Category Archives: Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry

Love of organic chemistry drives ASU graduate – ASU News Now

April 28, 2023

Editors note:This story is part of a series of profiles of notablespring2023 graduates.

When Lauren Harstad was attending Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she took AP biology. She fell in love with a section called biochemistry. However, she soon realized what she really liked was organic molecules and finding out how they work. Lauren Harstad is graduating with a double major in chemistry and biological sciences. Photo by Mary Zhu Download Full Image

A lot of biochemistry is just organic chemistry and biological systems, so pretty soon after I arrived at ASU I found out I didn't want to do the biochemistry part, and I switched to a chemistry major, Harstad said.

Harstad explained that Arizona State University is special in that first-year students are welcomed into professors labs to conduct research. She loves the fact that professors are willing to take on relatively inexperienced students.

Laurens ability to accomplish all she has while continuously demonstrating the highest level of approachability and professionalism has been nothing short of inspiring to everyone around her, said Assistant Professor Kyle Biegasiewicz from the School of Molecular Sciences. Lauren has been an integral part of our research program, and her commitment, determination and passion for science has made her a truly special undergraduate to mentor. We are so proud of her accomplishments and can't wait to see all of the wonderful things she does in her graduate and professional career."

Harstad, a Barrett, The Honors College student, is about to graduate with many accolades to her name. She is earning a Bachelor of Science with a double major in chemistry and biological sciences, with a minor in mathematics. Harstad was recently presented with the 2023 Distinguished Chemistry Merit Award. She won a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship in 2022, as well as the Edward B. Skibo Memorial Scholarship in 2021.

As president of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society, Harstad was involved with chemistry demonstrations at ASU Homecoming, ASU Open Door and her school's Fall Welcome.

Question: What was your aha moment when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?

Answer: I had always been interested in science in high school, but I knew I wanted to pursue a career in chemistry soon after I began taking lab classes at ASU, and especially after beginning work in a research lab. I was really drawn to the problem-solving aspect of research, and organic chemistry in particular just clicked with me.

Q: Whats something you learned while at ASU in the classroom or otherwise that surprised you or changed your perspective?

A: Before going to college, I didnt realize how many career paths are opened up by a degree in the sciences. Chemistry is such a robust field full of exciting research, and it spans so many different industries beyond working in academia.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I chose ASU because of the focus on undergraduate research. I am very fortunate to have joined a research group during my first year at ASU, as this experience has been significant in encouraging me to attend graduate school and pursue a career as a research scientist.

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: My research advisor Professor Biegasiewicz has been instrumental in helping me to realize my passion for organic chemistry. He has taught me the importance of working hard to achieve my goals and is always pushing me to do my best.

Q: Whats the best piece of advice you would give to students?

A: Get involved in opportunities beyond the classroom, whether through research positions, internships or anything else you find interesting! Its easy to feel underqualified at first, especially if you dont have any experience in a certain field, but having a good work ethic and attitude is just as important in landing that first position.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: When I need to clear my head, I often go for a walk through the open space near the Biodesign Institute. The area is full of trees and desert plants that make it a peaceful place to gain some perspective.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I will be pursuing a PhD in chemistry at Princeton University beginning this summer.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I believe there is a need for more research focused on non-addictive forms of pain relief. The opioid epidemic is a problem that has affected so many families in the U.S., and I am hopeful that science will one day find a more promising alternative to these substances.

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Love of organic chemistry drives ASU graduate - ASU News Now

Organic Chemistry

Student champions using tech for the greater good – Temple University News

In March 2020, Allyson Yu was in the midst of her first year as a Temple University student. She was settling in, enjoy her coursework and fully embracing the metropolitan setting that was one of the primary drivers behind her enrolling at Temple.

Then, without warning, the world shut down.

It was really, really hard for everyone. I had been looking for a city atmosphere and also a school that had a lot of different avenues to explore, and that is what brought me to Temple, said Yu, who is a native of Reading, Pa. But if there was one silver lining, this was what really started to introduce me to tech. Within days, we were able to seamlessly transition coursework to a virtual environment, and this showed me how technology really has the capability to help others.

