Universidad Complutense de Madrid
The "Chemical Optosensors Group and Laboratory of Applied Photochemistry" (GSOLFA [new window]) research team gathers professors, researchers, doctoral fellows, and students that belong to the Departments of Organic Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry at Complutense University of Madrid, collaborating in this field since 1990.
Our training spans from organic (mainly heterocyclic and solid-phase synthesis) and inorganic synthesis (luminescent coordination compounds with transition metals), to molecular spectroscopy (both emission and absorption, steady-state and time-resolved), applied photophysics and photochemistry, optical analysis techniques (including guided wave devices), analytical applications (including field testing) and validation. In the last years we have also worked in the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers for sensing and clean up purposes, in inmunosensors, in microarray development and in water disinfection by solar (heterogeneous) photocatalysis.
Our achievements in these fields are collected in over 95 publications and several patents. Funding has been provided so far by the European Community (IV, V and VI framework programmes), the Spanish Government National R+D Programmes (Environmental Research and Chemistry Areas), the Complutense University, the Madrid Community Council (CM, IV PRICIT Programme) and private enterprises.
The group experience covers the basic design, construction, and application of fiber-optic sensors and biosensors for real-time monitoring of different chemical species such as pH, sulfide, iron(III), oxygen, carbon dioxide, lower alcohols, humidity, glucose, BOD, pesticides, surfactants, bisphenol-A and antibiotics, among others. Some of these devices have already been successfully applied to in situ environmental monitoring and process analysis. Our technology has already been transferred to the national and international industry and several products are already in the market or in the pipeline.
The instrumentation of our research group includes laboratory spectrophotometers and spectrofluorometers, time-correlated single photon counting spectrometers (300 ps lowest time resolution), laser-flash photolysis (ns time scale) with UV-VIS-NIR detection, and portable fibre-optic spectrometers for field analysis (including CCD-based and time-resolved luminescence-based devices). We also count with state-of-the-art HPLC (diode array and fluorescence) equipment and pilot multi-liter solar photoreactors.
Complutense University (UCM) was founded in 1499 in Alcala de Henares, about 30 km northeast of Madrid, and during the academic year 1509-1510 five Faculties were already opened: Philosophy, Fine Arts, Law, Canonical Law and Medicine. In 1836 the University was transferred to Madrid (the capital city of Spain) under the name of Central University and the buildings were erected in the city centre. The "University City" (Moncloa campus) project was designed in 1927. Many famous Spaniards have learned and taught in our University such as José Ortega y Gasset, Santiago Ramón y Cajal and Blas Cabrera. During the Spanish civil war the campus was destroyed and fully renovated afterwards. A new sub-campus (Somosaguas) outside the city was added later on to host the Social Sciences Faculties.
Due to its historical background, UCM is a reference in Spain. It is the largest University in our country, with 88,636 students in the last academic year, 6,197 teaching staff members and 3,785 administrative staff members. Complutense awards 77 official degrees and runs 174 PhD programmes. The academic studies are complemented by a large sport and cultural offer. Nowadays the University is involved in a key process to adapt its degrees to the directives and priorities of the new European Higher Education Area.
The Faculty of Chemistry offers three core careers: Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry (all five-year degrees). Once the basic three-year cycle of the Chemistry studies has been completed, students can access the following second cycle degrees: Biochemistry, Oenology, Food Technology, Environmental Sciences, Statistics and Materials Engineering.
Recently, two brand-new buildings have been incorporated to our Faculty. One hosts new teaching facilities, with 16 classrooms, auditoriums and multimedia rooms. The other is the Chemistry Library, equipped with wireless access points, web-based chemical information systems, books and journals covering all fields of Chemistry and rooms for mentoring and group work activities.
The Faculty of Chemistry is divided into seven Departments: Analytical, Organic, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Their broad research offer is shown as one of the Faculties with the largest number of research projects and publications within Complutense University and Spain.
E-mail: mcmbondi@quim.ucm.es
Websites:
http://www.ucm.es/info/gsolfa/ [new window]
http://www.ucm.es [new window]
