Organic chemistry

About

Organic substances are everywhere: they are the basis of all life forms and central to our heath and wellbeing. Organic chemistry is the study of the structure, properties and syntheses of carbon-containing compounds, and includes both compounds produced by living organisms as well as designed molecules. The range of application of organic compounds is enormous. The very foundations of biochemistry, biotechnology, and medicine are built on organic compounds and their role in life processes. Most modern, high-tech materials are at least partially composed of organic compounds. Organic chemists at all levels are employed by pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical, consumer product, food and petroleum industries.

Groups

Hill Group

Our work covers organometallic chemistry with a particular focus include unsaturated ligands involving metal–carbon multiple bonding.

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Humphrey Group

Our research uses synthesis, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and computational chemistry to generate new molecular materials with unusual optical properties.

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Malins Group

The Malins group develops synthetic tools for small molecule, peptide and protein synthesis, including for applications in chemical biology and drug discovery.

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McLeod Group

The McLeod group employs a wide range of techniques to study drug metabolism.

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Nitsche Group

We develop chemical tools to target, manipulate and study peptides and proteins related to infectious diseases.

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Norcott Group

The Norcott group research interest centres on using organic synthesis and reactivity to design new, functional molecules with important purposes.

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Sherburn Group

Our research program involves the design of sequences of cycloaddition reactions, free radical reactions and transition metal-mediated reactions

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White Group

Our research focuses on supramolecular chemistry – the chemistry of non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding, halogen bonding and coordination bonds.

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Facilities

Separation and Reaction Facility

Electrochemical reactors for preparative organic synthesis.

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Projects

A Trojan horse to combat malaria / Anti-doping chemistry / Enzyme engineering / Exploring the ‘sulfatome’

A Trojan horse to combat malaria, Anti-doping chemistry, Enzyme engineering and Exploring the ‘sulfatome’.

Student intake

Open for Honours, PhD students

Designing Ligands to assist the activation of small molecules (CO, H2, NO, SO2)

Please contact the supervisor for more details.

Student intake

Open for Summer scholar students

People

Prof. Anthony Hill

Domino Reactions / Step Economic Total Synthesis / Synthesising Designed Molecules

Domino Reactions, Step Economic Total Synthesis and Synthesising Designed Molecules.

Student intake

Open for Honours, PhD students

Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 / Therapeutics for dengue fever / Bicyclic peptides

Infectious viruses such as dengue, Zika, West Nile, Chikungunya or SARS-CoV-2 have common Achilles heel: their protease. Proteases are key enzymes of viral replication and promising drug targets. The project explores constrained peptides targeting proteases available in our lab from flavi-, alpha- and coronaviruses

Student intake

Open for Honours, PhD students

Non-Classical Pincer Ligands for Catalytic Applications / Unusual Carbyne Complexes / Chains of Carbon

Non-Classical Pincer Ligands for Catalytic Applications, Unusual Carbyne Complexes and Chains of Carbon

Student intake

Open for Honours, PhD students

Oxytocin receptor (OTR) targets / Push-pull chromophores

Oxytocin receptor (OTR) targets and Push-pull chromophores

Student intake

Open for Honours, PhD students

Members

Academic staff

Dr Lee Alissandratos

Honorary Lecturer

Prof. Michelle Coote

Honorary Professor

Prof. Chris Easton

Emeritus Professor

Prof. Anthony Hill

Professor

Prof. Mark Humphrey

Professor

A/ Prof. Lara Malins

Associate Professor
Westpac Research Fellow

A/ Prof. Malcolm McLeod

Associate Professor

A/Prof. Christoph Nitsche

Associate Professor
ARC Future Fellow

Prof. Michael Sherburn

Associate Director (Education)
Professor

A/ Prof. Nicholas White

Associate Professor
Australian Research Council Future Fellow

Articles

'Fighting antibiotic resistance takes guts'

Fighting antibiotic resistance takes guts. Dr Lara Malins discusses her research into antibiotic resistance.

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Congratulations Nick White - ARC Future Fellowship

Congratulations to Dr Nick White who has been awarded an ARC Future Fellowship. This is fantastic news, and a tribute to all of Nick’s hard work and achievements in supramolecular chemistry.

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