Calif. The expected 10,000 participants will have a choice of attending more than 600 technical sessions, and more than 5,000 papers will be presented. The wide range of topics at this spring's meeting indicates the highly interdisciplinary nature of the field and the increasing interface of chemistry and biology, according to ACS officials. This explains the tremendous range of interdisciplinary material at this meeting, he remarks. One relatively new collaborative field featured in a session is environmentally benign chemistry, notes Breslow. Scientists are becoming increasingly aware of efforts to minimize the impact of the chemical industry on the environment by using water as a substitute for other solvents, he says.
Environmental issues are just some of topics of national importance to be addressed at the meeting.
Cosponsored by six ACS divisions, this program will address the role of scientific research in light of the current economic and political climate. Following Rushton's introductory remarks, three distinguished American and British chemists will discuss the scientific benefits of training and working on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Purnell will provide the closing remarks. The gathering will be preceded by English tea and American cookies. Biological topics are a major theme of the meeting.