Blind Chemist: Royal Society of Chemistry: Green Chemistry and Light Materials Chemistry

The Royal Society of Chemistry continues with a well attended series of public lectures and I have been to two so far.  While these all advance the case for chemistry these events are as jargon free as possible and the two speakers have a record of communication and publications.  Their experience in “The Real World” is also apparent.

From Waste to Wealth using Green Chemistry by Professor James H Clark

27^th September, 2012

http://www.rsc.org/ConferencesAndEvents/RSCEvents/chemistry-centre/using-green-chemistry-new.asp

Green Chemistry

The term Green Chemistry has been in use for some time and embodies all those aspects of chemistry which put into practice chemical answers to problems such as sustainability, resources, energy, efficiency and basically all environmental problems (real or imagined).  The idea is to avoid some chemical pathways in favour of biotechnology.  In this regard the movement is less concerned with “end of pipe” or even “remediation”. 

Professor James Clark of York University cited the term “Devil’s tool kit”.  There are shades of the Devil’s Element often thrown at chlorine and indeed Prof Clark had an illustration of so deemed green elements and the non-green elements such as Chromium, Bromine and Fluorine.  Regarding resources, the supply of elements such as Tantalum was quoted with the extraction process.  (One could also add the production of titanium dioxide where huge quantities of intermediate processes have to use such Devil’s Tool Kits.  The concept of green chemistry has grown and may well evolve. 

As a brand “Green Chemistry” is seriously proclaimed by any CEO in a company who wants to keep their job.  Public scrutiny of all companies in the periphery of chemical activity ensures that for the time being issues such as sustainability are at the forefront for the long term benefit of the company.  The public have every right to question some chemical and pharmaceutical scandals in the past. 

Resource Intelligence

This term is used so that in addition to resources being used wisely – sustainability in terms of exploitation and recycling – there has to be an evaluation of alternative sources of raw materials from what would be considered waste products.  These include coffee bean waste, pulp and peel from oranges, rice straw, cocoa pods and even banana skins.

The war of the “soda pops” continues with each brand trying to outdo the other regarding the “green” credentials of the product itself.  The packaging may well be sustainable but is the product beneficial? (Discuss)

Sponsors of the event were GSK who had undertaken a project to cut down on solvent consumption.  GSK have consumer products in their portfolio with such brands as Horlicks and Ribena. 

You can listen to and view this lecture on: http://www.thereaction.net/explore/from-waste-to-wealth-using-green-chemistry/

There is also a specialist publication from the Royal Society of Chemistry called Green Chemistry.  More information is available on: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/journalissues/gc

For more details of Professor Clark and York University visit:

http://www.york.ac.uk/chemistry/research/green/

http://www.biorenewables.org/

Our Light Materials by Professor Howard Colquhoun

11^th October, 2012

http://www.rsc.org/ConferencesAndEvents/RSCEvents/chemistry-centre/our-light-materials.asp

Professor Howard Colquhoun from University of Reading gave a lecture illustrating the chemistry and history of many materials which have begun to take the place of iron in terms of progression from stone, bronze and iron age civilisations.   Polymers is a term for many monomers with the monomers being simple hydrocarbons.  Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen are the elements forming molecules then polymeric structures which can challenge steel in terms of hardness, ductility, tensile strength and weight

This lecture looked at the chemistry behind some ordinary items and Professor Colquhoun introduced a plastic bag (polyethylene).  Being of a certain age and background, I still refer to C2H4 as ethylene though ethane is preferred.  Shorthand for the polymer is PE and my own hip implant has a bit of HDPE in it, according to the surgeon. The HDPE stands for High Density Poly Ethylene in trivial terms. We then moved on to other polymers going through Nylon, Kevlar and Carbon Fibres.  Professor Colquhoun carefully ran through the structure of these advanced polymers with illustrations. 

Structure, molecular bonds and repetitions of bonding patterns can be identified by the latest research in nanotechnology.  There was a lively discussion with mainly technical questions being asked though someone asked about the recycling capability of advanced composite structures.  Planes for example have as much as 70% non metal structures in the airframes.  The engines still require metal.

