Novel Manganese Catalysts for C-H Functionalization

This project will aim at carrying out a detailed study of the mechanism of action of manganese salts in catalyzing C-H functionalization reactions. The knowledge acquired will be used to design novel catalytic systems capable of expanded substrate scope, expanded range of reactivities, and increase tolerance to sensitive molecular entities.
The student will employ a combination of techniques, such as stoichiometric studies, kinetic analysis, NMR, IR, and computational chemistry, alongside state-of-the-art synthetic organic chemistry techniques.
The methodologies developed should have application to the synthesis of organic molecules such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, organic electronic materials, organic sensors and labels for chemical biology, amongst many others.
This project sits across the areas of Catalysis (homogeneous catalysis), Organometallic Chemistry, and Organic Synthesis.