......here's something to chew on..........Main Group Chemistry
Laboratories
Keith Izod
Research in the MgC labs covers a wide range of main group and lanthanide metal coordination and organometallic chemistry. We make particular use of sterically demanding ligands and ligands with peripheral donor functionality, which frequently allow the isolation of otherwise inaccessible compounds (many of which exhibit unique reactions and reactivities). Sterically demanding ligands allow the synthesis of highly coordinatively unsaturated metal centres, whilst additional functionality frequently enhances the stability of complexes and leads to unusual ligand binding modes. One of our particular interests is in the synthesis and reactions of hard-soft mismatched complexes (i.e. complexes in which a hard metal centre is bound by a soft, typically C- or P-donor, ligand).
The oxygen- and moisture-sensitive nature of our compounds requires the rigorous exclusion of air by Schlenk and dry-box techniques. We characterise our compounds by a variety of techniques such as IR, UV-visible and NMR spectroscopies and X-ray crystallography and we make use of other techniques such as mass spectrometry, EPR and Mössbauer spectroscopies when these are suitable. In particular, we make extensive use of multi-element, multi-nuclear and variable temperature NMR spectroscopy for compound characterisation and the study of dynamic and kinetic processes. Commonly we use 1H, 13C, 31P and 11B NMR for monitoring reactions and product characterisation, whilst we also regularly study other nuclei such 7Li, 133Cs, 89Y, 171Yb and 119Sn.
In common with many other research groups we use ab initio and DFT calculations to support and guide our synthetic efforts and to investigate structure, reactivity and bonding in our compounds.
A more detailed description of our research, facilities within the group and publications can be found on the menu to the left.
Meanwhile.....
......here's something to chew on..........Selected publications:
1. A fully-phosphane-substituted disilene. K. Izod, P. Evans, P. G. Waddell, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 5593 –5597.
2. Remote substituent effects on the structures and stabilities of P=E π-stabilized diphosphatetrylenes (R2P)2E, E = Ge, Sn. K. Izod, P. Evans, P. G. Waddell, M. R. Probert, Inorg. Chem. 2016, 55, 10510-10522.
3. Impact of a rigid backbone on the structure of an agostically-stabilized dialkylstannylene: isolation of an unusual bridged stannyl-stannylene.” K. Izod, C. M. Dixon, R. W. Harrington, M. R. Probert, Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 679-681.
4. Structural diversity in alkaline-earth metal complexes of a phosphine-borane-stabilized 1,3-dicarbanion. K. Izod, C. Wills, S. El-Hamruni, R. W. Harrington, P. G. Waddell, M. R. Probert, Organometallics 2015, 34, 2406-2414
5. Insights into the stability and structures of phosphine-boranes and their alpha-metalated derivatives K. Izod, C. Wills, E. Anderson, R. W. Harrington, Organometallics 2014, 33, 5283-5294.
6. Stabilization of a diphosphagermylene through ppi-ppi interactions with a trigonal planar phosphorus center K. Izod, D. G. Rayner, S. M. El-Hamruni, R. W. Harrington, U. Baisch, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 3636-3640.
7. Light-induced rearrangement of thioether-substituted phosphanide ligands: scope and limitations of a remarkable isomerization K. Izod, E. R. Clark, P. Foster, R. J. Percival, I. M. Riddlestone, W. Clegg, R. W. Harrington, Chem.-Eur. J. 2013, 19, 6094-6107.