Jul/Aug 2004: ACCN, the Canadian Chemical News

canadienne July/August ■ juillet/août

2004Vol. 56, No./no 7

Canadian

Chemistry of looking good

Canadian developments in:cosmetics, weight loss supplements, anti-aging, hair colour, and more ...

• Guest Column/Chroniqueur invité 2 Chemistry Professions and the Environment Michael Kerford

• Letters/Lettres 3

• Personals/Personnalités 3

• News Briefs/Nouvelles en bref 4

• Chemputing 10 Improved Chemunication Marvin D. Silbert, FCIC

• Chemfusion 11 Lip Service Joe Schwarcz, MCIC

• Chemical Shifts 12

• CIC Bulletin ICC 32

• CSC Bulletin SCC 33

• Student News/Nouvelles des étudiants 34

• CSChE Bulletin SCGCh 35

• Local Section News/Nouvelles des sections locales 37

• Division News/Nouvelles des divisions 39

• NCW News/Nouvelles de la SNC 40

• Events/Événements 45

• Professional Directory/Répertoire professionnel 45

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Table of contentsTable des matières

L’Actualité chimique canadienne ■ Canadian Chemical News

2004Vol. 56, No./no 7

July/August ■ juillet/août

Page Page Page

A p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e C I CU n e p u b l i c a t i o n d e l ’ I C C

Feature Articles/Articles de fond

Skin Deep 14The role of cationic emulsifiers in the development of modern skin care. High lipophile systems offer enhanced consumer benefits without sacrificing aesthetics.

Angela Paez and Anna Howe

Turning Back the Hands of Time 18Is aging a disease? Progress is being made in the search for anti-aging compounds.

James S. Wright, MCIC

Phthalates in Cosmetics 21Buyer beware or just another scare?

Denise Mann

What’s the Skinny? 23Dieters demand the development of new weight loss medications and dietary supplements. Herbal is in. But are the results more safe and more effective?

William Martineau

Regulating Beauty 26To which products do Canada’s Cosmetic Regulations and related provisions in the Food and Drugs Act apply?

Daphne C. Ripley

‘Do or Dye? 29Do blondes have more fun? At what cost? Before you head back to the beauty salon, read up on the chemistry and complexities of colouring your hair.

Joe Schwarcz, MCIC

Cover/CouvertureIt’s better to look good and to feel good! Chemists have been employed in the business of beauty since antiquity. What considerations have arisen now that the consumers’ well-being—in addition to their appearance—is of major concern?

2 L’Actualité chimique canadienne � juillet/août 2004

Environmental employment is char-acterized by its multi-disciplinary, cross-sectoral nature as chemists work

hand-in-hand with engineers, technologists, agrologists, and a host of other professions. The Canadian Council for Human Resources in the Environment Industry (CCHREI) is tasked with documenting and responding to the complex human resource needs of this sector and recently published the 2004 Envi-ronmental Labour Market (ELM) report.

Based on a national survey and focus groups held across the country, the 2004 ELM report documents the evolution and pros-perity of the sector and forecasts anticipated competency requirements and emerging career opportunities. With over 251,000 people comprising the environmental work force (an increase of 14 percent since 2001), the sector has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade as the focus of work shifts from clean-up to prevention. To compete in a global, knowledge-based economy the Canadian environment sector needs to recognize that the supply of skills is the primary determinant of its economic prosperity.

With skills at a premium, a critical issue that arises is how individuals can adequately demonstrate their environmental competence to a client, prospective employer , or regula-tor. Recent legislative initiatives in a number of provinces have made this an especially important issue as provincial governments investigate the criteria of competence and accountability required of individuals who work on particular environmental projects, primarily related to the reclamation and remediation of contaminated sites. Given the pivotal role that chemists, chemical engineers, and chemical technologists play in the iden-tification and management of these types of projects, it is essential that these professionals are aware of the issues associated with these proposed legislative changes and the impact they could potentially have on an individual’s right to work.

The primary goal of these legislative initiatives is to ensure that the individuals working on these sites are competent to do the required work and professionally accountable for their activities. The majority of existing professional, credential-granting

bodies are based on traditional disciplines usually associated with required post-sec-ondary academic credentials and adherence to a code of ethics. While these organizations play a critical role by creating greater pro-fessional accountability for their members, no one single professional association truly represents the diverse skill-set required to conduct all environmental work. In response to the growing need to document environ-mental competencies, CCHREI began work on the “discipline-plus”-based National Occu-pational Standards (NOS) in the early 1990s. They were recently updated this past year.

Based upon the input of thousands of envi-ronmental practitioners across all disciplines, the NOS are comprised of statements that reflect the specific environmental competencies gained through a combination of formal edu-cation and work experience. These standards now serve as the basis for a national certifica-tion process, administered by the professional Certification Approvals Board (CECAB), that grants the Canadian Certified Environmental Practitioner (CCEP) to qualified applicants.

The CCEP provides practitioners with national recognition of their competence to perform environmental work, improving their ability to relocate and greatly facilitat-ing their access to challenging employment opportunities and career advancement pros-pects. The nature of the certification process, which involves a competency self-assessment stage followed by a rigorous peer validation procedure, also provides practitioners with an invaluable career resource that documents their environmental skill set and highlights areas where training may be necessary.

As the CCEP initiative is voluntary and market driven, its ultimate success will be determined by the quality of those indi-viduals who become CCEPs and the value that the system provides to the sector. By collaborating with national associations like the CSC, CCHREI hopes to provide chemists who work in the environment with greater professional credibility and begin to elevate the environmental profession in-step with its growing importance to the Canadian economy.

Section headGuest Column

Chroniqueur invité

Editor-in-Chief/Rédactrice en chefMichelle Piquette

Managing Editor/Directrice de la rédactionHeather Dana Munroe

Graphic Designer/InfographisteKrista Leroux

Editorial Board/Conseil de la rédactionTerrance Rummery, FCIC, Chair/Président

Catherine A. Cardy, MCICCathleen Crudden, MCIC

Milena Sejnoha, MCIC

Editorial Office/Bureau de la rédaction130, rue Slater Street, Suite/bureau 550

Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2613-232-6252 • Fax/Téléc. 613-232-5862

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Canadian Chemical New/L’Actualité chimique Canadienne (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. Translation of any article into the other official language available upon request.

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. La traduction de tous les articles dans l’autre langue officielle est disponible sur demande.

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ISSN 0823-5228

Chemistry professions and the environmentCCEP: providing greater professional credibility to environmental chemists

Michael Kerford

Michael Kerford is the vice-president of CCHREI.

July/August 2004 � Canadian Chemical News 3

PersonalsPersonnalités

My year as chair of the Atlantic Executive is close to its end. This is a time for reflection, sugges-tions, counsel, and comments. The CSC, it seems, has a prob-lem adapting to the changing world—and as we are not the only organization experiencing this kind of difficulty, it may be wise to share some thoughts, in order to better adapt ourselves to a reasonably likely future.

Our organization was founded on the very agreeable and nos-talgic model of a society—a non-profit organization that

holds gatherings at the annual conference, with a coast-to-coast structure of chapters and sec-tions, chairs, and presidents. Committees are distinguished by discipline or by function, prizes and distinctions are awarded, and let’s not forget the head-quarters and student chapters.

Our organization seems to have a triple problem: mem-bership, image, and function. Firstly, membership: it has become more and more dif-ficult to convince even our own departmental colleagues to join

the organization , or to remain members. They ask what we offer to our members, aside from ACCN? We are perceived somewhat as being chemists because of our art—a kind of art-for-art’s-sake associa-tion—but also as being terribly individualistic, with everybody working for, and by, themselves.

The more concrete world is different—we need to be more protectionist, and to have greater solidarity among the people believing in and prac-ticing the same profession. It does not matter if we are academic or industrial chem-ists—we are all chemists, and it would be nice, and useful, and completely justified, to have our organization speak on our behalf with one strong, united voice. A voice to act for, and to protect, our noble profession.

And like the engineers and their Orders are doing for our close cousins—admira-bly well-organized, and with solidarity close to the enviable brotherhood—we can shift and change the formula.

My thoughts on the near future of the Institute are simple—we should develop a more pronounced professional profile. This is a strong argu-ment for young chemists to join the CIC, which is seen as an umbrella organization to all chemists in Canada—one that

will standardize the practice of our profession, and will cer-tify that we are The Chemists. Like our engineering brothers, we too will be professionals.

What should be the first task? Despite language barriers, and decentralized and diversified provincial control of some of these aspects, this turn towards a more professional charac-ter will bring added value to the Society. It will render our organization more fresh and appealing , and easier to sell to our prospective members. The cultivation of a more traditional, purist image through the 21st century could result rather in the marginalization of our or-ganization, and offer very little to attract young chemists.

Certainly it will be necessary to provide more power to the central body of the Institute. This will be contested by some purists among us. And certainly it will be necessary to lose a little of our Institute’s traditionally kind and gentle character, in the brutal world of professionalization. But this could serve the collective well-being of the membership.

It is sometimes useful to remove the dust from our distinguished institution’s habits. It will be even bet-ter to spray it with a spritz of professional pheromones.

Christopher K. Jankowski, FCIC

Letters / Lettres

A Spritz of Professional Pheromones

GovernmentNils Petersen, FCIC, will soon go from vice-president of one of the country’s largest univer-sities to a leading role in the world of the extremely small.

Petersen is currently the University of Western Ontario’s vice-president of research. He has been named the new

director general of Canada’s flagship nanotechnology research institute, the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) in Edmonton, AB. Starting in November 2004, Petersen will be in charge of the National Research Coun-cil Canada’s (NRC) institute that conducts research at the nano (or molecular ) scale.

“Nils Petersen is uniquely qualified for his role at the Institute,” said NRC acting president Michael Raymont. “He has extensive experi-ence in two areas that are integral to NINT’s suc-cess—multi-disciplinary research, and administration of a diverse research and development program .”

Petersen is also currently Board Chair of Shared Hierarchical Academic Research Comput-ing Network (SHARCNET)—a network of high-performance Beowulf computer clusters in Southwestern Ontario, a member of the College of Reviewers for the Canada Re-search Chairs Program , and a former member of the Board of


model. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder in which a specific group of neural cells die. The finding raises the hope that cultured human stem cells could one day be transplanted into human patients . This would

provide a criti-cal alternative to the human foetal tissue presently used in a promis-ing experimental treatment for Par-kinson’s disease.

For a full-length feature on Sen’s work, go to www.nserc.ca/news/.

John Vlachopolous, FCIC, received the Distinguished Achievement Award of the Extrusion Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) during SPE’s Annual Technical Meeting (ANTEC) in Chicago, IL, on May 18, 2004.

In MemoriamThe CIC offers its condolences to the families of:

Kenneth Casey, FCICDenis B. Kelly, FCIC

Section headPersonals

Personnalités

Trustees for the Canadian Insti-tute of Synchrotron Radiation.

“Petersen is well known and highly respected throughout the research community and will be a valuable addition to NINT,” said Victor Doerksen, minis-ter of Alberta Innovation and Science . “His diverse experience and proven scientific leadership will help Alberta attract more top researchers in this field and put the province on the map as one of the world’s premier nanotechnology centres.”

Petersen’s current research focuses on intermolecular inter-actions in biological membranes, particularly the study of the dynamics and distribution of molecules within the membrane as a means of understanding cell-cell communication, signal transduction,adhesion, and loco-motion of cells. It spans a range of disciplines from theoretical mathematics to biology. Petersen will continue to participate fully in academic pursuits at the University of Alberta through a joint-appointment as a professor in the department of chemistry.

Distinction

Arindom Sen, MCIC, has been announced as one of the winners of the 2004 NSERC Doctoral Prize. Sen has set the

groundwork for the clinical-scale production of neural stem cells. He has developed methods to grow large quantities of the cells in the lab, and he’s shown that these cells are a viable source for transplantation of Parkinson’s disease in an animal

A plaque and an honorarium were given to Vlachopoulos in recognition of his contribu-tions to polymer extrusion technology and to the plastics industry. SPE is the world’s largest association of plastics professionals with a member-ship of 25,000. Vlachopoulos is director of the Centre for Advanced Polymer Process-ing and Design (CAPPA-D) at McMaster University and pres-ident of Polydynamics, Inc. He is currently professor of chemi-cal engineering at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON.

John Vlachopolous, FCIC

Section headNews Briefs

Nouvelles en bref

New on the Cosmetics SceneSemBioSys Genetics Inc., a Canadian biotechnology com-pany, has announced that it has executed a royalty-bear-ing licence agreement with Lonza, Inc. for global rights to SemBioSys’ DermaSphere™ Ingredient System for use in personal care markets.

Under the terms of the agreement , Lonza will develop , produce, and market non-transgenic, oilbody-based

ingredients to be used in the production of cosmetic and skin care products. Product launch is projected for the fourth quarter 2004.

DermaSphere is a natural oil-in-water emulsion. The emulsion is comprised of unique oil droplets called oilbodies, in which the oil is surrounded by a shell of phospholipid and oleosin protein. The oil-body emulsion is cosmetically elegant , extremely flexible, and offers multiple functions as an emulsifier, emollient, and car-rier/delivery system for small molecule actives. SemBioSys has patents on the use of oilbodies in Canada, the U.S., and elsewhere.

“Lonza’s global presence and leadership position in the per-sonal care ingredients industry will be a tremendous asset in the commercialization of this novel plant-derived ingredient,” said Andrew Baum, president and CEO of SemBioSys. “The agreement with Lonza vali-dates the commercial utility of SemBioSys’ oilbody/oleosin technology platform and our ability to develop products from that platform. We look forward to working with Lonza to bring this product to the personal care marketplace.”

SemBioSys Genetics Inc.


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Nouvelles en bref

Cosmetic and Toiletry ChemicalsDemand for cosmetic and toiletry chemicals is projected to increase over five percent per year to $6.8 billion in 2008. Advances will be driven by a variety of factors, including the growing use of active ingredients designed to enhance appear-ance and counter the effects of aging. Growth will also reflect increasing consumer demand for plant-derived ingredients and specialty additives providing pro-tection from sun, wind, smoke, heat, pollution, and other threats to healthy skin and hair.

These and other trends are presented in Cosmetic and Toiletry Chemicals, a new study from the industrial research firm, The Freedonia Group, Inc. The incorporation of active ingredients, such as plant acids and enzymes, into toiletries and cosmetics has become one of the most compelling factors driving growth in the otherwise mature U.S. market. Active ingredients offer not only the opportunity to improve product performance, but also to appeal to consumers in a fiercely competitive market.

Growth in demand for active ingredients is projected to approach ten percent an-nually through 2008, pro-pelled by strong demand in cosmeceutical skin care

products and high-value additives such as nanoscale ingredients. The emergence of products created as a result of nanotechnology is expected to have a substantial effect on the cosmetic and toiletry industry. Among the first such products to establish a market presence are polymers used as delivery systems for vitamins and other actives, and inorganic pigments used in sunscreens .

Organic ingredients are expected to remain an impor-tant component of the cosmetic and toiletry chemical market, both in product formulation and reformulation, and in terms of marketing impetus that is so critical to manufacturers looking to retain or expand their respective shares of the market . Smaller volume botani-cal extracts are expected to offer the fastest growth opportuni-ties, approaching or exceeding double digits annually. How-ever, the high cost of many botanical extracts and issues of quality control and standardiza-tion will restrain further gains.

Order information for Cosmetic and Toiletry is available at www.freedoniagroup.com.

Freedonia

U.S. Cosmetic and Toiletry Chemical Demand(million dollars) % Annual growth

Item 1998 2003 2008 03–98 08–03

Cosmetic and toiletry chemical demand 4035 5300 6800 5.6 5.1Active ingredients 258 396 628 8.9 9.7Other specialty additives 606 824 1162 6.3 7.1Cleansers and foamers 950 1255 1480 5.7 3.4Emollients and moisturizers 755 1020 1360 6.2 5.9Flavours and fragrances 811 995 1180 4.2 3.5Processing aids 655 810 990 4.3 4.1


Clearly Canadian ReformulatedWhen Clearly Canadian gave its product development team the mandate to reformulate the Clearly Canadian sparkling fla-voured beverage line, the goal was to reduce the carbohydrate and caloric content by half, remove preservatives, and still deliver on the taste profile the brand’s consumers have come to expect.

In the developing process for new formula Clearly Canadian , different sweeten-ers were evaluated and used in various combinations and proportions to establish their synergistic effects to determine the optimal profile for the best tasting beverage experience. Various acidulants and natu-ral flavours were added to a number of sweetener combina-tions and subjected to sensory panels. Adjustments to Brix levels, sweetener proportions, acidity levels, and natural flavour levels were directed by sensory evaluations.

Ultimately, the objective of producing lower calorie, lower carbohydrate Clearly Canadian with the same or even more of a flavour and aromatic profile was achieved with a combination of cane sugar and sucralose (Splenda® Brand). The natural flavours were supplied by Technology Flavor and Fragrances, Inc. The exclusion of preservatives in the reformulated Clearly Canadian sparkling water line was achieved through a number of process modi-fications and an established track record of manufacturing non-preservative beverages for international markets.

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Solutia Turns Up the HeatSolutia has announced that PTT Poly Canada has selected its Therminol heat transfer fluid for use in its plant in Montréal. The $100-million facility is the world’s first large-scale continuous plant to commercially produce poly-trimethylene terephthalate (PTT) thermoplastic and will use proprietary technology provided by Shell Chemicals and Zimmer AG.

The facility will use Therminol 66 and Therminol VP-1 heat transfer fluids to meet demanding high-tem-perature requirements, both in a liquid-phase and vapour-phase operating environment.

Interquisa Canada also selected Therminol for its Montréal plant, which began production in mid-2003. The facility has the capacity to produce 500 kilotonnes per year of purified terephthalic acid, a key feedstock for PTT Poly Canada’s plant.

Camford Chemical Report

Tackling RetardantsA class of chemical flame retardants that are being found in increasing concentrations in Arctic wildlife is raising concerns among environmental chemists.

Scientists from around the world gathered at the Univer-sity of Toronto (U of T) for a conference on brominated flame retardants, which are used in everything from electronic equipment to car up-holstery and textiles. Although it was previously thought that the compounds degraded into harmless substances, recent Norwegian studies have found

them in tissue samples from polar bears and glaucous gulls. Studies in Sweden have found them in falcons and even in human blood samples.

Concerns that the compounds, known as BFRs, persist in the environment and accumulate in tissues have led Norway and the European Union to ban several of the compounds. The World Wildlife Fund is encouraging other coun-tries to ban another type of BFR compound, as well.

The conference was organized by U of T chemistry professor Frank Wania. Information about the conference can be found at www.bfr2004.com.

