Prof Vivek is a Leading researcher in a nanotechnology. He runs a nano-catalysis Laboratory in TIFR, integrated into the Division of Chemical Sciences (DCS). He uses principles of nanochemistry to make new materials which have widespread applications.

Prof Vivek has published many papers in international journals. His NANOCAT group (https://www.nanocat.co.in/ ) works on CO2 capture and conversion to tackle climate change through the development of novel nanomaterials for catalysis and solar energy harvesting

Prof. Vivek is a Fellow of the royal society of chemistry, UK. He has been rewarded an “Asian Rising Stars” at 15th Asian Chemical Congress (ACC), Singapore, by Nobel Laureate Professor Ei-ichi Negish . He has been recently awarded the 2022 IUPAC-CHEMRAWN VII Prize for Green Chemistry in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of green chemistry.

Terms used

If you’re not familiar with some of the terms used in this discussion – some key ones are described here for your reference:

• Artificial photosynthesis – A human-designed process that creates energy from Co2, water and sunlight, mimicking the same process which occurs naturally in plants.
• Catalysis – Increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a catalyst.
• CO2 – Carbon Dioxide, one of the major greenhouse gases, and one of the molecules used by plants to create energy from photosynthesis.
• Nano chemistry – Chemical process that rely on one or more component in a particle between 1 to 100 nm in diameter.
• Solar photons – Particles of light emitted from the Sun.
• Green Hydrogen – Hydrogen (H2) gener by renewable energy sources, or using low-carbon power.
• Electrochemical water splitting – Splitting water molecules into component Hydrogen (H2) and Oxygen (O2) molecules by passing an electric current through the water.
• Silica support – A (largely) non-reactive physical support medium for less robust chemically active compounds.
• Urea – A chemical compound with the formula CO(NH2)2. Although useful in a wide range of industrial processes, 90% of global urea production goes into fertilizers.

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

Music from https://filmmusic.io

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at 

www.helgroup.com

 online,

on LinkedIn at 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/

on Twitter, we're @hel_group, 

https://twitter.com/hel_group

or search for us on Facebook

If you’re not familiar with some of the terms used in this discussion – some key ones are described here for your reference:

• C rate – the charge and discharge rates of a battery. This varies by battery, but a 1C rate will be a defined current over a particular period of time. 
• Cell – The smallest form of a battery – best considered in consumer terms as a single AA or AAA, etc battery.
• Module – A number of individual cells connected together. Multiple modules will be used in a pack.
• Pack – A collection of battery cells, OR battery modules connected together to form the full power source for a device – for example the pack that would be connected to a power tool.
• Thermal runaway – Due to misuse, damage or aging, the process where a battery starts to self-heat. As the battery heats, it causes more damage, reading to greater heating, often resulting in fire, explosion or release of gases. An internal short-circuit is often the intermediate cause of the runaway. The runaway will continue until all the chemicals causing the runaway reaction have been consumed. These are very difficult reactions to stop once they have started.
• Arcing – Current passing through a gas, which causes the electrical breakdown of that gas, often accompanied by production of plasma and visible light.
• Series connection – connecting two or more batteries positive-to-negative. This provides a system that delivers the sum of the battery voltages, without adjust the amp hour output.  For example, two 4-volt 3 amp-hour, batteries in series would provide 8 volts and 3 amp hours. 
• Parallel connection – connecting two or more batteries together positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative. This provides a system with increased amp hour ratings, without adjusting the current. For example, two 4-volt 3 amp-hour, batteries in parallel would provide 4 volts and 6 amp hours.
• Burst disk – a single use pressure relief system, which is a surface that bursts when a certain pressure is exceeded.

Nigel also mentions the Munro Tesla teardown – you can find that video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeZzEg3GIcg

As well as www.batterydesign.net, Nigel is online at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-taylor-2131964/ 

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

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License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,
on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/ 
on Twitter, we're @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_group
or search for us on Facebook

 

