KEY AREAS

ANALYTICAL SCIENCES
Either analytical methodology development, or extensive use of standard analytical chemical methods would call for the association of this key area to the project.

APPLIED CHEMISTRY
For any project involving a signicant component directly relevant to industry and thus includes the unique considerations relevant to this area of science. The word industry refers to, but is not limited to, the petrochemical, semiconductor, food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. A project that involves collaboration with industry should also have this key area associated with the project.

BIOPHYSICS
All projects that involve biological molecules (proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates or lipids) and the study of their physical properties should have this key area associated with it. Note that projects involving biophysics will often also require either the Spectroscopy or X-ray key areas.

CATALYSIS
Any work involving inorganic or organic, hetero- and/or homogeneous catalysis should have this key area associated with it.

CHEMICAL BIOLOGY AND BIO(IN)ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

All projects that involve biological molecules (proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates or lipids) and the study of their chemical transformations should have this key area associated with it. The Synthetic or Theoretical and Computational key areas will also often be associated with this key area. It is also quite possible for the Analytical Sciences key area or any of several other key areas to also be associated with this key area.

CHEMICAL EDUCATION
Select this key area if your work specically relates to research into chemical educational. Examples may include the preparation of a robust and novel experiment to be implemented within the undergraduate curriculum or at JC level. Other examples may involve studies of what is the best way for students to lean dicult concepts in chemistry.

FST
A project supervised by a member of the FST programme is likely to, but is not necessarily required to, have this key area associated with it. If the project has a signicant component that directly relates to Food Science or Food Technology then this key area should be selected.

MATERIALS SCIENCE
A project involving the creation or the study of the nature of bulk materials as well as its application to other areas of science and engineering falls under materials science. This key area excludes nano-meter sized material. It is quite possible for a project associated with the Materials Science key area to also be associated with the Applied Chemistry key area.

MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
This key area relates to the design, synthesis and development of pharmaceutical drugs. It is highly multidisciplinary, so may involve one or more other key areas. Typically projects with supervisors in the Medicinal Chemistry programme are likely to, but not necessarily required to, have this key area associated with it.

NANO MATERIALS
Same as for the Materials Science key area except that the material involves nano-meter sized particles.

ORGANOMETALLIC
Work involving metals associated with organic molecules. If the project includes a signicant synthetic component, then the Synthetic key area should also be associated with the project. For example, considerable synthetic work can often be required in order to prepare the ligands to be attached to the metal centre. 1

POLYMER SCIENCE
Although biomolecules are polymers, they are not included in this key area. A research project involving polymers other than biomolecules should have this key area associated with it.

SPECTROSCOPY
If a project extensively involves the measurement and interpretation of spectra of any kind including, but not limited to, NMR, ESR, IR, LASER, UV-vis and microwave then this key area should be selected. As X-ray is its own key area, the Spectroscopy key area excludes X-ray. A project involving the theoretical prediction of spectra should include this key area as well as Theoretical and Computational key area.

SURFACE SCIENCE
Experimental, and theoretical and computational work directly relating to the study of surfaces.

SYNTHETIC
For any project that involves performing a signicant amount of organic chemical transformations. The key area is not limited to the domain of organic chemistry however. Certainly synthesis is needed in the creation of organometallic complexes (in the latter case the Organometallic key area should also be selected), and other areas of chemistry. Peptide synthesis (in this case the Chemical Biology and Bio(io)organic Chemistry key area should also be selected), liquid phase and solid phase work also falls under this key area.

THEORETICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL

Computational chemistry involves the use of computers and associated software extensively for the prediction and modeling of chemical and/or physical processes. Pure theoretical work involves pencil & paper work and lots of mathematics. This key area also includes any mixture of the above two extremes and may also involve the translation of mathematical models into computer code for compilation and execution on computers.

X-RAY
Extensive use of X-ray crystallography occurs in the project. Do not choose this key area if an X-ray structure forms only a small part of your project.