During the after talk discussion over coffee, I entered a discussion between an nmr researcher and a mass spectrometrist.  Being a sporting chemist, I sided with the nmr researcher who turned out to have done N15 nmr work at Queen Mary.  We had both been trained on the HA100 from Varian.  The old joke that physics discovered nmr to give the chemists something to play with has a resonance, so to speak. We soon went totally jargonista with Nuclear Overhauser Effect, satellites, spin tickling and decoupling.  Fascinating!

This talk should be available to listen to and view, but at the time of posting is not yet available. 

Forthcoming lecture: Performance Science in Olympic and Paralympic Sport

Speaker:  Scott Drawer, Head of Research and Innovation, UK Sport

Date & Time: 6^th November, 2012 6:30-8:30 pm

Venue: Chemistry Centre, Burlington House, London W1J 0BA

http://www.rsc.org/ConferencesAndEvents/RSCEvents/chemistry-centre/Performance-Science.asp

Royal Society of Chemistry: American Chemical Society - Chemistry: a key to human progress

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has continued in the spirit of the International Year of Chemistry (2011) by promoting public meetings.  The latest talk at Burlington House in the Chemistry Centre was on 5^th July.  It was titled “Chemistry: a key to human progress” and given by Professor Bassam Shakhashiri, President of the American Chemical Society (ACS).  (http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content)  This occasion was also to be the first to be addressed by the newly installed President of the RSC, Professor Lesley Yellowlees. 

I spent much of the day in Burlington House with a meeting in the morning, then a “viewing” of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and ending with the evening lecture. 

I arrived at the desk at the RSC and got my name badge put on and was welcomed by Pauline Meakins upstairs during a coffee session prior to the lecture.  Lesley Yellowlees was being both introduced and congratulated on her role as President of the Royal Society of Chemistry.  Lesley and I share an education at the University of Edinburgh and we chatted about Edinburgh connections. 

Prof Whitestick and Prof Yellowlees

Royal Society of Chemistry

5 July 2012

A brief introduction of Lesley follows.

Professor Lesley Yellowlees

MBE BSc PhD FRSC

Lesley Yellowlees completed both her BSc in Chemical Physics and her PhD in Inorganic Electrochemistry at the University of Edinburgh. After completing research positions in Brisbane, Australia and Glasgow she returned to Edinburgh in 1986 to an academic position before gaining a personal chair in Inorganic Electrochemistry in 2005. Lesley was Head of the School of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh from 2005-10 and, currently, is Vice Principal and Head of the College of Science and Engineering. Her research interests include inorganic electrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry, epr spectroscopy, solar energy and CO2 conversion.

I remember a school’s Christmas Lecture given by Professor Evelyn Ebsworth in the 1960s, whose team I later joined as a researcher at university.  The tradition of a school lecture is still strong, so when Lesley announced that she had learned a lot from Bassam Shakhashiri’s demonstrations, it was only a matter of time before one of these demonstrations took place. 

As President of the ACS, Bassam is concerned with many of the issues that face chemistry, science and citizenship.  Bassam has his own blog (http://www.scifun.org/), a prolific presence on YouTube videos and even showed a clip where people were wearing Santa Claus hats!  His latest book is coming out soon.

With safety glasses on, Bassam did some basic colour changes with the use of indicators and some changes in acidity or alkalinity.  I particularly liked his asking the audience about what was going on with his demonstrations up front.  At one point he asked the audience to think about explaining what was happening as if it were on radio.  This was music to my ears. 

Earlier I had been discussing how audio description can assist in some videos though if a scientist/presenter gives a coherent commentary and explains what and how changes happen, then science may not be as inaccessible as it is often assumed by some of the chattering classes.    Much of research involves observation and a chemist should be able to communicate both accurately and clearly.  Bassam stressed his view about scientists as citizens and there was a vigorous discussion afterwards during the question and answer session.  The lecture was webcast and is on http://www.thereaction.net/explore/chemistry-a-key-to-human-progress/ and more information on it can be found on http://thereaction.net/events/y2012/chemistry-human-progress.aspx .

