Chemistry Central Blog
Chemistry Central Journal author joins the editorial board
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Sébastien Sauvé, associate professor in the department of chemistry at the university of Montreal, Canada, to the editorial board. He will act as an editorial adviser on analytical, aquatic and environmental chemistry, in addition to geochemistry and mass spectrometry.
Dr Sauvé's numerous areas of research interest include: soil and environmental chemical and ecotoxicological evaluations, such as the environmental fate of contaminants and pharmaceuticals; quantification of the occurrence and transformation of nanoparticles and nanotechnology in the environment; and chemical speciation, including the kinetics of complication and dissociation, as well as adsorption and desorption rates at the solid-liquid interface. His research also focuses on creating conceptual and computational models that integrate environmental fate, chemical speciation and bioavailability.
Dr Sauvé recently published a preliminary communication in Chemistry Central Journal reporting the use of graphite
furnace atomic absorption spectrometry in studying the effects of two complexing agents on the fractionation
of beryllium in human serum.
Preliminary communication
Study
on the effects of nitrilotriproprionic acid and
4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzene disulphonate on the fractionation of
beryllium in human serum using graphite furnace atomic absorption
spectrometry
Chadi H Stephan, Michel Fournier, Pauline Brousseau, Sebastien Sauve
Chemistry Central Journal 2008, 2:10 (14 May 2008)
[Abstract] [Provisional PDF]
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 10:15 Comments (0)
Chemistry Central appoints new Section Editor
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Yang Gan (Harbin Institute of
Technology, China) as Section Editor for geochemistry, nuclear and radiochemistry and
surface/interfacial chemistry.
Prof Gan, who also serves as an editorial adviser for physical chemistry, joined the board in October 2007. His research interests lie in the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in various areas, such as in the study of the interaction of oxide particles in high salt concentrations, the relationship between atomic scale structure and surface charge behaviour of hydroxylated alpha alumina, and crack extension behaviour in brittle solids.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 12:02 Comments (0)
Chemistry Central appoints two researchers to its editorial board
We are delighted to announce the following two appointments to the editorial board.
Dr. Muhammad A. Rauf, associate professor of physical chemistry at the United Arab Emirates university, UAE, has joined the editorial boards of environmental chemistry, nuclear/radiochemistry, and photochemistry.
Dr Rauf is involved in the study and application of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in the treatment of industrial effluents. The AOPs can be used to break chemicals down into less harmful substances, or completely destroy them under normal environmental conditions. He is interested in the analysis of the degraded species, and the interpretation of the associated kinetic data. Other interests include, the removal of selective metal ions/chemicals from solution using physical or chemical techniques such as adsorption and complexation, in addition to solute-solvent interactions.
Dr Plourde's research is focused on asymmetric synthetic methodology and its application in the synthesis of natural products, in addition to the isolation, characterisation and synthesis of compounds found in medicinal plants used by the First Nations of Northern British Columbia. Other interests include the medicinal chemistry of anti-cancer active compounds.
His support for open access to chemical research is also demonstrated by his acting as the guest editor of an upcoming special edition of Molecules.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 12:23 Comments (0)
We are delighted to announce that Professor Bruno Pignataro of the department of physical chemistry at the university of
Palermo, Italy, has joined the editorial boards of nanotechnology and materials
chemistry.
Prof Pignataro's numerous research interests include the self-organisation of proteins and other biological materials, bidimensional
order in self-organised molecular monolayers, in addition to organic materials for use in plastic
electronic components such as transistors, photovoltaic cells, sensors and
biosensors. To study the chemical, mechanical, optical, and
electrical properties of nanoscale stuctures, his laboratory employs various
techniques, including advanced scanning probe methods and surface
spectroscopic techniques. He is a past
coordinator of the young chemists group of the Italian
chemical society, and chaired the first
European young chemist award in 2006.
