Few disciplines are as stimulating, exciting, and fast-moving as Chemistry. You will seek answers to some of life’s most fundamental questions, learn about the latest advances in inorganic, organic and physical chemistry, and harness the power of new technologies.
Gunshot residues provide crucial forensic evidence for police investigating serious crimes. These tiny particles leave traces on clothes when a gun fires that are extremely difficult to get rid of. Current analyses rely on an electron microscope – a machine that lacks the sensitivity to spot differences between different kinds of ammunition.
Dr Melanie Bailey and researchers in the Ion Beam Centre (IBC) and Department of Chemistry are developing a revolutionary new approach that harnesses an ion beam accelerator to make possible more fine-grained analyses.
Firing an ion beam – a beam made up of charged particles – at gunshot residue samples results in gamma rays and x-rays being emitted. Because different elements emit specific kinds of radiation, it’s possible for researchers to pick up subtle differences in chemical composition.
It’s a technique that could boost the standing of gunshot residue evidence in criminal cases across the land.
Hand on heart: do you take for granted the safety of the water you drink? If so, you might be shocked to learn that exposure to arsenic through water supplies is now a major public health concern according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The good news is, researchers like Prof. Neil I. Ward, and his colleagues in the Department of Chemistry, have pioneered speciation techniques that help us understand both the levels, and kinds (‘species’), of arsenic found in water supplies in areas of certain countries.
Understanding the ‘species’ of arsenic in water is essential. Drinking inorganic forms of arsenic regularly has been associated with serious health complications – from diabetes and cardiovascular disease to gastrointestinal problems and even cancer.
Arsenic is actually found naturally in the earth’s crust, from where it makes its way into the water supply. This is particularly a problem in areas where water gets contaminated by volcanic materials, such as ash deposits from previous eruptions, or present-day geothermal features.
The researchers are continuing to work with communities in affected countries across South America, monitoring arsenic levels, tracking associated health issues and providing educational support.
With reserves of conventional crude oils declining, increasing attention is being focused on the development of more efficient methods of extraction.
At the new $7 million BP-funded Centre for Petroleum and Surface Chemistry (BP-CPSC), Professor Spencer Taylor and his research team are already investigating new methods for the recovery of heavy and viscous oils from petroleum reservoirs around the world.
Unlocking heavy oil requires huge amounts of energy. The researchers believe that certain components inhibit extraction, increasing the energy input required to mobilise and recover the oil, and adversely influencing the efficiency of heavy oil production.
In order to overcome their effects, and improve recovery techniques, the group are seeking to understand these ‘bad actors’.
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Thursday 18 Apr. 2013
