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Thomas Wirth

Professor Thomas Wirth

Professor of Organic Chemistry

School of Chemistry

Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Overview

Research interests

Synthetic Methodology:

  • Hypervalent Iodine Reagents
  • Chiral Selenium Reagents
  • Electrochemical Methods

supported by Computational Chemistry

Microreactor Technology:

  • Dangerous Reactions
  • Unusual Reaction Conditions
  • Electrochemical Synthesis

Links

Personal Web Site:  Wirth Group Web Site

Publication

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2002

2001

2000

Articles

Book sections

Books

Conferences

Research

  • Design and Synthesis of New Chiral Selenium Electrophiles: high stereoselectivities are obtained with very simple and easily accessible reagents. Efficient polymer-bound selenium electrophiles with all the advantages in handling and work-up have been synthesized and used in various applications towards natural product synthesis.
  • Development of New Hypervalent Iodine Reagents: hypervalent iodine compounds are versatile alternative reagents in reactions traditionally employing heavy metal complexes. The development of chiral reagents led to various new stereoselective reactions. Due to their high reactivity, even the functionalization of alkanes can be achieved under mild reaction conditions.
  • Coordination of Chiral Ligands towards Electrophiles: we have developed a reagent-controlled stereoselective iodolactonization reaction applying a new method using a combination of ICl and a primary amine.
  • Electrochemical Methods: The selective functionalization of alkenes by combining electrochemical methods with electrophilic reagents leads to promising catalytic reactions. The direct electron transfer at electrode surfaces is frequently referred to as one of the prototypical green technologies of the future.
  • Microreactor Technology: The translation of both traditional flask-based chemistry and entirely new procedures on to chipbased platforms becomes more challenging as complexity of operation increases. We are developing new microreactors for reactions under segmented-flow conditions.
  • Computational Chemistry: The evaluation of reaction pathways, transition states, intermediates and mechanisms by close interaction of theory and experiment on various levels is supporting many of the research areas mentioned above.

In many areas of Synthetic Organic Chemistry reactions are needed, which produce in good yields stereochemically uniform compounds. In this respect many remarkable efforts have been undertaken and a variety of efficient as well as elegant stereochemical transformations using prochiral substrates are known. However, there are certain classes of compounds which cannot be efficiently used in these reactions. Only a few useful methods are known for the stereoselective functionalization of not or only weakly activated C-H bonds or C=C bonds. In our research projects we are investigating and developing stoichiometric and catalytic reactions leading to products with new stereogenic centers.

 

For more information on specific projects with Professor Thomas Wirth please review with the Molecular synethsis section of our research project themes.

Teaching

CH5103 Foundations of Organic Chemistry

CH4303 / CH5312 Advanced Organic Chemistry

CH3404 / CHT228 Asymmetric Synthesis of Pharmaceuticals and Natural Products

CHT351 Drug Discovery Chemistry

 

Details of modules can be found in course finder.

Biography

Diplom University of Bonn (1989). PhD Technical University of Berlin (1992, S. Blechert); JSPS Fellow, Kyoto University (1993, K. Fuji). Habilitation, University of Basel (1999, B. Giese). Visiting Scientist, University of Toronto (1999). Visiting Scientist, Chuo University, Tokyo (2000). Visiting Scientist, Osaka University (2004). Visiting Scientist, Osaka Prefecture University (2008). Werner Prize, New Swiss Chemical Society (2000). Appointed as Professor of Organic Chemistry, Cardiff, in 2000.

Wolfson Research Merit Award (2016, Royal Society), Elected fellow of The Learned Society of Wales (2016), Bader award (2016, Royal Society of Chemistry), Distinguished Visiting Project Professor at Kyoto University, Japan (2017/2018)

Supervisions

Organic Synthesis

Flow Synthesis

Electrochemistry

Hypervalent Iodine Chemistry

Energetic Materials

 

Current supervision

Campbell Wolfe

Campbell Wolfe

Graduate Demonstrator

Rojan Ali

Rojan Ali

Research student

Ohud Alzaidi

Ohud Alzaidi

Research student

Bethan Winterson

Bethan Winterson

Research student

Huw Chadwick

Huw Chadwick

Research student

Rawiyah Alkahtani

Rawiyah Alkahtani

Research student

Noura Alqahtani

Noura Alqahtani

Research student