University of Toronto


Nouvelles en bref

Remaining at the fore-front of New Age beverage development , Clearly Canadian successfully reformulated Clearly Canadian to meet the needs of contemporary consumers while staying true to the legacy of its great Clearly Canadian flavours.

Clearly Canadian



Nouvelles en bref

Hemp Sunscreen Passes the (Drug) TestA report first published April 23, 2004 in Mach Meter: The On-line Publication of Cannon Air Force Base has spread across the Internet through a poorly re-searched Associated Press story. It raises unfounded concerns that sunscreens, tanning lotions, and other personal care prod-ucts made with hemp seed oil could cause false positive drug tests because they contain trace amounts of THC, the psychoac-tive ingredient of marijuana.

These concerns are not based on scientific research and contra-dict earlier studies on this issue. There are no documented cases of a person failing a drug test after using hemp oil or personal care products containing hemp oil—such as soaps, shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers, tan-ning lotions, and sunscreens.

“Whether you work for the Air Force, police, or local transit authority, (those) who are sub-ject to workplace drug-testing will never fail a test because they use a personal care prod-uct made with hemp oil,” says David Bronner, Chair of the Hemp Industries Association’s (HIA) Food and Oil Committee and president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. “Our soaps are made with hemp oil because it contains an extraordinary amount of omega 3 and 6 es-sential fatty acids that restore and moisturize the skin, and is an effective natural alternative to chemical-based skin care ingredients ,” says Bronner.

The April 2004 issue of the Medical Review Officer Update, a leading publication serving drug-testing professionals, ad-dressed the question of whether hemp oil used on the skin can cause positive drug tests by referring to a scientific study conducted by Gero Leson. Leson determined that even in an

unrealistic , worst-case sce-nario—in which a person with highly compromised skin uses pure hemp oil as massage oil and leaves it on for 24 hours—the amount of THC potentially absorbed is insignificant com-pared to the amount required for producing a positive drug test. Consequently, the publication’s editor, Robert Swotinsky, advised that, “commercial hemp oil skin products contain minuscule THC concentrations, and use of these products does not create the right conditions for THC-posi-tive urine drug test results.”

In recent years, a handful of people have alleged that they failed workplace drug tests as a result of using hemp oil products on the skin. Such allegations were routinely proven to be false, and there has yet to be a case in which someone was excused due to use of a hemp oil personal care product. Hemp companies in the U.S. voluntarily observe THC limits similar to those ad-opted by European nations and Canada. These limits protect consumers, with a wide margin of safety, who use hemp-content personal care products and rou-tinely and extensively consume hemp food products from the risk of a positive drug test.

Concerns reported in the story that drug-sniffing dogs could target a person wearing hemp sun block are ridiculous,” says Bronner. He adds, “Thousands of gallons of hemp seed oil are legally imported into the U.S every year, yet drug sniffing dogs on the border have never confused these raw materials with marijuana. News organiza-tions need to do a better job of reporting the facts about hemp before they do greater damage to legitimate businesses by airing unfounded allegations.”

See the hemp industry’s vol-untary standards regarding trace THC at www.testpledge.com.

Visit www.VoteHemp.com/news.html to read court docu-ments and numerous scientific studies pertaining to hemp foods.

VoteHemp

Acetyl Hexapeptide 3: The New Botox Lite?Almost two million aging baby boomers underwent the sometimes painful procedure of getting Botox® injections last year at a cost of $400 to $800 per procedure. For results that last about four months for most, it’s an expensive way to erase crow’s feet and frown lines. For the boomer addicted to a smooth-as-ice forehead, that’s a steep $1,200 or more each year.

Lately though, a slew of new products have entered the mar-ket claiming to either achieve Botox-like results or prolong the injections’ effects. Most use the amino-peptide ingredient of the moment, Acetyl Hexapep-tide 3. While Botox paralyzes facial muscles completely by

stopping nerve signals that tell muscles to contract, AH-3 merely interferes with the sig-nals. The result—less intense facial muscle contractions and a smoother, younger look.

Doctors are just beginning to recognize Acetyl Hexapep-tide 3 as a Botox alternative for their patients who won’t undergo needle injections and can’t afford to shell out $400 to $600 every four months.

Acetyl Hexapeptide 3 can’t replicate the results of a syringe full of Botox, but it can help to prolong the results by continuing to interfere with nerve signals that are awakening from their induced paralysis. Products such as Crème de Vie, Serutox, DDF’s Wrinkle Release and Cellular Skin Rx’s Relax-A-Line are all competing for the new Botox Lite crown. And a chance to smooth every one of the aging baby boomers’ foreheads.

Free Wire Service

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Nouvelles en bref



Nouvelles en bref

L’Oréal Hair Colour Turns Heads WorldwideL’Oréal Canada has inaugurated its new facility in Saint-Laurent, QC. Since 1997, the company has invested more than $120 million in the plant. Montréal , QC, is one of L’Oréal’s industrial development and growth centres in North America. The plant now covers an area of 280,000 square feet.

The Saint-Laurent facility produces profes-sional hair colouring for 40 countries, including Canada. Some 135 million units are manufactured in Montréal each year—including worldwide pro-duction of the Redken and Matrix lines and the North American production of the L’Oréal Profes-sionnel line. Headquartered in Montréal, L’Oréal Canada posted sales of $685 million in 2003.


Amending Pesticide BanThe Toronto Environmental Coalition is supporting a compromise proposal that will restrict and reduce pesticide use, but stop short of a complete ban.

“The Board of Health proposal for a complete ban is too extreme. It’s bad news for homeowners, and good news for pests,” said Coalition spokes-person, Lorraine Van Haastrecht. She is referring to the Toronto Board of Health decision earlier this year that there be “no thresholds.” In other words, there would be no circumstances under which herbicides or fungicides would ever be permitted.

Instead, the Coalition is supporting a reasonable and balanced solution that would prohibit pesticide use except in limites circumstances where proven neces-sary. The Coalition’s position includes the following:• A 70 percent reduction in pesticide use;• No blanket spraying. Spot spraying only;• Promotion of non-pesticide alternatives;• Allowing responsible pesticide use,

but only whe necessary.The Coalition bases its position on an approach

called “Integrated Pest Management,” which calls for the use of non-pesticide alternatives and restrict-ing pesticides so that they are available only as a last resort. The Coalition notes that the extreme Board of Health proposal would reverse a funda-mental component of City Council’s 2003 decision. Council had voted to allow pesticide use in serious cases and “infestations.” The Board of Health wants to change that policy by completely disallowing pesticide use for weed control. “We believe that councillors and Torontonians support a reason-able and balanced approach ,” says Van Haastrecht. “The Board of Health plan goes way too far.”



The Alcan Award / Le Prix Alcan

Sponsored by / Parrainé parAlcan International Limited

The Alcan Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of inorganic chemistry or electrochemistry.

Le Prix Alcan est décerné à un chercheur résidant au Canada qui s’est distingué dans le domaine de la chimie inorganique ou de l’électrochimie.

Laurie K. Thompson, FCICMemorial University of Newfoundland

Laurie K. Thompson received a BSc in chemistry at the University of Manches-ter Institute of Science and Technology, graduating in 1965. He joined Barry Lever’s group as a graduate student, and with research stints at both Manches-ter and York Universities, obtained the PhD (Manchester) in 1968. A teaching Postdoctoral Fellowship followed at the University of Texas with George Watt, before he joined the faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1970 as an assistant professor. He became full profes-sor in 1984, and then University Research Professor in 1995. Thompson’s research focus in coordination chemistry is very much ligand-based, with a supra-molecular

and magnetic emphasis. He has acted as conference program co-organizer (79th CSC Conference, 1996), and is a member of the international advisory board for the International Conferences on Molecular Magnetism. Thompson is on the editorial advisory board of Polyhedron, and has published in excess of 175 journal papers.

The R. U. Lemieux Award / Le Prix R. U. Lemieux

Sponsored by / Parrainé parThe Organic Chemistry Division / La Division de chi mie organique

The R. U. Lemieux Award recognizes a distinguished contribution in organic chemistry . Le Prix R. U. Lemieux est décerné à une personne qui s’est distinguée dans le domaine de la chimie organique.

Mark Lautens, FCICUniversity of Toronto Mark Lautens was born in Hamilton, ON, and graduated from the University of Guelph where he was stimulated to carry out research in organic chemistry by Gordon Lange. He worked in the labo-ratories of Barry Trost at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he obtained a PhD in 1985 studying molybdenum cata-lyzed reactions and palladium catalyzed

cycloisomerisations . Following postdoc-toral work in the area of total synthesis with David Evans at Harvard University, he joined the faculty at the University of Toronto as a University Research Fellow (URF).

He was promoted to professor in 1995 and became the AstraZeneca Chair in Organic Synthesis in 1998. In 2003 he was awarded the Merck Frosst/NSERC Industrial Research Chair. Among his awards are the first BioMega Prize, a Sloan Fellowship, Lilly Granteeship, Merck Frosst Lecture Award, the Steacie Fellowship, Rutherford Medal, Solvias Prize, and election to the Royal Soci-ety of Canada. All these pale in comparison to his most important title, “Dad!”

Errata

Which Winner is Which?Our sincere apologies to CSC 2004 Award winners, Laurie K. Thompson, FCIC, and Mark Lautens, FCIC, who were identified incorrectly in the May 2004 issue of ACCN.

Eagle EyesThanks to our dedicated readers for catching some unconventional spellings in recent advertisements of “Milestones.”


Section head

Chemputing

Eudora has been my e-mail reader since I first went on the Internet. I have tried the others, but consider

this one to be an e-mailer’s e-mail program that is loaded with features and less prone to the virus infections that target Outlook or Outlook Express. The latest version 6.1 has some interesting features that make my life on the Internet all that much better. As you read this, be aware that version 6.1 is free for downloading at www.eudora.com. You are free to operate it at no charge and you are going to get a very good program when you do so, but you must purchase and register your copy to get access to all the features and turn off those incoming advertisements that enable Qualcomm to give it away.

One of the most interesting of the new features is e-mail relaying. It has enable me to do something with this segment of “Chemputing ” that would have been impos-sible only a few weeks ago. I am currently in the United Arab Emirates teaching a course in industrial water treatment. Without making any changes at all to the way I operate Eudora in Toronto, it will take just one click to send this file on its way from Dubai to Ottawa. I normally use Sympatico with an always-on ADSL connection. I never use that Sympatico address and never give it to anyone . Instead, I have set up a series of multiple personalities for myself on the various services I do use, one for my wife and another for the pussy

cat (of course our cat has her own e-mail address . You can reach her at [email protected]). Each of these personalities is set up with its own information with respect to the appropriate e-mail address and the related smtp and pop servers. Sympatico has its own smtp and pop servers as does silbert.org. Those personalities all know that they should relay the message through the silbert.org smtp server. From my hotel room, I dial 9-500-5555 and log onto emirates.net. There is no need for a log-in name or password, but the hotel takes a Dhs. 10/- service fee. Once on-line, I can run Eudora as if I was at my home base to send and receive e-mail. I have not tested this extensively , but expect that I should be able to do the same from anywhere in the world.

The other interesting version 6 feature is the new spam filter. It has a number of rules that enable it to decide that mail is really for me or just more of that never-ending spam that permeates the Net. If it decides upon the latter, it sends the mes-sages to the Junk mailbox. I’ve set it to delete these in three days. That gives me more than enough time to check over the list to confirm that its choice was right. Having the list pre-screened means I can check it over in seconds rather than the minutes it took before. If the choice was wrong, a right click enables me to re-label it as not being junk and it goes to the correct mailbox. If I find that an e-mail should have been labelled as junk, but wasn’t, a quick Ctrl-J sends it to the junk box. Sorting out the bulk of the junk has been great, espe-cially as somewhere around 75 percent of the incoming mail is spam these days.

Version 6 has expanded the statistics display to include data on its handling of spam. So far, it has been right over 90 percent of the time. When it misses one, it appears to learn from its mistake as any additional mail from that source ends up in the right place. It’s important to recognize that 90 or even 99 percent is not perfect. It has missed some very important messages and labelled them as junk. That means you must be vigilant and do that extra

cross-check. One way to increase the odds that it will not label messages from certain people as being junk is to ensure that their addresses are in your address book. It does not consider e-mail from these addresses to be spam. When our ACCN managing editor recently changed her e-mail address. Hermessages were sent to the Junk pile until I realized what had happened and updated my address book.

Having now used version 6.1 for several weeks, I still feel it is a well-designed, eas-ily run program that follows in the tradition of the earlier versions. It is well worth the price. I just can’t see myself accepting the mediocrity for the masses that comes free from Microsoft. The Eudora installation was simple as it seemed to know exactly what to do with the existing version 5. It kept all the same address book entries, nickname lists and files, etc. Nothing was lost. I did have the choice of saving files in an obscure location favoured by Outlook Express or in the practical location where I keep them. Eudora can also import settings from Netscape Messenger 4.x, 6.0, and higher, Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0, and Outlook 98 or 2000.

Now that I have this review finished, it’s time to give it that click. Then I can mosey down to the Gold Souk and maybe take an abra (water taxi) ride across The Creek. In fact, I can take ten abra rides across The Creek both ways for what the hotel charges for one Internet connection.

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.

Improved Chemunication Marvin D. Silbert


Chemfusion

Lip ServicePeer into the makeup kits of Queen Nefertiti and Marilyn Monroe

Joe Schwarcz, MCIC

I don’t know if Marilyn Monroe ever made it into heaven. St. Cyprian, a 3rd-century Christian writer, surely would

have argued that her chances were slim. God looked unfavourably on women who showed up at the Pearly Gates wearing lipstick , he maintained, because humans were created in God’s image and altering this image was sinful. The Creator, presumably , did not wear lipstick. But Queen Nefertiti, who ruled Egypt with her husband Akhenaten from 1379–1362 B.C., did, and would undoubtedly have had a different view on the matter.

How do we know that the Egyptian queen, who lived over 3,000 years ago, used lipstick? It’s pretty obvious if you visit the Egyptian Museum in Berlin. The museum’s prime attraction is a bust of Nefertiti, one of the most celebrated ancient artefacts in existence . The limestone bust was beauti-fully painted by its sculptor, leaving no doubt that the ancient Egyptians used cosmetics for their eyes and lips.

What did they use? The dark makeup around the eyes was a blend of black lead sulfide and white lead carbonate. These were derived from galena and cerussite, minerals mined around the Red Sea. We actually know this thanks to the Egyptians’ belief in an afterlife. They thought life, and all the usual human activities, would some-how continue in the next world. Tombs, accordingly , were filled with food supplies and cosmetics. The need to be attractive and to seduce , the Egyptians believed, did not stop with death. Numerous cosmetic containers have been recovered from ancient Egyptian burial sites and their contents analyzed by modern chemical techniques. Lead compounds used in eye makeup have been definitively identified, mixed with fat (most likely goose fat) to facilitate spreading.

But what Nefertiti and others may have used on their lips is more of a mystery. The best bet is that Egyptian women reddened their lips with clay tinted with iron oxide or with cinnabar, a naturally occurring form of mercury sulfide. This could have led to some nasty, although unrecognized scenarios,

given that mercury compounds are highly toxic. Luckily, though, there may have been other, safer options for colouring lips.

Bug juice does not sound too appetizing, but it may have served the purpose. A pow-erful red dye produced by squishing the wingless “kermes ”—insects that inhabit certain species of oak trees—was well known at the time and certainly could have been used to dye lips. Some sources claim that the Egyptians used carmine, an extract of the cochineal insect for this purpose. His-torians would disagree since these insects are native to South America and were not introduced into Europe until the 16th-cen-tury. Carmine was, however, the basis of the first modern lipstick, which dates back only to about 1915.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised that lipstick is a relatively recent development . After all, there is a lot of sophisticated chemistry involved. Just think of the requirements . The components cannot be toxic, cannot taste bad, and must not irritate or dry the lips. A lipstick must not melt in a purse, has to spread evenly, and must have good preservative qualities. Of course, the colouring agent cannot be water-soluble because even the slightest drool would then result in streaks on the chin. These stringent conditions are not met through random mixing of substances but rather through the application of scien-tific principles.

Oil extracted from castor beans mixed with beeswax is an ideal base for lipstick. This combination, modified with carnauba or candelilla wax (both from plant sources), makes for a stiff “thixotropic” blend that softens when pressure is applied. The mix is somewhat sticky but the addition of iso-propyl myristate reduces drag. Emollients such as cholesterol, or lanolin from sheep’s wool, are added to prevent water loss and keep the lips moist. Butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) or butylated hydroxy anis-ole (BHA) are preservatives that prevent the oils in the product from going rancid. You’ll also find these chemicals in your cereal . Then of course there are the colours.

Carmine is still used but modern chemistry has made available a spectrum of other pig-ments. Most of these are rendered insoluble in oil or water by reacting them with alumi-num compounds to produce a “lake,” which is then ground into very fine particles that can be suspended in the base.

Colour changing lipsticks use an alternate chemistry. One of the ingredients (eosin, for example) is only lightly coloured until it becomes a strong red upon reacting with proteins in the skin. In the tube, the lipstick is blue, coloured with an aluminum lake. When applied to the lips the red colour develops and overpowers the blue shade. A bit of fun and some interesting chemistry!

Is there any health risk with lipstick? Of course there are the usual inflammatory Web sites that describe how women ingest four pounds of the stuff during a lifetime and denounce lipstick as “the most danger-ous of all cosmetics.” Absurd! Rare allergies to lipstick are possible. In one case, a young boy developed breathing problems after lip-stick had been applied for his performance in a play. Later, his face swelled when kissed by his grandmother.

The biggest risk with lipstick may be getting it on the collar. This can damage fabrics as well as lives. Rubbing alcohol and a prewash such as “Shout” can usually get rid of the stain. Fixing lives damaged by the wrong shade of lipstick is tougher. Presi-dent Kennedy may have known something about that. If St. Cyprian was right, Marilyn Monroe’s trademark red lipstick may have kept her out of heaven, but it is rumoured to have gotten her into the White House.

Popular science writer, Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, is 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. The broadcast

is available on the Web at www.CJAD.com. You can contact him at [email protected].


Section head

Chemical Shifts

Watching aluminum melt

Watching metals melt is not everybody’s idea of a thrilling time—makers of tin-soldiers

excluded , of course. Now, researchers at the University of Toronto (U of T) have received a considerable amount of attention by dem-onstrating that melting can happen quickly, very quickly actually, and by directly observing the associated atomic motion.

