poster session spotlights russian materials research
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Hurricane Andrew generally spares Louisiana chemical plants
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Poster session spotlights Russian materials research Russian scientists Ludmilla M. Bronstein (right) and Svetlana A. Sukhishvili (below) discuss their research results at a poster session surveying materials science research in Russia (above). The session was presented last week by the Division of Polymer Chemistry at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Washington, D.C. Featuring work by 11 teams of Russian scientists, the session was organized by Norbert M. Bikales, head of polymer science at the National
Science Foundation. Bronstein, who is a senior researcher at the Nesmayanov Institute for Orga-no-Element Research, Moscow, described properties of organometallic groups immobilized on polymer chains. Polymer science professor Sukhishvili of Moscow State University discussed interactions of polyelectrolytes and proteins with latexes.
band gaps, such as using stronger donor and acceptor groups. But there's no assurance this strategy will lead to polymers with intrinsic, fully metallic behavior. After all, notes Heeger, it's not that easy to go from 0.5 eV to 0 eV. Nevertheless, Visser says, his Dutch colleagues are confident their approach will lead to further improvements.
Ron Dagani
Suit over biopesticide patent rights settled Two biopesticide firms last week settled out of court a pair of lawsuits over potentially lucrative patent rights on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
Bt is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces toxins against insects, and is the basis of the budding biopesticide industry. The worldwide market for Bt-based pesticides is projected to grow at an annual rate of 20%, from $60 million in 1991 to $115 rnillion by 1995.
The lawsuits were filed in 1988 in the U.S. District Court in Southern California by Novo Nordisk of Denmark. Novo Nordisk charged that Mycogen, a San Diego-based agricultural biotechnology company, infringed on and interfered with Novo Nordisk patents for Bt strains active against Coleoptera, or beetles. The patents are now assigned to Entotech, a Davis, Calif.-based biopesticide R&D unit of Novo Nordisk.
As part of the settlement, Mycogen formally acknowledges that the Bt strain it named B. thuringiensis subsp.
Hurricane Andrew spawned tornadoes and severe flooding, and destroyed homes and communities along its Louisiana path last week. But the chemical industry remained largely unscathed and its employees unharmed, at least at job sites. Process units, columns, tanks, and warehouses escaped debilitating damage. Water damage, power outages, and temporary shutdown of rail and marine transport systems caused the biggest problems for area plants.
In preparation for the hurricane, petrochemical plants from Alabama to Texas halted or slowed production, secured outdoor equipment, and evacu
ated or left skeleton crews. At press time, plants in south central Louisiana—where Andrew wreaked the most havoc—were still assessing the storm's effects, but many expected to resume normal operations within a few days.
Transportation became a problem for Louisiana plants, including Dow Chemical's facility in Plaquemine, when Union Pacific railroad temporarily stopped operations. Many companies also experienced difficulties when the Coast Guard shut down the mouth of the Mississippi. For example, Du Ponf s Burnside, La., sulfuric acid plant had to halt a barge loaded
and ready to go upriver to Chevron's refinery at Pascagoula, Miss.
Two carbon black plants directly hit by the hurricane—Degussa's at New Iberia and Cabof s at Franklin—sustained only light to moderate damage. Thanks to a 12-foot dike surrounding the Degussa facility, just a foot of water remained in it after the hurricane. "The real key to getting back up is the restoration of power," says Charles Story, vice president of governmental and public affairs at Degussa. His plant experienced high winds for a prolonged period, but damage will not be as bad as feared.
Susan Ainsworth
AUGUST 31,1992 C&EN 9
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