Department of Chemistry
Organometallic chemistry research group
The organometallic chemistry group holds regular meetings of the five constituent research groups.
Areas of interest
Specific interests in organometallic chemistry include:
- metal hydride complexes (Professor Simon Duckett and Professor Robin Perutz)
- N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes (Dr Richard Douthwaite)
- crystal engineering (Dr Jason Lynam and Professor Paul Walton)
- organophosphorus clusters (Dr Jason Lynam)
- CO-releasing metal carbonyls (Dr Jason Lynam)
- catalytic reaction mechanisms (Professor Robin Perutz and Professor Simon Duckett)
- bond activation and functionalisation (Professor Robin Perutz)
- ligand design and catalytic activity (Dr Richard Douthwaite and Professor Paul Walton)
- technique development through NMR spectroscopy (Professor Simon Duckett)
- NMR methods for intermediates and dynamics (Professor Simon Duckett and Professor Robin Perutz)
- excited states, photo-induced electron transfer and fluorescence sensing (Dr Anne-Kathrin Duhme-Klair and Professor Robin Perutz
- dissociative inorganic photochemistry (Professor Robin Perutz and Professor Simon Duckett)
Transition metal organometallic chemistry has brought breakthroughs in asymmetric catalysis and in alkene metathesis that underlie two recent Nobel prizes. It has also allowed the activation of numerous small molecules including alkanes. The principles of organometallic chemistry are exploited in major industrial processes such as stereoselective polymerisation and hydroformylation. The York department is one of the most active in the country for oganometallic chemistry and research activity spans many aspects of the subject.
Current members
- Dr Richard Douthwaite
- Professor Simon Duckett
- Dr Anne-Kathrin Duhme-Klair
- Professor Ian Fairlamb
- Dr Jason Lynam
- Professor Robin Perutz
Research student working in a glove box