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Simon Woodward

Professor of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science

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Biography

Simon Woodward obtained his BSc in Chemistry at the University of Sheffield and undertook a PhD in mechanistic organometallic chemistry in the group of Dr Mark J Winter. After postdoctoral positions at the University of Michigan and at the Dyson Perrins Laboratory Oxford he was appointed to the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hull. In 1999 he moved to Nottingham as a Reader in Organic Chemistry; in 2006 he became a Professor of Synthetic Organic Chemistry.

Expertise Summary

organocopper chemistry, organic thermoelectric materials, catalysis, titanium complexes with anti-cancer capabilities, chirality and chiral catalysis, unusual reactivity

Research Summary

We are primarily interested in catalysing organic reactions where new bonds are formed (or broken!) in small organic molecules of commercial interest. Our group has concentrated particularly on… read more

Recent Publications

  • RIT, RAJA K. K., LI, HONGYI, ARGENT, STEPHEN P. P., WHEELHOUSE, KATHERINE M. M., WOODWARD, SIMON and LAM, HON WAI, 2023. A Scalable Synthesis of Chiral Himbert Diene Ligands for Asymmetric Catalysis ADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS.
  • MEHMOOD, HASNAIN, MUSA, MUSTAPHA, WOODWARD, SIMON, HOSSAN, MD SHAHADAT, BRADSHAW, TRACEY D., HAROON, MUHAMMAD, NORTCLIFFE, ANDREW and AKHTAR, TASHFEEN, 2022. Design, and synthesis of selectively anticancer 4-cyanophenyl substituted thiazol-2-ylhydrazones RSC ADVANCES. 12(52), 34126-34141
  • TURLEY, ANDREW. T., HANSON-HEINE, MAGNUS W. D., ARGENT, STEPHEN. P., HU, YAOYANG, JONES, THOMAS. A., FAY, MICHAEL and WOODWARD, SIMON, 2022. Catalysis enabled synthesis, structures, and reactivities of fluorinated S-8-corona[n]arenes (n=8-12) CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 14(1), 70-77
  • STREETS, JESSICA, PROUST, NICOLAS, PARMAR, DIXIT, WALKER, GARY, LICENCE, PETER and WOODWARD, SIMON, 2022. Rate of Formation of Industrial Lubricant Additive Precursors from Maleic Anhydride and Polyisobutylene ORGANIC PROCESS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT. 26(9), 2749-2755

Current Research

We are primarily interested in catalysing organic reactions where new bonds are formed (or broken!) in small organic molecules of commercial interest. Our group has concentrated particularly on attaining catalytic reactions where highly selective transformations can be attained. That is the reactions may be chemo, regio, or stereoselective. Some of our main interests are.... Selective, often asymmetric, C-C bond formation in Ni, Sn, and Cu catalysed reactions. Mechanistic and structural investigation of metal-ligand based catalysts. Preparation of chiral ligands based on 1,1'-binaphthyl cores and related structures.

World-class research at the University of Nottingham

University Park
Nottingham
NG7 2RD
+44 (0) 115 951 5151
research@nottingham.ac.uk