• Bio-inorganic chemistry – the study of the role of metals in biological processes. This includes naturally occurring molecules and artificially introduced proteins.
• Metal center (active site) – the active metal in a larger molecule that reacts in (or catalyzes) a reaction
• Catalysis – increasing the rate of a reaction by introducing a substance to the reaction know as a catalyst. Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction.
• Functionalization of Carbon-Hydrogen bonds – converting a (Carbon-Hydrogen) C-H bond to a C-R bond. R represents a functional group that enables the final molecule to perform a specific reaction.
• Activation of Carbon-Hydrogen bonds – Reading (or breaking) the C-H bond so that the desired functional group can replace the Hydrogen.
• Enzyme – An organic catalyst, often found in nature and active in living cells. Enzymes are typically protein molecules.
• Organic molecule/organic substrate – A compound containing Carbon.
• Hydrogen bonding – An electrostatic force of interaction between a Hydrogen atom and another electronegative atom. The most common Hydrogen bonds occur between Hydrogen and either Nitrogen, Oxygen, or Fluorine.
• Reoxidize (oxidize) – during a reaction, a catalyst may accept electrons from the primary reactants or otherwise become reduced. Removing those electrons, or otherwise oxidizing the catalyst enables it to once more catalyze the reaction.
• Stoichiometric amount – Calculating the number of molecules (usually in moles) required for a given reaction.
• Photochemistry – Chemical reactions which are influenced by the presence or absence of light, often at specific wavelengths. Photochemistry is used to closely control reactions – i.e. the reaction will not take place if the correct light isn’t present.
• Motif – A specific part of a molecule – often found in a number of molecules.

Prof Maiti is contactable on social media, and you can find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/debabrata-maiti-54ab622a/

 

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

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Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,
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on Twitter, we're @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_group
or search for us on Facebook

 

Prior to Wega, Sebastian was head of process development at TUB (Technische Universität Berlin), where he also did his PhD.

Sebastian is contactable on social media, and you can find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-hans/
You can also connect with Sebastian via the Wega website link above.

Sebastian’s web link

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

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Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,
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on Twitter, we're @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_group
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Amanda’s research focuses on how to convert solar power into usable energy, or fuel, and useful materials or chemicals

You will hear the following terms used during the interview. I've included some descriptions here. 

• MOFs / Metalo-organic frameworks – Compounds made of metal ions, or clusters, connected to organic ligands, creating specific structures.  They are often poruous materials
• Artificial photosynthesis – A human-designed process that creates energy from Co2, water and sunlight, mimicking the same process which occurs naturally in plants.
• Catalysis – Increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a catalyst.
• CO2 – Carbon Dioxide, one of the major greenhouse gases, and one of the molecules used by plants to create energy from photosynthesis.
• Reducing / reduction – the gain of electrons, or a decrease in the oxidation state of an ion (or at specific sites in a molecule).
• Oxidation / oxidizing - the loss of electrons, or an increase in the oxidation state of an ion (or at specific sites in a molecule).
• Redox – A chemical reaction where the oxiadtaion states of atoms are changed. Typically the transfer of electrons leads to oxidation of one chemical component in the reaction, and the reduction of other chemical components.
• Heterogenous surface – A non-uniform surface, which allows different chemical reactions to occur at different points.
• Turnover number – The number of moles of substrate (a measure of the total number of molecules) that a catalyst can convert before becoming inactivated.
• Nano particles – A particle of matter in the range of 1 to 100 nm in diameter.
• Protons – A sub-atomic particle with a positive electric charge of +1e, present in the nucleus of every atom.
• Electron - A sub-atomic particle with a negative electric charge of -1e, which display properties of both particles and waves.
• Solar photons – Particles of light emitted from the Sun.
• Chlorophyll – A word to describe any one of a number of related green pigments found in plants, algae and bacteria. Chlorophyll absorbs energy from sunlight and, along with other molecules, uses that sunlight to provide energy for plant cells, ultimately through the oxidation of water.
• Chromophore – The part of a molecule that is responsible for its color.

Amanda is contactable on social media, and you can find them via on 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-morris-1a11b621/
Amanda is @amorri28 on Twitter - https://twitter.com/amorri28

Amanda’s lab page at Virginia Tech is https://chem.vt.edu/people/faculty/teaching-and-research/amorris.html – a great starting point for more information.

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H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,
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on Twitter, we're @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_group
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During his postdoctoral work in the lab of Carolyn R. Bertozzi at Stanford University as an Alexander von Humboldt foundation Feodor Lynen fellow, Ben developed an interest in "precision tools" to study glycosylation of human cells in great detail. He started as a Group Leader at the Crick and Imperial College London in 2018.

Towards the end of the show, Ben mentions a prize. Ben and colleagues from Imperial College and Stanford University were awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry's new Chemistry Biology Interface Division Horizon Prize, the Rita and John Cornforth Award. For more details, please check out this link on the Francis Crick Institute's website - https://www.crick.ac.uk/news/2021-06-08_research-prize-for-chemical-toolbox-to-study-the-role-of-cell-surface-sugars.

You will hear the following terms used during the interview. I've included some descriptions here. 

