Contact: Beverly Hassell or Michael Bernstein
202-872-4065 or 202-872-6042 in Washington
504-586-4650 in New Orleans, March 21 - 27, 2003
American Chemical Society

Highlights of American Chemical Society's national meeting in New Orleans

NOTE FOR REPORTERS: EACH PAPER EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL DATE AND TIME OF PRESENTATION, UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE. ALL TIMES LISTED BELOW ARE CENTRAL TIME.

NEW ORLEANS — A record number of presentations, more than 8,500, are expected for the 225^th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, in New Orleans, March 23-27. Research papers and posters will be presented at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Boulevard, and surrounding hotels. The pressroom will be located in Room 280 of the convention center.

Highlights include:

Rechargeable batteries that operate on alcohol
Getting rid of termites with catnip
New class of nonaddictive painkillers that could be better than morphine
More efficient fridges and A/Cs with no moving parts
Contact lenses that dispense medicine
Cranberry juice increases levels of "good" cholesterol
Evolution of plants from sea to land: fossil evidence

News releases and advisories are posted on an embargoed basis, at www.eurekalert.org under the "ACS 225th National Meeting" button. They also will be posted at www.chemistry.org/news after the embargoes are lifted.

Sunday, March 23

Homeland security — Advances in the development of sensors to detect chemical and biological warfare agents are among the topics that will be discussed during a one-day symposium entitled "Function-Based and Other Novel Approaches to Sensors for Homeland Defense." (ANYL 1-6, Sunday, March 9, 8:30 a.m.-11:40 a.m., Morial Convention Center, Room 384, and ANYL 13-18, 1:30 p.m.-4:40 p.m., Morial Convention Center, Room 383)

"Spice" fights deadly germs — Consumers concerned about foodborne germs, which can cause serious illness and death and are cited as a possible means of bioterrorism, may one day benefit from a new "spice" in development. The compound, derived from freeze-dried egg yolk, attacks common germs, including E. coli and Salmonella, to prevent them from causing infection. Made by researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada, the spice can be sprinkled or sprayed onto foods to supplement existing sanitation protocols. (AGFD 10, Sunday, March 23, 10:25 a.m. — Embargoed for 10:30 a.m. — Hampton Inn-Convention Center, Riverside II)

Contact lenses that dispense medicine — Eye diseases like glaucoma could one day be treated by pharmaceuticals delivered through contact lenses. Chemical engineers from the University of Florida say they've been able to make soft contact lenses containing tiny embedded particles that can slowly release prescription drugs directly where they're needed in the eyes. The development could reduce side effects that may result from using conventional eye medication. (COLL 41, Sunday, March 23, 4:00 p.m., Morial Convention Center, Room 288)

Monday, March 24

Immune-enhancing foods — A one-day symposium will explore immune-enhancing foods, including conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), omega-3 fatty acids, and novel egg products. (AGFD 7-11, Sunday, March 23, 8:30 a.m.-11:25 a.m., and AGFD 18-23, 1:30 p.m.- 4:55 p.m., Hampton Inn-Convention Center, Riverside II)

Veggie motor oil — Vegetable oil similar to the stuff you use to cook your food may one day fill your car's engine. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have developed a chemically modified version of the edible oil that shows promise as a cleaner, renewable alternative to petroleum-based motor oil, while enhancing its protective properties. Other possible uses include hydraulic fluids and lubricants. (AGRO 14, Monday, March 24, 10:30 a.m., Hampton Inn-Convention Center, Riverside I)

Food allergens — Allergies to peanuts, milk and soy are among the items that will be discussed during a three-day symposium that will explore various aspects of food allergens, including exposure, detection and regulation. (AGFD 36-40, Monday, March 24, 1:30 p.m.-4:50 p.m., Hampton Inn-Convention Center, Riverside III; AGFD 70-75, Tuesday, March 25, 9:00 a.m.-12:20 a.m., and AGFD 81-86, 1:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Hampton Inn-Convention Center, Riverside III; AGFD 93-96, Wednesday, March 26, 9:00 a.m.-11:50 a.m., Hampton Inn-Convention Center, Riverside III)

Cranberry juice fights heart disease — Three glasses of cranberry juice a day may keep heart disease at bay, according to researchers at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. In the first long-term study of the effect of cranberry juice on cholesterol levels in humans, researchers found that drinking this amount of cranberry juice increased levels of "good" cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. (AGFD 65, Monday, March 24, 8:00 p.m., Morial Convention Center, Hall G)

Tuesday, March 25

Advances in vaccine development and gene therapy — HIV, smallpox, anthrax and smoking are among the topics that will be discussed during a one-day symposium on advances in vaccine development, gene delivery and gene therapy. (BIOT 120-126, 8:00 a.m.-11:20 a.m., and BIOT 144-151, 2:00 p.m.-5:10 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, Morial Convention Center, Room 297)

Evolution of plants from sea to land: fossil evidence — Researchers have unearthed fossil evidence that reveals new clues about how plants made the evolutionary leap from the ocean to land. The fossil may represent one of the earliest plants to make lignin, a chemical that makes up the plant cell wall — considered a crucial structure in their ability to colonize land. (GEOC 106, Tuesday, March 25, 9:05 a.m. — Embargoed for 9:00 a.m. — Morial Convention Center, Room 387)

Catnip repels and kills termites — Researchers have found that oil from the catnip plant — beloved by cats — repels and kills termites, which cause millions of dollars in damages to homes in the United States each year. This oil could be developed into a commercial product that may provide a less toxic alternative to currently used pesticides, according to the researchers, who are with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Mississippi and Valencia Community College in Orlando, Fla. (AGRO 61, Tuesday, March 25, 3:05 p.m. — Embargoed for 3:00 p.m. — Hampton Inn-Convention Center, Riverside I)

Antismoking vaccine — If you're one of the millions of people who find it difficult to quit smoking, a new vaccine in development may make it easier. Researchers at Nabi Biopharmaceuticals in Rockville, Md., have developed a vaccine that produces antibodies to nicotine, the tobacco-chemical that causes addiction. The vaccine, which appears promising in early human trials, helps curb the urge to smoke. (BIOT 149, Tuesday, March 25, 4:05 p.m., Morial Convention Center, Room 297)

Wednesday, March 26

Diabetes: New approaches to treatment — A one-day symposium will feature new approaches in the treatment of diabetes (MEDI 186-190, Wednesday, March 26, 9:00 a.m.-11:55 a.m., Morial Convention Center, Room 353-355)

Sludge removal using magnets — Pollution-eating bacteria that are used to purify wastewater have the unfortunate side effect of producing excess sludge, which can be messy and expensive to remove. Now, researchers at Utsunomia University in Japan have developed an "attractive" new treatment method that uses special magnetic compounds to help reduce excess sludge. (IEC 229, Wednesday, March 26, 4:25 p.m. — Embargoed for 4:30 p.m. — Morial Convention Center, Room 394)