I am a final-year Medicinal Chemistry student undertaking a research project focused on non-innocent phosphorus ligands and their coordination chemistry with transition metals. I'm researching the synthesis of organic N/O-donor backbones and their subsequent reaction with phosphorus trichloride (PCl₃) to form chlorophosphine species and phosphenium cations. The project explores how these phosphorus-based ligands interact with transition-metal centres, particularly their ability to participate in electron transfer and π-backbonding.
I am a stage 4 Chemistry student carrying out a research project on the synthesis and application of potential gallium and bismuth catalysts. I will be designing ligand backbones, such as those derived from salycilanildie, and inserting the aformentioned main group elements into them. The reactivity of the formed novel complexes will then be investigsted with a variety of potentially catlysed reactions, such as transformations for which transition metal complexes are traditonally used, in an attempt to produce a main group derived alternative.
Suman was in the group from August 2023 to January 2025. He was born and grew up in Kolkata, India. He obtained his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from University of Wyoming, United States under the supervision of Prof. Dean Roddick. His doctoral research primarily focused on the application of novel perfluorinated phosphine ligands (“PFAP’s”) to a variety of challenging problems in metal (particularly in Ru, Os, Ir, Pt) coordination chemistry and homogeneous catalysis. In the Hooper lab, his research targeted the development of phosphorus-based compounds to catalytically activate waste F-gases and transfer fluorinated chemical building blocks to form high value species.
Sean completed a B.Sc (Hons) Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds degree at University College Cork. Sean’s research centred around developing phosphenium ions as catalytic alternatives to transition metal complexes.
Christine completed her BSc (Hons) Chemistry in University College Dublin. The focus of Christine’s research was developing N-heterocyclic phosphenium cations and investigating their viability as main group catalysts.
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