Dr M Watkinson (St.Andrews), PhD (UMIST)

Senior Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry

School of Biological & Chemical Sciences
Queen Mary, University of London
Walter Besant Building, Mile End Road
London
E1 4NS
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7882 3263
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7882 7427.
email: M.Watkinson@qmul.ac.uk

Research Interests

Our current research interests lie very much on the border of inorganic and organic synthesis. The main drive of our work is to use coordnation chemistry to develop functional catalysts and materials.

Synthesis and application of novel azamacrocyclic ligands. We have been engaged for some time in the synthesis of novel enantiomerically pure aza- and aza-oxa-macrocyclic ligands (see publications for more details).

Representative examples of target azamacrocyclic ligands

We are just starting to apply these novel ligand systems in catalysis and are interested in a number of asymmetric reactions including epoxidation, cis-dihydroxylation and the kinetic resolution of activated esters. One recent example of the application of these ligands in catalysis was undertaken in collaboration with Andy Whiting’s group at Durham where we observed high levels of activity in an aza-Diels-Alder reaction.

Aza-Diels-Alder reaction catalysed by the novel copper(II) complex shown

As part of our investigations we have developed a new route towards unsymmetrically N-substituted chiral azamacrocycles and recently isolated a very rare example of a tertiary amide ligand coordinated to copper(II).

Very rare example of tertiary amide coordination in a Werner complex

We are supported in this work by EPSRC, The Royal Society, The Nuffield Foundation and The University of London Central Research Fund.

MERS/MEARS- Molecularly Engineered (Amperometric) Recognition Scaffolds. We have recently begun a major new EPSRC- and BBSRC-funded initiative in collaboration with Mat Todd and Jim Utley here at QM, and with Lisa Hall and Vasant Kumar at Cambridge. We are aiming to generate new medical devices for the early detection of various disease states such as cancer and heart disease. We hope the project will provide new and exciting directions in the biosensor field.

Schematic of section through two array sites for an SPR biochip with molecular recognition constructs having inbuilt SPR amplifiers

Synthetic Nucleases. Synthesis and evaluation of new metallosynzymes with sequence-selectivity in the cleavage of double-stranded DNA. (with Mat Todd (Queen Mary) and Professor David Perrett, Bart’s and the Royal London Hospital, London).

Selected Recent Publications

• S. Pulacchini, K.F. Sibbons, K. Shastri, M. Motevalli, M. Watkinson, H. Wan, A. Whiting and A.P. Lightfoot, “Synthesis of new C₂-symmetric aza- and azaoxamacrocyclic ligands and their applications in catalysis,” Dalton Trans., 2003, 2043-2052.

• S. Pulacchini, K.F. Sibbons, R. Nasser, G.E. Hawkes, M. Motevalli, R.T. Kroemer, E.S. Bento and M. Watkinson, “Structure, modelling and dynamic behaviour of macrocyclic ligands derived from (R,R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane,” Org. Biomol. Chem., 2003, 1, 4058-4063.

• J.E.W. Scheuermann, G. Ilyashenko, D.V. Griffiths and M. Watkinson, ”Solvent mediated selective single and double ring-opening of N-tosyl activated aziridines with benzylamine,” Tetrahedron: Asymmetry, 2002, 13, 269-272.

• S. Pulacchini, K. Shastri, N.C. Dixon and M. Watkinson, “A remarkably efficient and direct route for the synthesis of binucleating 1,4,7-triazacyclononane ligands,” Synthesis, 2001, 2381-2383.

Full publications list.

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