Light driven supramolecular reactors. A major problem facing synthetic chemistry is how to control chemical reactivity using benign techniques. The aim of this project is to form supramolecular capsules that can bind guest molecules and use visible light to drive chemical reactions inside these cages. This project aims to develop the first examples of molecular cages that are able to catalyse photoredox processes. These enantiopure, self-assembled cages will be based on ruthenium(II) complexes w ....Light driven supramolecular reactors. A major problem facing synthetic chemistry is how to control chemical reactivity using benign techniques. The aim of this project is to form supramolecular capsules that can bind guest molecules and use visible light to drive chemical reactions inside these cages. This project aims to develop the first examples of molecular cages that are able to catalyse photoredox processes. These enantiopure, self-assembled cages will be based on ruthenium(II) complexes with established photophysical properties. The expected outcomes will include the first proof-of-principle examples of controlled photoredox reactions, opening the door for the development of enantioselective molecular photoreactors.Read moreRead less
Short circuiting redox enzymes. Enzymes that catalyse oxidation or reduction reactions can be integrated with an electrode in the development of biosensors. A key challenge is enabling an electrical current between the enzyme and the electrode and this project aims to probe this phenomenon to provide an enzyme system that operates with greater efficiency than in nature.
Dinuclear Ruthenium Complexes as Sequence- and Structure-Selective Binding Agents for DNA. Studies of the interaction of mononuclear metal complexes with DNA have greatly increased our understanding of the ways that small molecules recognise particular sites on DNA. However, in order to design drugs that target specific genes, and hence be potentially capable of controlling gene expression, it is necessary to study the binding of metal complexes that can associate with larger segments of DNA. ....Dinuclear Ruthenium Complexes as Sequence- and Structure-Selective Binding Agents for DNA. Studies of the interaction of mononuclear metal complexes with DNA have greatly increased our understanding of the ways that small molecules recognise particular sites on DNA. However, in order to design drugs that target specific genes, and hence be potentially capable of controlling gene expression, it is necessary to study the binding of metal complexes that can associate with larger segments of DNA. Using the combined expertise of the applicants, it is proposed to stereospecifically synthesise dinuclear complexes and study their DNA binding. This will greatly assist in the development of drugs that can selectively target genes and altered DNA.Read moreRead less
Chemical and Biochemical Characterisation of Novel Iron Chelators with Therapeutic Potential. Resistance by cancers to established chemotherapeutics is a growing problem in the community and one that demands the development of new strategies. Chelators that target the essential element iron within cancer cells represent a novel and promising approach to this problem. The Chief Investigators represent a unique combination of expertise in coordination chemistry and the biochemistry of iron chelati ....Chemical and Biochemical Characterisation of Novel Iron Chelators with Therapeutic Potential. Resistance by cancers to established chemotherapeutics is a growing problem in the community and one that demands the development of new strategies. Chelators that target the essential element iron within cancer cells represent a novel and promising approach to this problem. The Chief Investigators represent a unique combination of expertise in coordination chemistry and the biochemistry of iron chelation. They have discovered and characterised new chelators that show marked anticancer activity, and act by a new mechanism that overcomes problems of resistance. In this project they will pursue a course that will lead to a greater understanding of how these compounds work with the outcome that new effective anticancer drugs may emerge.Read moreRead less
Development of New Materials Based on Multinuclear Ruthenium Complexes. The program aims to design new materials for use in applications such as catalysis and light-activated devices (including light harvesting or solar energy conversion), for the detection and analysis of specific small molecules and anions of particular interest, and to provide an insight to the operation of biological systems such as metal-containing enzymes. The particular molecules will also be investigated for the developm ....Development of New Materials Based on Multinuclear Ruthenium Complexes. The program aims to design new materials for use in applications such as catalysis and light-activated devices (including light harvesting or solar energy conversion), for the detection and analysis of specific small molecules and anions of particular interest, and to provide an insight to the operation of biological systems such as metal-containing enzymes. The particular molecules will also be investigated for the development of a new type of therapeutic agent for the treatment of a range of diseases, with a particular interest in this work on a drug for the treatment of HIV-AIDS. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346515
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$507,000.00
Summary
