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Dr. Marie Maynard Daly received her PhD in Chemistry from Columbia University in 1947. Although she was hardly the first of her race and gender to engage in the field, she was the first African American woman to receive a PhD in chemistry in the United States. In this book, Jeannette Brown, an African American woman chemist herself, will present a wide-ranging historical introduction to the relatively new presence of African American women in the field of chemistry. It will detail their struggles to obtain an education and their efforts to succeed in a field in which there were few African American men, much less African American women. The book contains sketches of the lives of African America women chemists from the earliest pioneers up until the late 1960's when the Civil Rights Acts were passed and greater career opportunities began to emerge. In each sketch, Brown will explore women's motivation to study the field and detail their often quite significant accomplishments. Chapters focus on chemists in academia, industry, and government, as well as chemical engineers, whose career path is very different from that of the tradition chemist. The book concludes with a chapter on the future of African American women chemists, which will be of interest to all women interested in science.

This is the second of two books about African-American female chemists. The first book (African-American Women Chemists, 2011) focused on the early pioneers--women chemists from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Act. African American Women Chemists in the Modern Era focuses on contemporary women who have benefited from the Civil Rights Act and are now working as chemists or chemical engineers. This book was produced by taking the oral history of women who are leaders in their field and who wanted to tell the world how they suceeded. It features eighteen amazing women in this book and each of them has a claim to fame, despite hiding in plain sight. These women reveal the history of their lives from youth to adult. Overall, Jeannette Brown aims to inspire women and minorities to pursue careers in the sciences, as evidenced by the successful career paths of the women that came before them.

The iconic Periodic Table of the Elements is now in its most satisfyingly elegant form. This is because all the 'gaps' corresponding to missing elements in the seventh row, or period, have recently been filled and the elements named. But where do these names come from? For some, usually the most recent, the origins are quite obvious, but in others - even well-known elements such as oxygen or nitrogen - the roots are less clear. Here, Peter Wothers explores the fascinating and often surprising stories behind how the chemical elements received their names. Delving back in time to explore the history and gradual development of chemistry, he sifts through medieval manuscripts for clues to the stories surrounding the discovery of the elements, showing how they were first encountered or created, and how they were used in everyday lives. As he reveals, the oldest-known elements were often associated with astronomical bodies, and connections with the heavens influenced the naming of a number of elements. Following this, a number of elements, including hydrogen and oxygen, were named during the great reform of chemistry, set amidst the French Revolution. While some of the origins of the names were controversial (and, indeed incorrect - some saying, for instance, that oxygen might be literally taken to mean 'the son of a vinegar merchant'), they have nonetheless influenced language used around the world to this very day. Throughout, Wothers delights in dusting off the original sources, and bringing to light the astonishing, the unusual, and the downright weird origins behind the names of the elements so familiar to us today.

The Aqueous Chemistry of Oxides is a single-volume text that encapsulates all of the critical issues associated with how oxide materials interact with aqueous solutions. It serves as a central reference for academics working with oxides in the contexts of geology, various types of inorganic chemistry, and materials science. The text also has utility for professionals working with industrial applications in which oxides are either prepared or must perform in aqueous environments. The volume is organized into five key sections. Part One features two introductory chapters, intended to introduce the mutual interests of engineers, chemists, geologists, and industrial scientists in the physical and chemical properties of oxide materials. Part Two provides the essential and fundamental principles that are critical to understanding most of the major reactions between water and oxides. Part Three deals with the synthesis of oxide materials in aqueous media. Part Four deals with oxide-water reactions and their environmental and technological impacts, and Part Five is devoted to other types of relevant reactions. The Aqueous Chemistry of Oxides is the first book that provides a comprehensive summary of all of the critical reactions between oxides and water in a single volume. As such, it ties together a wide range of existing books and literature into a central location that provides a key reference for understanding and accessing a broad range of more specialized topics. The book contain over 300 figures and tables.

Most fields of science, applied science, engineering, and technology deal with solutions in water. This volume is a comprehensive treatment of the aqueous solution chemistry of all the elements. The information on each element is centered around an E-pH diagram which is a novel aid to understanding. The contents are especially pertinent to agriculture, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, biology, biomedical science and engineering, chemical engineering, geochemistry, inorganic chemistry, environmental science and engineering, food science, materials science, mining engineering, metallurgy, nuclear science and engineering, nutrition, plant science, safety, and toxicology.

