu un soutien financier dans le cadre du Programme
de récompenses aux jeunes innovateurs de Pétro-Canada (1999), le
prix Syncrude Owl (2003), et récemment, le prix Kentucky Colonel
(2004).
Emily Moore, MCIC, completed her BSc in engineering chemistry at Queen’s University in 1992. She then
studied physical chemistry at Oxford University as
a Rhodes Scholar, completing her doctorate in gas
phase reaction kinetics in 1996. Since 1997, she has
worked for the Xerox Research Centre of Canada as
a research scientist, and is now a principal engineer
in the scale-up engineering group. Moore served
as chair of the XRCC University Partnership Committee from 2001–2003 and is currently a member
of the NSERC Advisory Committee on UniversityIndustry Grants. She is also a member of the Queen’s
University Council and a member of the Board for
St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School in Oakville, ON. Moore has been
involved in public outreach in science and engineering since she was
an undergraduate, and has shared her enthusiasm for her career in
presentations to elementary, secondary, and university students. She
has also given guest lectures on scale-up engineering to chemical
engineering design classes.
Emily Moore, MICC, a complété son baccalauréat en
génie chimique à la Queen’s University en 1992. Elle
s’est perfectionnée en chimie physique à la Oxford
University en tant que récipiendaire d’une bourse de
la Fondation Cecil Rhodes, où elle a complété son
doctorat en cinétique des réactions en phase gazeuse
en 1996. Depuis 1997, elle est à l’emploi du Xerox
Research Centre of Canada en qualité de chercheure
scientifique, et agit présentement comme ingénieure
principale au sein du groupe d’ingénierie de mise à
niveau. Moore a été présidente du comité de partenariat des universités du XRCC de 2001 à 2003 et est
présentement membre du Comité consultatif sur
les subventions universités-industrie du CRSNG. Elle est également
membre du Conseil de la Queen’s University et membre du Conseil de
la St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School d’Oakville (Ontario). Depuis qu’elle
est étudiante de premier cycle, Moore est très impliquée dans la sensibilisation du public aux sciences et à l’ingénierie. Elle a partagé son
enthousiasme envers sa carrière au cours de présentations faites à
des étudiants du niveau élémentaire, secondaire et universitaire. Elle
a également été invitée à donner des cours sur l’extrapolation à des
classes de conception en génie chimique.
Milena Sejnoha, MCIC, graduated from McGill
University in Montréal, QC, from the department of
chemical engineering with a BEng in 1983, and an
MEng in thermodynamics in 1986. She worked at QIT
Fer et Titane in Sorel, QC, for six years as a research
engineer and as a project development supervisor
developing new products and managing pilot plants.
For nine years, Sejnoha worked at CANMET’s Energy
Diversification Research Laboratory in Varennes, QC,
where she was head of the process engineering section in charge of developing, licensing, and deploying
new industrial drying and reactor technologies. During the last three years, Sejnoha has held the position
of manager of Climate Change Technology Development Group at
the Office of Energy Research and Development of Natural Resources
Canada and is responsible for developing and managing S&T delivery
programs for climate change mitigation. She was a member of the
organizing committee for the 50th Canadian Chemical Engineering
Conference in Montréal in 2000.
Milena Sejnoha, MICC, a obtenu son BEng du
département de génie chimique de l’Université
McGill à Montréal (Québec), en 1983, et sa MEng
en thermodynamique en 1986. Elle a travaillé chez
QIT Fer et Titane, à Sorel (Québec), pendant six ans
comme ingénieure de recherche et superviseure de
développement de projets pour l’élaboration de nouveaux produits et la gestion d’usines pilotes. Pendant
neuf années, elle a travaillé au Laboratoire de recherche en diversification énergétique de CANMET, à
Varennes (Québec), où elle était chef de la section du
génie des procédés, responsable de l’élaboration, de
la production sous licence et du déploiement de nouvelles technologies de séchage et de réacteurs. Pendant les dernières
trois années, Sejnoha a travaillé comme gestionnaire, Initiatives des
technologies reliées aux changements climatiques, aux Bureau de
recherche et de développement énergétiques, Ressources naturelles
Canada et est responsable pour le développement et la gestion de
programmes de S&T. Elle été membre du Comité d’organisation du
50e Congrès de génie chimique qui a eu lieu à Montréal en l’an 2000.
LOCAL SECTION NEWS NOUVELLES DES SECTIONS LOCALES
Science and Engineering
Olympics, Ottawa, ON
February 22, 2005, the Canada Science and Technology Museum was the venue for the Science and
Engineering Olympics for teams of middle and high
school students. Since 2005 is the International Year
of Physics, there was a physics flavour to the day.
