NRI scientist Dr. T. K. Vinod, earns US patent
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY RESEARCH PATENT HPERVALENT IODINE
REAGENTS WATER-SOLUBLE OXIDIZING GREEN ECO-FRIENDLY

Illinois, Aug 24, 2005
Ashok Malhotra
NRI press

NRI (non-resident Indian), Dr. T. K. Vinod a Western Illinois University chemistry professor earned his first-ever U.S. patent, which was awarded for the synthesis of a water-soluble reagent named modified o-iodoxybenzoic acid (mIBX) and its demonstration as an effective oxidizing agent

Research science and human emotion, often seen as at odds with one another, are the exact elements that earned Dr. T. K. Vinod, a Western Illinois University chemistry professor, his first-ever U.S. patent, which was awarded for the synthesis of a water-soluble reagent named modified o-iodoxybenzoic acid (mIBX) and its demonstration as an effective oxidizing agent.

This discovery began in April 2000 in a rather unique way:

• While his son, Arun Thottumkara, was in eighth grade, both father and son developed a science project for Arun’s eighth grade Illinois Region 1 Science Fair. The goal of the project was to create DEET, the active ingredient in many insect repellents, in an eco-friendly fashion. Even though they succeeded and Arun presented an impressive project, he did not win a single prize
  
  
• "Seeing how disappointed he was, I was determined to help Arun find a science project that would teach him a significant amount of chemistry, and more importantly, help him regain his confidence," Vinod said. "Originally I thought it would merely be a small science project in which I could teach Arun chemistry and laboratory techniques.
  
  
• "We are both interested in green chemistry, a new field of chemistry that seeks to make chemical processes and compounds in an environmentally friendly manner. We began reading scientific papers in this area and came upon the topic that has evolved into my primary research project: ‘Synthesis of User-Friendly Hypervalent Iodine Reagents and Their Use as Effective Oxidizing agents.’ This is the work for which Arun and I recently received a U.S. patent," Vinod said.

  The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office allowed the issuance of the patent to Western Illinois University based on this research. The actual patent will be issued within the next few months.

Arun continues to follow in his father's footsteps. He was the national gold medal winner in the prestigious Siemens-Westinghouse in Math, Science, and Technology, the 2003 National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Champion in Chemistry as well as a multiple award winner at Intel International Science and Engineering Fairs. Arun also has presented the Vinod lab’s research at regional and national American Chemical Society conferences. He and his father are also authors of a 2002 paper published in Tetrahedron Letters, another premier academic journal for the chemistry community.

"Once Arun returns to Harvard in September he will begin doing research in the labs of Professor Erin N. Jacobsen, a distinguished organic chemist," said Vinod. "He hopes to eventually earn a Ph.D. and become a professor. I am very proud of him."

Vinod came to Western Illinois University in 1997. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Calicut, India, and his Ph.D. at the University of Victoria, Canada. Vinod did postdoctoral work at Michigan State University and worked as an instructor at the University of Oregon.

Any comments on this article or you have any news: Click here

Disclaimer
NRIinternet.com will put up as many of your comments as possible but we cannot guarantee that all e-mails will be published. We reserve the right to edit comments that are published.