Dr Ben Ward Project Titles
1. Catalytic applications of the Alkaline Earth Metals
The development of new and more efficient catalysts is an ever-expanding area of chemical research. The increasing demand for cleaner chemical processes makes this area at the forefront of research, enabling cleaner technology whilst also providing benefit to society, through the economic benefit of improving the efficiency of chemical synthesis.
Figure 1: Alkaline Earth metals in catalysis
Most catalysts are based upon precious metals, such as palladium, platinum, and rhodium; such metals are expensive, and the cost (financially and environmentally) of recycling such metals is considerable. In our group we are interested in developing the catalytic applications of the Alkaline Earth (AE) metals, particularly calcium. Calcium is the 5th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, and is therefore inexpensive, whilst also being non-toxic and environmentally benign.
Our particular focus lies in the preparation of chiral complexes for asymmetric catalysis. Our recent work has focussed on the hydroamination of amino-olefins (addition of N-H bonds across a C=C double bond), and we have recently reported the highest enantioselectivity for this reaction when catalysed by calcium (44% ee). In light of our success in this area, we are seeking to expand the use of our catalysts to encompass other reactions, such as asymmetric hydrogenation (see Figure 1 for examples). Our research encompasses both fundamental and applied aspects, and involves organic synthesis, coordination chemistry, catalyst performance studies, and mechanistic analysis.
The Ph.D. project will be concerned with the synthesis of chiral polydentate ligands using procedures established in the group; some of the ligands will be those where the synthesis has already been accomplished, whilst some will be entirely new. The main objective will be to establish the coordination chemistry with calcium and other Alkaline Earth metal s, with a view to probing the catalytic applications of the complexes.
For further information, or to discuss the details of this project, please contact Ben Ward, office: 3.39; email: WardBD@Cardiff.ac.uk; tel: 029 208 70302.