This transition to remote learning ultimately led Yu, who was initially a biology and visual studies major, to change her major to Management Information Systems (MIS) where she has continued to explore how technology can improve the lives of others. Her undergraduate research project has focused on how institutions can improve learning environments for students with disabilities who choose to study in STEM-related fields, and even as student, she is already beginning to reap the benefits of her work.

Last year, Yu entered her research project Challenges and Opportunities in Creating An Accessible Web Application for Learning Organic Chemistry in the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, a conference held in Athens, Greece. Yu ended up earning first place in the undergraduate category of the conferences Student Research Competition.

The overarching idea of the project is looking at how can we remove barriers for students for students with disabilities in STEM fields, Yu said. What we have found is that students with disabilities show a high interest in STEM fields in high school but then it dissipates a bit in higher ed. So essentially, my project focused on first learning what students need for support and then developing a web application that can help in this regard.

The application that Yu helped develop was WebORA, a website that helps organic chemistry students learn by interacting with 3D molecular reactions. The project, which received the support of a Creative Arts Research and Scholarship (CARAS) grant from Temple, is somewhat of a full-circle moment for Yu as it represents the full genesis of her academic journey.

As a first-year student at Temple, Yu worked in Professor of Organic Chemistey Steven A Flemings lab, which was developing a 3D molecular application. That application served as springboard for WebORA, which was further informed and enriched thanks to Yu's user experience and web development coursework that she gained as an MIS student.

As part of her study, Yu surveyed more than 50 students who were taking an organic chemistry course, and 12 of those students took part in a usability tests via WebORA. Overall, the application was well received, though one of the recommendations of the study would be expand the app for additional STEM-related fields other than just organic chemistry.

This whole thing was just really fulfilling. I felt very proud of myself, too, and I think this is a cause that we need to spread more awareness of, Yu said. One thing that also came out of this is that I came to learn how much Temple already has in place. Temples Office of Disability Resources and Services (DRS) has so many resources available, and I am grateful to know that students who need support here will be able to find it thanks to DRS."

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Student champions using tech for the greater good - Temple University News

Organic Chemistry

Three elected to the National Academy of Sciences – Northwestern Now

Joining the company of some of historys most distinguished scientists, three Northwestern faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

Timothy K. Earle, Teri W. Odom and Richard B. Silverman have been recognized for their excellence and notable contributions to their field of science. They are among the 120 new members and 23 new international members selected this year.

Timothy K. Earle

Earle, professor emeritus in the department of anthropology, also previously served as department chair from 1995 to 2000. An economic anthropologist, Earles research is anchored by topics of social inequality, leadership and political economy with a proclivity for finding alternatives to centralized power. His quests to answer this have led him to conduct long-term archaeological research in Polynesia, South America and Europe to understand overlapping economic, warrior and religious powers in political organizations of premodern societies.

Earle has published many works including A Primer on Chiefs and Chiefdoms, Bronze Age Economics, and The Evolution of Human Societies: From Forager Group to Agrarian State.

Over the course of his career, Earles honors include the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of American Archaeology, the 2020 Felix Neubergh Prize in Archaeology from Gothenburg University, as well as being honored during the 2010 American Anthropological Society Annual Meeting.

Teri W. Odom

Odom is chair of the chemistry department, the Joan Husting Madden and William H. Madden, Jr. Professor of Chemistry and a professor of materials science and engineering. She is an expert in designing structured nanoscale materials with extraordinary size- and shape-dependent properties. These nanoscale materials have been applied to advances in nanomedicine, imaging, and nanophotonics.

Odoms NAS election follows numerous awards including the 2020 Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize, the 2020 American Chemical Society Award in Surface Science, and the 2018 Research Corporation for Science Advancement Cottrell Scholar TREE Award.

Odom has also co-authored various notable publications including Multiscale Patterning of Plasmonic Metamaterials, Direct Observation of Nanoparticle-Cancer Cell Nucleus Interactions, and Lasing Action in Strongly Coupled Plasmonic Nanocavity Arrays.

Richard B. Silverman

The inaugural Patrick G. Ryan/Aon Professor in the chemistry department, Silverman focuses his research on central nervous system disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, and epilepsy, and on cancer, including melanoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, with the goal of developing pharmaceutical therapies.

He is the inventor of Lyrica, a breakthrough drug marketed by Pfizer for epilepsy, fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain, as well as another drug treating a child with infantile spasms, a third drug in clinical trials for tuberous sclerosis and infantile spasms, and a fourth drug in IND review for ALS.