U of T professor R. J. Dwayne Miller, along with co-workers Bradley J. Siwick, Jason R. Dwyer, and Robert E. Jordan, have heated a 20nm thin foil of polycrys-talline aluminum using a 120 femtosecond (fs) laser pulse. They observed the change in long and short range order using femtosec-ond electron diffraction (Science, 302, (2003), 1382). Electron diffraction, and similarly X-ray diffraction, are standard techniques in the determination of crystal structures. But they are usually associated with stable species and long measurement times. It is therefore an immense feat that the U of T researchers were able to build an electron gun capable of creating intense electron pulses of about 500fs duration (Chem. Phys., 299, (2004), 285). It is even more amazing that they could maintain this pulsewidth for the time it took the elec-trons to travel to the target aluminum foil and could focus on the same spot that was hit by the laser pulse a little earlier—thereby over-coming the tendency of the electrons to repel each other.

As a result, Miller and his group have obtained snapshots of the aluminum crys-tal structure taken 500 fs apart (for you movie buffs: that’s 2x1012 frames per sec-ond!) showing how first the long range order disappears and then the short range order, until after about 3.5 ps the diffraction pattern is identical to the pattern of liquid Al. Within the first 1.5 ps, the temperature in the crystal rises to 1400 K, which is well above the melting temperature of 933 K. The superheated crystal then literally “shakes itself apart” over the next 2 ps or so until the entire illuminated area is molten.

The movie of the diffraction patterns, as they evolve in time (see Figure 1), is

probably the first that shows the motion of an ensemble of atoms in real time. Two interesting observations can be made directly from the movie. First, the aluminum crystal does not expand prior to melting. And second , that the timescale of melting implies a truly thermal process. Previously it had been speculated that femtosecond laser excitation might lead to electronic excitation of the metal crystal, and the fast onset of disorder is due to a change in bonding char-acter. Miller and co-workers argue that it is thermal motion of the aluminum atoms that cause the disappearance of long range order. In more technical terms, one could state that the barrier crossing to melting happens in the ground electronic state as opposed to an excited state. This is important, since dynam-ics involving photoexcited barrier crossings don’t pertain to the actual “thermal” phase transition.

Miller believes that theoreticians will be interested in making use of the experimentally obtained time-resolved diffraction patterns (or rather the evolution of the atom-atom correla-tion functions) to gain a better understanding of many-body pair potentials in liquids and solids and everything in between.

Soaking up some sulfate

Nature has several different proteins that absorb sulfate ions. The recep-tors in these proteins are believed

to bind sulfate by forming multiple strong hydrogen bonds between neutral H-bond donors and the charged sulfate anion. Chem-ists have tried to model these interactions by the synthesis of receptors that interact with sulfate via well-placed hydrogen bond donor groups and positively charged substituents. In a recent communication appearing in the Journal of the Americal Chemical Society (2004, 126, 5030), a synthetic receptor fea-turing 8 hydrogen bonding groups is reported that has binding constants for sulfate exceeding 105 in DMSO. Canada Research Chair Stephen Loeb, FCIC, at the Univer-sity of Windsor, graduate student Chantelle Bondy, MCIC, and collaborator Philip Gale from the University of Southampton, U.K., have shown that isoquinoline ligands deco-rated with pendant ureas are very efficient sulfate binders.

The central Pt2+ metal serves both to organize the urea arms and also to provide a stabilizing electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged anion and the posi-tively charged metal as shown in Figure 2a. Interestingly, the nature of the interaction depended on the anion. Chloride binds in a 2:1 fashion as shown in Figure 2b, with a binding constant of almost 12,000 (K1, and ca. 2000 for K2). In addition to the expected NH–chloride hydrogen bonds, a significant interaction was observed both in solution and solid state between chloride and an adjacent C–H.

In the case of sulfate, a 1:1 complex was formed which had a binding constant greater than 105, beyond the limit of detec-tion using NMR measurements. Phosphate also bound in a 1:1 fashion with a simi-larly high binding constant. The structure of the sulfate complex, as determined by crystallography, is shown in Figure 3. In this case all 8 of the NH urea substituents are oriented towards a single anion, which likely explains the extremely high binding constants observed with this receptor.

Figure 1

Chemical ShiftsWhat’s new in chemistry research? Chemical Shifts offers a concentrated look at Canada’s latest developments. Cathleen Crudden, MCIC

Hans-Peter Loock, MCIC


Plastic-wrapped nanoparticles lead to improved synthesis and control

Inorganic nanoparticles have emerged as one of the most well-defined and useful examples of the advantage of working

on the nano-scale, since their properties are significantly different from bulk metal. Nanoparticles have applications in quantum computing, labelling of biological materials, catalysis, optics and electronic devices. Since many important properties of the metals are de-pendent on their size (for example absorption , magnetic properties, luminescence, catalytic activity), it is very important to prevent ag-glomeration of the individual particles into micrometer- sized clusters (colloids). This is particularly a problem in catalysis when nanoparticle catalysts cannot be used at high a temperature due to their agglomeration. The use of ligands on the periphery of the metal can be used to combat this problem, but the difficulty then is that the ligands attenuate the reactivity of the nanoparticle.

In a recent paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, chemistry profes-sor and Canada Research Chair in Advanced Polymer Materials , Eugenia Kumacheva , MCIC, graduate student Jiguang Zhang, and postdoctoral research associate Shengqing Xu describe an interesting approach to solving this problem. The University of Toronto researchers prepare the nano particles inside polymer microves-sels. In addi tion to protecting the nanoparticle against agglomeration, the microvessels con-trol the size and the properties of the individual particle and perhaps most importantly, serve as a template for the synthesis of a composite material with structural hierarchy.

The polymer microgels are prepared from copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide,

acrylic acid and 2-hydroxyethylacrylate, cross-linked with N,N’-bisacrylamide. After synthesis of the microgel, base is added and metal ions are adsorbed f rom solut ion by charge matching with the negatively charged carboxyl groups. The metal-containing polymers can then react with suitable anions as in the synthesis of CdS semiconductor particles, can be reduced to make metal nanoparticles, or can be oxidized to make magnetic nanoparticles (Figure 4). The resulting metal nanoparticle doped microgels were extremely stable and did not show signs of aggregation for at least four months.

The structure and behaviour of the various nanoparticle composites was examined by a variety of techniques. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to image the materials, which show up as dark particles embedded in lighter polymer beads. The size of the semiconductor nanoparticles could be adjusted by heat treating the mate-rial, which leads to agglomeration of smaller particles within the gel. This results in a noticeable change in the photoluminescent emission bands and the colours of the materials . After refluxing the nanoparticle composites in water, the colour changed from blue to orange or red. Microgels with fewer embedded nanoparticles (lower concentrations ) changed from blue to yellow , thus allowing the Toronto team to fine tune the optical properties of the materials over the entire visible spectral region. In addition to CdS particles, nanometer-sized silver and iron oxide particles were also prepared, the latter of which showed superparamagnetic properties. Even when nanoparticle loading is extremely high (0.7g Fe3O4/g polymer), the nanoparticles displayed excellent magnetic properties with low polydispersity of the nanopar-ticles at an average size of 8.1 nm.

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.

Figure 2 (a) Schematic diagram of chloride complex(b) X-ray crystal structure of chloride complex

Figure 3 (a) Schematic diagram of sulfate complex(b) X-ray crystal structure of sulfate complex

Figure 4 Synthesis of microgel/nanoparticle composites


Historical

At first, the skin care market was dominated by soap-based emulsions; triethanolamine and stearic acid were

common to most skin care formulas. Non-ionic emulsifiers expanded the formulation opportunities by expanding the scope of compatible functional materials. And now, cationic emulsifiers are broadening the range of aesthetics available to the formulator.

The use of cationic emulsifiers is not a new concept. In fact, the application area first seen in the market was baby skin care products. Mennen marketed this line under the tradename Baby Magic™ using two cationic emulsifiers.1 S.C. Johnson & Son launched the second cationic emulsi-fier based product, Curel®. Both products have been successful in the consumer market and other marketers are now incorporating this technology into their new developments.

Skin Deep The role of cationic emulsifiers in the development of modern skin care. High lipophile systems offer enhanced consumer benefits without sacrificing aesthetics.

Angela Paez and Anna Howe

Product data

Characteristics

Cationics have typically been associated with hair care for conditioning. In this application they impart lubricity, anti-static properties, and smoothness to the hair follicles . Because of those characteris-tics and the consumer acceptance of their aesthetics , the interest in cationics for skin care applications has been growing.As the use of cationic emulsifiers increases, there is a growing interest in the use of dif-ferent cationic moieties expanding the sensory options available by modifying the cationic moiety in a formulation. In selecting a cationic emulsifier, there are some points to consider:• Long chain or dialkyl functionality is

milder on the skin; 2

• The hydrophilic/lipophilic ratio must be appropriate for the components in the formula;

• Cationics may be used alone or with co-emulsifiers ;

• Long chain cationics are better emulsifiers .

Three molecules that are most commonly used as emulsifiers in skin care products are distearyldimonium chloride, behentrimonium chloride and palmitamidopropyltrimonium chloride. Distearyldimonium chloride is a dialkyl cationic, while behentrimonium chloride is a mono alkyl cationic. Palmitami-dopropyltrimonium chloride is an amidoquat. Each chemical contributes a specific sensory profile.

Sensory aspectsA comparison of the sensory aspects of dis-tearyldimonium chloride, behentrimonium chloride, and palmitamidopropyltrimonium chloride highlights the unique benefits each chemical contributes.

The formula in Figure 1 was used to characterize the sensory profiles.

Test formula General formula

Deionized water 74.65%

Glycerin 7.65%

Cationic emulsifier 4.75%

Petrolatum 4.55%

Isopropyl palmitate 4.25%

Cetyl alcohol 3.75%

Dimethicone 0.40%

Preservative q.s.

Citric acid (10% sol.) q.s. to pH 4.2–4.3

This formula was established as the base with the type of cationic emulsifier var-ied in the three test lotions. A trained panel evaluated the three formulations to determine the sensory attributes that each chemical contributed to the aesthetics. The results of that evaluation are summarized in Figure 2.

Photo by rodrigo gelmi mariano de freitas

Figure 1


By varying the cationic used, distinct aesthetics are obtained from each of the formulations. By changing the cationic emulsifier, it is possible to design specific performance in a formulation as dictated by the product profile and consumer needs.

Formulating with cationic emulsifiersFormulating with cationic emulsifiers is straightforward, and similar to the more common nonionic system, but there are some techniques that will improve the resulting cationic formulations.• The pH should be adjusted to be acidic,

preferably to 4.2–4.4. Healthy skin has a pH of 4.2–4.6 and an acidic formulation minimizes any skin incompatibility issues . An acidic pH is compatible with the acid mantle of skin and helps to maintain it.4

Common acids and bases are suitable for any adjustments that are needed

• The addition of a monovalent salt, such as sodium chloride, will improve the viscosity profile of the formula and stabi-lize the emulsion. When this is done, the resultant viscosity curve is very similar to those developed in thickening surfac-tant systems with electrolytes.5

Salt curves for the three cationic emulsifiers evaluated are shown in Figures 3–5.

INCI Name

Disteraryldimonium chloride

Behentrimonium chloride

Palmitamidopropyl- trimonium chloride

SENSORY ASPECTS OF CATIONIC EMULSIFIERS

Type

Dialkyl

Monoalkyl

Amidoquat

Structures3 Properties associated with hair care

• Good antistatic properties

• Excellent emulsifier

• Very effective conditioning agent

• Thickening effect• Soluble in

shampoo formulas

• Excellent softener

Sensory Parameters for skin care

• Non-whitening• Powdery• Matte finish

• Slight whitening effect

• Slight tack• Matte finish• Cooling effect

• Powdery• Matte finish• Nice after-feel

2,000,000

1,500,000

1,000,000

500,000

00 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1

Distearyldimonium chloride salt effect

NaCl (%) Glass Plastic

Vis

cosi

ty (

cps)

100,000

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

0

Behentrimonium chloride salt effect

NaCl (%) Glass Plastic

Vis

cosi

ty (

cps)

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1

Effects of salt

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 2

CH3(CH2)16CH2–N–CH2(CH2)16CH3 CI−

CH3(CH2)20CH2–N–CH3 CI−

CH3(CH2)14C–NH(CH2)3–N–CH3 CI−

=

0

––

CH3

CH3

+

––

CH3

CH3

+

––

CH3

CH3

+


Emulsifier Emulsion Emulsifier Stabilizer Electrolyte Emulsion stability: type conc. [%] conc. [%]1 conc. [%]2 min. and max. temp [°C] VARISOFT® TA-100 Lotions 3.5 – 5.5 3.0 – 5.0 0.03 – 0.08 -25 to +50(Distearyldimonium chloride) Creams 5.0 – 5.5 5.0 – 7.0 0.05 – 0.08 -25 to +50

VARISOFT® BT-85 Lotions 0.5 – 5.0 1.0 – 4.0 0.05 – 0.08 -25 to +50 (Behentrimonium chloride) Creams 4.0 – 5.0 5.0 – 6.0 0.05 – 0.08 -25 to +50

VARISOFT® PATC Lotions 4.0 – 4.75 3.75 – 5.0 0.03 – 0.05 -25 to +50(Palmitamidopropyltrimonium Creams 4.0 – 4.75 5.0 – 7.0 0.05 – 0.08 -25 to +50chloride)

Salt is important to the system for the pur-pose of viscosity profiling and stability enhancement. Additionally:• Anionic additives can exhibit incompat-

ibility issues;• Carbomers are not effective thicken-

ers/stabilizers and the formula may experience stability issues if they are incorporated .5 Fatty alcohols are effec-tive thickeners;

• Use of polyquaternium materials and higher levels of alcohol content will help create a long-term stable emulsion.6

Based on the data that has been developed, Figure 6 outlines some suggested formulat-ing parameters. As formulation additives may impact the overall emulsion stability and aesthetics, it is important to evaluate the final formulation for the properties and stability.

ConclusionCationic emulsifiers offer the formulator a new tool in developing products to meet consumer needs and wants. The unique properties of cationic emulsions enable the development of high lipophile systems that offer enhanced consumer benefits without sacrificing aesthetics. Cationic emulsions have a smoother, more powdery feel than conventional nonionic or anionic emul-sions. Consumer markets that would benefit from this technology include the facial and hand and body care segments, where it is used today, as well as sun care, cosmetics, pharmaceutical bases, and treatment prod-ucts where a non-oily, high lipophile system is advantageous.The growth in cationic emulsions available to the consumer supports the fit between this technology and the market needs.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Janet Kosiek for her editing and input.

Anna M. Howe completed her undergraduate studies in chemistry at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She

is a member of the Association of Formulating Chemists and the Society of Cosmetic Chemists ,

with 16 years experience in the cosmetic industry . She has a number of publications in

the personal care area and holds one application patent. Presently, is the manager for applied

research of skin care at Degussa -Goldschmidt Chemical Corporation.

Angela D. Paez completed her undergraduate studies in biochemistry and chemistry at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter. She has been employed with Degussa-Goldschmidt since 1996, spending almost five years in research and development. Currently she is a chemist for the Personal Care

Applied Research of Skin Care at Degussa-Goldschmidt Chemical Corporation.

References1. Beauty Aids Report. Chain Drug Review

(January 20, 2003) p. 18.2. Jungermann, Eric. Cationic Surfactants

(Marcel Dekker Inc. 1970) pp. 527–613.3. CTFA. 2000. April 2002.

www.ctfa-online.org.4. Schueller, Ron et al. Conditioning Agents

for Hair and Skin (Marcel Dekker Inc. 1999), pp. 23–243.

5. Klein, Ken. “Cationic Emulsifiers: A Most Underutilized Category” Cosmetics & Toiletries Magazine Vol. 117, No. 12 (Dec. 2002), pp.21–23.

6. Barker, Graham. “Cationic lotions,” Cosmetics and Perfumery (April 1970).

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

Palmitamidopropyltrimonium chloride salt effect

NaCl (%)

Vis

cosi

ty (

cps)

Glass Plastic

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1

Figure 5

Figure 6


Cosmetic Questions? Ask the Expert

The National Society of Cosmetic Chemists has organized Ask the Expert to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and new developments in cosmetic research and technology.

This new educational tool allows users to seek answers to questions on pre-selected topics relat-ing to the cosmetic sciences. Members on the pre-selected panel of experts respond to questions submitted to Ask the Expert. Questions must pertain to the designated topics and should be as brief as possible.

The pool of experts include CEP instructors , consulting members, journal reviewers, monograph authors , authors of the Journal of Cosmetic Science, renowned scientists , and recognized experts in particular fields. This service is free.

So go ahead! Ask the Expert at www.scconline.org/members/ask _the_expert.shtm.

Phot

o by

Pet

er O

ng


Turning Back the Hands of Time Is aging a disease? Progress is being made in the search for anti-aging compounds.

James S. Wright, MCIC

According to the standard drug design paradigm, a drug therapy is targeted for a particular disease

according to well-established procedures, such as to:• Obtain an X-ray structure of the relevant

protein and ligand (small-molecule) complex that activates the disease symptoms ;

• Develop small-molecule inhibitors through high-throughput screening using combinatorial libraries or virtual screening programs or both;

• Optimize the “lead molecules” by chemical modification to improve their biological activity.

But how does one target the “disease” called aging? (Most people who would argue that aging is not a disease are under 50!) The problem is that aging actually is a spectrum of degenerative changes and is by its nature multifactorial. According to the Free Radical Theory of Aging (FRTA), the superoxide free radical generated as a one percent by-product of normal metabolism is converted through acid-base and redox chemistry into the more active oxidizing agent hydrogen peroxide. H2O2, which can be deactivated by the enzymes catalase and/or glutathione peroxidase, may however go on to form, usually through interaction with transition metals, the highly oxidizing hy-droxyl radical (HO•). HO• can then attack any biological substrate, including lipid, protein, carbohydrate, or DNA, leading to undesirable end products such as lipid peroxides, protein carbonyls, or hydroxyl-ated DNA adducts, with a resulting loss of biological function. These compounds and others represent biomarkers for the situa-tion generically termed “oxidative stress.” The FRTA basically says that the cumula-tive effects and progressive damage caused by oxidative stress correlate with biologi-cal aging. So it makes sense to intervene

chemically to try to reduce free-radical-induced damage.There are two obvious pathways for intervention : • Try to reduce the rate of initiation of

superoxide free radicals; • Try to interrupt chain reactions propa-

gated by free radicals already present.

Since the metabolic errors are proportional to the rate of metabolism, slowing the met-abolic rate should produce proportionally fewer free radicals. Simplifying metabo-lism to glucose + O2 + ADP ➙ CO2 +

H2O + ATP, reducing caloric intake (less glucose), or reducing oxygen consumption (living at high altitude) should produce fewer free radicals in the initiation step. Indeed, caloric restriction (CR) has been shown to increase maximum lifespan in rodents and other animals by 25 percent or more as well as reduce tumour incidence in the older animals . CR may also work for humans , but it takes a long time to do the experiment! Nevertheless, the CR society believes that there is no reason why caloric

restriction should not apply to humans, and an increasing number of people are using themselves as subjects for the experiment (see www.calorierestriction .org). The persistence of this atypical behaviour remains to be seen, but we are all aware of the reverse problems associated with the increase in obesity.