Fluorescence Detector for the Australian National Beamline Facility. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is an extremely important synchrotron radiation tool for determining the local structure around an X-ray absorbing atom. This has many applications in the study of materials, minerals, metal complexes, and metalloproteins and can often be used to obtain information that is not available by other techniques, because structural information can be obtained in the solid or solution state and in ....Fluorescence Detector for the Australian National Beamline Facility. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is an extremely important synchrotron radiation tool for determining the local structure around an X-ray absorbing atom. This has many applications in the study of materials, minerals, metal complexes, and metalloproteins and can often be used to obtain information that is not available by other techniques, because structural information can be obtained in the solid or solution state and in mixtures. The current proposal is aimed at introducing new technology into the Australian National Beamline Facility that will greatly improve the quality and quantity of experiments that can be performed and extend studies into dilute solutions and protein samples.Read moreRead less
Metallo-Supramolecular Materials for Chiral Discrimination and Enantiomeric Separation. Separating mixtures of molecules is one of the most enduring challenges in the chemical sciences and accounts for a significant cost burden in many industrial applications. This project aims to design and prepare new chiral self-assembled materials that contain cavities of predictable sizes and shapes. These materials, including molecular capsules, cages and network solids, will act to selectivity bind differ ....Metallo-Supramolecular Materials for Chiral Discrimination and Enantiomeric Separation. Separating mixtures of molecules is one of the most enduring challenges in the chemical sciences and accounts for a significant cost burden in many industrial applications. This project aims to design and prepare new chiral self-assembled materials that contain cavities of predictable sizes and shapes. These materials, including molecular capsules, cages and network solids, will act to selectivity bind different chemical substrates within their chiral encapsulated spaces, thus enabling the straight-forward separation of racemic mixtures of molecules. Small molecules with enantiomeric purity are a fundamental requirement as starting materials for drug development and a wide range of pharmaceutical applications.Read moreRead less
Pioneering stable copper carbanions for new C-C bond forming paradigms. The stabilisation of highly reactive carbanions underpins advances in chemical synthesis of new compounds including polymers, agrichemicals and pharmaceuticals. This project aims to deliver an innovative chemical reactivity platform, underpinned by copper carbanion complexes accessed via synthetic electrochemistry. Carbanions are essential components of carbon-carbon bond forming reactions but their high reactivity can be pr ....Pioneering stable copper carbanions for new C-C bond forming paradigms. The stabilisation of highly reactive carbanions underpins advances in chemical synthesis of new compounds including polymers, agrichemicals and pharmaceuticals. This project aims to deliver an innovative chemical reactivity platform, underpinned by copper carbanion complexes accessed via synthetic electrochemistry. Carbanions are essential components of carbon-carbon bond forming reactions but their high reactivity can be problematic. Expected outcomes of this project are an understanding of why these novel copper compounds are stable and how they can be utilised as synthetic reagents. This should provide significant benefits in unlocking the synthetic potential of a new class of chemical compound that has until now remained unexplored.Read moreRead less
Metal complexes for sustainable light-driven synthesis. The aim of this project is to use cheap, abundant transition metal ions and visible light to enable challenging synthetic chemical reactions. The significant problems addressed are that most synthetic reactions using visible light currently require expensive precious metals, and fundamental reaction pathways used by Nature remain inaccessible. Both of these problems limit the scope of synthetic applications. The outcomes will be new knowled ....Metal complexes for sustainable light-driven synthesis. The aim of this project is to use cheap, abundant transition metal ions and visible light to enable challenging synthetic chemical reactions. The significant problems addressed are that most synthetic reactions using visible light currently require expensive precious metals, and fundamental reaction pathways used by Nature remain inaccessible. Both of these problems limit the scope of synthetic applications. The outcomes will be new knowledge and sustainable technologies that can better harness visible light for useful synthetic chemistry applications. The benefits will be more efficient and cost-effective routes to valuable molecules ubiquitous in everyday life.Read moreRead less
The fate of copper in atom transfer radical reactions. Copper (Cu) complexes of poly-amine ligands have emerged as extremely active homogeneous catalysts in atom transfer radical reactions, forming organic radicals from alkyl halide precursors, and they are now employed extensively in polymer and organic chemistry. The catalyst cycles between its Cu(I) and Cu(II) oxidation states reversibly yet both forms are susceptible to side reactions, particularly with solvents which can lead to loss of cat ....The fate of copper in atom transfer radical reactions. Copper (Cu) complexes of poly-amine ligands have emerged as extremely active homogeneous catalysts in atom transfer radical reactions, forming organic radicals from alkyl halide precursors, and they are now employed extensively in polymer and organic chemistry. The catalyst cycles between its Cu(I) and Cu(II) oxidation states reversibly yet both forms are susceptible to side reactions, particularly with solvents which can lead to loss of catalytic activity. This project aims to apply a multifaceted approach to interrogate the catalysts in both their Cu(I) and Cu(II) oxidation states and identify for the first time the pathways that lead to undesirable side reactions and provide new ways of optimising catalyst performance.Read moreRead less