As well as the various competitions, Dick BourgeoisDoyle gave an entertaining presentation about George
Klein, a prolific Canadian inventor who worked at the
NRC, who is also a member of the Canadian Science
and Engineering Hall of Fame. The Ottawa CIC Local
Section representative, Helen P. Graves Smith, MCIC,
was on hand to judge the Intermediate Fun Machine
Competition and to present the Section’s plaque to
the winning Intermediate team.
This year’s winners are:
For the intermediate level (Grades 7–8)
1st: Hopewell Avenue Public School
2nd: D. Roy Kennedy Public School
3rd: École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges
For the senior level (Grades 9–12)
1st: Colonel By Secondary School
2nd: Bell High School
3rd: École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges
Helen P. Graves Smith, MCIC
STUDENT NEWS NOUVELLES DES ÉTUDIANTS
5th Annual Western Canada
CSCT Student Symposium
Front row (left to right): Erynn Holaday, Amanda Jack, Shauna Bulmer, Jeanine Autio, Susan Courty,
Susan Marler, Alison Stauffer, and Tara Yuen. Back row (left to right): Ryan Neibrandt, Scott Sawyshyn, Kelly Borys, Elyse Busch, Collin Campbell, Scott Raposo, and Tom Sutton, FCIC.
The Chemical Technology program at SIAST–Kelsey Campus, in Saskatoon, SK,
hosted the 5th Annual Canadian Society for Chemical Technology Western Canadian Student Symposium on March 19, 2005. Held on-site at SIAST, the symposium
attracted 25 registrants from Saskatoon as well as 20 from the Northern Alberta
Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, AB.
Featured at the symposium were 13 oral presentations and 3 poster presentations on a variety of topics pertaining to this year’s theme, “Canadian Chemical Technology: Your Chance to Become the Expert.” The presenters competed
for cash prizes to be awarded at the Banquet and Awards Ceremonies on Saturday evening. CSCT president Tom Sutton, FCIC, judged the event. A tour of the
chemical technology program’s laboratory facilities at Kelsey was held after the
presentations were completed.
Winding up the weekend’s activities, the awards banquet was held in the
elegant Kelsey dining room. The awards ceremony was hosted by the symposium
co-chairs, Shauna Bulmer and Scott Sawyshyn. The oral presentations award winners were presented with their honours as follows: first prize to Shauna Bulmer,
SIAST, for her presentation, “Biodiesel Fuels;” second prize to Ryan Neibrandt,
SIAST, for his presentation, “Methodology Used in Detecting Leaks in Boiler Heat
Exchangers;” and to Jeanine Autio and Tara Yuen, NAIT, for their presentation, “A
New Outlook for Waste Management.” The poster presentations first prize went to
Richelle Levesque and Melanie Skoretz, SIAST, for their presentation on polymers
and adhesives.
Thank you to sponsors:
Gold sponsors
CIC Chemical Education Fund, Canadian Light Source, Inc., ClearTech Industries,
Anachemia Science, Saskatchewan Research Council, Husky Energy, Saskatchewan
Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) including the Kelsey Student
Association, Rose Scientific Ltd., Dow Canada.
Silver Sponsors
Mosaic, Old Dutch, Moxie’s Classic Grill, Meyers Norris Penny LLP, Clear-Green
Environmental Inc., Hot 93 FM, CJWW 600, Magic 98.3 FM, K’ (Prime) Technologies Inc., Scotiabank, Sunview Solariums Ltd., Hitachi, The Bolt Supply House Ltd.,
Erco Worldwide
Photo by Eric Mead, FCIC
CAREERS CARRIÈRES
Your Career in
Chemistry and
the CSC Conference
The CSC will be hosting both a Career Fair and a Graduate
Studies Fair at the Canadian Chemistry Conference and
Exhibition in Saskatoon, SK, on May 31, 2005.
Career Fair
The Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) is organizing
The CIC’s
Career
Services
a Career Fair to give graduating students (BSc, MSc and
PhD), post-doctoral fellows, and unemployed members
the opportunity to meet with a number of industrial
representatives and explore the possibility of future
employment.
Résumés will be circulated in advance to the companies. Some companies may collect additional résumés
on site. The companies will hold information sessions
and/or interviews during the CSC conference.
