Chemformation

The Weekly Newsletter of the MIT Chemistry Department

Volume 15, Number 17

Friday, May 14, 1999

Chemformation is published by the Office of the Department Chairman. Please convey items of interest (or mailing list changes) to Linda Earle, Room 18-390, Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617/253-4080; 617/258-7500 (fax) or e-mail to lkn@mit.edu. Back issues of Chemformation can be accessed via the Chemistry Department Website.

Visit the Chemistry Department Website at http://web.mit.edu/chemistry/www/

Building 2 and 6 Lasers Labs

Renovations in the basement of building 2 to create Laser labs for the Nocera, Nelson and Tokmakoff groups are well underway. The current completion date for these labs is scheduled for the beginning of September. At that time, these groups will move back to the basement from their temporary location in the Magnet Lab. Following shortly after these labs are completed, the renovations of the Field lab will be completed, currently projected to the first half of October. When this lab is completed, the Field and Steinfeld group will share these new lab so the last phase of the laser lab renovations project, the Steinfeld lab, can begin. Completion of the Steinfeld lab is projected for the end of the year.

Schrock and Cummins labs, building 6

The bidding process is currently underway for the Schrock and Cummins lab renovation on the 3rd and 4th floors of building 6. Bids are expected back in approximately 2 weeks and construction will commence shortly thereafter. The Schrock group has already moved into swing space in the 1st floor of building 18. The Cummins group will be moving into swing space in the Seyferth labs in building 2 during construction. These renovations are projected to be complete around the end of the year. The original schedule projected completion in the early fall. However, extensive redesign of the roof top fumehood exhaust system delayed the final design, and thus the completion date has been pushed back.

Building 18

The design development (DD) phase of the building 18 renovations is currently underway. Iterative meetings between the architects, Goody, Clancey Associates, and the research groups of the building are in progress. The objective of these first series of meetings is to document and understand how the researchers use their space, the instruments that must be housed within the respective labs, and the initial layout designs. This phase, anticipated to continue through mid August, will be followed by the final design and the development of construction documents (CDs). The CDs are the documents upon which contractors will bid.

New Faculty

Three new faculty will be joining the department this July, Barbara Imperiali, Cathy Drennan and Tim Jamison.

Cathy Drennan¼s labs will be located on the 5th floor of building 56 in the space formally occupied by Jamie Williamson.

Barbara Imperiali¼s labs will initially be located on the 2nd floor of building 18. Ultimately, following the completion of the renovations her labs will be located on the 5th floor. In anticipation of the need for all of the groups to compress into 2/3s of the building during renovations, and to accommodate her group into compressed space, we will shortly convert the east corridor of the 2nd floor from public to private space. This will be accomplished by installing a door by the south stairwell and fitting the existing fire doors near the north stairwell with a handle and lock set. These changes will allow the use of the corridor for the location of equipment such as freezers, bookshelves, etc. A 3¼ aisle will be maintained at all times.

Tim Jamison will occupy two sets of temporary labs. The first, from his arrival in July through the end of the year, will be on the 5th floor in the space currently occupied by the Biemann group. Following the completion of the Cummins labs and the group¼s move back into their renovated space, the Jamison group will move to the Seyferth labs until the completion of renovations of 18.

New Fumehood Design

A major design goal of the building 18 renovations is a significant increase of the linear feet of fumehood per researcher. In order to reach this goal while staying within the air handling system capacity it will be necessary to use a new fumehood design. Fumehoods from two manufacturers are currently under consideration. In order to evaluate the new design to ensure that the hoods contain chemical fumes and that the sash and other design features of these new hoods are compatible with the methods of research conducted by the groups in the building, three test fumehoods will be installed by the end of the month. These hoods are being placed in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors. During the test period researchers from several groups will be asked to conduct their experiments in these hoods for at least several days and the Industrial Hygiene Office will test the hoods for chemical containment. All researchers are invited to inspect these hoods, and even if you do not have an opportunity to directly use them, let us know of your comments and reactions.

From July 29 to August 1, in Montreal, Canada. McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm with over 5,000 consultants in 79 offices in 41 countries, invites you to gain insight into the world of management consulting. This comprehensive seminar, designed exclusively for PhD.¼s and M.D.s will cover a range of topics important to those who are exploring alternative career possibilities. The agenda will include: An overview of management consulting. Consulting as a profession for Ph.D.s and M.D.s. A 2-day management consulting case study. An interview workshop. Recreational, team building activities Applicants should be expecting to finish their degree before 2001; no business experience is required. All expenses will be paid. Information is available in headquarters, 18-390. Applications must be received by June 4, 1999. will be notified by June 18, 1999.

The 10th Edition of the Minority & Women Doctoral Directory will be published in Fall 1999. If you are interested in being included, please pick up a Release Form from the Department's Headquarters Office (18-390) or the Chemistry Education Office (2-204). Form can also be downloaded from www.mwdd.com.

Complete the Form and submit it with a rÈsumÈ to M.-T. Kouo or Kitty Valleli in 18-390. Listing is free for the first listing. Updates are available to students and graduates listed in the prior editions for $20. Deadline: 8/31/99.

Call Ed Udas at 253-4505 or stop by room 4-065 if students, faculty, or staff need help in organizing their MIT space.

