Chemical listening devices: Novel sensors targeting the clandestine manufacture and transport of illicit drugs and explosives. There can be no doubt that protecting Australia's borders from the dual threats of terrorism and illicit drugs is of paramount importance to continuation of our well-being and way of life. Our chemical sensors are simple hand-held or remote chemical listening sensors, which will have the ability to sense the presence of characteristic chemical vapours associated with exp ....Chemical listening devices: Novel sensors targeting the clandestine manufacture and transport of illicit drugs and explosives. There can be no doubt that protecting Australia's borders from the dual threats of terrorism and illicit drugs is of paramount importance to continuation of our well-being and way of life. Our chemical sensors are simple hand-held or remote chemical listening sensors, which will have the ability to sense the presence of characteristic chemical vapours associated with explosives and illicit drugs. The simplicity and low cost of the chemical listening allows for installation at key locations -e.g. transport hubs, shipping containers, airports etc as well as placement within clandestine drug laboratories.Read moreRead less
New synthetic strategies towards higher order fullerenes. Fullerene or C60 is a novel soccer-ball shaped molecule with many potential applications as new materials and pharmaceutical drugs. This project aims to develop novel methods for the preparation of new fullerene derivatives that will have potential future applications in materials science, medicinal/pharmaceutical chemistry and chemical synthesis.
New Cascade Routes to Biologically Important Molecules. This research involves the development of short and efficient syntheses of several different classes of biologically active molecules using cascade reactions: spectacular events in which many chemical bonds are formed. Two distinct types of cascade reactions will be investigated and naturally-occurring molecules with antineoplastic, anti-immunosuppressive, antiviral and antimalarial activities will be prepared. These new, expedient routes a ....New Cascade Routes to Biologically Important Molecules. This research involves the development of short and efficient syntheses of several different classes of biologically active molecules using cascade reactions: spectacular events in which many chemical bonds are formed. Two distinct types of cascade reactions will be investigated and naturally-occurring molecules with antineoplastic, anti-immunosuppressive, antiviral and antimalarial activities will be prepared. These new, expedient routes allow the preparation of a wide range of structurally-related analogues; an important prerequisite for the preparation of libraries of compounds for biological evaluation. Along the way, important information about the chemical reactivity patterns of a newly-prepared, fundamental class of hydrocarbon molecules will be obtained.Read moreRead less
Asymmetric Synthesis of Bioactive Alkaloids and Analogues via Chiral, Polylfunctionalized-Pyrrolidines. Alkaloids are plant products that have many useful biological and pharmaceutical properties. Many of these compounds have potential as antiviral and anticancer therapeutics. This project aims to develop novel methods of preparing bioactive alkaloids and their structural analogues. These compounds potentially have applications as new potent and less toxic pharmaceutical agents.
Functional polymeric nanopores from cyclic peptide templates. This research programme will develop nanotubes prepared through the self-assembly of cyclic peptide/polymer conjugates into functional devices for applications as nanopores. The project will establish the fundamental knowledge required to develop these materials into nanoporous polymeric films and transmembrane channels. The research programme will establish new synthetic routes to the conjugates, ascertain the technique of assembly i ....Functional polymeric nanopores from cyclic peptide templates. This research programme will develop nanotubes prepared through the self-assembly of cyclic peptide/polymer conjugates into functional devices for applications as nanopores. The project will establish the fundamental knowledge required to develop these materials into nanoporous polymeric films and transmembrane channels. The research programme will establish new synthetic routes to the conjugates, ascertain the technique of assembly into nanotubes, with a particular focus on improving the precision with which we achieve structural control, and explore the use of the nanotubes to design nanopores, for applications in the manufacture of nanoporous materials, as antibiotic agents and as biosensors.Read moreRead less
New Horizons in Diels-Alder Chemistry. Using a unique joint experimental-computational approach, we will develop reliable ways to predict the outcome of one of the most important chemical reactions. Practical applications of these new predictive tools will be developed involving powerful new versions of the reaction. Several different classes of biologically active natural products will be prepared including molecules with antitumor and antiretroviral activities. Libraries of structurally-relate ....New Horizons in Diels-Alder Chemistry. Using a unique joint experimental-computational approach, we will develop reliable ways to predict the outcome of one of the most important chemical reactions. Practical applications of these new predictive tools will be developed involving powerful new versions of the reaction. Several different classes of biologically active natural products will be prepared including molecules with antitumor and antiretroviral activities. Libraries of structurally-related analogues of natural compounds will be synthesised for biological evaluation.Read moreRead less