• Glycobiology - the study of complex sugar molecules in biological systems and cells.
• Glycobiome/glycoproteome – the total glycan make-up of a cell or organism
• Glycosylation – the addition of sugar molecules to other substances, often proteins.
• Glycans – complex sugar molecules composed of single sugar sub-units linked by chemical bonds
• Chemical biology – the application of chemical techniques, and often small molecules produced by chemistry to study biological processes.
• Biochemistry – the study of biomolecules and pathways in living systems
• Lectins – highly specific carbohydrate-binding proteins
• Antibody – a 'Y’-shaped protein produced by the immune system which identifies and binds to a specific substance
• Monosaccharide – a single sugar subunit
• Bioorthogonal chemistry – a chemical reaction that occurs in a living system without interfering with natural biochemistry
• Glycosyl transferase – enzymes which add a sugar (simple or complex) to an acceptor molecule
• Chemoenzymatic synthesis – producing chemical using biochemical pathways within cells
• CRISPR - CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, a family of specific DNA sequences in prokaryotes. Enzymes, such as 'Cas9' can modify DNA at these CRISPR sequences, editing in or out new DNA sequences. Although this technique is known correctly as CRISPR-Cas9, the discovery and development of a range of CRISPR-associated enzymes has led to the term 'CRISPR' being used as a generic term for this suite of gene editing technologies.
• Isoenzymes – enzymes that catalyse the same reaction, but have different amino acid sequences
• Proteolytic digest – breaking up a protein, or peptide, chain into smaller fragments
• Fluorophore – a fluorescent molecule (in this case, used as a reporter molecule)
• Biotin tag – a chemical molecule used as a reporter for other biomolecules
• Bio-organic chemistry – scientific studies combining organic chemistry and biochemistry, which studies biological processes using chemical methods.

You will hear the following terms used during the interview. I've included some descriptions here. 

• NMR – Nuclear Magnetic Resonance subjects samples to a strong magnetic fields and measures the resonance pattern of the nuclei. It is widely used to study the structure and dynamics of organic molecules.
• Palladium – A chemical element with atomic number 46. It is a rare metal and over 50% of palladium supply is used in catalytic processes, most commonly catalytic converters attached to automobile exhausts.
• Cobalt A chemical element with atomic number 27. Most commonly produced as a by-product of Copper and Nickel production, the main use for colbalt is in Li-ion batteries, and the production of certain high-strength metal alloys.
• Transition metal – in chemistry, the term transition metal is defined in one of three ways:
• Many scientists describe a "transition metal" as any element in the d-block of the periodic table, which includes groups 3 to 12 on the periodic table. In practice, the f-block lanthanide and actinide series are also considered transition metals and are called "inner transition metals".
• The IUPAC definition defines a transition metal as "an element whose atom has a partially filled d sub-shell, or which can give rise to cations with an incomplete d sub-shell".
• The expanded IUPAC definition specifies which elements are included. As well as the elements of groups 4 to 11, scandium and yttrium are included Lanthanum and actinium, which are considered group 3 elements, are however classified as lanthanides and actinides respectively
• Nucleophile – A chemical species that forms bonds with electrophiles by donating an electron pair.
• Oxidant – A substance that has the ability to oxidize another substance. In chemical reactions this refers to the oxidant accepting electrons.
• Intermediate – A chemical entity that is formed during a reaction, but that is typically converted to another form when the reaction completes.

During the discussion, Monica mentions a number of the publications that her groups have produced. Links to her publications are available from the group website.

Monica is contactable on social media, and you can find her on 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-h-perez-temprano-3659ab3b/ 
The group website is https://www.iciq.org/research/research_group/dr-monica-h-perez-temprano/ 
On Twitter, the group is @Perez_Temprano

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H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,
on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/ 
on Twitter, we're @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_group
or search for us on Facebook

 

You will hear the following terms used during the interview. I've included some descriptions here. 

