Molecules that, in structural terms, go beyond the boundaries of what is currently known both improve our
understanding of fundamental science, and have the potential for exciting and important downstream applications.
These molecules are not large – they just contain the simplest arrangements of atoms and bonds that have not yet
succumbed to synthesis. Examples of designed molecules that we made for the first time are shown below. These
structures have redefined our broader knowledge of what can be synthesised. Also shown are examples of molecules
that have not yet been prepared, which represent some of the available projects in the group in 2023-2024, with
potential applications in wide-ranging fields, from new “smart” materials to medicines. They include molecules with
flat cyclohexane rings, or Möbius π-systems, and other crazy stuff.