A highly decorated scientist, Silverman has earned numerous accolades such as the 2021 Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, elected Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and multiple awards from the American Chemical Society.

He has also authored and co-authored five significant books in his field, including The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action, now in its third edition, The Organic Chemistry of Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions, and Mechanism-Based Enzyme Inactivation: Chemistry and Enzymology.

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Three elected to the National Academy of Sciences - Northwestern Now

Organic Chemistry

Falling in Love with Chemistry – News – Macalester College

By Catherine Kane 26

Richmond Sarpong came to Macalester from Botswana in 1991 on a pre-medicine track. That didnt last long.

I fell in love with chemistry, he says.

Sarpong switched his major to chemistry and continued down that path, taking a particular interest in organic chemistry. Now a chemistry professor at the University of CaliforniaBerkeley, Sarpong came back to campus in February to reflect on his journey and current work with a lecture made possible by a Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions grant.

He spoke about his upbringing, time at Macalester, and scholarship at UCBerkeley, particularly his research into creating less addictive painkillers using compounds inspired by others found in the natural world, to a packed audience in Kagin Ballroom.

At Berkeley, his lab conducts research on natural compounds that can be used in drug development. The research we do is focused on how we can improve the way in which we make medicines, Sarpong says. About 50 percent of medicines are inspired by natural products, which are chemical compounds that are found in nature.

Sarpongs fascination with medicine, and later using chemistry to improve health outcomes, comes from his childhood in Sub-Saharan Africa. He saw the impact of Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug, on communities he was living in to treat river blindness. Coming to Macalester, he learned how such drugs are made using chemical processes.

To me, molecules are like architectural masterpieces, he says.

With a newfound passion for organic chemistry, Sarpong continued on to Princeton where he earned a PhD in organic chemistry and became a professor at UCBerkeley in 2004. Sarpong said his time at Macalester uniquely prepared him to enter the world of research.

Macalester provided me with a personal infrastructure to learn how to learn, he says. It also gave me this appreciation for diversity, internationalism, and having a global mindset, which I think has been important in my role as a chemistry professor. Macalester gave me the ability to engage, interact, and find common ground with people from all sorts of different cultures and countries.

His two days on campus were funded by a grant the Chemistry Department received from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation. The grant provides funding to host a speaker and support two undergraduates in summer research.

During his visit, he reflected on the promise of the students he met: The future passes squarely through Macalester.

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Falling in Love with Chemistry - News - Macalester College

Organic Chemistry

Both Global and U.S. Chemical Production Trended Higher in March – American Chemistry Council

WASHINGTON (May 4, 2023) According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) rose by 0.7% in March following a 0.2% increase in February. In the U.S., the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) rose 2.6% in March. Both indices are measured on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis to reduce month-to-month volatility.

In the U.S., the 2.6% gain in March reflects a bump in chemical production that followed a tough Q4. Producers were challenged at the end of the year by customer destocking and winter-weather related disruptions, she added.

Global Chemical Production by Country/Region, Percentage Change(Seasonally adjusted, 3-month moving average)

Global Chemical Production by Segment, Percentage Change(Seasonally adjusted, 3-month moving average)

The Global CPRI measures the production volume of the chemical industry for 55 key nations, sub-regions, and regions, all aggregated to the world total. While most data are seasonally adjusted at source, some are adjusted using the U.S. Census Bureaus X-12 model to present data comparable to the United States. In a few cases, ACC creates indices of production based on actual production data weighted according to industry structure. The index uses the total value added as a proxy for individual country weights to arrive at the total. This method accounts for the changes in each countrys share relative to global production, which is more reflective of ever-changing global production dynamics.

The Global CPRI measures production activity generally consistent with the overall industry nomenclature of NAICS 325 (less pharmaceuticals) and the EU NACE 20 industries. The index measures the production of soaps and detergents, personal care products, fertilizers, and other downstream products in addition to measuring inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals, plastic resins, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, adhesives and sealants, coatings, and other specialty chemicals. Production of pharmaceuticals is excluded.