He also acted as the
editor of the recently published book, 'Tomorrow's
Chemistry Today: Concepts in Nanoscience, Organic Materials and Environmental
Chemistry', which provides an overview of rising young scientists in the
fields of organic, materials and biochemistry.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 14:23 Comments (0)
Chemistry Central Journal recruits Emeritus Professor of biochemistry to the editorial board
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Edward J. Behrman, Emeritus Professor in the department of biochemistry at Ohio State University, USA, to the biochemistry and organic chemistry editorial boards.
Prof Behrman research programme is directed towards the synthesis and detailed characterisation of biochemically significant molecules, including sugars, nucleosides, nucleotides, sugar nucleotides
as well as other similar biomolecules. His laboratory employs mass spectrometry,
nuclear magnetic resonance, IR, and other techniques to determine the
physical and chemical properties of newly synthesised compounds. Other interests include the chemistry of osmium and peroxydisulphates. To date, he has authored over 160 published research manuscripts.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 14:38 Comments (0)
ESR expert joins the editorial board of Chemistry Central Journal
Professor Gareth R. Eaton,
John Evans professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the university of Denver, Colorado, USA, has joined the editorial board of NMR, ESR and
NQR spectroscopy.
Prof Eaton is interested in numerous applications of electron spin resonance (ESR), including the
development of CW, pulsed and and rapid scan imaging
methodologies for in vivo applications. By measuring spin relaxation
times using pulsed ESR techniques, insights can be gained into molecular
dynamics, and measurements at multiple resonance frequencies can lead to the
assignment of reaction mechanisms. Other applications include studies on metalloenzymes, for instance in investigating the iron binding site in transferrin. He is also interested in the application of pulsed and CW ESR techniques in
measuring interspin distance as applied to spin-labelled
metmyoglobin and carbonic anhydrase, and other biomolecules
containing two unpaired electrons.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 12:28 Comments (0)
Chemistry Central Journal recruits inorganic chemist to the editorial board
Professor Lee Cronin of the University of Glasgow, UK, has recently joined the editorial boards of nanotechnology, supramolecular and inorganic chemistry.
Prof Cronin's group is interested in the design and assembly of molecular architectures using coordinative and weak interactions, as well as the use of ligand design to develop building blocks that can promote the assembly/binding process. The research aims at the discovery and design of molecules and materials with interesting properties. The group also focuses its efforts on the manipulation of well-known molecular architectures such as DNA and proteins. The research is interdisciplinary, and uses employs numerous characterisation techniques including theoretical computational, magnetic, electrochemical, conductive, and TM/SEM.
In addition to his being recently granted a 2007 Philip Leverhulme prize, Prof Cronin's other awards include the Nexxus young scientist award (2006) and an EPSRC Advanced Fellowship (2005).
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 11:44 Comments (0)
Chemistry Central continues to recruit excellent researchers to its editorial board
We are delighted to announce the arrival of the following new editorial board members:
Professor Alan Armstrong of Imperial College London, UK, joins the editorial boards of organic and synthetic chemistry.
Prof Armstrong's research is focussed on the development of new synthetic methodologies as well as target-oriented organic synthesis, including the total synthesis of natural products. Of key importance in both areas is the need to develop new ways of controlling both relative and absolute stereochemistry. His other interests include the use of molecular modelling in the prediction of the properties of new molecules.
He has been awarded numerous awards, including the Royal Society of Chemistry's Corday-Morgan Medal and Prize (2002), and has been a member of the EPSRC peer review college since 1997.
Dr James Barker of Kingston University, UK, joins the editorial boards of analytical chemistry, nuclear/radio chemistry, medicinal chemistry and toxicology. 
Dr Barker's research broad range of interests include mass spectrometry - in particular, the separation and characterisation of compounds obtained from plant extracts and their possible therapeutic use -, the toxicological evaluation and monitoring of contaminated landfill sites in addition to radiological analysis, the LC and LCMS analysis of peptides, and forensic analysis of materials and drugs of abuse in relation to vehicular crime.
