Seville, April 11, 2014. The fourth edition of the cicCartuja Ebro Foods Research Award has had chemistry as its protagonist. A study that addresses the synthesis of molecules with multiple bonds has won the main award; while the second prizes have been awarded to works developed in areas such as organometallic chemistry, nanobiotechnology or materials science. These awards, which aim to boost the careers of young researchers, were presented today at the Isla de la Cartuja Scientific Research Centre (cicCartuja), a joint centre of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), the Regional Government of Andalusia and the University of Seville.
The event was attended by the Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela, and the Mayor of Seville, Juan Ignacio Zoido. The event was also attended by the President of the CSIC, Emilio Lora-Tamayo; the Rector of the University of Seville, Antonio Ramírez de Arellano; the President of Ebro Foods, Antonio Hernández Callejas; and the Director of the Isla de la Cartuja Scientific Research Centre, Miguel Ángel de la Rosa, among other personalities.
In their various interventions, the award-winning scientists briefly presented the contents of their studies, all of them published in high-impact international journals; at the same time they thanked the company Ebro Foods for the sponsorship that it began in 2010 to give visibility to the research carried out by young scientists at cicCartuja, in areas such as biochemistry, materials science or chemistry. Initiatives such as these, according to the award-winners, promote collaboration between public research and the productive sector, and favour the transfer of scientific results from the laboratory to the company.
New links for 21st century chemistry
The winner of the cicCartuja Ebro Foods Research Award 2013 was Mario Carrasco Delgado, a scientist linked to the Institute of Chemical Research (IIQ) and member of the Organometallic Chemistry and Homogeneous Catalysis research group, led by Ernesto Carmona Guzmán, Professor at the University of Seville, recognized in 2010 with the prestigious Rey Jaime I Prize for Basic Research. In his study, Mario Carrasco delves into the field of multiple bonds between metals, working specifically with compounds of the element molybdenum.
As Mario Carrasco himself explained, knowledge of bonds represents an essential question on which chemistry is based, “as demonstrated by the numerous and important advances that have occurred in recent decades.” In 2005, the pioneering synthesis of a molecule with a quintuple bond, carried out at the University of California Davis by Professor Philip Power –with whom Ernesto Carmona’s group maintains a scientific collaboration–, opened the door to numerous advances in the field of complex compounds.
Among them, one of these advances has been embodied in the scientific article signed by Mario Carrasco, who has managed to form a quintuple bond between two molybdenum atoms by means of the reductive elimination of a dihydrogen molecule by the action of light. According to Carrasco, “this synthesis procedure is original, highly innovative, and represents an important contribution to the chemistry of metal-metal multiple bonds, since it could be extended to other transition metals, including the analogous tungsten complexes that are unknown until now.”
Second prize: contributions to organometallic chemistry, biotechnology and materials of the future
In addition to the first prize, cicCartuja and Ebro Foods have awarded a first prize to Ángela Vivancos Ureña, a scientist at the Institute of Chemical Research, for a study developed in the field of organometallic chemistry, based on the concept of aromaticity. Aromaticity was described by the German scientist August Kekulé in 1865, when a dream about a snake biting its tail led him to discover that the benzene molecule had a cyclic structure. Today, the “skeleton” of benzene is contained in an infinite number of molecules of importance in our lives, such as those used in medicines – antihistamines, anxiolytics or anti-inflammatories –, polymers, fuels or dyes. In the research of Angela Vivancos, the first unsubstituted metalabenzene has been synthesized, a compound of notable interest due to its structure and electronic properties, its reactivity and its possible applications compared to organic aromatic compounds.
The second prize was awarded to Mohyeddin Assali, a scientist also from the IIQ, and Carmen López López, a researcher at the Institute of Materials Science of Seville (ICMS). Assali, who works in the area of nanobiotechnology, has focused her study on the use of glycolipids – molecules derived from sugars – to form carbon nanotubes that can be used to purify water contaminated by bacteria or toxins; or they can be used as nanocontainers of biologically active molecules, which, through medicines or diagnostic markers, would be directed against cancer cells.
For her part, Carmen López’s work is part of the line of research around multifunctional optical materials. Together with her research group, she has designed photonic crystals to be introduced into dye solar cells. According to Carmen López, “the strong point” of her study is not only to improve the performance of solar cells, but also to maintain their transparency, “which makes this new cell design suitable for use as a photovoltaic window module.” Furthermore, this design is the subject of a patent that is currently transferred to the company.
Increase in the prize money
The prize money of the cicCartuja Ebro Foods Prize has increased in this fourth edition to reach a total amount of 20,000 euros, of which 10,000 euros have been for the winner, 5,000 euros for the first runner-up and another 5,000 for the second runner-up. These amounts have been donated by the President of Ebro Foods, Antonio Hernández Callejas, who, since 2010, has been committed to scientific excellence and support for young researchers at cicCartuja.
The jury for the Prize was made up of Isabel Aguilera, President of the Social Council of the University of Seville; Manuel García León, Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Seville; Luis Pérez, representing Teresa Sáez, General Manager of Cartuja 93; Beltrán Calvo, President of the Cartuja Business Circle; Salvador Loring, Director of Institutional Relations at Ebro Foods; Luis Carlos Romero, Director of the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis; Alfonso Caballero, Director of the Institute of Materials Science of Seville; José Manuel García Fernández, Director of the Institute of Chemical Research; María Pozas, Manager of cicCartuja, who acted as secretary; and Miguel Ángel de la Rosa, Director of cicCartuja, who acted as president of the jury.
