Throughout the development of increasingly complex methods for organic synthesis, the search for better methods of heating organic reactions has been particularly intense. Our lab is currently investigating how the efficiency of microwave heating can be combined with the catalytic efficiency of natural systems. Specifically, we are investigating the use of microwave heating on immobilized hyperthermophilic enzymes. The goal of this research is to increase the utility of the enzymes via the combination of immobilization and microwave irradiation. As a complement to this project, our lab is also investigating how microwave heating can be applied to widely established biochemical techniques such as PCR. Much of our current work focuses on investigating whether microwave heating can recreate the efficiency of conventional PCR done in a thermocycler while also allowing for reduced reaction times and larger reaction volumes.

Biochemical applications of microwave-heating

248th National Meeting (2014)

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