DC Baltimore

Baltimore-Washington Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy

April Historical Events in Chemistry by Leopold May, Department of Chemistry, Catholic University

Invitation to the Maryland Section ACS Picnic


From the Chairman - Local Section News

Well, it's finally time for Tour Speaker night - Let's show our combined chapter enthusiasm and come to greet our distinguished speaker on Wednesday evening, April 26, 2000. Dr. Ed Yeung from Ames Laboratory promises to have a multi-faceted presentation - complete with movies of single cells - as he addresses the imaging of single cells and single molecules. By the way, we had a great outing last month at the National Aquarium in Baltimore - thanks to those who gave up part of their weekend to participate. I think all felt it was worth their time. Next major priority! Candidates for the local chapter election are still being solicited. Contact me no later than the end of April to provide your nominations. We need at a minimum, a chair-elect, secretary, and treasurer. Fair warning: if no nominations received, I come hunting for recruits.

Sincerely,

Larry Pollack
Chairman, Baltimore-Washington Section, SAS


Meeting Announcement - Wednesday, April 26, 2000


Imaging Single Cells and Single Molecules

Speaker: Edward S. Yeung, Ph.D., Ames Laboratory-USDOE and Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011

Biographical Sketch: Edward Yeung received his A.B. degree in chemistry from Cornell University in 1968 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1972. Since then, he has been on the chemistry faculty at Iowa State University, where he is currently Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences. His research interests span both spectroscopy and chromatography. He has published in areas such as nonlinear spectroscopy, laser-based detectors for liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, trace gas monitoring methods, single-cell analysis, DNA sequencing, and data treatment procedures in chemical measurements. He is an Associate Editor of Analytical Chemistry. He served on the editorial advisory board of Progress in Analytical Spectroscopy, Journal of Capillary Electrophoresis, Mikrochimica Acta, Spectrochimica Acta Part A, Journal of Microcolumn Separations, Electrophoresis, and Journal of High Resolution Chromatography. He was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in 1974, was appointed Honorary Professor of Zhengzhou University and of Zhongshan University, PRC, in 1983 and in 1995, respectively, and was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1992. He received the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Award in Chemical Instrumentation in 1987, R&D 100 Awards in 1989, 1991 and 1997, the Lester W. Strock Award in 1990, the Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award in 1993, the L. S. Palmer Award in 1994, the ACS Fisher Award in Analytical Chemistry in 1994, the Frederick Conference on Capillary Electrophoresis Award in 1997, and the Eastern Analytical Symposium Award in 1998.

Abstract: The complex temporal evolution of exocytotic release of serotonin and proteins from individual rat peritoneal mast cells was monitored. Laser-induced native fluorescence with 275- and 305-nm excitation was used to detect the Polymyxin-B sulfate (Pmx) stimulated exocytosis in capillary electrophoresis (CE) and imaging microscopy, respectively. Events are observed that are consistent with released serotonin from single granules (250 aL each). With both approaches, a detection limit of 1.7 amol (S/N = 3; rms) was obtained for serotonin. Real time chemical images of serotonin and protein released from individual cells are obtained. The images show that the amount of material released and the time delay of the event varied from cell to cell, and that different regions of a cell behave asynchronously in releasing material. Similar studies of the release of insulin from rat pancreatic b cells and of adrenaline from bovine adrenal medullary cells will also be presented. We have also developed a novel visualization scheme for studying cell signaling. New insights into neuronal signal transduction pathways are obtained.

Electrophoresis is normally a statistical process involving many molecules of a given type. The migration velocity is used for sizing DNA and proteins or for distinguishing molecules based on charge and hydrodynamic radius. At the single-molecule level, electrophoretic mobility has been reported in a micron-sized flow stream by correlating the photon bursts created at two laser beams that are axially separated. We will describe a high-throughput imaging approach that allows determination of the individual electrophoretic mobilities of many molecules at a time. This opens up the possibility of screening DNA or proteins within single biological cells for disease markers without performing polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2000

Place: Sir Walter Raleigh Inn, 19100 Montgomery Village Avenue, Gaithersburg, Maryland, (301) 258-0576

Dinner: $20 ($12 students) Menu: 1) Prime Rib (8 ounce), 2) Baked New England Scrod, 3) 12 Ounce Sirloin Steak, or 4) Hawaiian Chicken Breasts. Included with each entrée is the extensive salad bar, baked potato, coffee, tea, soft drink, and chocolate mousse. PLEASE INDICATE MENU CHOICE WHEN LEAVING YOUR RESERVATION.

Reservations: Please make your reservations by NOON, Monday, April 24, 2000 by calling Larry Pollack at work (703) 810-4351 or at home (703) 256-6769, or e-mail at larry.pollack@dtra.mil

Directions: From I-270, take the Montgomery Village Avenue exit (Exit 11: Route 124, Montgomery Village Avenue). Travel east on Montgomery Village Avenue for approximately 1.5-2.0 miles, passing Lake Forest Mall and then a large lake on the right. The restaurant, a white house, is on the left in a strip mall shortly after the lake.


Your Baltimore-Washington Section Officers for 1999-2000:

Chair: Larry Pollack, Defense Threat Reduction Agency/US DoD (703) 810-4351, larry.pollack@dtra.mil
Chairman Elect: John S. Canham, NASA-Goddard 301-286-8970, john.s.canham.1@gsfc.nasa.gov
Secretary: Dave Hill, USDA, 301-504-8282, hill@307.bhnrc.usda.gov
Treasurer: Jeb Taylor, FDA, 301-827-5246, TAYLORJ@cder.fda.gov
Delegates: Scott Baker, USDA and Mike Epstein, NIST
Newsletter Editor: Kris Patterson, USDA, 301-504-9010, Fax: 301-504-9062, patterson@307.bhnrc.usda.gov
Science Fair and Student Award Committee: Bob Koons, FBI, 703-640-1538
I.L. Barnes Award: John Moody
Web page editor: Mike Epstein

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Visit our local section sponsor WWW pages:

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Past Issues of the Baltimore-Washington Section Newsletter (including Historical Events in Chemistry for those months)

March 1999
April-May 1999
Summer 1999
September 1999
October 1999
November 1999
December 1999
January/Feb 2000
March 2000

Spectrum Go to the National SAS Home Page


For more information concerning Baltimore-Washington Section activities, email Larry Pollack (larry.pollack@dtra.mil)


Page prepared by: Mike Epstein
Last Modified: April 18, 2000