New vistas in porphyrin chemistry via metal-catalyzed couplings with hydrazine derivatives. This project will address basic scientific questions and develop new substances for use in molecular electronics and cancer therapy. We will make and study entirely new molecules derived from porphyrins, which in Nature have vital roles in photosynthesis, oxygen transport and enzyme catalysis. This breakthrough research will reveal knowledge vital to the advancement of fundamental chemical science and als ....New vistas in porphyrin chemistry via metal-catalyzed couplings with hydrazine derivatives. This project will address basic scientific questions and develop new substances for use in molecular electronics and cancer therapy. We will make and study entirely new molecules derived from porphyrins, which in Nature have vital roles in photosynthesis, oxygen transport and enzyme catalysis. This breakthrough research will reveal knowledge vital to the advancement of fundamental chemical science and also offer excellent training in cutting edge research for young Australian scientists. In addition, porphyrin-like substances are used in cancer diagnosis and treatment and have properties essential for the next generation of nanoelectronic devices, and this project is aimed at these eventual outcomes.Read moreRead less
Challenging targets in rare earth metal-organic chemistry. This project aims to prepare highly reactive rare earth organometallic and metal-organic compounds, especially from the free metals, and to determine their structures and reactivity. Abundant rare earth resources position Australia to be a major supplier of these strategic elements. The challenging target systems include coordination stabilised novel ligands, pseudo-Grignard reagents LnR(X) including the rare fluorides, complexes primed ....Challenging targets in rare earth metal-organic chemistry. This project aims to prepare highly reactive rare earth organometallic and metal-organic compounds, especially from the free metals, and to determine their structures and reactivity. Abundant rare earth resources position Australia to be a major supplier of these strategic elements. The challenging target systems include coordination stabilised novel ligands, pseudo-Grignard reagents LnR(X) including the rare fluorides, complexes primed for carbon-fluorine activation, and intermediates from use of lanthanoid reagents in organic synthesis. The project will provide a knowledge base and expertise for the utilisation of Australia's abundant rare earths and will transform the current behaviour of the elements. It builds the expertise and knowledge needed to underpin Australian rare earth processing and develops the breakthrough science needed for new applications in fine chemical manufacturing, catalysis and recycling.Read moreRead less
Advancing the chemistry of rare earths - an Australian resource. This project aims to advance knowledge of the synthesis, structures and reactivity of highly reactive rare earth metal-organic compounds. The project expects to build the knowledge and skills to underpin many developments of Australia's still under utilized rare earth resources to diversify from Chinese domination. The anticipated outcomes will be new synthetic and reaction chemistry including a demonstration of how size and electr ....Advancing the chemistry of rare earths - an Australian resource. This project aims to advance knowledge of the synthesis, structures and reactivity of highly reactive rare earth metal-organic compounds. The project expects to build the knowledge and skills to underpin many developments of Australia's still under utilized rare earth resources to diversify from Chinese domination. The anticipated outcomes will be new synthetic and reaction chemistry including a demonstration of how size and electronic factors can be used to modify and advance rare earth chemistry. This project should provide significant benefit such as are a better knowledge base in rare earth chemistry to underpin future applications in chemical manufacturing, new materials, catalysis and recycling.Read moreRead less
Advancing the chemistry of topical rare earth metals. Abundant rare earth resources positions Australia to be a major supplier of these strategic elements and overcome the shortage created by the Chinese monopoly and export restrictions. This project will build the expertise and knowledge needed to underpin Australian rare earth processing and develop the breakthrough science needed for new applications.
