School Seminar: Prof Alastair McEwan, University of Queensland. “Copper and zinc ions as antibacterial agents – new opportunities using ionophores”

Professor Alastair McEwan, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland. [Email: mcewan@uq.edu.au] Host:  A/Prof Liz New Abstract: Although zinc is an essential transition metal ion for all bacteria and in some species copper ions play an important role in enzymes associated with aerobic metabolism and in denitrification, in excess these metal ions are …

School Seminar: Professor Greg Challis, Monash University. “New frontiers in biocatalytic C-H functionalization”

Professor Greg Challis, School of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University [Email:  Gregory.Challis@monash.edu] Host:  Prof Richard Payne Abstract:  C-H functionalization reactions are key steps in the biosynthesis of numerous bioactive natural products. Such reactions include hydroxylation, chlorination and desaturation of unactivated carbon centers, in addition to a range of oxidative heterocyclization reactions, exemplified by the …

School Seminar: Professor David Deamer, University of California Santa Cruz: “From academe to industry: Evolution of nanopore sequencing”

Professor David Deamer, Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, [Email:  deamer@soe.ucsc.edu ] Host:  Dr Yu Heng Lau  [Map]. Abstract: The idea that it might be possible to sequence nucleic acids by passing them through a nanoscopic pore was conceived 30 years ago. During that time, the concept grew from a sketch in …

School seminar: Solvent-free approaches to nanoparticles synthesis and polymer functionalization and plasmonic catalytic hydrogenation reactions

Speaker:  Professor Audrey Moores, Centre for Green Chemistry, McGill University, Canada Host:  Associate Professor Liz New  [Map] Nanomaterials are intensely researched for their powerful properties applicable in the broad fields of medicine, electronics, optics and catalysis. We developed a novel synthetic method for the scalable production of metal and metal sulfide NPs under solvent-free, mechanochemical …

Special seminar: Continuous flow chemistry for organic synthesis. From electrochemistry to peptide synthesis

Speaker:  Dr Manuel Nuño, Vapourtec Ltd, Suffolk, United Kingdom Host:  Professor Richard Payne    [Map] Terpenes, such as valencene, are low cost, natural products which can modified into more added value compounds such as nootkatone, following conventional chemical routes involving heavy metals, such as chromium. Although electrochemistry was discovered more than two centuries ago, the limitations of …