Prof Whitestick with Royal Society of Chemistry team

5 July 2012

After the lecture there was a drinks reception where we were able to continue our discussions in groups.  During the evening, Andreas from the colloid painting session at the Wellcome Elements event recognised me and introduced himself.  (http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/blind-chemist-diffractions-and.html - he is instructing me in the “painting” of a stained glass window.) And on the way out, I was busy chatting when all of a sudden I was asked if I was Professor Whitestick.  It turned out to be Amanda Chemist from my twitter community who had recognised me!  Amanda offered to walk me to Green Park underground station, from where I caught the train back home.

The Royal Society of Chemistry will continue the public lectures after the summer break. 

Blind Chemist: Future Cities Royal Society of Chemistry Road Map

Update 4/4/2012

The lectures and discussion can be 'viewed' on-line at: http://www.thereaction.net/explore/future-cities/#scipolicy.

** end of update

Future Cities Policy Event - Friday 16 March 2012

Sustainable Future Cities has been highlighted as one of the top challenges that the chemical sciences can help to address in a changing world. 

http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/roadmap/priorityareas/futurecities.asp

I was invited to participate in the first evening of a special series of policy lectures for 2012 run by the Royal Society of Chemistry, bringing together research leaders in their fields with policy makers. The event took place at the Chemistry Centre in Burlington House, London.

There were two lectures and there was a panel discussion on the related science policy issues, followed by further informal discussions over drinks and snacks.  The Lectures were delivered by Dr Richard Miller of the Technology Strategy Board and Professor AbuBakr S. Bahaj of the University of Southampton.

These events bring a wide cross section ranging from some retired people like me and those working in several fields.  Sustainability may be a buzzword but the ideas are not new, certainly not to chemists, and it is worth noting that after the International Year of Chemistry, the Royal Society of Chemistry is maintaining contacts across disciplines and sectors.  This was apparent in some of the questions which followed both lectures.

I attended a conference when at school for young scientists in 1969 and the theme was “Man and his Environment”.  In 1985 I was at a conference in Berlin (West) concerned with chemicals.  The buzz then was growth and predicting demand in China.  At this conference one of the speakers from a Japanese Sogo shosha (trading house) remarked on the Chinese worker carrying their lunch to work in a bamboo lunchbox, and would it not be a good idea to convert the Chinese bamboo lunchbox to one made from polystyrene.  The forecasters were busy working the demand for ethylene, benzene, ethyl benzene and styrene monomer.  At this time a large expansion of petrochemical production had taken place in Saudi Arabia and was to be followed by many Greenfield units in the Gulf, South East Asia and Latin America. 

In 2012 we have the reverse, with many natural materials “replacing” synthetic ones.  This has had mixed results with cloth bags being used in a highly non sustainable way.  I have commented on the “Lucky” bags on offer at the EdinburghBook Festival last year.  Biofuels have also had a mixed press with resources being transferred from food markets to meet the gas guzzling demand of some countries. 

The evening was recorded and though not webcast at the time will be available on the web soon.  Broadly, the lectures covered the following:

• concept of sustainability
• economic statistics relating to current infrastructures in our cities
• current predictions for population growth, and impact on city growth and infrastructure requirements
• the key role of chemists in reducing this impact

• current research being undertaken and technologies available

• an examination of ‘technological’ solutions within the wider context of economics, politics and social practices (i.e. behaviour)

I made a few mental notes and though they are not directly concerned with the cities theme, nevertheless fit into the sustainable “box.”

Futurology may be verging on science fiction and it was interesting that someone from the Arthur C Clarke Award was present.

Peer to Peer is a phrase which often crops up with platform and trading as a mechanism for doing away with the “middle man”, whether it is in banking and finance or in energy trading

While the decarbonising of economies was treated as a given, modes of transport have to be discussed within a city and between the city and beyond cities for leisure. 

The thought of living in Metropolis did not sound too attractive to this post modern visually impaired person. 