Targeting Bio-Compatible Homo- and Hetero-bimetallic Cages and their Application in High Energy and Dual Energy Computed Tomography. The project is focused on the synthesis, characterisation and stability of novel homo-metallic and hetero-metallic oxygen and sulfur based cage compounds which have the potential to be suitable for high energy and Dual Energy CT imaging (DECT), and also for optical imaging where rare-earth metals are involved. Pre-requisites for cage design are that they be stable ....Targeting Bio-Compatible Homo- and Hetero-bimetallic Cages and their Application in High Energy and Dual Energy Computed Tomography. The project is focused on the synthesis, characterisation and stability of novel homo-metallic and hetero-metallic oxygen and sulfur based cage compounds which have the potential to be suitable for high energy and Dual Energy CT imaging (DECT), and also for optical imaging where rare-earth metals are involved. Pre-requisites for cage design are that they be stable and soluble in aqueous media, and be resistant to anionic ligand exchange at the cluster surface. The targeted metals are based on good attenuation at high (100 to 140 keV) and low X-ray (less than 30 keV) energies, and the possibility of high stability and low toxicity.Read moreRead less
Reactive metal-organics embracing the rare earth and alkaline earth metals. This project aims to study the structure and reactions of highly reactive rare earth/lanthanoid and heavy alkaline earth (calcium, strontium, barium) organometallic and metal–organic compounds. The target systems include pseudo-Grignard reagents Ln(Ae)R(X) including the rare fluorides, intermediates from use of lanthanoid reagents in organic synthesis, compounds in unusual high oxidation states, complexes primed for carb ....Reactive metal-organics embracing the rare earth and alkaline earth metals. This project aims to study the structure and reactions of highly reactive rare earth/lanthanoid and heavy alkaline earth (calcium, strontium, barium) organometallic and metal–organic compounds. The target systems include pseudo-Grignard reagents Ln(Ae)R(X) including the rare fluorides, intermediates from use of lanthanoid reagents in organic synthesis, compounds in unusual high oxidation states, complexes primed for carbon–fluorine activation, and Ln(Ae)/Al bimetallics as isoprene polymerisation catalysts. Abundant rare earth resources position Australia to be a major supplier of these strategic elements. The project aims to develop the knowledge base and expertise needed to underpin the use of Australia's abundant rare earth and calcium resources in chemical manufacture, catalysis and recycling.Read moreRead less
Emergent organocopper complexes as robust catalysts for electrosynthesis. The capture and stabilisation of highly reactive chemical species is critical to making advances in the synthesis of novel materials, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Metal-bound carbanions are essential components of carbon-carbon bond forming reactions. This project aims to develop an unprecedented family of copper catalysts and deliver an innovative and versatile chemical reactivity platform. Expected outcomes of this ....Emergent organocopper complexes as robust catalysts for electrosynthesis. The capture and stabilisation of highly reactive chemical species is critical to making advances in the synthesis of novel materials, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Metal-bound carbanions are essential components of carbon-carbon bond forming reactions. This project aims to develop an unprecedented family of copper catalysts and deliver an innovative and versatile chemical reactivity platform. Expected outcomes of this project include methods of tempering and unleashing the high reactivity of these species by controlling the oxidation state of the copper ion. Benefits of these outcomes include fundamental understanding of the reactivity of a new class of copper complex that has potential commercial applications in catalysis.Read moreRead less
A top-down approach to synthesising high-value fluorocarbons. Fluorocarbons' ability to impart high stability, solubility, and unique reactivity to host molecules renders them invaluable in agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, polymers and surfactants. Their robustness also renders them environmentally persistent. There are no industrially utilised methods for the re-purposing or recycling of fluorocarbons. This project aims to generate new methods for the selective activation of carbon-fluorine bond ....A top-down approach to synthesising high-value fluorocarbons. Fluorocarbons' ability to impart high stability, solubility, and unique reactivity to host molecules renders them invaluable in agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, polymers and surfactants. Their robustness also renders them environmentally persistent. There are no industrially utilised methods for the re-purposing or recycling of fluorocarbons. This project aims to generate new methods for the selective activation of carbon-fluorine bonds in polyfluorocarbons, allowing their incorporation or repurposing into high value chemicals and/or easy derivitisation to access a plethora of new fluorocarbon products. Expected outcomes will allow new processing methods to value add to fluorocarbons while preventing their environmental release. Read moreRead less
Emergent quantum matter in multinuclear coupled coordination clusters. This project aims to understand how novel quantum states, such as topological spin liquids, emerge and how to control these emergent properties. Emergence is the observation that collections of objects can display very different properties from the individual objects: a water molecule is not wet; a neuron is not conscious. Understanding and controlling the emergent properties of materials has enormous potential applications f ....Emergent quantum matter in multinuclear coupled coordination clusters. This project aims to understand how novel quantum states, such as topological spin liquids, emerge and how to control these emergent properties. Emergence is the observation that collections of objects can display very different properties from the individual objects: a water molecule is not wet; a neuron is not conscious. Understanding and controlling the emergent properties of materials has enormous potential applications from the lossless transport of electricity to next-generation computers. The magnetic systems to be studied are some of the simplest systems that show emergent quantum behaviours. Beyond the intrinsic scientific value of the questions, the exotic states the project seeks to engineer have potential applications in quantum computers.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