Assuming that radicals have already been generated, the next approach is to try anti-oxidant therapy to reduce the damage the radicals may cause. Four years ago, with the help of an NSERC Strategic Project Grant, we began a series of experiments aimed at retarding the effects of aging by the system-atic design, synthesis, and testing of novel antioxidants. Because of the lack of an obvious genetic target, we began by exam-ining effective naturally occurring chemi-cal antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. We refined existing theoretical methods so we could accurately predict the chemi-cal behaviour of antioxidants, based on the bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) of the weakest, and hence most reactive, bond in each molecule1.We determined that an optimum “design window” for the weak bond in a lipophilic antioxidant would be between 68–77 kcal mol-1—weaker than the bond in α-tocopherol (the most active antioxidant component of vitamin E) but stronger than the OH bond in ascorbate anion. The reason for this choice lies in the biochemistry of an antioxidant. After it becomes oxidized to form a radical, it must be reduced to regenerate anew the antioxidant. Vitamin C provides the reduc-ing power.

Within this design window we saw many synthetic possibilities. Others were contrib-uted by our colleagues Tony Durst, FCIC (University of Ottawa), and Ross Barclay, FCIC (Mount Allison University). Early on in this work, we settled on catechols (or ortho-hydroxyphenols) as the most promis-ing target for the synthetic work. The reason

… if chemical

antioxidants

are effective at

reducing oxidative

stress, can they

also increase

longevity?

Photo by Ridha


for this is simple—catechol has a BDE which lies a full 9 kcal mol-1 below phenol (phenol has a BDE of 87 kcal mol-1) and thus, with no other functional groups, catechol itself is almost in the design window . Adding other electron donors such as methyl to the ben-zene ring results in a variety of molecules within the window. Some of these were syn-thesized by 2001 and they behaved exactly as predicted: lower BDE, faster reaction rate with free radicals2, 3.

In the original NSERC proposal, we intended to study the antioxidant properties in micelles, as a simulated cell model, and then to test the promising candidates in ani-mals. Other colleagues including David Miller (Carleton University) pointed out the fallacy of this approach. Prior to any consideration of using animals, you first need to study toxicity of your compounds in cell culture and dem-onstrate efficacy. With assistance from Miller and Bill Willmore (Carleton University) we set up a cell culture facility at Carleton to test the new antioxidants.

Originally, we used human leukemia cultures (HL-60 strain) and later PC12 (adrenal ) cell cultures, which had been selected to produce an adherent cell type. We quickly learned the many practicalities involved in the choice of cell type (some-what arcane, but cells that adhere to a plate have advantages). We had to deal with exasperating problems of optimal growth and reproducibility including unexpected problems such as genetic drift. After a dif-ficult start-up period, cell growth became satisfactory. We then had to pose the follow-ing questions: • What is the toxicity of our antioxidants

to the cells, and how do we measure toxicity ?

• What is a suitable oxidative stressor to choose in our cell line?

• How strong are the protective effects of the antioxidant, i.e. the resistance to oxidative stress?

We assumed that according to the FRTA, if we could substantially reduce the amount of oxidative stress present, then the cells (organism) would possibly live longer. Certainly they could be expected to have a more healthy old age.

By 2002, cell testing was in full swing. We looked at about eight synthetic anti-oxidants, as well as some well-known ref-erence antioxidants such as resveratrol (in wine), epigallocatechin gallate (in tea), and solubilized forms of vitamin E. At this stage, we rediscovered some well-known problems with catechols. Through the loss of the two exchangeable H-atoms in the OH groups, they become quinones, via forma-

tion of the semiquinone. Symbolizing the catechol as QH2, semiquinone as QH• and quinone as Q, the antioxidant behaviour comes from the reaction QH2 + LOO• ➙ QH• + LOOH, which breaks the chain reac-tion of lipid peroxidation (here LOO• could be a lipid peroxyl radical, which is a chain carrier, and LOOH is the lipid hydroperox-ide product ).

However, catechols also have a “dark side.” They can act as pro-oxidants. First, the semiquinone QH• has a low pK and will ionize at biological pH into its anion Q•¯. Then the electron transfer reaction Q•¯ + O2 ➙ Q + O2

•¯ converts molecular oxygen into superoxide anion. The quinone is then reduced by the one-electron reduc-ing enzyme cytochrome P450 reductase and a redox cycle begins . This is a chain reac-tion using molecular oxygen as the reagent and the quinone as the catalyst. The result is ultimately the production of H2O2 (via disproportionation from superoxide, or from the enzyme superoxide dismutase that converts superoxide into hydrogen peroxide plus oxygen), which in high enough concen-trations is toxic to cells.

By 2003, we saw that our growing array of synthetic catechols were proving to be strong hydrogen peroxide producers and were much too toxic to consider as potential anti-aging drugs. Our chemical antioxidants had fallen victim to biological enzymes that turned them into powerful pro-oxidants! We had to change direction, to look for catechols that had a low

BDE for loss of the first (antioxidant) H-atom, but a high BDE for loss of the second (redox-cycle generating) H-atom. A possible solution was provided by Barclay and Durst via the family of naphthalenediols . 1,2- and 1,4-naph-thalenediol are very active pro-oxidants , how-ever 1,8- and 2,3-naphthalenediol are not; the latter two do not lose the second H-atom to form quinones at all. The reason for this difference has to do with loss of aromaticity in the benzene ring adjacent to the dicarbonyl groups. When aromaticity is lost, as in the 2,3-naphthoquinone, a heavy energy penalty is paid and the result is stabilization of the intermediate semiquinone. Durst prepared the substituted compound 1,4-dipropyl-2,3-naphthalenediol (termed DPND), which is now looking promising in our battery of tests on cells. First, unlike the single-ring catechols that autoxidize in water and are strong per-oxide generators in cells, DPND does not and is not. Unlike the catechols or 1,4-naphthal-enediol, DPND is relatively non-toxic to cells. Finally, it has shown significant resistance to oxidative stress, increasing the viability of cells subjec t to such stress.

Thus, in 2004, after much testing, we believe that we have a new family of lead compounds with good biological activity. They are currently being tested:• For toxicity in hepatic cells (Peter O’Brien,

University of Toronto);• In an “animal-on-a-chip” model (Michael

Shuler, Cornell University);

Photo by Matthew Bowden


• In cortical neurons (Michael Poulter and Bruce Pappas, Carleton University);

• For longevity and oxidative stress experiments on nematodes (Chandra Srinivasan, California State University, Fullerton).

Our second lead compound is the 1,8-naph-thalenediol provided by Barclay, along with derivatives of this structure, and so far this family of compounds also has desirable chemical and biological properties.

But even if lead compounds are effective at reducing oxidative stress, can chemical antioxidants increase longevity? Recent experiments by C. K. Lee and co-workers4 compared the effects of the antioxidants α-lipoic acid and coenzyme Q10 to caloric restriction on the longevity of mice. They monitored the expression of 9,977 genes via DNA microarrays in these experiments, and showed that although all three ap-proaches showed reduced markers of oxida-tive stress, only CR increased maximum life span (by 13 percent ). Further , they showed that only CR prevented the all-important age-related changes in mitochondrial energy metabolism .

From these experiments on gene expression , we now have an additional

consideration in the study of aging. We can think about a new target for drug design — how can we maintain energy metabolism at youthful levels? We have come full circle —we can now return to the paradigm of structure-based drug design with new molecular targets. Thus by combining the development of molecules to reduce oxi-dative stress, along with identification of critical energy-related proteins , we have the beginnings of a rational approach to slow the aging process .

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank the many colleagues involved in this project, and particularly the students Mihaela Flueraru, MCIC, and Alex Chichirau, MCIC, who developed the cell culture facility, and Leo Chepelev who did many of the theoretical calculations.

References

1. J. S. Wright, E. R. Johnson and G.A. DiLabio, “Predicting the Activity of Phenolic Antioxidants: Theoretical Method, Analysis of Substitutent Effects and Application to Major Families of

antioxidants ,” J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 123, (2001), pp. 1173–1183.

2. M. C. Foti, E. R. Johnson, M. R. Vinqvist, J. S. Wright, L. R. C. Barclay and K. U. Ingold, “Naphthalene Diols: A New Class of Antioxidants. Intramolecular Hydro-gen Bonding in Catechols, Naphthalene Diols and their Aryloxyl Radicals,“ J. Org. Chem. 67, (2002), pp.5190–5196.

3. H. H. Hussain, G. Babic, T. Durst, J. S. Wright, M. Flueraru, A. Chichirau and L. L. Chepelev, “Development of Novel Antioxidants: Design, Synthesis and Reactivity ,” J. Org. Chem. (2003), pp.68, 7023-7032.

4. C. K. Lee, T. D. Pugh, R. G. Klopp, J. Edwards , D. B. Allison, R. Weindruch and T. A. Prolla, “The Impact of α-Lipoic Acid, Coenzyme Q10, and Caloric Restric-tion on Life Span and Gene Expression Patterns in Mice,” Free Rad. Biol. Med. (2004), 36, pp. 1043–1057.

James S. Wright, MCIC, is Chancellor’s Professor of Chemistry at Carleton University’s

Ottawa-Carleton Chemistry Institute.


Phthalates in Cosmetics Buyer beware or just another scare?

Denise Mann

You step out of the shower, dry off, and apply satiny-smooth lotion all over your body. Are you hydrating

your skin or damaging your fertility? And what about that French manicure you have scheduled for Saturday? Will it make your hands look gorgeous at Saturday night’s af-fair or render your husband infertile? Also, your eau de toilette, will it make you smell like Spring all day long or merely increase your unborn child’s risk of birth defects?

Clearly these questions do not occur to the average consumer, as we stroll down the personal care aisle in our local drug store or go about our grooming rituals, but there is a growing group of advocates who say that these are the very questions we should be asking ourselves.

However, other groups urge caution stat-ing that we should not throw the baby out

with the bath—or toilette water—as the case may be.

Certain controversial chemicals known as “phthalates” are used in hair products, deodorants, body lotions, fragrances, and nail polishes. Small amounts of a phthal-ates known as dibutyl phthalate (DBP) make nail polish chip resistant and when perfumes are dissolved in diethyl phthal-ate (DEP) or dimethyl phthalate (DMP), their scent lingers longer. In hair sprays, phthalates avoid stiffness by allowing the spray to form a flexible film on the hair.

Some health advocates argue that use of these chemicals among women of child-bearing age is leading to birth defects and declining sperm counts across the globe. Others argue that phthalates have been used for years and there is no evidence that they cause any harm in humans. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Phthalates in Cosmetics 101

Phthalates are a group of chemicals used in hundreds of products. Some examples include toys, vinyl flooring and wall covering , detergents, lubricating oils, food packaging, pharmaceuticals, blood bags and tubing, and personal care products such as perfume, nail polish, hair sprays, body lotions, soaps, and shampoos.

A recent review by the independent Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) panel found no evidence that the use of phthal-ates in cosmetics poses any health risk to users. The decision incensed certain healthcare advocate groups who say phthalates should be banned from use in women’s cosmetics. The Environmen-tal Working Group of Washington, D.C. recently called on women of reproduc-tive age to shun cosmetics containing dibutyl phthalates (DBP) at a press conference .

According to Not Too Pretty—an advertis-ing campaign sponsored by Coming Clean, the Environmental Working Group, and Health Care Without Harm—cosmetic and personal care companies say that the level of phthalates in their products is safe, and this might be true if people were exposed to only one phthalate from one source at a time.

However, they state, exposures add up and since many phthalates have similar effects, we may be affected by the total exposure to this group of chemicals. In other words, what appears to be a tolerable level of exposure to a single phthalate could contribute to an unsafe overall exposure.

There’s activity across the globe when it comes to phthalates and cosmetics. Earlier this year, the European Parliament prohib-ited the use of the phthalates DEHP and DBP in cosmetics. A European study found that four out of five products tested in Britain and Sweden contained at least one phthal-ate and more than half contained multiple phthalates .

The proof is in the … perfume?

At the centre of the maelstrom are results from a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA. Researchers tested 289 adults aged 20 to 60 for seven metabolites associated with exposure to various phthalates and found it was present in all of those tested, with women of child-bearing age having the highest levels . What’s more, blood levels of two of the seven phthalates that they tested for—DEP and DBP—were higher than levels of other phthalates that are produced in greater quantity.

Still, most industry insiders are standing behind the CIR report. Gerald McEwen, vice-president of science at the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CTFA), said that the highest dose rodents can

The highest dose

rodents can tolerate

without getting

sick is more than

1,000 times higher

than the phthalate

kick that could be

expected by a heavy

user of cosmetics

Photo by Doug Eldridge


tolerate without getting sick is more than 1,000 times higher than the phthalate kick that could be expected by a heavy user of cosmetics .

Cosmetic makers, he said, calculate a risky dose to humans at more than 36,000 times higher than the expected phthalate dose from cosmetics.

“Consumers can be absolutely secure in the use of cosmetic products that have phthalates,” states McEwen.

Gil Ross, medical director of the American Council on Science and Health in New York City, agrees stating that “Phthalates, in gen-eral, have a variety of very important uses in medicine having to do with flexible plas-tics including intravenous lines, bags, and surgical devices.”

When it comes to using phthalates in medicine, there is no safe substitute that has been studied as extensively, he adds.

“There has never been any valid data to link phthalate exposure to adverse health effects in human beings from environmental exposures including cosmetics. And, they have been used for decades,” Ross states. “I feel very strongly that no harm would come to any human from exposure to phthalates in cosmetics.”

Tip sheet

The one thing both sides would probably agree on is the importance of an educated consumer. Knowing what is in the products you trust will enable you to make informed choices.

“If a product uses phthalates, it will be listed on ingredient list,” McEwen says. “The only time where there would not be a phthalate identified would be when it was a part of the fragrance and in that case ‘fragrance’ would be on the label and any consumer that wanted to know could and should contact the company.

Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.

Copyright 2004. This article has been reprinted with permission from DERMAdoctor.com, Inc. License No. 3.5405.642257-30567

Denise Mann is a contributing writer to DERMAdoctor.com .

THE FOLLOWING ARE JUST A SAMPLING OF

Phthalates-free products:

Hand and body lotions M.D. Forté Hand & Body CreamTheraSeal Hand ProtectionVanicream Moisturizing Skin Care Cream

Hair care Free & ClearTricominNizoral A-D Shampoo Pentrax 5% Coal Tar Shampoo California North Watermint Conditioner

Nail products T. LeClerc Top CoatT. LeClerc Nail Enamel – Rose Brulant Nailtiques Non-Acetone Remover

Photo by Liz Bogus


What’s the Skinny?Dieters demand the development of new weight loss medications and dietary supplements. Herbal is in. But are the results more safe and more effective?

William Martineau

Isn’t it ironic? Health consciousness is on the rise, and so is our weight. None of us is stranger to the battle of the bulge, but

North Americans, on average, are expanding. And so is our interest in weight loss. New trends are developing due to recent contro-versies and bans on certain pharmaceuticals. And new herbal-based pharmaceuticals are being developed to keep up with the trends.

Out with the old

In the past few years, sales growth prospects for diet drugs and supplements in Canada and the U.S. have weakened significantly due to changing consumer approaches to weight control and the removal of several large-selling products from the market. Prescription and over-the-counter appetite suppressants are facing fierce competition from alternative weight loss techniques based on low-carbohydrate foods and bev-erages and bariatric surgery. Low-carb diets, popularized by the Atkins plan, and now practised to some extent by an estimated 45 million persons in Canada and the U.S., are proving to be much more than a fad. In 2003, over 300 new low-carb offerings were introduced in the U.S., with approximately 30 new products debuting in Canada.

In addition to low-carb foods and beverages , bariatric surgical procedures are assuming an expanding role in weight control markets. In 2003, an estimated 150,000 patients underwent bariatric sur-gery in Canada and the U.S., up from less than 35,000 patients five years earlier.

Government regulation represents another strong moderating influence on North Amer-ican growth opportunities for diet drugs and supplements. In 2003, both countries initi-ated bans on ephedra, an herbal compound linked to a number of cardiac-related deaths. The impact of the ephedra ban is forcing makers of weight loss supplements to refor-mulate products with safer ingredients.

Beyond product bans, regulations recently adopted in Canada and the U.S. have imposed stricter standards on the labelling , manufacturing, and marketing of diet drugs and supplements. In general, weight loss claims promoted for over-the-counter preparations must now be supported by history of use, traditional references, observational studies, expert committee reports and/or clinical trial data. Proof of efficacy in clinical trials remains the key prerequisite for the approval of prescription appetite suppressants. However , both countries are strengthen-ing post-marketing surveillance systems to monitor the safety of these products in actual patient applications.

Although adversely affected by com-petitive threats and regulatory obstacles, diet drugs and supplements are expected to retain a significant share of weight con-trol markets. In spite of well-documented health and mortality risks, the number of overweight conditions in Canada and the U.S. increased more than two and one-half

times faster than total population gains during the past decade to over 185 million in 2003.

The combined U.S. and Canadian market for diet drugs and supplements is expected to increase 5.3 percent annually to $1.5 billion in 2008. Growth will reflect anticipated improvements in product safety attribut-able to stricter government regulations. The inability to adjust long-term dietary habits will keep many obese and overweight indi-viduals dependent upon prescription drugs or over-the-counter supplements to control their appetites.

What’s on the menu?

Prescription drugs

The challenge of developing products that meet government standards for both safety and effectiveness have kept the overall availability of diet drugs and supplements limited. As noted, safety controversies have prompted the market withdrawal of several effective appetite suppressants in both countries. Moreover, many currently avail-able products have safety issues that inhibit widespread usage. Among these products are the two most widely prescribed anti-obesity drugs orlistat (Xenical – Roche) and sibutramine hydrochloride (Meridia – Abbott Laboratories).

Orlistat is the safest prescription appetite suppressant available in Canada and the U.S., with common side effects restricted to diarrhea, flatulence,and incontinence. As a result, the compound serves as appropriate therapy for clinically obese individuals also suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart failure. Based on safety advantages, orlistat can be prescribed as a long-term weight control therapy.

Sold by Abbott Laboratories as Meridia, sibutramine hydrochloride gained U.S. and Canadian approvals in 1997 for the long-term

Source: The Freedonia Group, Inc.

