The areas of research in the Department of Organic Chemistry include_synthetic and mechanistic organic, Inorganic and organometallic chemistry involving novel reactions for organic synthesis, syntheses of physiologically active compounds, polymeric reagents, bond activation and homogeneous catalysis by specifically designed metal complexes, selective oxidation catalysis by polyoxometalates and the development of molecule-based technologies. Bioorganic chemistry includes the studies of plant antiviral agents, the molecular mechanism of action of rhodopsin, artificial ion_carriers and molecular sensors. Biological chemistry includes studies on_structure, function, and mode of action of biologically active peptides and_proteins; thermophilic enzymes; enzymes involved in DNA repair, DNA and RNA processing; studies of ordered, compact states of nucleic acids; and_biomedical applications of NMR. Methods for very accurate ab initio calculations of molecular properties are being developed and applied.