THE IOTAN

Iota Sigma Pi

National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry

May, 1998 No. 72

1998 Agnes Fay Morgan Research Awardee

Anne B. Myers

Professor Anne B. Myers of the University of Rochester is the recipient of the 1998 Agnes Fay Morgan Research Award. Prof. Myers will receive her award at the Women Chemists Committee luncheon at the Fall American Chemical Society meeting in Boston, August 23-27, 1998.

Prof. Myers received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California - Riverside in 1980. She then completed her Ph.D. studies at the University of California - Berkeley. The University of Rochester promoted her to Associate Professor in 1990 with unlimited tenure and then to Professor shortly after. Some of her honors include the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award, Sloan Research Fellowship and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. She is currently on leave from the University of Rochester as a Visiting Fellow of the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics at the University of Colorado.

Robin M. Hochstrasser, Donner Professor of Science at the University of Pennsylvania, writes, "Anne Myers is one of the top few experimental physical chemists in the world. She is undergoing a spectacular academic career in research. Her research is highly original and continues to make a truly significant impact." Hochstrasser continues, "Myers has built a world class laboratory for spectroscopic research. The resonance Raman work she car

field. She is the world's foremost expert in the Raman scattering of short-lived states."

James Farrar, Professor and Chair at the University of Rochester comments that, "while Prof. Myers' scholarship is clearly of the highest quality, her teaching also demonstrates the same energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to excellence. She teaches effectively at all levels, from freshman chemistry to graduate seminars, serving as an inspiration and role model to all students."

Prof. Myers has compiled a record of accomplishments in research, scholarship, teaching, and leadership that places her in the company of the most renowned scientists in the world. Her creative approach to science and her passion for achieving a true understanding of phenomena in complex systems at the molecular level, combined with her commitment to education to all levels, made her an ideal selection for the Agnes Fay Morgan Research Award.

ried out is the most incisive ever seen in the field. Her deep understanding of physical processes involved in resonant light scattering have permitted her to use the technique in a variety of ways that were not thought of by previous workers. Anne's research is a truly outstanding world class effort. She has a top international reputation for her independent work and is consistently invited to major meetings in her

In this issue...

Member News 2

Editors 3

National Council 5

Outreach Activity 6

Supplies and Information 7

Proposed Revised Constitution &

Bylaws: Green Insert

March, 1998

Page

cific service to the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society.

Marilyn has diligently served the Chicago Section ACS in many ways, such as Chairman-Elect, Chairman, Secretary, and Director, to name a few. She also chaired or served on many committees. Most recently she was General Chairman of the Great Lakes Regional Meeting, held at Loyola University of Chicago in May, 1997. Marilyn is a member of the Aurum Iodide chapter of Iota Sigma Pi where she served as president and several terms as secretary.

The Award is a hand-lettered plaque. A picture of each recipient is framed for display in the Chicago Section office.

Margaret Cavanaugh (Cm), has donated a check for $250 to the Centennial Fund of Iota Sigma Pi. She receive the honorarium from Chemical and Engineering News for a book review she wrote for their publication .

Photograph courtesy of Chemical & Engineering News

Chapter Vitality

by Susan Marine

National Vice-President

The 42nd chapter of Iota Sigma Pi was activated on Saturday May 9, 1998 at Sweet Briar College. The chapter is chartered for the Lynchburg, VA area and has appropriately chosen the name Lanthanum (La). The charter members are from Sweet Briar College, Lynchburg College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. The colleges have worked together on many activities in the past, so the joint effort to start this new chapter is a product of their chemical bonding.

In Austin, TX a very active group of women chemists has surfaced at the University of Texas. They have formed a Women in Science group and are recognizing their excellent students by reactivating or actually revitalizing the Tellurium (Te) chapter of Iota Sigma Pi in Austin. They have been extremely busy this year with a wide vari

Women Chemists Committee Luncheon, Dallas

Iotans attending the WCC Luncheon at the Dallas American Chemical Society Meeting in March included (l. to r.) Barbara Sawrey (MAL), Janet Clark (Cl), Carolyn Ribes (Cl), Nina Roscher(Cm), Sharon Vercellotti(Cl), Helen Free, former President of ACS, Margaret Cavanaugh (Cm), and Mary Good (MAL).

Anne T. Sherren (AuI), received the DuPage County Coordinating Council Key Contributor Award from Beta Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International on March 21, 1998. The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International promotes professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. Anne has been a member of Delta Kappa Gamma since 1965 and a member of Beta Kappa Chapter since 1966. She has held many different offices in these chapters.

