CONTENTS. Congratulatory Messages read at the celebration of FACS 25 th Anniversary in Bangkok, Thailand

Transcription

1 CNTENTS FACS EXC Members ( )... 1 Congratulatory Messages read at the celebration of FACS 25 th Anniversary in Bangkok, Thailand Photo clippings of the FACS 25 th Anniversary in Bangkok, Thailand Years of Development of the FACS: Comments on the elements that have made the FACS successful The Art of Biophysical rganic Chemistry by Prof. Edward M. Kosower (Israel) FACS Activities Institut Kimia Malaysia ANEC and the Asian Environment Report on Asianalysis VII in Hong Kong Report on the Silver Jubilee Conference in Sri Lanka, April Minutes of 44 th EXC meeting in Hanoi Minutes of 45 th EXC meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka Directories Project Directors Member Society Announcement: The Twelfth Asian Chemical Congress ( 12 th ACC ) will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 2007 and organized by IKM Chief Editor Dr. San H Thang CSIR Molecular and Health Technologies Postal Address: Bag 10, Clayton South, Vic 3169, Australia Tel: Fax: san.thang@csiro.au

2 FACS EXC Members ( ) EXC Members Prof. Ho Si Thoang (Vietnam), President Chemical Society of Vietnam 2, Pham-Ngu-Lao Street Hanoi, Vietnam Tel/Fax: csv@netnam.vn; or hsthoang@hcm.fpt.vn; thoanghs@hn.vnn.vn Prof. Junghun Suh (Korea), President-Elect Professor Department of Chemistry Seoul National University Seoul , Korea Tel: Fax: jhsuh@snu.ac.kr Prof. Barry Noller (Australia), Past-President National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (NRCET) Street Address: 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia Postal Address: P Box 594 Archerfield, QLD 4108, Australia Tel (ffice) Tel (Home) Fax Mobile b.noller@mailbox.uq.edu.au Dr. San H. Thang (Australia), Chairman of the Publications Committee Senior Principal Research Scientist CSIR Molecular and Health Technologies Bag 10, Clayton South, Vic 3169, Australia Tel: Fax: Mobile: san.thang@csiro.au Prof. Masato Ito (Japan), Coordinator of Projects Department of Bioengineering Faculty of Engineering Soka University Tangi-Cho, Hachioji, Tokyo , Japan Tel: Fax: itomasa@t.soka.ac.jp ************************************ FACS Secretariat ( ) Address: Chemical Society of Vietnam 2 Pham Ngu Lao Street Hanoi, Vietnam Tel/Fax: csv@netnam.vn Prof. Huynh Van Trung (Vietnam), Secretary General Director Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission Institute for Technology of Radioactive & Rare Elements 48 Lang Ha Hanoi, Vietnam Tel: (ffice) Fax Mobile httrung@fpt.vn Datuk Dr. Ting-Kueh Soon (Malaysia), Treasurer Vice President Institut Kimia Malaysia 129B, Jalan Aminuddin Baki Taman Tun Dr Ismail Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel/Fax: ikmmy@pc.jaring.my Member Societies: Royal Australian Chemical Institute; Bangladesh Chemical Society; Brunei Chemical Society; Chinese Chemical Society; Hong Kong Chemical Society; Indian Chemical Society; Chemical Society of Japan; Jordanian Chemical Society; Korean Chemical Society; Kuwaiti Chemical Society; Institiut Kimia Malaysia; New Zealand Institute of Chemistry; Chemical Society of Pakistan; Integrated Chemists of the Philippines; Singapore National Institute of Chemistry; Chemical Society of the South pacific; Institute of Chemistry, Ceylon; Chemical Society Located in Taipei China; Chemical Society of Thailand; Chemical Society of Vietnam; Mongolian Chemical Society; Israel Chemical Society. bservers: Himunan Kimia Indonesia; Iraqi Chemists Union; The Mendeleev Russian Chemical Society; Nepal Chemical Society, Papua New Guinea Institute of Chemistry

3 Congratulatory Messages Speech by the FACS President on the Silver Jubilee Anniversary of the Federation Bangkok, ctober 19, 2004 Distinguished Guests, Dear Colleagues, We are celebrating a significant event the 25 th Anniversary of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS). FACS was established 25 years ago in Bangkok after the initiative of a group of Chemical Societies from Australia, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India, Indonesia, Iraq, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since its formation from August, 1979 our organization has been continuously developing and growing. At present, almost all Chemical Societies of countries and territories in Asia and Pacific region are members of the FACS. They are now 27 member-societies, including chemical societies of Israel and Russia. We are members of a great and friendly family. The membership of FACS has become more meaningful and beneficial for every member-society. Indeed, various cooperative activities, organized by FACS, have attracted thousands of chemists from different member-societies. These activities are in various kinds and forms, where colleagues from countries and territories can together, not only to conduct joint research works, but to establish friendship and long-term individual collaboration in many fields of chemistry, chemical industry as well as chemical education. We have, basing on member-societies initiatives, many research projects and working groups, aiming to cover vanguard problems of chemistry and chemical technology. Each project invites chemists from at least two member-societies and so far projects are running and progressing successfully. I would like to name some topics of projects, related to chemistry and chemical technology, as well as chemistry-based sciences; they are chemical education, chemical information, green chemistry, environmental chemistry, medicinal chemistry & chemistry of natural products, inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, food chemistry, microscale chemistry...the projects and sub-projects, established by FACS, undoubtedly, play a very important role not only in linking chemists from member-societies for the development of international cooperation as well as in strengthening the friendship, but in promoting research activities in the countries of participants. This is evidenced by significant achievements of chemists from all the member-countries for economic and social development in the region. Last ctober, in Hanoi, at the 10 th Asian Chemical Congress (ACC) we have witnessed some of these achievements through the presentations on outstanding contributions, made by our colleagues, who received the FACS Awards: Prof. Tom Spurling from Australia for distinguished - 2 -

4 contributions to economic development, Prof. Che Chi-Ming from Hong Kong for outstanding achievements in his research activity, Prof. Charles Fogliani from Australia for distinguished contributions to advancement in chemical education and young chemist Ass.Prof. Sally Brooker from New Zealand for her achievements in inorganic chemistry. The bi-annual Asian Chemical Congress, attended by chemists from Asian and Pacific region, plays an important role in our scientific arena. The first Asian Chemical Congress was held in Singapore in 1985 and practically became the premier regional chemical conference. During the congresses, we have seen presence of hundreds outstanding chemists from member-societies with reported achievements in various advanced topics of chemical sciences. It is encouraging that each congress becomes a big forum, where chemists of the region, from world-known chemists to young researchers, attend and exchange thinking and ideas on aspects of chemistry and chemical technology. The ACC now regularly includes lectures by Nobel Laureates and other outstanding chemists from the region, as well as from other continents. Activities of FACS projects have also become a regular inclusion in the program of the congress. Besides in-room presentations and discussions of research achievements, the congress also organizes small group meetings on individual research topics, which often times leads to establishments of new relations and collaborations. To acknowledge the outstanding achievements of chemists in member-societies the FACS has established a number of awards: The Foundation Lectureship Award, since 1987; the Distinguished Young Chemists Award, since 1989; the Award for Distinguished Contribution to Economic Development, since 1991, the Citations for Contributions to Chemistry and the Chemical Profession, since 1991 and the Award for Distinguished Contribution to Advancement in Chemical Education, since Awardees presentations at the Congresses became a tradition of the Federation. We are trying to publish these presentations in the Newsletter of FACS, which is issued twice an year. As established in 1981 the FACS Newsletter communicates news about the Federation s activities to member-societies, includes reports of project activities and papers on research achievements of member-societies institutions in vanguard topics of chemistry and related sciences. Apart from Newsletters, the FACS Web Page was created in 1997 and now is updated as information becomes available. In its activities the FACS has been involved with other regional and global organizations, such as IUPAC, UNESC, Federation of European Chemical Societies, EURASIA Conference on Chemical Sciences etc. In the new century the growing role of science and technology is undeniable. Chemistry and chemical engineering, therefore, will play their important role as necessary domains of science and technology in serving the progress of vanguard topics such as electronics, biotechnology and novel material. As the world progresses with achievements of science and technology, we are happy to live in a region which is recognized to have attained the highest speed in socioeconomic development growth. ur mission is to contribute more to the development of chemical sciences and chemistry-based industries. For this purpose, we need to educate our students better, to do our research more effectively, to apply research results more productively

5 In this endeavor, international collaboration, especially the collaboration between members of FACS becomes an important factor for achieving successes. Undoubtedly, all members of the Federation aspire to strengthen mutual relationship and cooperation for further development of chemistry and chemical industry in our region. n the occasion of 25 th Anniversary of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies, on behalf of the Executive Council of FACS, I would like to congratulate cordially all of you on the event and send you warmest greetings and sincere wishes for your happiness, your health and your scientific career. Best wishes for the FACS - our great and friendly family and for all its member-societies. Also let me, on behalf of the FACS EXC members, to express our heartfelt thanks to the Chemical Society of Thailand for its excellent arrangements in organization of the Silver Jubilee Anniversary Celebration of the FACS as well as in supporting us to carry out the 46 th EXC meeting yesterday in Bangkok. Thank you for your attention. Ho Si Thoang President, FACS - 4 -

6 FACS an important institution with a silver lining Address at the 25 th Anniversary of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies Bangkok, Thailand Prof. Leiv K. Sydnes IUPAC President n behalf of IUPAC and the global chemistry community it is an honor and a great pleasure for me to extend the best wishes to the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies on the occasion of its 25 th anniversary. A Silver Jubilee is always worthwhile to celebrate when the past is as successful as in this case. Since the Federation was established, the organization has grown considerably, but more importantly, due to the federation s vigor and its members willingness to serve, FACS has been an important catalyst for co-operation in the Asian chemical community. FACS has first and foremost a regional perspective, but the Federation has also worked to strengthen its relationship with IUPAC. In this regard we have indeed experienced success. Significant keywords in this connection are biodiversity and water contamination, both topics of importance in this part of the world. Due to valuable initiatives from FACS countries IUPAC has become involved as well. Let me illustrate this by describing briefly what is being done with the problem of arsenic contamination of ground water in Bangladesh. Last year a task group of volunteers was appointed under the leadership of Dr. Satinder Ahuja and Dr. John M. Malin. Based on ideas developed by interaction with chemists and chemical engineers from around the world, and by working actively with local chemists and local authorities, potential solutions to this serious problem have been and are being thoroughly considered. Extensive discussions, involving both national and foreign volunteers, were held in Dhaka early this year. Subsequently, a progress report was presented at and discussed during the CHEMRAWN XV conference Chemistry for Water held in Paris in June this year. The issue will be further developed and scrutinized by the task group, and a regional workshop is planned to be held in Bangladesh late this year or early next year, to promote collaboration and to evaluate how local government agencies can assist in the implementation of the solutions proposed

7 IUPAC values immensely such initiatives and the co-operation which results, and as President, I am looking forward to more co-operation and closer interaction with the Federation in the years to come. As chemists we are challenged more than ever before by politicians, media, interest groups, and our stakeholders. The detailed nature of these challenges may vary, but most of them are of utmost importance for a sustainable development and our quality of life. bviously, many of these challenges have and will continue to have national and regional characteristics. This is for instance the case when we address the dubious public image of the chemical enterprise. Chemicals are too often associated with bad things happening to people and in the environment. And it is a matter of fact that the positive contributions from chemistry to society are quite rarely mentioned. To contribute to the rectification of this situation is a significant task for all of us, but regional initiatives are strongly needed. Therefore, once again FACS has a significant role to play. For these and other reasons it is important that FACS continues to grow, continues to strengthen the co-operation in Asia, and continues to nourish the innovative skills and the professional courage of the chemistry community in this grand region. I, therefore, do hope that the Federation s success in the past will be an inspiration to meet the challenges of the future! n behalf of IUPAC I wish you continued success in all respects! - 6 -

8 Distinguished guests and EXC members of FACS! Today we are celebrating the Silver Jubilee of FACS. In the past quarter century, not only FACS but also its member societies have made great progresses. We have witnessed that scientific, technological, and educational activities in chemistry in Asia and Pacific region have been expanded dramatically in the last 25 years. This was in part due to the economical developments made in many countries in this region. When those countries have made considerable progresses in economy and technology, their governments have realized that investment in basic sciences is required for the sustained economical growth. As the governmental support for science researches in universities has been increased, chemistry education and research in those countries have been improved remarkably. In the near future, Asian and Pacific countries will make much greater economical growth. I expect, therefore, that FACS member societies will make even greater progresses in the coming quarter century. FACS will celebrate the Golden Jubilee in I believe that many of the FACS member societies will be advanced to the world s top level by 2029, forming another big power in chemistry circle rivaling European and North American chemical societies. In order to achieve this goal, FACS must play more active roles in the coming quarter century. FACS should promote cooperation among the member societies, assisting personnel exchanges, research collaborations, and mutual understandings. Among the tasks we have to start in the near future, I would like to list a few. First, FACS should be legally registered in a member country and should have an office to keep documents, archives, gifts, etc. ne member society that voluntarily covers the expenses may keep the office for about 10 years. The financial situation of FACS should be improved and the budgets for the FACS projects and publication should be adequately expanded. A short-term solution for the financial problem is voluntary contributions from some member societies. Eventually, means to increase the income of FACS should be found. It is also desirable for FACS to start preliminary studies to create Asian journals with high reputation. I hope that most of us would attend the Golden Jubilee celebration in 2029 and congratulate ourselves and our successors for the successful operation of FACS in the 2 nd quarter century. Thank you very much. Junghun Suh President Elect - 7-

9 Congratulatory Speech by Professor Barry Noller FACS President n the occasion of the 25 th Anniversary of the FACS, I wish to direct my comments to the effective running of the FACS and the role of the member societies and members in doing this. There have been many loyal officers who have given tireless services to the functioning of the FACS. They, together with their member societies, have supported the involvements in and the activities of the FACS. Clearly the member societies of the FACS have played a key role in ensuring that a successful momentum has been maintained. We hope that this loyalty continues to make the FACS an effective organisation over the next 25 years. Barry N Noller 18 September

