Formation, structure and chemistry of non-covalent complexes of biomolecules via mass spectrometry. The studies proposed address fundamental issues which are essential to developments in biotechnology and related industries and of implication for human health and disease, with special attention to mechanisms of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, for example through Ultraviolet (UV) A and B. This has a special resonance for our sunburnt nation. The work, using world class Australian Research Cou ....Formation, structure and chemistry of non-covalent complexes of biomolecules via mass spectrometry. The studies proposed address fundamental issues which are essential to developments in biotechnology and related industries and of implication for human health and disease, with special attention to mechanisms of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, for example through Ultraviolet (UV) A and B. This has a special resonance for our sunburnt nation. The work, using world class Australian Research Council funded instrumentation, will carry out breakthrough science, exploiting and enhancing existing national strength in biological science with a strong interdisciplinary element. This project will also maintain and enhance Australia's international research profile through its novelty and new overseas collaborations. The project will equip talented young scientists with a spectrum of skills.Read moreRead less
Gas phase studies of the interactions of electrons with peptide ions: structure assignment and fundamentals. Electron-induced reactions are fundamental to a wide range of processes that underlie many areas of science and technology, ranging from planetary atmospheres, industrial plasmas to living tissues. Since ionizing radiation is believed to be a major cause of damage to living cells, understanding electron interactions with biological molecules is essential to predict the consequences of ex ....Gas phase studies of the interactions of electrons with peptide ions: structure assignment and fundamentals. Electron-induced reactions are fundamental to a wide range of processes that underlie many areas of science and technology, ranging from planetary atmospheres, industrial plasmas to living tissues. Since ionizing radiation is believed to be a major cause of damage to living cells, understanding electron interactions with biological molecules is essential to predict the consequences of exposure. Structure determination of biomolecules is at the heart of identifying, diagnosing and potentially developing treatments for diseases, and thus another important reason for studying these interactions is the potential to develop new mass spectrometry based analytical methods.Read moreRead less
Gas Phase Reactivity of Charged Peptide and DNA Radicals: Fundamentals and Applications. Radicals derived from the "molecules of life", proteins and DNA, play both beneficial (e.g. enzyme catalysis) and deleterious roles (e.g. protein and DNA damage associated with disease). Two electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry approaches have been discovered to generate charged radicals of related models systems (e.g. peptides and nucleobases). The gas phase chemistry of these species is a largely unch ....Gas Phase Reactivity of Charged Peptide and DNA Radicals: Fundamentals and Applications. Radicals derived from the "molecules of life", proteins and DNA, play both beneficial (e.g. enzyme catalysis) and deleterious roles (e.g. protein and DNA damage associated with disease). Two electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry approaches have been discovered to generate charged radicals of related models systems (e.g. peptides and nucleobases). The gas phase chemistry of these species is a largely unchartered area! We will examine the fundamental chemistry (unimolecular and bimolecular reactions) of these systems and build upon some exciting preliminary results which suggest potential applications (e.g. as a proteomics tool to sequence and distinguish between leucine and isoleucine residues in peptides).Read moreRead less
Gas Phase Studies to Catalyze a Better Understanding of Metal Reactivity. The proposed research will increase knowledge of fundamental questions related to the mechanisms of catalysis and metal ion reactivity. The insights gained will be an important addition to the knowledge base of our culture, both nationally and in the wider international context. We note that research into the behaviour and design of catalysts is a burgeoning field which reflects the great importance of this area in the int ....Gas Phase Studies to Catalyze a Better Understanding of Metal Reactivity. The proposed research will increase knowledge of fundamental questions related to the mechanisms of catalysis and metal ion reactivity. The insights gained will be an important addition to the knowledge base of our culture, both nationally and in the wider international context. We note that research into the behaviour and design of catalysts is a burgeoning field which reflects the great importance of this area in the international scientific community. Our proposal will add to fundamental knowledge and may also result in practical applications. More importantly, we will train and equip talented young people with a spectrum of skills which will make them well placed to meet the demand for highly skilled professional scientists.Read moreRead less
Structures and Properties of beta-R3M (M = Si, Ge, Sn)- and beta-Chalcogenyl-substituted Carbenium Ions. The benefits of this work are many-fold. The scientific knowledge gained will be invaluable to all scientists working in organic chemistry; mechanistic chemists who will learn from the science, and synthetic organic chemists who can utilise the results when planning strategies for the synthesis of complex drugs. Another major benefit of this research is in the training of young scientists. Th ....Structures and Properties of beta-R3M (M = Si, Ge, Sn)- and beta-Chalcogenyl-substituted Carbenium Ions. The benefits of this work are many-fold. The scientific knowledge gained will be invaluable to all scientists working in organic chemistry; mechanistic chemists who will learn from the science, and synthetic organic chemists who can utilise the results when planning strategies for the synthesis of complex drugs. Another major benefit of this research is in the training of young scientists. The students who work on this proposal gain invaluable experience in many areas of chemistry, ranging from synthetic chemistry to structural chemistry and theoretical chemistry. They will also gain experience in important physical techniques from NMR spectroscopy to X-ray crystallography.Read moreRead less
