A publication of
The Illinois-Iowa Section of
The American Chemical Society
 

If you have items to be included in the next newsletter, submit the items by December 15 to the Secretary.
For the latest information about upcoming events, visit our website at http://membership.acs.org/I/ILIA/

Sponsor-a-Student: We are again looking for volunteers to sponsor a college student at the October meeting. Your part is to pay the meal cost of one student - or ask your employer to pay the cost - and spend the social and dinnertime visiting with the student that you are matched with. Whether you are currently employed, retired, or between jobs, you have much to offer to a student planning a science-based career. Additionally, after this brief mentoring experience you will likely find that you too have gained a lot. Please take part by signing up when you make your dinner reservation with Jerod Corbin.

ABSTRACT

Chemical Investigation of the Hallucinogenic Sage Salivia Divinorum
Presented by
Dr Thomas E. Prisinzano
The University of Iowa Plant Research Program

Recreational use of the Mexican mint, Salvia divinorum, has recently increased rapidly. Young adults and adolescents have begun to smoke the leaves and leaf extracts of the plants to induce powerful hallucinations. Recipes for leaf extracts, elixirs and tinctures may be found posted on the internet. At present, U.S. laws for controlled substances do not ban the use of Salvia divinorum or its active components. This has resulted in various on-line botanical companies advertising and selling Salvia dtvinorum as a legal alternative to other regulated plant hallucinogens. Due to the increase in the popularity of the plant, the DEA has recently placed it on the list of drugs of concern. Curiously, salvinorin A does not act at the presumed molecular target responsible for the actions of classical hallucinogens, the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor. Rather, studies have shown that salvinorin A is a potent and selective ? opioid receptor agonist. A large body of evidence indicates that K opioid receptors may be involved in the antagonism of some abuse related effects of CNS stimulants such as cocaine. Thus, salvinorin A offers a novel pharmacological approach to treat stimulant abuse. Efforts in my laboratory have begun to develop salvinorin A as a novel stimulant abuse therapeutic through examination of its structure-activity relationships at opioid receptors.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Dr. Thomas E. Prisinzano received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Delaware in 1995 and his Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship at the Natural Institutes of Health, he joined the faculty of the University of Iowa in 2003 in the Iowa Plant Research Program. His research focuses on the isolation, synthesis and studies of the physiological properties of natural products from plants, and he has authored 18 articles in these areas.

DECEMBER MEETING

At the December meeting the following members will be recognized for years of service to the Illinois-Iowa Section of the American Chemical Society:

In addition, a "Salute to Excellence" award will be given to a member who has actively participated and supported this section.

COUNCILOR'S REPORT

The following contains some of the highlights of Alternate Councilor, Dr. Mel Peterson's report of the Councilor's meeting held during the 228th annual meeting of the American Chemical Society.

1. ACS dues for 2005 will be increased to $123.00
2. Immediate Past-Chair Dr. Reichmanis noted that the yearly number of PhD's in Chemistry has decreased while PhD's in chemistry-related fields has increased. She stressed the need for the Society to market itself to these related fields. There is a need to get K-12 students interested in chemistry careers to ensure enough college chemistry majors to provide the necessary pool of graduate students.
3. Petition to revise the constitution and bylaws to offer full membership to those who do not now satisfy the major degree requirement was approved, i.e. high school teachers who have had three years of employment as a teacher of a chemical science, but do not have a degree in chemistry.
4. President Elect Carroll intends to spotlight secondary chemistry teachers and to get the media to enhance the public view of chemistry.

ELECTION RESULTS

The results of the mail-in ballot election of Councilor and Alternate Councilor for a three year term 2005-2008 are as follows: Councilor, Brian Mundell; Alternate Councilor,Mel Peterson

UPCOMING MEETING

The January meeting will be held at Parr Industries in Moline IL. Tentatively, the date(s) are January 18 or 19, 2005. Details in the next Chemline.

BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM THE OFFICE OF LOCAL SECTION ACTIVITIES

Deb McLaughlin of the Office of Local Section Activities has put together a newsletter. Topics include call for papers, Regional and National meeting activities, Education programs, This Month in Chemical History, thoughts to ponder, etc. If anyone is interested in the entire newsletter from the Office of Local Section Activities, it can be accessed at http://chemistry.org/localsections/editors.html.

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