10 Congratulatory Message for the 25 th Anniversary of FACS I would like to congratulate, together with all members of FACS, the Silver Jubilee of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies, especially Prof. Kamchorn Manunapichu of Thailand, the first President of FACS. The contribution of FACS to chemistry of the world becomes more and more important and the role of FACS playing for enhancement of the activities of chemistry in Asia is better and better recognized in the whole scientific community in the world. The Federation of Asian Chemical Societies was founded by associating eleven countries in 1979, but it grows up to twenty-five countries in Unfortunately Japan could not join FACS at the beginning, but soon we became a member of FACS and supported the development of chemistry in Asia through various activities of FACS. At the 7 th Asian Chemical Congress held in Hiroshima, Japan invited two Nobel Laureates, Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn from France and Prof. Yuan T. Lee from Taiwan, China. It was the first Congress in which Nobel Laureates delivered their lectures to participants of FACS. Since then, FACS customary invited Nobel Laureates to ACC meetings. Participation of Nobel Laureates stimulated scientists of Asia, especially young chemists, who had opportunities to make conversation and discussion with them, resulting in tremendously increase in the scientific activities and elevating the scientific level of ACC. We have Nobel Laureates from India, China, China-Taiwan, and Japan, but in the near future, we may have more Nobel Laureates in chemistry and physics and equivalently eminent scientists from member countries of FACS. In order to achieve such development of science and technology in Asia, we need closer and stronger cooperation of scientists of member countries, and we can have a big hope and expectation in the future of FACS. Past President of FACS Ritsumeikan University/Yokohama City University - 9 -

11 Congratulatory Speech by Jack Cannon (Delivered by Professor Barry Noller) In 1978, Dr John Kingston of UNESC set up a working group to investigate the possibility of forming a Federation of Asian Chemical Societies. The members of the group ( Professor Kamchorn Manunapichu (leader), Professor Sjamsul Arifin Achmad, Dr Mohinder Singh and I) met in Professor Kamchorn s office at Mahidol University in Bangkok. In 1979, the inaugural meeting of FACS also took place at Mahidol University and Professor Kamchorn was elected unanimously as the first President of FACS. It is appropriate that the Silver Anniversary Meeting of FACS is now being held in Bangkok, where the Federation began. I wish to congratulate FACS on its successful development into a large, successful and vibrant organisation during the past 25 years. I also wish to express my good wishes for the future of FACS which I believe provides an outstanding example of scientific cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region. Jack Cannon FFACS 10 September

12 Congratulatory Speech by FACS Secretary General Prof. Huynh Van Trung Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure in sending this congratulatory message on the Silver Jubilee Anniversary of Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS). It is opportune indeed at this time to acknowledge the achievements and results of activities of FACS for the chemical developments within the Asian countries. With 25 years history, FACS is playing an important role for combining and joining the Chemical Societies and Chemists of Asian and Pacific Region together with one ultimate objective and that is to promote the research and application of Chemistry Science and Technology for life of mankind. In the 21 st century, Asian countries are facing many challenges like environmental pollution, energy deficiency and food sanitary. The Solutions for solving the above problems need chemists to strengthen the cooperation and interaction among FACS. It is an enormous mission for FACS in the future. I take this opportunity to express my respect and my gratitude to the contribution of FACS founders, former and past Presidents, other former EXC members, representatives, and guests present here today. My gratitude also goes to the Chemical Society of Thailand as host country organizing this very good Celebration event. I wish the Anniversary every success! Thank you for attention

13 At the 25th Celebration of FACS It is a great honor for me to join the Silver Jubilee Cerebration of FACS, although I have been involved in FACS activities only for eight years since I express my hearty gratitude to Dr. Theerawat and the Chemical Society of Thailand for kindly hospitality throughout the occasion of this silver jubilee anniversary. I hear that FACS was founded as an Asian version of the corresponding federation in Europe, FECS. However, one can easily imagine that there were much more difficulties in its inauguration and development, compared with FECS. The difficulties came from the far wider area to be covered, corresponding to one third of the globe, difference in language and culture, the discrepancy in the economic state, which still exists, and the low annual budget, less than one tenth of that of IUPAC. I greatly admire the leaders of FACS in those early years, who managed to start it and built up the way to the current structure, with more than twenty five societies in all over the Asia Pacific region. Also, as a current Coordinator of Projects, I heartily appreciate the project directors, co-directors, from the beginning to the current, for their continuous effort in the advancement of their respective field of chemistry in this region. It has not been an easy job, under the limited seed fund, organizing the events, seeking for the financial supports from outside, and directing the people into collaboration. Efforts of former Coordinators of Projects should also be mentioned, for finding the project directors and activating them. Now, chemistry in the Asia Pacific region, in total, is still on the way of developing stage, and will still continue to develop in the next twenty-five years. And I believe that FACS, the product created and developed by these leaders in the past twenty-five years, will also continue to develop, succeeded by the younger generations. I should emphasize one point, however, which I think is very essential for the continuous development. The twenty-first century is often referred to as an age of cooperation and collaboration on the world-wide basis. This will also hold for the world of chemists and chemical industries. I am afraid that the Federation, by itself, might not be able to do much for advancement. nly cooperation and collaboration, not only with project directors, with member chemical societies, but with international organizations, such as IUAPC and UNESC, chemical industries, and chemists all over the world, will enable the future development of the Federation. Through the contribution of FACS and its projects to the advancement of chemistry and chemical industry, I hope that prosperity and happiness will be enhanced among the people in the twenty-first century, not only in the Asia Pacific region but all over the world. Masato M. Ito Coordinator of Projects

14 Congratulatory Message from the Institut Kimia Malaysia Datuk Dr Soon Ting Kueh Vice President, Institut Kimia Malaysia n behalf of Institut Kimia Malaysia, or IKM in short, I would like to congratulate the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies or FACS on the occasion of its 25 th Anniversary or Silver Jubilee. FACS was established at an Inaugural Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand on August 15, It is thus appropriate that FACS celebrates its Silver Jubilee in Bangkok 25 years later. With eleven Founding Members, FACS has since expanded to include 26 member societies from all over Asia. This augured well for the development of chemistry in Asia. Among the major achievements of FACS in the last 25 years are the following: Provides networking for chemical societies and chemists in Asia rganises the biennial Asian Chemical Congress (ACC) Recognises excellence in chemistry in Asia through its various awards Publishes the FACS Newsletter annually Provides financial support for projects endorsed by FACS In a way, FACS does promote the advancement and public awareness of chemistry in Asia. It also supports chemical education and careers related to chemistry in Asia. These have catalytic effects on economic development in many Asian countries. However, FACS has yet been able to lift the level of Asian chemistry to be on par with the best in the world. We are still far behind America and European Union in the pursuit of new frontiers in chemistry. We should ask ourselves, What we should do in the next 25 years so that Asian Chemistry is among the best in the world? The answers are not so simple. America and European Union have led us in terms of human resources, academic and research infrastructures, and financial capabilities. They also have the support of governments, foundations and the corporate sector. I would imagine that it will be a monumental task to catch-up, not to say, to overtake America and European Union in chemical research and development. But, as a Chinese saying says, A journey of a thousand mile starts with the first step, we must begin right down. Let us look at what we have got and then proceed from there. We do have human resources and good education systems in most Asian countries. Asia is also blessed with abundance of natural resources with mega biodiversity. Thirdly, we have the Asian culture and values that stresses the importance of family, loyalty and diligence at work. Based on the above three positive Asian attributes, we should proceed to build a strong foundation in chemical education, research and development. We should develop our education systems further to create a pool of intelligent work force for more advanced

15 training and research. ur research infrastructure has to be enhanced and further developed to provide top of the range equipment and facilities for cutting edge research. FACS can play an important role in transforming Asian chemistry to rank among the top in the world. We already have very advanced chemistry in some Asia Pacific countries like China, India, Japan, Korea and Australia. These countries can lead the other less developed countries in providing capacity building in terms of human resource development. They also can assist in capability building in developing more advanced research infrastructure. For the least developed countries, the rest of Asia should play a role in eradicating poverty, providing basic infrastructure and a good education. With great resilience in her people, they should be able to catch up very quickly. It is postulated that Asia will be a giant economic block that will rival the Americas and European Union in the near future. Let us hope that the same can be said of the development of science and technology, particularly of chemistry, in Asia. FACS should start now to play a more proactive role in developing chemistry in Asia

16 FACS Meeting, ctober 2004 Address by David Edmonds President Royal Australian Chemical Institute There are multiplicities of challenges for professional chemistry societies, both on a national and regional basis. Chemistry, its education and its practice is becoming more complex. For the RACI a listing includes: The scope and boundaries of chemistry require constant review. The costs of education of chemists to maintain standards, especially in practical work are increasing. Maintenance of standards is pre-requisite to recognition of courses and qualifications The need for interaction of kindred societies. Financing of societies and need to give members value for membership dollar. Much more to be done to coordinate and optimise chemical interests among industry, academic and government sectors. Lack of appreciation by the community in general benefits of chemistry are not appreciated. Utilisation of volunteers to their optimum, recognising the limitations of available time and resources. The constitution of RACI Committees has a disproportion of chemists, employed in the academic sector, in comparison with industry and government. Broader active representation at all levels of chemistry professional societies is needed. In the main national legislation does not require chemists to be RACI members in order to practice their profession. Therefore only a proportion of qualified chemists are members. I would suggest that this list is common to member societies and that much applies also to FACS as the regional organisation of its members. FACS has additional challenges in that there is a significant difference in funds and resources available to its constituent members. The RACI must continue to support and enhance FACS, both directly and through its various specialist entities, particularly the Divisions. David Edmonds 19 April

17 Snapshots Photo Clippings of the FACS 25 th Anniversary ctober 18-19, 2004, Bangkok, Thailand Front Row (L to R): Professor John Webb, Professor Leiv Sydnes (IUPAC), Professor Barry Noller, Datuk Dr M Mohinder Singh, Professor Kamchorn Manunapichu, Professor Ho Sy Thoang, Professor Hitoshi htaki, Professor Junghun Suh, Datuk Dr Ting-Kueh Soon. Back Row (L to R): Dr Ross Sadler, Professor Masato Ito, Professor Somsak Ruchirawat, Professor Theerawat Mongkolaussavarat, Associate Professor Man Amorasit, Professor Prapin Wilairat, Dr Phichai Tovivich, Professor M Mosihuzzaman, David Edmonds, Dr Teruto hta, Professor Kyung Byung Yoon, Professor Huynh Van Trung, Dr Ittipol Jangchud

18 - 17 -

19 - 18 -

20 - 19 -

21 Comments 25 Years of Development of the FACS: Comments on the elements that have made the FACS successful Barry N Noller President FACS , University of Queensland, 4108 Australia The history of the FACS covering the last 25 years identifies a continuity of successful activity that has enabled this to occur. The purpose of this article is to identify the elements of the FACS that have made it into a successful Federation. The logo that was first adopted in 1982 was redrawn in 1997 to incorporate a more accurate regional map and was also made electronic at that time. These two steps of the logo reflect the kind of influences that have impinged on the success of the FACS during its first 25 years. The FACS Statutes The objectives of the FACS are included in its Statutes. Since inauguration in 1979, the FACS Statutes have only received modification and additions on two occasions (1991 and 2003). Thus the Statutes have served as the vehicle of the FACS and been the pathway to its smooth operation. An perations Manual now details all operating procedures of the FACS and is periodically updated. Biennial Assembly The General Assembly has been the overarching governing body of the FACS and has evolved to be part of the Biennial Asian Chemical Congress. This has ensured that the FACS has been able to focus on its goal to promote the chemical profession in the Asia-Pacific region. The Executive Committee (EXC) Whilst the General Assembly has brought the member societies together, it has been the EXC that has given effective governance of the FACS. The list of EXC meetings reveals that the FACS has maintained contact with many of its member societies through holding regular meetings (2-3 times per year). Thus the EXC stands as one of the most important functions of the FACS, led by a succession of strong and effective Presidents. Asian Chemical Congress (ACC) Since the incorporation with the General Assembly in 1985, the Asian Chemical Congress has grown to be the premier conference of the chemical sciences in the Asia-Pacific region. Nobel Laureates feature regularly in the program of ACC s. Project activities of the FACS have also been a regular item in ACC programs. Thus the ACC is clearly one of the successful activities of the FACS. A regular item in the ACC program is the award and presentation of the FACS awards. The FACS Foundation Lectureship selects eminent chemists from the region while the Distinguished Young Chemists Award acknowledges outstanding young chemists under the age of 40 years. The Distinguished Contributions awards in Economic Development and Chemical Education identify those individuals who have excelled in less academic areas. Further such awards are

22 planned. The FACS Citations serve to acknowledge the input of those individuals who have contributed to the FACS in a variety of ways. Distinguished awardees together with Past Presidents of the FACS are made Fellows are the FACS. Thus FACS has a well-structured awardees system which is sufficiently flexible to enable al appropriate candidates to be acknowledged and is show-cased at the ACC. Working Groups and Projects The FACS has facilitated specials interest activities and networks that have relevance to the Asia-Pacific region or its sub-regions. The initial concept of Workings Groups, adopted from the European counterpart (the FECS), was changed to projects in 1991 to enable outdated activities to be redirected or phased out. Thus long-running projects/networks such as ANAIC, APFAN, ANEC/CREN, ChIN and ANCE have served the FACS members and member societies well with regular involvements in the ACCs. FACS Newsletter and Web Page The long term communicating voice of the FACS has been its newsletter. This was developed as a modest newsletter produced on minimum budget for many years by Dr M Mohinder Singh with 1-3 issues per year. Following the development of the web page for the FACS by Project ChIN and subsequent creation of a more permanent domain page ( during the 1990s, the FACS newsletter was finally made accessible by internet. This has clearly increased the circulation of information about the FACS and enabled the old problem of the cost of mailing newsletters to be averted. FACS Individual and Life Membership It was recognized in the early years that there was a need for two categories of membership where there was no option for society membership and for recognition of chemists who wished to stay in touch with the activities of the FACS. Thus the categories of Individual and Life Membership were created. These have worked well to provide access to the FACS on an individual basis. Links with ther Groups and Activities FACS has, since its inception, developed and maintained good links with other regional and international bodies that have a role in the activities of the chemical sciences. The various FACS Presidents have played a key role in the links with IUPAC, Commonwealth Secretariat, FECS and UNESC in the international arena and the ACGC, EURASIA Conference, and PACIFICHEM on a regional level as well as others not mentioned here. The FACS will continue to provide the link between its member societies and other regional and international bodies. The Future The nature of the chemical sciences has changed dramatically from inception in 1979 to this point in time 25 years later. The impact of multimedia and electronic communications has enhanced the ability to reach more professional chemists, particularly in the developing part of the region. It is unusual to find anyone today who can t access in some way. The FACS need to grow larger and to create a more effective organisation to serve the needs of its member societies. The FACS will ensure that professional chemists and chemistry will continue to contribute to the development of a prosperous, responsible and cultured community