Dr. Sherren is a Professor of Chemistry at North Central College. She has done research work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and

Nalco Chemical Company. She belongs to 12 scientific and professional societies and has over 30 papers and publications to her credit. In addition to her writing and teaching, Dr. Sherren has directed summer science training programs, student's thesis research and internships for over 40 students. Anne is an excellent role mode for all scientists, and especially young women scientists.

Marilyn Kouba (AuI), received the Chicago Section, American Chemical Society Distinguished Service Award on Friday, April 24, 1998. This award was established in 1974 at the suggestion of Louis L. Lerner, then Editor of The Chemical Bulletin who felt that some recognition should be shown to the men and women who had given spe

Page May, 1998

ety of activities.

New activity levels have also been seen this year in Indianapolis, IN. The Cobalt (Co) chapter there has increased its activity. Recent highlights have been a friendly race on Saturday, April 18 (not a marathon to rival Boston) and initiation of new members on April 23.

Remember: Chapter Annual Reports are due to Susan Marine in June from the chapter vice presidents! But all members can update Susan on what their chapters have been doing and what they personally have enjoyed about ISP membership!

the middle of the seal, replacing the word SEAL. National Council felt that it was more appropriate to use our letters since this was not an extensive change. The second change is in Section 4. A description of the key, based on the description given in the Initiation Ceremony is included. National Council felt that a better description of the key would be beneficial in the Constitution.

Article II, Section 3 was changed to reflect the many forms of public communication now available. Article IV, Section 4 was changed to reflect that all chapters currently are metropolitan chapters and that this will be the only type of chapter in the future. Some of the biggest changes occur in Article VI and deal with the terms of national officers. The two directors are named Director for Professional Awards and Director for Student Awards. Each term of office for Director is changed from the current 6 years to 3 years. The term for Historian has been changed from being a permanent position to 6 years. For both Directors and Historian, as for all other office other than President, the officer may serve for two successive terms. The criterion was added that the National Historian must have held a national office to be nominated for this position. Additionally, the title of Membership Chair was changed to Records Chair to better reflect the responsibilities of that office.

Changes in the Bylaws

Article VII was changed to reflect the fact the new chapters no longer pay an installation/initiation fee. In Article VIII, the amount of a donation on which National Council votes to determine its disbursement if not specified by the donor was raised to $1000. Article IX was changed to state explicitly that ISP maintains a permanent Awards Fund and that the principal funds are to be segregated from all other monies of the organization. A section was added to define the corpus of this fund as including any income from The Fund not spent within three years from the end of the fiscal year in which it was earned. The Gladys Anderson Emerson Scholarship was added to the list of National Awards and Scholarship of the Society in Article X.

National Council

Approves Changes in Constitution and Bylaws

by Linda Brazdil

National President

The 1996-97 National Council has revised and updated the Constitution and Bylaws of Iota Sigma Pi and has approved the changes. The revision requires publication and approval by the membership. The Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by approval by a two-thirds vote of National Council followed by either two-thirds of the votes cast by the active membership or two-thirds of the votes cast by the delegates to a National Convention. At least 60 days before a vote of the membership, the changes must be sent to all members. We plan to include a ballot in the November issue of the Iotan and, therefore, are publishing the revised Constitution and Bywaws in this issue of the Iotan as a green insert. We encourage all of you to vote this fall.

There are numerous changes that are grammatical or not substantial. The substantial changes will be described here. If you wish to see complete changes, please contact Linda Brazdil, National President. Everywhere ISP was used in the old documents it has been changed to ISP. This change is simply because word processors have made Greek letters more accessible.

Changes in the Constitution

In Article I two changes have been made. The first (Section 2) is to change the seal used to incorporate the letters "ISP" into

1999 Triennial

Convention

by Susan Marine

National Vice-President

Plans for the 1999 Triennial Convention are underway. Promethium (Pm) chapter is hosting the convention at the Red Lion Convention Center on an island in the Columbia River near Portland, OR. Mark your calendars now for a fun time of camaraderie, business, networking, and making new friends June 24-27, 1999! Each chapter needs to send delegates, and all Iotans are invited to attend.

The Iotan

Editor Sharon V. Vercellotti - v-labs@wild.net

Feature Editors

Member Spotlight: Chris Rener - rener@carthage.edu

Industrial Chemist: Gretchen Shearer - gshearer@mccrone.com

Member Outreach: Margaret Workman - workman@coriolis.eas.purdue.edu

Manuscripts for publication in The Iotan may be submitted to the Editor at the address listed elsewhere in this newsletter. Suggestions for articles for the Special Editors are appreciated. Feature articles and book reviews are acceptable. Documents should be on floppy disk, or emailed, typed, double spaced, and no longer than five pages.

