He is one of the most influential scientists on global level, especially in the area of electrochemistry and electroanalysis. Probably a future candidate for a Nobel Prize in chemistry. Compton and his team recently published a paper with medical people showing that the content of saliva is indicative for bipolar disorder. Prof. Richard Compton from the Oxford University recently visited Macedonia and was guest on the 25. Congress organised by the Macedonian Society of Chemists and Technologists in Ohrid.
Prof. Richard Compton Photo: Srebra Gjorgjijevska
Dear prof. Compton, is this your first visit to Skopje?
- Yes, it is. I arrived and have been acting as tourist most of the time. Very nice hospitality.
What are your first impressions?
- It’s hot, it’s sunny and it’s very welcoming. And the food and the beer is excellent!
What is the purpose of your visit?
- I am attending a scientific conference in Ohrid - it is a chemical meeting and it’s organized by the Macedonian Society of Chemists and Technologists. I will present a lecture and engage in discussion with the other scientists. I am a guest of the conference and of Prоf. Valentin Mirceski.
I have a group of 25 people which is a very productive and successful unit
You are professor at the Oxford University, editor in chief of the journal Electrochemistry Communications, co-founder of the OxTox company, an innovator, your Hirsch-index is 93, you are author of 7 books... How do you handle all of this?
- The Hirsch-index is 98 at the moment. It’s updated... I work hard (laugh). No... I have a large team that supports me. The pleasure of working at Oxford is... it is easy to attract a high quality research group. I have a group of 25 people which is a very productive and successful unit.
Is it hard to find a good team to work with?
- No, in Oxford they find you. They are almost walking in off the streets. Not like most places. But, we are truly international, so the key point is that you can attract the best across the planet, not just UK.
What kind of qualities a student has to have to become a part of your team?
- At the research level, ideally a very strong recommendation from somebody I trust and know him. So, if Prof. Mirceski for example says that this person is good, then I believe him, if some other people say he is good then maybe I’ll believe them... Personal recommendations are very, very powerful.
As a professor at the one of the most prominent universities in the world, what do you teach your students?
- Actually, in Oxford I teach not only at the University, but also in a College, in my case St John’s College, where I teach undergraduate students. They have a four year course, starting at age 18 or 17, and I teach them physical chemistry. I teach all aspects of physical chemistry, not just electrochemistry, or nanochemistry and take them from being very young inexperienced students and make them more mature, well hopefully more mature scientists with a broad outlook on chemistry and beyond.
The beauty of chemistry is that it is a mixing point of science
Electrochemistry, electroanalysis, nanochemistry... As a scientist, which topics are most challenging for you?
- That is a difficult, impossible question. The most challenging topic is whatever we’re doing at the moment. We just go where interest takes us. The beauty of chemistry is that it is a mixing point of science. So, many years ago when I was a student I enjoyed mathematics, I enjoyed geology. We’ve just been looking the fantastical geological-mineralogical collection of the Academia. Chemistry actually brings all those things together, physics as well as biology. And so, in the pursuit of chemistry, one can embrace all these different areas. It’s the central science and very powerful.
Few people are aware that chemistry is what we are, it is everything that surrounds us. Could you cite some of your inventions that ease the everyday life of people?
- Ok, so what I will talk about at the conference is why is nanosilver toxic but bulk silver non-toxic. You have a large silver teapot for example then that is not toxic. In contrast if you ingest small amounts of nanoparticles of silver that is thought to be probably quite damaging. So why is that? That’s chemistry! In fact, understanding the mechanism of the reactions going on, on the surface of small particles is, I think, a significant contribution from my work. In other areas we make chemical sensors. For example, if you drill for oil, than often the drill hits pockets of hydrogen sulphide. And that comes up the oil well. And six or seven people each year are killed in the oilfields just by hydrogen sulphide gas release. So, we invented an electrochemical sensor, which works at the bottom of an oil well,at high temperature, high pressure... and signals when hydrogen sulphide is coming, so as to be careful and to run away. pH: Everybody who’s been to school and studied chemistry and biology has measured pH. You spent many hours of calibrating different values, getting a calibration plot. So we invented a calibration-free pH meter. Much better! And we are currently doing research for example, with bacteria; electrochemical detection of bacteria is something we are actively looking at. Separately we are using saliva, as a medium for bio-markers. For example for polar disorder... we just recently published a paper with medical people showing that the content of saliva is indicative for bipolar disorder. We all know the diabetes test where you must take blood for self-analysis and glucose monitoring... Well, that’s invasive and not pleasant. Just imagine to use saliva as a non-invasive mechanism for medical analysis. You can just go to the shop, buy a kit and do it yourself.
Just imagine to use saliva as a non-invasive mechanism for medical analysis
Plastic... the biggest polluter of the mankind that was created by chemical reactions. Does science have a solution for this problem?
- I don’t think you can reverse time. What you need is detection of these things and awareness of what is there, and then a moderation of the practice. We’ve done a little bit of detection of micro-plastics, but the sensitivity required as difficult for us. Just controlled usage, regulations.