Celebration of inorganic lives: interview with Michael Cais

✍ Scribed by E.Amitai Halevi

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 186 KB
• Volume: 248
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0010-8545
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2004.06.003

✦ Synopsis

and the synthesis of metal complexes of the sesquifulvalene and calicene systems. Research in the area of organometal carbonyl complexes led to the discovery of selective hydrogenation of conjugated dienes with arenechromium tricarbonyls as homogeneous catalysts and to mechanistic studies of this catalytic process.

Expansion of his research interests to the area of bio-coordination chemistry, led Cais to the development of the new concept of metalloimmunoassays, whereby metal complexes are used as markers for antigens and/or antibodies, in place of radioisotope markers, for use in diagnostic immunoassays. Work in this area also resulted in the development of a free-radical immunoassay for the detection of cannabinoid metabolites in biological fluids.

The work with biological substrates also led to the discovery and development of novel concepts and devices in separation technology,with potential applications to medical diagnostics, such as non-centrifugation solid-liquid separations and liquid-liquid (solvent extraction) separations. In 1982 Michael Cais received the I-R 100 Award for these developments. Further work in this area also resulted in the development of the concepts of dynamic column liquid chromatography (DCLC), dynamic column solid phase extraction (DC-SPE), and dynamic column affinity chromatography (DC-AC). For the development of DCLC, Michael Cais was awarded, the I-R 100 Award in 1983, for the second year running.

The scientific results and his inventions have been reported in about 150 papers, reviews and worldwide-allowed patents.