Developments in personal electric transports were raised and I thought a flying carpet was mentioned. 

A point was made by Professor Bahaj that behaviour was unpredictable and that forecasts were not always correct in retrospect.

Electric bikes in China cost Euro 250 versus Euro 750 in Europe.  One had visions of Chinese commuters going to work on electric bikes and burning of the fat in the gym fitted with a peer to peer energy trading system.  This raised issues of battery storage and life.

The insurance industry was now calling some of the shots in valuation of building and development such as Swiss Re and Willis Re.

Materials for the manufacture of magnets say in turbines were easily recycleable compared to those used in mobile phones and consumer electronics.  This harks back to the work of Mike Pitts and Hywel Jones described in earlier posts. WIMS

Thermal insulation of buildings was mentioned especially the layers of materials which can be sandwiched between the walls.  The development of an alternative to paraffin wax, which has been used as a phase transfer temperature control, joined with prospect of buildings and glass Photovoltaic systems for energy transfer.  An example was made of a large building in Dubai which generated power and reduced the energy demand for air conditioning. 

Innovation in pumps and design of materials was proceeding but architects and engineers had to be more imaginative. 

Chemists are ideally suited to “improving” some of nature’s processes be it in photosynthesis.  No doubt those specialising on Moral and Ethical issues view us as creators of Frankenstein products and there has been some concern at aspects of bio engineering in agriculture, silviculture and the creation of monoculture industries based on Palm Oil and Eucalyptus for feedstocks.

This was an interesting range of subjects which were covered and there were a healthy amount of sceptics to ensure no one got too carried away.  Energy and sustainability are issues to which I shall return and will add comments and updates to this post.

Many thanks to Andrea and Charlotte of the Royal Society of Chemistry for looking after me.  The RSC has various twitter accounts and RSC_RoadMap may be of interest as could be the Hash Tag #FutureCities

www.rsc.org/roadmapwww.rsc.org/sustainablematerials
Full report on: http://www.rsc.org/images/sustainable-global-society-full-report_tcm18-200081.pdf
Summary report on: www..rsc.org/images/sustainable-global-society-summary-report_tcm18-200080.pdf

Clean Water - chemistry at work

UPDATE: 1/1/2012

In an earlier post I had described a talk concerning the harnessing of the power of sunlight.  This and other topics concerned with macropolymers was discussed in Melvyn Bragg's In Our TIme series.  The programme is well-worth a listen and though it had been recorded, it has the spontaniety that one expects from a group of interesting people. 
There was some disagreement among the panelists, who included:

Tony Ryan - Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Science at the University of Sheffield
Athene Donald - Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Robinson College
Charlotte Williams - Reader in Polymer Chemistry and Catalysis at Imperial College, London

The programme can be heard on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b018grhm

** end of update

The last talk in the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) public meetings was about water and was given by Phil Souter of Procter & Gamble (P&G).  The talk was chaired by Stephen Elliott, Chief Executive of the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) (www.cia.org.uk)

This lecture can be viewed and listened to at http://www.thereaction.net/explore/the-quest-for-a-clean-drink/   To the non-chemist, some of the language may need some explanation.  There’s quite a lot of coagulation, flocculation and precipitation and these have specific chemical meanings.  Phil also mentioned Arrhenius, the Swedish physical chemist who had several theories named after him.  One concerned the effect of heat on the rate of a reaction.  This is important in the storage of functional chemical products as they can decompose when stored at high temperatures.  (Arrhenius is a good name to drop if you happen to be in a self-catering chalet on skiing vacation and someone complains that the potatoes have taken a long time to cook.  You may have to explain the concept of boiling point at altitude, but Arrhenius would give you the rate of cooking of the potatoes!  Also, a professor emeritus at Edinburgh knew Arrhenius and delighted in telling stories about some of the experiments so – I knew someone who knew Arrhenius!)

