American Chemical Society Briefing: Eating cool: What to Eat To Beat The Heat

The refreshing chill of today's fudge-brownie cookie-crumble ice cream cone ― will it really last? Or can ice cream actually stoke the body's metabolic furnace and make you feel even hotter? How about a few ice-cold brews? Or should you add a dash of the counter-intuitive to your summer menu with the sweat-inducing, mouth-on-fire, tear-provoking taste of chili peppers?

With millions of people already weather-worn after a summer punctuated by record heat, and some of the hottest days still ahead, the American Chemical Society (ACS) today is hosting a special briefing, "Eating Cool: What to Eat to Beat the Heat." It is part of the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the ACS, which is the world's largest scientific society. The meeting, featuring 8,600 presentations on new discoveries in science and other topics, continues here through Thursday and is expected to attract 14,000 scientists and others.

"Eating Cool: What to Eat to Beat the Heat" will begin at noon today in the ACS Press Center, Room 304, in the Pennsylvania Convention Center for journalists covering the meeting onsite. The press conference room is fully equipped for TV coverage and video. Those covering the event from their home space can join the briefing online. The video can be seen below on 21 Aug 2012, 12:00 ET (21-Aug-2012 16:00 GMT).

Extracting Nuclear Grade Uranium From Seawater Receives Big Boost From Emerging Technology

Uraninite

Uranium is a silvery white metallic element. It is a chemical element found in the actinide series of the periodic table. Uranium has the chemical symbol U and the atomic number 92.

It has 92 protons and 92 electrons. Six of these electrons are valence electrons. Valence electrons are electrons of an atom that can participate in the formation of chemical bonds with other atoms

Uranium occurs naturally in soil, rock, and water at low concentrations of a few parts per million. For commercial purposes, uranium is extracted from minerals such as uraninite (also known as pitchblende). Uraninite is a uranium-rich mineral and ore that is the major source for uranium.

Advances in decades-old dream of mining seawater for uranium

Scientists today reported progress toward a 40-year-old dream of extracting uranium for nuclear power from seawater, which holds at least 4 billion tons of the precious material. They described some of the most promising technology and an economic analysis showing uranium from the oceans could help solidify nuclear energy potential as a sustainable electricity source for the 21st century. Their reports were part of a symposium at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, being held here through Thursday.

"Estimates indicate that the oceans are a mother lode of uranium, with far more uranium dissolved in seawater than in all the known terrestrial deposits that can be mined," said Robin D. Rogers, Ph.D., who organized the symposium and presented his own technology. "The difficulty has always been that the concentration is just very, very low, making the cost of extraction high. But we are gaining on that challenge."

Erich Schneider, Ph.D., another speaker at the symposium, discussed an economic analysis done for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) comparing seawater extraction of uranium to traditional ore mining. It shows that DOE-funded technology now can extract about twice as much uranium from seawater as the first approaches, developed in Japan in the late 1990s.

Starbucks and City University of Hong Kong Collaborate On Biorefinery Project

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Disclaimer: Quantum Day does not endorse or promote Starbucks and holds no relationship with its commercial suppliers or distributors. The report is based on research presented to The American Chemical Society.
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The School of Energy and Environment at the City University of Hong Kong has recently started collaborating with coffee retailer giant 'Starbucks Hong Kong'. The partnership, which was facilitated by the NGO the Climate Group, will focus on the valorisation of spent coffee grounds and unconsumed bakeries via bio-processing. The collaboration is based on a support scheme and part of the "Care for our Planet" campaign: for every set of Care For Our Planet Cookies Charity Set sold, Starbucks will donate HK$8 to the School of Energy and Environment of City University of Hong Kong to support research on valorisation of food waste for sustainable production of chemicals and materials.

The aim of the research is to valorise the disposed coffee grounds and unconsumed bakeries to bio-plastics and detergents ingredients, facilitating the development of biomass use in Hong Kong and reduce the release of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants into the atmosphere.

The Hong Kong Starbucks project will focus on the use of acidic hydrolysis of non pre-treated spent coffee grounds and bakery waste, followed by fungal solid state fermentation for breaking down the carbohydrate into simple sugars for the subsequent succinic acid fermentation. One of the critical issues to be solved is to overcome the inhibitory compounds which affect the growth of Actinobacillus succinogenes, which is a facultative anaerobic bacterium used in the fermentative production of succinic acid.