U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index, Percentage Change(Seasonally adjusted, 3-month moving average)

The U.S. CPRI was developed to track chemical production activity in seven regions of the United States. The U.S. CPRI is based on information from the Federal Reserve, and as such, includes monthly revisions as published by the Federal Reserve.

The U.S. CPRI includes the most recent Federal Reserve benchmark revision released on March 28, 2023. To smooth month-to-month fluctuations, the U.S. CPRI is measured using a three-month moving average. The reading in March reflects production activity during January, February, and March.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in themultibillion-dollarbusiness of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products, technologies and services that make people's lives better, healthierandsafer.ACC is committed to improved environmental, health, safety and security performance through Responsible Care; common sense advocacy addressing major public policy issues; and health and environmental research and product testing. ACC members and chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development, and areadvancing products, processes and technologies to address climate change, enhance air and water quality, and progress toward a more sustainable, circular economy.

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Both Global and U.S. Chemical Production Trended Higher in March - American Chemistry Council

Organic Chemistry

What Does This Asteroid Mean for Origin of Life? – Discovery Institute

Photo: Asteroid Ryugu, by Stuart Rankin, via Flickr (cropped).

Recently, chemical composition data were obtained from samples retrieved by theJapanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 that was landed in two locations on the asteroid (162173) Ryugu. In December 2020 Hayabusa2 successfully returned to Earth with its precious pristine samples, uncontaminated by residues from Earth (except maybe some metallic material originating from the collection device). Published inScience, early analysis of organic compounds extracted from the collected samples included significantly racemic mixtures of several amino acids, indicating that these samples were relatively free of Earthly contamination from biopolymers.1(All proteins in life are made of racemically pure L-amino acids.) Prior analysis of meteorites could not boast of such purity uncontaminated by Earths biological products.

Therefore, these Ryugu samples appear to be our first chance to examine which organic compounds may be produced in a prebiotic setting in our solar system. In addition, we dont have to rely on uncertain estimates of the conditions on Earth when the solar system was forming. Asteroids containing significant amounts of carbon, never visited by extraterrestrials like us, may provide a reasonable idea of what abiotic chemistry can produce.

A recent article inNature Communicationsreported that uracil, one of the nucleobases found in RNA, was identified in these pristine Ryugu samples.2For those who place their bets on the RNA world hypothesis, this is a significant finding, at least in their opinion. They finally have evidence that at least one of the nucleobases of RNA has been discovered outside of Earth, thus, they say, upholding the notion that our biochemistry could have been seeded from outer space!AsLive Sciencesummarizes, After becoming trapped on asteroids like Ryugu, these molecules may have eventually hitched a ride to Earth via meteorite impacts, where they sparked the first stirrings of life in primordial oceans.

This may be our earliest chance to remark on valid data of prebiotic chemicals free of Earthly contamination. So it would be logical to consider first the initial chemical analysis described inScienceto broadly classify all organic compounds, identified using two sensitive analytical methods. Concerning the building blocks of life, they found several amino acids, but all in racemic mixtures. This is precisely what chemists predict. It is extremely difficult to produce optically pure compounds from smaller compounds. The chemistry of mirror-imaged compounds is exactly the same, differing only in the spatial orientation of covalently bonded atoms (analogous to your right and left hands being equivalent). Life only uses one of these chemical forms to make proteins, RNA, DNA, complex carbohydrates and many lipids.

On Ryugu just some of the simplest amino acids were detected, including glycine, D/L-alanine, D/L-serine, and D/L-valine, along with other amino acids not used to build proteins (Fig. 1). These results agree well with the earlier experiments by Stanley Miller and others where simple organic structures were readily produced in prebiotic simulations. However, over eight amino acids with more complex critical functional groups have still not resulted among the various permutations of prebiotic reactions tested. Its not just dealing with racemic mixtures that confounds the supporters of abiogenesis, but how to form those more elaborate amino acids whose side chains play critical roles in the activity and structure of all proteins.

The chemical analysis also reported thousands of organic compounds, classified in multiple groups, that may or may not be found in the context of living organisms. If a primordial soup were to originate from this mixture, any biomolecules would have to contend with a myriad of possible side reactions with a variety of reactive compounds competing for the rights to produce a biopolymer. Would the situation be different if the asteroid material were to simply seed the Earth with these needed building blocks? The competing contaminants still far outnumber the biologically relevant molecules.