Also, Bob DiGiacomo will be coming in on Wednesdays or Thursdays to pick up any glass blowing work that you may have available. Please bring any work to room 4-064 or call Ed Udas or John Annese at 3-4505. Bob will do the work on a first-come, first-served basis.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Post-Doctoral Position Chemical Physicist/Physical Chemist with experience in the use of laser-based spectroscopic methods for measurement of gaseous species. The candidate will work in an applied program that couples Resonantly Enhanced Multi-Photon Ionization (REMPI) with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS). The candidate will work with the leading international groups developing the REMPI analytical method and designing and building an instrument for use at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Candidate will apply this REMP instrument for detection of trace halogenated air toxics as part of a comprehensive program at the EPA's combustion research facility in Research Triangle Park, NC, investigating the formation mechanisms of these pollutants. The deadline for the EPA post-doc program is May 28, 1999, and is only open to US citizens. Salary is $48,000/year. More information can be obtained at: http://www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/nrmrlpost.html A second position is available in the DoE sponsored (ORISE) for EPA, and is open to both US citizens and foreign nationals (here the deadline is flexible). Again the salary is $48,000/year. Information on this program can be obtained by contacting: Postgraduate Research Program/NRMRL/APPCD (position NRMRL 98-2) Att: Pat Pressly, Science and Engineering Education Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education PO Box 117, Mail Stop 36 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117 (423)576-5654, fax: (423)241-5220, email:presslap@orau. This timing will allow the candidate to work with the REMPI developer as they put together the instrument, allowing the candidate to better understand how the REMPI/TOFMS system works. Background The U.S. EPA's Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory (Research Triangle Park, NC) conducts research on formation mechanisms, quantification methods, and prevention of hazardous air pollutants, particularly halogenated organics such as chlorinated dibenzodioxins/dibenzofurans, biphenyls, and napthalenes. Recently, NRMRL Has been awarded a grant to study the application of REMPI/TOFMS techniques toward development of a real time "dioxin" monitor. This grant program, combined with a DOE-funded program to develop the instrumental science behind REMPI/TOFMS, constitutes a large federally-funded effort whose goal is to develop this method of hazardous air pollutant detection for source characterization, understanding of pollutant formation mechanisms, and pollution prevention. As part of this program, a REMPI/TOFMS system will be built for use at EPA's combustion research facility. The post-doctoral laser spectroscopist is necessary to operate the REMPI/TOFMS system and develop its application for trace halogen detection. Candidate will work with a team of researchers investigating hazardous air pollutant formation on in-house facilities including waste combustors, industrial boilers, solid fuel combustors, rotary kilns, and laboratory reactors. Information Further information can be obtained by contacting Dr. Brian Gullett, (919)541-1534, gullett.brian@epa.gov Brian K. Gullett, Ph.D. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Risk Management Research Laboratory Air Pollution Technology Branch (MD-65)Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

University of California Santa Barbara: Two postdoctorals available: The first project concerns the interaction between DNA and conjugated organic compounds. The project would be ideal for students with a background in DNA chemistry who are interested in expanding their expertise into the study of photophysical processes in condensed organic media. The second project is concerned with the preparation of organometallic complexes containing boron heterocycles. We have found that certain metallocene mimics supported by boratabenzene rings can selectively convert ethylene to 1-alkenes (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 9305). This is a conceptually new application of electrophilic complexes which we hope to capitalize in a variety of ways. Applicants should submit a CV and the names of two or three references and are welcome to contact me by phone, e-mail or regular post for further details. Our fax number here is 805-893-5538. Professor Guillermo C. Bazan, Chemistry Department, Department of Materials Science, CA 93106, (805) 893-5538

Columbia University: A postdoctoral position in the area of state-to-state dynamics of chemical reactions is available immediately in the laboratory of Professor James J. Valentini. The emphasis of the project is on the elucidation of the influence of "many-body" effects--those features that distinguish reactions in which one or both reactants are polyatomic from the prototype atom + diatom reactions. Current target systems are atom + polyatom reactions like H + CH4 and H + CHCl3 as well as more complex systems. The experiments rely on REMPI measurements--Doppler-resolved and distance-of flight/position-resolved--to map the energy distributions of both reaction products. Stimulated Raman excitation methods are used to vibrationally prepare the reactant molecule, and laser photolysis creates the reactant atom. Related studies focus on reactions in molecular clusters, where the "many-body" effects are solvation-like. The experiments are complemented by computational simulations of the dynamics of the reactions on realistic model potential energy surfaces as an aid to interpreting the experimental results. Interested applicants should contact Professor Valentini via email, fax, or mail, and arrange to have two letters of recommendation sent to him. The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. Professor James J. Valentini, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, Mail Code 3120, 3000 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, Phone: 212-854-7590, Fax: 212-932-1289.

Bates College, Lewiston, ME: Invites applications for a replacement position in inorganic chemsitry for the fall of 1999. Teaching will involve inorganic chemistry (lecture and lab) and general chemistry (lecture and lab). An interest in environmental chemistry is desired. Applicants should send materials including transcripts and three letters of recommendation to: Professor Thomas Wenzel c/0 Secretarial Services, Lane Hall, Bates College, Lewiston, ME 04240.

Novartis Pharmaceutical, Summit, NJ, seeking BS and MS candidates for research positions in Synthetic Organic chemistry. Submit application (Cover letter and a resume) to Dr. Roger Fujimoto at: Novartis Pharmaceuticals, LSB-2781, Chemical Research Division, 556 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901, or by E-mail at roger.ujimoto@pharma.novartis.com

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