It was a well-attended lecture and shows how, with a bit of thinking and their unique ability in creative processes, chemists can make a difference in very large corporations.  Phil Souter described his company as being based on strong brands in the fast moving consumer sector.  Many of P&G’s brands will be well known such as Pampers, Ariel and Pringles potato chips.  Many of their products involve handling of liquids, powders and granules using a variety of chemical engineering processes.  The lecture, which was accompanied by samples of videos, was of a new product which Phil Souter’s team had developed mainly as a philanthropic investment in cutting infant mortality caused by water borne infectious diseases.  P&G have decided to put their own name on the product – the first time they have done this for decades.  You can learn more about the programme and product at:  http://www.csdw.org/csdw/home.shtml

Most people know the chemical formula for water is H2O.  Many of us take it for granted that it flows out of a tap, ready to drink and we dispose of liquid waste down the waste pipe without giving any thought on how the water got there in the first place.  However, water borne diseases are sadly a way of life in many developing countries, where people have no access to clean drinking water and the source of water - be it river, pond, lake or even flood water - has various hazards.  Some of the hazards are due to organisms, while others are a result of heavy metals, including arsenic.  Natural disasters such as earthquakes, flooding, tsunamis and drought create acute shortages of safe drinking water. 

Traditionally, in most of these countries the fetching and carrying of water would be done by women and children, and in order to purify it the water would have to be heated to boiling point.  This involves additional fuel gathering, so that an investment in a clean drink is huge. 

The product that P&G developed has several components.  One of them is ferric sulphate, which helps to sink much of the heavy metals and some of the fine particles using processes indicated above.  The second major ingredient is calcium hypochlorite, which is commercially available but tends to decompose if stored at high temperatures over a long time.  This calcium hypochlorite provides an active form of chlorine for disinfection purposes.  The whole mix is designed to clarify the water, remove the heavy metals and to disinfect the water and keep it disinfected from further microbial contamination for a couple of days.  We take this for granted at home with water from the tap which has been chlorinated. 

Some practical experience was illustrated by case studies from Uganda, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  In Uganda, P&G worked through one of their organisations in conjunction with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including some charities.  P&G’s product costs around 2 cents or 2 pence per sachet, and this can treat up to ten litres of water, which can then be used in the family for drinking.  Interestingly, even in this day of consumerism it seemed people were more likely to use something for which they had actually paid, albeit 2 cents per sachet.  If people are given something for nothing, it tends to have no value and can be left unused.  In Bangladesh, where high levels of arsenic are encountered in well water leading to severe cases of arsenic poisoning, the P&G product has been shown to reduce these levels. 

There were some interesting discussions at the end of the talk and later over coffee.  Those attending included a mix of public health, water treatment specialists and those in education. 

In summary this was a good way to round off the International Year of Chemistry with the RSC and the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) putting on an excellent topic.  Access to clean drinking water is obviously an area where a bit of creative chemistry can make a difference.  While geologists and engineers can find and deliver the water, including the desalination of sea water, it takes a chemist to make it potable!  After all, drinking water has to contain essential minerals such as calcium for bone growth, other ions are desirable to maintain a TDS (totally dissolved solids) or hardness. 

The programme for the RSC talks in 2012 can be found on:  http://www.thereaction.net/events/

Blind chemist - Marie Curie - Light Fantastic

UPDATE:
1.  Through Twitter, I have learnt of a student of geology in Gainseville, GA USA.  His university worked out a scheme so that he could 'follow' the contours within a map.  This illustrates adaptive technology which may not be rocket science.

Gainesville State student inspires map for the blind

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/archives/59394/

2.  Regarding solar energy, a talk was recently given at Imperial College by Professor James Barber on the occasion of the Ernst Chain lecture.  The subject was “The Big Bang of Evolution and the Engine of Life” and dealt with the concept of an “artificial leaf” in harnessing solar energy.  I was not at the lecture, but have been advised by a friend who attended it.  More information can be found at the following link:

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/eventssummary/event_30-9-2011-15-13-53

---

I had been telling a friend about a blind chemist who had used Velcro in tactile models as a way of understanding chemical bonds and some reaction mechanisms.  (http://nfb.org/legacy/fr/fr8/frsf0210.htm) My friend searched for blind chemist on a smart phone and was impressed by the tenacity and ingenuity in making some concepts accessible to the visually impaired.  I was at the eye clinic for routine eyelash removal (8 this time) and a medical student was being shown the ropes with my permission.  The ophthalmologist was giving a running commentary on what could be seen on a screen on my eyes.  I commented that I could make out dancing rhombus shapes on waking up. Apparently this is normal and the student was made aware of this phenomenon.  It then dawned on me that I had been talking about benzene rings and that I had been hopeless in drawing them.  At any rate this was hardly the time and place to discuss the epiphanic moment of Kekule and the benzene ring. 