He has been a member of the RSC's analytical chemists' panel of assessors since 1997, acting as Chairman from 2001-2004.
Dr Dwayne Heard of the University of Leeds, UK, joins the editorial boards of atmospheric chemistry, chemical kinetics and photochemistry.
Dr Heard's research is focussed on making field measurements of key atmospheric intermediates, such as the hydroxyl, halogen and peroxy radicals, using laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. His group has carried out such field-tests worldwide. Other interests include studies on the chemical kinetics and photochemistry of atmospheric reactions, using laser flash-photolysis combined with a variety of laser spectroscopic probes.
Professor A. J. Shaka of the University of California, Irvine, USA, joins the editorial boards of NMR, ESR and NQR spectroscopy, and physical chemistry.
Prof Shaka's research centres on improving NMR techniques and applying them to high field solution experiments from small molecules to very large proteins. His group collaborates with structural biologists, organic chemists, crystallographers, and theoretical chemists in the search for improved methods to identify and characterize molecular structure and dynamics in solution.
Dr. Balakrishnan Naduvalath of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA, joins the editorial boards of atmospheric chemistry, chemical physics and computational/theoretical chemistry. He has also been appointed Section Editor for both atmospheric and computational/theoretical chemistry.
Dr. Naduvalath's research interests lie principally in the development of theoretical and computational algorithms to study chemical reactions in a wide variety of environments. The computational methods are applied to the quantitative description of processes of interest in the earth's atmosphere. He is also interested in astrochemsitry as well as fundamental issues in atomic and molecular physics.
Dr Patrick McGowan of the University of Leeds, UK, joins the editorial boards of chemical biology, and transition metal and organometallic chemistry.
Dr McGowan is interested in the synthesis of anti-tumour compounds, including the use of soluble titanium compounds on cis-platin resistant cell lines. Other interests include the preparation, characterisation and evaluation of early and late transition metal compounds as catalysts, for instance in the hydrogenation of polybutadiene. His group is also interested in the development of late transition metal dihydrogen complexes, for instance those involving functionalised cyclopentadienyl and tri-azacyclononane ligands.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 15:57 Comments (0)
Chemistry Central Journal appoints more physical chemists to the editorial board
We are delighted to announce the arrival of the following newcomers to the editorial advisory board:
Professor Parisa A. Ariya of the departments of chemistry and atmospheric/oceanic sciences at McGill University, Canada, joins the editorial boards of atmospheric chemistry and photochemistry.
Prof Ariya's
research is focusses on better understanding the chemical transformation of ozone
precursors, photo-oxidants, heavy metal
and bioorganic toxicants and their
implications in climate change. The group uses kinetic and photochemical
investigations, as well as performing highly sensitive measurements of ozone
precursors to characterize chains of chemical reactions in atmosphere, and at
the air/water/snow interfaces. Further research activities include complementary
computational and atmospheric chemical modelling of the reaction intermediates in the
atmosphere, to simulate complex chemical interactions. Prof Ariya will take up full editorial duties in the summer of 2008.
Professor Yang Gan of the Harbin Institute of
Technology, China, joins the geochemistry, physical chemistry, and
surface/interfacial chemistry editorial boards.
Prof Gan's research interests lie in the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in various areas, such as in studying how oxide particles interact in high salt concentrations, studies on the relationship between atomic scale structure and surface charge behaviour of hydroxylated alpha alumina, and crack extension behaviour in brittle solids.
Professor Carey K. Johnson of the University of Kansas, USA, joins the editorial boards of analytical chemistry and spectroscopy.
Prof Johnson's laboratory is particularly interested in calcium
signalling proteins, such as calmodulin. In such studies,
single-molecule methods have revealed new intermediate states and
dynamics, providing insights into how these molecules function. His
other research includes detecting domain motions in proteins and
peptides. Ultrafast laser pulses and high time-resolution detection are
used to detect re-orientational dynamics on the time scales of molecular
tumbling, intramolecular motions, or fast protein domain motions. Prof
Johnson is also interested in using time-resolved fluorescence methods
to develop new techniques for ultra-sensitive fluorescence detection of
substrate binding to DNA or proteins.
