In the lead-up to tomorrow\u2019s Ontario-Quebec Physical Organic Mini Symposium, Brock University chemist Travis Dudding has a simple message: Physical organic chemistry is alive and well.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, when people refer to the concept of physical organic chemistry, they say, \u2018What is that? That was the field of chemistry that kind of disappeared\u2019,\u201d says Dudding, Professor in the Department of Chemistry.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally, physical organic chemistry was so effective that it didn\u2019t disappear; it became so well integrated that the general public doesn\u2019t know it exists. It is integrated into every field.\u201d<\/p>\n
At its core, physical organic chemistry studies the structures and reactions of organic molecules.<\/p>\n
Among other things, the field allows scientists to predict the outcome of certain chemical reactions and ultimately better understand the origins of life.<\/p>\n
Recent successes have included creating biomarkers or sensors that \u201cglow\u201d if there is anything toxic in a material that\u2019s being tested or if disease is present in a biological sample.<\/p>\n
Chemistry has come a long way from when scientists knew certain things would happen, but they didn\u2019t have a good rationale why, says Dudding.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhysical organic chemists came along and said, \u2018we\u2019re going to try to explain what\u2019s going on\u2019,\u201d says Dudding. \u201cWe\u2019re going to assign some simple math to it so that people can grasp what\u2019s going on and we\u2019re not going to be so abstract that it won\u2019t be useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, when scientists create something in the lab, \u201cyou have a rationale why it\u2019s going to work. You\u2019re not going in blind and mixing things and then waiting for accidents to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to be rationally solving problems and know it\u2019s going to work. Physical organic chemistry is the bedrock that explains that to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dudding is the main organizer of the 44th<\/sup> annual Ontario-Quebec Physical Organic Mini Symposium, taking place Nov. 4 to 6 at Brock.<\/p>\n The event, one of the premier North American physical organic chemistry symposiums held yearly, will showcase recent research in all fields of science pertaining to physical organic chemistry.<\/p>\n This research includes: bio-organic chemistry, theoretical organic chemistry, organic photochemistry and mechanistic studies.<\/p>\n Dudding is especially keen for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to participate.<\/p>\n Scientists will be displaying posters and giving presentations from a wide array of universities including Concordia, Western, Guelph, Toronto, Wilfred Laurier, Windsor, Waterloo, Universite du Quebec a Montreal as well as the Royal Military College of Canada and University at Buffalo SUNY.<\/p>\n