I have been to two interesting talks at the Chemistry Centre in Burlington House.

Harnessing the light Fantastic was the subject of a talk by Dr Nick Terrill of Diamond Light Source Ltd, based in Harwell, near Didcot in Oxfordshire.  (www.diamond.ac.uk) The UK’s national synchrotron facility produces intense light which can be used in researching complex molecular structures.  Various wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum can be used to evaluate complex structures, and one of the research projects is looking at organic co-polymers or complex plastics which could be used in the “next generation of photovoltaics, which use plastics instead of silicon.”

You can watch the lecture on: http://www.thereaction.net/explore/harnessing-the-light-fantastic/

Recently, the UK government decided to cut short the FITS (Feed in Tariff scheme) which stimulated a rapid growth in solar cell installations for a fixed period of time based on domestic installation of solar cells on roofs.  An industry had been building up on this and the government has been taken to task by some for abandoning an industry at its early stages.  The question which ought to have been asked was: Is it right that the tax-payer should subsidise an expensive way of generating electricity benefiting only those with the available roof area? 

This topic was very well discussed at a free-thinking talk hosted on BBC Radio 3 at Gateshead recently.  The talk was stimulating and the topic of the Scottish Enlightenment was praised and blamed in the same round for creating an industrial capitalism and the concept of consumption and greed.  I have sympathies with the views expressed by Colin McInnes, though the other speakers too had many good points.  You can hear the programme via iPlayer on:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01759hl/Free_Thinking_Festival_2011_What_is_the_Future_of_Civilisation_as_the_Oil_Runs_Out/

'Radium' Marie & Pierre Curie

by JMP (Julius Mendes Pirece)

Vanity Fair, 1904

 

On a more reflective note, a lecture celebrating the centenary of the award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Marie Curie was given at the Chemistry Centre by Dr Serge Plattard, the Counsellor for Science and Technology at the French Embassy in London.  (http://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/network/serge-plattard/ ) The chairman of the meeting was Professor Peter F O’Hare (http://www1.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/people/p.ohare/), with Marie Curie Cancer Care connections and research interests.  The lecture was sponsored by GSK.  The lecture was titled "The three lives of Marie Curie", including her formative years in Poland, her dedicated research in Paris and her application of both her discoveries and those of her husband to medical science.  Dr Plattard mentioned that Marie Curie had a mix of being gifted, obstinacy and serendipity.  Occasionally Dr Plattard used tenacity in place of obstinacy , but serendipity was a recurring theme.  During the questions, I asked about measuring serendipity.  There was a political edge to my question as it echoed some of the terminology shared by Sir John Cadogan and his being awarded the Lord Lewis Prize.  Professor O’Hare and Dr Plattard discussed this with me afterwards.  A very enjoyable evening.

http://www.rsc.org/AboutUs/ChemistryCentre/Events/marie_curie.asp

The lecture should be available in the next few days to watch on the following link

http://www.thereaction.net/explore/the-three-lives-of-marie-curie/

Blind Chemist out and about with the Royal Society of Chemistry

Blind Chemist out and about with the Royal Society of Chemistry

I have been a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry since the 1980s, though since I lost my sight 10 years ago had made little contact until a few months ago.  I was shocked to be told by the librarian at Burlington House that I was only the second blind person she had met at the society in 18 years.  I have since been to the RSC for some of their public debates, lectures and presentations. 