Professor James K. McCusker of the Michigan State University, USA, joins the editorial boards of inorganic, physical and photochemistry.
Prof McCusker's research group is interested in the physical and photophysical properties of transition metal complexes, relying on a range of physical techniques from magnetism to femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy, and high-level theory. He is interested in the ultrafast excited-state dynamics of transition metal compounds, the photophysics and photochemistry of exchange-coupled compounds, the electronic structure effects on electron and energy transfer dynamics and photovoltaic materials.
We are also delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Dennis Lindle as a Section Editor for chemical physics.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 11:41 Comments (0)
Chemistry Central Journal's editorial board continues to grow
We are delighted to welcome the following newcomers to the editorial board:
Prof Rudolf Allemann of the school of chemistry at the University of Cardiff joins the biochemistry, bioorganic and chemical biology editorial boards.
Prof Allemann’s research principally focuses on the physical and chemical basis of enzyme catalysis and synthetic biology. His studies include those on sequiterpene synthases as a means of studying a typical example of the generation of molecular diversity from a single precursor by a large family of structurally related enzymes. He is also interested in using NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography to study the mechanisms by which hydrogen tunnelling occur in proteins. Other interests include photonic control of biomacromolecular function, in which small peptides are activated with external light pulses, to control interactions involved in biological processes, and thus better understand processes such as gene expression and cell proliferation.
Professor Garnet K.L. Chan, assistant professor in the department of chemistry and chemical biology at Cornell University, USA, joins the computational and theoretical chemistry editorial board.
Prof Chan’s research interests centre on the electronic structure and dynamics of complex processes, involving the development of new and more powerful theoretical techniques to enable the description of strong electronic correlation problems. Of particular theoretical interest is the construction of fast (polynomial) algorithms to solve the quantum many-particle problem, and the treatment of correlation in time-dependent processes.
He has been the recipient of a number of awards, including the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2007) and the National Science Foundation CAREER award (2007).
Professor Charles Okujeni of the department of earth sciences at the University of the Western Cape, joins the editorial boards of
geochemistry and mineralogy.
Prof Okujeni’s principal areas of expertise lie in exploration geochemistry, environmental geochemistry, and economic geology. His research focuses on regolith geochemistry in semi-arid/arid terrain; element dispersion plumes; enhancement of surface geochemical response by selective extraction techniques; the application of alteration and litho-geochemical vectors in prospecting concealed ore mineralization; the geochemistry of the unsaturated zone; and geochemical modelling of pollution plume migration patterns.
Professor Dennis W. Lindle, chair in the department of chemistry at the University of Nevada, USA, joins the editorial boards of chemical physics, physical chemistry and spectroscopy.
As a means of better understanding the electronic structure, molecular geometry, and dynamics of the decay process, Prof Lindle's group investigates the many ways in which atoms and molecules dissipate the large amount of energy received from x-ray absorption. To pursue these efforts, the group uses synchrotron radiation
Professor James K McCusker of the Michigan state university, USA, joins the editorial boards of inorganic, physical and photochemistry.
Prof McCusker's group is interested in the physical and photophysical properties of transition metal complexes including photovoltaic materials and exchange-coupled compounds. He is also interested in electronic structure effects on electron and energy transfer dynamics and the ultrafast excited-state dynamics of transition metal compounds. He uses a range of physical techniques including magnetism and femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy, as wel as high-level theory.
Dr Alicia Ronco of the department of chemistry at the National University of La Plata (UNLP), Argentina, joins the editorial boards of atmospheric and environmental chemistry and toxicology.
Dr Ronco is presently a Member Argentinean National Research Council and head of the Environmental Research Centre of the Faculty of Sciences of the UNLP.