Parenteral/Enteral

39.1%

MealReplacements

13.3%

PrescriptionDrugs28.4%

MealSupplements

12.9%

DietarySupplements

6.3%

Nutritionals

($8.8 billion)

Weight control products

Photo by Kathy McCullum

demand by category, 2003


The impact of

the ephedra ban

is forcing makers

of weight loss

supplements

to reformulate

products with safer

ingredients

treatment of obesity. The drug is an anorexi-genic agent that acts on two neurotransmitter chemicals (serotonin and norepinephrine) linked to changes in mood and appetite. Clinical studies have shown that sibutra-mine hydrochloride promotes weight loss, but results tend to level off after a ten percent reduction of the initial weight. Moreover, the compound has been linked to a number of potentially serious cardiovascular and central nervous system side effects.

Over-the-counter supplements

Bans on ephedra are causing sweeping changes in the consumer weight control market. Prior to the regulatory actions, ephedra-based products were among the top-selling brands of weight loss dietary supplements. In an attempt to preserve market share, producers have reformulated these brands with new ingredients such as green tea and bitter orange extracts. The ephedra ban will intensify competition in the weight control dietary supplement seg-ment, with blends of herbal compounds and other naturally derived substances such as hoodia and chitosan expected to emerge as the new sales leaders in weight loss applications.

Benefiting from the ban on ephedra, herbal and other naturally derived weight control supplements will generate rapid growth opportunities . Reflecting overall safety and effectiveness, supplements based on 3-acetyl -7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone, chitosan, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), grapefruit extract, green tea extract, guarana

extract, hoodia cactus, hydroxycitric acid, kidney bean extract, and yerba matéé are expected to post the strongest gains in sales. Hoodia cactus supplements hold especially promising market potential due to powerful suppressing effects on appetite sensations in the brain and a lack of harmful side effects.

3-acetyl-7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone

Derived from plant sources, 3-acetyl-7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone is based on a metabolic regulator produced by the ad-renal glands from the hormone DHEA. By increasing the body’s metabolism rate, the compound promotes the burning of calo-ries. Scientific studies have confirmed this action and have shown that supplements based on 3-acetyl-7-oxo-dehydroepiandros-terone are safe for human consumption. The compound serves as the key active ingredient of one of the top-selling weight control products in the U.S.

Bitter orange extract

Bitter orange extract is gaining applications in reformulated weight loss supplements as a substitute for ephedra. The compound is found in a number of large-selling diet prep-arations. Synephrine, the active ingredient of bitter orange extract, exhibits similar appe-tite suppressant and stimulating properties as ephedra. Less favourably, the safety of bit-ter orange extract has not been established, which will likely subject end-use products to tighter regulatory scrutiny.

Chitosan

Derived from shellfish, chitosan is an indigestible compound that binds to fat and passes through the gastrointestinal tract unabsorbed . Based on its actions, chito-san has been adapted to a number of fat blocker supplements . Although somewhat inconclusive, clinical studies indicate that the compound does inhibit the absorption of some fat into the body. One popular supplement contains chitosan, vitamins, karaya gum, pec-tin, and psyllium—a mixture that has shown to be more effective in blocking fat than chi-tosan alone. On balance, chitosan fat blockers will continue to build up demand among over-weight individuals. However, competition from supplements based on kidney bean extract will hold down the level of sales growth.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

CLA is a naturally occurring compound found in the fat of beef, turkey, and dairy

products. Increasing clinical evidence is proving that CLA decreases body fat and promotes weight loss, without causing any serious side effects. The compound appears to reduce fat by regulating enzymes in fat cells, which reduces the rate at which the body deposits fat. Moreover, CLA promotes calorie burning by increasing metabolism. Supplements made from the compound are sold as fat blockers that compete against preparations made from chitosan and kidney bean extracts.

Grapefruit extract

The sustained popularity of the Grapefruit Diet is boosting opportunities for weight control supplements based on grapefruit extract. These preparations generate sig-nificant sales in health stores. Scientifically supported actions of grapefruit extract in-clude speeding up metabolism, cleansing the digestive system and decreasing appe-tite. As a citrus fruit derivative, grapefruit extract does not pose any major health risks to consumers. Less favourably, the appetite suppressant properties of the compound are much weaker than those of competitive ingredients such as bitter orange, green tea extract, and hoodia. Accordingly, grapefruit extract supplements are used primarily by individuals to prevent weight gain, rather than to lose weight.

Green tea extract

Well known for its proven antioxidant health benefits, green tea extract has also been shown in clinical studies to increase the rate of calorie burning. For this rea-son, the compound is being adapted to an increasing number of multi-ingredi-ent weight loss supplements. The calorie burning actions of green tea extract have been linked to the presence of catechin polyphenols that alter the body’s use of nor-epinephrine, a chemical transmitter in the nervous system. Unlike ephedra, the com-pound has been shown not to increase heart rate and therefore is safe to use in weight loss supplements for obese individuals.

Guarana extract

Derived from a South American ever-green plant, guarana extract is used as a fat burner and metabolism booster in a number of weight control supplements. The active ingredient in this compound, guaranine, produces a similar stimulat-ing action as caffeine. Previously, guarana extract was employed in combination diet aids with ephedra. The compound is now


used to enhance the appetite suppressant and metabolic properties of weight control agents such as green tea, hydroxycitric acid and yerba matéé.

Hoodia extract

Hoodia is a cactus found in Africa’s Kala-hari desert. Natives of the area have been eating this plant for thousands of years to ward off hunger during long hunting trips. In recent studies, hoodia has been shown to contain a powerful molecule designated as P57 that stimulates the brain and creates the sensation of a full stomach. P57 has been tested as a potential prescription appetite suppressant by Pfizer in collaboration with Phytopharm plc. Initial results indicate that the compound does not produce any se-vere side effects. While a prescription drug based on P57 is several years away from commercialization, a number of weight loss supplements containing hoodia extracts are available in the over-the-counter market. Based on safety and effectiveness advan-tages, these supplements are projected to generate rapid growth opportunities.

Hydroxycitric acid

Derived from the fruit Garcinia cambogia, hydroxycitric acid is reported to reduce appetite, boost thermogenesis and fat

oxidation , and inhibit the body from storing excess carbohydrates as fat. As a result, the compound is gaining use as an ingredient in over-the-counter appetite suppressants, fat burners, and carbohydrate blockers. Many top selling weight control supple-ments containing hydroxycitric acid. Most applications for the compound are evolving in combination diet aids as recent clinical trials failed to support its appetite reduction properties conclusively.

Kidney bean extract

The main ingredient of carb and starch blockers is phaseolamin, an extract from the white kidney bean. This compound inter-feres with the body enzyme alphaamylase that breaks down carbohydrates into sugar. As a result, carbohydrates are excreted from the body before entering the bloodstream. Most carb and starch blocker supplements also contain other minerals and nutrients, such as chromium and vanadium, to sta-bilize blood sugar and insulin dynamics. Several brands of these supplements have seen sales increase rapidly over the past few years, spurred by the expanding popularity of low-carb diets. The actual effectiveness of phaseolamin in breaking down carbo-hydrates is inconclusive. Some evidence suggests that the compound is destroyed by the digestive system before it can work.

Yerba matéé

Yerba matéé is a South American holly tree (Ilex paraguariensis). Long used as a stimu-lant in teas, yerba matéé extracts produce diuretic and appetite suppressant actions that have led to their incorporation into a number of weight control supplements. The stimulating, diuretic and appetite suppressive features of yerba matéé are attributable to the presence of mateine, a compound similar to caffeine. In addi-tion to weight loss, supplements based on mateine are gaining popularity with body builders due to a reported metabolic action that breaks down carbohydrates during exercise. The overall safety and effective-ness of yerba matéé extracts have not been established conclusively in clinical trials. Some evidence indicates that excessive consumption of the compound can lead to esophageal cancer.

Other compounds

Numerous other naturally derived com-pounds are being adapted to weight loss supplements as producers refine formu-lations and pursue improved safety and

effectiveness objectives. Aloe is some-times added to diet aids to neutralize adverse digestive side effects. The herb cascara is a widely used ingredient in weight loss supplements due to its strong diuretic and laxative-stimulating actions. A catalytic effect on fat metabolism and absorption is broadening applications for cayenne pepper in fat burning prepara-tions. Cinnamon bark extract is often found in the same products based on its apparent acceleration of fat metabolism.

Chromium is an essential mineral that assists the body in fat and carbohydrate metabolism as well as the maintenance of proper insulin levels. Clinical evidence about the effectiveness of these supple-ments is inconclusive. Moreover, sales of chromium picolinate preparations will be weakened by the compound’s recent link-age to several forms of cancer.

Coenzyme Q10, a vitamin-like nutri-ent, is used in supplements taken by obese individuals to speed up fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Some evidence suggests that a deficiency in this nutrient is a contributing cause of obesity. The fruit compound citrus Aurantium, or zhi shi, is a stimulant that combines with caffeine to increase metabo-lism, stimulate fat loss, and suppress appetite. Another fruit extract with appetite suppres-sive properties is citrus naringinine, which serves as an inhibitor of cytochrome P450, a body chemical associated with obesity.

Peppermint leaf contains an oil that aids in increasing blood oxygen and suppressing appetite. Pyruvate, a carbohydrate found in red apples, wine, and cheese, promotes fat loss by increasing cellular respiration. The compound is reported not to cause the nervous reactions associated with fat burners based on chitosan and kidney bean extract, but needs further clinical study to confirm its safety and effectiveness. Lastly, although included in many weight control supplements, extracts of dandelion, kelp, spirulina, and white willow bark have not been proven scientifically to produce any significant weight loss actions.

William Martineau is an authority on the health care industry. He has written studies

for Freedonia for over 15 years in areas of biotechnology , pharmaceuticals, medical

packaging and related areas.

Photo by Nick Cowie


Regulating BeautyTo which products do Canada’s Cosmetic Regulations and related provisions in the Food and Drugs Act apply?

Daphne C. Ripley

Cosmetics are prevalent in our daily lives, from make-up to shaving cream to baby powder. It is estimated that

sales of cosmetics in Canada total over $5.3 billion annually. On average, North American adults use seven different cosmetic products a day (Regulatory Impact State-ment, Regulations Amending the Cosmetic Regulations, Canada Gazette Part I, March 27, 2004).

In order to ensure the health and safety of Canadian consumers, a regulatory frame-work has been developed. Central to this framework are the Food and Drugs Act and the Cosmetic Regulations.

Overview of the Regulatory Scheme

Unlike the sale of drugs to consumers, Health Canada does not approve cosmetics for sale in Canada. Only notification of sale or importation is required.

Notification is a relatively simple proce-dure, consisting essentially of:• information on the name and address

of the manufacturer(s) and Canadian distributo r;

• the cosmetic trade name;• the purpose of the cosmetic;• the form of the cosmetic;• a list of ingredients and concentrations;

and• indication of whether the cosmetic is

intended for human and/or animal use.

Although there is no approval process, there are minimum safety requirements imposed by the Food and Drugs Act and the Cosmetic Regulations. A manufacturer may have to prove product safety, upon request, and the Act and Regulations also allow for random inspection and sampling for compliance. Penalties may be imposed for failure to comply.

Consumers must be provided with a certain amount of information about the product at the time of sale, such as the product identity or function, net amount of product, name and address of manufacturer, and, for some prod-ucts, avoidable hazards and cautions regard-ing use. Interestingly, there is no requirement to provide consumers with a list of ingredi-ents, although regulatory changes have been proposed to make this a mandatory require-ment within the next few years.

Some of the more interesting questions concerning the regulatory scheme, however, arise at a very fundamental level. To what products do the Cosmetic Regulations and related provisions in the Food and Drugs Act apply? The answer to this question is not as simple as one might expect.

What is a cosmetic?

Under the Food and Drugs Act, a cosmetic is defined in terms of a substance’s use in “cleansing, improving or altering the com-plexion, skin, hair or teeth.” Deodorants and perfumes are specifically included in the definition.

Many “cosmetics” available on the market today, however, make other or additional claims than simply “cleansing, improving or altering the complexion, skin, hair or teeth.” Products known as “cosmeceuticals ”, cosmetics having drug-like properties, are becoming more popular. For instance, some cosmetics claim to treat a medical condition, such as dandruff. Others claim to modify a body function, such as aging. Many include medicinal ingredients, such as sodium fluoride to prevent tooth decay. Are these products regulated as cosmetics?

Cosmetic vs. drug

The answer is no—these products are regulated as drugs. Most consumers would

probably be surprised to find that many of their personal care products carry a DIN (“drug identification number”), and are considered drugs, rather than “cosmetics.”

In general, where a product makes a therapeutic claim or claims to modify a body function, that product is no longer considered a cosmetic, but is classified as a drug. For example , while deodorant is con-sidered a cosmetic, acting to control odour in perspiration on the skin’s surface, an antiperspiran t is considered a drug, because antiperspirants suppress the flow of perspiration to the skin’s surface. A deodor-ant does not alter or modify a body function, but an antiperspirant does.

A product cannot be both a drug and a cosmetic, and Health Canada indicates on its web-site that the regulations pertaining to drugs take precedence over those pertaining to cosmetics.

The regulations pertaining to drugs are generally more stringent than those pertain-ing to cosmetics. As previously indicated, before most drugs can be sold in Canada, they must be approved for use, unlike cos-metics. Moreover, there are other specific regulatory provisions, such as those govern-ing the formulation and labelling of drugs, which do not apply to cosmetics. In view of the more complex regulatory regime, it may be desirable to have a product classified as a cosmetic rather than a drug.

It is primarily the claimed utility of the product that is used to determine whether a product is a cosmetic or a drug. As a starting point, Advertising Standards Canada , the Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association and Health Canada have published “Guidelines for Cosmetic Advertising and Labelling Claims.” These guidelines provide a list of generally accepted criteria for accept-able and unacceptable claims, and specific examples .

Photo by Doug Eldridge


Drug-type claims remove the product from the Cosmetic Regulations, engaging the more complex drug regulations.

Of course product claims are not the only criteria used in determining whether a prod-uct is a cosmetic. Product composition is also considered—specifying both the ingre-dients and the amount of each ingredient.

Manufacturers do have some leeway in making cosmetic claims. While mislead-ing advertising is not allowed, a claim that a cosmetic “increases attractiveness” or “increases masculinity” is generally allowed . Since these claims can only be judged subjectively, it is difficult to say that they are misleading.

Other regulatory schemes

There are also a number of other pieces of legislation that may apply in place of or in

conjunction with the cosmetic and drug regu-lations. Central among these are the Natural Health Products Regulations that recently came into force and effect. Under these regula-tions, some products previously classified as drugs will now be classified as natural health products, depending on the ingredients. For instance, an anti-aging cream containing an amino acid falls within the new regulations as a natural health product.

With the rise of cosmeceuticals, the Food and Drug Regulations and Natural Health Products Regulations are becoming increasingly relevant to the cosmetic industry. In a recent article in Chemical & Engineering News (May 3, 2004) entitled “Beauty Before Age,” the rise of anti-aging cosmeceuticals in the skincare industry in the U.S. is described . The author quotes a 14 percent increase in sales of anti-aging prod-ucts in 2003, compared to a 5 percent increase in 2001 and 2002. If we see the same increase

in Canada, then Canadian consumers will prob-ably see more and more products on the market, and in their medicine cabinets, that are drugs or natural health products.

Acknowledgement

The author wishes to thank Nessim Abu-Zahra for his assistance in preparing this article.

Daphne C. Ripley is a lawyer and patent agent in the Ottawa, ON office of Smart & Biggar.

Product Acceptable claim Unacceptable claim

exfoliant “younger looking skin” “reduces aging”

skin cleansers/astringents/toners “antibacterial cleanser” “kills germs”

mouthwash/breath freshener “fights bad breath“ “kills odour-causing germs”

cosmetic suncare products “enhances tan” “accelerates suntan”

Claims for beauty products


Coal tar dye, coal tar dye base or coal tar dye intermediate

According to section 14 of the Cosmetic Regula-

tions, “no person shall sell a cosmetic for use in the area of the eye that contains any coal tar dye, coal tar dye base or coal tar dye intermediate.” “Area of

the eye” is defined by the area bound by the supraorbital and infraorbital ridges and includes the eyebrows, the skin underlying the eyebrows, the eyelids, and eyelashes, the conjunctival sac of the eye, the eyeball and the soft tissue that lies below the eye and within the infraorbital ridge. Permitted in hair dye provided: a. Both the inner and the outer labels carry

the following warning:

“CAUTION: this product contains ingredients that may cause skin irritation on certain individuals and a preliminary test according to accompanying directions should first be made. This product must not be used for dying the eyelashes or eyebrows . To do so, may cause blindness.

“MISE EN GARDE: Ce produit contient des ingrédients qui peuvent causer de l’irritation cutanée chez certaines personnes: il faut donc d’abord effectuer une épreuve préliminaire selon les directives ci-jointes. Ce produit ne doit pas servir à teindre les sourcils ni les cils: en ce faisant, on pourrait provoquer la cécité.” and

b. Instructions to the following effect accompany each package of hair dye:

i. the preparation may cause serious inflammation of the skin in some persons and a preliminary test should always be carried out to determine whether or not special sensitivity exists, and

ii. to make the test, a small area of skin behind the ear or on the inner surface of the forearm should be cleansed, using either soap and water or alcohol, and a small quantity of the hair dye as prepared for use should be applied to the area and allowed to dry. After 24 hours, the area should be washed gently with soap and water. If no irritation or inflammation is appar-ent, it is usually assumed that no hypersensitivity to the dye exists. The test should, however, be car-ried out before each application. On no account should the hair dye be used for dyeing eyebrows or eyelashes as severe inflammation of the eye or even blindness may result.

Photo by Bo Hansen

The Cosmetic Ingredient “Hotlist”Section 16 of the Food and Drugs Act states that no person shall sell a cosmetic product that has any substance in it that may injure the health of the user when the cosmetic is used according to the customary method.

To help manufacturers satisfy this requirement, Health Can-ada has developed a list of substances that are restricted and prohibited for use in cosmetics. The science-based document is reviewed and updated a few times each year as new data becomes available. In this way, the hotlist serves to keep the cos-metic industry aware of new substances of concern. Contact the Cosmetic Division of the Consumer Product Safety Bureau directly to ensure the most accurate information.

Visit their Web site at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cosmetics or e-mail them at [email protected].

This excerpt was taken from the

April, 2004 hotlist that can be viewed in full at

www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hecs-sesc/cosmetics/pdf/hotlist_april_2004.pdf.


‘Do or Dye?Do blondes have more fun? At what cost? Before you head back to the beauty salon, read up on thechemistry and complexities of colouring your hair.

Joe Schwarcz, MCIC

“Does she or doesn’t she?” wasn’t exactly a novel phrase. Many a teenaged boy has pondered this

question, but it was an advertising agency that turned it into one of the most success-ful slogans in history. “Only her hairdresser knows for sure,” was the ballyhooed answer. The year was 1956 and the reference of course was to Clairol’s introduction of a hair “colourant” that could readily be applied at home in a single step. Women would no lon-ger “dye” their hair, the ad agency decided, they would “tint” or “lighten” it. “Never say dye” became the agency’s motto. Hair “dye-ing,” you see, was associated with women who lived fast and loose, an image that was not conducive to selling large volumes of product. Tinting, though, was a different story. Within a few years the percentage of women who coloured their hair increased from seven percent to about 40 percent.