Working a room at a conference or symposium is no easy matter.  For a start, I can’t read a name badge and even though I “stick” out like a sore thumb, unless I am known to other attendees tend to be diffident or even want to take you to a chair thus stopping you ‘working the room’.  There is also usually the 50% chance of getting the name tag the wrong way round. 

It was pleasant to be greeted with my name badge on the occasion of the lecture given by Sir John Cadogan who had won the Lord (Jack) Lewis prize.  I remember JIGC when I was at Edinburgh and he was Forbes Professor of Organic Chemistry.  In the 1970s lectures were given without the aid of projectors and Power Point and one admired the way JIGC could fill in several blackboards with perfect “Benzene Rings”.  To the uninitiated these are perfect hexagons.  I could never draw organic chemistry molecules very well which is the reason I went on to do my PhD in inorganic chemistry. 

Sir John’s talk was partly reflective and partly anecdotal.  Chatham House rules probably do not apply but the criticism of sound bite science policy is certainly one that ought to be heeded.  I particularly enjoyed the barb about Genome Valley during the Blair years.  Sir John has many views on the pseudo-sciences and I regret that so much of public discourse on science is now dominated by History of Science, economics sciences and some of the very soft sciences. 

Sir John referred to Peripheral Vision several times in his lecture and though critical of interdisciplinary approaches to research, maintains that there ought to be a multidisciplinary approach.  To paraphrase Lord (George) Porter “Pure Science is Science which has yet to have an application.”

On the whole, a very interesting evening and a chance to meet some old friends from my Edinburgh days. 

Sir John left academia and joined British Petroleum when the company still undertook research.  The question of directing pure scientific research is something that many in government never understood.  In terms of putting a price or cost on anything, the Blair years have been criticized for measuring anything without having a sense of what they were measuring.  I noted that Matthew Taylor, in an interview on radio, took great exception at this level of criticism.  During the discussions the questions of both serendipity and luck were mentioned.  How do you measure these? Discuss!

http://www.rsc.org/ConferencesAndEvents/RSCConferences/LordLewis/index.asp

On a lighter note, though with serious implications, was the RSC talk on “What’s in my Stuff”  This was given by Dr Hywel Jones at the Chemistry Centre at the Royal Society of Chemistry in Burlington House.  The research had been motivated by asking people in the street if they knew what went into a mobile ‘phone.  The non- scientists had an excuse for not knowing though the audience had some problem in answering the question “How many chemical elements are in a mobile phone?”  In what became a cross between Bingo and an auction the answer is 40.  I had guessed 27, so was getting there, though someone had read an article about Rare Earths in Time some months ago.  Being a Main Group Inorganic Chemist I had not worked with any of the Rare Earths but had isolated a novel compound with Germanium in it.  I can be heard muttering Tantalum and Yttrium as people tried to guess what “stuff” went into a phone. 

On average, there are 1.3 mobile ‘phones per head in the UK.  I have 3 Nokia button mobile phones which have been dropped and have had coffee sprayed at them, but still talk to me.  A case of reuse and recycle the phone rather than isolate the elements therein. 

For the benefit of those using a screen reader, I am going to be talking about jeans, the trouser variety and not the DNA stuff.  I heard on the radio that there were more pairs of jeans in the world than people.  Another case of “What’s in my stuff?”  There has been a proposal to use titanium dioxide impregnated on jeans (trouser variety) in a move to reduce pollution in ambient air when moving about.  There is an ‘echo’ of Sir John’s lecture when he commented that not enough pure chemistry research was done in heterogeneous catalysis.  Good old titanium dioxide is used as white pigment in paint and toothpaste and its use as a household chemical is well known.  I mentioned this at the RSC and they confirmed that interest was shown in the fashion industry and that a photo shoot had been done in London.  One idea is that a laundry product could “impregnate” the Jeans (trouser variety).  At this point it might be worthwhile checking up on the etymology of “Denim Jeans”

http://www.thereaction.net/explore/whats-in-my-stuff/

(you might hear me say 27 at around 28:05-10 mins! Also Yttrium & Tantalum later.)

