chemistry 4
C H E M I S T R Y
The CSIR Biosciences drug discovery and group collaborates with units and centres
development area utilises synthetic and in the CSIR, universities, science councils,
medicinal chemistry, natural product-based the private and public sector and interna-
discovery, pharmacology and computation- tional research institutions.
al chemistry skills as parts of a single unit in
order to discover and progress candidates
4.7 Nuclear Energy Corpora-
to the clinic. A comprehensive effort of this
tion of South Africa (Necsa)
type has not been previously undertaken
in South Africa. Consequently, many of the
required skills have had to be developed
over time or outsourced. New personnel
N
ecsa and its predecessors have a
proud history of achievements in re-
search and applications of chemical
from the university system will form a criti-
processes and technologies. The two main
cal part of the ongoing programme, a solid
areas of application involving chemistry
grounding in synthetic organic chemistry
were, or still are, uranium isotope enrich-
being of more value than a medicinal chem-
ment and the production of radioisotopes.
istry-based degree without the emphasis of
core synthetic skills. It is hoped that such
The process gas utilised in the former Urani-
programmes can be prioritised within the
um Enrichment Corporation (UCOR) isotope
university sector, with the result being mu-
separation process consisted of a mixture
tually beneficial interactions between mul-
of UF
tiple institutes of the tertiary sector.
6
and H
2
. A detailed understanding
of the gas and surface reactions of UF
6
was
thus necessary. It was shown that UF
As indicated above, the second defined
6
gives
rise to a series of lower uranium fluorides
area of research and development at the
as a result of reduction side-reactions, and
CSIR in which programmes in chemistry
to a series of uranium oxyfluorides from
are involved is that of materials science and
hydrolysis reactions. These undesirable
manufacturing. This grouping which es-
solid products could be converted back to
sentially originated from Mattek at the CSIR
UF
6
by employing any one of a number of
has been consolidated into six competency
in-house produced powerful fluorinating
areas, together with the National Centre for
agents, including the halogen fluoride se-
Nano-structured Materials (NCNSM), and
ries and also the noble gas fluoride series.
it is in the latter that chemistry is primarily
Today this knowledge forms the basis of
pursued.
the product range of Pelchem (Pty) Ltd, a
Necsa subsidiary, which produces a host of
The research focus of the group is on the fluorochemicals such as HF, F
2
, NF
3
and XeF
2
design, modelling and synthesis of nano- for the local and international market. The
materials with specific properties and vari- Pelchem subsidiary Fluoro Pack (Pty) Ltd
ous possible applications. The initial focus is markets permeation solutions to the plas-
on carbon nanotubes, silicon nanoparticles tics industry based on surface fluorination
and nanolayer deposition techniques. The treatments.
125
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