Finding the missing links
Inorganic chemistry at the University of Bristol
Inorganic chemists have every element of the periodic table to play with, but a group of researchers at the University of Bristol look at forming links between certain interesting metals to make materials with novel electronic, magnetic or optical properties. All these properties depend on the type of link between the metals.
As science fictional as it sounds, these have real, practical uses. One major area is molecular electronics. Think of your computer, and imagine less than 30 years ago that technology would have filled a vast room. Computers will keep shrinking and the molecular scale devices these scientists are aiming to produce provide the ultimate in miniaturisation.
These molecules show other properties too. For instance, shining one type of light on them results in another one emerging. This amazing feature can be used in some cancer therapies, tuning the beam targeting tumours.
For chemists, it is the changes in the link which is really fascinating and as they design these links on the atomic scale, they have control over all the possible variables of size, shape, flexibility and composition.
There is still plenty of work required though! These molecules might have all the right features, but we have still to build a real device, let alone make the processes industrially feasible.
The group??s lab in the new Synthetic Chemistry Building lives up to most expectations, being a colourful mix of hi-tech equipment and homemade apparatus filled with bubbling mixtures. And it is just possible that within your lifetime, something you use every day will have started life here.
Molecule linkage images courtesy of Keira Stobie
Submitted by: Keira Stobie, 04 April 2003