Prof. Mathias O. Senge, head of organic, medicinal, and biological chemistry at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, joins the editorial boards photochemistry, supramolecular, bioorganic and organic chemistry.
Prof Senge’s interests centre on synthetic bioorganic chemistry, in particular the interface between chemistry and biology/medicine. Interests include conformational control of biological cofactors, nonplanar porphyrins, synthesis and reactivity of heteroaromatic compounds, porphodimethenes, biosynthesis of tetrapyrroles; catecholase reactions. In the field of photochemistry, he is interested in photosynthesis and photobiology, photosensitization, light as a 'drug', the function of chlorophyll, model compounds for electron transfer, photodynamic (cancer) therapy; cancer indication, and schizophrenia.
Professor John R. Sodeau, head of physical chemistry at University College Cork, Ireland, joins the editorial boards of atmospheric chemistry, photochemistry and physical chemistry.
Prof Sodeau’s research centres on the photochemistry and photophysics of compounds in gas, liquid and solid phases with applications to atmospheric chemistry and biotechnology. His present research is directed towards the following topics: ‘Ices’ and their influence on ozone depletion mechanisms in the troposphere and stratosphere, the atmospheric chemistry of aerosols, applications of bacterial semiconductors in clean technology and toxicological studies; in addition to the photophysics of siderophores.
Professor Andreas Türler, chair of the radiochemistry at the Technische Universität München, Germany, joins the editorial board of nuclear and radio chemistry.
Prof Türler's research interests include the chemistry and physics of super heavy elements including the decay characteristics of heavy and super heavy nuclides, the synthesis of heavy and super heavy elements, nuclear transformation reactions, and chemical and kinematic separation systems. He is also interested in radio analytic techniques, such as neutron activation analysis, promptly gamma ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) with cold neutrons, and accelerator measured spectroscopy (AMS) heavy nuclides (e.g. Pu). Other interests include isotope effects of tritium, migration of actinides in colloid form, refuse disposal (nuclear management waste), and neutron and gamma-ray tomography.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 10:30 Comments (0)
Chemistry Central Journal announces new editorial board members
We would first like to announce the appointment of Vladimir Kren as the Section Editor for carbohydrate chemistry.
We are also delighted to welcome the following newcomers to the editorial board:
Professor
Enrique J. Baran of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina, joins
the editorial board of solid state chemistry.
Prof Baran's interests include the study of inorganic systems of biological significance, including the bioinorganic chemistry of vanadium and biomineralization systems. His research also focuses on the structural, spectroscopic, magnetic and thermal properties of simple and mixed oxides, in addition to investigations as to the vibrational properties of inorganic species.
Professor Jean-François Gohy of the Université catholique de
Louvain joins the editorial boards of nanotechnology and polymer chemistry.
Prof Gohy’s research is focussed on nanostructured polymeric materials, ranging from liquid crystalline polymers, ionomers, block copolymers, supramolecular polymers and their combination in complex materials. He is also interested in self-assembly processes in polymeric systems and the application of such structures in nanotechnology.
Dr Michael A. R. Meier of the University of Applied Sciences, Oldenburg/Ostfriesland/Wilhelmshaven, Germany joins the editorial boards of combinatorial and high-throughput synthesis, mass spectrometry, natural product chemistry, and polymer chemistry.
Dr Meier's junior research group, of which he is head, is interested in the synthesis of chemical intermediates from plant oil renewable resources that might be suited for the substitution of fossil based feed stock. A particular focus is on efficient, catalytic transformations, such as olefin metathesis, and the application of the substances obtained as novel monomers for poly-condensation reactions and controlled/living polymerization techniques.
Professor Jerzy Narbutt, head of the department of radiology at the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, Warsaw, Poland, joins the editorial board of nuclear and radio chemistry.