A list of participating companies will be available
at www.csc2005.ca. Résumés should be e-mailed in
Word or WordPerfect format. You may add a cover
letter if you wish. Send your résumé by May 15 to
Gale Thirlwall-Wilbee at [email protected].
Graduate Studies Fair
The opportunities available after graduation are not
exclusive to industry; there is also the vast domain
• CareerSite: The CIC’s job search and résumés—
on-line service is available at www.chemjobs.ca.
• Employer list: Over 1,600 Canadian company
listings—available to CIC members only.
• Free membership: Full-fee members are entitled
to up to two years free membership while
unemployed.
• ACCN: Post an Employment Wanted ad, check
the Careers section for openings and keep
abreast of issues in your community.
• Attend the CSC and CSChE Graduate Studies
Fairs and Career Fairs: These fairs are part of
the annual conferences for the Societies.
of graduate studies. The CSC has invited universities
to present their various research areas and projects.
Undergraduate students will have the chance to evaluate
• Networking opportunities: Local Sections
and Divisions can keep you connected.
the quality and depth of research across the country,
and graduate students can explore the possibilities
of further studies.
• Need information on certification, professional
status, or immigration issues: We can direct
you on where to find help.
Join the Meet and Greet
Reception for a FREE light lunch.
This is an opportunity for students to meet informally with
the graduate studies representatives as well as the industrial
representatives. Free tickets will be available for the lunch at
the CIC Career Services Booth at this event.
CAREERS CARRIÈRES
Something
caught
your
eye?
Send your commments to [email protected]
CAREERS CARRIÈRES
REMEMBERWHEN?
SHARE YOUR MEMORIES!
LOOKING
Share your CIC memories and memorabilia
with ACCN.
Send your materials to [email protected]
or mail them to the National Office.
for the right
Please label each piece with your name,
a caption, and your complete address
to ensure its safe return to you.
End your
www.chemjobs.ca
CHEMICAL
POSITION?
SEARCH NOW!
www.chemjobs.ca
The Chemical Institute of Canada Career Site
EVENTS ÉVÉNEMENTS
Canada
Conferences
June 16–19, 2005. 32nd Conference of College Chemistry
Canada, St. John’s, NL. Contact: Ian McMaster; e-mail:
[email protected]; Web site: www.c3.douglas.bc.ca.
July 31–August 4, 2005. 18th Biennial Chem Ed Conference,
the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.
Web site: http://nobel.scas.bcit.ca/chemed2005/welcome.htm.
August 7–12, 2005. IUPAC 17th International Symposium on
Plasma Chemistry, Toronto, ON. Contact: Javad Mostaghimi;
tel.: 416-978-5604; e-mail: [email protected].
August 14–18, 2005. IUPAC 11th International Symposium on
Novel Aromatic Compounds (ISNA-11), St. John’s, NL. Contact:
Graham Bodwell; tel.: 709-737-8406; e-mail: [email protected].
August 16–19, 2005. 12th Canadian Semiconductor Technology
Conference, National Research Council Canada and the
Electronic Materials and Processing Division of the American
Vacuum Society, Ottawa, ON
Web site: www.canadiansemiconductor.org.
August 19–26, 2005. 20th International Symposium on Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (ISPAC 20), Toronto, ON. Contact:
Chris Marvin; tel.: 905-319-6919; e-mail: [email protected].
August 19–26, 2005. 25th International Symposium on Halogenated Environmental Organic Pollutants and POPs (Dioxin 2005),
National Water Research Institute, Toronto, ON. Contact: Mehran
Alaee; tel.: 905-336-4752; e-mail: [email protected];
Web site: www.dioxin2005.org.
October 17–18, 2005. CSCT professional development course—
ICPES–Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy.
Toronto, ON. Web site: www.cheminst.ca/profdev.
EMPLOYMENT WANTED DEMANDES D’EMPLOI
Looking for the Perfect Position?
• Post a free Employment Wanted ad in ACCN
• Read the Careers Section for openings
October 17–18, 2005. CSCT professional development course—
Laboratory Safety. Toronto, ON.
Web site: www.cheminst.ca/profdev.
• Check the CIC Chemjobs site at www.chemjobs.ca!
U.S. and Overseas
June 20–24, 2005. 2nd International Conference on Green
and Sustainable Chemistry and the 9th Annual Green
Chemistry and Engineering Conference, Washington, DC.
Contact: Robin Rogers; e-mail: [email protected].
July 10–14, 2005. 7th World Congress of Chemical Engineering,
Glasgow, Scotland. Contact: Sarah Fitzpatrick;
e-mail: [email protected];
Web site: www.chemengcongress2005.com.