Clairol, of course, did not invent the idea of colouring hair. Early Egyptians already used an extract of the henna plant to impart red or orange highlights, and the Romans made a black hair dye by boiling walnut shells and leeks. But it wasn’t until chemists learned how to synthesize novel compounds from coal tar that truly effective dyes were developed.

Eugene Schueller, a French chemist, is credited with creating the first commercial hair dye. Back in 1909, he came up with a basic formulation. It was very similar in con-cept to the one used today, in that it included para-phenylenediamine (PPD), ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide. He then founded the French Harmless Dye Company, which a year later was more attractively renamed as L’Oréal. Schueller included “harmless” in the name because the coal tar dyes that had been used for fifty or so years to colour fabrics had already developed a reputation for toxicity. In truth, he had no evidence at all that his concoction was harmless, and claims that PPD and its chemical relatives

can have an adverse effect on health have plagued the hair dye industry ever since.

The dye that Schueller created can be referred to as a “permanent dye” because it survives numerous shampooings. Today’s permanent dyes are certainly superior to Schueller’s, but the basic chemistry is the same. The outside layer of a hair shaft, known as the cuticle, is made of a network of overlapping cells that can be likened to a Venetian blind. For chemicals to seep into the underlying layer, the cortex, where the hair pigments are to be found, the “blind” has to be opened. This is where ammonia comes in. It swells the hair and opens the cuticle so that hydrogen peroxide and the other dye components can get to the cortex. Here, the peroxide gets down to work. Its first role is to disrupt some of the chemical bonds found in eumelanin and phaeomela-nin, the natural pigments responsible for black to brown and red to yellowish hair respectively . These molecules have a variety of carbon-carbon double bonds that can absorb certain wavelengths of light and therefore determine the color of hair. Hydrogen peroxide reacts with these double bonds and the altered pigments then reflect most wavelengths of light and the hair appears much lighter. “Peroxide blondes” like Marilyn Monroe owed some of their fame to the marvels of hydrogen peroxide.

But in a permanent dye, this destruction of melanin is just step one. As the cuticle opens up, molecules that are the building blocks of the eventual dye diffuse in to the cortex. There are two distinct species . One, referred to as the “primary,” is exem-plified by the phenylenediamines, and the other, often an aminophenol, is known as the “coupler.” These compounds are stable and do not react with each other until they are mixed with hydrogen peroxide. Once inside the cortex , reaction occurs and primary and coupler join to form a coloured molecule that is now too large to

escape through the slats of the “Venetian blind.” It is permanently locked into the hair! The exact colour depends on which specific primary and which coupler are used. Primaries are usually p-phenylenedi-amines or p-aminophenols while couplers are resorcinols , m-aminophenols , m-phen-ylenediamines, or napthols. Want a nice shade of blue hair? Then you’ll need to couple m-phenylenediamine with p-phen-ylenediamine. A combo of resorcinol and p-aminophenol is what you need if you want to find out if blondes do indeed have more fun.

Unfortunately, repeated dying damages the cuticle, leading to roughness and easy breakage but modern dyes contain con-ditioners that help maintain the cuticle’s integrity. Thickeners can also be added to ensure that the dye does not run down the face and ultraviolet light absorbers keep the newly developed colour from fading in the sunlight.

A further problem with the p-phenyl-enediamines is sensitization. Some users develop dermatitis on the upper eyelids or the rims of their ears but in rare cases there may be a whole body reaction characterized by reddening and swelling of the skin. Many European manufacturers have replaced p-phenylenediamine by toluene-2,5-diamine sulphate, which is less of a sensitizer.

Although “permanent” dyes are by far and away the most popular, “semi-per-manent” and “temporary” dyes are also available . The semi-permanent ones have no ammonia or peroxide and are composed of small coloured molecules that can dif-fuse into the cortex. They resist several shampooings. Nitro-phenylenediamines are the most versatile temporary dyes, and although they are similar to compounds found in permanent dyes, they are used in smaller concentrations. Furthermore, some researchers believe that the potential car-cinogens in permanent dyes are actually

Photo by Bella


created through the oxidation process. 4-Aminobiphenyl, a recognized bladder car-cinogen, can form as an undesired contami-nant in permanent dyes. Temporary dyes are composed of molecules that are too large to penetrate the cuticle and just stick to the surface of the hair shaft and can be readily washed away. These dyes are less appealing in terms of efficacy, but are less controver-sial. Aside from the rare possibility of an al-lergic reaction, they have been shown to be remarkably safe.

The permanent dyes, however, are shrouded in controversy. Some of their component molecules cause cancer in test animals and several human epidemio-logical studies have raised the spectre of a link to bladder cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in humans. A highly publi-cized study at the University of Southern California suggested that women who used permanent dyes regularly over 15 years tripled their risk of bladder cancer. Sounds ominous, but since the risk of bladder cancer is only about one in 14,000, even a tripled risk is very small. A number of other studies have found no link to any cancer at all. Particularly noteworthy is the Nurses Health Study that followed over 90,000 nurses and found no evidence for any association between hair dyes and cancer. It should also be noted that hair dyes have undergone a number of changes in recent years and the compounds used now are not the same as the ones that most people used in the studies that suggested a cancer link. Anyone truly concerned , though, can switch to semi-permanent dyes or temporary ones that have not been implicated in the cancer controversy.

Eventually, biotechnology may put an end to this controversy. Wouldn’t it be great if a gene that codes for hair colouring could be inserted into hair follicles, the tiny organelles in our scalp from which hair grows. This may not be as outlandish as it sounds!

AntiCancer, a California biotech company, has some intriguing preliminary results along these lines. All right, so they are with mice and not with humans. And the hair is green, and only under blue light. But it’s a start. The California researchers were suc-cessful in isolating a gene from jellyfish that codes for the production of a protein that glows green in blue light. They then incor-

porated this gene into an adenovirus and placed a piece of cultured mouse skin into the virus solution. Within hours a green pigment could be s een in the follicles . When the skin was transplanted to live mice, about 80 percent of the hairs that grew were green! This idea may appeal to some of today’s teenagers who favour the idea of fluorescent hair. Although there are simpler ways to do this—like with Kool Aid. Inventive teens have discovered that this beverage can do more than quench thirst. They’ve taken to immersing their hair in a hot solution of the stuff to achieve some amazing effects. Of course one must take care not to end up with a coloured forehead as well. Cherry flavour apparently is the

preferred variety. As one somewhat scientif-ically challenged teen put it, “I don’t like to put chemicals in my hair, I just prefer to use Kool Aid.” Well, he’s probably right about the safety business. Kool Aid is probably more dangerous when drunk than when applied to the hair.

While Kool Aid may be fine for teens who want a punk look, it’s hardly suitable for the older set interested in covering up the grey. This is where lead acetate comes into the picture. Dyes that guar-antee to banish the grey hairs from your head so gradually that no one will be the wiser actually cover the grey with lead sulfide. It is the brown-black color of this compound that does the trick. The active reagents in these hair products are

lead acetate and elemental sulfur. Lead acetate is a water-soluble compound, but lead sulfide is practically insoluble. When exposed to the air and to hair, lead acetate reacts with sulfur to form lead sulfide, which precipitates on the hair. Proteins in hair also break down with time and release sulfur compounds that react with the lead acetate and enhance the effect. Repeated use of such anti-greying prod-ucts builds up the lead sulfide, gradually returning hair to a youthful color. At least, that’s what the ads say. You can usually identify people who have been using the stuff because their hair will have a dark, dull tinge. Still, many think this is better than going grey.

There is, however, one lingering concern about such products. Lead is a highly toxic element capable of poisoning the enzymes that make hemoglobin. As a result, a hemo-globin precursor called aminolevulinic acid accumulates in the body and causes toxic symptoms ranging from stomach problems to brain abnormalities. The amount of lead in these dyes is very small—less than one percent—and studies indicate that our blood absorbs virtually none of it. But does it con-taminate the hands of those who apply it? And what about the excess lead acetate that winds up in our water supply?

Yet another problem arises when people use a permanent dye after having coloured their hair with a metallic dye. Many metals, including lead, catalyze the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxy-gen, and this reaction produces a lot of heat. It can actually cause scalp burns.

So there you have a summary of the hair dye saga. Fascinating chemistry, and some interesting toxicological issues. But there is no question that such products make many people feel better and increase their enjoy-ment of life. More and more, the answer to the question of “does she or doesn’t she” is a “yes.” “He” is getting in on the action too! And since modern products can be used at home, not even the hairdresser knows for sure. But the “does she or doesn’t she” ques-tion has taken on a new connotation. In the current environment of worrying about every chemical to which we are exposed, the ques-tion in people’s minds is “does she or doesn’t she increase her risk of cancer?” And that, not even her toxicologist knows for sure.

Popular science writer, Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, is the director of McGill University’s Office

for Science and Society.

A combo of

resorcinol and

p-aminophenol is

what you need if

you want to find out

if blondes do indeed

have more fun.


The Chemistry of Cosmetics

ACCN ASKS: What’s in eye shadow?Ultra Chemical, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of chemical raw materials to the cosmetic and personal care industries. They answered our question below:

Formula for pressed powder eye shadow with boron nitrideBO. 801

An elegant, silky smooth eye shadow that also contributes to a long wear.

Formulation

Percent sequence raw talc INCI name

74.60 1 Ultra Talc (1) Talc

5.00 1 Boron Nitride CC-6058 (4) Boron Nitride

5.00 1 Zinc Stearate Zinc Stearate

2.00 1 Ultrapure Titanium Dioxide (1) Titanium Dioxide

4.00 1 Iron Oxide Red (1) Iron Oxide

2.00 1 Iron Oxide Yellow Iron Oxide

4.00 1 Iron Oxide Black Iron Oxide

0.10 1 Methylparaben Methylparaben

0.25 1 Propylparaben Propylparaben

0.05 1 Unicide U-13 (3) Imidazolidinyl Urea

3.00 2 Liponate 2DH (2) PEG – 4 Diheptanoate

(1) Ultra Chemical, Inc. (2) Lipo Chemical, Inc. (3) Lipo (Induchem) (4) Advanced Ceramics

Procedure

1. Blend Sequence No. 1 ingredients using kitchen aid blender.2. Spray Sequence No. 2 ingredients and pulverize using 0.027" screen.3. Press the bulk at 800 lbs. pressure.

For this and other cosmeticformulations, including …

Baby oil gelCocoabutter lotion Face and body powder Lipstick Lip balmLiquid/cream makeupLiquid hand soapLong-wearing pressed powder Facial scrubSoap Water liquid makeupVaseline-type petroleum jelly … visit the Ultra Chemical Web site at http://ultrachem.com/index.html.

Ultra Chemical, Inc. is a corporation founded in 1992. Ultra produces a line of petrolatum including Ultrapure SC, a unique petrolatum developed for skin care formulations and Ultrapure HMP-S, a high melt point petrolatum developed specifically for lipsticks and lip balms. Ultra Chemical, Inc. also manufacturers a unique line of translucent talc created

for colour cosmetics called Rhapsody. Its products are available throughout the world.


Section headCIC Bulletin ICC

IntroductionIt has been an interesting year for the CIC and its Constituent Societies. This report gives an account of activities and events since Eric Mead, FCIC, CIC Chair (2002–2003) reported on behalf of CIC members at the CIC AGM on August 11, 2003.

Membership and finances

In 2003, there were membership gains for both the CSChE and CSCT, but a decrease in CSC membership. Overall, there was a modest decline in CIC membership. The decline in the CSC membership numbers was attributed to the registration policy at the CSC/IUPAC conference, in which the traditional discount of the registra-tion fee for CSC members was absent. For 2004, the membership numbers are very encouraging and an increase of at least five percent over the 2003 member-ship number is predicted, with gains in membership for all Constituent Societies. For 2005, a new membership category for post-doctoral fellows will be instituted , aimed at making membership more attrac-tive for these colleagues.

The CIC was able to operate with a balanced budget in 2003 and expects to do so again in 2004. The CIC Board rec-ognizes that the CIC and its Constituent Societies must enhance non-membership-based revenue streams to complement rev-enue from membership fees.

Health and safety developments

The CIC Laboratory Health and Safety Guidelines was introduced at the CSC/IUPAC conference in August 2003 and has already achieved sales of over 1,500 copies . The success of the guidelines is not only measured in sales revenue but also in the extensive promotional outreach and service to new chemical professionals and their organizations . There is a strong symbiosis between the marketing of the guidelines and the successful course on laboratory safety that is organized and promoted by the CSCT.

Government relations

The CIC, through its active participation in the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE) and the Canadian Consortium for Research (CCR), con-tinues to lobby the federal government for increased support of research and innovation in Canada. The CIC spends a considerable amount of time and money with respect to government relations for its members and will continue to do so. These efforts have certainly contributed signifi-cantly to the recent increases in support for research and development activities in universities, government labs, and indus-try. We are delighted to congratulate Arthur Carty, HFCIC, on his appointment as the first National Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada and to thank him for his outstanding contributions to chemical science and engineering in Canada.

New Web site

The new CIC Web site can be seen at www.cheminst.ca, and will be a major asset in encouraging and facilitating communication among the 12 staff members and over 5,000 CIC members. The continued development of the Web and e-mail commu-nications will be a central theme in future CIC operations.

National Office operations

National Office staff have worked very effec-tively on behalf of members during the past year. In the publications area, we welcomed Michelle Piquette as the new publications department manager, with responsibility for publication of the improved ACCN and The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, and Krista Leroux as graphic designer/cir-culation coordinator. We expect that these appointments will enable the CIC to be more versatile and to achieve a faster response time in the creation of all publications and promo-tional materials. We welcomed the volunteer service of Terry Rummery, FCIC, who took on the position of chair of the ACCN Editorial Advisory Board in January 2004.

We are also pleased to welcome back Rita Afeltra as conference coordinator. She will coordinate with both the National Office staff and the national and international confer-ence committees, including the upcoming Pacifichem 2005.

Communicating with the public

The CIC has developed a plan to take a public position on issues related to chemistry, and has also embarked on an expansion of its tra-ditional outreach program that has centred on National Chemistry Week (NCW). Using the strength of the CSC and CSChE conference venues, efforts are being undertaken by the Chemical Education Division and conference committees to encourage the participation of high school science teachers in these events. In Ottawa at the CSC/IUPAC conference, Jean Bélanger, FCIC, and Peter Mahaffy, FCIC, organized highly successful symposia called, “Public Understanding of Chemistry.”

CIC Green Chemistry and Engineering Forum

During the past several years, considerable interest has grown within the membership for the CIC to organize, manage, and provide leadership in the areas of green chemistry, green engineering, and sustainable develop-

THE CHEMICAL INSTITUTE OF CANADAReport of the Chair


ment. In response, the CIC has created an interdisciplinary Green Chemistry and Engi-neering Forum. Sundar Sundararajan, FCIC, has led this development and has organized the CIC chair’s event during the London CSC conference to promote the Green Chemistry and Engineering Forum and its aims.

The new Chemical Education Fund (CEF)

An application has been made to Canada Customs and Revenue Agency to change the legal status of the Chemical Education Trust Fund (CETF) from a trust to a corpo-ration, to be incorporated under the Canada

CSC Bulletin SCC

State of the Society

Ottawa conference

The joint CSC/IUPAC Conference held in Ottawa, ON, in August 2003 had an out-standing scientific program, successful public awareness events, and record atten-dance, and provided major international recognition to Canadian chemistry. Despite the disruptions and uncertainties caused by the Iraq war, the SARS outbreak, Mad Cow disease, and the power blackout—the con-ference met its goals.

Membership CSC membership as of October 31, 2003, was 3,274. 2,194 of which were full-fee members, representing losses of 496 and 184, respectively. These results are mainly attributable to the one-year absence of a member’s discount for attending the CSC/IUPAC Conference. However, for 2004, the picture is much more favourable, and we are gaining back much of this lost mem-bership. Thanks are due to the hard work of the National Office staff. The London Conference appears to have met its atten-dance and revenue goals, and the Society is forecasting a favourable budget picture for the year.

Pacifichem2005

Plans are proceeding well for Pacifichem 2005 with Canadian representatives Richard Oakley, FCIC (congress vice-chair), Roland Andersson, MCIC, and John Vederas, FCIC, on the multinational organizing commit-tee. Symposium proposals approved so far may be seen on the Web site designed, maintained, and implemented by Richard Oakley, FCIC, and Uwe Oehler at University of Waterloo(www.pacifichem.org/). The most recent organizing committee meeting was held in Honolulu, HI, on April 22–24, 2004.

International activitiesDuring my term as CSC vice-president and president, I had the opportunity to attend as a guest of the American Chemical Soci-ety (ACS) their national meetings in April 2003 in New Orleans, LA, September 2003 in New York City, and March 2004 in Ana-heim, CA. This allowed me to become well acquainted with their major officers over this period—including Elsa Reichmanis (ACS president, 2003), Chuck Casey (ACS president, 2004), Bill Carroll (ACS vice-pres-ident, 2004), Nina McClelland (ACS chair of the Board, 2003), William Burke (ACS Chair of the Board, 2004), and Madeleine Jacobs (ACS executive director and CEO, 2004). Elsa Reichmanis attended the Ottawa CSC Conference, as did vice-president Makota Misono and executive director Teruto Ohta of the Chemical Society of Japan, who attended one of our Board meetings. Tony Ledwith, past president of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), also attended a Board meeting and outlined the RSC’s current efforts to enhance the image of the Society in the U.K. and to provide better service. I met the RSC delegation, including cur-rent president Harry Kroto, in Anaheim, CA. I met with Wolfram Koch, the director general of the Geselschaft Deutsche Chemie (GDCh), both in Ottawa, ON and Anaheim,

THE CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR CHEMISTRY Report of the President

Corporations Act. The new corporation, the Chemical Education Fund (CEF), would continue to expand upon the work of the CETF. The new corporation is expected to be in place for the 2005 granting period.

Summary and thanks

There has been excellent teamwork by the boards of the CIC and Constituent Societies and by National Office staff aimed at promoting a positive image of the chemical sciences, engineering and tech-nology, encouraging students to enter the professions, increasing the government sponsorship of research in science and

engineering , and providing the services that are most valued by our members.

It is a pleasure to thank Roland Andersson MCIC, and all of the National Office staff, and Eric Mead FCIC, past CIC chair, and Sundararajan FCIC, CIC vice-chair, for their strong support during the year. It has been a pleasure and an honour to serve with them. I welcome Sundar as the incoming chair and Bernard West, MCIC, as incoming vice-chair of the CIC and wish them the very best during the coming year.

