IOP Groups
Chemistry
Plasma aided spectroscopy is a cornerstone of many modern chemical analysis techniques. The sensitivity of instruments to minute traces of elements and complex compound is often enhanced by using a plasma. In 1953 Miller won the Nobel prize for demonstrating that the primordial soup, when activated by lightning (i.e a plasma) gave rise to amino acids - the building blocks of life. More recently Buckminsterfullerene (Bucky balls) were first created in bulk using an arc plasma struck between two carbon electrodes.
There is ongoing research in the UK into the prospects of plasmas as tools for combinatorial chemistry i.e the creation of complex molcules in relativley few processing steps. This area of research promises to make massive inroads in to the cost of creating drugs in terms of time, raw products and in limiting environmental damage.
The following links are to information on C60 and the Miller experiment:
Miller/Urey Experiment
Nobel Prize Notification
^ To the top ^