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, Bristoland Southampton, is gearing up to showcase their innovative work at this year’s Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition(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 University of Nottingham, 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.
“Malaria 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.”
Story credits
More information is available from Professor Michael George, in the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, on +44 (0) 115 9513512, mike.george@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham 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 The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
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 second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s 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.
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