Although this recognition is from last year, yesterday we received this great diploma and the sweets that came with it! Our whole group would like to thank all those who chose us to receive such a tribute. Science is teamwork!
Several years’ worth of active efforts to understand vanadium-catalyzed catechol oxidase mimetic chemistry have finally paid off in full. In our most recent paper, entitled “Vanadium aminophenolates in catechol oxidation: conformity with Finke’s common catalyst hypothesis“, published in the RSC journal Dalton Transactions, and representing the pinnacle of these studies, we have been able to link vanadium-catalyzed catechol oxidase and catechol dioxygenase mimetic studies for the first time. The paper will make a great addition to Pasi’s PhD thesis, especially since the following study gives a nice closure to work already started at the MSc level!
The article, which can be found at doi: 10.1039/d1dt00419k, was so well received by the reviewers and editors, that it was not only added to the HOT article collection at Dalton Transactions, but also granted a place at the Front Cover of the current issue!
Cover art: Pasi Salonen & Anssi Peuronen
We are proud to present our silly greeting video that hopefully tunes you into celebrating the International Workers’ Day 2021! Hauskaa vappua!
Ari, Anssi, Pasi and Åbo Akademi’s project researcher Risto Savela discovered new information about the functionality of vanadium aminophenolates in cathecol oxidation. The article is published in Dalton Transactions and was selected to their HOT article collection. Good job!
Press release (in Finnish):
Tutkijat löysivät uutta tietoa entsyymien toiminnasta
Article:
Vanadium aminophenolates in catechol oxidation: conformity with Finke’s common catalyst hypothesis
Turun Sanomat, the biggest local newspaper in the Turku area, has a popular science-related article series called Aliot. Mika and Ari wrote about inorganic chemistry in a manner that everyday reader can grasp.
The writing is themed Even inorganic is organic – sustainable development with new materials, and it is available here (only in Finnish):
Epäorgaaninenkin on luomua – uusilla materiaaleilla kestävään kehitykseen
The Chemist Club of Turku awards annually the prize for the best poster in connection with the Kemian kevät (Spring of chemistry) event of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Turku. The categories of this Antti Vesala prize are
This year, Roosa Vastamäki, our group’s MSc student with a poster titled “A zeolite-free microwave synthesis of hackmanites“, was chosen as the winner of the first category. Congratulations, Roosa, well done!
Hannah’s first paper “A zeolite-free synthesis of luminescent and photochromic hackmanites” has been published in Journal of Alloys and Compounds and is readable as an open access article for anyone. Congratulations Hannah, excellent work!
The joint Academic Day of the staff of the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University was celebrated on March 25, 2021. The Academic Day is held annually at the end of March in honor of the Royal Academy of Turku, founded in 1640. The recipient of the Vuoden dosentti (Adjunct Professor of the year) diploma is also announced on that day.
This year, Turun Yliopistojen Dosenttiyhdistys ry (The Adjunct Professors’ Society of the Universities of Turku) society selected Mika Lastusaari, the leader of our research group’s photonic materials team, as the Adjunct Professor of the year. Brilliant work and congratulations, Mika!
Tiina Mahlamäki, President of the Turun Yliopistojen Dosenttiyhdistys ry (The Adjunct Professors’ Society of the Universities of Turku) society, said in her introduction that the selection criteria have emphasized not only the Adjunct Professor’s academic merits but also social impact and interaction.
Ari Lehtonen from the society continued with detailed description about Mika’s achievements: “Mika is an active researcher and has published almost 200 articles on inorganic materials chemistry, most of all photonic materials and light-emitting materials. He has produced a large number of new luminescent materials with many practical applications and has also filed many patents on these materials. In addition, he has studied natural luminescent materials: the well-known Bologna stone and hackmanite minerals, and solved the mystery of the luminescent properties of these materials.“
“Mika has also published a lot of research on learning and teaching chemistry, and the way he works is well illustrated by the fact that he started university pedagogical studies but did not settle for 10 credits or even 60 credits: he did his second dissertation on the subject. Not only is Mika a good researcher and a good teacher, he also knows how to compose, sing and play guitar, and he has composed and produced the theme song for the Inorganic Materials Chemistry Research Group and the group’s music video on YouTube.“
The GlowTrack project’s participants held a Zoom meeting where they shared an overview of the year 2020, which was the first one of the three-year plan. The project is proceeding according to the schedule, and the next steps will surely bring interesting results!
Esko Salojärvi is having his dissertation defense on Friday, February 19, at 12 o’clock on Zoom. The opponent is Professor Timo Repo from the University of Helsinki, and our Adjunct Professor Ari Lehtonen acts as the custos. Esko’s thesis with the subject “The optical and magnetic properties of redox-active d-block metal complexes with non-innocent ligands” can be found here:
https://www.utupub.fi/handle/10024/150852
The news (in Finnish) can be found here:
https://www.utu.fi/fi/ajankohtaista/tapahtumat/vaitos-kemia-fm-esko-salojarvi