Lets consider whether the prospects are better if we take the RNA route. Uracil was clearly identified from Ryugu. The engineering threshold to form nucleotides, the building blocks for RNA, is much higher than that for proteins. The core unit to which nucleobases and phosphate are bound is the 5-carbon sugar D-ribose. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain how carbohydrates may have originated in an abiotic environment.3The challenges to integrate D-ribose into nucleotides abiotically can be summarized as three major chemical barriers. 1) Abiotic production of five-carbon sugars will yield four chemically equivalent stereoisomers in both the D and L forms, thus resulting in eight stereoisomers at approximately equal levels (Fig. 2A). How does D-ribose get selected through random chemistry without even considering that longer chain sugars will also be present? 2) Ribose can interconvert from an open-chain form to a six-membered ring structure (pyranose form) or to a five-membered ring (furanose), both of which present as alpha and beta configurations at carbon 1 (Fig. 2B). At equilibrium the pyranose form comprises 80 percent while the furanose form is 20 percent of the ribose. RNA uses the furanose form, so how does this minor component win out in any abiotic reactions? 3) Nitrogen at position 1 of uracil needs to be bonded with carbon 1 of D-ribose in a beta configuration through a thermodynamically unfavored reaction. How can this reaction occur abiotically?

While the first two conundrums are most often sidestepped by those upholding the RNA-world philosophy, the latter reaction is not an impossible task so we will consider how life manages this feat. Most cells can salvage RNA or DNA building blocks normally obtained nutritionally following digestion. The liberated nucleobases can be coupled using D-ribose charged with a pyrophosphate group at carbon 1 in the alpha configuration. Notice the specificity life uses where neither the beta configuration nor the pyranose ring form will work for this reaction. This substrate permits a specifically oriented approach by the appropriate nitrogen of the nucleobase, directed completely by the respective enzyme, to effect displacement of pyrophosphate. This results in the nucleobase bonding to carbon 1 in the beta configuration (Fig. 2C). The release of pyrophosphate fulfills the thermodynamic requirements of this elaborate reaction.

Attempts have been made to carry out this reaction under purportedly abiotic conditions. These efforts led to some ingenious planning to devise new chemical synthetic schemes involving electrospray of microdroplets containing D-ribose, phosphate, and nucleobases.4Researchers provide evidence proposing how the microdroplets might make this reaction more thermodynamically favored. Its feasible for all four nucleotides to be made via this route.

But this report did not address the other serious concerns already discussed. They used pure D-ribose, not a mixture of sugars as would be expected prebiotically, and minimally not D/L-ribose. The alpha/beta configuration of the products, or their ring structures, were not indicated (most likely resulting in mixtures of all possible products). It thus becomes difficult to evaluate the relevance of this reaction to producing biologically viable RNA building blocks. Finally, the yields of desired products by this mechanism were low, at 2.5 percent or less. While the attempt to produce RNA building blocks via an abiotic mechanism is to be applauded, this still falls far short of what life needs to get started from the complex mixture of organic compounds present in a prebiotic world.

Readers are encouraged to investigate further to more fully understand the difficult issues involved in forming life using undirected organic chemistry alone. Chemist Dr. James Tour at Rice University, for one, has addressed abiogenesis including in discussions on hisYouTube channel. See also his chapter in the freely downloadable bookScience and Faith in Dialogue.

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What Does This Asteroid Mean for Origin of Life? - Discovery Institute

Organic Chemistry

4 faculty members inducted into National Academy of Sciences for … – UCLA Newsroom

Four UCLA professors are among the 120 newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences,which also chose 23 new international members for 2023.

One of the highest honors a scientist can achieve, academy membership celebrates ongoing illustrious original research. The UCLA faculty members who were honored this year are Miguel Garca-Garibay, Leonid Kruglyak, Gary Segura and Min Zhou.

Distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry

Garca-Garibay, who serves as dean of the UCLA College Division of Physical Sciences and senior dean of the UCLA College, is one of the worlds foremost authorities in reactive intermediates, solid-state organic chemistry, photochemistry, green chemistry and crystalline molecular machines. In addition to serving on the editorial boards of the Journal of Organic Chemistry, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry and Crystal Growth & Design, he was an associate editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society for nine years. Garca-Garibay completed two terms in the Chemical Sciences Roundtable of the National Academies, has been named a fellow of theAmerican Chemical Society,and is a member of theMexican Academy of Sciencesand theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Dillervon Furstenberg Family Professor of Human GeneticsDistinguished professor of human genetics and biological chemistry

Kruglyak studies the genetic basis of heritable traits to understand how changes at the level of DNA are shaped by molecular and evolutionary forces, and how such changes lead to the observable differences among individuals within a species. AHoward Hughes Medical Institute investigatorand member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences, he also serves on the board of reviewing editors at Science magazine, the editorial board of PLoS Genetics, the advisory board of bioRxiv and the scientific advisory council for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories.

Professor of public policy, political science and Chicana/o studies

Segura examines issues of political representation and social cleavages, the domestic politics of wartime public opinion and the politics of Americas growing Latino minority. In addition to briefing high-ranking political officials, he was one of the principal investigators of the American National Edition Studies in 2012 and 2016 as well as the Latino National Survey in 2006. During his tenure asdean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairsfrom 2017 to 2022, Segura co-founded theLatino Policy and Politics Initiative, which later became theLatino Policy & Politics Institute. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Walter and Shirley Wang Professor of U.S./China Relations and CommunicationsDistinguished professor of sociology and of Asian American studies

Zhous research includes acclaimed work on immigrant transnationalism, ethnic language media, Chinese diasporas and urban sociology. The inaugural chair of the UCLA Department of Asian American Studies from 2001 to 2005, Zhou has been the director of theUCLA Asia Pacific Centersince 2016. She is a member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences and the co-editor of the Journal of Chinese Overseas. Among her numerous previous awards are the2020 Contribution to the Field Awardand the2017 Distinguished Career Awardfrom the American Sociological Association.

Including the new honorees, there are now 2,565 active members of the academy, as well as 526 international members.

The academy was established by an Act of Congress signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863; it is a private, nonprofit society dedicated to furthering science in the U.S. and beyond. Its distinguished members are charged with providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology.

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4 faculty members inducted into National Academy of Sciences for ... - UCLA Newsroom

Organic Chemistry

Science-First Skincare Company Michal Morrison Secures Exclusive World-Wide License of Proprietary STEM6 Molecule, Supported by Over 25 Years of…

AUSTIN, Texas, May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Science-first skincare companyMichal Morrison Inc., has officially received an exclusive world-wide license to use the revolutionary STEM6 molecular technology in skincare.

Michal Morrison

STEM6, a new superpower metamolecule , marks a new era of biomimetic skincare. A scientific breakthrough in the beauty industry, STEM6 is a new composition of matter that supports the skin's stem cell signaling pathway to awaken the millions of cells responsible for healthy-looking skin. As a result, skin is healthier, more radiant, and visibly rejuvenated.

Based on 25 years of stem cell science, the exclusive STEM6 technology was discovered by Dr. Fuqiang Ruan, an innovative scientist with a doctorate in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, and stem cell scientist Dr. Michael Kahn, Professor of Cancer Biology and Molecular Medicine at the Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope. Michal Morrison Inc. was founded by Austin-based entrepreneur Michal Ann Morrison. Michal's passion for a 'science first approach to skincare' became her inspiration to create a product with novel technology and unparalleled efficacy.

Genesis Molecular Technologies Inc., an affiliate organization of Michal Morrison Inc, received the notice of allowance (NOA) from the United States Patent and Trademark Office on March 7, 2023. The patent relates generally to modulation of the Wnt/-catenin pathway in mammalian cells and tissues, and more particularly to novel CREB binding protein (CBP)/-catenin inhibitors and the cosmetic, and therapeutic uses thereof (e.g., in dermatological applications for skin, hair and nails), and methods of making the disclosed exemplary compounds.

Michal Morrison's inaugural hero product, Genesis STEM6 Molecular Serum, is the first and only bioserum with the patented STEM6 molecule. This molecular superpower uses your biology's inherent potential to extend cell longevity for healthier-looking skin.

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The STEM6 molecule is exclusively available in Michal Morrison products. Genesis STEM6 Molecular Serum is available in a premium recyclable glass bottle onMichalMorrison.com for $175, or for $140 through a two-month subscription program.