• Quantum chemistry -The branch of chemistry that apply quantum mechanics to chemical systems, including electronic structure, molecular dynamics and Schrödinger equations.
• Biophysics – And approach to science that applies methods typically used in physics to study biology and biological systems.
• Glycoproteins – Proteins which contain oligosaccharide chains (glycans), attached to amino acid side-chains via a covalent bond.
• Carbohydrates – Molecules (typically biological) composed of Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen, typically with a 2:1 Hydrogen:Oxygen atom ratio.
• Glycan (or polysaccharide) – Compounds made of many monosaccharide subunits, linked via a glycoside bond.
• N-Glycans – Glycans attached to a protein at an Asparagine residue via an N-glycosidic bond.
• Sequon – A sequence of amino acids in a protein that serve as a carbohydrate binding site.The carbohydrate is often an N-linked-Glycan.
• Asparagine, proline, serine, threonine. – Amino acids found naturally in biological proteins. Asparagine, serine and threonine are required in specific combinations to form a sequon, proline must be absent from a sequon.
• Glycosaminoglycans or mucopolysaccharides- Long, linear glucans consisting of repeating disaccharide units – most commonly uronic acid and an amino sugar.
• Glycosylation – A reaction in which a carbohydrate molecule is attached to a functional group of another molecule (such as a hydroxyl).  In biology the term typically refers to the carbohydrate being attached to a protein molecule.
• Folded protein – Proteins have several levels of structure, secondary, tertiary (and arguably quaternary) levels of structure describe how the polypeptide chain forms into specific structures that typically confer functional properties.
• Cryo-EM – Cryogenic Electron Microscopy studies samples cooled to cryogenic temperatures (-153 oC or lower), while embedded in vitreous water.
• X-Ray crystallography – A technique which uses X-rays to determine crystal structures, but studying the X-ray diffraction patterns.
• NMR – Nuclear Magnetic Resonance subjects samples to a strong magnetic fields and measures the resonance pattern of the nuclei. It is widely used to study the structure and dynamics of organic molecules.
• Spike proteins – More properly ‘Peplomers’, spike proteins are glycoproteins that project from the surface of a virus particle lipid bilayer and play an important part in viral infectivity.
• Coronavirus – One of a group of related RNA viruses that cause respiratory tract infections in birds and mammals. These infections lead to diseases that can have mild effects, or be lethal. The Covid-19 pandemic was caused by a coronavirus, the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The 2002/4 SARS outbreak was caused by the SARS-CoV-1 virus.
• HIV – The Human Immunoseficiency Virus is two species of lentivirus that if left untreated cause Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in humans.
• Receptor – A protein embedded in a cell membrane which binds to a specific molecule, or class of molecules.  Once the target molecule is bound, there is typically and effect within the cell to trigger some form of biological process.
• (viral) Pathogensis – The process by which a disease progresses. Viral pathogensis is specific to a disease caused by a virus.
• Computer node – Each computer in a connected cluster that are working together.
• GPUs – Graphics Processing Units are specific electronic circuits that rapidly address memory in order to output images to a display device. Their highly parallel structure makes them efficient at processing algorithms that process large data blocks in parallel.
• Glycoanalytics – Scientific study of glycosylated molecules, often biological in nature.
• Neuraminidase, or Sialidase – Are enzymes that cut the glycosidic bonds of neuraminic acids. This action helps viruses move through the respiratory tract mucus and infect host cells.

The publication we refer to early on in the discussion is available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128194751000560?via%3Dihub.  A full list of Elisa’s publications is available at her group website.

Elisa is contactable on social media, and you can find her on 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisa-fadda-a012b194/ (although, Elisa admits, she's rarely on LinkedIn)
On Twitter, search @ElisaTelisa
The group website is https://efadda73.wixsite.com/elisafadda

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

Music from https://filmmusic.io

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at 

www.helgroup.com

 online,

on LinkedIn at 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/

on Twitter, we're @hel_group, 

https://twitter.com/hel_group

or search for us on Facebook

• Chirality – Chirality is a feature where an object can be distinguished from a mirror-image version of itself (for instance left and right gloves, or shoes). In chemistry, chirality is often due to the presence of an asymmetrical carbon atom. Chiral isomers are identified as either L-type or D-type, based on how polarized light is rotated when passing through a molecule.
• Superstructure – In the context of this discussion “When the structures become way, way bigger than the building blocks, you can call the superstructures.” They represent massive polymers of the base construction molecules
• Nanomaterials / Nanoparticles – A term used to describe substances where the base unit is small – between 1 nm - 100 nm along one or more dimensions
• Amyloid beta-peptide (also known as Abeta, or Aβ) – Peptides between 36-43 amino acids long that form insoluble amyloid plaques in the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Although the specific role of Amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease is not fully understood, it is widely accepted that they are responsible for the pathology of the disease.
• Peptide – A short chain of 2-50 amino acids, linked by a peptide bond. A dipeptide has two amino acids in the chain, a tripeptide has three amino acids, and so on.
• Hydrophobic pockets – When folded into a functional configuration, the amino acids of a protein can be brought into physical proximity. When the majority of amino acids surrounding an ‘opening’ in the surface of the protein are hydrophobic, it creates a region that is unattractive to hydrophilic molecules. As the majority of biological systems are water-based, this hydrophobic region stimulates other hydrophobic regions of suitable molecules to bind. This then typically leads to downstream activation or effect
• Catalytic triads - a set of three coordinated amino acids that can be found in the active site of some enzymes. Catalytic triads are most commonly found in hydrolase and transferase enzymes.
• Antimicrobial resistance – This is an evolutionary process where bacteria become immune to the effects of antimicrobial agents (such as antibiotics). Typically this is caused by exposure are designed to kill bacteria. To do this, the bacteria need to be exposed to the agents at sub-lethal levels. As antimicrobial agents accumulate in the environment, it is believed that this provides an opportunity for bacteria to be exposed at sub-lethal levels, which accelerates the rate at which the bacteria develops resistance to the antimicrobial.

