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 August 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.

ABSTRACT

Historical evidence and direct sample analysis suggest that Antonio Stradivari and his colleagues in northern Italy were the beneficiaries of fortuitous coincidences with regard to the acquisition and preservation of their acoustical wood supply and their varnishing technology. Our research of the past 20 years has established that the highest refinement of tone color in fine violins, the very elusive quality demanded by the best players, is determined to a great degree by the material composition. Relying on EDX spectroscopy and SEM visualization, we identified 22 minerals in the ground layers of old Italian violins. IR and NMR spectroscopy of the old wood revealed the effects of chemical manipulations intended to wood preservation. Following centuries of subjective discussions of tone quality in the literary realm, we have now defined it objectively by power spectra of individual notes both in a broad frequency range and at high resolution. Thus our claims as to the influence of various chemicals used in the 17th century on the tone quality of violins can be tested. The best Stradivarius violins were shown to possess a regular pattern of intensities of their harmonics. Furthermore, nonharmonic and starting transients emerge as significant contributors to fine tone quality, and they are especially influenced by chemical preservatives. At the conclusion, a new violin with typical Stradivarius-like sound spectra will be demonstrated.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Dr. Joseph Nagyvary has brought an unprecedented level of academic expertise to bear upon the age=old violin puzzle. A native of Hungary, he majored in chemistry at the Eotvos Lorand University of Budapest (1952-1956); he became a student of the Swiss Nobel Laureate Paul Karrer in 1957 and received his Ph.D. in the chemistry of natural products in 1962. While in Zurich, he had his first formal violin lessons on a violin that once belonged to Albert Einstein, a coincidence that helped turn his attention to the physical mysteries of the violin. In 1963, he spent a postdoctoral year with Lord Alexander Todd, a British Nobel laureate. He came to the United States in 1964 and settled down in Texas in 1968, where he was a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at Texas A&M University until his retirement in 2003. Dr. Nagyvary was the recipient of a Career Development Grant and numerous other research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. His discoveries concerning the classical violins were made public in over 250 lectures sponsored mainly by the American Chemical Society. On such occasions, comparisons were made between Dr. Nagyvary's new creation and the finest locally available antique Italian violin. For the results of a comparison with a Strad, go to www.nagyvaryviolins.com. Currently, Dr. Nagyvary is still doing research as professor emeritus, but he also wears a second hat: running his own violin production company, Nagyvary Violins.

NATIONAL COUNCILORS MEETING (Highlights):

Spring ACS Meeting - Atlanta, GA March 27 - 30, 2006

1. President - Elect candidates for 2006: Bruce E. Bursten and Bassam Z. Shakhashiri.
2. Attendees: 12,658.
3. Immediate Past ACS President, Dr. William F. Carroll, Jr. gave a humorous review of his year as President. Hard act to follow for future presidents; he will try to visit as many ACS sections as possible. Please contact him
4. 2007 dues set at $132 - passed.
5. New slogan for ACS - "Improving peoples lives through the transforming power of chemistry."
6. 30 new councilors were given training at the Atlanta meeting.
7. Voted to continue - Committee on Divisions and Committee on Professional Training.
8. Voted to honor Atlanta hosts for meeting.
9. Society looking to bring the International Chemistry Olympiad in 2012 to the U.S.
10. 2005 membership (as of 12/31/05) was 158,422, reversing a 4-year downward trend. There were 15,532 new members joining in 2005. Member retention remained stable at 92.4 %.

SILVER CIRCLE

The Illinois-Iowa Section of ACS is in the process of organizing a Silver Circle Group. It is designed for ACS members ages 55 and older, but any ACS member who is interested may become a member. Although primarily social, one of the functions of the group might be to assist the Section in promoting and helping with the Chemistry Olympiad. There is also the possibility of "sub sections" in Muscatine, Quad Cities, Clinton, and Monmouth with different focus groups. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact Dr. Mel Peterson, chpeterson@augustana.edu.

ACS EXECUTIVE MEMBERS INTERACT WITH AREA STUDENTS

At a recent meeting of the Executive Committee some of the members mentioned meeting with or interacting with area students. Listed are some of the activities:

1. Several students from Rock Ridge High School visited Grain Processing. Rick Roberts showed them around and talked to their teacher, Jon Lehtola, who is interested in being notified of meetings of our section. Rick also judged a science fair organized by the city of Muscatine.
2. Dr. Brian Mundell visited the 4th and 5th grade classes at Lakeview Elementary School in Solon; dressed as a scientist working in a lab, Brian talked to the students about his job and presented a few chemical demonstrations.
3. Our Chairperson, Jerod Corbin, worked with two students from St. Ambrose who job shadowed him at Sethness Products.

KISER SCHOLARSHIP

At its April meeting the Executive Committee accepted the proposal of the Kiser Scholarship Committee and recommended a student recipient of the Kiser Scholarship. Watch for details on our web page.

The Donald Kiser Memorial Scholarship Program was initiated by the Illinois-Iowa Section of the ACS in 2001 with the objectives to assist the personal and professional growth of the next generation of graduates and to honor Dr. Kiser's leadership role in the organization.

This annual scholarship is awarded to a high school senior who has demonstrated academic achievements and who will pursue studies in natural science or engineering at a post-secondary educational institution.

You are cordially invited to invest in this program: Rich Craddick, Grain Processing Corporation, 1600 Oregon St., Muscatine, IA 52761

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Dr. Marv Lang will present "Chemical Demonstrations" at Augustana College at the meeting to be held Thursday, September 21st. Mark your calendar!

NATIONAL CHEMISTRY WEEK

National Chemistry Week will be held October 22-28. The theme is "Your Home - Its All Built on Chemistry." Look for details on the ACS website.

BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
FROM THE OFFICE OF LOCAL SECTION ACTIVITIES

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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