Valentina BEGHETTO

Valentina Beghetto iss Associated Professor at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

She currently works at the Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems (DSMN) of the Venetian University where she teaches two courses of the bachelor’s degree and one of the master’s degree in Chemistry and Sustainable Technology.

Over the years she has held numerous institutional positions within the teaching and management bodies of the University. In recent years she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Ca’ Foscari Foundation.

She is currently in charge of the third mission for the DSMN, delegate to regional innovative networks, delegate of UniVeneto for some regional projects.

Scientific coordinator of numerous European, National and Regional projects, she coordinates a research group of over ten people, together with undergraduate, master's and doctoral students.

Author and co-author of over 100 among publications, patents and communications at the conference.

The research group has been collaborating for years with important Foreign and Italian Universities and research institutions including RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Leibniz Institut fuer Katalyse, Rostock, Germany, Kyoto University Polymer Department, Aimplas Technological Institute of Plastics - Valencia, Technological Centre of Pordenone, Messina Foundation, University of Padua, University of Turin.

Guest editor of Materials and reviewer of several high impact journals for the sector of catalysis, green chemistry, circular economy and environmental sustainability.

The scientific activity of Dr. V. Beghetto ranges from homogeneous catalysis, to the chemistry of synthetic and bio-based polymers and green chemistry. Precisely connected to this last field of interest, in recent years the work carried out by Dr. V. Beghetto has been increasingly focused on the development of innovative products and processes that allow to improve the environmental sustainability of the manufacturing sector. This research has been financed by European and National projects concerning the use of agri-food waste for the production of compounds with high added value for the tanning sector, for the production of bioplastics, the use of end-of-life plastics for the production of high performance asphalts and other processes as reported in the specific projects and related scientific publications. Sustainability and circular economy have become one of the strengths of the knowledge accumulated in recent years, especially for leather tanning, plastic and bio-plastic production and recycling and agri-food sector.

Further Information:

Valentina Beghetto received her undergraduate training at the Faculty of Science of Ca’ Foscari University in Venice. She graduated in Industrial Chemistry in 1994 with 110/110 and praise, with a thesis regarding the “Synthesis of 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane (CHIRAPHOS) and its homologues”.

From 1991 to 1992 she attended the fourth year of her studies at the University of Liverpool, Chemistry Department (Erasmus Project).

From 1994 to 1997 she carried out her PhD work in Chemistry Science regarding the “Synthesis of Ruthenium catalysts and new ligands for asymmetric catalysis”. She carried out part of her PhD research work at the Organic Chemistry Department of the University of Aachen (Germany) in the group of Prof. Dr. K. Bolm.

She attended the international School of Organometallic Chemistry held in Camerino (1997).

In 1998 she obtained a six-month performance contract by the Chemistry Department of the University of Venice. In this period, she was teacher assistant for the student’s laboratory of Industrial Chemistry II.

Since 1999 she works as researcher (CHIM04) by the Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems (DMSN) (once Chemistry Department).

Since 1999 she is member of the Interuniversity Consortium Chemical Reactivity and Catalysis.

From 1999 to 2010 she has taught “Industrial Organic Chemistry Laboratory Course”.

From 1999 to 2001 she was teacher assistant in the “Industrial Chemistry II, Laboratory Course”.

2010-2011 she has taught “Technologies and Industrial Processes for polymer production”.

From 2011 she teaches “The Tanning Chemistry” and works as teacher assistant in the “Industrial Organic Chemistry Laboratory Course”.

From 2017 she teaches “Polymer Chemistry” and “Perfumes and fragrances, food and chemical”.

She has been tutoring many undergraduates and master’s degree Thesis works and many PhD thesis.

Since 2011 is secretary of the Educational Board for the Degree in Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies.

Since 2012 is part of the Board of the DMSN Department.

In 2008-2009 the candidate has collaborated with Venice Technologies (ENI) on a project regarding the Spectroscopic characterization by means of FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR of heavy crude.

She has been responsible for the DMSN for the organization of the Veneto Night held on the 27 of September 2012. At present she is organizing the event for 2013.

Since 2014 Founder of the Spin Off Crossing Ltd. For further info: https://www.crossing-srl.com/en

Her research work over the years falls into different categories:

1) Study of new green, sustainable technologies with low environmental impact and in the context of the circular economy aimed at the manufacturing sector. Various lines of research are currently being studied:

i) development of new strategies for metal-free tanning

ii) recovery and enhancement of waste materials from traditional plastics.

iii) recovery of agri-food waste to produce compounds with high added value.

2) Study for the industrial production of biodegradable and biocompatible composite materials

3) Development of new antimicrobial/antibacterial materials

4) Asymmetric Catalysis regarding two main arguments: i) synthesis of new ligands and catalytic systems for asymmetric hydrogenation and hydroformylation; ii) study of new synthetic strategies for the production of enantiomerically enriched or pure fragrances.

5) Alkyne carbonylation in the presence of Pd catalysts: mechanistic study and applications to the synthesis of fluorinated acrylic monomers to be use as protectives for the works of art.

6) Synthesis of new ligands and their transition metal complexes for cross-coupling reactions such as Suzuki, Heck, Stille, etc.

Her personal skills include Organic, Polymeric and Organometallic synthesis, synthesis of transition metal complexes, employment of high-pressure equipment. Overall, she is highly familiar with many characterization techniques such as GC, GC-MS, FTIR, ATR, GPC, DSC and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy (1H, 13C, 31P, etc) mono and bidimensional.