Prof Narbutt's interests lie principally in radiochemistry, with emphasis on radiopharmaceutical chemistry. He is also involved in research into the chemistry of coordination compounds, intermolecular interactions in solutions, and inorganic ion exchangers. His group's present research focusses on the factors affecting the coordination number of central metal ions in chelate complexes. Novel complexes of technetium and rhenium are being studied as potential radiopharmaceuticals or as their precursors. In addition, novel transition metal complexes of expected antitumor properties are being synthesised and studied. Other interests include the isotope effects in chemical reactions, in particular, the influence of the coordinative environment of the central metal ion on the properties of its isotopes. Special attention is focused upon the use of the nuclear field effect for the development of new effective methods for the separation of stable isotopes.
Dr Chris J Richards of the University
of East Anglia, UK, joins the editorial boards of catalysis, organic and
organometallic chemistry.
Dr Richard's research interests lie in developing methodologies for the synthesis of novel chemical entities as catalysts. Much of his research is based on the application of transition metal complexes and metallocenes for the enantioselective synthesis of chiral molecules. Other interests include prebiotic chemistry as well as the stereochemical and catalytic properties of complex chemical systems.
Professor Erzsébet Takács of the Institute of Isotopes at the Hungarian academy of sciences, joins the editorial board of nuclear and radio chemistry.
Prof Takács' research interests include studies on the kinetics of radiation polymerization using pulse radiolysis, wastewater treatment by high energy radiation, and radiation modification of cellulose (degradation, grafting). She is also interested in determining the rate parameters of initiation, propagation and termination of the radiation-initiated polymerization of acrylate and methacrylate type monomers.
Professor Arturo A. Vitale of the University of Buenos Aires joins the editorial boards of catalysis, environmental and pesticide chemistry.
Prof Vitale’s research centres on the development of chiral homogeneus catalysts and the synthesis of labelled compounds for biological mapping. His studies find application in the fields of nuclear medicine, as the pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries.
Dr David Vocadlo
of the Simon Fraser University, Canada, joins the editorial
boards of carbohydrate chemistry and chemical biology.
Dr Vocadlo's group studies the dynamic post-translational glycosylation of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins, with the aim of developing new chemical and proteomics tools for studying the role of intracellular glycosylation in cells and tissues as well as the enzymes involved in these processes. His research aims at the discovery and development of new agents to treat type 2 diabetes, neuro-degenerative diseases and cancer. In addition to being a Canada Research Chair he has numerous accolades including the NSERC doctoral prize (2003).
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 12:00 Comments (0)
Chemistry Central Journal announces new editorial board members
New Section Editors
We are delighted to announce the appointment of the following board members to the position of Section Editor: Professor Paul Wrede (molecular biology), Professor Ole Andersen (toxicology), and Professor Andrzej Wieckowski (electrochemistry).
New Editorial Board members
In addition, we would like to welcome the following newcomers to the editorial board:
Professor Richard G Compton of the university of Oxford, UK, joins the editorial boards of electrochemistry and physical chemistry.
Prof Compton research interests include studies on reactions at solid/liquid interface, sono-, photo- and computational-electrochemistry, and voltammetric study of fast chemical reactions. His group uses atomic force microscopy to acquire both kinetic and topographical information on reactions occurring at interfaces. Potential applications include: Dissolution of organic crystals including designer drugs, mechanisms of crystal growth and inhibition, the chemistry of dyeing/bleaching fabrics, mechanism of industrial heterogeneous synthetic processes, reactivity at different faces of the same crystal. Other studies include the use of voltammetry to monitor ultrasonically-formed radicals and other high energy species and are engaged in 'dual activation' experiments in which electrolytically formed species are further transformed by ultrasound directed at the electrode surface to generate new chemistry and novel intermediates. He is also interested in the use of voltammetry in the study of fast chemical reactions and the use of computer simulations to predict the pattern of flow around electrodes and to track the concentrations of species as they vary in space and time during electrolysis.
Dr John Fossey of the University of Bath, UK, joins the editorial boards of organic and organometallic chemistry.
