Lead: Dr Valery Kozhevnikov
The Chemistry Research and Innovation Group (CRaIG) is an internationally recognised group of chemistry academics working across discipline boundaries in a range of sectors from chemical and materials synthesis, to chemical and bioanalysis and predictive modelling. We comprise a core of experienced academic project leaders at all levels from Senior Lecturer to Professor with funding from research councils (principally EPSRC), InnovateUK and commercial partners whilst being supported by the university in dedicated synthesis laboratories, analytical chemistry suites and its own high performance computing cluster.
Based in the Department of Applied Sciences, with colleagues from the biosciences and food sciences, we have a range of research projects spanning the chemistry/biosciences interface including novel approaches to neurodegenerative conditions, cancer and microbial infection, the rapid detection of bacteria such as Listeria, and the use of biotechnology and biocatalysis to provide environmentally non-polluting chemical processes. This research has been funded by research councils and commercial partners, and resulted in top-quartile publications and patents.
In addition, CRaIG members also work closely with physics and engineering experts on the creation of organic LEDs, antifouling and controlled release functional polymers, and state-of-art portable spectroscopic instruments with integral intelligent data analysis.
The group also develops methods in chemical analysis using its wide array of instrumentation. Recent and current targets for identification and quantitation include the volatile fingerprint of bacterial cultures, malodour from laundry, microplastics and detergent levels in environmental samples and artists’ paint, ink and media spanning AD 400 to the present day from museums and galleries worldwide. CRaiG staff have in-house access to an extensive set of instrumentation including two Thermo QExactive quadropole-orbitrap mass spectrometers offering small molecule and biomolecule target identification, a Jeol 400MHz multinuclear NMR Spectrometer, differential scanning calorimetry, elemental analysis by inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy & X-ray fluorescence, UV/Vis/raman spectroscopy and fluorimetry, and a suite dedicated to HPLC and GC.
Recent research highlights include:
- biocatalysis
- detection of art’s origins in situ
- OLEDS for digital displays Selected recent publications (available here):
Pander, Piotr, Bulmer, Rachel, Martinscroft, Ross, Thompson, Stuart, Lewis, Frank, Penfold, Thomas, Dias, Fernando and Kozhevnikov, Valery (2018) 1,2,4-Triazines in the Synthesis of Bipyridine Bisphenolate ONNO Ligands and Their Highly Luminescent Tetradentate Pt(II) Complexes for Solution-Processable OLEDs. Inorganic Chemistry. ISSN 0020-1669
Burton, Michael, Perry, John D., Stanforth, Stephen and Turner, Hayley J.(2018) The synthesis of novel chromogenic enzyme substrates for detection of bacterial glycosidases and their applications in diagnostic microbiology. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 26 (17). pp. 4841-4849. ISSN 0968-0896
Bahroun, Najat, Perry, John, Stanforth, Stephen and Dean, John (2018) Use of exogenous volatile organic compounds to detect Salmonella in milk. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1028. pp. 121-130. ISSN 0003-2670 Workman, David, Hunter, Michael, Dover, Lynn and Tetard, David(2016) Synthesis of novel Iron(III) chelators based on triaza macrocycle backbone and 1-hydroxy-2(H)-pyridin-2-one coordinating groups and their evaluation as antimicrobial agents. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, 160. pp. 49-58. ISSN 0162-0134
Taylor, Carl, Lough, Fraser, Stanforth, Stephen, Schwalbe, Ed, Fowlis, Ian and Dean, John (2017)Analysis of Listeria using exogenous volatile organic compound metabolites and their detection by static headspace–multi-capillary column–gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (SHS–MCC–GC–IMS). Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 409 (17). pp. 4247-4256. ISSN 1618-2642
Beeby, Andrew, Gameson, Richard and Nicholson, Catherine (2016) Illuminators’ Pigments in Lancastrian England. Manuscripta, 60 (2). pp. 143-164. ISSN 0025-2603
Downs, Robert, Dean, John, Downer, Adrian and Perry, Justin (2017) Determination of the Biocide Econea® in Artificial Seawater by Solid Phase Extraction and High Performance Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Separations, 4 (4). p. 34. ISSN 2297-8739
