Publications
Papers, preprints and chapters
2 entries
Preprints
Under review — comments welcome.
Orbital Mixing Induced Stabilisation of Divalent Scandium Sandwich Complexes
DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv.15001204/v1
21 entries
Publications
Work from the group at Manchester.
2026
Isolation of uranocenium, the bis-[8]annulene uranium cation
Nat. Commun. 2026 17, 10914. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-77066-2. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.15000008/v1
Pulsed hyperfine EPR study of formally divalent rare earth (scandium, yttrium, lanthanum) arene complexes
Chem. Commun. 2026 In Press.
Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering covalency analysis reveals non-Aufbau electronic configurations in low-valent lanthanides
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2026, 148, 44310–44322. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c11285. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.15004309/v1.
One- and Two-Electron Coordinatively-Induced Reduction of N-Heterocycles by Divalent Rare Earth Terphenyl Anilide Complexes
Chem. Sci. 2026, 17, 14420–14431. DOI: 10.1039/D6SC03059A. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.15002040/v1.
Reactions of a Uranium(III) Complex with N-Heterocycles to Form Diuranium(IV) Ketimides
Inorg. Chem. 2026, 65, 13591–13602. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6c01722. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.15001627/v1.
Transient Triamidoamine Neptunium(V)–Mono(Imido) Complexes: C–H Activations and Hydrogen Atom Transfer Driven by Effective Nuclear Charge
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 21505–21517. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c00505.
Magnetic Hysteresis at 31 K in a Four-Coordinate Dysprosium(III) Amide Complex
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 2942-2953. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c13255. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2025-m8q8l.
2025
Synthesis, Redox Chemistry, and Electronic Structures of bis-di(silylamido)silane f-element Complexes
Inorg. Chem. 2025, 64, 21465-21478. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c03345. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2025-4v72t-v2.
Transuranium organometallic chemistry
Nat. Rev. Chem. 2025, 9, 578-600. DOI: 10.1038/s41570-025-00732-4. A free to view version can be found here (https://rdcu.be/eABFQ). Featured on the front cover of Nature Reviews Chemistry issue 9 (link).
Uranium(III) and Uranium(IV) meta-Terphenylthiolate Complexes
Inorg. Chem. 2025, 64, 3161-3177. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c03085. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-x2dlc.
2024
Trigonal Planar Heteroleptic Lanthanide(III) Bis(silyl)amide Complexes Containing Aminoxyl Radicals and Anions
Inorg. Chem. 2024, 63, 22422-22434. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c03281. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-qz0gw.
Mechanochemical Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Room Temperature Stable Calcium Electride
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 28914-28924. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c09408.
δ-Bonding Modulates the Electronic Structure of Formally Divalent nd1 Rare Earth Arene Complexes
Chem. Sci. 2024, 15, 15160-15169. DOI: 10.1039/D4SC03005B. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-6twmx-v2.
Rare earth mixed sandwich complexes with tetraalkylphospholide and cyclooctatetraenide ligands
J. Organomet. Chem. 2024, 1018, 123287. DOI: 10.1016/j.jorganchem.2024.123287. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-j6gdf-v2.
N-Heterocyclic Carbene to Actinide d-Based π-bonding Correlates with Observed Metal–Carbene Bond Length Shortening Versus Lanthanide Congeners
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 10367-10380. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c12719.
Carbene Complexes of Plutonium: Structure, Bonding, and Divergent Reactivity to Lanthanide Analogs
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 4098-4111. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c12719.
What is the nature of the uranium(III)-arene bond?
Chem. Sci. 2024, 15, 1810-1819. DOI: 10.1039/D3SC04715F. Preprint here: https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2023-tkbmd.
2023
Stabilization of Pu(IV) in PuBr4(OPCy3)2 and Comparisons with Structurally Similar ThX4(OPR3)2 (R = Cy, Ph) Molecules
Inorg. Chem. 2023, 62, 18136-18149. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c02575.
Synthesis and comparison of iso-structural f-block metal complexes (Ce, U, Np, Pu) featuring η6-arene interactions
Chem. Sci. 2023, 14, 7438-7446. DOI: 10.1039/D3SC02194G.
