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Faculty of Science
and management practices of an isolated semi-arid papyrus
swamp (Loboi, Kenya) into a wider conservation framework.
Journal of Environmental Management, 93: 71-84.
Tonnabel, J., Van Dooren, T.J.M., Midgley, J.J., Haccou,
P., Mignot, A., Ronce, O. and Olivieri, I. 2012. Optimal
resource allocation in a serotinous non-resprouting plant
species under different fire regimes. Journal of Ecology,
100: 1464-1474.
Turner, R.C., Midgley, J.J., Barnard, P., Simmons, R.E.
and Johnson, S.D. 2012. Experimental evidence for bird
pollination and corolla damage by ants in the short-tubed
flowers of Erica halicacaba (Ericaceae). South African
Journal of Botany, 79: 25-31.
Van der Niet, T. and Johnson, S.D. 2012. Phylogenetic
evidence for pollinator-driven diversification of
angiosperms. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 27(6): 353-
361.
Verboom, G.A., Moore, T., Hoffmann, V. and Cramer, M.D.
2012. The roles of climate and soil nutrients in shaping the
life histories of grasses native to the Cape Floristic Region.
Plant and Soil, 355: 323-340.
Wakeling, J., Cramer, M.D. and Bond, W.J. 2012. The
savanna-grassland “treeline”: why don’t savanna trees
occur in upland grasslands? Journal of Ecology, 100:
381-391.
West, A.G., Dawson, T.E., February, E.C., Midgley, G.F.,
Bond, W.J. and Aston, T. 2012. Diverse functional responses
to drought in a Mediterranean-type shrubland in South
Africa. New Phytologist, 195: 396-407.
Yano, O., Ikeda, H., Watson, M.F., Rajbhandari, K.R.,
Jin, X.F., Hoshino, T., Muasya, A.M. and Ohba, H. 2012.
Phylogenetic position of the Himalayan genus Erioscirpus
(Cyperaceae) inferred from DNA sequence data. Botanical
Journal of the Linnean Society, 170: 1-11.
Doctoral dissertations
Smart, M. 2012. Flowering in Protea: a molecular and
physiological study. 194pp. Supervised by Roden, L.C.
Department of Chemistry
(Including the Centre for Supramolecular
Chemistry Research, the MRC/UCT Drug
Discovery & Development Research
Centre and the Scientific Computing
Research Unit)
Headof Department: Professor SusanA. Bourne
Departmental Profile
The research activities of the department reflect the wide
range and scope of the traditional sub-disciplines of
inorganic, organic and physical chemistry, sustained by
analytical, spectroscopic and computational methodology.
The four main research focus areas are synthetic and
medicinal chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, transition
metal chemistry as well as biophysical and structural
chemistry. Programmes are devoted to fundamental and
applied chemical research, and to interdisciplinary studies
in which chemistry plays a key role. Synthetic studies are
carried out in organic, organometallic and co-ordination
chemistry, in order to develop and apply new methodology,
and to prepare biologically active compounds, novel
catalysts and components of new materials. These studies
also provide tools for analytical and separation science,
and models for advanced structural and conformational
studies. Molecular structure determination with the aid
of spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction techniques are two
areas of specialisation in the department. Computational
chemistry is a leading area of specialization supported by
several state of the art LINUX clusters. Computer code
development and modelling applications of biological
and industrial problems play a key role in many of the
Department’s research programmes. There is also an
active research thrust in the area of chemistry education,
with a particular focus on student learning in tertiary level
chemistry courses.
The Department of Chemistry is
home to three UCT-accredited
research units
The Centre for Supramolecular Chemistry Research, CSCR
(Dir. Prof. Mino Caira) studies the physical chemistry of
supramolecular systems. Research projects include the
synthesis and characterization of metal organic frameworks
(MOFs) and largemetal-containingsupramolecular assemblies
with the potential for guest uptake (gas storage, molecular
sensing), the study of selectivity in organic host-guest systems,
and the beneficiation of pharmaceutically relevant materials