23 Special Topic The Art of Discovery in Biophysical rganic Chemistry Edward M. Kosower School of Chemistry Tel-Aviv University Tel-Aviv Israel Abstract bservations made in the course of experiments on pyridinium salts led to important discoveries in physical organic chemistry. The way in which the discoveries were made is likened to art rather than goal-directed cold logic. We can describe the art of discovery as an effort enhanced by practice and intuition to recognize novelty in a finding and provide productive insight into its nature. We shall present some examples, and describe what happened after finding an unexpected light absorption band, a surprising solvent effect on spectra, and an unexpectedly stable and beautiful small organic radical. ne of the most difficult problems facing any one is that of deciding what to do in life. ne picks a direction or a profession on the basis of love for a subject or out of admiration for an individual, or out of the desire to exploit skills that have been learned (such as playing an instrument, or carpentry, or being a salesperson or businessman). In my case, I was attracted to chemistry at about the age of 12 (in junior high school), and eventually, this was the subject that I studied and in which I made a career. A second difficult question is what do you actually do within that career? If you are working for a company, problems are assigned to you. If you are a doctor, then problems generally present themselves in the form of patients. If you are a scientist, especially a research scientist, you must choose a problem yourself. It must be original (but still recognizable by others), it must be capable of yielding partial results even when the original question proves to be too difficult to answer, and it must be possible to carry out with means that are reasonably easy to acquire. Success comes as a result of hard work, a good knowledge of the literature, a good understanding of the science that you work in, paying attention to unexpected

24 observations and last, but not least, luck! (remember Louis Pasteur s remark after the discovery of the scientific basis of vaccination that chance favors the prepared mind ) I will describe in this article how I and my colleagues came to work on certain subjects. It is my hope that these examples will stimulate the reader to ask questions in a different way than that seen in a textbook. Before we delve into my adventures in discovery, let us consider the meaning of the word, art. f the several definitions that appear in dictionaries, three seem most relevant to our use of the word. These are: 1. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature. 2. Skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation. 3. Skill arising from the exercise of intuitive faculties. And what about the word, discovery? The most interesting definition is: a productive insight [synonym: breakthrough, find]. The art of discovery can be termed an effort enhanced by practice and intuition to recognize novelty in a finding and provide productive insight into its nature. I. The unexpected absorption band nce upon a time [many years ago...] I wanted to study biochemical mechanisms, and chose to spend a year in the laboratory of Frank Westheimer at Harvard University. Frank suggested that I look at the interaction of thiolate anions with pyridinium rings, to see if we could cast some light on the mechanism of action of NAD, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (see formula). Frank and Birgit Vennesland had just discovered that hydrogen was transferred directly from NADH to acetaldehyde, the first demonstration that a cofactor and a substrate made direct contact at an enzyme active site. In my early experiments with several pyridinium compounds, it appeared that rather basic conditions were required for the formation of thiolate anions, requiring knowledge of the interaction of pyridinium ions with hydroxide ion. I resolved to use the simplest pyridinium ion, the 1-methylpyridinium ion, as a reactant. To alkylate pyridine, there were three possibilities, methyl chloride (a gas), methyl bromide (a low boiling liquid, b.p. 3.6 o C) and methyl iodide (b.p. 42 o C). The iodide was the only practical choice, so I began with 1-methylpyridinium iodide as a model for the more complicated molecule, NAD. The reaction with hydroxide ion was expected to be slow so I measured the spectrum of a reasonably high concentration of 1-methylpyridinium iodide (MP + I - ). The model MP + I - had a surprise for us: It absorbed light in an unexpected way, at a wavelength longer than expected. THIS WAS A DISCVERY, in the recognition of novelty in the behavior of the iodide salt

25 NH 2 + N H H P - N N P - H 2 N N N H H nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) Since this discovery was to become the focus of a significant part of my research, it is worth exploring how we came to understand its true nature. At first, I thought that the iodide ion had added to the pyridinium ring (1). Sidney D. Ross, a chemist at Sprague Electric Company refereed the paper and later told me that he thought that charge-transfer complexes might be involved but recommended its publication anyway. (Referees today would be less kind!) f course, he was right, and we soon adopted his point of view after reading Mulliken s brilliant papers on charge-transfer complexes and examining the interaction of iodide ion with methylsubstituted pyridinium rings. A methyl group should cause the equilibrium for addition at a given position to shift drastically towards dissociation; in fact, there is only a small shift, thus establishing the new absorption as that of a charge-transfer complex of the iodide ion with a pyridinium ring (2,3). The interpretation of the charge-transfer character of the novel light absorption constituted the productive insight in the discovery. This was a significant development in the field of charge-transfer complexes, which are composed of two parts, an electron-rich molecule (a donor ) and an electron-deficient molecule (an acceptor ). In such complexes, we may describe the light absorption as resulting in an electronic transition, in which

26 an electron jumps from an electron-rich molecule (the donor ) to its partner in the complex, an electron-poor molecule (the acceptor ). In our case, the donor is iodide ion and the acceptor is the 1-methylpyridinium ion. Charge-transfer transitions are rather common, and charge-transfer complexes ubiquitous. We shall see another example of such transitions shortly. A further lesson from the study was that dimers can behave differently from monomers, so that concentration dependence of any process or measurement should be carried out whenever possible. II. A solvent surprise Whenever you make a discovery, further questions are raised. What does one do next? We felt that we should learn more about the exciting new charge-transfer transitions, but were hindered by the fact that the absorption maxima were obscured by the pyridinium ion absorption. To move absorptions to longer wavelengths, we reasoned that extending the conjugation of the pyridinium ring would lead to longer wavelength absorption. More accurately, if we increased the electron affinity of the acceptor we should expect a lower energy charge transfer transition. In order to increase solubility, we replaced the 1-methyl group with a 1-ethyl group. The compound, 1-ethyl-4-methoxycarbonylpyridinium iodide, had a beautiful orange color. To illustrate the power of a little understanding, we were not surprised by the color, thinking that indeed the charge-transfer transition would be more easily observed. A Swiss graduate student had made exactly the same compound some years before and assumed that the color meant that the compound was impure. He recrystallized the salt many times without changing the color. Since he was really trying to prepare the corresponding piperidine, he decided to hydrogenate the impure salt. The color disappeared; he obtained a pure piperidine and went on to have a successful career in the Swiss chemical industry. The charge-transfer absorption responsible for the color remained a mystery until we encountered it several years later. CCH 3 N + I - N + I - CH 3 1-methylpyridinium iodide CH 2 CH 3 1-ethyl-4-methoxycarbonylpyridinium iodide

27 There were hints in our initial work that solvent polarity had an influence on the position of the charge-transfer band. We then took 1-ethyl-4-methoxycarbonyl-pyridinium iodide and looked at its spectrum in a variety of solvents. We were astounded by the tremendous shifts in the position of the c-t band to longer wavelengths with decreasing solvent polarity. These are illustrated in Figure 1. THIS WAS ANTHER DISCVERY, in the recognition of the novelty of the large solvent sensitivity of the charge-transfer transition. CCH 3 N + I - Na(Hg) CH 3 CN CCH 3 N CH 2 CH 3 1-ethyl-4-methoxycarbonylpyridinium iodide chemical reduction to radical CH 2 CH 3 1-ethyl-4-methoxycarbonylpyridinyl radical CCH 3 N + I - hν CCH 3 I N CH 2 CH 3 1-ethyl-4-methoxycarbonylpyridinium iodide CH 2 CH 3 1-ethyl-4-methoxycarbonylpyridinyl radical iodine atom pair charge-transfer transition

28 Fig.1 The first charge-transfer band in the absorption spectra of 1-ethyl-4- methoxycarbonylpyridinium iodide in water ( ), methanol ( ), 2-propanol ( ), acetonitrile ( _. _. _ ), and cis-1,2-dichloroethene (.. ) (adapted from refs. 8,9,10) What was the origin of this large change, essentially the largest ever found for a solvent effect on a spectrum? The basic explanation has to do with the Franck-Condon principle. The solvent molecules are organized around the ground state donor-acceptor ion-pair. The strength of the interaction between the ion-pair and the solvent varies with the polarity of the solvent, the interaction being stronger for the more polar solvent. Light absorption occurs very rapidly, within a femtosecond or less. After light absorption, the solvent molecules are still organized as they were for the ground state but now there is no ion-pair. In fact, the organization represents a destabilization of the solvent structure. Roughly speaking, and reflecting an argument by nsager about the reaction field in a solvent around a molecular dipole, the destabilization is similar to the stabilization of the ion-pair by the solvent. We can thus expect a change in the electronic transition energy that is twice the ground state stabilization, and consequently, a much larger change in the position of light absorption that might be expected for a usual solventsensitive light absorption such as that for an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound. These ideas are summarized in the diagram shown in Figure 2. The interpretation was the productive insight into the novel solvent effect

29 D A I D - E A - C D + A - low polarity solvent prepare solvent; -1/2 µr solvent interaction µr net solvent effect; +1/2µR removal of solvent interaction Fig.2 Energy diagram illustrating the stabilization of the ground state and the destabilization of the excited state for a charge-transfer transition in an ion-pair ground state. The nsager model is also illustrated, R = reaction field, µ = molecular dipole At this point, it became clear to me that such an electronic transition could be useful as a measure of solvent polarity. I had earned my Ph.D. degree working with Professor Saul Winstein, who, together with Ernie Grunwald, had developed a solvent polarity parameter called Y-value, based on the rate of solvolysis of t-butyl chloride in a given solvent (Today, Y-values are based on the rate of solvolysis of adamantyl chloride and are still used to correlate rate constants of reactions). I, therefore, set out to correlate my solvent polarities with those of Winstein and Grunwald. I used solvent mixtures, methanol-water, ethanol-water, and acetonewater. I made up the mixtures rather randomly and plotted the results (Y value against the transition energy, since these are both energies) as I measured them. I was disappointed at first to find a scatter of points but as I proceeded, three straight lines emerged on the paper (like Botticelli s Venus arising from the sea). These straight lines converged at the Y-value for water, meaning that the spectroscopic parameter was also an effective measure of the polarity of the solvent (Figure 3). After the initial joy had subsided, colleagues in neighboring laboratories urged me to call them K-values. I resisted this suggestion, and chose Z-values because they came after Y. I then measured a substantial number of Z-values (the transition energy for the chargetransfer transition in kcal/mole) and published the results in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (5), along with two other papers on the use of Z-values for correlating spectroscopic and kinetic data (6, 7). The paper became a citation classic (#47 on the JACS list of most-cited papers with 1315 citations as of January, 2005)

30 Fig.3 Z vs Y in methanol-water (M), ethanol-water (E) and acetone-water (A). The equations for the lines are Y M = Z , Y E = Z , and Y A = Z Trying to gain some insight into the nature of the charge-transfer transition yielded a valuable new chemical resource, a quick and understandable way of measuring solvent polarity. Formulating answers to the many questions raised by the discovery of Z-values led to a better understanding of the nature of such parameters. The compounds used to measure the parameter are molecular probes. What is a probe? An instrument used to search to the bottom of an object or a problem; also, as a verb, to scrutinize or examine thoroughly. What is a molecular probe? A molecular instrument used to scrutinize or examine thoroughly a molecular environment. A molecular probe provides information about the microscopic environment. In contrast, the dielectric constant represents a macroscopic summation or average of all the individual dipolar orientations within the measurement zone. In some cases, like those of N- alkylamides, the dielectric constant is high due to dipolar interactions between molecules, while the Z-value is relatively low because the microscopic polarity is modest. For a complete discussion of solvents and solvent parameters, the reader is referred to the excellent monograph by Reichardt (8). See also (9, 10). Z-value is defined as the position of the maximum of the charge-transfer band of 1-ethyl-4- methoxycarbonylpyridinium iodide expressed in kcal/mole. Z (kcal/mole) = 28590/λ max (in nm)

31 [Relation is derived from E = Nhc/4.184 λ in which N = x mol -1, h = x Joule-sec, c = x 10 8 m/sec and λ is given in nm. Note that J = 1 cal and 10-3 kcal = 1 cal]. III. Small Radical is beautiful According to the theory of charge-transfer transitions, the excited state is formed by electron transfer from the donor to the acceptor. The acceptor pyridinium ring should accept electrons more easily, i.e., at lower excitation energies, as the electron-withdrawing power of the substituent increased. Another way to measure such a behavior is to examine the electrochemical reduction potentials. The potentials indeed fit the idea that the charge-transfer band moved to longer wavelength with increasing electron affinity of the acceptor. More striking however was the observation that the pyridinyl radicals formed in electrochemical reduction seemed to be stable and colored (11). The prospect of studying small stable radicals was so attractive that E.J. Poziomek (who later went on to a distinguished career in a U.S. Government laboratory) built a vacuum line and carried out the reductions that led to the discovery of the stable 1-ethyl-4- methoxycarbonylpyridinyl radical (12) allowing us to carry out many spectroscopic and kinetic studies (13). The orange 1-ethyl-4-methoxycarbonylpyridinium iodide melted to a scarlet liquid above 112 o C. In a most spectacular and colorful experiment, under high vacuum and in the presence of magnesium, the radical distilled from the molten salt and condensed on a liquid nitrogen cooled condenser as a royal blue solid. That solid was shown to be the stable radical. The corresponding 1-methyl-4-cyanopyridinyl radical was shown to dimerize at a rate which could be detected electrochemically, and gave rise eventually to the 1,1 -dimethyl-4,4 - bipyridinium cation radical ( methylviologen ) for which we discovered the dimeric complex and measured the e.s.r spectrum for the first time.(14) Again, asking simple questions about the charge-transfer band we discovered a whole new class of stable radicals. Recognizing the novelty of the apparent stability of pyridinyl radicals led to the productive insight that such stability might be exploited in a preparative procedure. Using a microsecond flash lamp developed by Lindqvist, we also showed that the pyridinyl radical was formed by the charge-transfer light absorption (15). Further information on pyridinyl radicals is summarized elsewhere (16)

