Structural Chemistry Indaba II 3-8 August 1997 Intermolecular Interactions

IUCr Scientific Freedom Policy Statement
The Organising Committee of the Structural Chemistry Indaba shall observe the basic policy of non discrimination and affirms the rights of scientists throughout the world to adhere to or to associate with international scientific activity without restrictions based on nationality, race, colour, age, religion, political philosophy, ethnic origin, citizenship, language, or sex, in accordance with the Statutes of the International Council of Scientific Unions. At this conference no barriers will exist which would prevent the participation of bona fide scientists.

The idea of intermolecular interactions relates to the notion that materials in the bulk consist of weakly interacting units, or molecules, in the sense that intramolecular interactions are stronger than these, by orders of magnitude. In view of this it is argued that, by ignoring the weak interactions, the same molecular units that occur in the gas phase can be recognized in condensed phases. At the same time it is commonly accepted that solid materials exhibit many properties not apparent in other phases and acquired as a result of intermolecular interactions only. From both points of view the concept is rather ill-defined and of questionable importance. The problem relates to the model of choice to describe condensed phases. Defined as single quantum-mechanical systems there is no basis to distinguish between intra- and intermolecular forces. An intermolecular interaction is then defined only for the gas phase, where it is practically negligible in any case.

An attempt to distinguish between intra- and intermolecular interactions necessarily fails to recognize their interdependence and creates artifacts to be used later on as independent concepts, in terms of which to explain chemical behavior. In terms of deformation electron densities in crystals the distinction becomes even more vague and the definition of molecular units even more arbitrary.

Answers to these questions are probably not simple and different points of view can surely be formulated in all cases.

In this sense it provides a worthy topic for discussion at a special symposium in the spirit of the 1995 Small-molecules Indaba.

Delegates hail from sixteen different countries from five continents:

One of the Park's main objectives is to maintain the ecosystem in its natural state and to offer the visitor an unrivaled experience of African wildlife.

While offering excellent accommodation facilities, the Park has retained a genuine African atmosphere - to the delight of the scores of visitors to the New South Africa.

The Climate is subtropical, with days normally sunny, warm and clear. During August, just before the onset of the warm African summer, the temperatures are moderate and pleasant. In this regard the South African author and nature lover, C Louis Leipoldt, wrote: "The ideal time to visit the Bushveld is in winter, from May to November. Then the climate is charmingly even: its mornings, when the sun tinges the tops of the bush, are delightfully crisp and cool; its noon is pleasantly but not relaxingly warm; its afternoons and evenings, stained by an all-too-brief afterglow with amazingly vivid colouring, are as mild and beautiful as a summer's night in Europe".

Excursions into the Park will give both delegates and accompanying persons many opportunities to view the unparalleled diversity of wildlife, including antelope, buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, hyena, jackal, black and white rhinoceros, an exceptional variety of bird species and numerous other wild creatures. Skukuza is the Kruger Park's main camp. Dress code: Casual.

Note:

• The above costs do NOT include accommodation costs nor meals not explicitly included above.
• The daily finger breakfast buffet will be provided at the lecture hall, as will the teas.
• The camp has restaurant facilities for normal meals, breakfast, lunch and supper, with prices ranging from $5 to $12.
• People making their own way to the park will have to pay for the park entrance at the gate (about $15 per car and $4 per person)..
• PLEASE NOTE: The number of participants is restricted due to limitations in accommodation at Skukuza camp. PLEASE BOOK EARLY.

Primary Sponsors

• AECI(SA)
• de Beers DRL(SA)
• FRD(SA)
• IUCr
• MSI(DE)
• Philips/Nonius(NL)
• Sasol/Sastech(SA)
• SentraChem(SA)
• AXA/Siemens(DE)
• Wirsam(SA)
• Wits University(SA)

Additional contributions

• IBM(SA) - indaba T-Shirts
• SGI(SA) - 'Silicon Safari' truck
• Nedcor(SA) - pens and folders

International

Travelers from Europe will feel no jet lag, but the Americas are 6 to 9 hours behind South Africa, while Asia is 2 to 10 hours ahead.

Visas may be required for some countries. Please make all travel arrangements with your local travel agents, but inform us of your arrival date, time, flight number etc.

Coach

Please consider the information kiosk in the middle of the airport arrivals hall as the primary point of contact. There will be people with signs marked "Indaba II" to show you to the bus between 8:00 am and 10:00 am on the morning of Sunday 3rd August.

For current bus bookings look at the file distributed with the third indaba newsletter.

Final dates are:

Car Rental

The following prices are per person per night:

• Please indicate your order of preference on the registration form
• Families or groups wishing to stay together must contact us well in advance to ensure booking of appropriate accommodation. Prices for such arrangements will depend on final availability.
• Because the accommodation capacity within each category varies, it is impossible to guarantee a specific allocation. We will, however, try our best to meet your specific requirements.
• Accommodation will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
• For shared accommodation, please indicate any partner preferences.
• The required deposit must be received by 31st June 1997 and will contribute towards the full accommodation cost, the balance of which can be settled on arrival.

The shop at Skukuza camp apparently sells the appropriate anti-malaria drugs required. If you are unable to purchase any before arrival and wish to take anti-malaria drugs, please purchase some at the shop.

Deadlines

Cancellation Penalties

Registration

A registration form is available on the WWW at http://www.gh.wits.ac.za/indaba2/reg-indaba.html. This form can be used for preliminary registration to book a place at the indaba. If you would prefer to fax the registration form, you may do so by either printing the WWW page, or by using the text only page at http://www.gh.wits.ac.za/indaba2/reg-indaba.txt. This text only page is also ideal for emailing your registration to the primary contact email address below.

Payment

1. Direct bank transfer into the bank account:

   "Structural Chemistry Indaba"
   Account number 1951076273
   NedBank, Johannesburg,Wits branch 19510502
   SOUTH AFRICA

2. Cheque or bank draft made payable to the above account and mailed to the primary registration mail address below.

Submission of Abstracts

• plain text (ASCII)
• postscript
• TeX and LaTeX
• WP5.1 and WP6.0 for DOS or Windows (not Macintosh)
• Word2.0/Word6.0 for Windows (not Macintosh)

Note that since the number of participants will be limited, and interest in the conference is high, early registration is very advisable.

The primary telephone, fax and mail address for submission of registration, abstracts and payment by cheque or bank draft is:

If you specifically wish to contact individuals, use the following contact details: