Current Areas of Research

FIGURE 2.4 Kinetic plot of the H/D exchange reactions of the deprotonated flavonoid, neohesperidin, fitted with KinFit. D(0) represents the initial precursor ion, and D(l), D(2), D(3), and D(4) represent ions incorporating from one to four deuterium atoms, respectively. (Reproduced from Zhang, J. Brodbelt, J.S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004,126, 5906-5919. With permission from American Chemical Society.) 

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Investigation of direct conversion of methane to transportation fiiels has been an ongoing effort at PETC for over 10 years. One of our current areas of research is the conversion of methane to methanol, under mild conditions, using li t, water, and a semiconductor photocatalyst. Research in our laboratory is directed toward ad ting the chemistry developed for photolysis of water to that of methane conversion. The reaction sequence of interest uses visible light, a doped tungsten oxide photocatalyst and an electron transfer molecule to produce a hydroxyl i cal. Hydroxyl t cal can then react with a methane molecule to produce a methyl radical. In the preferred reaction pathway, the methyl radical then reacts with an additional wata- molecule to produce methanol and hydrogen. 

A long-term goal of our research group is to explore and evaluate novel pathways for the direct conversion of methane to liquid fiiels, chemicals, and intermediates. One of our current areas of research is the conversion of methane to methanol, under mild conditions, using li t, water, and a semiconductor photocatalyst. The use of three relatively abundant... 

NH3, SO2, anesthetics, N2O,...) to cations, anions and neutral species (water, H2O2, hydrocarbons, nitroaromatics, glucose,...). It would be impossible to summarize here all the optical fluorosensors and their applications reported so far. Many more examples and details are given in other chapters of this book. In the following paragraphs we will just mention a few current areas of research in the field and future trends. 

His current area of research interest is enantiomeric resolution of compounds of pharmaceutical importance using liquid chromatography. So far, he has guided 28 doctoral and 50 Masters theses, published more than 230 research papers in international refereed journals including invited chapters in books and encyclopedia. Besides, he authored two books. 

Professor M. R. Maurya is currently heading the Department of Chemistry, IIT Roorkee. He has more than 26 years of teaching and research experience. He had worked in Loyola University of Chicago, USA, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, and Pune University Pune, before joining department of Chemistry at IIT Roorkee in 1996 and became full professor in 2008. His current area of research interests include structural and functional models of vanadate-dependent haloperoxidases, coordination polymers and their catalytic study, metal complexes encapsulated in zeolite cages and their catalytic study, polymer-anchored metal complexes and their catalytic study, and medicinal aspects of coordination compounds. So far, he has guided 21 doctoral and 7 Master s theses, co-authored more than 140 research papers in the international refereed journals. 

The isolation of physiologically active natural products and the determination of the chemical basis for their activity, the study of insect biochemistry, and the investigation of the chemical basis for host selection are current areas of research activity which should be of particular interest to the pesticide chemist for it may be anticipated that an important "spin-off" of this research will be the discovery of new and safer organic pesticides. It may also be anticipated that a substantial number of these new pesticides will incorporate that most versatile element, sulfur. 

Molecular beams are an important and current area of research in chemistry (see Box 13.2) because they enable chemists to explore the reactions that take place between individual molecules that are aimed at each other and collide at a speed that can be controlled. 

We aim to provide a wide coverage of existing methodology while giving insight into current areas of research and future trends. 

Current problerrrs/needs in our world are related to drinking water availability, green" renewable energy sources, increasing computational speeds, and many others. What are some current areas of research focus that are attempting to address these issues One should search Chemical Abstracts, as well as books and Web sites for this information. 

Two areas of focus within oceanography today are physical and chemical oceanography. Physical oceanography is the study of ocean basin stractures, water and sediment transportation, and the interplay between ocean water, air and sediments and how this relationship effects processes such as tides, upwellings, temperature, and salinity. Findings aid oceanic engineers, coastal planners, and military defense strategists. Current areas of research include oceanic circulation—especially ocean... 

The low cost of sucrose makes it an attractive synthetic precursor for a wide range of applications (56), and a chlorinated derivative (l,6-dichloro-6-deoxy-(3-D-fructofuranosyl 6-chloro-4,6-dideoxy-a-D-galactopyranoside, sucralose) is widely used as a noncaloric sweetener (Splenda ). Various other oligosaccharides occur naturally in the free form (57), but far more have been isolated as fragmentation products from larger biomolecules their chemical or enzymatic synthesis is a very active current area of research, as detailed in Chapters 3 and 4. 

The adsorption of proteins from aqueous solution to solid surfaces is the result of a combination of hydrophobic, steric, and electrostatic interactions between the protein, solid surface, and solution [ 1-3]. Numerous studies have been conducted to identify the driving forces governing protein adsorption and dynamics at liquid-solid interfaces and have been reviewed elsewhere [4—8], In the adsorbed state, protein stmcture is likely to be perturbed (Figure 15.1). The unfolded or partially unfolded protein can then adopt various flexible conformations depending on the natures of the solid surface the protein [1, 4, 9-13]. While this has been exploited for various applications [12], uncontrolled adsorption can cause protein degradation, compromised function, and even life-threatening immunogenic responses. The molecular mechanisms of protein adsorption have not been fully elucidated and remain a current area of research [ 10]. 

To obviate this, however, before outlining the current areas of research in ESCA applied to polymers a brief outline of ESCA as a technique will be given. 

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