Novel Synthetic Receptors For Selective Recognition of Phosphate Oxoanions. Anions are critical to the maintenance of life, playing roles in almost every biochemical process. Artificial anion receptors that bind strongly to specific anions have considerable potential applications in biomedicine, but current receptors do not possess the required selectivity for applications. We will undertake the design and construction of a number of molecular receptors tailored to complement the size, shape and ....Novel Synthetic Receptors For Selective Recognition of Phosphate Oxoanions. Anions are critical to the maintenance of life, playing roles in almost every biochemical process. Artificial anion receptors that bind strongly to specific anions have considerable potential applications in biomedicine, but current receptors do not possess the required selectivity for applications. We will undertake the design and construction of a number of molecular receptors tailored to complement the size, shape and charge of specific biologically important anions and will assess their ability to bind selectively to their target guests. This will lead to the development of small molecule receptors for use in biomedical applications.Read moreRead less
Novel organic architectures and functional materials from tropylium ions. This project aims to develop new synthetic applications of tropylium ions, as versatile building blocks, to access a broad range of organic structures that used to be difficult and problematic to synthesise. The non-benzenoid aromatic tropylium ion exhibits a unique combination of structural stability and chemical reactivity. This project expects to use tropylium ions as chromophores to derive novel ‘push-and-pull’ organic ....Novel organic architectures and functional materials from tropylium ions. This project aims to develop new synthetic applications of tropylium ions, as versatile building blocks, to access a broad range of organic structures that used to be difficult and problematic to synthesise. The non-benzenoid aromatic tropylium ion exhibits a unique combination of structural stability and chemical reactivity. This project expects to use tropylium ions as chromophores to derive novel ‘push-and-pull’ organic dyes with highly applicable physicochemical properties.This will provide access to a family of novel complex organic structures in a new chemical space, as well as new materials for opto-electronic and sensing applications, respectively.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100517
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Organocatalysis: A New Horizon for Synthesis of Organic Structures. The current technologies to synthesise organic substances, an important part of human life, often involve the use of excess amounts of reagents or precious and toxic metal catalysts, which incur high production costs and severe environmental impact. This project aims to use organocatalysis, chemical processes catalysed by stable, small, easily accessible, non-metallic organic compounds, to find a solution for these issues. Novel ....Organocatalysis: A New Horizon for Synthesis of Organic Structures. The current technologies to synthesise organic substances, an important part of human life, often involve the use of excess amounts of reagents or precious and toxic metal catalysts, which incur high production costs and severe environmental impact. This project aims to use organocatalysis, chemical processes catalysed by stable, small, easily accessible, non-metallic organic compounds, to find a solution for these issues. Novel organocatalytic methods will be designed and developed in order to promote environmentally friendly, highly efficient and selective chemical procedures for low cost production of laboratory organic substances and application in the industrial synthesis of potential agrochemicals and medicinal agents.Read moreRead less
Organic Linchpin Reagents to Construct Structural Diversity and Complexity. High-energy chemical species such as carbenes, nitrenes or free radicals are often used as reactive intermediates in organic reactions to rapidly generate new bonds, structures and structural complexities. Due to their reactive nature, traditionally only one type of high-energy chemical species can be featured at a time to avoid unwanted complicated side reactions. This project aims to develop novel synthetic substrates ....Organic Linchpin Reagents to Construct Structural Diversity and Complexity. High-energy chemical species such as carbenes, nitrenes or free radicals are often used as reactive intermediates in organic reactions to rapidly generate new bonds, structures and structural complexities. Due to their reactive nature, traditionally only one type of high-energy chemical species can be featured at a time to avoid unwanted complicated side reactions. This project aims to develop novel synthetic substrates bearing multiple carbene and nitrene precursors of different types. These high-energy intermediates can be released in a relayed fashion by controlling orthogonal stimuli and therefore acting as linchpin reagents for quick construction of bio- or photo-active compounds and unprecedented complicated structures.Read moreRead less