The Department of Chemistry offers graduate programs leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Two of the current areas of research are radiochemistry (Herbert M. Clark, Ph.D., Yale University, 1944) and X-ray fluorescence analysis (Ivor L. Preiss, Ph.D., University of Arkansas, 1959).
The research in radiochemistry is focused on the aqueous solution chemistry of the radioelement technetium, which is used in nuclear medicine in the form of 99mTc-radiopharmaceuticals. Topics being studied are the reduction of pertechnetate to species having lower oxidation states and the interaction of these species with selected complexing agents.
In the area of X-ray fluorescence analysis, radioactive sources are used to excite atoms present in low concentration in a variety of materials. Samples of interest include those of biological and environmental origin.
For information about admission to graduate studies and assistantships, please contact:
Dr. David A. Aikens
Department of Chemistry
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY 12180
PHONE: (518) 266-8459
WEBSITE