Richard Puddephatt, FCIC2003-2004 CIC ChairMay 2004

Section headCIC Bulletin ICC


CA. I was able to arrange for Armand Lattes, the president of the Société Française de Chimie (SFC), to hold discussions with CSC Board members Richard Giasson, MCIC, and Geraldine Bazuin, MCIC, during his visit to Quebec from November 6–11, 2003. They discussed topics including joint membership agreements between the CSC and SFC, and the exchange of articles between the Society magazines. I also represented the CSC at the Justus Liebig Bicentennial in Geissen, Ger-many, in May 2003, as a guest of the GDCh.

Canadian national landmarks

At its Board meeting on November 14, 2003, the CSC approved my proposal for the naming of Canadian Chemical Historical Landmarks. The ACS has carried on such a program for ten years, and there are also landmarks in Germany and the U.K. It is envisioned that an average of one landmark will be recog-nized each year, and a committee will be established to review nominations and sug-gest candidates, to be approved by the CSC Board. The first of these to be approved are the NRC lab in Ottawa, ON, (autumn 2004), and the Prairie Research Lab in Saskatoon, SK (2005, during the CSC Conference) where Ray Lemieux first synthesized sucrose in 1953. Discussions are underway with Marga-ret Kennedy at the NRC regarding the event there, and with Sue Abrams, MCIC, in Sas-

katoon, where a Carbohydrate Symposium has already been included in the plans. I gave a presentation on this initiative at the Lon-don CSC Conference as part of the History of Chemistry Symposium.

Canadian Journal of Chemistry

The Board has supported the initiative of vice-president Stan Brown, FCIC, to explore with the NRC, a stronger CSC presence and relationship with respect to publish-ing and promoting the Canadian Journal of Chemistry (CJC). The CSC also supports the initiative of Bryan Lynch for digitalization of some of the CJC archive.

Board Restructuring

At the August 9, 2003, meeting in Ottawa, ON, the CSC Board approved a formula to restructure the Board of Directors—taking it from 19 members to 13 over a period of three years. The reduction is due to creat-ing directorships for both Subject Divisions and Local Sections. The Board recruitment emphasis in the future will be to seek new directors that have strengths and a will-ingness to take responsibility for areas identified in the strategic plan—such as professional status (relationship with the provincial chemistry associations) and

professional development (focus on indus-trial chemists).

The CSC membership was informed of this future governance change at both the August 11, 2003 CSC Annual General Meet-ing and in John Vederas’ 2002–2003 CSC President’s Annual Report. That report was posted on the Web site and published in the November/December 2003 issue of ACCN.

CSC strategic plan

Stan Brown, FCIC, and Roland Andersson, MCIC, have carried out work on the revision of the current CSC strategic plan that was consid-ered at the London meeting on May 28, 2004.

Acknowledgements

As CSC president, I am very grateful for the continued help of the National Office under the leadership of Roland Andersson MCIC, as well as the help, advice, and initiatives provided by John Vederas, Stan Brown, Dave Schwass, MCIC, CIC vice-chair P. (Sundar) Sundarara-jan, FCIC, and the other members of the CSC Board. The strong involvement of the CSC membership in the activities of the Society is also a continuing source of strength.

Thomas T. Tidwell, FCIC2003-2004 CSC PresidentJune 2004

Section headCSC Bulletin SCC

Section headStudent News

Nouvelles des étudiants

Gillian Goward, ACIC, was awarded the CSC Faculty Advisor Award at the Student Chapter Meeting and Chemical Education Awards Reception in London, ON, on May 30, 2004. Goward was nominated by the students she has worked with for the past two years. The Faculty Advisor Award was developed to give students the opportunity to recognize the exceptional performance of a faculty advisor working with students to plan and implement Student Chapter activities.

Goward is described by students Stephanie Gratton and Kimberly Worsley (McMaster University Chemistry Society president and vice-president, academic, respectively) as “an outstanding person: cheerful and kind. We have a natural rapport with Gillian, and find her approachable, patient, and helpful. Though she has organized many social events, the most memorable ones

are those that are informal: the BBQ in her own home (she makes a mean burger!), chats in her office, and innumerable other impromptu interactions. She is one of the gang. She has increased departmental sup-port for the Society. Under her leadership, the number of activities has increased year after year, as has the level of participation in the activities.

In addition to her people skills, Gillian has remarkable organization skills, and has been instrumental in many of the Society’s activities. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the organization of the graduate information session , where she single-handedly ran the fund-raising effort, ordered the food, and coordinated the setting up and breaking down of the room. She was a whirlwind of activity, never stopping until the session was finished .

Student-approved. Gillian Goward, ACIC, was awarded the CSC Faculty Advisor Award by her students.

Students Recognize McMaster Professor


A ballot with Shadi Dalili’s name was drawn at the 87th CSC Conference. As a result, Dalili was the lucky recipient of the Gateway DV-S20 Digital MPEF4 Cam-corder. It’s a pocket-size digital video camcorder and camera in one that will allow Dalili to record and watch her own movies and slide shows on her PC and TV.

Dalili did her undergraduate degree in chemistry at Tehran University in Tehran, Iran, and then moved to Canada to pursue graduate studies. She obtained her MSc in organic chemistry in 2001 from the Uni-versity of Toronto. She is now completing her PhD in synthetic organic chemistry. Her interests are in catalysis as well as the synthesis and applications of aziridine scaffolds . She has lived in Japan, the U.S., Iran, and now Canada.

Shadi Dalili, MCIC, is all smiles after winning a digital camcorder/camera at this year’s CSC Conference.

The Luck of the Draw!

CSChE Bulletin SCGCh

CSChE Award in Industrial Practice/Prix de la pratique industrielle de la SCGCh

Sponsored by/ Parrainé par Bayer Inc.

The CSChE Award in Industrial Practice is presented for a distinguished contribution in the application of chemical engineering or industrial chemistry to the industrial sphere.

Le prix de la pratique industrielle est présenté pour une contribution qui se rapporte à la pratique du génie chimique et de la chimie industrielle.

Victor C. UlothPulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada (Paprican)

Victor C. Uloth, PEng is a principal research engineer, program manager–chemical recovery , and group leader for Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada (Papri-can) Process Development and Technology Transfer Centre in Prince George, BC. He received a BASc in chemical engineering

from the University of Waterloo in 1973 and an MASc in environmental and pollution control engineering from the University of British Columbia in 1976. He joined Papri-can in 1978. Uloth has investigated methods to reduce evaporator scaling and plugging in recovery boilers, and has helped over 40 Canadian pulp mills to significantly increase recovery system throughput and efficiency . He has also investigated the effects of pro-cess modifications, including bleach plant effluent recycle (systems closure ), improved by-product recovery (tall oil and kraft lignin ), and polysulphide liquor produc-tion, on chemical recovery system capacity,

seeing many of these process developments through to commercial-scale utilization. Uloth has authored over 60 technical pa-pers and received awards for the best paper at international technical conferences on seven different occasions. He has served on the B.C. Northern Interior Science Tech-nology and Innovation Council and several committees for the technical associations in the pulp and paper industry (TAPPI and PAPTAC).

D. G. Fisher Award/Prix D.G. Fisher

The D. G. Fisher Award is awarded to an individual who has made substantial contributions in the field of systems and control engineering. The award is given in recognition of significant contributions in any, or all, of the areas of theory, practice, and education.

Le Prix D. G. Fisher est décerné à une personne qui s’est distinguée par ses contributions dans le domaine du génie des systèmes et des contrôles. Il couronne les apports importants au niveau de la théorie, de la pratique ou de l’éducation.

David W. BaconSigma Breakthrough Technologies, Inc.

David W. Bacon is a registered professional engineer with a BASc in engineering phys-ics from the University of Toronto and MS and PhD degrees in statistics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He has held positions with General Electric and DuPont in Canada and was a faculty member in the department of chemical

CSChE Awards/Prix de la SCGCh

Turn to p.41 for more Student News!


engineering and the department of math-ematics and statistics at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, from 1968 until 1999. From 1980 to 1990, Bacon served as dean of the faculty of applied science at that univer-sity. He is currently a program manager and master consultant with Sigma Breakthrough Technologies, Inc. Bacon is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineer-ing, and has received numerous awards for teaching, technical presentations, and publications in design of experiments, sta-tistical modelling, and analysis of dynamic systems. As a consultant to more than 4035companies from many industrial sectors during the past 35 years, Bacon has extensive experience in assisting individu-als and organizations in problem solving for new product and process development and quality and productivity improvement.

Process Safety Management Award/Prix de gestion de la sécurité opérationnelle

Sponsored by/Parainé par Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc.

The Process Safety Management Award is presented as a mark of recognition to a person who has made an outstanding contribution in Canada to the Process Safety Management (PSM) Division of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, recognizing excellence in the leadership and dedication of individuals who have led Canada in the field of process safety and loss management (PSLM).

Le prix de gestion de la sécurité opéra-tionnelle est décerné à une personne qui s’est distinguée par ses activités au sein de la division de la gestion de la sécurité opérationnelle de la Société de génie chi-mique au Canada. Il reconnaît le leadership et le dévouement des personnes qui ont été des chefs de file dans le secteur canadien de la gestion de la sécurité opérationnelle et des pertes.

Graham Creedy, FCICCanada’s Chemical Producers’ Association

Graham Creedy is a native of Cambridge, England. He left school at 16 to work as a laboratory technician in the research and

Section headCSChE Bulletin SCGCh

development laboratories of CIBA’s syn-thetic resins plant at Duxford. He studied chemistry part-time, eventually leaving to finish his Part II Graduateship of the Royal Institute of Chemistry at what is now the University of Salford. After a year of further full-time study for a postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies at what is now the University of Westminster, he completed his formal education with a postgraduate Diploma in Chemical Engineering at Uni-versity College London in 1968. He then worked as a project engineer for Mon-santo at Newport, Gwent before coming to Canada in 1969.

In this country, Creedy first worked as department head, Chemicals for Union Car-bide in Belleville, ON, then joined BASF in 1971 for the start-up of a grassroots synthe-sis gas and oxo alcohol plant in Laval, QC. Two years later, he moved to the company’s phthalic anhydride and plasticizer plant in Cornwall, ON, where he spent the next 13 years as process engineer, production manager, and finally works manager. One of his most memorable experiences during this period was taking the company through the first strike in its history in Canada.

After the company cut one third of its Canadian work force following the decision to close its Laval works in late 1985, Creedy decided to try his hand at consulting. This became commonplace throughout the industry later on, but at the time, it was an unusual step. He completed four years of fully freelanced work during which he com-pleted contracts for a variety of public- and private-sector clients including the Canada’s Chemical Producers’ Association (CCPA). Then Creedy joined CCPA on a part-time con-sulting basis in 1989 as project manager and later senior manager, Responsible Care®—a position he continues to fill to this day.

Creedy has devoted much of his energy over the last 15 years to the establishment

of a national system for the control of major accident hazards in Canada, a topic where he has a strong personal interest and com-mitment. Creedy has been a key player and often the leader in the development of a wide range of voluntary measures for major hazard control. He has been active through CCPA, the Major Industrial Accidents Coun-cil of Canada (MIACC) until that organiza-tion’s dissolution in 1999, and subsequently through the newly formed Process Safety Management Division of the CSChE. He was active in the legislation under Part 8 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), and the subsequent regulation under Section 200 of that Act.

Creedy is a professional engineer in Ontario and a chartered chemist and engineer in the U.K. He has long been active with the CIC. Able to work at both the strategic and detail levels, he founded the process safety management committee for CCPA and MIACC in 1991 and has acted as secretary through the transition to CSChE, continuing in that role to the present day. He has organized and chaired conferences, seminars, and workshops on major hazard control and related topics. He has presented a variety of papers in Canada and the U.S., and provided technical assistance to pri-vate-sector organizations and governments in India, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil. He is fas-cinated with major industrial accidents and why they continue to happen, and confesses to a special interest in the role of human error in decision making and judgement, especially at the organizational level.

R. S. Jane Memorial Lecture Award/Prix commémoratif de conférence R. S. Jane

The R. S. Jane Memorial Lecture Award is the premier prize of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering and is awarded for exceptional achievement in chemical engineering or industrial chemistry. It was created in 1960 in memory of the late Robert Stephen Jane.

Le prix commémoratif R. S. Jane est le prix principal présenté par la Société canadienne de génie chimique et a été établi à la mé-moire de Robert Stephen Jane, PhD, pour souligner la contribution remarquable de cet homme à la profession du génie chimique ou la chimie industrielle.


Yonghao Ni, MCICUniversity of New Brunswick

Yonghao Ni received his BEng in 1985 from the Northwest Institute of Light Industry in China, and his MEng and PhD from McGill University in 1989 and 1992 respectively. He started his career at the University of New Brunswick in 1991 as a research engineer. In 1992, he was appointed an NSERC Industrial Research Chair (Junior Chair) in pulping tech-nology and promoted to associate professor and professor in 1996 and 2000 respectively. He was awarded a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in 2002. Ni is highly respected for his innovations in pulp bleaching technologies, which are used in numerous mills. He has more than 100 publications in refereed jour-nals and received many awards from Canada, the U.S., and China. The primary focus of his current research is the development of cost-effective pulp bleaching technologies and value-added natural fibre products.

Hugo Ignacio de Lasa, FCICUniversity of Western Ontario

Hugo Ignacio de Lasa graduated with a BSc in chemical engineering from U.N.S., Argentina (1968), and with a Doctoral degree from the Université de Nancy, France (1971). de Lasa is the founding director of the Chemical Reactor Engineer-ing Centre (CREC) at the University of Western Ontario (UWO)—a centre that has, since its inception, collaborated with indus-trial partners and governmental agencies in over 20 countries. de Lasa is a dedicated teacher and researcher, having supervised 23 PhD and 25 MESc students. He is the recipient of several awards including the CSChE Award in Industrial Practice (2001), Medal of Research and Development from the PEO (2001), Fellow of the CIC (2000), and the Research Excellence Prize from the UWO Faculty of Engineering (1998). He is the author of 160 publications, four books,

and 11 patents . He is one of the found-ing editors of the International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering. In 2003, he founded Recat Technologies Inc, with the goal of commercializing CREC innovations. de Lasa has also organized several techni-cal events including the 48th CSChE, two NATO ASIs, three UEF conferences, and the 2002 CBF7.

Syncrude Canada Innovation Award/Prix d’innovation Syncrude Canada

Sponsored by/Parrainé parSyncrude Canada Limited

The Syncrude Canada Innovation Award is presented annually to a resident of Canada, who has made a distinguished contribution in chemical engineering before the age of 40.

Le prix d’innovation Syncrude Canada est décerné annuellement pour une distinction dans le domaine du génie chimique par un ingénieur chimiste qui ne doit pas avoir atteint l’âge de 40 ans.

CSChE Bulletin SCGCh

Local Section NewsNouvelles des sections locales

Heterogeneous Catalysts: How do they work and why should we care?

The Sarnia Local Section played host to guest lecturer, Charles Mims, MCIC, May 11, 2004 at the Riding Club. CIC mem-bers were treated to an enlightening talk entitled , “Heterogeneous Catalysts: How do they work and why sh ould we care?”

Mims is a professor of chemical engineer-ing and applied chemistry at the University of Toronto, and has 15 years’ experience working in Exxon’s Corporate Research Labs. He highlighted examples showing the benefits of catalytic mechanism research in catalytic and electrocatalytic applications. Representatives from various local chemi-cal industries were in attendance including Bayer Polymers, Esso, Dow, and Chinook.Bryce McGarvey, MCIC, Charles Mims, MCIC, and David Laycock, FCIC,

at the Sarnia Local Section Meeting.

Corporate Achievement Award: The Canadian Society for Chemi-cal Engineering wishes to recognize Canadian -based companies that have achieved significant and recent com-mercial success as a result of innovative chemical engineering research , design, and practice.

Companies having more than 500 employees will compete in one category and those with less than 500 employees in a second category. An award winner will be selected for each category. Presentation of both awards will take place at the annual conference

CSChE Award in Industrial Practice (sponsored by Bayer Inc.): The award is given to a resident of Canada, a Canadian citizen, or a Canadian group who has made a distinguished contri-bution in the application of chemical engineering or industrial chemistry to the industrial sphere. This contribution will relate to the practice of chemical engineering and/or industrial chem-istry whether it be in research and development, design, construction, and production or some combination of these. Preference shall be given to activities specific to Canadian industry.

D. G. Fisher Award (sponsored by the department of chemical and materials engineering, University of Alberta, Suncor Energy Foundation, and Shell Canada Limited): The D. G. Fisher Award is awarded to an individual who has made substantial contributions in the field of systems and control engineering. The award is given in recognition of significant contributions in any, or all, of the areas of theory, practice , and education.

R. S. Jane Memorial Award: The R. S. Jane Memorial Award is awarded to an individual for exceptional achievement

in the chemical profession and the chemical industry in Canada. It is the premier award of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering.

The Process Safety Management Award (sponsored by AON Reed Sten-house Inc.): The award will be presented as a mark of recognition to a person who has made an outstanding contribution in Canada to the Process Safety Manage-ment (PSM) Division of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering recog-nizing excellence in the leadership and dedication of individuals who have led Canada in the field of process safety and loss management (PSLM).

The Syncrude Canada Innovation Award (sponsored by Syncrude Canada Ltd.): The award shall be given to a resident of Canada who has made a distinguished contribution in the field of chemical engineering while working in Canada. Nominees for this award shall not have reached the age of 40 years by January of the year in which the nomi-nation becomes effective .

The deadline for submission to these awards is December 1, 2004. For the full Terms of Reference, please visit the Web site at www.chemeng.ca/cscheawards/ or contact the CIC National Office for a hard copy. Please send all documents as an e-mail attachment in the format of your choice. For any other paper documents that cannot be sent electronically , mail one copy.

Submit nominations to: Awards Coordinator , Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, Suite 550, 130 Slater Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2; tel.: 613-232-6252, ext. 235; fax: 613-232-5862; e-mail: [email protected].

2005 AWARDS

The Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering

Submission deadline is December 1, 2004

CSChE

CS

ChG


The Norman and Marion Bright Memorial Award The Award will be presented to

an individual who has made an

outstanding contribution in Canada

to the furtherance of chemical

technology . The person so honoured

may be either a chemical sciences

technologist , or a person from outside

the field who has made a significant

and noteworthy contribution to

its advancement .2005 AWARDS

The deadline for submission to this

award is December 1, 2004. For the

full Terms of Reference, please visit the

Web site at www.chem-tech.ca or contact

the CIC National Office for a hard copy.

