Ewch i’r prif gynnwys
Yr Athro Damien Murphy

Yr Athro Damien Murphy

Athro Cemeg Ffisegol

Yr Ysgol Cemeg

Email
murphydm@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 (0)29 2087 5850
Fax:
+44 (0)29 2087 4030
Comment
Sylwebydd y cyfryngau

Links

Research Group: Physical Chemistry

See also: EPR/ENDOR Spectroscopy Research Group

Research Interests

The research interests of the group focus on a number of topics including:  

  • Structure and reactivity of paramagnetic centres (reactive oxygen species, defects) on polycrystalline oxides. Nature and reactivity of surface trapped electrons on oxides.
  • Understanding the fundamental steps involved in the stabilisation and reactivity of charge carrier states as a function of surface morphology (anisotropic photochemical reactivity).
  • Structure - function relationships and mechanistic pathways in homogeneous enantioselective catalysis, as probed by multi-frequency ENDOR.
  • Role of paramagnetic redox centres in selective oligomerisation catalysis.
  • Orientation selective ENDOR spectroscopy for structure determination in frozen solution

The group utilises both continuous wave (CW) and Pulsed EPR/ENDOR techniques at both X- and Q-band frequencies.

For more information, click on the 'Research' tab above.

Teaching

CH3101 Foundations of Physical Chemistry

CH3204 Symmetry, Spectroscopy and Quantum Mechanics

CH2301 Training in Research methods

CH3307 Advanced Spectroscopy and Diffraction

CH3410 Advanced Magnetic Resonance

Prof. Damien Murphy obtained his degree in Chemistry from the Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland (1986-1990). He then studied for his PhD at the Università di Torino, Italy under the guidance of Prof. E. Giamello (1990-1993). He was a Postdoctorate Research Fellow, at the Instituto Superior Technico, Lisbon (1994) and later Università P. et M. Curie, Paris (1995). He moved to Cardiff University in 1996 as a Lecturer in Physical Chemistry, and was later promoted to Senior Lecturer (2002) and Reader (2008). During this time he was Manager of the National ENDOR service (1996-2003) and Secretary/Treasurer of the ESR group of the RSC (1998-2003).

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Research Interests

The chemical reactivity and properties of molecules depends critically on their shape or structure. For example, molecular shapes govern everything from colour, odour and taste to whether a substance is a solid, liquid or gas. Scientists use different tools to study these shapes, and explore how one molecule reacts with another depending on shape. This is often difficult, particularly in solution and when the interactions are weak. Using Orientation Selective Electron Nuclear DOuble Resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy, we can generate a 3-dimensional visualisation of weakly interacting molecules in solution, revealing the small changes in structure when chiral molecules interact with each other. In a sense, ENDOR experiments on single crystals with known three-dimensional structures can be regarded as complementary 1H crystallography. As shown in the example below, the coordinates and distances derived by 1H ENDOR spectroscopy are comparable to those computed using DFT structural models (in brackets). When combined with other Pulsed EPR techniques, a complete description of electron spin distributions can be obtained in radicals and paramagnetic systems.

Fig 1

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