With funding from the Organic Dynamics Program Professor Menger at Emory University will study the hydrophobic association of various long-chain organic materials containing carboxylate, amine, imidazole, hydroxyl, and metal functionalities into complex assemblages called "clumps." These substances will be screened for potential catalytic activity in water toward a variety of organic reactions. Methods related to combinatorial chemistry will be used to identify clumps that exhibit catalytic activity approaching that of enzymes. These methods will be extended to the study of substances bonded to colloidal gold and to substances bonded to polymers. This study will measure the ability of a mixture of organic molecules containing long chains of chemically bonded carbon atoms and other reactive atoms to associate together in water solution to form microscopic spherical balls called clumps. These clumps are expected to behave in a manner similar to naturally occurring enzymes. Because organic reactions do not occur readily in water, these clumps may help to enhance the reaction of organic compounds in a water environment. This could help to reduce the amount of hazardous wastes generated from industrial production of organic compounds that normally require organic solvents that must be recycled or burned.
