This grant from the Special Projects Office of the Chemistry Division provides funds to enable Dr. Walter Benson to represent the International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD) at the 5th International Conference on Chemistry in Africa, which will occur July 27-31 in Gaborone, Botswana. The IOCD encourages research in natural product chemistry in Africa, promoting cooperation among the natural products chemists in Africa and with chemists in the U.S. and other more developed nations. Dr. Benson will report to the Foundation concerning the status of chemical research in Africa and the opportunities for collaboration with U.S. scientists. African plants are a rich source of unusual organic compounds, many of which have potential value as natural insecticides, fungicides, or pharmaceuticals.
