Welcome!

Our group is interested in catalysis, and the application of new catalytic reactions in the synthesis of important target molecules such as clinically used drugs and natural products. We also aim to understand how these reactions work by studying their mechanisms. Recently we have focused on asymmetric variations of widely used transition-metal catalysed carbon-carbon bond forming reactions, such as Suzuki-Miyaura and Heck reactions, so that we can rapidly access complex chiral molecules from simple molecules in a conceptually and practically straightforward way.  Alongside the development of these new methods, we conduct mechanistic studies to understand reaction pathways and asymmetric induction. This work guides the design of new reactions, their application to target molecule synthesis and the development of new ligands and catalysts.

We have applied our methods to the synthesis of several important and challenging target molecules, for example:

We developed copper-catalysed asymmetric 1,4-additions which were applied in the synthesis of Fulvestrant and in a 5-step synthesis of the Taxol core. Achieving high levels of selectivity in forming the key quaternary centre required developing new ligands which are in some cases commercially available and are highly useful in optimising new transformations. Copper-catalyzed dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformations, which allow sp³-sp³ cross-coupling reactions, convert racemic starting materials into highly enantioenriched products as the C–C bond framework of organic molecules are produced. Our method was used to synthesize natural products that possess activity against leprosy and tuberculosis, and an inhibitor of para-aminobenzoate biosynthesis. Mechanistic studies indicate the reaction proceeds through a rapidly isomerizing intermediate. 

 A series of Rh-catalyzed asymmetric cross-coupling reactions with arylboronic acids give highly enantioenriched sp²-sp³ products. Suzuki-Miyaura-type reactions with racemic starting materials can give single enantiomers of product and even control multiple stereogenic centres via an enantiodetermining reductive elimination mechanism. These reactions have been scaled up to give more that 100g of product and applied to the synthesis of preclamol, isoanabasine, niraparib, Fazamorexant, carbocyclic C-nucleosides, Tafluprost and other prostaglandins.  We've shown that chelation can enable chemo- and regioselective control in enantioconvergent Suzuki-type reactions in acyclic systems and ligand-enabled override of the 'memory effect' in Rh-catalyzed reactions allows access to complex arrays of contiguous stereogenic centres via iterative processes. Asymmetric Heck-type reactions with boronic acid nucleophiles allow access to 3-piperidines, and a wide variety of sterochemically complex cyclobutanes in a conceptually straightforward way.

Current work in the group aims to develop new asymmetric cross-coupling reactions to allow access to stereochemically complex products that are otherwise difficult to access.

We are always looking for new team members with experience in synthesis, asymmetric catalysis and mechanistic studies.

Please email us directly to find out more