The Blog's Progress

Update (20th July 2011): 

I have finally received a response by email and a letter from Justin King of Sainsburys referring to my problems at one of their stores on the 5th of May this year.   Mr King expressed that he was "sorry to hear of the poor service" I "received in our Finchley Road store" and went on to state that the store's staff had been provided with retraining both in pricing goods and dealing with customers.  It is interesting to note that as a blind person being able to tweet about this has probably garnered more attention.  At any rate, I had made my personal peace accompanied by a friend to the store on the same day we went to St Albans, which seems a long time ago.  It is also nice to note that Sainsburys has been tweeting in Scottish Gaelic! 


It’s been two months since Professor Whitestick launched his blog and with about 1300 visits to the site and within grasp of a 100 followers on Twitter, it’s probably about time to review the progress or lack of it in some areas.  While I have tended to illustrate that people with sight loss can participate in social discourse in matters such as the arts, history, literature and yes, trainspotting, I haven’t as yet touched in any great detail on the sciences and politics – apart from my first post regarding the perception of blind people within some Christian communities, I haven’t said much.  To put it another way, the jury is out, though I have had some favourable responses from some quarters. 

Regarding science, I must take some of the blame because when I lost my sight I more or less put my previous life on the shelf.  It was reminiscent of the scene on an aeroplane movie where the captain of the plane walks up the gangway with a guide dog, much to the consternation of the passengers.  I paid a visit recently to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), having been a member for 30 years and was surprised to find from the librarian that I was only the second person in her 18 years experience at the library in Burlington House who had sight loss.  I have since returned to the RSC twice and have been welcomed back, most recently at a debate hosted by the RSC on nuclear energy.  You can follow the debate on:  http://www.thereaction.net/explore/The-Nuclear-Debate/  Some 36 hours after the debate someone had spotted me on the video.  I will be reporting on aspects of science more frequently now that you might know I have a PhD in Chemistry. 

I’ve remarked favourably on many of our public services and can comment on a wonderful audio tour which I had on my own with the aid of the staff at the help desk of the British Museum (BM).  This visit was made two weeks ago to the “Treasures of Heaven: saints, relics and devotion in medieval Europe” exhibition running from 23 June – 9 October (http://www.britishmuseum.org/).  I will post on this exhibition separately, but would encourage anyone using a long cane to try this exhibition out on their own  if you have a little sight.  The audio tour and the player are really good and there is a big surprise if you use your long cane to navigate within the exhibition.  The tour has 20 objects which are described in detail and though some are visible, e.g. a mosaic one metre square at least, some are very small but you can establish what they are by the description.  I was at my 15^th object out of 20 by the time I twigged how the exhibition worked.  It’s really imaginative and the guides and guards are really helpful if you’re on your own: a big thank you to the BM staff and Kinga at the Help Desk for suggesting that I try it out.  The BM has other tactile exhibits in the various departments, but it was refreshing to find the Help Desk making suggestions and in such an imaginative way. 

Below I’m posting two comments received in my personal email, which was destined for the comments section but there have been problems with the Blogger system.  The writer of the first comment has known me over the years.

Comment 1:

‘Professor Whitestick's experiences in galleries like the National and the Wallace make interesting reading.  It was inspiring to read about the innate kindness and natural good manners exhibited by those members of the staff who went out of their way to help you.  I really hope that the directors of both those great institutions as well as those who run other galleries will get read about your experiences.  I have to say, too, that it was instructive to learn more about the nature of blindness - that being blind does not necessarily mean the loss of all sight or the ability to see shapes and colours.  This is fascinating blog on lots of levels, but the main thing is its originality - I've been involved in one way or the other with museums and galleries for 40 years and have never before read an account by any member of the public (let alone one who is visually impaired ) describing a visit that is as vivid as yours.  Good luck and keep up the good work.’

 Anonymous

Comment 2:

I've been reading through your blog, and it's been fascinating to read the art/theatre reviews and see how institutions respond and cater to patrons with reduced vision, especially because I've been working in the museum field. It's been pretty enlightening for me, so a big thankyou.