https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/two-arkansas-chemistry-professors-charged-with-manufacturing-methamphetamine/4010707.article Two Arkansas chemistry professors charged with manufacturing methamphetamine Two chemistry professors at Henderson State University in Arkansas, US have been charged with making methamphetamine in a lab at the school’s science centre and using drug paraphernalia. Associate chemistry professors Terry David Bateman and Bradley Allen Rowland face a maximum sentence of 40 years to life in prison if convicted of manufacturing the drug, and more charges could be on the cards, according to Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson. Bateman, who is 45 years old and served as director of chemistry research at Henderson State, had worked at the university for 10 years. In April he was among the school’s faculty honoured for their service. Rowland, who is 40 years old, has been employed by the university since 2014. They have both been on administrative leave since 11 October. The duo, who were co-advisors for the school’s chemistry club, led a contingent of Henderson State students to the American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana last year. While there, they accepted the ACS Outstanding Student Affiliate chapter award and the Green Chapter Award, according to the university’s news blog. The arrests came after the science centre on campus was shut down on 8 October, following reports of an unidentified smell. Initial testing indicated an elevated presence of benzyl chloride in one lab, according to the university. The building remained closed for remediation and reopened on 29 October, only after third party testing indicated that it was safe. The day after the chemical spill, the university alerted the sheriff’s office of the incident. ‘The chemical spill was cleaned up, we were told, but there was apparently still a strange odour and some people had reported being nauseated or experiencing their eyes burning,’ Watson recounts. State police and the Arkansas State Crime Lab’s chemistry section were called to the scene, and they were told that benzyl chloride had been spilled. Benzyl chloride, which is considered to be a probable human carcinogen by the US Environmental Protection Agency and other regulatory bodies, can be used to synthesise amphetamine-class drugs.
Two Arkansas chemistry professors charged with manufacturing methamphetamine Two chemistry professors at Henderson State University in Arkansas, US have been charged with making methamphetamine in a lab at the school’s science centre and using drug paraphernalia. Associate chemistry professors Terry David Bateman and Bradley Allen Rowland face a maximum sentence of 40 years to life in prison if convicted of manufacturing the drug, and more charges could be on the cards, according to Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson. Bateman, who is 45 years old and served as director of chemistry research at Henderson State, had worked at the university for 10 years. In April he was among the school’s faculty honoured for their service. Rowland, who is 40 years old, has been employed by the university since 2014. They have both been on administrative leave since 11 October. The duo, who were co-advisors for the school’s chemistry club, led a contingent of Henderson State students to the American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana last year. While there, they accepted the ACS Outstanding Student Affiliate chapter award and the Green Chapter Award, according to the university’s news blog. The arrests came after the science centre on campus was shut down on 8 October, following reports of an unidentified smell. Initial testing indicated an elevated presence of benzyl chloride in one lab, according to the university. The building remained closed for remediation and reopened on 29 October, only after third party testing indicated that it was safe. The day after the chemical spill, the university alerted the sheriff’s office of the incident. ‘The chemical spill was cleaned up, we were told, but there was apparently still a strange odour and some people had reported being nauseated or experiencing their eyes burning,’ Watson recounts. State police and the Arkansas State Crime Lab’s chemistry section were called to the scene, and they were told that benzyl chloride had been spilled. Benzyl chloride, which is considered to be a probable human carcinogen by the US Environmental Protection Agency and other regulatory bodies, can be used to synthesise amphetamine-class drugs.