Abstract:
Environmentally hazardous and costly metal ions like Os(VIII), Cr(VI) and Ru(III) have been used on a large scale to catalyse organic reactions thereby posing a threat to the environment. Transition metal ions have been used as effective alternatives to catalyse the oxidation of a variety of perfumery alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds. The oxidation of perfumery phenols to quinones has also been studied using inexpensive transition metal ions of the first series. The oxidation was studied using kinetic methods and the effects of alcohol/phenol concentration, ionic strength, solvent composition and temperature of the oxidation rate have been investigated in detail. From the experimental data collected, suitable reaction mechanisms have been suggested for the oxidation of alcohols/perfumes in the presence and absence of transition metal ion catalysts. Aliphatic alcohols, unsaturated alcohols, cyclic and acyclic alcohols have been oxidised using a variety of organic and inorganic oxidants. The phenols, Eugenol and Isoeugenol, found in Indian plants have also been oxidized. India has a large perfumery industry and is home to several indigenous plants from which perfumery alcohols and phenols are extracted.
Biography:
Dr Damodar V Prabhu is Former Head and Adjunct Professor of Chemistry, Wilson College, Mumbai. He has served as the Dean of the Science Faculty of University of Mumbai and President of the Mumbai Branch of Indian Chemical Society. His research interests are 1) Reaction Kinetics, 2) Catalysis and 3)Environmental Chemistry. He has guided 9 students for their research degrees, published 66 papers in peer reviewed journals and made 106 presentations in National and International Chemistry Conferences held at Antwerp(Belgium), Bangkok, Hongkong, Kuwait, Zurich(Switzerland), Rome(Italy) and Kuala Lumpur(Malaysia). He has to his credit 5 book chapters published by BP International (UK and India). He was awarded the Best Paper Presentation Prize at the 6th International Congress of Chemistry and Environment held in 2013 at Antwerp, Belgium. He has also published 16 papers on Science Education and presented 25 papers on Chemistry Education in National and International conferences. Dr Prabhu has delivered invited lectures at the Annual Chemistry Conventions of Indian Chemical Society and has been a resourse person at UGC(India) sponsored Refresher Courses for college and university teachers. He has been a member of the DAE appointed National Steering Committee for organizing Science Olympiads in India and was the Delegation Leader of the Indian teams to International Chemistry Olympiads held at Mumbai (2001) and Groningen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2002) and Junior Science Olympiads held at Durban, South Africa (2011) and Bali, Indonesia(2016). He was a member of the Academic Committee of the 10th International Junior Science Olympiad hosted by India in 2013 at Pune and Mumbai and International Academic Expert at the 18th IJSO held in Dec.2021 at Dubai,UAE. Dr Prabhu has authored 8 ISBN books in Physical and Analytical Chemistry.including a book on Essence of Chemical Kinetics published in August 2022 by SARA Publishers, Ahmedabad. He is the Editor in Chief of GP Globalize Research Journal of Chemistry which is abstracted and indexed in Chemical Abstracts, CAS, USA. He is also the Chief Editor of Green Chemistry and Technology Letters published from Muscat,Oman. He is the Founder General Secretary of Association of Chemistry Teachers (India) and Chairman of Bombay Association for Science Education.He is the Consulting Editor of GPG Journal of Science Education.