32 Summary The art of discovery has been the subject of a few serious studies and is clearly a form of serendipity, for which a useful summary may be found on the Web (17). I have tried to give some insight into how one might proceed from an unexpected observation to a new development in science. The examples given are taken from my own early experience, and in most of my subsequent research, I have encountered the same general sequence of events. ur present research belongs in the same category. If you would ask me what I might be doing a few years from now, I might honestly say that I don t know but I am sure it will be interesting, exciting, and productive. I can add that enthusiasm and optimism is helpful in smoothing the way to discovery. You have read my story and I look forward to hearing yours! Tel-Aviv, Israel, January 30, 2005 References: 1. E.M.Kosower, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 77, (1955). Additions to pyridinium rings I. 1- Methylpyridinium iodide 2. E.M.Kosower, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 78, (1956). "Additions to pyridinium rings III.Chemical and biochemical implications of charge-transfer complex intermediates" 3. E.M.Kosower & J.C.Burbach, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 78, (1956). "Equilibrium constants for pyridinium iodide charge-transfer complex formation" 4. E.M.Kosower, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 78, (1956). "The effect of solvent on chargetransfer complex spectra" 5. E.M.Kosower, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 80, (1958). "The effect of solvent on spectra I. A new empirical measure of solvent polarity: Z-values" 6. E.M.Kosower, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 80, (1958). "The effect of solvent on spectra II. Correlation of spectral absorption data with Z-values" 7. E.M.Kosower, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 80, (1958). "The effect of solvent on spectra III. The use of Z-values in connection with kinetic data" 8. C.Reichardt, Solvents and Solvent Effects in rganic Chemistry, Third Edition, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2003, 629 pp

33 9. E.M.Kosower, An Introduction to Physical rganic Chemistry, 503 pp., John Wiley & Sons, New York (1968). 10. E.M.Kosower, "Molecular Biochemistry ", 304 pp., McGraw-Hill, New York (1962). 11. W.M.Schwarz, E.M.Kosower & I.Shain, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 83, (1961). "Electroreduction of N-alkylpyridinium Ions" 12. E.M.Kosower & E.J.Poziomek, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 86, (1964). "Stable free radicals I. Preparation and isolation of 1-ethyl-4-carbomethoxy-pyridinyl" 13. E.M.Kosower & I.Schwager, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 86, (1964). "Stable free radicals III. The rates of reaction of 1-ethyl-4-carbomethoxypyridinyl with halocarbons" 14. E.M.Kosower & J.L.Cotter, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 86, (1964). "Stable free radicals II. Reduction of 1-methyl-4-cyanopyridinium iodide to methylviologen cation radical" 15. E.M.Kosower & L.Lindqvist, Tetrahedron Letters (1965). "Flash photolysis of a pyridinium iodide through the charge-transfer band" 16. E.M.Kosower, Topics in Current Chemistry 112, (1983). [Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg] "Stable pyridinyl radicals" 17. Gary Fine & James Deegan, URL: Three principles of serendipity: insight, chance, and discovery in qualitative research

34 Member Society INSTITUT KIMIA MALAYSIA INTRDUCTIN Institut Kimia Malaysia (IKM), or the Malaysian Institute of Chemistry, was registered under the Societies Act 1966 on 13th ctober 1967 with 27 Founding Members. It was subsequently incorporated as a professional body under the Chemists Act 1975 on 22nd May The Institute is a professional organisation established to regulate and represent the profession of chemistry in Malaysia. IKM has grown in tandem with the rapid development of the country and today, with a membership of close to 2000, IKM enjoys a prominent place among the professional scientific organisations in Malaysia. The Institute is also playing a leading role in the development of chemistry in Asia. VISIN F IKM The Vision of the Institute is Towards International Excellence in the Practice of Chemistry in Malaysia. CHEMISTS ACT 1975 The Chemists Act 1975 gave recognition to the professional practice of chemistry in Malaysia. IKM was incorporated under the Act to regulate and promote the practice of the profession of chemistry in Malaysia. PWER AND PRIVILEGES Under the chemists Act 1975, only registered chemists of Institut Kimia Malaysia (IKM) shall enjoy the following power and privileges a) practice or hold himself out as a registered chemist or as a person of any other like description; b) advertise by any means or in any manner as being engaged in the practice as a registered chemist; c) adopt, use or exhibit the term registered chemist or its equivalent in any other language or any other term of like description in such circumstances as to indicate or to be likely to lead persons to refer that he is a registered chemist; and d) sign or certify any report or certificate of analysis intended for the public. FUNCTINS F IKM The Functions of the Institute are as follows: a) To determine the qualifications of persons for admission as members

35 b) To provide for the training, education and examination by the Institute of persons intending to be members and of members practising or intending to practise the profession of chemistry in Malaysia c) To regulate the practice, by members, of the profession of chemistry in Malaysia d) To promote the interest of the profession of chemistry in Malaysia e) To render such pecuniary or other assistance to members or their dependants as it thinks fit with a view to protecting or promoting their welfare CUNCIL F IKM AND ITS CMMITTEES The Institute is managed by a 13-member Council elected from its membership with the Director General of Chemistry as the Registrar. The President, Vice President, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Assistant Secretary and Honorary Assistant Treasurer are elected annually from among the Council Members. Chairpersons of IKM Branches and other members may be co-opted to serve in the Council. The Principal ffice Bearers of the IKM Council for 2004/05 are as follows: President: Professor Dr Ho Chee Cheong Vice President: Datuk Dr Soon Ting Kueh Registrar: Mr Kee Sue Sin Honorary Secretary: Mr Chee ng Koh Honorary Treasurer: Mr Steven Tea Hing San Honorary Asst Secretary: Professor Dr Zuriati Zakaria Honorary Asst Treasurer: Mr Qua Sai Chuan The Council also establishes a number of Committees to ensure the smooth operation and management of the Secretariat and various activities. Members of the Council are appointed as Chairpersons of these Committees. MEMBERSHIP F IKM Membership of the Institute is open to all persons over 21 years old with a recognised pass or honours degree in chemistry or equivalent academic qualification in chemistry or a specialised discipline associated with chemistry and the requisite practical experience. Membership is of three grades, namely Fellowship, Associateship and Licentiateship. Fellows, Associates and Licentiates are entitled to use the initials FMIC, AMIC or LMIC respectively after their names. ACTIVITIES F THE INSTITUTE The Institute carries out the whole range of professional, educational, social and promotional activities, including the following: Membership Examinations

36 Chemistry Conferences including the Malaysian Chemical Conference (MCC), Seminars, Symposia, Workshops, Public Lectures and Talks Professional Courses and Continuing Education Chemistry Publications Factory and Technical Visits Activities on Promoting Public Understanding and Appreciation of Chemistry Chemistry Quiz and lympiad Social Functions including the annual Malam Kimia The Institute also regularly holds regional and international meetings. Among the major regional and international chemical conferences organised by the Institute are the following: 5th Asian Chemical Congress (1993) 2nd International Symposium on Technician Education (1991) Asian Network on Analytical and Inorganic Chemistry (ANAIC) International Conferences (1989 &1993) 4th Eurasia Chemical Conference (1994) REGINAL AND INTERNATINAL CPERATIN The Institute is a Founding Member of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS) and takes an active part in FACS activities. FACS organises the biennial Asian Chemical Congress (ACC) and the Institute hosted the 5th Asian Chemical Congress (5 ACC) in Kuala Lumpur in The Institute will host the 12th Asian Chemical Congress (12 ACC) in Malaysia in The Institute enjoys an observer status in the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and takes an active part in a number of IUPAC activities. IKM PUBLICATINS The Institute publishes the following: Malaysian Journal of Chemistry (a semi-annual refereed journal of IKM) Berita IKM Chemistry in Malaysia (a quarterly publication for members) Kimia Kini (a semi-annual publication of the Chemistry Education Section) IKM AWARDS AND GRANTS The Institute presents a number of annual awards to recognise professional contributions, academic excellence and outstanding meritorious service within its membership and profession. Among these awards are the following: o IKM Gold Medal for Distinctive Contribution to the Profession of Chemistry in Malaysia o IKM Gold Medal for Excellence in Chemical Research and Development

37 o Tan Sri ng Kee Hui Postgraduate Chemistry Medal o Graduate Chemistry Medals o IKM Citation Awards for Meritorious Service The Institute also gives out Merit Awards to children of its members who have obtained outstanding results in public examinations. IKM also provides travel grants to members to enable them to present papers at overseas conferences and meetings. IKM HEADQUARTER AND BRANCHES The Headquarter of IKM is located in Kuala Lumpur at the following address: Institut Kimia Malaysia 127B, Jalan Aminuddin Baki Taman Tun Dr Ismail Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA Tel: Fax: ikmmy@pc.jaring.my Website: The Institute also has six Branches as follows: Northern Branch (located in Penang) Southern Branch (located in Johor Bahru) Sarawak Branch (located in Kuching) Sabah Branch (located in Kota Kinabalu) Perak Branch Branch (located in Ipoh) Terengganu Branch (located in Kuala Terengganu) MISSIN F THE INSTITUTE The Institute regulates the practice of chemistry in Malaysia, represents the profession of chemistry, and promote public understanding and appreciation of chemistry. IKM also intends to play a key role in the socio-economic development of Malaysia, including practising sustainable development of our natural resources, and, preserving and conserving our natural environment and resources for our future generations. The Institute will also play a leading role in the development of chemistry in the region as well as internationally

38 ANEC and the Asian Environment The Asian Environment Ross Sadler (Coordinator ANEC) Queensland Health Scientific Services P Box 594, Archerfield, Queensland, AUSTRALIA, 4108 Uniqueness of Environmental Chemistry in the Asia-Pacific Region The topic of chemistry in Asia has been the subject of a great deal of discussion, particularly as regards how the work carried out within the region should best fit into the overall World scene. It is true that many scientists throughout Asia do not have access to such sophisticated facilities as their counterparts in Europe or North America and this has been held to be a debilitating factor as regards the role that they can be expected to play. The topic was raised by several speakers at the FACS Silver Jubilee Meeting in Bangkok, during ctober of Figure 1 The Asia-Pacific Environment Figure 1 gives some details of the unique characteristics of the Asia- Pacific environment. ur region contains a very high proportion of the world s volcanic activity. Apart from the obvious threats posed to the population by volcanoes, associated streams have been shown to contain significant levels of volatile elements such as mercury and arsenic, which can have serious implications as regards public and environmental health. Many tropical areas are subject to severe rainfall events, which have a significant ability to transport nutrients from soil to streams and increase sediment load. By this same mechanism, there can also be a significant transport mechanism for substances associated with soil particles a transport mechanism that is of minor significance elsewhere. Traditionally, these mechanisms have been seen as a pathway for movement of dissolved chemicals into waterways. But more recently, colloidal transport has been recognized as a major pathway for attenuation of chemicals in soil (de Jonge et. al, 2004). With the increasing use of synthetic pyrethroid pesticides (Figure 2), which are known to have a In terms of environmental chemistry, the same limitations of course apply, but we are also in a different situation. Whereas for example, a polymer chemist in another country is trying to solve exactly the same sort of problem as his counterpart in Asia, this is not the case with environmental chemists. We are the custodians not only of a unique environment (cf. Figure 1), but also of a unique knowledge as regards environmental chemistry. Nobody elsewhere is going to solve our problems this is our unique contribution to scientific knowledge and so it is the scientists of the Asia-Pacific region who are at the forefront of knowledge in their areas. A problem in polymer chemistry that is not solved by an Asian scientist will almost certainly be solved elsewhere. A problem in environmental chemistry probably will not Bifenthrin Permethrin Cypermethrin Figure 2 Synthetic Pyrethroids

39 significant binding capacity as regards soils, this is an important mechanism within our environment and one worthy of some further investigation. The effects would be particularly pronounced with the high rainfall prevailing throughout the region. Nutrients and the Asia-Pacific Ecosystem Figure 3 Mangrove communities are an important but little studied part of the Asia-Pacific ecosystem. ur region contains large tracts of specialized vegetation. An example is provided by mangrove forests, which are recognized as a specialized habitat for fish breeding. As such, they have particular relevance to food production in tropical areas. But we know very little of the nutrient cycling processes that take place in mangrove forests. He data that are available suggest that the processes are complex and probably specific to the types of forest involved. For example, in a study of Southern Thailand mangrove forests, Alongi et. al (2002) found denitrification to remove between 3 and 6% of total nitrogen input at three Rhizophora forests. The corresponding figure for an intertidal Ceriops forest is 23%. These studies cannot be simply extrapolated from data obtained elsewhere with other plant types. Yet another characteristic of our region is the intensive tropical agriculture that is practiced in order to feed the large populations. In many cases, the agricultural practices had their origins in periods of colonialism, when there was little respect for the environment of what was after all, not the colonialists homeland. These problems persist in many cases and are exacerbated by the problems of burgeoning industrialization. Tropical agricultural practices can have serious and unique consequences s as regards nutrient export. There are certain industries such as the sugar industry that are specific to tropical countries and which have a special environmental impact (Cheesman, 2004). Figure 4 shows data from the Johnstone River catchment in North Queensland. It can readily be seen that when pristine and cultivated sections of the catchment are compared, nutrient export is far greater from cultivated land. This has significant implications not only as regards the stream loads but also as regards off-shore areas. The Johnstone River for example discharges to the North Queensland Coast and hence has the ability to impact upon the Great Barrier Reef (Hunter et. al, 2001). nly environmental chemists from the Asia-Pacific region have to contend with problems of this kind and therefore they must be the ones to make advances in the area

40 RAINFREST SUGAR CANE CULTIVATIN % of total % of total N Exports P Exports Land use Figure 4 0 N Exports P Exports Land use Nutrient export within the Johnstone River catchment in North Queensland, according to land use (Data from Hunter et. al, 2001). Pesticide Sorption to Soils Figure 5. Comparison of soil sorption data for carbaryl in soils from the UK and those from the Asia-Pacific region (Figure reproduced with permission of Ahmad and Kookana, 2002). Transport of pesticides from agricultural land represents yet another means by which intensive tropical agriculture can impact upon the environment. Pesticide runoff is of course a common problem with agriculture throughout the world, but there are reasons to consider our own situation as being different. bviously the key factor in the whole process is the sorption of the organic residues onto soil organic matter. It has been shown that K C is not a constant value throughout the world, with values of the constant being significantly higher for certain Asian soils than those reported from European and North American studies (Ahmad and Kookana, 2002). Figure 5 compares sorption coefficients for carbaryl between UK soils and those from the Asia-Pacific region. So although the process may be universal, the factors influencing it are not. Again, the challenge is one that can be taken up by nobody other than environmental chemists in our region. Asian Environmental Chemistry and the Mining Industry

