Very High Intensity Single Crystal Diffractometers (VHISCD)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Sch of Chemistry
Abstract
The School of Chemistry at The University of Nottingham is a vigorous, innovative hub for internationally-recognised research. The School was ranked 2nd in the UK (between Cambridge and Oxford) by the 2008 RAE, and current grant income exceeds £20M. One of our highlighted strengths is the close interaction between synthetic chemistry and detailed structural characterisation and analysis. This proposal is aimed squarely at building on this strength and increasing its capacity and breadth.
Single crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis underpins the productivity of all our research involving synthetic chemistry. It is essential for the unambiguous characterisation of new materials, but also reveals relationships between structure, properties and function. In many cases structural data define the next generation of target materials and underpin the optimisation of their design. Over 1200 samples are submitted to the School's Crystal Structure Facility each year, but many are too difficult to study using our older instruments - these are now several technological generations behind what is currently available. We are now looking for really major upgrades to our instrumentation, by taking advantage of some exciting, recently-developed technologies including very bright laboratory X-ray sources.
Single crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis underpins the productivity of all our research involving synthetic chemistry. It is essential for the unambiguous characterisation of new materials, but also reveals relationships between structure, properties and function. In many cases structural data define the next generation of target materials and underpin the optimisation of their design. Over 1200 samples are submitted to the School's Crystal Structure Facility each year, but many are too difficult to study using our older instruments - these are now several technological generations behind what is currently available. We are now looking for really major upgrades to our instrumentation, by taking advantage of some exciting, recently-developed technologies including very bright laboratory X-ray sources.
Planned Impact
The proposed new X-ray diffraction instrumentation will enable research outputs which will have major impact across academia, industry and society. In terms of Knowledge, structural information will contribute directly to major scientific advances in the research areas described in the proposal covering Grand Challenge areas of energy, sustainability, materials discovery, catalysis, healthcare, nanoscience and dial-a-molecule, and will provide a strong driver for their development, implementation and transfer to industry. The research will inform stakeholders, funding agencies and policy makers across the physical sciences, and chemistry specifically. In terms of People, incoming early-career scientists (20 PDRAs and 35 PhD students per year) will gain important high-level skills and training in structural analysis which will be vital for their research and will augment their employability within and across the UK economy. Thus, the project will train scientists to enhance the necessary skills-base of the UK in important and timely scientific areas. The Economy will benefit in the short-term via employment of newly trained early-career scientists, and in the medium-to-longer term through development of new products and processes based upon new research discoveries. In due course, new companies of direct economic benefit to Society will be launched from the scientific advances developed within the current programme. Short-term beneficiaries of the research will include academics working across engineering and physical, biological and pharmaceutical sciences where the outputs of high quality research, underpinned by the proposed instrumentation, will drive progress and guide the development of new scientific approaches, technologies and products. All the above will work to improve and enhance the quality of life in the UK and world populations though the positive impacts of this research on energy, sustainability, healthcare, nanoscience and catalysis.
Organisations
Publications
Chamberlain TW
(2015)
Switching intermolecular interactions by confinement in carbon nanotubes.
in Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)
Patel D
(2015)
Synthesis and characterisation of halide, separated ion pair, and hydride cyclopentadienyl iron bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane derivatives.
in Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
Moxey GJ
(2014)
Synthesis and characterisation of magnesium complexes containing sterically demanding N,N'-bis(aryl)amidinate ligands.
in Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
King DM
(2014)
Synthesis and characterization of an f-block terminal parent imido [U-NH] complex: a masked uranium(IV) nitride.
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Zavakhina M
(2016)
Synthesis and characterization of chiral copper(ii) coordination polymers with 4,4´-bipyridine and lactic acid derivatives
in Russian Chemical Bulletin
Patel A
(2015)
Synthesis of 6-arylisocytosines and their potential for hydrogen bonding interactions
in Tetrahedron
Murray A
(2016)
Synthesis of Epibatidine Analogues by Pyrrole Diels-Alder Reactions: Rapid Access to Azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane and 3,8-Diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octane Scaffolds for Library Synthesis
in European Journal of Organic Chemistry
Inman M
(2016)
Synthesis of the Reported Pyranonaphthoquinone Structure of the Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase Inhibitor Annulin B by Regioselective Diels-Alder Reaction.
in The Journal of organic chemistry
Giallombardo D
(2014)
Synthesis of toxyloxanthone B
in Tetrahedron
Lu E
(2014)
Synthesis, characterization, and reactivity of a uranium(VI) carbene imido oxo complex.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Moreau F
(2017)
Tailoring porosity and rotational dynamics in a series of octacarboxylate metal-organic frameworks.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Cleaves PA
(2017)
Terminal Uranium(V/VI) Nitride Activation of Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Disulfide: Factors Governing Diverse and Well-Defined Cleavage and Redox Reactions.
in Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
Blake A
(2015)
The continuing development and expansion of Acta Crystallographica Section B
in Acta Crystallographica Section B Structural Science, Crystal Engineering and Materials
Gregson M
(2017)
The inverse-trans-influence in tetravalent lanthanide and actinide bis(carbene) complexes.
in Nature communications
Lu E
(2014)
The ketimide ligand is not just an inert spectator: heteroallene insertion reactivity of an actinide-ketimide linkage in a thorium carbene amide ketimide complex.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Cooper OJ
(2013)
The nature of the U=C double bond: pushing the stability of high-oxidation-state uranium carbenes to the limit.
in Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
Pearce N
(2018)
Thionated naphthalene diimides: tuneable chromophores for applications in photoactive dyads.
in Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP
Llewellyn BA
(2016)
Thionated perylene diimides with intense absorbance in the near-IR.
in Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)
Slater AG
(2015)
Thymine functionalised porphyrins, synthesis and heteromolecular surface-based self-assembly.
in Chemical science
Jolibois AE
(2014)
Total synthesis of (±)-distomadines A and B.
in Organic letters
Uroos M
(2017)
Total synthesis of (-)-aritasone via the ultra-high pressure hetero-Diels-Alder dimerisation of (-)-pinocarvone.
in Organic & biomolecular chemistry
Gardner BM
(2015)
Triamidoamine uranium(IV)-arsenic complexes containing one-, two- and threefold U-As bonding interactions.
in Nature chemistry
Gardner BM
(2014)
Triamidoamine-uranium(IV)-stabilized terminal parent phosphide and phosphinidene complexes.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Ortu F
(2015)
Tuning Coordination in s-Block Carbazol-9-yl Complexes
in Chemistry - A European Journal
Nawrat CC
(2013)
Two approaches to the aromatic core of the aminonaphthoquinone antibiotics.
in The Journal of organic chemistry
Cleaves PA
(2014)
Two-electron reductive carbonylation of terminal uranium(V) and uranium(VI) nitrides to cyanate by carbon monoxide.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Yan Y
(2018)
Unusual and Tunable Negative Linear Compressibility in the Metal-Organic Framework MFM-133(M) (M = Zr, Hf).
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Lu E
(2016)
Uranium Metalla-Allenes with Carbene Imido R2 C=U(IV) =NR' Units (R=Ph2 PNSiMe3 ; R'=CPh3 ): Alkali-Metal-Mediated Push-Pull Effects with an Amido Auxiliary.
in Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
Dean WM
(2016)
Versatile C(sp(2) )-C(sp(3) ) Ligand Couplings of Sulfoxides for the Enantioselective Synthesis of Diarylalkanes.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Wooles A
(2013)
ß-Diketiminate Derivatives of Alkali Metals and Uranium
in Organometallics
Description | This equipment grant has funded a number of major enhancements to the single crystal X-ray facilities which support a large part of our research effort: -the installation of a new very high intensity Rigaku Oxford Diffraction Xtalab MM007 rotating anode diffractometer - the installation of two new high intensity Rigaku Oxford Diffraction SuperNovaII diffractometers - the upgrade of our Rigaku Oxford Diffraction SuperNova to a dual-wavelength (Cu/Mo) instrument - the upgrade of our existing Rigaku Oxford Diffraction Mo microfocus source for high pressure crystallography. These enhancements have allowed us to conduct more demanding and ambitious experiments than were possible previously. For example, many samples which previously could only be studied in a limited manner during our sparse synchrotron beamtime could now be studied more extensively in-house, with significant benefits for our overall productivity. Two of the main groups of users (PIs Liddle and Schroder) moved to the University of Manchester in 2015, but the ramping up of the research efforts of new and existing research groups meant that the productivity of the new instruments increased during 2016. |
Exploitation Route | The acquisition of new and upgraded equipment has benefited many important areas of EPSRC-funded research within chemistry, materials, medicine and energy, such as sustainable chemistry, metal-organic frameworks, surface science, organic synthesis, catalysis, alkaline-earth chemistry, etc. |
Sectors | Chemicals,Education,Energy,Environment,Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Description | Multiple publications have already resulted from this award. The equipment was upgraded by the suppliers in December 2015. New and exisiting equipment provided under the grant continues to support the research efforts of 20+ groups in the School of Chemistry, including those of new high-profile appointees and early-career researchers. |
First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
Sector | Chemicals,Education,Energy,Environment,Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Transport |
Description | EPSRC IAA fKTS |
Amount | £53,253 (GBP) |
Funding ID | RR0507 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2014 |
End | 10/2015 |