Dr Fossey's research in organometallic/metalloid chemistry centres on topology, that is, how changes in reactivity and selectivity are governed by a molecule's shape or change of shape in situ. He also has an interest in asymmetric catalysis.
Prof David W Gammon of the university of Cape Town, South Africa, joins the carbohydrate chemistry editorial board. 
Prof Gammon's research focuses on the discovery and synthesis of organic molecules with medicinal or pharmaceutical value. The research has spanned the range of activities from structure determination through synthesis of small, biologically active compounds, to organic process development. His current research includes the synthesis of carbohydrate-containing biologically active molecules, the use of heterogeneous catalysts, such as zeolites, in the synthesis of chemical intermediates for the fine chemicals industry, and the isolation and structure determination of bio-active compounds from medicinal plants.
Professor Chris Hardacre of Queen's University, Belfast, UK, joins the editorial boards of catalysis, chemical engineering and physical chemistry.
Prof Hardacre's interests include heterogeneous catalysis, synchrotron radiation, catalytic organic transformations, structure-reactivity correlations and ionic liquids. His group's research is broadly centred on the use of catalysts in both liquid and gas phase reactions, the structure of materials, the use of ionic liquids for chemical processing and chemical engineering. He is the director of research at the Centre for the Theory and Application of Catalysis, at Queen's University, and chair of physical chemistry.
Professor Vladimir Kren, head of the biotransformation laboratory at the Czech academy of sciences' institute of microbiology, joins the bioorganic, carbohydrate and chemical biology editorial boards.
Prof Kren's research focuses on chemical and enzymic modifications of ergot alkaloids, the preparation of glycosidases of microbial origin and their use for glycosylation of natural compounds, biotransformations of natural products by enzymes and microorganisms, and the use of immobilized microbial cells in the production and biotransformation of natural products. He is also interested in glycoconjugates as well as antioxidants and chemoprotectants based on silybin.
He has received numerous awards including the Czech Academy of Sciences' award for excellent project results (2003), as well as being a serving member on advisory boards within the Czech ministry of education.
Dr Anil Mahapatro of Norfolk State university, USA, joins editorial boards of biotechnology, catalysis, materials and polymer chemistry.
Dr Mahapatro's research lies in biocatalysis and biomaterials. In particular he is interested in drug delivery from implants using the modification of metal surfaces via self assembled monolayers (SAMs); the synthesis of biodegradable aliphatic/aromatic/functional polymers for biomedical applications; and, the development of enzyme-linked immunoassays and biosensors. In the field of biocatalysis, his interests centre on surface modification of functional SAMs using biocatalysis; biocatalysis in polymers science; enzyme-catalyzed reactions in organic media; and, process engineering of enzymatic reactions.
Professor Lisa J Mauer of Purdue university, USA, joins the editorial boards of carbohydrate chemistry, food science, and spectroscopy. Professor Mauer's research centres on characterising the effects of processing on the functional, physical, and structural properties of food ingredients, FT-IR and continuum IR analysis on food and packaging, the development of rapid methods to detect microorganisms in foods, edible film and food coating systems, as well as optimizing space food quality for an extended mission beyond low Earth orbit (funded by NASA).
Professor Brad L. Reuhs of Purdue university, USA, joins the carbohydrate chemistry editorial board.
Prof Reuhs' interests include polysaccharide structures, plant and bacterial cell wall analysis, the extraction and purification of acidic polysaccharides from cell walls, pectin, capsule, gum, and lipopolysaccharide analysis, as well as the the role of polysaccharides in bacteria-legume symbiosis. He employs methods including HPLC, GC-MS, and NMR in the structural studies of carbohydrates and polysaccharides.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 15:55 Comments (0)
Chemistry Central Journal announces new editorial board members
We are delighted to welcome the following newcomers to the editorial board of Chemistry Central Journal:
Dr Henrik Frandsen of the National Food Institute at the Danish Technical University, Søborg, joins the editorial board of toxicology. 
