Research interests of the Cloke group

Our research interests lie in the field of synthetic organometallic and co-ordination chemistry of the transition metals, and, especially, the f-elements, in the following areas:

• synthesis and reactivity of molecules which contain elements in unusual or unprecedented oxidation states, and which challenge the accepted limits of chemical bonding

• the development of new ligand environments for early transition metal and f-element organometallic complexes in 'conventional' oxidation states; small molecule activation

• synthesis of 2-coordinate Group 10 carbene complexes and their applications to C-X coupling reactions: synthetic and mechanistic aspects

• early transition metal and f-element cyclooctatetraene and pentalene complexes: synthesis, structure and reactivity towards carbon oxides

Research project titles of the Cloke group

PhD Researchers 

Sandy Kilpatrick
Synthesis of polymetallic iron-lanthanide complexes with silylated pentalene ligands.

Jess Higgins
Low- and mid-valent uranium mixed-ring sandwich complexes for the activation and functionalisation of small molecules.

Rachel Kahan
Activation of carbon oxides by mixed-sandwich uranium complexes.

Post-doctoral Researchers

Dr. Alistair Frey and Dr. Nikolaos Tsoureas are both researching low-valent uranium and thorium complexes, studying their reactivity with small molecules and probing mechanisms of the subsequent reductive transformations.