Gerson Eliad Benítez Medina, a graduate of the Chemistry program together with the Research Group in Catalysis and scientists from different countries publish a research article in the renowned journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry - RSC Advances.

The work with a multidisciplinary approach entitled "Hybrid material by anchoring of ruthenium (II) imine complex to SiO2: preparation, characterization and DFT studies", brought together the graduate of Chemistry from the University of Cauca in 2011, Gerson Eliad Benítez Medina and the members of the Research Group on Catalysis, Alfonso Ramírez and Luis Vargas in a research topic that addresses hybrid solids (homogeneous-heterogeneous catalytic structures), studied from chemistry, physics and materials science, specifically, anchored ruthenium complexes on active silicas.

The aforementioned research is the result of chemical experimentation with theoretical chemistry and physics, which was accompanied by relevant researchers such as Miguel Castro, Mexican National Prize in Chemistry Teaching; Raúl Flores and Pankaj Sharma from the National Autonomous University of Mexico UNAM and Fernando Cuenú, nominated for Afro-Colombian of the year in 2018 and assigned to the University of Quindío.

Similarly, the collaboration of foreign universities such as the Université de Poitiers (France) through the Laboratory of Catalysis in Organic Chemistry (exLACCO), Universiteit Gent (Belgium) through the Lumilab Laboratory and UNAM using the Miztli Supercomputer for theoretical calculations, belonging  to the National Laboratory for High Performance Computing (LANCAD-Mexico).

For the graduate of the University of Cauca and main author of the scientific work, Gerson Eliad Benítez Medina, this type of original publications demonstrate the ability of talent from Unicauca, both to generate interdisciplinary and inter-institutional research, since this research was executed by 50% (experimental phase) at the Universidad del Cauca with support from national and European universities, and 50% (Physicochemical Studies from the field of Theoretical Chemistry) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

"We achieve a regional, national and international connection and access state-of-the-art equipment to understand the behavior of new materials, which leads to generating new knowledge in Materials Science and other branches that support it, achieving a chemical product of which other types of solids can be derived with potential uses in the chemical industry, environmental chemistry, new routes of chemical synthesis through catalysis, etc.”

"All of this encourages and inspires new and future generations of Unicaucan scientists to continue walking towards impact and professional excellence," he concluded.

More Info:

Gerson Eliad Benitez

Email: gerelid@comunidad.unam.mx