Dr Frandsen is interested in the investigation of the metabolism of suspected carcinogenic compounds in food, the identification of reactive metabolites and the development of biomarkers for exposure and effect. His research has focussed particularly on two class of compounds formed during heat processing of food, heterocyclic aromatic amines and the products of the Maillard reaction, such as acrylamide.
Dr Tony D James of the University of Bath, UK, joins the carbohydrate, photochemistry and supramolecular chemistry editorial boards.
Dr James has wide-ranging experience within the field of supramolecular chemistry, and has published an RSC book on Boronic Acids in Saccharide Recognition. His group is interested in the synthesis and applications of novel boronates containing an intramolecular N-B coordinate bond. In addition, his research has focussed on modular fluorescent saccharide sensors, fluorescence internal charge transfer (ICT) saccharide sensors, colorimetric saccharide sensors, electrochemical saccharide sensors, and chiral discriminating fluorescence sensors. Of his published articles, two have been cited over 200 times.
Dr Stepan N. Kalmykov of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia, joins the nuclear and radio chemistry editorial board.
Dr Kalmykov's is principally interested in environmental radiochemistry and radioanalytical chemistry. His studies include radionuclide migration in the geosphere, actinide elements solution chemistry, methods of separation and pre-concentration of radionuclides and low-level nuclear spectroscopy. He is a member of the International Union of Radioecology and the American Nuclear Society.
Dr Stephan Klemme of the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh, UK, joins the geochemistry editorial board.
Dr Klemme's studies centre on igneous and experimental petrology and geochemistry, especially on the phase relations of the upper mantle and the behaviour of trace elements in magmatic processes. His recent work includes experimental studies on the behaviour of trace elements in subduction zone systems and experimental studies on the stability of chromium-rich mantle minerals in the deep earth. He also studies fundamental physical parameters of geologically relevant materials and investigates the nature of the earth’s mantle by studying diamond inclusions and mantle xenoliths.
Professor Monica Palcic of the Carlsberg Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark joins the editorial boards of carbohydrate chemistry and chemical biology.
Prof Palcic's research centres on mechanistic enzymology with the goal of obtaining detailed molecular descriptions of enzyme reactions. She is particularly interested in amine oxidases and enzymes involved in oligosaccharide biosynthesis, both glycosyltransferases and glycosidases. In order to better understand the functional role of cell surface carbohydrates, she focuses her studies on the design and evaluation of inhibitors of glycosyltransferases and glycosidases on purified enzymes and cell culture systems for developing improved assays, for instance, primarily capillary electrophoresis methods.
Professor David K Smith of the department of Chemistry at the University of York, UK joins the supramolecular, nanotechnology and polymer chemistry editorial boards.
Prof Smith is interested in interfaces between chemistry, biology and physics, with particular emphasis on supramolecular and nanoscale technology. He is interested in supramolecular dendrimers, materials able to bind to DNA (gene therapy), and medicinal polymers able to intervene in the development of various deseases including hyperphosphatemia. He boast numerous awards including the 2004 Royal Society of Chemistry Higher Education Award. He had editorial responsibilities on a ‘special issue’ of Tetrahedron (2003, 59, 3787-4024) in which he was involved in commissioning articles on dendrimer chemistry.
Prof Benjamin van der Veken of the University of Antwerp, Belgium, joins the editorial board of spectroscopy.
Prof van der Veken's research focusses on the vibrational spectroscopy of cryosolutions, that is, the investigation of the infrared and Raman spectra of relatively small molecules disolved in liquid rare gases (mostly argon and krypton) as a means of elucidating the presence of weak intermolecular interactions. He is also interested in the study of the rotation-vibration behaviour of small molecules in solution, and the study of Fermi and Darling-Dennison resonance interactions in higher-excited states. The experimental studies are supported by extensive Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics and ab initio calculations. Prof van der Veken is also a fellow of IUPAC.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 16:46 Comments (0)