NY-ACS Long Island Chemical Society

LONG ISLAND CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Meetings

Our monthly seminars cover a broad range of topics and are open to all.
Students are encouraged to attend.
Social: 5:30PM
Seminar: 6:00 PM
Dinner: 7:00PM at a nearby restaurant ($20)

Spring 2009 Events

February 5, 2009
Dr. Spiro D. Alexandratos , Hunter College, CUNY
The Earth in Crisis: Pollution of Water in the Biosphere - Current Status and Steps Toward Renewal
Groundwater is an essential resource yet it is being contaminated with metals and molecules that are highly toxic to plant and animal life. Metals (nickel, cobalt, chromium, copper, lead, cadmium, etc.) may be present at a level of 1 part per million - a level that seems low but is high enough to be toxic. As one of many examples, a site in the state of North Carolina, declared toxic by the US Environmental Protection Agency, is the former location of a battery recycling operation where lead from 95000 cubic meters of contaminated soil has migrated into the aquifer to a depth of 18 meters and now contaminates 320000 cubic meters of groundwater. Compounds that can contaminate groundwater include fuel components, pesticides, and steroids; this is especially serious because some alter the reproductive and endocrine systems of wildlife and humans by acting with estrogen, androgen, and thyroid hormone receptors. Current approaches to the removal of toxic metals from groundwater will be described, including contributions from our laboratory that have led to the development of three polymer-supported reagents: one for the removal of arsenic, one for the removal of radioactive metals, and one for the removal of perchlorate.
Location: Hofstra University
Chemistry/Physics Building, Lister Auditorium
Directions

March 5, 2009
Dr. Barbara Paul , US FDA Northeast Regional Laboratory
Using Chemical Concepts in Microbiological Identification and Characterization
The mere isolation of a microbial species from a patient or a food commodity, though important, often needs to be placed in the larger picture of an outbreak. In order to achieve this goal, microbiologists use the chemical principles of bond-making and breaking, polarization of molecules, their movement through matrices and their ability to absorb and emit energy to analyze the relationships between related isolates. This lecture will provide an overview of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and pulsed-field-gel electrophoresis (PFGE) as methods for detecting and characterizing microbes
Location: Hofstra University
Chemistry/Physics Building, Lister Auditorium
Directions

April 2, 2009
Dr. Stanislaus S. Wong , SUNY Stony Brook
Green Nanostructure Synthesis
Environmentally friendly synthetic methodologies have gradually been implemented as viable techniques in the synthesis of a range of nanostructures. In this talk, we focus on the application of green chemistry principles to the synthesis of complex metal oxide and fluoride nanostructures. In particular, we describe advances in the use of the molten salt synthetic methods, hydrothermal protocols, and template-directed techniques as environmentally sound, socially responsible, and cost-effective methodologies that allow us to generate nanomaterials without the need to sacrifice on sample quality, purity, crystallinity, in addition to control over size and shape.
Chemistry/Physics Building, Lister Auditorium
Directions

See The Indicator for current meeting information

Other Spring 2009 Events

April 24, 2009
LI-ACS Chemistry Challenge
You are invited to participate in this chemistry knowledge competition between student teams from area two- and four-year institutions.
Thirty multiple choice questions (approximately 75% General and 25% Organic Chemistry) are asked in a friendly and exciting atmosphere that brings
colleges and their students and faculty together. Each team is made of three members and all are welcome.
Time: 5:00 pm
Location: Queensborough Community College
Directions

June 9, 2009
LI-ACS High School Awards
Awards will be presented to students receiving the highest mark in chemistry from Suffolk, Nassau and Queens high schools. Dinner is followed by an Awards ceremony at which each nominee is presented with a plaque by the Chair of the Long Island Subsection. This year we are pleased to welcome guest speaker Dr. Denton Ebel of the American Museum of Natural History who will present "Meteorites and Comets; Chemical Tracers of the Birth of Solar System".

Nominations and other forms must be completed online

For further information, contact Ralph Stephani at 718-990-5215 or by Email
Location: The Commons Room, University Center Bldg., St. John's University
Directions

American Chemical Society
New York Section, Inc.
Department of Chemistry
St. John's University
8000 Utopia Parkway
Jamaica, NY 11439
Phone 516-883-7510
Fax 516-883-4003
E-Mail Inquiries to our Office Administrator