41 Although agriculture is an obvious land use across the region, it is by no means the only one, nor is it the only one to have specific issues associated with our unique climatic conditions. The mining industry is significant across the region. As with the agricultural situation mentioned above, in some cases Asian environmental chemists are confronted by a colonial fossil, with its lack of environmental controls. But there is also rapid growth of new mining ventures throughout Asia, growth that has in many cases taken place in the absence of adequate environmental planning. Why can t overseas solutions provide us with all the answers? Quite simply, because these solutions have been devised for a different climatic regime. Rainfall may be a more constant factor in European countries, but it also arrives in a relatively ordered manner and not as a monsoonal downpour. Artificial wetlands are however a solution that can work more satisfactorily in the tropics than in other locations. Figure 6 shows performance data for heavy metal removal by an artificial wetland system at Woodcutter s Mine in the Northern Territory, Australia (Noller et. al 2003). regions. Retardation Ratio Antimony Cadmium Filtered Metals The progress in this area is again uniquely dependent upon innovation from scientists within the Lead Zinc 11-Jan 17-Jan 4-Feb Figure 6. Performance data for heavy metal removal by an artificial wetland system. Specific Wastes of the Asia-Pacific Region, their Problems and Treatment Waste treatment in general is an important factor for chemists within the region to consider. There are relatively few data that pertain to the behaviour of waste treatment systems in tropical regions of the world. As regards wastes in general, leaching potential cannot be simply extrapolated from data obtained elsewhere. There are issues such as higher rainfall, differences in soil structure and differences in the wastes involved. f equal importance is the fact that our region has specific wastes that are not encountered in temperate regions of the world. An example is provided by bagasse, the dried residue left behind during the crushing of sugar cane (Figure 7). This waste, although not encountered in Europe or North America is common to many countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It has the ability to leach contaminants of particular significance to the environment (Figure 8). Clearly, it will be the environmental chemists of the region who will make the advances as regards understanding and solving these problems. Figure 7. Bagasse a Tropical Waste with environmental problems

42 CD of Leachate ph of Leachate CD (mg/l Time (hr) ph Time (hr) Carbohydrate in Leachate rganic Acids in Leachate Soluble carbohydrate as glucose equivalents (mg/l rganic acids in leachate (mg/l) Time (hr) Time (hr) Figure 8. Batch leaching of bagasse. In a similar manner, there is also a need to properly understand the behaviour of waste ponds under tropical conditions. Although these wastes occur in other regions of the world, their behaviour and treatment cannot be simply inferred from data obtained in temperate regions of the world. This is particularly important when biologically active substances such as nitrogen forms are present. In open waste ponds, these substances have the capacity to result in eutrophication and hyperoxygenation as a result of increased photosynthesis. Given the prevailing climatic conditions in the Asia-Pacific region, this can be expected to be a more significant problem than elsewhere. Figure 9 provides data on the interdependence between ammonia nitrogen and dissolved oxygen levels in the pond of a waste treatment plant at an ammonia production facility in Australia (Sadler and Noller unpublished results). It can clearly be seen that spikes in ammonia concentration precede each instance of hyperoxia

43 Ammonia N (mg/l) D (mg/l) Sample Number Figure 9. Relationship between ammonia levels (black) and dissolved oxygen (white) in a waste pond at an ammonia plant. Eutrophication and Harmful Algal Blooms in the Asia-Pacific Region The problem of eutrophication is a serious one for all countries in the Asia-Pacific region. But the problem enters a new phase of concern when the organisms involved are ones capable of causing a harmful algal bloom. Cyanobacterial blooms are the most familiar consequence of eutrophication and there are numerous documented instances of the problems that they have caused throughout the region. There is however still little known about the conditions that favour algal growth and particularly those conditions that induce the onset of toxicity in blooms. Whatever environmental factors are 3 ultimately implicated, it is again clear that they will be a set of conditions specific to the strains that exist within the 2.5 region and this data will probably not be simply extrapolated 2 from findings in other parts of the world. As before, the task 1.5 of providing the necessary information lies with environmental chemists in Asia. 1 But our unique environment also confers an advantage on scientists who have to cope with cyanobacterial blooms in this part of the world. It is of course obvious that many countries in the region are unable to afford expensive treatment processes to cope with the problem. Although removal of cyanobacterial toxins by hyperchlorination is an accepted practice in many places (cf. Senogles et. al, 2000), this is not appropriate technology for developing countries. It has however been shown that, in the presence of suitable xidation Potential (V) Hydroxyl Radical zone Hydrogen Peroxide Hypochlorous Acid Chlorine Figure 10. xidation potentials of common oxidizing agents used in the water industry.

44 catalysts such a titanium dioxide, sunlight can be used to destroy cyanobacterial toxins (Makowski and Wardas, 2001). It is generally considered that hydroxyl radicals are the active species in this process. As can be seen from Figure 10, hydroxyl radicals have the highest oxidation potential of all oxidants commonly used for water treatment. Therefore, the methodology has high applicability as regards water treatment in developing countries. With the abundant sunlight available throughout the region, FACS chemists have the greatest incentive to progress this particular line of investigation. Figure 11. Lyngbya infestation (arrowed) on seagrass bed near Suva (Fiji). Although freshwater cyanobacterial infestations are the most commonly cited example of harmful algal blooms, they are by no means the only instance. Another example, which has particular significance as regards the fishing and tourism industries throughout the region is the proliferation of Lyngbya sp. This organism produces toxins which are potent skin irritants (Moikeha and Chu, 1971) and has caused major problems at beaches in Northern Australia. Its confirmed occurrence at other places in the region points to significant problems in the future (cf. Figure 11). There is an urgent need to better understand the factors that favour the growth of this organism and also to better define the toxicology associated with its natural products. There is also abundant evidence of proliferation of other nuisance organisms such as Pfiesteria in at least some parts of the region. But infestations with these organisms are of relatively minor consequence when compared to the problems resulting from dinoflagellate blooms. A wide range of toxins has been shown to be produced by these organisms (Figure 12) and blooms (referred to as red tides ) of particular dinoflagellates can cause massive fish kills. Some of the dinoflagellate toxins are also known to be capable of accumulating in seafood (ANZFA 2001). Brevetoxins H H Ciguatoxins H Azaspiracid R 1 R 2 H H H H NH H H NH NH TTX family NH2 + H H H H H H H R 1 H 2N + H H N R 4 N H R 2 N H H N NH H H R3 STX family R 4 H2N Pectenotoxins N + H 2 N H H H H R3 Palytoxin H kadaic acid family H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H HC H H H H H H H H H H N R2 R1 H H H H H H H H H H Pinnatoxin H H H H H R N H H Spirolides Prorocentrolide H H H N H H H H H H H Gymnodimine H H Maitotoxin Na 3S H H H H H H H H H H H S 3Na H H H H N Yessotoxin Na3S Na3S H H H H H H H H R H H Figure 12. Dinoflagellate Toxins. As such, these substances have the potential to cause significant public health impacts. Their occurrence is not restricted to the Asia-Pacific Region, but their significance could not be higher in any other area of the world

45 Many communities in the region do not have a choice of high animal protein food, other than that provided by the consumption of seafood. Therefore, contamination of seafood is a far more serious problem in these areas than in other parts of the world (cf. Wint, 2004). Moreover, coastal communities in these areas have a high reliance upon seafood as a source of income and also through its potential to attract tourism to the region. Therefore, the occurrence of dinaoflagellate toxins in the oceans merits even more close attention from environmental chemists in the region than from the counterparts elsewhere. Most importantly, there exists a need to understand the factors responsible for the proliferation of dinoflagellates and to be able to predict incidences of toxicity. A better understanding of sources of nutrients for dinoflagellate growth will provide a partial answer to the first question and development of passive samplers to detect toxins in the water column may aid the understanding of the second. As with other areas of investigation, these solutions will probably be area-specific and cannot be simply extrapolated from results obtained elsewhere. There are further environmental factors that require understanding. In the case of certain agents responsible for human diseases, such as ciguatioxin (the causative agent in ciguatera poisoning), the active toxin is the result of further metabolism of the dinoflagellate product by the vector organism (Lewis and King 1996). Again, the conditions of this metabolism are not completely understood and will be area-specific. In all environmental work, attention has to be paid to the effect of climate change. There is no doubt that any change of this kind will affect the Asia-Pacific region as much as any other. A consequence of this will almost certainly be increased dinoflagellate blooms with a concomitant increase in the number of human toxicity episodes. Figure 13 details the World Bank s projection of ciguatera poisoning episodes from 1990 to 2100, based on the expected climate change. This clearly presents a unique challenge to environmental chemists of the region. Ciguatera Poisoning per Figure 13. Predictions of ciguatera poisoning in Krirbati (Data from Aalbersberg and Sauni 2004). Air Pollution and the Asia-Pacific Region The problems of air pollution are as present in the Asia-Pacific region as anywhere else and lamentably, several countries of the region have yet to sign the Kyoto Protocol. The rapid industrialization that has occurred in many parts of the area has not been accompanied by the implementation of necessary environmental safeguards. Devising appropriate air pollution control strategies for most industrial plants is one area in which much of the experience gained in other regions could be directly translated to the situation in the Asia- Pacific region. In many instances, the initiatives will be the responsibility of those responsible for implementation of policy and legislation, rather than environmental researchers. Figure 14. Air pollution haze is a common feature of many countries with rapid industrial growth in the Asia-Pacific region. There are however, two areas in which a definite need exists for specific environmental research as regards air pollution within the region area-specific activities and understanding/modeling of tropical atmospheric chemistry

46 The first of these relates to industries and occurrences that are specific to tropical areas and for which little research has therefore been carried out in western countries. Industries such as the milling of sugar and oil palm are of course examples of this. In both cases, the solid residue from the milling operation finds use as a fuel. A more pertinent question for the sugar industry is the de-trashing of cane by firing or burning. This practice was formerly a problem in countries such as Australia, where the cost of labour precluded the manual removal of this material. The advent of green cane harvesting in Australia has largely overcome this problem (Schembri and Carson, 1997). Almost concomitantly however, countries such as Indonesia have experienced difficulties in obtaining manual labour and are now resorting to cane burning. The burning of these kinds of wastes is simply one example of a far wider problem, namely that of biomass burning. Apart from the agricultural examples listed above, one must include the occurrence of forest fires, many of which are deliberately lit throughout certain parts of South-East Asia every year. The particular problems associated with the 1997 haze in Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore for example, was a consequence of indiscriminate biomass burning to clear areas of Indonesia for settlement. The occurrence exposed inadequacies not only in the environmental legislation of the country responsible for the haze, but also severe knowledge gaps as regards the public health effects of the haze. Although some studies have considered gross indices of air pollution, such as PM 10, it is most likely that the real problems will be associated with more specific indices of air pollution such as volatile organic carbon compounds. Several studies of the Asian Forest Fire problem (particularly those associated with the 1997 episode) have provided evidence of shortterm public health effects that were probably associated with the haze. These studies generally lack a suitable cohort, but a causal relationship probably exists. Given the wide Number of Subjects experiencing symptoms Respiratory Problems Eye Irritation Headache Fatigue Shortness of Breath (Mild Exercise) Shortness of Breath (Vigorous Exercise) Mild Moderate Severe Chest discomfort Nausea Palpitations Figure 16. Some Public Health Problems associated with the Indonesian Forest Fire Episode of 1997 (Data adapted from Kunii et. al, 2002) variety of organic compounds with known or possible public health effects that could potentially be present in the haze (either as free or particle-bound substances), a more important consequence is the longer-term effect of repeated exposure (cf. Lemieux et. al, 2004). Proper sampling and analysis of forest fire haze is the first step in acquiring the necessary exposure data and is yet another example of a situation in which Asian environmental chemists must take the lead Figure 15 The South-East Asian Forest Fire Haze 1997 A proper understanding of all pollution phenomena (mentioned above) within the region must translate into the evolution of suitable predictive models and risk assessments in respect of both environmental and public health. This type of initiative will of course require the acquisition of reliable data as a first step. An equally important activity is the participation of environmental chemists throughout the region in collaborative studies that involve risk assessors, modelers and public health professionals. Although such interactions are indeed taking place with increased

47 regularity in other parts of the world, there is scope for improvement. As a relative newcomer to this type of interactive investigation, the Asia-Pacific region has an excellent opportunity to begin on a strong collaborative basis. Moreover, through the processes described in this article, environmental chemists of the Asia-Pacific region have the opportunity to act as leaders, not only in their own field, but within the discipline of chemistry as a whole, to demonstrate what can be achieved by rigorous scientific investigation in this part of the world. References Aalbersberg B and Sauni LF. Marine toxins in the island Pacific. In: Regional Training Workshop on Marine Toxins (SME Wint ed.). London: Commonwealth Secretariat (2004): Ahmad R and Kookana RS. Extrapolation of pesticide sorption data between agroclimatic regions. In: Environmental Protection and Risk Assessment of rganic Compounds (RS Kookana, R Sadler, N Sethunathan and R Naidu eds.). Enfield: Science Publishers (2002): Alongi DM, Trott, LA, Wattayakorn G and Clough BF. Below-ground nitrogen cycling in relation to net canopy production in mangrove forests of southern Thailand. Marine Biology (2002);140: Australia and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA). Shellfish toxins in food. A toxicological review and risk assessment. Technical Report Series No. 14. Canberra: Australia and New Zealand Food Authority (2001). Cheeseman. Environmental impacts of sugar production. Surrey: CABI Bioscience (2004). De Jonge LW, Kjaergaard C and Moldrup P. Colloids and colloid facilitated transport of contaminants in soil: An introduction. Vadose Zone Journal (2004);3: Hunter HM, Sologinkin CJ, Choy SC, Hooper AR, Allen WS, Raymond MAA and Peeters J. Water management in the Johnstone Basin, Final Report, Natural Heritage Trust Project No Brisbane: Department of Natural Resources and Mines (2001). Kunii, Kanagawa S, Yajima I, Hisamatsu Y, Yamamura S, Amamqai T and Ismail TS. The 1997 haze disaster in Indonesia: Its air quality and health effects. Archives of Environmental Health (2002);57: Lemieux PM, Lutes CC and Santoianni DA. Emissions of organic air toxics from open burning: A comprehensive review. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science (2004);30:1-32. Lewis R and King G. Ciguatera (fish poisoning). In: Venomous and Poisonous Marine Animals: A Medical and Biological Handbook (JA Williamson, PJ Fenner and JW Burnett, eds). Sydney: University of New South Wales Press (1996): Chapter 15. Makowski A and Wardas W. Photocatalytic degradation of toxins secreted to water by cyanobacteria and unicellular algae and photocatalytic degradation of the cells of selected microorganisms. Current Topics in Biophysics(2001);25: Moikeha SN and Chu GW. Dermatitis-producing alga Lyngbya majuscula Gomont in Hawaii. II Biological properties of the toxic factor. Journal of Phycology (1971);7:8-13. Noller BN, Parker GK and Gao GH. Metal and solute transportation through a wetland at a lead zinc mine, Northern Territory, Australia. The European Journal of Mineral Processing and Environmental Protection (2003);3: Senogles P, Shaw G, Smith M, Norris R, Chiswell R, Mueller J, Sadler R, and Eaglesham G. Degradation of the cyanobacterial toxin, cylindrospermopsin, from Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, by chlorination. Toxicon (2000);38: Shembri M and Carson CA. The challenge of harvesting green cane. International Cane Energy News, July 1997:1-2. Wint SME (ed.).regional Training Workshop on Marine Toxins (London: Commonwealth Secretariat (2004)

