Chandigarh, December 02 : Hazards associated with the conventional synthetic pesticides and ever-increasing demand for organically cultivated cereals, fruits, vegetables have fueled the need for ecologically sound alternatives from natural sources. This was emphasized by Suresh Walia, from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during the second-day of the three-day International Conference on “Innovations in Chemistry for Sustainable Development (ICSD-2011)” which is being held at the Department of Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh, from Dec 01-03. The conference is being organized to celebrate year 2011 as International year of chemistry as declared by the UNESCO. Eminent scientists working at the forefront of chemistry from USA, Italy and distinguished institutes of India like Bhaba Atomic Research Centre Mumbai, Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Mohali, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Indian Agricultural Research Institute Delhi and National Chemical Laboratory Pune, are presenting their research findings in the three-day conference. On the second-day, Prof. T. H. Goswami, from DRDO, discussed the chemistry of fullerenol, and Prof. P. Venkatesu, from University of Delhi, emphasized the role of ionic liquids for structural information of biomolecules. Prof. P. K. Sharma, from Kurkshetra University, elaborated upon the recent advances in the drug-discovery, while Prof. R. K. Mahajan, form Guru Nanak Dev University, discussed utilization of micelles as drug carriers. Besides this, during oral and poster presentations, researchers from all over India presented their research findings.
