Main-Group Isosteres
The replacement of carbon with isoelectronic main-group fragments has emerged as a powerful strategy to prepare analogues of ubiquitous organic compounds. These isosteres often display unique structural features and exhibit diverse reactivity such as small-molecule activation that are not encountered in the all-carbon analogues. These fundamental studies have sparked significant interest and curiosity amongst the main-group chemistry community, and furthermore have unveiled bonding motifs that were once believed to be inaccessible for the heavy p-block elements.
- Selected paper: "The Phospha-Bora-Wittig Reaction"
- Selected paper: "The Phospha-Bora-Wittig Reaction"
Functional Hybrid Materials
The incorporation of heteroatoms into polycyclic hydrocarbons can drastically alter the physical and chemical properties. Within this context, the substitution of C=C units with the isoelectronic and isosteric B-N fragment has proven to be an effective strategy to tune the molecular properties relevant to the desired function. Extending these studies to heavier main-group elements and fragments is expected to lead to unique properties, but synthetic access to these compounds currently remains a challenge.
Catalysis and Mechanisms
Catalysts are necessary to transform many feed-stock chemicals into more complex compounds such as pharmaceuticals. Precious metal catalysts are often responsible for enabling powerful organic reactions such as cross-coupling, but there is a growing need to discover new catalytic systems based on earth abundant elements, such as the first row-transition metals or main-group (s- and p-block) elements. A detailed understanding of the reaction mechanism is also important to facilitate further advances and to aid in the develop of catalysts with improved performance.
- Selected paper: "The Anionic Pathway in the Nickel-Catalysed Cross-Coupling of Aryl Ethers"
- Selected paper: "The Anionic Pathway in the Nickel-Catalysed Cross-Coupling of Aryl Ethers"
Heterobimetallic Chemistry
The co-complexation of organo-alkali-metal compounds with secondary metals in the s-, d- or p-block affords heterobimetallic 'ate' complexes which exhibit superior reactivity, selectivity and catalytic activity when compared to their single metal components. These bespoke heterobimetallic systems also display unique structural and bonding motifs, which enables cooperative behaviour for the activation and functionalisation of challenging molecules.
- Selected paper: "Towards Hexagonal Planar Nickel: A Dispersion-Stabilised Tri-Lithium Nickelate"
- Selected paper: "Towards Hexagonal Planar Nickel: A Dispersion-Stabilised Tri-Lithium Nickelate"