This research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

New biorefinery finds treasure in Starbucks' spent coffee grounds and stale bakery goods

With 1.3 billion tons of food trashed, dumped in landfills and otherwise wasted around the world every year, scientists today described development and successful laboratory testing of a new "biorefinery" intended to change food waste into a key ingredient for making plastics, laundry detergents and scores of other everyday products.

Their report on a project launched in cooperation with the Starbucks restaurant chain - concerned with sustainability and seeking a use for spent coffee grounds and stale bakery goods - came at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society. Thousands of scientists and others are here this week for the meeting of the world's largest scientific society, which features almost 8,600 reports on new discoveries in science.

"Our new process addresses the food waste problem by turning Starbucks' trash into treasure — detergent ingredients and bio-plastics that can be incorporated into other useful products," said Carol S. K. Lin, Ph.D., who led the research team. "The strategy reduces the environmental burden of food waste, produces a potential income from this waste and is a sustainable solution."

2012 ACS Heroes of Chemistry Honors Scientists From Merck, Novartis, and Arkema, Inc.

The ACS Heroes of Chemistry program recognizes chemical scientists whose work in various fields of chemistry and chemical engineering has led to the successful innovation and development of commercial products based on chemistry. It brings attention to the important role of scientists in industrial chemistry and their companies in improving human welfare through successful commercial innovations and products. Heroes of Chemistry presents an ideal opportunity to enhance the public image of the chemical and allied industries.

Each year, Heroes of Chemistry are nominated by their own companies to recognize their talent, creativity, and innovation. Our previous Heroes of Chemistry have excelled in innovation at prominent international corporations and developed many commercial products that demonstrate strong financial performance. The commercial success of their products in the marketplace is an important criterion for this honor, because we recognize that good business results follow good science.

'Heroes of Chemistry': Developed new drugs and technology to cut heating and cooling bills

The scientists behind three inventions that touch the lives of millions of people around the world will be inducted into a coveted scientific "Hall of Fame" today as the latest Heroes of Chemistry named by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society.

The ceremony, held at the 244th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, which continues here through Thursday, will confer public recognition on scientific teams that developed:

• The first oral drug for the most common and difficult-to-treat form of chronic hepatitis C, which infects more than 3 million people in the United States and 130-170 million worldwide.
• Another new medicine for one form of adult leukemia that provided patients with an alternative treatment when the disease became drug-resistant.
• The process, used around the world, for making "low-e window glass" and other glass coatings that saves millions of dollars each year in heating and cooling costs and significantly lowers energy consumption.

Established in 1996, the ACS Heroes of Chemistry program recognizes scientists whose work in various fields of chemistry and chemical engineering has led to the successful innovation and development of commercial products that benefit humankind.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Awards Priestley Medal To Peter J. Stang, Ph.D.

Peter J. Stang, Ph.D.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With main offices at Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio, the ACS is the world's largest scientific society with more than 164,000 members. It is also a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences.

The highest honor the ACS can confer to an individual for distinguished service in the filed of chemistry is the Priestley Medal. This was established in 1922. This award is named after Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen. The ACS formed in 1876, spearheaded by a group of chemists who had met two years previously in Priestley's home.

From 1928 to 1944, the Priestley Medal was presented every three years. After 1944, it became a yearly presentation. It honors individuals who are advanced in their fields, as it is intended to commemorate lifetime achievement.

American Chemical Society's highest honor goes to pioneer of 'Lego-like' molecules

Peter J. Stang, Ph.D., distinguished professor of chemistry at the University of Utah and editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), has been named winner of the 2013 Priestley Medal by the American Chemical Society (ACS). It is the highest honor bestowed by the world's largest scientific society.

Priestley Medal

The award recognizes Stang's cutting-edge research that has had far-reaching implications for many areas of science, including drug development and more efficient ways to produce gasoline and home heating oil. The annual award includes a gold medallion designed to commemorate the work of Joseph Priestley, who lived from 1733 to 1804, and is best remembered for his 1774 discovery of the gas that would later be named "oxygen."

"Stang is a pre-eminent organic chemist with an international reputation and seminal, creative contributions to a broad spectrum of chemistry," said Gabor Somorjai, Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley. Somorjai nominated Stang for this award.

Last year, Stang won a National Medal of Science, which is the highest U.S. honor for a scientist or engineer. He received the award from President Barack Obama in a White House ceremony, where he was honored "for his creative contributions to the development of organic supramolecular chemistry and for his outstanding and unique record of public service."