IUPAC e-press - 11 May 2005

IN THIS ISSUE....

The IUPAC International Chemical Identifier (InChITM) is released

Innovation in Chemistry, 40th IUPAC Congress - Beijing, China

IUPAC announced the 2004 winners of the IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists

IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists - 2006 Solicitation

IUPAC Sponsored Conferences

InChITM, the IUPAC International Chemical Identifier, is a computer readable chemical identifier defined by an IUPAC standard algorithm. A program that implements this algorithm is now available on the IUPAC web site. The IUPAC International Chemical Identifier is a significant advance in adapting chemical nomenclature for use on the Internet. This implementation of the InChITM algorithm is:

· an open source, non-proprietary identifier for chemical substances
· a string of characters uniquely representing a specified molecular structure
· a precise, robust, IUPAC-approved chemical substance tag
· independent of the way the chemical structure is drawn
· indexed by internet search engines
· usable in both printed and electronic data sources
· enables reliable structure recognition and easy linking of diverse data compilations
· accepts input in the form of MOLfiles (or SDfiles) and CML files
· deals with organic compounds with Z/E and sp 3 configurations, tautomers, and
isotopes as well as salts, organometallic compounds and protonated forms

For more information and to download the InChITM source code, associated software and documentation, please visit http://www.iupac.org/inchi/.

* Innovation in Chemistry, 40th IUPAC Congress - Beijing, China
The 40th IUPAC Congress, entitled Innovation in Chemistry, will be held 14-19 August 2005. The Organizer and President of the Congress, Prof. Chunli Bai cites that the congress is "one of the few, major international congresses with an interdisciplinary approach to chemistry. IUPAC Congresses are dedicated to exploring "Frontiers in Chemistry"-especially the intersections of cutting-edge chemistry with other disciplines."
Plenary Lecturers include; Akira Fujishima (Japan); Alan J. Heeger (USA, Nobel Laureate); Charles M. Lieber (USA); William N. Lipscomb (USA, Nobel Laureate); Yuri Oganessian (Russia); Jianguo Hou (China); John E. Walker (UK, Nobel Laureate); Jiming Wang (China); and Kurt Wüthrich (Switzerland, Nobel Laureate).
This year in Beijing, the specific theme for the Congress is "Innovation in Chemistry." Congress attendees will learn of advances and innovations in the following parallel sessions:
· Environmental Chemistry and Green Chemistry
· Chemistry in the Life Sciences and Chemical Biology
· Materials Chemistry, Supermolecular Chemistry, and Nanochemistry
· Information Technology in Chemistry and Computational Chemistry
· Innovation in Physical Chemistry and Biophysical Chemistry, Research Methods and Techniques
· Innovation in Methodology, Techniques, and Instrumentation in Analytical Chemistry
· Innovation in Chemical Education and Teaching Methods
· Innovation in the Chemical and Petrochemical Industries and the "Responsible Care" movement
Each session will feature 8 to 10 invited speakers who have made substantial contributions to their fields. The detailed program and schedule is available on the Congress Web site.
For further information or to register, please visit <www.iupac-congress05.org.cn> or contact the conference secretary Xibai Qiu: E-mail:[email protected]; Tel: +86(10)62568157, +86(10)62564020; Fax: +86(10)62568157.

* IUPAC announced the 2005 winners of the IUPAC Prize for Young Chemist

The winners for the IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists have been announced! They are: Zev Gartner, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, Jiaxing Huang, University of California, Berkeley, USA, Hiromitsu Maeda, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, Xun Wang, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. The winners will each receive a cash prize of USD 1000 and a trip to the IUPAC Congress, 14-19 August 2005, in Beijing, China.

The award was established to encourage outstanding young research scientists at the beginning of their careers. The prize is given for the most outstanding Ph.D. thesis in the general area of the chemical sciences, as described in a 1000-word essay. In addition to the cash prize and trip to Beijing, each prizewinner will also be invited to present a poster at the IUPAC Congress describing his/her award winning work and to submit a short critical review on aspects of their research topics to be published in Pure and Applied Chemistry.
In view of the excellent quality of many applications, the Committee decided also to give four Honorable Mention awards to: Omar Azzaroni, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina, Suraj Dhungana, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA, Rongchao Jin, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA, Young-Wook Jun, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea. These winners will each receive a cash prize of USD 100 and a copy of the Compendium of Chemical Technology; the IUPAC "Gold Book".
For more information: <http://www.iupac.org/news/prize/2005_winners.html>

* IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists - 2006 Solicitation

Solicitation for the 2006 IUPAC Prize for Young Chemist has already begun! Young chemists around the globe are urged to submit their Ph.D. thesis. The prize aims to encourage research scientists at the beginning of their careers. The prize will be given for the most outstanding Ph.D. thesis in the general area of the chemical sciences, as described in a 1000-word essay. The prize will consist of USD 1000 cash and travel expenses to the IUPAC Congress at Turino, Italy as well as an opportunity to present a poster describing the award-winning work!

Deadline: 1 February 2006 - for entrants that receive their Ph.D. (or equivalent) degree during the calendar year 2005.

For more information: <http://www.iupac.org/news/prize.html>.

* IUPAC Sponsored Conferences

Each year, IUPAC sponsors over 30 conferences around the World. The conferences boast a wide variety of topics that appeal to most scientific interests. Symposia sponsored by IUPAC receive many benefits including credibility, publicity, and more participants. First of all, being associated with IUPAC establishes the fact that the conference is indeed credible and will be scientifically rewarding. Secondly, IUPAC Sponsorship provides numerous opportunities for publicity. An announcement appears in our news magazine, Chemistry International, and the conference is placed on the calendar in the magazine. The conference is also listed on the IUPAC web site with a link to the conference site. After the meeting, a report will appear in the magazine as well. The conference is also placed on a poster that is developed and distributed yearly to over 8,000 people. Lastly, sponsorship means that IUPAC members are entitled to a 10% discount on their registration, which in turn means more participants! This is just to name a few!

For more information on applying for IUPAC Sponsorship, please visit <http://www.iupac.org/symposia/application.html>. To see a complete listing of IUPAC Sponsored Conferences, please visit: <http://www.iupac.org/symposia/index.html>.

IUPAC e-press newsletter is distributed to scientific magazines and journals that have readership with a potential interest in current and recent IUPAC activities. Subscribers are invited to use excerpts of the newsletter in their publication. Please ask any questions you may have about the featured news and thank you for your support of IUPAC.

To become a regular subscriber, contact Erin at the IUPAC Secretariat at <[email protected]>.

Additional news items are regularly dispatched via the IUPAC e-news; which is open to anyone who wishes to join <www.iupac.org/news/e-news.html>.