August 13–21, 2005. IUPAC 43rd General Assembly, Beijing,
China. Contact: IUPAC Secretariat; tel.: +1 919-485-8700;
fax: +1 919-485-8706; e-mail: [email protected].
The Chemical Institute of Canada Medal
is presented as a mark of distinction and
The Macromolecular Science
and Engineering Award is awarded to
recognition to a person who has made an
an individual who, while resident in Can-
outstanding contribution to the science
ada, has made a distinguished contribution
of chemistry or chemical engineering
to macromolecular science or engineering.
in Canada.
Sponsored by NOVA Chemicals Ltd.
Award: A medal and travel expenses.
Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize
of $1,500, and travel expenses.
The Montréal Medal is presented
The
Chemical
Institute
of Canada
2006
AWARDS
as a mark of distinction and honour to
The CIC Award for Chemical Education
a resident in Canada who has shown
(formerly the Union Carbide Award) is
significant leadership in or has made
awarded as a mark of recognition to a person
an outstanding contribution to the
who has made an outstanding contribution
profession of chemistry or chemical
in Canada to education at the post-secondary
engineering in Canada. In determining
level in the field of chemistry or chemical
the eligibility for nominations for the
engineering. Sponsored by the CIC Chemical
award, administrative contributions
Education Fund.
within The Chemical Institute of Canada
Award: A framed scroll, $1 000 cash
and other professional organizations
prize, and up to $400 travel expenses
that contribute to the advancement of
to the annual conference.
the professions of chemistry and chemical
engineering shall be given due consid-
Deadlines
eration. Contributions to the sciences
The deadline for all CIC awards is July 4,
of chemistry and chemical engineering
2005 for the 2006 selection, except the
are not to be considered. Sponsored by
Catalysis Award, the deadline for which
the Montréal CIC Section.
is October 3, 2005 for the 2006 selection.
Award: A medal and travel expenses.
The Catalysis Award is awarded
Please submit your nominations to:
biennially to an individual who,
Awards Coordinator
while resident in Canada, has made a
The Chemical Institute of Canada
distinguished contribution to the field
130 Slater Street, Suite 550
of catalysis. Sponsored by the Canadian
Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2
Catalysis Foundation.
Tel.: 613-232-6252
Award: A rhodium-plated silver medal and
Fax: 613-232-5862
travel expenses to present the award lecture.
[email protected]
The Environmental Improvement
Nomination forms and the full Terms
Award is awarded to a Canadian com-
of Reference for these awards are avail-
pany, individual, team, or organization
able at www.cheminst.ca/awards/
for a significant achievement in pollution
cic_index_e.html.
prevention, treatment, or remediation.
Sponsored by the Environment Division.
Award: A plaque and travel assistance.
Important ...
Submission deadline
is July 4, 2005
Nomination Procedure
The Canadian
Society for
Chemistry
2006
AWARDS
Important ... Submission
deadline is July 4, 2005
The Alcan Award is awarded to
a scientist residing in Canada who
has made a distinguishing contribution
in the fields of inorganic chemistry
or electrochemistry while working
in Canada. Sponsored by Alcan
International Ltd.
contribution to industrial or academic inorganic chemistry while working in Canada,
and who is within ten years of his or her first
professional appointment as an independent
researcher in an academic, government, or
industrial sector. Sponsored by the Inorganic
Chemistry Division.
Award: A framed scroll, travel expenses for
a lecture tour, and the registration fee to the
CSC Conference in the year of the award to
enable presentation of an award lecture at
the conference.
The Boehringer Ingelheim Award is
awarded to a Canadian citizen or landed
immigrant whose PhD thesis in the field
of organic or bioorganic chemistry was
formally accepted by a Canadian university in the 12-month period preceding the
nomination deadline of July 4 and whose
doctoral research is judged to be of outstanding quality. Sponsored by Boehringer
Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize of
$2,000, and travel expenses.
The Clara Benson Award is presented in
recognition of a distinguished contribution
to chemistry by a woman while working in
Canada. Sponsored by the Canadian Council
of University Chemistry Chairs (CCUCC).
The Maxxam Award is awarded to a
scientist residing in Canada who has made
a distinguished contribution in the field
of analytical chemistry while working in
Canada. Sponsored by Maxxam Analytics Inc.
The Alfred Bader Award is presented
as a mark of distinction and recognition
to a scientist who will not have reached
the age of 60 by January 1 of the year of
nomination, for excellence in research in
organic chemistry carried out in Canada.