In Assembling Life, David Deamer addresses questions that are the cutting edge of research on the origin of life. For instance, how did non-living organic compounds assemble into the first forms of primitive cellular life? What was the source of those compounds and the energy that produced the first nucleic acids? Did life begin in the ocean or in fresh water on terrestrial land masses? Could life have begun on Mars? The book provides an overview of conditions on the early Earth four billion years ago and explains why fresh water hot springs are a plausible alternative to salty seawater as a site where life can begin. Deamer describes his studies of organic compounds that were likely to be available in the prebiotic environment and the volcanic conditions that can drive chemical evolution toward the origin of life. The book is not exclusively Earth-centric, but instead considers whether life could begin elsewhere in our solar system. Deamer does not propose how life did begin, because we can never know that with certainty. Instead, his goal is to understand how life can begin on any habitable planet, with Earth so far being the only known example.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR spectroscopy) is a research technique that uses the magnetic properties of atomic nuclei to determine physical and chemical properties of atoms or the molecules in which they are contained. Proton NMR (1H NMR) is a technique that applies NMR spectroscopy specifically to the hydrogen-1 nuclei within the molecules of a substance, in order to determine the structure of that substance's molecules. The use of 1H NMR for the assignment of absolute configuration of organic compounds is a well-established technique. Recent research describes the technique's application to mono-, bi- and trifunctional compounds. In addition, several new auxiliary reagents, mono- and biderivatization procedures, on-resin methodologies and more recently, the use of 13C NMR, have been introduced to the field. In The Assignment of the Absolute Configuration by NMR Using Chiral Derivatizing Agents: A Practical Guide, eminent Professor of Organic Chemistry Ricardo Riguera organizes this cutting-edge NMR research. Professor Riguera offers a short and usable guide that introduces the reader to the research with a plethora of details and examples. The book briefly explains the theoretical aspects necessary for understanding the methodology, dedicating most of its space to covering the practical aspects of the assignment, with examples and spectra taken from the authors' own experiments. Upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and chemical researchers will find this guide useful for their studies and practice.

Building on the foundation of a one-year introductory course in organic chemistry, Bioorganic Synthesis: An Introduction focuses on organic reactions involved in the biosynthesis of naturally-occurring organic compounds with special emphasis on natural products of pharmacological interest. The book is designed specifically for undergraduate students, rather than as an exhaustive reference work for graduate students or professional researchers and is intended to support undergraduate courses for students majoring in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, pre-medicine, and bioengineering programs who would benefit from a deeper understanding of the chemical logic of reactions carried out in organisms and the origins and uses of the important organic compounds they often produce. The book assumes no prior background in biochemistry and consists of eight chapters: i) a brief review of relevant topics from introductory organic chemistry; ii) presentation of essential organic and biochemical reactions used throughout the book along with a brief introduction to coenzymes; iii) review of basic carbohydrates and the biosynthesis of amino acids; iv) the terpenoid pathway for biosynthesis of all important classes of terpenoids and steroids; v) the acetate pathway for biosynthesis of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, prostaglandins and acetate-derived polyketide natural products; vi) the biosynthesis of the shikimate pathway products derived from aromatic amino acids; vii) an introduction to biosynthesis of major alkaloids and related nitrogenous compounds; and viii) an overview of laboratory organic synthesis as it relates to the challenges faced by synthetic and medicinal chemists who must recreate intricate natural product structures in the laboratory.

Designed for undergraduates, graduate students, and industry practitioners, Bioseparations Science and Engineering fills a critical need in the field of bioseparations. Current, comprehensive, and concise, it covers bioseparations unit operations in unprecedented depth. In each of the chapters, the authors use a consistent method of explaining unit operations, starting with a qualitative description noting the significance and general application of the unit operation. They then illustrate the scientific application of the operation, develop the required mathematical theory, and finally, describe the applications of the theory in engineering practice, with an emphasis on design and scaleup. Unique to this text is a chapter dedicated to bioseparations process design and economics, in which a process simular, SuperPro Designer® is used to analyze and evaluate the production of three important biological products. New to this second edition are updated discussions of moment analysis, computer simulation, membrane chromatography, and evaporation, among others, as well as revised problem sets. Unique features include basic information about bioproducts and engineering analysis and a chapter with bioseparations laboratory exercises. Bioseparations Science and Engineering is ideal for students and professionals working in or studying bioseparations, and is the premier text in the field.

For the world's largest prescription drug manufacturers, the last few years have been a harrowing time. Recently, Pfizer's Lipitor, GlaxoSmithKline's Advair, AstraZeneca's Seroquel, and Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb's Plavix all came off patent in the crucial U.S. market. This so-called "patent cliff" meant hundreds of billions of dollars in lost revenue and has pharmaceutical developers scrambling to create new drugs and litigating to extend current patent protections. Having spent most of his career in drug discovery in "big pharma," Dr. Li now delivers an insider's account of how the drug industry ascended to its plateau and explores the nature of the turmoil it faces in the coming years. He begins with a survey of the landscape before "blockbuster drugs," and proceeds to describe how those drugs were discovered and subsequently became integral to the business models of large pharmaceutical companies. For example, in early 1980s, Tagamet, the first "blockbuster drug," transformed a minor Philadelphia-based drug maker named SmithKline & French into the world's ninth-largest pharmaceutical company in terms of sales. The project that delivered Tagamet was nearly terminated several times because research efforts begun in 1964 produced no apparent results within the first eleven years. Similar stories accompany the discovery and development of now-ubiquitous prescription drugs, among them Claritin, Prilosec, Nexium, Plavix, and Ambien. These stories, and the facets of the pharmaceutical industry that they reveal, can teach us valuable lessons and reveal many crucial aspects about the future landscape of drug discovery. As always, Dr. Li writes in a readable style and intersperses fascinating stories of scientific discovery with engaging human drama.

