School of Chemistry

Ron Grigg FRS

Research Professor
Research section: Organic Chemistry

Contact details

Keywords

Cascade amd Supercascade Reactions
Heterocyclic Chemistry
Palladium,Rhodium,Ruthenium,Iridium Catalysed Reactions
1, 3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions
Asymmetric Synthesis
Medicinal Chemistry
Combinatorial Chemistry

Research interests

Our research is focussed on developing new cascade and supercascade reactions that involve both cycloaddition and transition metal catalysed processes. The cycloaddition processes involve simple starting materials (imines, oximes, hydrazones etc) and allow the rapid assembly of complex heterocycles in regio-, stereo- and chemo-selective thermal or metal catalysed processes. Asymmetric versions of these cascades, employing chiral catalysts, are under development. A wide variety of transition metal catalysed multicomponent cascade processes are under development involving molecular queuing , relay switches and cyclisation-anion capture. Bimetallic cascade catalysis involving Pd/Ag, Pd/In, Pd/Rh,Pd/Ir and Pd/Ru is also being studied and new synthetic strategies are being developed based on these combinations. The new chemistry is being applied to biochemical, medicinal and agrochemical problems which utilise combinatorial chemistry and employ robotic synthesisers. A European network applying cascade combinatorial chemistry is run from Leeds with participating laboratories in France, Germany and Spain. There are also strong collaborations with Turkey and Thailand.

Selected publications

Transforming Rhinacanthin Analogues from Potent Anticancer Agents into Potent Antimalarial Agents. N. Kongkathip, N. Pradidphol, K. Hasitapan, R. Grigg, W-C. Kao, C. Hunte, N. Fisher, A.J. Warman, G.A. Biagini, P. Kongsaeree and B. Kongkathip. J. Med. Chem, 2010, 53, 1211-1221

Pd Catalysed Carbonylations. Versatile Technology for Discovery and Process Chemists. R. Grigg and S. Mutton. Tetrahedron, 2010, 66, 5515-5548.

Iridium Catalysed Alkylation of 4-Hyroxycoumarin, 4-Hydroxyquinolones and Quinolin-4(1H)-ones with Alcohols under Solvent Free Thermal Conditions. R. Grigg, S. Whitney, V. Sridharan, A. Keep and A. Derrick. Tetrahedron, 2009, 65, 7468-7473

Palladium-Catalysed Cascades Triggered by Dehydrogenation of Secondary or Tertiary Amines: Access to Bridged- and Fused-Ring Heterocycles. R. Grigg, A. Somasunderam. V. Sridharan and A. Keep. Synlett., 2009, 97-99