We discussed the drawing of Alice going through the looking glass during our discussion, you can see it at https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/995913/view/through-the-looking-glass-alice-pushes-through-the-mirror.
Silvia also mentions an article in the journal ACS Nano, you can find that at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.0c09386#

Silvia is contactable on social media, you can find her on 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvia-marchesan-2590712/
On Twitter, search @MarchesanLab
The group website is www.marchesanlab.com

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Music from https://filmmusic.io
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,
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on Twitter we're @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_group
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• PCR - The Polymerase Chain Reaction is a technique for amplifying DNA sequences using a thermostable DNA polymerase enzyme and a cycling reaction temperature profile of heating and cooling. Dedicated instruments typically provide the temperature cycling mechanism.
• LAMP reaction – The Loop-mediated isothermal AMPlification reaction is also used to amplify DNA sequences. Unlike PCR, LAMP reactions occur at a single temperature (typically ~60 oC – 65 oC). Therefore, they do not require dedicated instruments to provide thermal cycling but can be conducted in simple water baths or heating blocks. LAMP also uses a DNA polymerase enzyme, although a different one from PCR. LAMP typically produces higher DNA yields than PCR
• CRISPR – CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, a family of specific DNA sequences in prokaryotes. Enzymes, such as 'Cas9' can modify DNA at these CRISPR sequences, editing in or out new DNA sequences. Although this technique is known correctly as CRISPR-Cas9, the discovery and development of a range of CRISPR-associated enzymes has led to the term 'CRISPR' being used as a generic term for this suite of gene editing technologies.
• PDMS – PolyDiMethylSiloxane is the most widely used silicon-based organic polymer. It is optically clear, usually considered inert, non-toxic, and non-flammable. It is used in a wide range of medical, food, and industrial processes.

As we mentioned during the podcast, Vittorio has several videos and public announcements explaining his research areas.  These include:

LAMP SARS-Cov-2 assay in a Nespresso capsule

• https://chemrxiv.org/articles/preprint/CoroNaspresso_A_Cheap_Rapid_and_Simple_Home_Test_for_Nucleic_Acid_Amplification/14224481

Microfluidics

• https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=41556.php
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z8I7awRYY4

3D printing dichroic nanocomposites (Lycurgus cup)

• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6761173/3D-printed-goblet-changes-colour-deepening-direction-light-hits-it.html
• https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news2/newsid=54410.php
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhetC8Yd44g
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysxq4akBIVU

Standard 3D printers for microfabrication

• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/admt.202000344
• https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/dutch-researchers-3d-print-velcro-like-mushroom-inspired-fastening-material-183135/

And some Arduino

• https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24132213-500-handheld-device-could-detect-crispr-bioweapons-before-they-spread/

Vittorio's publications are all at

• https://scholar.google.nl/citations?hl=en&user=AlppnJ4AAAAJ

Vittorio (and his research) is very present on social media, you can find him on 
LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/vittorio-saggiomo-42920617b/, 
On Twitter, search @V_Saggiomo
Vittorio's publications are all at https://scholar.google.nl/citations?hl=en&user=AlppnJ4AAAAJ

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

Music from https://filmmusic.io

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at 

www.helgroup.com

 online,

on LinkedIn at 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/

on Twitter we're @hel_group, 

https://twitter.com/hel_group

or search for us on Facebook

You will hear the following terms used during the interview.  I’ve included some descriptions and links to deeper reading. 

• Arduino – An open source electronics and software platform – more details at  https://www.arduino.cc/
• Raspberry Pi – Similar to Arduino, Raspberry Pi is an accessible electronics and programming platform – more details at https://www.raspberrypi.org/
• FDM – fused deposition modelling – One of the most common 3D printing methods. Fused deposition modeling involves feeding a thermoplastic filament into the 3D printer. The filament is heated to its melting point through a heated nozzle and then extruded on to the build platform, tracing the part dimensions specified by the design. As the first full layer is finished, the print head moves up by one layer height, before tracing the next layer. This continues, layer-by-layer, until the part is complete.
• SLA – Sterolithography- Stereolithography was the first 3D printing technology to be invented, and involves using a UV laser to cure liquid photopolymer resins. It’s the best 3D printing technology for intricate and models with complex geometries.
• Flow Chemistry - or continuous chemistry is where the ingredients for the reaction are continually pumped into a reaction chamber.  The reaction chamber is often some form of a tube, with a catalyst held in place.  The reaction chamber is often heated and/or pressurized and the resulting product will continuously flow out of the reactor, as long as source ingredients are fed in.  More information can be found on Wikipedia here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_chemistry
• Thingiverse is at https://www.thingiverse.com/
• Tinkercad is at https://www.tinkercad.com/

