UMD Professor Viktor V. Zhdankin, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering, recently visited Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), in Siberia, Russia. He attended the International Green Chemistry Seminar and presented a public lecture for students and scientists.
"His visit was of great importance for our university," said Elena Panova from TPU's external affairs office. "Professor Zhdankin is one of the world’s key figures in the field of Green Chemistry today."
Green chemistry is a fundamentally new approach to reduce or completely eliminate the consumption of dangerous or toxic chemicals in manufacturing. A delegation of leading scientists, who are working on green chemistry research projects with TPU, attended the event. The specialists came from Russia, the USA, Great Britain, Belgium, and France.
Green Chemistry examines ways to replace harmful and often expensive components in chemical manufacturing with safe and economically accessible substances. manufacturing of various chemical products more pure and cheaper. For instance, the scientists are developing a technology for obtaining fluorine-containing compounds for positron emission tomography, using iodine salts as precursors. The technology can be also applied in the production of drugs and radio-pharmaceuticals which are mainly used for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.