Please submit nominations to: Awards

Coordinator , Canadian Society for

Chemical Technology, Suite 550,

130 Slater Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2;

tel.: 613-232-6252 ext. 235;

fax: 613-232-5862;

e-mail: [email protected].

Go Green Go!Green chemistry was highlighted at two conferences in Montréal, QC, this May. Green chemistry has been a rapidly grow-ing field in the U.S. and Europe for more than a decade but has not had as high a profile in Canada until recently. These two conferences in Montréal served to raise awareness of green chemistry among Canadian chemists and to promote contacts between Canadian green chemists/chemical engineers and their counterparts in the U.S. and Europe. This summary emphasizes the Canadian presentations at these conferences in order to give a glimpse into the green chemistry being done in this country.

The 18th Canadian Symposium on Catalysis had three sessions on catalysis

related to green chemistry; the first of these in the area of biochemical topics. Recent research in the area of catalytic conversion of polyols was presented by keynote speaker François Jerome (CNRS, France) and by Marcel Schlaf, MCIC (Guelph). Jerome has prepared and successfully tested silica- and polymer-supported amine catalysts for the esterification and etherification of sugars, leading to biodegradable emulsifiers. Schlaf has undertaken an ambitious program to develop ionic hydrogenation/hydrogenoly-sis catalysts for the conversion of natural polyols. Additionally, Sasha Omanovic, MCIC (McGill), described a method for the regeneration of NADH by an electrocatalytic reduction of NAD+.

Methods for the recovery and recycling of homogeneous catalysts were introduced in a keynote presentation by Walter Leitner (RWTH Aachen, Germany). Leitner’s group has prepared a poly(ethylene glycol)- sup-ported phosphine ligand, which, when used as a component of a homogeneous hydroformylation catalyst in neat olefin, can be precipitated from the liquid aldehyde product by the application of supercritical CO2 (scCO2). The scCO2 also serves as a medium for extracting the product out of the vessel. The catalyst can then be used again. Related techniques were described by other speakers including homogeneous catalysis with a conventional catalyst dissolved in a liquid polymer/scCO2 biphasic system (Yoon-Seo Uh, a Queen’s student) and bac-teria-catalyzed toxin degradation in an ionic

liquid /water biphasic system (Douglas Baumann , ACIC, also a Queen’s student ). In Baumann ’s system, the bacteria reside entirely in the aqueous phase. The ionic liquid dissolves the bulk of the toxin and slowly releases it to the aqueous phase, thereby protecting the bacteria from being exposed to a toxic concentration.

The application of scCO2 for reactions of polymers was featured in a lecture by Qinmin Pan, MCIC (Waterloo), who described the homogeneous hydrogena-tion of unsaturated polymers with catalysts dissolved in scCO2.

McGill University was the host for the sec-ond conference, the Canada–U.S. Joint Workshop on Innovative Chemistry in Clean Media. During this conference, the 2004 Canadian Green Chemistry Medal was awarded to Paul T. Anastas (U.S. White House Office of Science and Technology) for his efforts in promoting the formal organization of the Canadian green chem-istry community. Anastas coined the term “green chemistry and has defined the field as the “design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances.” In his award lecture, Anastas summarized the most pressing scientific challenges facing green chemistry, including some that are currently the focus of research in Canadian universities. Presentations by high-level rep-resentatives of Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, Brantford Chemicals, Xerox, and Paprican showed the

François Jerome (left) and Walter Leitner, keynote lecturers at the Catalysis in Green Chemistry sessions of the Canadian Symposium on Catalysis.

Division NewsNouvelles des divisions

Submission deadline is December 1, 2004

The Canadian Society for Chemical Technology


Section headDivision News

Nouvelles des divisions

level of commitment of these companies to promoting green chemistry research and illustrated some of their process improve-ments that have reduced environmental impact. The lecturers from universities and

government labs highlighted recent research in various types of green solvents, including water, ionic liquids, and CO2.

Water as a green solvent for chemistry was highlighted by Ronald Breslow (Colum-bia), CJ Li, MCIC (McGill),and Paul Percival, FCIC (Simon Fraser). Breslow described his water-soluble catalysts that take advantage of hydrophobic effects to enforce selective oxidation at specific sites on substrates. Li’s presentation included many examples of metal-catalyzed C-C coupling reactions in water. Percival’s use of muon spin reso-nance techniques at TRIUMF has allowed spectroscopic studies of radical reactions in supercritical water.

Ionic liquids received the lion’s share of the attention in the workshop, fitting their current status as the hottest class of green solvents. The Canadian researchers pre-senting on this topic were Bill Chan, FCIC (McGill), Rob Singer, MCIC (St. Mary’s), and Philip Jessop, MCIC (Queen’s). Chan’s group has developed a method for cova-lently supporting organic substrates onto ionic liquid cations as an alternative to supporting substrates onto polymers for

supported phase synthesis. The process greatly increases product purity . Jessop described nonpolar molecular solvents that change into polar ionic liquids when exposed to CO2 gas. Singer presented Lewis-acid catalysed reactions in ionic liquids.

Carbon dioxide also received atten-tion in the workshop. Alan Weedon, FCIC (Western ), described many examples of photochemical transformations in which the selectivity is a strong function of the scCO2 pressure, especially near the critical pressure. In general, however, scCO2 took a back seat to reports of progress in the ionic liquid area, as has happened in the literature, probably because scCO2 has become sufficiently well accepted that it has entered the mainstream.

It was refreshing to see, in so many of the lectures at these two conferences, that green solvents and green methods were being eval-uated, not only because they are believed to be less harmful than conventional solvents or methods, but because they can contrib-ute in many ways to improved reaction performance and facilitated post-reaction separations.

Section headNCW News/Nouvelles de la SNC

Public Understanding of Chemistry

The sponsors (as of June 21, 2004)

SilverAnachemia ScientificH.L. Blachford Ltd.Syncrude Canada Ltd.

BronzeManulife FinancialMeloche MonnexRecochem Inc.Seastar Chemicals Inc.Torcan Chemical Ltd.

NCW coordinator honouredCongratulations to Majda Djordjevic of the University of Calgary who has participated and organized National Chemistry Week activities in the Calgary area for many years. Djordjevic was honoured with an Award of Excellence by the University by Calgary’s Fac-ulty of Science for “consistently outstanding contributions in Community Outreach.”

Getting involved in chemical outreach does make a difference!

Visit the NCW Web site at www.cheminst.ca/ncw for details on the activities carried out at NCW 2003.

Events for 2004 will be listed on the site as they become available.

Is it easy being green? Bill Chan, FCIC, of McGill University presents Paul T. Anastas with the Canadian Green Chemistry Medal. Anastas is credited with coining the term “green chemistry.”


UBC Student PRIZESThe University of British Columbia’s department of chemistry recognized this year’s top students. Gerald Li (Combined Honours Chemical Physics) received the CSC’s silver medal. The LeFevre Medal and Prize in Honours Chemistry was presented to Roh-Eul Yoo (Combined Honours Bio-chemistry and Chemistry) and Erica Anne Tiong (Honours Chemistry with Mathemat-ics Minor) received the Society of Chemical Industry Merit Prize.

And the Winners Are Undergraduate and graduate students competed orally as well as in poster com-petitions at the 87th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in London, ON.

Student Undergraduate Poster Compe-tition winners were announced at the Chemical Education Division Reception in London, ON. The winners are as follows:

Analytical Chemistry DivisionTop Prizes: S. C. Feener, Acadia University and K. D. Turck, Queen’s UniversityHonourable Mentions: A. Vintiloiu Concordia University and A. G. De Souza, University of British Columbia

Inorganic Chemistry DivisionSpecial Award donated by Michel R. Gagné, University of North Carolina: V. Mah, University of CalgaryTop Prizes: T. T. Ngu, University of Western Ontario and C. Stafford, University of OttawaHonourable Mentions: A. E. Borecki, University of Western Ontario and J. D. Baker, University of Ottawa

Organic Chemistry DivisionTop Prizes: J. Zhao, Acadia University and K. L. McGilvray, University of OttawaHonourable Mentions: B. L. Merner, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and A. K. Dambeniek, University of Western Ontario

Physical Chemistry DivisionTop Prizes: A. E. Al-Wardian, St. Francis Xavier Univerity; S. R. Whittleton, Mount Allison University; S. S. Hepperle, Univer-sity of Regina; and V. Goel, York UniversityHonourable Mentions: M. M. Mohareb, St. Francis Xavier University; R. A. Glennie , St. Francis Xavier University; I. Vinogradov , University of Toronto; and T. M. McCormick, Queen’s University

Analytical Undergraduate Travel Awards went to Andrea De Souza, University of British Columbia; Jane Maxwell, McGill University; and Kiera Turck, Queen’s University .

Analytical Graduate Student Poster Presentation winners were: Travis Besanger , McMaster University and Alya Goulko, University of Alberta.

The Chemical Education Division’s Reg Friesen Award Winners are: 1st prize: Christina Smeaton, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College and 2nd prize: Maria-Victoria Meli, McGill University.

Organic Chemistry Division and Bio-logical/Medicinal Chemistry Division Graduate Student Awards

There were over 150 graduate student presentations. Congratulations to all who presented!

Awards for oral presentationsMarc K. Janes, Université of Montréal – Outstanding Presentation Award in Emerging Organic Synthesis

Ian Young, University of Western Ontario – Outstanding Presentation Award in Emerging Organic Synthesis (Wiley Book Prize)

K. Villeneuve, University of Guelph – R. U. Lemieux Award for Outstanding Oral Presentation

A. J. Kell, University of Western Ontario – Outstanding Presentation Award in Properties and Applications in Organic Materials

D. Sabatino, McGill University – R. U. Lemieux Award for Outstanding Oral Presentation

J. K. Watts, McGill University – Outstand-ing Presentation in Frontiers of Nucleic Acid Chemistry

S. Gottschling, University of Western Ontario – Outstanding Presentation Award in Mechanistic Chemistry

A. Drouin, Université de Sherbrooke – R. U. Lemieux Award for Outstanding Oral Presentation

D. Adkinson, University of Western Ontario – R. U. Lemieux Award for Outstanding Oral Presentation

J. C. Roberts, Dalhousie University – Outstanding Presentation Award in Mechanistic Chemistry

N. Veerapen, Simon Fraser University – R. U. Lemieux Award for Outstanding Oral Presentation

Barry Blight, University of Western Ontario – Outstanding Presentation Award in Self-Assembly and Molecular Recognition

Awards for Outstanding Poster Presentations L. C. Campeau, University of Ottawa (Book Prize)

J. E. Hein, University of Manitoba (Book Prize)

P. D. Duspara, University of Guelph

D. Fishlock, University of Waterloo (Wiley Book Prize)

T. J. Harrison, University of British Columbia

P. Leong, University of Toronto

P. A. Sequeira, University of Toronto (Prentice Hall Book Prize)

M. Konecny, Dalhousie University

C. R. Harrington, McMaster University (Wiley Book Prize)

S. A. McManus, McMaster University (Wiley Book Prize)

F. Wojciechowski, University of Western Ontario (Book Prize)

W. Young, Dalhousie University – R. U. Lemieux Award for Outstanding Poster Presentation

S. C. Timmons, Dalhousie – R. U. Lemieux Award for Outstanding Poster Presentation

C. W. Reid, University of Guelph – R. U. Lemieux Award for Outstanding Poster Presentation

D. Tramontozzi, University of Windsor


Nouvelles des étudiants


Inorganic Chemistry Awards for Poster Presentations Cash prizesCozzolino, A. F., McMaster UniversityThomson, R. K., University of British Columbia H. A. Phillips, Dalhousie University

Book prizesS. Derakhshan, University of WaterlooD. Wechsler, Dalhousie UniversityC. Ma, University of British ColumbiaE. Fok, University of AlbertaH. Han, University of WindsorM. Kurashina, the University of Tokyo

Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Division Awards

Poster Competition

First place prizes M. W. P. Petryk, University of Guelph M. Dick, University of Waterloo, V. Campagna-Slater, Dalhousie University,I. E. Gordon, University of Waterloo, N.J. Mosey, University of Western Ontario

Honourable mention J. R. Dwyer, University of Toronto, A. Shayesteh, University of Waterloo, E. Otero, University of Saskatchewan, M. Layachi, École Polytechnique de Montréal

Student Oral Competition

First place prizesM. Salvador, University of Toronto, C. J. Milne, University of Toronto, N. J. Mosey, University of Western Ontario

Honourable mention T. E. Dykstra, University of Toronto, J. Goldik , University of Western Ontario, I. Burgess, University of Guelph

Environment Division Graduate Student WinnersDoreen Churchill, Queen’s University and Xiumei Han, Queen’s University received prizes.

Thank you to all of the participants and organiz-ers of the undergraduate and graduate student competitions .

The Graduate Studies Fair Draw winner is Shanna Feener of Acadia University who receives a MP-10 player.


Nouvelles des étudiantsCareers

Carrières


NOVA SCOTIA Chemists ’ Society

The first Annual General Meeting will be held at the NRC Institute for Marine Biosciences

1411 Oxford Street, Halifax on Saturday, September 25, 2004

All chemists are welcome and encouraged to attend.

CareersCarrières


CareersCarrières

Analytical & Environmental ChemistryBiological ChemistryInorganic ChemistryMaterials ChemistryOrganic Chemistry

Physical & Theoretical Chemistry

www.chemistry.mcmaster.ca

NEW FACILITIES FOR TEACHING AND GRADUATE RESEARCH

DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

The Department of Chemistry at Dalhousie University invites applications for a full-time

probationary tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor in the fi eld of Materials

Chemistry, with preference given to candidates with expertise in experimental inorganic

and/or physical chemistry. The position requires a PhD degree, postdoctoral experience and

a proven research track record. The successful candidate will be expected to teach under-

graduate and graduate classes in chemistry and to develop a vigorous and creative research

program with external funding. Applications should consist of a curriculum vitae, a list of

publications, a summary of research interests, a detailed research proposal, a statement of

teaching interests and experience, and the names of three referees. The completed applica-

tion should be sent to:

Professor Russell J. Boyd, Chair

Department of Chemistry

Dalhousie University

Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J3

Tel: 902-494-3707, FAX: 902-494-1310

[email protected]

The appointment is effective July 1, 2005 but may be taken up at a later date. Consideration

of candidates will begin in September 2004 and continue until the position is fi lled.

See http://www.chem.dal.ca/no2004mcsearch.html.

All qualifi ed candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents

will be given priority. Dalhousie University is an Employment Equity/Affi rmative Action

employer. The University encourages applications from qualifi ed Aboriginal people, persons

with a disability, racially visible persons and women.

DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY is an Employment Equity/Affi rmative Action em-ployer. The University encourages applications from qualifi ed women, Aboriginal peoples,

racially visible people, and persons with a disability. In accordance with Canadian Immigration

requirements, zpriority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.

EventsÉvénements

CanadaSeminars and coursesOctober 4–5, 2004. ICPES—Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy, Canadian Society for Chemical Technology, Calgary, AB. Tel.: 888-542-2242; Web site: www.cheminst.ca/prof/dev.

October 4–5, 2004, Laboratory Safety, Canadian Society for Chemical Technology, Calgary, AB. Tel.: 888-542-2242; Web site: www.cheminst.ca/prof/dev.

November 5–7, 2004. The 15th Quebec-Ontario Minisymposium in Synthesis and Bio-Organic Chemistry (QOMSBOC), Ottawa, ON. Contact: Louis Barriault or William Ogilvie;

Conferences

September 25, 2004. First Annual General Meeting of Nova Scotia Chemists’ Society, Halifax, NS. Contact: Contact: Jim Frazee; Tel.: 902-542-4309.

August 15–19, 2004. 50th International Conference on Analytical Sciences and Spectroscopy (ICASS 2004), Halifax, NS. Web site: www.smu.ca/ACASS2004.

October 3–6, 2004. Energy for the Future—54th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Calgary, AB, Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE); Tel.: 613-232-6252; Web site: www.csche2004.ca.

July 31–August 4, 2005. 18th Biennial Chem Ed Conference, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. Web site: http://nobel.scas.bcit.ca/chemed2005/welcome.htm.

U.S. and OverseasAugust 22–26, 2004. ACS Fall Meeting (2287th), Philadelphia, PA; Tel.: 800-227-5558; E-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.acs.org.

October 18–22, 2004. Fifth International Congress on Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Cuban Chemical Society , Havana, Cuba. Web site: http://www.loseventos.cu/scq2004/.

November 7–12, 2004. AIChE Annual Meeting, Austin, TX; Tel.: 212-591-7330; Web site: www.aiche.org.

July 10–15, 2005. 7th World Congress on Chemi-cal Engineering (WCCE7), IchemE and the European Federation , Glasgow, Scotland. Contact: Sarah Fitzpatrick; E-mail: [email protected].

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].

Professional DirectoryRépertoire professionnel

CareersCarrières

Sponsorship categories for Public

Understanding of Chemistry (PUC)

activities and promotional materials

are listed below.

Your support will go a long way towards

encouraging elementary and high school

students to participate in the wonders

of chemistry.

THE CHEMICAL INSTITUTE OF CANADA’S OUTREACH PROGRAM

PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF CHEMISTRY

SPONSORSHIP 2004

Name the CIC’s mascot contest sponsorship

The PUC’s Name the CIC’s mascot contest is a competition

designed to increase the interest of elementary school teachers

and their students in chemistry, while having fun all at the same

time. During National Chemistry Week in October 2004, over

12,000 classrooms across Canada will receive a postcard intended

to encourage teachers to partake in the nation-wide contest ,

and to promote experiments and articles available on-line at

www.cheminst.ca/ncw/. Your organization name and logo

will be featured on the postcard, in Canadian Chemical News

(ACCN), on the CIC Web site and in a press release.

Promotional item sponsorship

Sponsor promotional and educational materials such as periodic

tables, the Wonders of Chemistry T-shirts featuring the CIC

Mascot , rulers, and pens for various awareness activities held

in communities across Canada. Your organization’s logo will

appear on the product, in addition to being acknowledged as

one of the sponsors in ACCN and on the CIC Web site.

Crystal growing competition sponsorship

The Crystal growing competition encourages Canadian

students to grow the best looking crystal and submit it for

judging at an upcoming local event. Top crystals are then sent

for national judging. Crystals will be judged on shape and clarity as

well as size. Schools will receive a resource package with all

the necessary materials and instructions. Sponsorship pays for

regional competition T-shirts, cash prizes, plaques and a trophy.

Your organization will be acknowledged as one of the sponsors

at all events, and featured in ACCN and on the CIC Web site.

General sponsorship

Your company’s generosity will help increase the success of

each PUC program in order to get Canadian elementary and

high school students involved in science . General sponsorship

includes acknowledgement as a sponsor in ACCN and on the

CIC Web site.

PM40021620

Jul/Aug 2004: ACCN, the Canadian Chemical News

Documents

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