Chemistry welcomes Dr Erica Smith who has joined the staff of Chemistry temporarily as a first year lecturer. Erica, a graduate from University of Sydney, has a Masters degree in Chemistry from the University of Greenwich in the UK and a Ph.D. from Houston, Texas. She brings to Chemistry a wealth of experience in Chemistry teaching in the College system in the USA. Her research interests are in the area of molecular simulations and molecular dynamics.

Dr Chris Fellows lecturing to CHEM110 in the newly refurbished Lewis lecture theatre.

The Lewis lecture theatre was recently re-commissioned in the Chemistry precinct. Now a state-of-the-art facility for Chemistry and other classes in the School of Science and Technology, Lewis boasts the best in audio-visual technology. The dual projection facilities, video cameras and mobile extractor fans are tailor-made for live chemical demonstrations.

Isoprene— building block of natural oils

The décor has a distinct chemical connection. The side-panels are embossed with the structure of isoprene, the building block of many natural products (chemicals from plant sources including rubber, and a constituent of many natural oils). The motif was chosen to connect the new facility with Dr Keith Lewis who retired from Chemistry in 1980 and after whom the lecture hall was named. Keith Lewis published extensively in the area of natural product chemistry.

Chemistry at UNE will be involved in HSC Booster activities again this year . The Booster days will be Monday June 15 and Tuesday June 16.

Chemistry will be running two different sessions:

1. Atomic absorption spectroscopy, the analysis of lead contamination, and sulfate analysis using gravimetric and titrimetric techniques. (3 sessions per day with a maximum of 24 students per session)

2. Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) titration competition (1 session per day, teams of 3 students)

UNE once again hosted the Highlands Science and Engineering Challenge which was held over two days.

Tuesday March 31 saw over 200 year 5 to 6 primary school students from Armidale based primary schools, Ben Venue, Armidale City, Sandon, Martins Gully, TAS, PLC, St Johns and St Marys, participate in the Discovery Day. The Discovery Day  involves teams from each school working on activities such as building and testing a bridge, constructing and flying an airship, constructing and driving a hover craft and constructing and testing a Mars explorer vehicle.

Wednesday April 1 saw over 200 year 9 and 10 students from regional high schools, PLC, NEGS, O’Connor, Uralla Central, Walcha Central, Inverell, MacIntyre and Holy Trinity, participate in the Highlands Challenge. The Challenge involves teams working on the same activities as in the Discovery Day with one important  difference, it is competitive. All activities have a scoring component with the result being a overall winning school. This year O’Connor Catholic College was the winning school, for the second year in a row. Well done O’Connor. They will travel to Newcastle in August, during Science Week, to represent our region at the Super Challenge. If they are successful at the Super Challenge they could be invited to the Grand Challenge to be held in Bendigo in October.

Congratulations to all students who attended this year events, we look forward to seeing some of you again next year.

Tentative dates for the 2010 are, Discovery Day Tuesday March 23 and the Challenge Wednesday March 24.

Associate Professor Trevor Brown has taken up a six-month interim position as Acting Academic Director for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Professor Stephen Glover has taken over as the Convenor of Chemistry.

Congratulations to Karina Bennett and Kenneth Mills who are the recipients of the Pearson Australia Awards for Excellence in Chemistry for CHEM120 in 2008.

Two prizes, each a $200 Pearson book voucher, are awarded for CHEM110 and CHEM120 courses each year to two students who successfully complete advanced work during each course.

Well done Karina and Kenneth!

Maxwell J. Gunter and Kathleen M. Mullen, Dynamic Axial Ligand-Site Exchange in Facially Discriminated Ruthenium (II) Carbonyl and Rhodium (III) Halide Metalloporphyrins, Inorganic Chemistry (2007); Vol. 46, Issue 12, pages 4876-4886.

Kathleen M. Mullen and Maxwell J. Gunter, Towards Multistation Rotaxanes Using Metalloporphyrin Coordination Templating, The Journal of Organic Chemistry (2008); Vol.73,Issue 9, pages 3336-3350.

Kathleen M. Mullen, Ken D. Johnstone, Matthew Web, Nick Bampos, Jeremy K.M. Saunders and Maxwell J. Gunter, Monitoring the thermodynamically-controlled formation of diimide-based resin-attached rotaxanes by gel-phase HR MAS 1H NMR spectroscopy, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry (2008); Vol.6, Issue 2, pages 278-286.

Zulkifli Merican, Ken D. Johnstone and Maxwell J. Gunter, Porphyrin-naphthodiimide interactions as a structural motif in foldamers and supramolecular assemblies, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry (2008); Vol. 6, Issue 14, pages 2534-2543.

Professor Glover has recently published an extensive book chapter on his group’s research at UNE. The work appears in the iconic series started by Patai on Chemistry of Functional groups and which appears in most university libraries around the world. The 84 page contribution entitled “N-Heteroatom-substituted hydroxamic esters” summarises much of the research carried out over 15 years on unusual anomeric amides, a class of previously unstudied compounds, the properties of which have been uncovered at UNE.

For more information and excerpts, please visit:

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-047051261X.html

Nick Ballam, Base catalysis at low-pressures, Supervisor - A/Prof. Trevor Brown

Kate Cavanagh, Reactivity and mutagenicity of N-acyloxy-N-alkoxyamides, -carbamates and -ureas, Supervisor - Prof. Stephen Glover

Wayne Dillon, Antimony electrowinning, Supervisors - Dr Peter Lye and A/Prof. Trevor Brown

Rowan Prangley, Polymer membranes for pervaporation of water/alkanol mixtures, Supervisor - Dr Chris Fellows

Alex Simpson, Antimony speciation in leach solutions, Supervisors - Dr Peter Lye and A/Prof. Trevor Brown

The Applied Polymer Chemistry group presented three papers at the 30th Australasian Polymer Symposium, the annual scientific meeting of the Polymer Division of the RACI and the NZIC polymer group, held in Melbourne on the 30th November - 4th December.

Dr Fellows presented a lecture entitled “Chain Transfer to Butyl Methacrylate“
Authors CM Fellows and DF Sangster.

Mr Wallace presented a poster entitled “An active membrane/liquid interface: A novel approach to the synthesis of pervaporation membranes“
Authors AD Wallace and CM Fellows.

Mr Alhamzah presented a poster entitled “Synthesis, Characterisation, and Application of Poly(Acrylic Acid) for use as Base Scale Inhibitor in Desalination Plants“
Authors A Alhamzah and CM Fellows.

The PhD candidates did a splendid job and excited much discussion with their posters. No dead cats were thrown at their supervisor.