Sponsored by Alfred Bader, HFCIC.
The Award for Pure or Applied
Inorganic Chemistry is awarded to a
Canadian citizen or landed immigrant
who has made an outstanding
The R.U. Lemieux Award is awarded to
an organic chemist who has made a distinguished contribution to any area of organic
chemistry while working in Canada. Sponsored by the Organic Chemistry Division.
The Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research Award is awarded to a
scientist residing in Canada, who shall not
have reached the age of 40 years by April 1
of the year of nomination and who has made
a distinguished contribution in the fields
of organic chemistry or biochemistry while
working in Canada. Sponsored by Merck
Frosst Canada & Co.
The Bernard Belleau Award is presented
to a scientist residing in Canada who has
made a distinguished contribution to
the field of medicinal chemistry through
research involving biochemical or organic
chemical mechanisms. Sponsored by Bristol
Myers Squibb Canada Co.
Award: A framed scroll, $2,000 cash, and
to cover travel expenses to present a lecture
at the annual conference.
The E.W.R. Steacie Award is presented to
a scientist residing in Canada who has made
a distinguished contribution to chemistry
while working in Canada. Sponsored by
Sciex Inc., Division of MDS Health Group.
The Fred Beamish Award is awarded to
an individual who demonstrates innovation
in research in the field of analytical chemistry, where the research is anticipated to have
significant potential for practical applications.
The award is open to new faculty members
at a Canadian university and they must be
recent graduates with four years of appointment. Sponsored by Eli Lilly Canada Inc.
Deadline
The deadline for all CSC awards is July 4,
2005 for the 2006 selection.
Nomination Procedure
Please submit your nominations to:
Awards Coordinator
The Canadian Society for Chemistry
Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2
Tel.: 613-232-6252 Fax: 613-232-5862
[email protected]
Nomination forms and the full Terms
of-Reference for these awards are available at-www.chemistry.ca/awards/
csc_index_e.html.
Enantioselective Synthetic
Chemistry Research Program
Call for Applications
Applications are invited for the Enantioselective Synthetic Chemistry Research Program. It is the
intention of the Enantioselective Synthetic Chemistry Research Program to support the development
and application of methods for enantioselective synthetic organic chemistry and related fields
such as the development of catalysts for chiral transformations, and more specifically, research
projects directed to:
1. the development and application of methods for enantioselective synthetic organic chemistry
and related fields;
2. the development of novel catalysts for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds and the creation
of chiral centres through functional group manipulation;
3. the development and application of novel and efficient chiral auxiliaries for functional group
manipulation, alkylation, oxidation, carbon-carbon bond formation;
4. novel uses of enzymes and biosystems to perform chiral transformations;
5. kinetic resolution technologies.
Funding will normally be provided up to $30,000 per year for a two-year period.
Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents and must be researchers at a
Canadian university. Joint applications from investigators with different areas of expertise (e.g.
organic synthesis and polymer or organometallic chemistry) are encouraged.
Applications will be accepted until May 31, 2005, for the year 2005.
This program, sponsored by AstraZeneca Canada Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. and
Merck Frosst Canada & Co., and administered by the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC), will
provide grants to support research in chemistry and related fields.
It is expected that proposals should have potential to fulfill NSERC requirements for industrial-oriented
research matching grants, and applicants are encouraged to submit their proposals to the NSERC
Collaborative Research and Development Grants Program in order to obtain additional funding.
The sponsoring pharmaceutical companies will support these applications.
How to apply
Please provide form 100 part I and Appendices – Personal Data – and form 101 part I – Application
for a Grant (the same as a normal NSERC application). These forms are found at www.nserc.ca/
forms/formtable_e.htm. Seven (7) copies of your submission, signed by your department head,
are required for the peer review committee. Form 183A (ex-form 120), Information Required
from Organizations Participating in Research Partnerships Programs, will be requested later only
from the successful applicants.