For additional information and interview requests please contact:Creative Media Marketing at michalmorrison@cmmpr.com

ABOUT MICHAL MORRISON, INC.: Michal Morrison, Inc. is a science-first skincare company established in stem cell science and supported by its novel STEM6 molecular technology. Founded by Michal Morrison in 2022, the company will premiere the first and only bioserum with the STEM6 molecule - Genesis STEM6Molecular Serum. Michal Morrison products are available online atwww.michalmorrison.com.

Michal Morrison

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Science-First Skincare Company Michal Morrison Secures Exclusive World-Wide License of Proprietary STEM6 Molecule, Supported by Over 25 Years of...

Organic Chemistry

Tetrahydrocanniboic Acid (THCA): Legal Until You Heat It, Maybe – American Council on Science and Health

Nowhere is the silliness of our drug laws more evident than in the case oftetrahydrocannabinolicacid (THCA). The chemical, one of about a dozen found in hemp and marijuana, has no psychotropic activity, so it's legal, right?

Yes. Also no. And maybe. Hope that was helpful.

These are all correct, thanks to the tortuous, often conflicting, labyrinth of arbitrary laws that make up the mess that is called (but maybe not with a straight face) our "drug policy." There really isn't any semblance of policy regulating marijuana products. It's more like a dart board with the numbers missing, something I'll be writing about at a later date. Here's a tease.

Yeah, thisreally clears things up. Source: VIAA Hemp

THC

THC is short for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary intoxicant of cannabis. It remains classified as Schedule I by the geniuses at the DEA, the same category as heroin and illicit fentanyl. [Emphasis mine]

Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote.

Source: DEA Drug Scheduling

Seriously? Marijuana is in the same category as heroin? In what universe does this make sense?

Since state laws are all over the place I'm not going to try to make "sense" of them but feel free to do so yourself...

Source: National Conference of State Legislatures.As of April 2023

THCA(Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid)

Rather than getting bogged down in that mess, I'm going to discuss one cannabis component that is of particular interest:Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid. Why is it interesting? Three reasons:

"[A]controlled substance analogue is a substance which is intended for human consumption and is structurally or pharmacologically substantially similar to or is represented as being similar to a Schedule I or Schedule II substance.."

Source: DEA Drug Scheduling

Be forewarned. It's time for...

Decarboxylation of-ketoacids(masochists only, please)

Usually, when you heat things, including most chemicals,they just get hot. But not in this case.

Decarboxylation oftetrahydrocanniboicacid forms 9-delta-THC

When THCA is heated, for example in hell, the carboxylic acid (yellow arrow), breaks down, losingCO2, andleaving in its place a hydrogen atom. This is a well-known reaction in organic chemistry, which is called thedecarboxylation of a-ketoacid a fact that will be thoroughlyuseless in your life, no matter how long you live. Here's the standard example:

OK, that's just peachy, but if you look at the structure of THCAthere isn't any -keto acid, right? So how can heating the damn stuff make it turn into THC??

Just another reason why people hate organic chemistry

Organic chemistry is simply a set of rules. Once you learn them you've got it down, right? No. Not right. This is because there are rules about rules, some of which are obvious. Many are not. Here's one that isn't.

But before you look, please remove the following items from your home so you won't be tempted to use them.

Don't say I didn't warn you.For crazy bastardsanyonewho made it this far...

Phenol (left) can exist in two forms interchangeable forms.Theenol form (left) predominates, but there is also a teensy bit ofketo form (left) in there too, which just happens to be a -keto acid. This explains why THCAcan undergo decarboxylation when heated.

THCA in its enol and keto forms. Note that the keto form is a poorly-disguised beta-keto acid, which means that it loses carbon dioxide upon heating. It does, giving the keto form of THC, which immediately rearranges to THC.

This mercifully ends The Dreaded Chemistry Lesson From Hell. I doubt many of you are mourning this development, but don't blame me. You asked. (1)

It might be time to break out the THCA. Just remember to heat it.

NOTE:

1) I'm not kidding. I do get requests from more than a few people to do these wretched articles. No accounting for taste. After all, some people love kale.

Read the original:

Tetrahydrocanniboic Acid (THCA): Legal Until You Heat It, Maybe - American Council on Science and Health

Organic Chemistry

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