Environmental polymer degradation. This project will use the powerful combination of mass spectrometry and computational chemistry to tease out key aspects of polymer degradation mechanisms under environmental conditions. Society increasingly relies on manufactured polymers but polymer lifespan and fossil fuel reserves are limited. Design principles are needed to guide the synthesis of durable polymers for applications from paints to protective coatings in photovoltaic cells. This project will e ....Environmental polymer degradation. This project will use the powerful combination of mass spectrometry and computational chemistry to tease out key aspects of polymer degradation mechanisms under environmental conditions. Society increasingly relies on manufactured polymers but polymer lifespan and fossil fuel reserves are limited. Design principles are needed to guide the synthesis of durable polymers for applications from paints to protective coatings in photovoltaic cells. This project will establish appropriate guidelines and provide the scientific foundation for the synthesis of robust, long-lasting polymers, or polymers that decompose without damaging the environment. This will deliver significant economic and environmental benefits to an industry sector that contributes about 12 per cent of total Australian manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Discovering new organic chemistry using an inorganic touch. This project aims to discover new organic chemistry by treating carbon like a metal atom. Advances in fundamental organic chemistry have been important in developing products, including medicines, plastics and television display technology. Much research activity relies on applying existing organic chemistry, but inventing genuinely new organic chemistry is more difficult. By viewing carbon as a metal, this project will try to solve imp ....Discovering new organic chemistry using an inorganic touch. This project aims to discover new organic chemistry by treating carbon like a metal atom. Advances in fundamental organic chemistry have been important in developing products, including medicines, plastics and television display technology. Much research activity relies on applying existing organic chemistry, but inventing genuinely new organic chemistry is more difficult. By viewing carbon as a metal, this project will try to solve important problems in organic chemistry that have been unresolved for decades, and synthesise valuable chemicals normally generated using expensive precious metal catalysts.Read moreRead less
Radicals in unconventional media - improving the sustainability of radical reactions through next generation ionic liquid radical chemistry. Despite significant advances over the past few decades, many free radical reactions are still carried out in organic solvents that are often toxic, flammable, difficult to recycle and employ undesirable reagents. It is timely that new free radical chemistry be developed that moves away from this "conventional" landscape. This proposal will develop a fundame ....Radicals in unconventional media - improving the sustainability of radical reactions through next generation ionic liquid radical chemistry. Despite significant advances over the past few decades, many free radical reactions are still carried out in organic solvents that are often toxic, flammable, difficult to recycle and employ undesirable reagents. It is timely that new free radical chemistry be developed that moves away from this "conventional" landscape. This proposal will develop a fundamental understanding of how free radicals interact with, and react in, (unconventional) ionic liquid solvents. This understanding will lead, in turn, to the development of new, more efficient, free radicals methods for the preparation of important materials that include biomolecules. Reduced environmental impact of free radical chemistry is the ultimate aim of this work.Read moreRead less
Coinage metal nanoclusters: synthesis, structure and reactivity. Metal catalysts play important roles in the multi-billion dollar production of many industrial and fine chemicals used in wide-ranging applications including pharmaceuticals, insecticides and polymers. Despite the importance of metal catalysed reactions, the molecular details of such processes remain poorly understood. Breakthrough studies highlight that reactions previously thought to be catalysed by discrete metal catalysts are i ....Coinage metal nanoclusters: synthesis, structure and reactivity. Metal catalysts play important roles in the multi-billion dollar production of many industrial and fine chemicals used in wide-ranging applications including pharmaceuticals, insecticides and polymers. Despite the importance of metal catalysed reactions, the molecular details of such processes remain poorly understood. Breakthrough studies highlight that reactions previously thought to be catalysed by discrete metal catalysts are in fact catalysed by metal nanoclusters. This project involves the application of advanced mass spectrometric and computational methods to explore the formation and reactivity of copper, silver and gold nanoclusters. Identification of key reactive intermediates will inform the design of next generation catalysts.Read moreRead less
Novel Synthetic Receptors for Recognition and Transport of Biologically Important Anions. Anion receptors are not currently tailored for the ‘real world’ biological environments (for example, physiological saline and membranes) in which anions perform their many critical roles. The project will design and synthesise a range of molecular receptors based on large, rigid, precisely functionalisable scaffolds, tailored specifically to complement both the shape, size and charge of target anions as we ....Novel Synthetic Receptors for Recognition and Transport of Biologically Important Anions. Anion receptors are not currently tailored for the ‘real world’ biological environments (for example, physiological saline and membranes) in which anions perform their many critical roles. The project will design and synthesise a range of molecular receptors based on large, rigid, precisely functionalisable scaffolds, tailored specifically to complement both the shape, size and charge of target anions as well as their native environment. The project will investigate the ability of these receptors to strongly bind their target anions with high selectivity in both aqueous systems and in membrane environments. This will lead to the development of innovative synthetic receptors that recognise and/or transport biological anions for use in biomedical applications.Read moreRead less