For additional information, please contact:
Awards Coordinator
Canadian Society for Chemistry
Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel.: 613-232-6252
Fax: 613-232-5862
or visit:
www.chemistry.ca/awards/csc_index_e.html
Programme de recherche
en chimie de synthèse énantiosélective
Appel de candidatures
La présente est un appel de candidatures pour le Programme de recherche en chimie de synthèse
énantiosélective. Ce programme a pour objet d’appuyer le développement et la mise en œuvre
de méthodes applicables à la chimie organique de synthèse énantiosélective et aux domaines
connexes, comme le développement de catalyseurs pour les transformations chirales et, plus
spécifiquement, les projets de recherche ayant pour objectifs :
1. l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre de méthodes applicables à la chimie organique de synthèse
énantiosélective et aux domaines connexes;
2. l’élaboration de nouveaux catalyseurs pour la formation de liaisons carbone-carbone et
la création de centres chiraux par l’entremise de la manipulation de groupes fonctionnels;
3. l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre d’auxiliaires chiraux nouveaux et efficaces pour la manipulation
de groupes fonctionnels, l’alkylation, l’oxydation et la formation de liaisons carbone-carbone;
4. les utilisations nouvelles d’enzymes et de biosystèmes dans les transformations chirales;
5. les technologies de résolution cinétique.
Le financement accordé pourra normalement atteindre 30 000 $ par année pendant deux ans.
Les demandeurs doivent être des citoyens ou des résidents permanents du Canada et doivent
effectuer leurs recherches dans une université canadienne. On encourage la présentation de
candidatures conjointes de chercheurs de spécialités différentes (par exemple synthèse organique
et chimie des polymères ou chimie organométallique).
Pour l’année 2005, les candidatures seront acceptées jusqu’au 31 mai 2005.
Ce programme, parrainé par AstraZeneca Canada Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltée. et
Merck Frosst Canada & Co., et administré par la Société canadienne de chimie (SCC), accordera
son soutien financier à la recherche en chimie et dans les domaines connexes. Les candidatures
devraient avoir le potentiel de respecter les exigences du CRSNG pour des subventions similaires
en recherche à vocation industrielle, et l’on encourage les demandeurs à soumettre leurs propositions au Programme de subventions de recherche et développement coopérative du CRSNG afin
d’obtenir un financement supplémentaire. Les compagnies pharmaceutiques qui parrainent le
programme appuieront ces candidatures.
Comment soumettre sa candidature
Les demandeurs doivent fournir le formulaire 100, Formulaire de renseignements personnels – Partie
1 et annexes, et le formulaire 101, Demande de subvention – Partie 1 (comme pour toute demande
au CRNSG). Ces formulaires se trouvent à l’adresse www.nserc.ca/forms/formtable2_f.htm. Vous
devez fournir sept (7) exemplaires de votre demande signés pas le directeur de votre département
pour le comité d’évaluation par les pairs. Le formulaire 183A (anciennement formulaire 120),
Renseignements requis des organismes participant aux programmes de partenariats de recherche,
sera exigé ultérieurement des demandeurs qui auront été acceptés.
Pour obtenir plus de détails, veuillez communiquer avec :
Coordonnatrice des prix
Société canadienne de chimie
130, rue Slater, bureau 550
Ottawa (Ontario) K1P 6E2
Courriel : [email protected] • Tél. : 613-232-6252 • Téléc. : 613-232-5862
ou visitez :
www.chemistry.ca/awards/csc_index_e.html
Due Diligence
recommended laboratory procedures
Lead by Example
responsibility for safety policies
Healthy Workplace
training and information effective safety systems
ISBN: 1-896564-00-3
94 pages
August 2003
$29.50
Prevent Accidents and Illnesses
employer-employee relationships safety audits
LABORATORY
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HEALTH
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An invaluable resource
for all laboratory personnel
“The chemical Þeld and profession
are built on a foundation of trust with
society. An integral part of that trust is
The latest edition builds on the experience gained
the safe operation of facilities including
over 20 years since the Þrst edition was launched
laboratories, whether industrial, academic
in 1982 by the Ordre des chimistes du Québec.
or government. The education of
must reßect that level of trust. We all
share in the responsibility for safe and
ethical research, chemical processing
and analysis.”
- Eric Mead, FCIC
Former Chair
The Chemical Institute of Canada
A team of chemical experts in health and safety
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engineers, scientists and technologists
from industry, government and academia have
combined their extensive knowledge to cover a
wide and complete range of topics.
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• Management of hazardous wastes
• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
89th Canadian Chemistry
Conference and Exhibition
Preliminary Announcement
May 27–31, 2006
World Trade and Convention Centre
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Canadian Society for Chemistry • 1-888-542-2242 • www.csc2006.ca
89e Congrès et exposition
canadiens de chimie
Annonce préliminaire
du 27 au 31 mai 2006
World Trade and Convention Centre
Halifax (Nouvelle-Écosse) Canada
Société canadienne de chimie • 1-888-542-2242 • www.csc2006.ca

l actualité chimique canadienne canadian chemical news

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