go to UNSW home page
UNSW logo School of Chemistry Home Page
> Contacts   > Sitemap
About the School divider Research divider Graduate Study divider Undergraduate Study divider High School Resources

Research Groups

The Messerle Research Group

Directed by Prof. Barbara Messerle

 Prof. Barbara Messerle

An Overview of our Research Interests

Organic Synthesis using Organometallic Complexes

  • The design and synthesis of organometallic complexes which are catalysts for bringing about the formation of highly functionalised organic compounds
  • Target processes include the formation of C-X bonds (X=N,S,O, H), and target organic products include (a) pyrroles and indoles (b) furans, ethers and lactones, (c) functionalised hydrosilanes.
  • New approaches to catalysed synthesis of organic substrate.

NMR Spectroscopy of Organometallic Complexes

  • NMR studies of novel organometallic complexes for structure and dynamics
  • Parahydrogen in reactive organometallic complexes (with Dr S.B. Duckett, York University, UK).
  • NMR and modelling studies of Pt(II) based anti-cancer drugs (with Dr T. Hambley, School of Chemistry, Sydney University)

For more information about our research, follow the links below. A brief list of selected publications follows at the bottom of this page.

  • Transition Metal Catalysed Transformations of Organic Substrates (details ...)
  • Catalyst Design (details ...)
  • Nitrogen Fixation (details ...)
  • New Routes to Catalysed Processes (details ...)
  • NMR Spectroscopy of Organometallic Complexes and Pt based anti-cancer drugs (details ...)

Also available are a list of group members (past and present) and a photo gallery so you can see what we and our labs look like.

Selected Publications

(Full list of publications is available here)

S. Burling, L.D. Field, B.A. Messerle, K.Q. Vuong, and P. Turner, "Rhodium(I) and Iridium(I) Complexes with Bidentate N,N and P,N Ligands as Catalysts for the Hydrothiolation of Alkynes", J. Chem Soc.,Dalton Trans., 21, 4181-4191, 2003

L. D. Field, B. A. Messerle, and S. L. Wren, "One-Pot Tandem Hydroamination/Hydrosilation Catalyzed by Cationic Iridium(I) Complexes", Organometallics, 22,4393 - 4395, 2003

S. Burling, L.D. Field, B.A. Messerle, K.Q. Vuong, and P. Turner, "Rhodium(I) and Iridium(I) Complexes with Bidentate N,N and P,N Ligands as Catalysts for the Hydrothiolation of Alkynes", J. Chem Soc.,Dalton Trans., accepted for publication, 2003

L.D. Field, B.A. Messerle, L.P. Soler, M. Rehr, and T.W. Hambley, "Cationic Iridium(I) Complexes as Catalysts for the Alcoholysis of Silanes", Organometallics, 2003, 2387-2395,.

Vivienne P. Munk, Barbara A. Messerle, Ronald R. Fenton and Trevor W. Hambley, "Stereospecificity and Enantioselectivity in the Binding of the Platinum(II) Complex [PtCl2(tmdz)] (tmdz = 5,5,7-trimethyl-1,4-diazacycloheptane) to Dinucleotides and Oligonucleotides", Chem. Eur. J., 2002, 8, 5486-5493

Suzanne Burling, Leslie D. Field and Barbara A. Messerle "Hydroamination of alkynes catalysed by a cationic rhodium complex", Organometallics, 2000, 19, 87-90.

G. Otting, B.A. Messerle and L.P. Soler, "1H detected multinuclear NMR Experiments for the Measurement of Small Heteronuclear Coupling Constants in Organometallic Complexes", J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119, 5425-5434.

C.J. Sleigh, S.B. Duckett and B.A. Messerle, "NMR Studies on Ligand Exchange at IrH2Cl(CO)(PPh3)2 and IrH2Cl(PPh3)3 by Parahydrogen Induced Polarisation", J.C.S. Chem. Commun., 1996, 2395.

M.G. Partridge, B.A. Messerle and L.D. Field, "The Signs of Heteronuclear Coupling Constants in Octahedral Rhodium Complexes Determined using High Resolution 2D NMR." Organometallics, 1995, 14, 3527-3530.