Deadlines for consideration for the November, February, and May issues, respectively, are September 15, December 15 and March 15. Manuscripts will not be returned and are subject to editing. Publication is based on editorial assessment of reader interest and space available.

Letters to the Editor are encouraged and may be published. Letters should be no longer than one page.

May, 1998

Page

Photo courtesy of Donna Nelson

Donna Nelson demonstrates her teaching device for helping predict organic reaction outcomes to Oklahoma University students (from left) Ryan Royse, Evelyn Hampton, Jonathan Lok, and Gena Berish.

Nelson Invents

`Chemical Slide Rule'

Associate Professor Donna J. Nelson (MAL) of the University of Oklahoma's organic chemistry department invented a "chemical slide rule". This device helps undergraduate students in the second-year organic chemistry course to predict the outcomes of electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions. The "slide rule" consists of two laminated paper sheets that the student moves to align the kind of substrate with the desired electrophile in such a way as to find the reagents needed to carry out the reaction and the directing influences of groups already on the ring.

Dr. Nelson had already invented a similar tool to demonstrate pattern recognition in reactions of electrophiles and nucleophiles in aliphatic chemistry. The first reaction guide was published in 1997 by Jones & Bartlett Publishers in Sudbury, MA. The laminated aid appears as a supplement to the 1997 edition of Organic Chemistry.

Chemical & Engineering News (April 13,

1998, pg. 47) printed an article in their education section describing Dr. Nelson's invention. She and some of her students were also featured on the front page of the Norman Transcript, their local newspaper.

Comments from students:

"Dr. Nelson's Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution Tool summarizes two chapters of text into 4 pages. It is the only tool of this type that I have been able to find. It is extremely helpful in learning the concepts!" ——Harold Z. deLaughter, Pre-pharmacy Junior

`The EAS Tool helped me visualized the mechanisms of the reactions." ——Evelyn Hampton, Chemistry Junior

"The Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution (EAS) Tool plays a key role in the visualization of reactions." ——Jonathan Lok, Chemical Engineering Junior

Dr. Nelson admits the tool is elementary but powerful as a teaching device. "I believe it works so well because students are so hooked into learning through computers

that another world opens up to them when you give them something in their hands," Nelson said. "They can hold onto these pieces of paper and move them around. It's just another way of learning concepts."

Iota Sigma Pi

Announces Student Awards

by Lily Ng

Director for Student Awards

GLADYS ANDERSON EMERSON SCHOLARSHIP

Shanna Schmiesing, Baldwin-Wallace College

Nominator: Dr. Kathryn Matera, (F), Chemistry Department, Baldwin Wallace College, 275 Eastland Rd, Berea, OH 44017-2088

This award is for excellence in chemistry or biochemistry. The nominee must be a

Page May, 1998

woman with junior standing in her curriculum at an accredited college or university and must have at least one semester of work to complete as of August 1 following the announcement. The nominee must be a member of Iota Sigma Pi at the time of her nomination. Individuals who are not members but who wish to apply for the scholarship may be made members by National Council action. Only one student may be nominated per department. The award is $1000 and a certificate.

ANNA LOUISE HOFFMAN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN GRADUATE RESEARCH

Katherine Queeney, Harvard University

Nominator: Dr. Cynthia Friend, (MAL), Chemistry Department, Harvard University, 12 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138

At the time of nomination, the candidate must be a full-time (as defined by the nominee's institution) woman graduate student who is a candidate for a graduate degree in an accredited institution. The research presented by the candidate must be original research which can be described by one of the main chemical divisions (e.g., analytical, biochemical, inorganic, organic, physical, and/or ancillary divisions of chemistry). Only one student can be nominated per department. The nominee may be, but need not be, a member of Iota Sigma Pi. The award is $400 and a certificate.

UNDERGRADUATE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN CHEMISTRY

Rebecca Holmberg, University of Virginia

Nominator: Dr James Demas, Chemistry Department, University of Virginia,

McCormick Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901

This award is for excellence in chemistry. The nominee is a senior woman chemistry student in an accredited college or university that grants a four year degree. Students who graduated in December or January are eligible for nomination. Only one student may be nominated per department. The nominee may be, but need not be, a member of Iota Sigma Pi. The award is $300 and a certificate.

A complete article on the student winners will be published in the November, 1998, issue of The Iotan.