2022
Isostructural σ-hydrocarbyl phospholide complexes of uranium, neptunium, and plutonium
Chem. Commun. 2022, 58, 13278-13281. DOI: 10.1039/D2CC04803E.
37 entries
PhD and PDRA works
2022
Carbene Complexes of Neptunium
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 9764-9774. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c02152.
A terminal neptunium(V)–mono(oxo) complex
Nat. Chem. 2022, 14, 342-349. DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00858-0.
Synthesis of heteroleptic yttrium and dysprosium 1,2,4- tris(trimethylsilyl)cyclopentadienyl complexes
Aust. J. Chem. 2022, 75, 684-697. DOI: 10.1071/CH21314.
2.2.2-Cryptand complexes of neptunium(III) and plutonium(III)
Chem. Commun. 2022, 58, 997-1000. DOI: 10.1039/D1CC05904A.
2021
[AnI3(THF)4] (An = Np, Pu) Preparation Bypassing An0 Metal Precursors: Access to Np3+/Pu3+ Nonaqueous and Organometallic Complexes
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 20680-20696. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c07967.
Isolation and characterization of a californium metallocene
Nature 2021, 599, 421-424. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04027-8.
Complexation and redox chemistry of neptunium, plutonium and americium with a hydroxylaminato ligand
Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 13343-13359. DOI: 10.1039/D1SC03905A.
Synthesis, characterization, and theoretical analysis of a plutonyl phosphine oxide complex
Dalton Trans. 2021, 50, 14537-14541. DOI: 10.1039/D1DT03041H.
Structural and Spectroscopic Comparison of Soft‐Se vs. Hard‐O Donor Bonding in Trivalent Americium/Neodymium Molecules
Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 9459-9466. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202017186.
Expanding the Nonaqueous Chemistry of Neptunium: Synthesis and Structural Characterization of [Np(NR2)3Cl], [Np(NR2)3Cl]–, and [Np{N(R)(SiMe2CH2)}2(NR2)]– (R = SiMe3)
Inorg. Chem. 2021, 60, 2740-2748. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c03616.
Low-spin 1,1′-diphosphametallocenates of chromium and iron
Chem. Commun. 2021, 57, 595-598. DOI: 10.1039/D0CC06518H.
Isolation and electronic structures of derivatized manganocene, ferrocene and cobaltocene anions
Nat. Chem. 2020, 13, 243-248. DOI: 10.1038/s41557-020-00595-w.
2020
Blocking Like It’s Hot: A Synthetic Chemists’ Path to High-Temperature Lanthanide Single Molecule Magnets
Dalton Trans. 2020, 49, 14320-14337. DOI: 10.1039/d0dt01904f.
A Single Small-Scale Plutonium Redox Reaction System Yields Three Crystallographically-Characterizable Organoplutonium Complexes
Inorg. Chem. 2020, 59, 13301-13314. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c01671.
Heteroleptic Samarium(III) Chalcogenide Complexes: Opportunities for Giant Exchange Coupling in Bridging σ- and π-Radical Lanthanide Dichalcogenides
Inorg. Chem. 2020, 59, 7571-7583. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c00470.
Understanding magnetic relaxation in single-ion magnets with high blocking temperature
Phys. Rev. B 2020, 101, 174402. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.101.174402.
Strangely attractive: Collaboration and feedback in the field of molecular magnetism
Int. J. Quant. Chem. 2020, 120, e26248. DOI: 10.1002/qua.26248.
A double-dysprosocenium single-molecule magnet bound together with neutral ligands
Chem. Commun. 2020, 56, 5677-5680. DOI: 10.1039/c9cc08945d.
2019
Electronic structures of bent lanthanide(III) complexes with two N-donor ligands
Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 10493-10502. DOI: 10.1039/c9sc03431e.
In-Plane Thorium(IV), Uranium(IV), and Neptunium(IV) Expanded Porphyrin Complexes
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 17867-17874. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b09123.
Engineering electronic structure to prolong relaxation times in molecular qubits by minimising orbital angular momentum
Nat. Commun. 2019, 10, 3330. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11309-3.
[Am(C5Me4H)3]: An Organometallic Americium Complex
Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 11695-11699. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201905225.