If you want to connect with Steve, or find out more about what he does, you can find him on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-hilton-9bab10a/

I would recommend following Steve on Twitter to see many of his amazing 3D printed and VR projects, along with the Lobster Thermidor we mention at the start of the show. On twitter, Steve is @hiltonlab - https://twitter.com/hiltonlab

You can also find Steve’s lab website at https://www.stephen-hilton.com/

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

Music from https://filmmusic.io

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,
on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/ 
on twitter we’re @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_group
or search for us on Facebook

 

• Lactic acid – an organic (carbon-based) acid, with chemical formula CH3CH(OH)COOH
• Biopolymer – In this case, biopolymer refers to a polymer manufactured from biologically produced subunits.  The subunits are specifically lactic acid in this case. A polymer is a molecule composed of repeating subunits.
• Biofuel – a fuel produced by processing biomass such as plant material, or plant or food waste.
• Biochemical engineering – the use of biological processes (either living cells, or molecule produced by living cells) in commercial manufacturing processes. 
• Microbiology – the study of microorganisms, either unicellular or multicellular.Microbiology has a diverse range of sub-disciplines.
• Microgel – a gel produced from a network of microscopic filaments of a polymer.
• Fermentation – in this case, it refers to the activity of yeast on substrate material (the sugars from corn) and conversion into lactic acid.  More widely, it can be thought of as any biological process which converts one substance into another.
• Starch – a polymer made of multiple glucose subunits.  It is produced by almost all green plants as a form of energy storage. Chemical formula (C6H10O5)n
• Dextrose – another name for glucose, a simple sugar with the formula C6H12O6
• Strain (of yeast) – a specific variety of yeast with specific genetic and behavioral traits
• Scale down – taking a process from a large scale and replicating conditions in a smaller scale
• Scale up - taking a process from a small scale and replicating conditions in a larger scale
• Bioreactor – A device (usually some sort of container) that supports a biologically active environment.
• Gas transfer – the movement of gasses from the atmosphere (or in a bioreactor, from the inputs) into a liquid
• Media – a liquid supplemented with the necessary ingredients to support biological processes.
• YouTube – Journey to the microcosmos - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBbnbBWJtwsf0jLGUwX5Q3g
• Christian also mentioned that another challenge in scaleup is the potential for contamination (a topic of microbiology & engineering design that could be its own entire podcast). Contamination can lead to detrimental consequences, including hazardous conditions (such as explosive atmospheres, generated toxins mixed with product, etc…). Mitigating contamination risks is a large component of the Christians work, despite working with a system which is quite resilient to contamination.
• Christian also let me know of some mentors who have had a very positive impact on him, who he suggests would be good sources to discuss more about the industry with.
• Joe Spencer & Victor Sherony (Microbiology/Fermentation Technology/Biochemical Engineering); Cargill
• Kiril Streletzky, Ph.D; Petru Fodor, Ph.D; Jearl Walker, Ph.D; & Tara Peppard (Physics-related research and teaching); Cleveland State University

If you want to connect with Christian, or find out more about what he does, you can find him on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiangunder/

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

Music from https://filmmusic.io

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at 

www.helgroup.com

 online,

on LinkedIn at 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/

on twitter we’re @hel_group, 

https://twitter.com/hel_group

or search for us on Facebook

You will hear the following terms used during the interview.  I’ve included some descriptions and links to deeper reading. 

• Vertex - Vertex Pharmaceuticals - https://www.vrtx.com/
• Exotherm – An exothermic reaction is one that gives off heat.  The phrase exotherm is often used as a shortened form of ‘exothermic reaction’.  Unwanted exotherms in process safety cause a potential safety hazard, as they can potentially heat a reaction, beyond the safe limits of available cooling.
• DSC – Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) is a technique for thermal analysis, in which, the difference in the amount of heat required to increased the temperature of a sample is measured as a function of temperature. It can be used to determine a number of properties of a sample.
• TSU – The Thermal Screening Unit (TSU) is a system used to screen materials for potential hazards associated with heating.
• ARC – Accelerating Rate Calorimeter (ARC) is a system used to measure heat generating characteristics of reactions, or reaction components at a range to temperatures.Other reaction data can be determined with this tool
• GLP Tox Lot. - A Good Laboratory Toxicology lot is a batch of a drug, or drug like material prepared during drug development with the intention of testing safety (and other) properties.
• API – The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) is the drug element of a medicine. The drug would be, for example, diluted down with saline solution to make a medicine ready for injection.
• Buller Empowerment - https://bullerempowerment.com/
• Taylor Howard – As Jeff mentioned, he follows Taylor on LinkedIn – she’s at https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorhow

If you want to connect with Jeff, or find out more about his lab, you can find:

On LinkedIn, Jeff can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybsperry/

On Twitter, Jeff goes by @SafeChem79 - https://twitter.com/SafeChem79

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

Music from https://filmmusic.io

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,
on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/
on twitter we’re @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_group
or search for us on Facebook

Kevin completed his Ph.D. studies at the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium) in 2010 and since then has held research roles at universities in the USA and Kazakhstan.He is currently a Reader in Medicinal Chemistry, based at the University of Greenwich, at their Chatham (UK) campus – where we recorded this episode. 

You will hear the following terms used during the interview.  I’ve included some descriptions and links to deeper reading. 

• Electrochemistry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrochemistry
• Organic electrochemistry (electrosynthesis) - Organic electrochemistry is the use of electrical current through a reaction to activate organic molecules by means of the addition or removal of electrons.  Organic molecules are, broadly speaking, those containing one or more carbon atoms covalently linked to other atoms.
• Organic Synthesis – Any chemical or biochemical method used to make organic substances.
• Flow (electro)chemistry – for more information on flow chemistry, I suggest that you check out episode 2 of the Modern Chemistry Podcast with Russell Taylor.  Flow Electrochemistry is a technique whereby the components of a reaction are passed between typical electrochemistry electrodes.
• Positron Emmission Tomography – An imaging technique, also referred to as PET, often used in medical diagnosis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positron_emission_tomography
• C11 (Carbon 11) – A radio active isotope of carbon.  Typically made in a cyclotron, one of the main uses for Carbon 11 is as a tracing agent in PET scans.
• Cylotron – A particle accelerator, often used to prepare riadionuclides for use in nuclear medicine applications - such as PET. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclotron
• Metastatic Melanoma.Melanoma is a type of cancer that develops from pigment-containing cells (melanocytes) typically found in the skin.Metastatic Melanoma occurs when the initial cancer spreads to other locations in the body.
• Organometallic drug - A drug which contains carbon atoms directly bonded to metals or metalloids.
• Chloraquine – A medicine used to treat malaria.
• Electron Transfer – This process occurs when an electron relocates from an atom or molecule to another such chemical entity. ET is a mechanistic description of a redox reaction, wherein the oxidation state of reactant and product changes

If you want to connect with Kevin, or find out more about his lab, you can find:

Kevin’s lab group page at http://www.lamresearchgroup.com/

Kevin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-lam-8b163420/

On Twitter, Kevin is at https://twitter.com/klchemistry (@KLchemistry)

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

Music from https://filmmusic.io

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,
on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/
on twitter we’re @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_group
or search for us on Facebook
 

You will hear the following terms used during the interview.  I’ve included some descriptions and links to deeper reading. 

• Electrochemistry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrochemistry
• Organic electrochemistry (electrosynthesis) - Organic electrochemistry is the use of electrical current through a reaction to activate organic molecules by means of the addition or removal of electrons.  Organic molecules are, broadly speaking, those containing one or more carbon atoms covalently linked to other atoms.
• Organic Synthesis – Any chemical or biochemical method used to make organic substances.
• Flow (electro)chemistry – for more information on flow chemistry, I suggest that you check out episode 2 of the Modern Chemistry Podcast with Russell Taylor.  Flow Electrochemistry is a technique whereby the components of a reaction are passed between typical electrochemistry electrodes.
• Positron Emmission Tomography – An imaging technique, also referred to as PET, often used in medical diagnosis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positron_emission_tomography
• C11 (Carbon 11) – A radio active isotope of carbon.  Typically made in a cyclotron, one of the main uses for Carbon 11 is as a tracing agent in PET scans.
• Cylotron – A particle accelerator, often used to prepare riadionuclides for use in nuclear medicine applications - such as PET. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclotron
• Metastatic Melanoma.Melanoma is a type of cancer that develops from pigment-containing cells (melanocytes) typically found in the skin.Metastatic Melanoma occurs when the initial cancer spreads to other locations in the body.
• Organometallic drug - A drug which contains carbon atoms directly bonded to metals or metalloids.
• Chloraquine – A medicine used to treat malaria.
• Electron Transfer – This process occurs when an electron relocates from an atom or molecule to another such chemical entity. ET is a mechanistic description of a redox reaction, wherein the oxidation state of reactant and product changes