IOTA SIGMA PI

NATIONAL COUNCIL

1996 - 1999

President

Linda C. Brazdil

Department of Chemistry

John Carroll University

University Heights, OH 44118

(216)397-4791-(w)

(216)397-3033-fax

lbrazdil@jcvaxa.jcu.edu

Vice President

Susan S. Marine

Centre College

1116 Bluegrass Pike

Danville, KY 40422-9207

(606)236-5977-(h)

(606)238-5335-(w)

(606)236-7925-fax

marine@centre.edu

Treasurer

Patricia A. Fish

May-Oct

1213 South Shore Court

Amery, WI 54001-5102

(715)268-4632

Oct-May

16588 Bear Cub Ct.

Fort Myers, FL 33908

(941)466-8381

LFish75857@aol.com

Editor

Sharon V. Vercellotti

V-LABS, INC.

423 North Theard Street

Covington, LA 70433

(504)893-0533-(w)

(504)893-0517-fax

v-labs@wild.net

Historian

Anne T. Sherren

North Central College

P.O. Box 3063

Naperville, IL 60566-7063

(630)637-5193-(w)

(630)637-5121-fax

ats@noctrl.edu

Secretary

Michelle B. Ellett

587 Periwinkle Place

Benicia, CA 94510-3840

(707)747-0873

michelle.ellett@juno.com

Records Chair

Frances Crean

Saint Xavier University

3700 West 103rd St.

Chicago, IL 60655

(773)298-3517-(w)

(773)779-9061-fax

fcrean@sxu.edu

Coordinator of Members-at-Large

Bonnie Gordon

Appalachian State University

P.O. Box 3676

Boone, NC 28607

(704)262-6369-(w)

(704)265-8677-fax

gordonbk@conrad.appstate.edu

Director for Professional Awards

Jeanne M. Buccigross

Chemistry Department

College of Mount St. Joseph

5701 Delhi Road

Cincinnati, OH 45233-1670

(513)244-4718-(w)

(513)244-4222-fax

jeanne_buccigross@mail.msj.edu

Director for Student Awards

Lily Ng

Department of Chemistry

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH 44115

(216)687-2467-(w)

(216)687-9298-fax

l.ng@popmail.csuohio.edu

Immediate Past President

Martha E. Thompson

Dept. of Biological Structure & Function

Oregon Health Science University

School of Dentistry

Portland, OR 97201-3097

(503)494-8958-(w)

(503)494-4666-fax

thompsom@ohsu.edu

May, 1998

Page

Procedure

Butterfly

Chromatography

by Margaret A. Workman

Member Outreach Editor

Summary

This experiment shows how ink can be separated into its component dyes by chromatography. This is an illustration of an important technique that is used by virtually all chemists.

Materials

Coffee Filter, 2 per student (or chromatography paper)

Plastic Cup, 1 per student

Water Soluble Markers of various colors, students can share (About 6 markers

per group of 4)

Water

Rubbing Alcohol

Stapler

Preliminary Setup

1. Fold the coffee filter in half and cut into the shape of a butterfly (optional).

Preliminary Setup Step 1

2. About ¼ inch from the fold, draw a line IN PENCIL (a pen will separate into components) down the length on each side. These will be the lines on which the students will mark.

Preliminary Setup Step 2

1. Put a small amount of water into the plastic cup. The level of water should not exceed ¼ inch. (You want the dots of ink on the coffee filter to be ABOVE the level of the water.)

2. Open up the "butterfly" flat with the pencil lines facing up.

3. Starting ½ inch from the edge, place a small dot from each marker along each of the pencil lines. Space these dots apart evenly. It is also important to keep the dots small.

4. Fold the butterfly again. Bend the butterfly along the short side and staple once making sure the paper DOES NOT overlap. (The staple should be at about the place where the pencil marks line up.)

Procedure Step 4

5. Place the butterfly in the cup so that the pencil line is down.

6. Observe the separation of the ink into different colors as water rises up the coffee filter. Remove the paper from the cup when the water (not the colors) has risen to about 2 - 3 cm from the top.

7. Repeat the procedure using the rubbing alcohol instead of the water. Compare the color patterns produced in this case with those produced with the corresponding markers using water.

Tips and Terms

1. Coffee filter is recommended for this experiment because it is cheap

and can be purchased easily. The

Notice of Change of Name or Address

Attach mailing address here or write new name and address in this space

New Address

Name Chapter

Address

City, State, Zip

Effective Date

New position, School, or Employer

Please mail to Iota Sigma Pi Records Chair

Sister Fraces Crean

10425 S. Mason, Apt. 2A

OAK LAWN IL 60453

Page May, 1998

experiment works even better with filter paper or chromatography paper, but these are more expensive. Black pens are recommended because they usually have many different dyes in their ink. Different colored markers can also be used, but you may want to test them first because not all of them will separate into components.