Studies of hysteresis and quantum tunnelling of the magnetisation in dysprosium(III) single molecule magnets
Dalton Trans. 2019, 48, 8541-8545. DOI: 10.1039/c9dt01655d.
Light Lanthanide Metallocenium Cations Exhibiting Weak Equatorial Anion Interactions
Chem. Eur. J. 2019, 25, 7749-7758. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201901167.
2018
Terbocenium: completing a heavy lanthanide metallocenium cation family with an alternative anion abstraction strategy
Chem. Commun. 2018, 54, 9182-9185. DOI: 10.1039/c8cc05261a.
Structural Characterization of Lithium and Sodium Bulky Bis(silyl)amide Complexes
Molecules 2018, 23, 1138. DOI: 10.3390/molecules23051138.
Heteroleptic samarium(III) halide complexes probed by fluorescence-detected L3-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy
Dalton Trans. 2018, 47, 10613-10625. DOI: 10.1039/c8dt01452c.
Salt metathesis routes to homoleptic near-linear Mg(II) and Ca(II) bulky bis(silyl)amide complexes
Dalton Trans. 2018, 47, 12526-12533. DOI: 10.1039/c8dt00802g.
Exploring synthetic routes to heteroleptic UIII, UIV, and ThIV bulky bis(silyl) amide complexes
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2018, 2356-2362. DOI: 10.1002/ejic.201800036.
2017
Synthesis and Electronic Structures of Heavy Lanthanide Metallocenium Cations
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 18714-18724. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b11535.
Molecular magnetic hysteresis at 60 kelvin in dysprosocenium
Nature 2017, 548, 439-442. DOI: 10.1038/nature23447.
Investigation into the Effects of a Trigonal-Planar Ligand Field on the Electronic Properties of Lanthanide(II) Tris(silylamide) Complexes (Ln = Sm, Eu, Tm, Yb)
Inorg. Chem. 2017, 56, 5959-5970. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.7b00664.
2016
Physicochemical Properties of Near-Linear Lanthanide(II) Bis(silylamide) Complexes (Ln = Sm, Eu, Tm, Yb)
Inorg. Chem. 2016, 55, 10057-10067. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6b00808.
Salt metathesis versus protonolysis routes for the synthesis of silylamide Hauser base (R2NMgX; X = halogen) and amido-Grignard (R2NMgR) complexes
Dalton Trans. 2016, 45, 6004-6014. DOI: 10.1039/C5DT02535D.
2015
Homoleptic Trigonal Planar Lanthanide Complexes Stabilized by Superbulky Silylamide Ligands
Organometallics 2015, 34, 2314-2325. DOI: 10.1021/om501123e.
The first near-linear bis(amide) f-block complex: a blueprint for a high temperature single molecule magnet
Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 101-103. DOI: 10.1039/c4cc08312a.
[UIII{N(SiMe2tBu)2}3]: a structurally authenticated trigonal planar actinide complex
Chem. Eur. J. 2014, 20, 14579-14583. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201404864.
2 entries
Book Chapters
Small Molecule Activation by Lanthanide Complexes
Eds. S. T. Liddle, D. P. Mills, L. S. Natrajan, World Scientific Publishing Europe Ltd, Singapore, 2022, pp. 441-469. ISBN: 978-1-80061-017-0, DOI: 10.1142/q0298.
Silylamides: towards a half-century of stabilising remarkable f-element chemistry
Eds. I. J. S. Fairlamb, J. Lynam, N. J. Patmore, P. Elliott, RSC Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2017, pp. 123-156. ISBN: 978-1-78262-416-5, DOI: 10.1039/9781782626923.
3 entries
Editorials
Ligands, orbitals, and applications across the f-block
Commun. Chem. 2026, 9, 261. DOI: 10.1038/s42004-026-02143-y.
What is a Sandwich Complex?
Inorg. Chem. 2024, 63, 9363-9365. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c00243. Organometallics 2024, 43, 595-597. DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.4c00017.
Ligand–Metal Complementarity in Rare-Earth and Actinide Chemistry
Inorg. Chem. 2024, 63, 9355-9362. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c01504.
1 entries
Author profiles
1 entries
PhD Thesis
2017
Synthesis and Properties of Early Metal Bulky Silylamide Complexes
The University of Manchester, 2017.