This text provides a uniform and consistent approach to diversified problems encountered in the study of dynamical processes in condensed phase molecular systems. Given the broad interdisciplinary aspect of this subject, the book focuses on three themes: coverage of needed background material, in-depth introduction of methodologies, and analysis of several key applications. The uniform approach and common language used in all discussions help to develop general understanding and insight on condensed phases chemical dynamics. The applications discussed are among the most fundamental processes that underlie physical, chemical and biological phenomena in complex systems. The first part of the book starts with a general review of basic mathematical and physical methods (Chapter 1) and a few introductory chapters on quantum dynamics (Chapter 2), interaction of radiation and matter (Chapter 3) and basic properties of solids (chapter 4) and liquids (Chapter 5). In the second part the text embarks on a broad coverage of the main methodological approaches. The central role of classical and quantum time correlation functions is emphasized in Chapter 6. The presentation of dynamical phenomena in complex systems as stochastic processes is discussed in Chapters 7 and 8. The basic theory of quantum relaxation phenomena is developed in Chapter 9, and carried on in Chapter 10 which introduces the density operator, its quantum evolution in Liouville space, and the concept of reduced equation of motions. The methodological part concludes with a discussion of linear response theory in Chapter 11, and of the spin-boson model in chapter 12. The third part of the book applies the methodologies introduced earlier to several fundamental processes that underlie much of the dynamical behaviour of condensed phase molecular systems. Vibrational relaxation and vibrational energy transfer (Chapter 13), Barrier crossing and diffusion controlled reactions (Chapter 14), solvation dynamics (Chapter 15), electron transfer in bulk solvents (Chapter 16) and at electrodes/electrolyte and metal/molecule/metal junctions (Chapter 17), and several processes pertaining to molecular spectroscopy in condensed phases (Chapter 18) are the main subjects discussed in this part.

Problem-solving is one of the most challenging aspects students encounter in general chemistry courses leading to frustration and failure. Consequently, many students become less motivated to take additional chemistry courses after the first year. This book deals with calculations in general chemistry and its primary goal is to prevent frustration by providing students with innovative, intuitive, and systematic strategies to problem-solving in chemistry. The material addresses this issue by providing several sample problems with carefully explained step-by-step solutions for each concept. Key concepts, basic theories, and equations are provided and worked examples are selected to reflect possible ways problems could be presented to students.

As inorganic materials are put to more and more practical uses--mainly in electric, magnetic, and optical devices--materials scientists must have an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the chemical and physical properties of inorganic compounds. This volume--the first of its kind in twenty years--provides a unified presentation of the chemistry of non-stoichiometric compounds based on statistical thermodynamics and structural inorganic chemistry. Four modern examples of non-stoichiometric compounds--ionic conducting compounds, hydrogen absorbing alloys, magnetic materials, and electrical materials--are discussed in detail. Students and researchers in structural inorganic chemistry, crystallography, materials science, and solid state physics will find this much-needed book both practical and informative.

The second edition of The Chemistry of Soils, published in 2008, has been used as a main text in soil-science courses across the world, and the book is widely cited as a reference for researchers in geoscience, agriculture, and ecology. The book introduces soil into its context within geoscience and chemistry, addresses the effects of global climate change on soil, and provides insight into the chemical behavior of pollutants in soils. Since 2008, the field of soil science has developed in three key ways that Sposito addresses in this third edition. For one, research related to the Critical Zone (the material extending downward from vegetation canopy to groundwater) has undergone widespread reorganization as it becomes better understood as a key resource to human life. Secondly, scientists have greatly increased their understanding of how organic matter in soil functions in chemical reactions. Finally, the study of microorganisms as they relate to soil science has significantly expanded. The new edition is still be comprised of twelve chapters, introducing students to the principal components of soil, discussing a wide range of chemical reactions, and surveying important human applications. The chapters also contain completely revised annotated reading lists and problem sets.

Poets extol the burst of aroma when the bottle is opened, the wine poured, the flavor on the palate as it combines with the olfactory expression detected and the resulting glow realized. But what is the chemistry behind it? What are the compounds involved and how do they work their wonder? What do we know? Distinct and measurable differences in terroir, coupled with the plasticity of the grape berry genome and the metabolic products, as well as the work of the vintner, are critical to the production of the symphony of flavors found in the final bottled product. Analytical chemistry can inform us about the chemical differences and similarities in the grape berry constituents with which we start and what is happening to those and other constituents as the grape matures. The details of the grape and its treatment produce substantive detectable differences in each wine. While there are clear generalities - all wine is mostly water, ethanol is usually between 10% - 20% of the volume, etc - it is the details, shown to us by Analytical Chemistry and structural analysis accompanying it, that clearly allow one wine to be distinguished from another.