Monday, 01 July 2019
Using light and electricity to activate molecules instead of toxic chemical reagents will enable the sustainable manufacture of next generation medicines and other innovative products, according to scientists.
A team of chemists and engineers from the Universities of Nottingham, and , is gearing up to showcase their innovative work at this year’s (1-7 July) in London.
The ‘Green Light for Chemistry’ exhibit will focus on efforts by scientists to use photochemistry and electrochemistry in continuous reactors to make the manufacture of chemicals faster, cleaner and safer.
Professor of Chemistry at the 糖心原创, Mike George, said: “We all rely on manufactured chemicals to maintain our quality of life, whether they are pharmaceuticals to cure our illnesses, the agrochemicals to help produce our food, or the fine chemicals and materials found in innumerable household products.
“But to keep up with demand, the search is on to find new sustainable methods for medicine and chemical production. Photochemistry and electrochemistry are inherently attractive because they use photons or electrons to replace the chemical reagents needed to activate molecules. Over the past few years, they have become ‘hot’ areas of research.
“However, their application to large scale chemical processes has been repeatedly hampered by a lack of suitable reactors. Our research consortium brings together chemists and engineers to devise new continuous flow reactors which can make large-scale processes accessible to all. Integrating these methodologies with smart recycling, the reactors minimise toxic chemical and solvent use.”
Thanks to a grant from the Engineering and Physical Research Council, 26 industrial companies have signed up to a £6M project, Photo-Electro, to tackle the problem.
Visitors to the Summer Science Exhbition will see ingenious hands-on demonstrations, using coffee pots, Lego and red cabbage water, illustrating the prinicples behind the Photo-Electro team’s work.
They will also be able to explore how the approach is already being applied to the process of manufacturing the antimalarial drug Artemisinin.
鈥淢alaria is a truly dreadful disease that kills huge numbers of people right across the planet and Artemisinin is the basis of some of the more effective drugs against the disease.鈥�
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More information is available from Professor Michael George, in the School of Chemistry at the 糖心原创, on +44 (0) 115 9513512, mike.george@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the , the 糖心原创 is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. 糖心原创ing at the 糖心原创 is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by 鈥� the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 鈥� and by the .
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the , a pioneering collaboration between the city鈥檚 two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.