Professor Stephen P. Thomas

Professor of Sustainable Catalysis

Research summary

Catalysis, Organometallic Chemistry, Methodology, Mechanism, Main Group Chemistry, Sustainability,  Iron, Boron

Research Overview

We are a small, close-knit and enthusiastic team focused on the development and understanding of catalytic methodologies. Our overarching goal is to introduce operationally simple methods for use by academic and industry that use non-toxic, environmentally benign and inexpensive reagents and catalysts. Underpinning this is a keen interest in mechanism and organometallic chemistry. We have active research programmes in 1st-row transition metal catalysis (Fe, Mn, Co, Ti), main-group catalysis (B and Al) and accessing low oxidation-state species using non-organometallic activators, and the mechanisms of catalytic reactions. 

Catalytic Access to Diastereometrically Pure Four-and Five-Membered Silyl-Heterocycles Using Transborylation Dominic R. Willcox, Emanuele Cocco, Gary S. Nichol, Armando Carlone and Stephen P. Thomas Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2024,  e202401737 

Iron-catalysed Alkene and Heteroarene H/D Exchange by Reversible Protonation of Iron-hydride Intermediates Luke Britton, Jamie H. Docherty, Jan Sklyaruk, Jessica Cooney, Gary S. Nichol, Andrew P. Dominey and Stephen P. Thomas Chem. Sci. 2022, 13, 10291–10298.

Diastereoselective, Catalytic Access to Cross-aldol Products Directly from Esters and Lactones Adrián Moreno González, Kieran Nicholson, Natalia Llopis, Gary S. Nichol, Thomas Langer, Alejandro Baeza, Stephen P. Thomas Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202209584.

 

For a full list of publications and more information about the Thomas research group please see the group's website.

 

 

Expertise: Catalysis, Mechanism, Main group, Iron, Sustainability, Boron, Aluminium, Manganese, Cross-coupling, C-H Borylation, Silanes, Hydrosilylation, hydrogenation, Synthesis, Organometallics, Methodology

Sectors: Catalysis, Isotope Chemistry, Synthesis & Manufacture, Environment & Sustainability

Stephen's research group is focused on the development and understanding of sustainable catalysis for synthetic chemistry. We have developed iron-, cobalt- and manganese-catalysed methods for arene and alkene functionalisation, alongside the mechanistic understanding of these reactions. We also have an active programme exploring boron and aluminium catalysis. More recently we are investigating sensing of trace impurities in chemical reactions and the environment. Stephen's group has worked closely with industrial partners and academic collaborators to deliver demonstrable impact. Ongoing projects are being supported by GSK, AZ, Johnson Matthey and Syngenta. Our mechanistic studies on iron catalysis have been carried out with the Catalysis Hub (Harwell) and Prof. Michael Neidig (Oxford).

Stephen's group welcomes opportunities to work with external partners on a broad range of sustainable catalysis problems, via collaborative projects or consultancies.

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