48 Conference Report Report of the 7 th Asian Conference on Ananlytical Sciences (Asianalysis VII) held on July 28-31, 2004 in Hong Kong Baptist University W. H. Chan, Chair of the Local rganizing Committee, Asiananlysis VII, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University In accordance with the decision of the International Advisory Committee of Asianalysis VII held in Japan, Hong Kong Baptist University was honored to be selected as the host of the 2003 Asianalysis conference. Previous conferences were held in Tokyo, Japan (1991), Changchun, PRC (1993), Seoul, Korea (1995), Fukuoka, Japan (1997), Xiamen, PRC (1999) and Tokyo, Japan (2001). The organization of the conference encountered some difficulties because of the outbreak of SARS. During the summer of 2003, the Local rganizing Committee members of Asianalysis VII made a decision to postpone the conference for one year to July 28-31, The Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS) is one of the sponsoring organizations for the event. Pre-Conference Workshop With the objective of expanding the scope of the scientific events to serve local and overseas practicing analytical scientists, a one-day pre-conference workshop addressed on important issues on Quality Management of Laboratories was organized. We are grateful to have three senior members of CITAC (Co-peration on International Traceability in Analytical Chemistry) and three HKSAR government scientific officers to deliver lectures. The workshop was well attended with over sixty participants. Speakers shared their experiences on pertinent issues and provided practical examples relating to accreditation, traceability, and comparability. Participants were able to gain knowledge and insight into the key elements that allow for accurate and reliable analytical measurements to be obtained that meet international requirements

49 pen remark by Prof. C. F. Ng, President of Hong Kong Baptist Univ. Lectures of the Pre-conference workshop Scientific Program Asianalysis VII conference has attracted close to 500 participants from 26 different countries or regions within Asia, Europe and North America. This high level of participation was in large part due to the quality of the scientific programme, which consisted of plenary lectures, mini-symposia as well as general topics in diverse areas of analytical sciences. The three mini-symposia covered current hot topics in analytical sciences of special interest to participants: 1) Chemical Analysis of Herbal Medicines; 2) Environmental and Field Analysis; and 3) Ultrasensitive and Ultrasmall Volume Analysis. A major attraction of this conference was the plenary lectures given by four prominent, world-class scientists. In these four plenary lectures, a common theme can be found which links research and development in analytical chemistry to life sciences. Clearly, research which deals with subjects such as genomics, proteomics, and nano-bioscience, are hot topics in the 21st century and, our four plenary speakers, have enlightened us on the significance and power of mixing frontier analytical chemistry with biological sciences. To add attraction to the Conference, a number of renowned scholars from the region delivered keynote speeches. Notably, the retired President of Tokyo Metropolitan University and the Chair of Asianalysis VI, Professor Toshiyuki Hobo and four Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professors Hong-Yuan Chen, Erkang Wang, Ruqi Yu and Yukui Zhang delivered keynote lectures in their research fields. In addition, editors/associate editors of many prestigious international journals Professor. Paul Haddad (associate editor of Anal. Chim. Acta), Professor Shigeru Terabe (associate editor of J. Chromatogr. A), Professor Kiyokatsu Jinno (Chief Editor

50 of Anal. Bio. Chem.) and Professor Hitoshi Watarai (Editor of Anal. Sci.) came to join the event and delivered scientific talks. Fellowships for Young Scholar Special sessions for oral presentations by postgraduate students were organized. n the basis of academic merit, the organizing committee offered a total of forty fellowships to selected postgraduate students of nine nationalities. Full fellowship covered registration fee, 4 days of accommodation expenses and a travel allowance of HK$1,000. Sixteen young scholars received the full fellowship and the others were awarded partial fellowship support. Poster Award delivered by Prof. Jinno Poster Presentation- a snapshot Poster Awards for Young Scientists We are grateful for sponsorship by Springer (publisher of Anal. Bio. Chem.), by Analytical Science and by the Chinese Journal of Chromatography, which enable us to establish seven Poster Awards to be offered to seven poster presenters of high qualities. The judging panel, comprising Professors K. Jinno, H. Wataria, Yu-kui Zhang and Dr. Terry S. M. Wan who deliberated before making the award, concurred the scientific contents of many poster presentations are indeed very high. A list of the seven award winners: 1. Maria Rowena N. Monto, University of Hyogo, Japan 2. S.L. Lui, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China 3. Takehiro Deino, Tohoku University, Japan 4. Emmie N.M. Ho, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hong Kong, China 5. Lijun Yu, National University of Singapore, Singapore 6. Jiehua Lin, Nanjing University, China 7. Min Wang, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China

51 Group photo of the participants Mini-symposium in Chemical Education and LCI-MC Mini-symposium in Chemical Education and Low-cost Instrumentation and Microscale Chemistry n an initiative of the Chair of the LC of Asianalysis VII, Professor W. H. Chan who has also served as the Director of the Subgroup Low-cost Instrumentation and Microscale Chemistry (LCI-MC) under the auspices of the FACS, a mini-symposium was organized. Dr. Barry Noller, the Past Chairman of the FACS, and Prof. J. N. P. Fernando, the Director of the Asian Chemical Education Network of the FACS were invited to give keynote speech in the meeting. In addition, the organizer also sponsored selected participants nominated from some Asian Chemical Societies to attend the symposium as well as the Meeting. Epilogue In the International Advisory Committee meeting held during the event, it was decided that the hosts of the next two Asian Conferences on Analytical Sciences (i.e. Asianalysis VIII and IX), to be held in 2007 and 2009, respectively, should be Korea and Wuhan University, China. For more details about the conference, please visit our website -

52 Conference Report Silver Jubilee Commemorative Conference on Chemical Education for National Development in Sri Lanka The Institute of Chemistry Ceylon commemorated the Silver Jubilee of the commencement of its much popular and internationally recognized Graduateship Programme in Chemistry by holding a conference on Chemical Education for National Development on April 29 & 30 at Hotel Trans Asia in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Through its educational arm The College of Chemical Sciences- the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon had been able over the past 25 years to pass out as many as 365 graduate Chemists to serve Sri Lanka s National Development needs. The Graduateship Programme produces Graduate Chemists after four years of study of a standard equivalent to that of a special Honors Degree of a recognized university. They are able to directly obtain Associate Membership of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK and Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Present during this conference were all the Executive Committee members of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies, whose President, Prof.H.S.Thoang was one of the Guests of Honour at the Conference Inauguration on April 29 th. This was made possible by the holding for the first time in Sri Lanka of the Executive Committee Meeting of FACS on the previous day, April 28 th. The other Guest of Honour was Dr. Michael Gagan, President of the Educational Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK which had provided much assistance to the Graduateship Programme by co-coordinating the external moderation of question papers and answer scripts in the UK. Also present at the Ex-Co meeting and the conference was Associate Prof. Charles L Fogliani who had coordinated the holding of the Australian National Chemistry Quiz Competition in Sri Lanka from Hon. Karu Jayasuriya, MP inaugurated the conference and delivered the Inaugural Address. The Silver Jubilee ration on An utstanding Non-Conventional contribution towards the Production of Quality Graduate Chemists in Sri Lanka was delivered by the Dean of the College of Chemical Sciences, Prof. J.N..Fernando who is also the current Director of the Asian Chemical Education Network of Sri Lanka. Dedicated service Silver Medal Award were also presented to Prof. J.N..Fernando, Prof H.D.Gunawardhana and Prof. E.R.Jansz for providing 25 years of continuous service to the successful conduct of the Graduateship Programme. Well over 50 papers were presented at the conference and this included papers by almost all the FACS Ex-Co Members present. The 33 Graduate Chemists who passed out during the Silver Jubilee year were presented Graduate Chemist Medals and Certificates after they were ushered in to the Inaugural Sessions in a very colorful procession that included traditional Dancers and Drummers

53 The importance of Chemistry Industry Interaction as an integral component of the Graduateship Programme was emphasized by the presentation of several lead papers by a number of leading industries, a number of leading Chief Executive fficers of Sri Lanka industrial firms participated in an interactive Panel Discussion on How Industry can upgrade the Quality of the Graduateship Programme

54 Federation of Asian Chemical Societies Minutes of 44 th Executive Council Meeting Iris Room, Daewoo Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam , 22 nd ctober 2003 Present Prof. Ho Sy Thoang (Vietnam), President Prof. Jung Hun Suh (Korea), President Elect Prof. Barry Noller (Australia), Past-President Prof. Huynh Van Trung (Vietnam), Secretary-General Dr. San Thang (Australia), Coordinator of Publications Prof. Masato Ito (Japan), Coordinator of Projects Datuk Dr. Ting-Kueh Soon (Malaysia), Treasurer 44 th EXC Minutes Prof. Xiao-Xia Li (China), Director of ChIN Dr. Yoshimasa Takahashi (Japan), Co-director of ChIN Dr. Pieter Scheelings (Australia), Director of APFAN Dr. Neil Galbraith (Australia), bserver Dr. David Winkler (Australia), Project Director Medicinal Chemistry Prof. Masaaki Tabata (Japan), Co-director of ANAIC Prof. Kazuko Masumoto (Japan), bserver Prof. Ho Chee Cheong (President IKM Malaysia), bserver Prof. J N.. Fernando (Sri Lanka), Director of ACEN Prof. S.K. Talapatra (President, Indian Chemical Society), bserver Prof. M. Mosihuzzaman (President, Bangladesh Chemical Society) Director, Sub-Project ANRAP Dr Zuriati Zakaria (Malaysia), Co-Director ACEN Professor Win Hong Chan (Hong Kong) Dr Ross Sadler (Australia) Coordinator, ANEC Dr. Franz Wimmer (Brunei), bserver Prof. Chu Pham Ngoc Son (Vice President, Chemical Society of Vietnam) Prof. Kyung Byung Yoon Korea), Secretary-General 11ACC Agenda 1 pening Remarks 2 Apologies 3 Approval of 43 rd EXC Meeting 4 Matters Arising from 43 rd EXC Meeting 5 Confirmation of New EXC members 6 Message from President

55 7 Message from Past President 8 Report by Past Secretary General 9 Report by Secretary General 10 Report by Treasurer 11 Report by Chairman of Publications 12 Report by Coordinator of Projects 13 Report on 12GA; Matters Arising from 12 GA 14 11ACC & 13 GA 15 The Bidding host of 12 ACC & 14 GA 16 FACS perations Manual 17 Future EXC Meetings 18 ther Business Minutes 1. pening Remarks Prof. B. Noller accomplished his mission as FACS President and thanked the retiring EXC members for their service: Secretary-General, Dr. San Thang and Coordinator of Publication, Prof. T.J. Chow. Prof. Noller declared the 44 th EXC Meeting officially opened at on ctober 22 nd 2003 at the IRIS Room of Daewoo Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam. Prof. Thoang, the incoming President of FACS made his speech by extending his warm wishes to delegates attending the Meeting and then asked Prof. B. Noller to chair the first part of Agenda. 2. Apologies Dr. Johnsee Lee, retiring Past-President and Prof. Chow retiring Publications Chairman could not attend this Meeting caused by their work commitments. 3. Approval of 43 rd EXC Meeting The minutes of 43 rd EXC Meeting held at Melbourne Business School on May 24 th 2003 was approved as presented 4. Matters Arising from 43 rd EXC Meeting Item 7. A statement on SARS Virus was placed on the FACS web page. The decision was made to proceed with the holding of 12GA/10ACC. This information was relayed to member societies by the Secretary General. Item 8. The KCS prepared the 1 st Circular of 11AC and made this available at 10ACC in Hanoi. Item 10. The Treasurer advised that the Russian Chemical Society had been downgraded to bserver status. Item 13. The Secretary-General advised the 2003 awardees of their arrangements for attendances at 10ACC. Item 14. FACS would continue to try to make contact with North Korea, Cambodia and Laos, using the assistance of the UNESC Jakarta ffice. Item 15. The accepted changes to the FACS Statutes and Award rules will be incorporated in the FACS perations Manual

56 Item 16. A proposal to create an FACS Foundation is being created. Item 17. Future EXC meetings now set in place are 44 th EXC Colombo April 2004 and 45 th EXC Bangkok ctober Confirmation of New EXC members Based upon the decision made by 12 th General Assembly on ctober 20, 2003 Prof. Ho Sy Thoang recorded the following as New FACS Executive Committee members : Prof. Ho Sy Thoang, President Prof. Barry Noller, Past-President Prof. Jung Hun Suh, President Elect Prof. Huynh Van Trung, Secretary-General Datuk Dr. Ting Kueh Soon, Treasurer Prof. Masato Ito, Coordinator of Projects Dr. San H. Thang, Coordinator of Publications 6. Message from President Prof. Ho Sy Thoang expressed his happiness with new position of President. He said that it is a high privilege and the first time Vietnam organized so big international meeting. The position of FACS President is too high while we have not so much experiences. He hopes that all EXC members and representatives of the Asian Chemical Societies including also the Chemical Society of Vietnam will help us in conducting our activities. He believed to receive the collaboration from Past President, Past Secretary-General, Past-past President Johnsee Lee, Prof. Hitoshi htaki. Prof. Thoang also introduced the presence of new President-Elect, Prof Jung Hun Suh from Korea and Prof. Chu Pham Ngoc Son, Vice President of CSV. 7. Message from Past President The retiring President Professor Noller thanked Professor Ho Sy Thoang and the CSV committee for their hard work in organizing 10ACC and the 12 th GA of the FACS. Professor Noller gave his untiring support to the incoming EXC and reinforced his long-term link with the CSV. Professor Noller gave an undertaking to advance the FACS perations Manual to include the changes adopted at the 12 th GA and to begin development of an FACS Foundation. Professor Noller undertook to compile a history of the FACS to cover the period 1991-present in time for the 25 th Anniversary of the FACS in ctober Report by Past Secretary-General The retiring Secretary-General, Dr San Thang reported that the minutes for the 39 th, 40 th, 41 st, 42 nd and 43 rd EXC had been prepared and circulated together with the minutes from the 11 th GA at Brisbane. The lists of member societies had been updated and were current. Requests were forwarded to member societies for nominations to the FACS awards The nominations for awards were collated and distributed to the FACS awards sub-committee of FACS. The selected