If you want to connect with Kevin, or find out more about his lab, you can find:

Kevin’s lab group page at http://www.lamresearchgroup.com/

Kevin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-lam-8b163420/

On Twitter, Kevin is at https://twitter.com/klchemistry (@KLchemistry)

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

Music from https://filmmusic.io

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,
on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/ 
on twitter we’re @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_group
or search for us on Facebook

 

If you want to connect with Shmuel, or find out more about the work of Shmuel De-Leon Energy, you can find:

Shmuel De-leon energy at www.sdle.co.il

Shmuel on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shmuel-de-leon-48840027/

You’ll also find Shmuel and his colleagues at a number of relevant conferences and training sessions, all are listed on the www.slde.co.il website

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

Music from https://filmmusic.io

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at 

www.helgroup.com

on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-ltd/

on twitter we’re @HELUK,  https://twitter.com/hel_group

or search for us on Facebook

• LCMS – Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry is an analytical technique wherein complex mixtures of chemical are separated by liquid chromatography, then subjected to mass analysis in a mass spectrometer.  This often gives detailed information about the composition of the chemical mixtures.
• NMR autosampler – A device which automatically takes samples of a chemical or chemical mix and then makes it available for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analysis.  The chemical mixes are subject to measurement while in a strong magnetic field, giving information about the structure of the sample under examination.
• Copper iodide – A metallic compound, with chemical formula CuI, also known as cuporous oxide.  As well as applications in organic synthesis (to which Nessa was referring), it is used in cloud seeding.

If you want to connect with Nessa and hear about what she’s doing, you can find her:

@SuperScienceGrl on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SuperScienceGrl

On LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nessacarson/

You’ll also find a number of articles she has written if you head over to www.chemistryworld.com, such as her articles on “Am I really a scientist”or“How many papers do you read a week?”

We also talk about another great Chemistry account on Twitter - @chemjobber – “The king and emperor of chemistry twitter” for more information on chemistry job markets.

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Music from https://filmmusic.ioLicense: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com

 online, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-ltd/

, 

on twitter we’re @hel_group,

or search for us on Facebook

• Batch reaction/batch reactor – A batch reaction is one where all the ingredients are placed in a single vessel, often heated to allow the reaction to take place.  Once the reaction is finished, the end products are collected and usually further purified.  A batch reactor is the vessel used.  More information can be read here - http://www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/processes/chemical-reactors.html

• Flow reactor/Flow Chemistry – Flow chemistry or continuous chemistry is where the ingredients for the reaction are continually pumped into a reaction chamber.  The reaction chamber is often some form of a tube, with a catalyst held in place.  The reaction chamber is often heated and/or pressurized and the resulting product will continuously flow out of the reactor, as long as source ingredients are fed in.  More information can be found on Wikipedia here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_chemistry

• Autoclave – In this specific example, it refers to a type of batch reactor used at small scale.  After the reaction ingredients are added, the autoclave is sealed and can be heated and pressurized to drive the reaction.  For examples of these types of reactors look at https://www.helgroup.com/reactor-systems/hydrogenation-catalysis/catalyst-screening/

• Catalyst – A Catalyst is something used to increase the rate of a chemical reaction.  The catalyst itself is not used up in the reaction.  The Wikipedia page for catalysis (the process of using a catalyst) is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalysis

• BioEthanol – Ethanol is a common alcohol with two carbon atoms, with the molecular formula C2H6O2.  Bioethanol is a term used to described ethanol produced by the microbial digestion of waste or unwanted plant material.  Although it has many potential uses, most commonly it used as an additive in petroleum fuels to reduce the requirements for use of mined petroleum-based fuels.

• Butanol  – Butanol is an alcohol with four carbon atoms, with the molecular formula C4H9OH.  Although most commonly derived from petrochemical, in the context of this discussion, it can be made by joining two molecules of ethanol together.

• Zeolites – Russel describes zeolites well in the podcast and if you’re interested in hearing more, then check out the Federation of European Zeolite Associations at http://www.feza-online.eu/index.php

You can find out more information about Rusell and Sam on:
Russell’s research group at https://www.dur.ac.uk/chemistry/staff/profile/?id=14184
Russell is on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-taylor-aab80140/
Sam is also on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelraynes/

Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

Music from https://filmmusic.io

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/

H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,

on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-ltd/,  

on twitter we’re @HELUK,

or search for us on Facebook