A lecturer and e-Facilitator at Chemistry Unit of the Distance Learning Institute (DLI), University of Lagos, Dr. Adedoyin Adesoji spoke on Sensing the Harmful Agents: Synthesis and Applications of Chemosensors at the July edition of the DLI Monthly Seminar Series held on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.
The presentation which marked the last seminar series for the 2023/2024 academic session focused on how to synthesize and characterize azo and azomethine based ferrocenly ligands and immobilize nanofibrous materials for further applications as chemosensing and decyanidating agents.
Dr Adesoji defined chemosensors as molecules of abiotic origin that signal the presence of matter or energy. She mentioned that they are molecule receptors which can sense and precisely interact with an analyte and generate a response as a detectable signal.
According to her, while some chemicals such as calcium are good and necessary for living, too much exposure to and consumption of some chemicals could prove detrimental to one’s health and environment. She highlighted some harmful effects of chemical elements such as lead, mercury, copper, cobalt among others.
Using several diagrams to convey her findings, Dr. Adesoji showed how chemosensors detect high/dangerous amounts of these chemicals in bodies like water, for example. These chemosensors help to detect when mineral elements become harmful. With these, one can take proper precaution to prevent diseases and unhealthy exposure to chemicals.
The DLI Monthly Seminar Series is an initiative aimed at fostering knowledge sharing among the academia at the Institute.
Report: Ndidi J. Odinikaeze
Photographs: Samuel Dosumu