2. Water rises up the coffee filter because of a phenomenon called capillary action. It is the same action that a tree uses to soak water up its trunk and its branches.

3. The role of the water and the rubbing alcohol in this experiment is that of a carrying liquid, because these liquids carry the ink up the coffee filter. The technical term for this is an eluant.

Observations

1. Marks made from the same pen always produce the same separation pattern, i.e., the different colors are in the same order after the separation. The size of the original dot on the paper has no effect on the separation pattern, although the separation is better defined if the dot is smaller.

2. Different brands of pen produce different separation patterns.

3. Different carrying liquids produce different separation patterns with the same pen.

4. Different pens from the same batch (same brand and same model) produce the same separation pattern.

Explanation

The separation patterns produced by different brands of pen and different carrying liquids are governed by several factors:

1. The composition of the ink. Different companies use different dyes to make their ink. Some are doing it to produce special physical or visual effects, some are doing it so they cannot be accused of copying other people's product.

2. The solubility of each component dye in the carrying liquid. If the dye is not

soluble in the carrying liquid, it cannot be carried up the paper. This is the case with a permanent ink marker with water as the carrying liquid. Since the permanent ink is not soluble in water (hence the term "permanent"), the mark stays in the starting place. Since most permanent inks are soluble somewhat in organic solvents, one can get it to produce a pattern using rubbing alcohol as the carrying liquid. Typically, the most soluble dye will move up the paper the most and the least soluble dye will move up the least. If a dye is very soluble in the carrying liquid, it will follow the top of the water level up the paper closely. Try the experiment with a washable marker.

3. The extent to which the ink clings to the paper. A dye that is strongly attached to the paper will not move up the paper much.

4. The length of the paper. The separation of the different dyes along the paper increases if the carrying liquid is allowed to carry the ink up a longer distance. At the beginning of the experiment, the colors are still bundled together. As the carrying liquid moves up the paper, the separation becomes more and more complete. Note, however, that the order of the colors does not change with the distance traveled.

If you have any further questions, please do feel free to e-mail me at workman@coriolis.eas.purdue.edu

Sources of Iota Sigma Pi

Supplies and Information

Initiation

The publicity pamphlet, "Membership Information", Membership Application, Report of Initiation Forms, History, the Constitution and Bylaws, The Iotan

Supplies Coordinator

Forming a Chapter

Procedural information and application forms

National Vice President

Rules and Regulations, Charter Certificates

National Historian

Financial Reports

Financial Report Forms

National Treasurer

Awards Information

Publicity pamphlet "National Awards"

Supply Coordinator

Awards criteria and nominations forms

Director for Professional Awards

Ÿ Agnes Fay Morgan Research Award

Ÿ National Honorary Member

Ÿ Award for Professional Excellence

Director for Student Awards

Ÿ National Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Chemistry

Ÿ Anna Louise Hoffman Graduate Research Achievement Award

Ÿ Gladys Anderson Emerson Scholarship

Dues

Dues statements and payments

National Treasurer

Chapter Operations

Changes in the Chapter Officers list

Forms for reporting local elected officers

National Vice President

Address Labels and Membership List

Reports on changes in address and member death

Records Chair

General Information

Historical Information

National Historian

Handbooks

New editions when published

Individual handbooks for newly created offices

(all others receive handbooks from predecessors) National Secretary

Please refer to the list of National Officers published elsewhere in The Iotan for the name and address of the Officer who can provide you with the items you need.

Make a new bookmark on your browser!

The Iota Sigma Pi web site has a new address.

http://chem-faculty.ucsd.edu/

sawrey/ISP

May, 1998

Page

The Iotan

Sharon V. Vercellotti, Editor

423 North Theard Street

COVINGTON LA 70433

Wait! Please send news and information to

News about you makes this publication interesting for other Iotans. Sharon V. Vercellotti, Editor

Please take a few minutes to jot down what you are doing. V-LABS, INC.

1) Speeches, papers, symposia, invited talks 423 North Theard Street

2) Publications, patents, grants awarded COVINGTON LA 70433

3) New positions, appointments, promotions, awards, honors (504)893-0517 - fax

retirements, postdoctoral research v-labs@wild.net

4) Offices held in professional societies

5) Avocational achievements, miscellaneous

Items for "Resources" or "Chapter News" are also solicited. Send a photo of your activity. Please include your chapter name.

Page May, 1998