9513180 Macalady This award will partially support the travel of Dr. Donald Macalady of the Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry at the Colorado School of Mines to conduct collaborative research with Prof. Keith Hunter, Department of Chemistry, at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. The research will focus on the role of natural organic matter (NOM) as an electron transport mediator in a variety of chemical reactions of natural and anthropogenic substances. The research will be guided by the hypothesis that NOM can serve as a general electron transfer mediator for oxidation/reduction reactions in aqueous systems and that the mechanisms of these reactions involve a specific set of reaction centers within the structure of NOH. Southern New Zealand provides an excellent environment for such investigations. Few other locations provide as many types of aquatic environments from pristine oligotropic lakes through estuarine marshes to the oceanic environments within short distances. The combination of the experience of the American investigator in redox chemistry of NOM and the interests and facilities of the New Zealand collaborator are ideal for conducting this multidisciplinary study.
