Gene-altering compounds released from forest fires

Scientists in Washington State are reporting the first discovery of potent mutagenic substances in smoke from forest fires that often sweep through huge stands of Ponderosa pine in the western United States and Canada. Their discovery of these mutagens - substances that can damage the genetic material DNA - is scheduled for the June 1 edition of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

In the study, Julia Laskin and colleagues note that forest fires long have been recognized as major sources of organic compounds containing nitrogen. But their research is the first to show that the nitrogen compounds exist as alkaloids, which are naturally occurring mutagens that are produced by trees and other plants.

Ponderosa pine trees, the researchers note, often grow in droughty areas and in forests subject to large-scale outbreaks of fires, and have high levels of alkaloids in their needles. Fires help to transfer alkaloids from needles into tiny particles that can be then transported through the air. Noting that the alkaloids can be transported long distances, the scientists say that fires involving Ponderosa pines could have adverse human health effects. - JS

ARTICLE: "Molecular Characterization of Nitrogen Containing Organic Compounds in Biomass Burning Aerosols Using High Resolution Mass Spectrometry"

Julia Laskin, Ph.D.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Richland, Wash. 99352

New computer program promises to be "Rosetta Stone" for chemical names

In an advance that will help speed global development of new drugs and patenting of new commercial and industrial products, a scientist in New Mexico is reporting development of the first computer program that can quickly and accurately translate complex chemical names from one language into another. The study is in the current edition of ACS' Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, a bi-monthly publication.

Roger Sayle notes that a universal system for naming chemicals does exist. However, translating chemical names from one language into another can be a complex task due to differences in spacing, capitalization, spelling, and other factors. Proper translation from English to Chinese, for example, often requires the use of specially trained chemists who are fluent in both languages. Although scientists have tried for decades to create computer software for quickly translating chemical names into other languages, there's been limited progress in this area until now, Sayle notes.

Sayle reports development of a new version of a powerful computer program called Lexichem that can perform those translations. The study describes how that program translated a group of more than 250,000 chemical names from English to seven other languages (and back) with a 98 percent accuracy rate. - MTS

ARTICLE: "Foreign language translation of chemical nomenclature by computer"

Roger Sayle, Ph.D.
OpenEye Scientific Software
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508

Toward giving artificial cells the ability for sustained movement

Scientists in Japan are reporting an advance toward giving artificial cells another hallmark of life - the ability to tap an energy source and use it to undergo sustained movement. Their study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, describes the first "self-propelled" oil droplets (used as a model for research on artificial cells) that can run on a chemical "fuel."

Tadashi Sugawara and Taro Toyota and other colleagues note in the new study that scientists have tried for years to find a method for producing oil droplets that undergo controlled movement from one point to another. Despite identifying several promising approaches, researchers have never found an ideal method that they can easily control.

The new study describes development of oil droplets equipped with chemical "engines" - highly reactive catalysts - that provide self-propelled motion in the presence of a chemical "fuel." This fuel consists of special substances that react in the presence of the catalyst. When the researchers placed droplets in water containing the fuel, the droplets moved in a controlled fashion toward areas with the highest concentration of fuel. The researchers also say that when another droplet comes close the newcomer it is trapped by the trail of wastes released by the first droplet. Then the two move together in a "communicative" manner. When the fuel was exhausted, the droplets slowed down and stopped. The study serves as a long-awaited blueprint for designing similar locomotion systems in artificial cells, the scientists say. - MTS

ARTICLE: "Self-Propelled Oil Droplets Consuming "Fuel" Surfactant"

Tadashi Sugawara, Ph.D.
Department of Basic Science
The University of Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan

"Stinky" drywall imported from China raises health and safety concerns

Homeowners throughout the nation are complaining of stinky odors, copper pipe and wire corrosion, and respiratory problems in an ongoing crisis that officials say is linked to drywall imported from China. An article on this topic is scheduled for the May 4 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

C&EN associate editor Bethany Halford explains in the article that drywall - also known as wallboard, plasterboard, and gypsum board - is composed of a gypsum, a chalk-like material. Spurred by complaints from homeowners that their homes smell like rotten eggs, investigators have traced the problem to drywall imported from China starting in 2004. But officials do not know the exact chemicals that are causing the problem and how they got into the drywall.

Researchers suspect that the odors are caused by certain sulfur-containing substances in the drywall. Released as gases, these substances can corrode copper pipes, wiring, and air conditioning coils, the article notes. Although officials believe that the gases do not pose a serious health threat, many homeowners with the drywall have reported nosebleeds, sinus problems, and respiratory infections. Several government agencies are now investigating the exact health effects caused by exposure to these gases as well as the electrical safety issues related to corrosion of copper wiring.

ARTICLE: "Wallboard Woes"

Source:
Michael Woods
American Chemical Society