57 awardees were endorsed by the EXC and subsequently advised to make arrangements to attend 10ACC in Hanoi. Statements for each awardees plaque were produced and embedded. 9. Report by Secretary General Prof. Huynh Van Trung expressed his desire to effectively run the new position. He said that with the high position will be concerned together with hard works and many difficulties.but he believed that with strong support from all EXC-members and other members, especially from Past President, Past Secretary-General and with his trying, the difficulties will be overcome and the mission will be accomplished. 10. Report by Treasurer Dr. Soon reported on his hard job he succeeded from former treasurer, and then he gave some details of the expenses during 2003 for all projects with the attached report on finance. He also mentioned about the protection of the budget of FACS and would find out the way to get the better solution for manage the treasure. He promised to try to arrange the best budget for the supporting the FACS activities. 11. Report by Chairman of Publication Dr. San Thang expressed his appreciation to Prof. Chow, who is the past chairman of publication for his excellent job to keep the FACS Newsletters in high quality. During the period of Prof. Chow as the publications chairman, the financial problem has also been overcome for FACS and managed to obtain external sources of income from advertisement, from the Australia Journal of Chemistry, etc...he promised to try and get more support within his publication portfolio and maintain a high quality of FACS Journal. 12. Report by Coordinator of Projects Prof. Masato Ito presented the Summary of Projects Seed Fund Status for and Recommendation of Projects for cycle at the 12GA and repeated at this EXC Meeting as following: Asian Network for Analytical and Inorganic Chemistry (ANAIC) Funding in 2002: To support key persons attending 10-ACC Funding in 2003: Carried over for the activities in 2004 Asian Chemical Information Network (ChIN) Fund in : Supporting the participant in the Symposium on March 2002 and to key persons attending10acc Asian Network for Environmental Chemistry (ANEC) Fund in 2002: Supporting a scientist attending the Workshop on diarrhetic shellfish poisons funded by the Commonwealth Science Council to support the key persons attending 10ACC Fund in 2003: nothing requested Asian Network for Green Chemistry (ANGC) Fund in

58 To support the participants in Symposium of 10-ACC Asian Pacific Network for Food Analysis (APFAN) Fund in 2002: to assist with APFAN commitments with 10-ACC Fund in 2003: For APFAN Workshop Asian Chemical Education Network (ACEN) Fund in : Supporting the participants in Symposium of March 2002 (carried over from 2001), in the Regional Seminar on 22 June, 2002(Colombo, Sri Lanka) and to support participants in 10-ACC Symposium Sub Project: Low Cost Instrumentation/Microscale Chemistry (LCI/MC) Fund in 2002: Regional Workshop in December 2002 Fund in 2003: Nothing requested Sub Project: Low Cost Publication (LCP) Activities in 2003: Distribution of copies of low Cost Publication to suitable participants attending Workshop in Sweden and Denmark Fund in : For activities in Medical Chemistry (MC) Fund in : To support the participants in Symposium of 10-ACC Sub Project: Asian Network for Research on Anti-diabetic Plants (ANRAP) Fund in 2002: for Regional Seminar on 17 ctober 2003 Fund in 2003: Carried over for international Seminar in January 2004 For cycle , Prof. Masato Ito submitted the following Projects at this Meeting and requested to be adopted: 1. Asian Chemical Information Network (ChIN) (Continue) Director: Xiaoxia Li (China) Co-Director: Yoshimasa Takahashi (Japan) 2. Medical Chemistry and Natural Products (MCNP) (Continue with name change). Director: Prof. David Winkler (Australia) Co-Director: Prof. Le thi Anh Dao (Vietnam) (not finalised) 3. Asian Chemical Education Network ACEN) (Continue) Director: Prof. JN. leap Fernando (Sri Lanka) Co-Director: Dr Zuriati Zakaria (Malaysia) Supporting staffs: Prof. Nguen duc Chuy (Vietnam) and Dr.Yoichi Yamada (Japan) 4. Asian Analytical Chemistry Network (AACN)(Renewal of ANAIC) Director: Prof. Masaaki Tabata (Japan) Co-Director: Prof. Hasuck Kim (Korea)

59 5. Sub-Project Low Cost Instrumentation /Microscale Chemistry (LCI-MSC) (continue with nickname change) Director: Prof. Win Hong Chan ( Hong Kong) 6. Sub-Projects Low Cost Publication (LCP) (Continue) Director: Prof. Krishna Sane (India) 7. Sub Project Professional Ethics in support of Chemical Disarmament (New proposal) Director: Prof. John Webb (Austalia) 8. Asian Network for Environmental Chemistry (ANEC) (Continue) Director: Dr. Ross Sadler (Australia) Co-Director: Dr. Jae h (Korea) (not finalized) 9. Asian Pacific Food Analysis Network (APFAN) (Continue) Director: Dr Pieter Scheelings (Australia) Co-Director: Dr. Julia Kantasubrata (Indonesia) 10. Sub Project Asian Network for Research on anti-diabetic Plants (ANRAP)(Continue) Director: Prof. M. Mosihuzzaman (Bangladesh) 11. Green Chemistry (GC) (Restructured) Director and Co-Director: to be nominated 12. Sub Project Bioinorganic Chemistry (New Proposal) Director Prof. Sue Berners Price (Australia) Discussion and conclusion There was a suggestion that all current projects needed approval by the EXC. There was also some discussion regarding names and Directors and Co-Directors of Projects. Finally EXC adopted ten projects and sub projects numbered from 1 to 10 with condition Prof. Mosihuzzaman will submit early. The other ones will be considered and adopted late at next EXC Meeting 13. Report on 12 GA & Matters Arising from 12 GA (See Attachment 2) ACC &13 GA The 11-ACC and 13GA will be held at Seoul, Korea from 22 to 24 August The first Circular has been issued and distributed during 10-ACC & Eurasia 8 at Hanoi, Vietnam. The Web Site of 11-ACC: The Bidding host of 12-ACC & 14 GA Hosting 12-ACC in 2007 is open for discussion. The Chemical Societies of China, Bangladesh and Malaysia expressed their enthusiasm for hosting 12ACC. The bidding was carried out by closed ballot at 12 GA. Malaysia (IKM) was winner with 7 votes under

60 16. FACS peration Manual Professor Noller gave an undertaking to update the perations manual and circulate it. 17. Future EXC Meeting 45 th EXC Meeting will be held at Colombo, Sri Lanka on 28 April th EXC Meeting will be held at Bangkok, Thailand on August, th EXC Meeting suggested to be held at Shanghai, China 48 th EXC Meeting will be held at Seoul 18. ther Business The FACS Award Lecture at 10-ACC by Prof. Tom H Spurling was very useful for developing countries, so that the Meeting requested to print the full paper of lecture in next FACS Newsletter. A special vote of thanks was proposed to the retiring Past-President Dr Johnsee Lee, retiring Coordinator of Publications, Professor T.J. Chow and retiring Director of ANAIC, Professor John Webb. Photo taken at the 44 th EXC Meeting, Iris Room, Daewoo Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam, ct 22 nd

61 45 th EXC Minutes FEDERATIN F ASIAN CHEMICAL SCIETIES Minutes of 45 th Executive Council Meeting April 28 th 2004, Colombo, Sri Lanka Present EXC Members Prof. Ho Sy Thoang (Vietnam), President Prof. Barry Noller (Australia), Past-President Prof. Jung Hun Suh (Korea), President-Elect Prof. Huynh Van Trung (Vietnam), Secretary-General Prof. Masato Ito (Japan), Coordinator of Projects Dr. San H. Thang (Australia), Chairman of Publications Datuk Dr. Ting-Kueh Soon (Malaysia), Treasurer bservers Prof. JN leap Fernando, Director ANCE and Dean, Chemical Faculty, Ceylon College (Sri Lanka) Prof. Charles Fogliani, Charles Sturt University (Australia) Prof. Kyung Byung Yoon (Korea), Secretary General, 11-ACC Dr. Ranil D.Guneratne, Chemical Faculty, Ceylon College (Sri Lanka) Proposed Agenda 1. pening Remarks 2. Apologies 3. Approval of 44-EXC Meeting Minutes 4. Matters arising from 44-EXC Meeting 5. Report of President 6. Report of Past President on 12-GA 7. Report of President-Elect 8. Report on the preparation of 11-ACC & 13-GA 9. Report on 10-ACC 10. Report of Secretary General 11. Report of the preparation for 12-ACC & 14-GA 12. FACS Web Site 13. Report of Publication Chairman 14. Report by Coordinator of Projects 15. Report by Treasurer 16. Review on the preparation of 25 th Anniversary of FACS 17. Consideration of Candidates for FACS new members 18. ther business

62 Minutes 1. pening Remarks Prof. Ho Sy Thoang, FACS President, expressed his warm welcome to EXC-members as well as welcome and thanks to the host representatives, Prof. J.N.. Fernando, Dr. R.D. Guneratne of Sri Lanka and declared that the 45 th EXC meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, officially opened at on 29 April Apologies 3. Approval of 44-EXC Meeting Minutes Prof. Huynh Van Trung, Secretary General of FACS, presented the draft of the Minutes of 44-EXC Meeting, that was held at Iris Room, Daewoo Hotel, Hanoi Vietnam, 22 ctober The draft was approved and accepted. 4. Matters, arising from 44-EXC Meeting Matters arising from 12 GA were as follows: (i) FACS Foundation Committee Have secured the RACI Foundation document as a model from Dr Galbraith; (ii) Need update of details of member societies; (iii) perations Manual Update will be completed by next EXC meeting; (iv) History of FACS is being compiled and completed by August. (v) FACS is one of the auspices for the Seventh Conference on Analytical Sciences held in Hong Kong from July 28 to 31, Prof. Win Hong Chan, Sub-Project Director of LCI-MSC was Chairman of Conference and many FACS fellows participated and presented papers in scientific sessions. 5. Report of President Prof. Ho Sy Thoang reported that the 10 th ACC and 8 th Eurasia CCS caused a big resonance in chemical cycle of Vietnam. This was a good opportunity for Vietnamese chemists to communicate directly with oversea colleagues. Indeed the quality of presented papers on the conferences was of high level and personal contacts with chemists from many countries and territories were very useful for Vietnamese chemists. After conferences several scientific visits by foreign guests to universities and research centers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were organized and they have been shown to be very fruitful. During the conference time the National rganizing Committee and Chemical Society of Vietnam has organized a lunch-meeting for Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem with all three Nobel Laureates Lecturers. The meeting was very impressive; all the guests promised to react positively on similar requests of CSV in future and would be happy to visit Vietnam again anytime. The NC of 10 th ACC and 8 th Eurasia CCS tried very much to invite representatives of chemical sciences from North Korea, Laos and Cambodia to attend the Conferences, but not successfully. It was impossible to contact with North Korean chemists; in case of Laos and Cambodia it seems, that there is no existing such bodies likes associations of chemists in these countries. fficial inviting letters from the NC were sent to Embassies of Laos and Cambodia in Hanoi (after their request on phone talk), but reply was not received

63 A representative from Chemical Society of Ukraine, attending 10ACC and 8 Eurasia CCS expressed the desire of this Society to join the FACS (maybe because of successful activities of FACS), but according to the status of the FACS this proposal can not be accepted. They could attend as an bserver. Concerning the Silver Jubilee of FACS Prof. Thoang said, that before coming to Colombo Prof. Noller, Prof. Trung and himself had a meeting in Bangkok with Prof. Theerawat Mongkolaussavarat, President of Chemical Society of Thailand, and two his associates Prof. Ittipol Jangchud (Vice-President) and Dr Punnama Siriphannon (Secretary General of CST) to discuss the matter. It has been agreed, that the 46th EXC meeting will be held in Bangkok ctober 17 and the Celebration Meeting of FACS Anniversary will follow on the next day. As usually, Chemical Society of Thailand will provide accommodation only for EXC members, for other invited guests it will be upon to the consideration of Chemical Society of Thailand. During the scheduled time there will be in Bangkok a big meeting of the Union of Scientists and Technologists (the name of this organization may not be exact) of Thailand and our Thai Colleagues want to conjunct in some way the two events. Concurrently the FACS Celebration meeting will be held at a meeting of this Union and the Thai audience will be mainly the participants of the meeting. The celebration meeting should be not very long; Chemical Society of Thailand will deliver a report on the development of chemistry in Thailand. We will keep contact with Prof. Theerawat and his colleagues to clarify further details of the EXC meeting and the Celebration. 6. Report of Past President on 12-GA Matters arising from the 12 GA were advised under Report of President-Elect on the preparation of 11-ACC & 13-GA Professor Suh reported on the 100th anniversary of Korea University coinciding with 11AC and 13 GA. The dates will be August 2005 for 11AC, shifted because of the IUPAC meeting in Beijing (now finishing 23 August 2005) and 13GA now on 23 August Nobel Laureates have accepted to attend, Professors Noyori, Yuan T Lee, Alan Heeger and Michael Gratzel. The plenary lectures will be delivered by 5 guests: one from Japan, one from USA, and one from Europe beside of others from Taiwan and Korea. Professor Suh advised that KCS is planning to give everyone a cash contribution. KCS will list the hotels to choose from. The 11-ACC will be held in Korea University, and the inexpensive accommodation will be provided in the dormitory of this university with the price of about 10 USD per night for the required participants. The fee schedule proposed for 11AC was endorsed. 8. Report on 10-ACC Professor Trung reported that the 10-ACC was held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 21 to 24 ct in conjunction with 8 th -Eurasia Conference on Chemical Sciences. In addition to the two above conferences, the 4 th National Chemical Congress was also held one day earlier by Chemical Society of Vietnam (CSV) with the participation of about 450 chemists. Main part of participants of 4 th NCC remained at the next both of the international meetings. Total number of participants in both the International Conferences were 800 delegates (440 Vietnamese, 257 foreigners from 32 countries and territories), of which more than one half registered in attending the 10-ACC (455 delegates, including 105 foreigners)

