TOMSK, Jan 16 – RIA Tomsk. Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) under the leadership of the Belgian professor Francis Verpoort created a nanoframe catalyst based on zirconium, which at times accelerates chemical processes, and can be used to produce new materials, is reported on Wednesday on the website of the university.
It is specified that the creation of metalloorganic nanocarcasses is considered to be one of the promising areas in modern chemistry. They can be used as "green" catalysts when creating new materials, since they increase the efficiency of chemical reactions and do not contain harmful substances. The concept of "green chemistry" involves reducing the negative impact of the chemical industry on the environment.
"TPU scientists, under the leadership of Francis Verpoort, synthesized a nanoframe catalyst based on zirconium. It many times speeds up the formation of esters from levulinic acid derived from the waste of the pulp and woodworking industry. This is a necessary step for further use of acid in organic synthesis and pharmacology", – is said in the statement.
According to Professor Verpoort, metalloorganic nanocarcasses – are promising hybrid molecules. They represent a three-dimensional grid, in the nodes of which there are atoms of metals, and they are connected by organic bridges.
As it specified on the website, unlike classical catalysts for organic chemistry, "green" ones almost never dissolve in the reaction mass, which allows to successfully allocate and reuse them. And by themselves they do not have any harmful compounds.According to the press service of the university, at Tomsk Polytechnic University Professor Verpoort works at the Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences. Here he formed four scientific directions with the participation of graduate students and undergraduates.
About School
Earlier it was reported that in 2017 Tomsk Polytechnic University held a reform: instead of departments and research and educational institutes, were created schools – engineering, basic engineering training, engineering entrepreneurship and two research ones.
The TPU Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences is intended primarily for the training of personnel of the highest category, namely, candidates of sciences. For this purpose a new unique integrated master's program "Advanced Chemical and Biomedical Technologies" was opened here.
The second master school – is an English-language network program between TPU and Siberian State Medical University (SSMU) "Biomedical Sciences and Engineering".
The School is headed by Mehman Yusubov Doctor of Chemistry.