64 The 10-ACC consisted of 6 Sessions (Analytical Chemistry, Medical Chemistry and Natural Products, Food Chemistry, rganic Chemistry, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, and Polymer), and 7 Symposia (Environmental Chemistry, Chemical Education, Green Chemistry, Chemometrics and Cheminformatics, Exploitation of Environmental Chemistry via Low-Cost Instrumentation and Micro-scale Chemistry, Medical Chemistry and Natural Products) with 114 oral presentations, 101 papers in the poster Sessions and 11 Plenary Lectures in conjunction with 8-Eurasia Conference, in which 3 Nobelaurate lectures (Asymmetric Catalysis:Science and pportunities,prof. R.Noyori; Molecular Beam Studies of Chemical reaction Dynamics, Prof.Y.Tse Lee; Supramolecular Chemistry-From Molecular Recognition toward Self-rganization, Prof.Jean-Marie Lehn) and 4 award lectures (Phosphorescent Metalorganic Compounds. From Electron Transfer Reaction in Biological Systems to New Molecular Materials for organic ptoelectronics, Prof.Chi-Minh Che; The role of public Sector Research in the Economic Development of Nations, Prof. T.H.Spurling; Bringing Chemistry to the Community-the Australian Experience, Prof.C.Fogliani; Controlled Bringing of metal Ions by Heterocycles: the Consequences, Prof.S.Brooker) were delivered. All 10-ACC Sessions, Symposia and Poster Session were organized pararelly with those of 8 th Eurasia Conference in the same venue (Daewoo Hotel). The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Science and Technology were present in the opening ceremony and gave the welcome speeches. More than 100 invited guests, including the officials and the leaders of scientific institutions, and several representatives of mass-media, attended the opening ceremony and the first day of the conferences. Along with the two conferences the CSV was responsible for arranging and supporting three other meetings: GA-12 and EXC-44 of the FACS, and the meeting of IAB of Eurasia CCS. In general all events had been run successfully. The conference rooms were relevant, equipment had been well provided, and conference materials such as book of abstract, the conference program were printed and delivered on time. The foreign guests and main part of participants stayed at Daewoo Hotel, where the conferences were going; a few participants stayed at the nearest hotels, but they were provided the transport to the meeting halls. Everyday high quality lunch was served to all participants. The contents of the majority of presented papers, especially the lectures by the Nobel Laureates and other plenary lectures, were of high scientific level, updated for all branches of the sciences concerned at the conferences. Many fruitful and interesting meetings and discussions had been conducted during and after the conferences; a lot of relationships and cooperation between Vietnamese and foreign scientists had been established. Almost all scheduled lectures were presented (except only for the plenary lecture of Prof. M. Fujita from Japan, due to missing the flight); Before ctober 2003 we had been facing with many difficulties such as SARS disease, probable conflict between 10-ACC and 8 th -Eurasia in scientific program and the lack of experiences of the organizing committee to organize big international conferences. In addition, English language also was a serious problem for the majority of Vietnamese scientists in the international communications. We could say that the 10-ACC was very good and successfully held. It was one of the biggest events of Asian chemical life and considerably contributed to the development of chemistry in Vietnam. The young generation of Vietnamese highly motivated by this splendid event (e.g. Prof. Noyori wrote in the letter to us after finishing the conferences)

65 The organization was carried out very well in the scientific program, in preparing the accommodation for the majority of participants and in other works and activities such as the entry visa, welcome and closing banquet, tourism, etc. We avoided the program conflict between 10-ACC and 8 th -Eurasia Conference. Many European scientists recognized this matter, though they did not believe that during the process of the conference preparation. However, due to lack of experiences, some confusion occurred in the registration and in receiving of abstracts as well as in providing visa for oversea participants. Also the inexperienced staffs of the national organizing committee did not know well about the manner of money transfer through international and domestic banks and some transmission was charged by double fees that caused the troubles to senders and a few losses for the hosting side. Not much of papers presented by foreign participants have been received in full text and some difficulties arose in the preparation for printing the conferences proceedings, which should be very interesting and useful for Vietnamese colleagues. Nevertheless, the successful organization of the 10-ACC had been effectively contributed by the International rganizing Committee, the National rganizing Committee, and the International Advisory Board. National rganizing Committee Chairman: Prof. Ho Sy Thoang Vice-chairman: Acad. Le Quoc Khanh Members: Prof. Chu Pham Ngoc Son Prof. Hoang Trong Yem Prof. Ngo Thi Thuan Prof. Quach Dang Trieu Prof. Pham Quang Du Prof. Huynh Van Trung (Secretary General) Prof. Chu Dinh Kinh International Advisory Board (IAB) Chairman: Prof. Barry N. Noller (Australia) Members: Prof. Hitoshi htaki (Japan) Prof. Johnsee Lee (Taiwan) Dr. San Thang (Australia) Dr. M. Singh (Malaysia) Prof. Ho Sy Thoang (Vietnam) Datuk Dr. Ting-Kueh Soon (Malaysia) Prof. Tahsin J. Chow (Taiwan) Prof. Masato Ito (Japan) 10. Report of Secretary General After finishing the conferences we had a meeting with the EXC of CSV to estimate the results of the conferences and to suggest the coordination between FACS and CSV. The draft of the minutes of 44-EXC Meeting in Hanoi was completed and had been distributed at the beginning of this meeting. The list of EXC members and contact address of the project direction was updating. Some new form sheet of FACS was printing

66 The Secretary-General needs connect to Prof. Xiaoxia Li (China) for updating the FACS website and to Dr. San Thang for Newsletter publication. In order to communicate with member societies, the correct address and contact person of each member society are required to establish. If any change in letter sheet, please notify the secretary general or correct directly and return to him. It is very important to keep the closer contact with IUPAC, that Prof. Sydnes is the president now. Hopefully, we will receive much support from IUPAC. 11. Report of the preparation for 12-ACC & 14-GA The Malaysian Chemical Society representative at this EXC, Datuk Dr. Ting-Kueh Soon presented the report of the preparation for 12-ACC and 14-GA as the following. The 12 th Asian Chemical Congress (12-ACC) and the 14 th General Assembly (14-GA) of FACS will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, some time in August Both functions will be hosted by the Institut Kimia Malaysia (IKM) IKM will be celebrating the 40 th Anniversary in 2007 and the 12-ACC will be a major event of the 40 th Anniversary Celebrations. A full technical program covering all major areas of chemistry will be presented at the 12-ACC. In conjunction with 12-ACC, a major exhibition on petrochemicals, oleo-chemicals and industrial chemicals will also be held. In 2007, Malaysia will also be celebrating the 50 Years of Independence. The Malaysian Government will be celebrating the Golden Jubilee in a big way and the 12-ACC will be one of these events. We promise you an excellent and exciting program while you are in Malaysia for the 12-ACC. 12. FACS Web Site There is a discussion on the some changes in website structure. All members presented in this meeting agreed that the website of FACS should be improved for more attractive to the readers and more information should be included. 13. Report of Publication Chairman Dr. San Thang reported on the delay of the issue in this year, Until the Celebration of 25 th anniversary, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand it is possible to publish only one issue of News Letter. The necessary expense for this issue would be about 1800 USD, in which FACS could supply about 1000USD, and 800 USD could be getting from Taiwan. 14. Report by Coordinator of Projects Prof. Masato M. Ito reported the following activities. 1. Project Seed Fund Status in Projects and Directors in Proposal of Green Chemistry Project 4. Proposals of Activities: ANEC and ACEN Project Seed Fund Status in 2003: * Asian Network for Analytical and Inorganic Chemistry (ANAIC) Carried over for the ANAC activities in * Asian Chemical Information Network (ChIN) Used to support key persons attending 10 ACC

67 * Asian Network for Environmental Chemistry (ANEC) Carried over for the activities in * Asian Network for Green Chemistry (ANGC) Used to support participants in 10 ACC symposium ($200). * Asian Pacific Network for Food Analysis (APFAN) For APFAN Workshop (Not yet reported) * Asian Chemical Education Network (ACEN) Used to support participants in 10 ACC symposium. * Sub Project: Low Cost Instrumentation/Microscale Chemistry (LCI/MC) (Nothing requested) * Sub-project Low-Cost Publication (LCP) Used for books to be distributed. * Medicinal Chemistry (MC) To support participants in 10 ACC symposium. * Sub Project: Asian Network for Research on Anti-diabetic Plants (ANRAP) Carried over for International Seminar in January Projects and Directors in * Asian Analytical Chemistry Network (AACN) Director: Prof. Masaaki Tabata (Japan): tabatam@cc.saga-u.ac.jp Director of International Student Center, Saga University 1 Honjo-machi, Saga, , Japan Phone & Fax: Co-Director: Prof. Hasuck Kim (Korea): hasuckim@snu.ac.kr School of Chemistry, Seoul National University Seoul , KREA Phone: Fax: * Asian Chemical Education Network (ACEN) Director: Prof. J. N. leap Fernando (Sri Lanka): jnfer@ou.ac.lk The pen University of Sri Lanka P Box 21, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka Co-Director: Prof. Zuriati Zakaria (Malaysia): zuriz@pkrisc.cc.ukm.my Faculty of Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia * Asian Chemical Information Network (ChIN) Director: Prof. Xiaoxia Li (China): xxia@lcc.icm.ac.cn Laboratory of Computer Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry Metallurgy, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing , China Fax: Co-Director: Prof. Yoshimasa Takahashi (Japan): taka@mis.tutkie.tut.ac.jp Dept. Knowledge-based Information Engineering Toyohashi University of Technology

68 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku-cho, Toyohashi 441, JAPAN Phone: (+81) Fax: (+81) * Asian Network for Environmental Chemistry (ANEC) Director: Dr. Ross Sadler (Australia): Ross_Sadler@health.qld.gov.au Queensland Health Scientific Services P.. Box 594, Archerfield, Queensland, Australia Co-Director: Dr. Jae h (Korea): jroh@kordi.re.kr c/o South Sea Institute, KRDI,391, Changmokmyun Koje-shi, Kyungnam, KREA * Asian Pasific Food Analysis Network (APFAN) Director: Dr. Pieter Scheelings (Australia): Pieter_Scheelings@health.qld.gov.au Food Products Section, Queensland Health Scientific Services P.. Box 594, Archerfield, Queensland 4108, Australia Tel: Fax: Co-Director: Dr. Julia Kantasubrata (Indonesia): juliakan@indo.net.id Research Centre for Chemistry LIPI Jalan Cisitu - Sangkuriang, Bandung 40135, Indonesia Phone: +62(22) , Fax: +62(22) * Green Chemistry (GC) Director: Prof. Chee-Cheong Ho (Malaysia): cchoho2001@yahoo.com Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology Amanjaya, Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia Phone: (+60) Fax: (+60) Co-Director: Prof. Takashi Tatsumi (Japan): ttatsumi@ ynu.ac.jp Division of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama , Japan Phone: * Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products (MCNP) Director: Prof. David Winkler (Australia): dave.winkler@csiro.au CSIR Divison of Molecular Science Private Bag 10, Clayton South, Victoria 3169, Australia Fax: Co-Director: Prof. Dr. Le Thi Anh Dao (Vietnam): sinhdoi@hn.vnn.vn Faculty of Chemistry, Hanoi Pedagogic University 136-Xuan Thuy Str., Cau Giay Distr., Hanoi, Vietnam

69 Phone: (+84) Fax: (+84) or * (Sub-Project) Asian Network for Research on Anti-diabetic Plants (ANRAP) Director: Prof. M. Mosihuzzaman (Bangladesh): zamanmm@bangla.net Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh * (Sub-Project) Low-Cost Instrumentation-Microscale Chemistry (LCI-MSC) Director: Prof. Win Hong Chan (Hong Kong): whchan@hkbu.edu.hk Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China Phone: Fax: * (Sub-Project) Low-Cost Publication (LCP) Director: Prof. Krishna Sane (India): Sitah@bol.net.in 2259, Second Floor, Hudson Line, Kingsway Camp, Delhi , India Fax: * (Sub-Project) Professional Ethics in support of Chemical Disarmament (PECD) Director: Prof. John Webb (Australia): johnwebb@central.murdoch.edu.au Division of Science and Engineering, Murdoch Universitry Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia Fax: Report by Treasurer Dr. T.K. Soon presented his report from January until December of 2003 in details of receives and expenses for all projects with the attached report of finance. He showed all necessary documents related to the payments and the bank statement during the year of He also paid the attention of spending money for new projects due to the limit of FACS budget. He informed the status of yearly subscription payment among all members. A matter of inconsistency with the statement from the RACI account needed to be resolved and discussed at the next EXC. 16. Review of the preparation for 25 th Anniversary of FACS Prof. Ho Sy Thoang asked the EXC meeting to accept the invitation of Chemical Society of Thailand to hold the 46 th EXC meeting in Bangkok ctober 17, 2004, followed by the Celebration of Silver Anniversary of FACS. So, the celebration will be held probably at the morning meeting of ctober 18. The main presentation from the EXC of FACS will be on the history and the development of FACS during the last 25 years from the moment of its foundation. We need to ask some past presidents of FACS to help in preparation of this presentation. Prof. Noller should be responsible for this issue and he himself will take participation in. We hope Prof. Spurling, Dr Singh would agree to help us. Besides of the main paper of on FACS, in Bangkok we had an agreement with Thai colleagues that they will invite

70 some outstanding scientists to deliver lectures on the meeting as well as Thai Society will present a review paper on chemical sciences in Thailand. ther speeches will be of congratulatory character and must be short. Further information on the preparation of the Silver Jubilee will be updated EXC members by letters. 17. Consideration of Candidates for FACS new members The new members will be contacted and negotiated by Prof. Noller. The other countries could send observer to the FACS meeting. 18. ther business Regarding to Societies that have not pay financial obligation the EXC meeting has decided, they are now moved to observers after 3 years (Himunan Kimia Indonesia, Iraqi Chemists Union, The Mendeleev Russian Chemical Society). Next Meeting The 46 th EXC would be held at Bangkok in ctober 2004 ahead of the 25 th Anniversary of FACS being organized by the Chemical Society of Thailand. Photo taken at the 45 th EXC Meeting, Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 28 th