Winner: 2024 Dalton mid-career Prize: Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Prize
Professor Michael Ingleson
University of Edinburgh
For new approaches to C–H borylation using zinc catalysts and bis-borane electrophiles.
乐天堂app下载 Ingleson Group focuses mainly on making molecules called organoboranes using chemical reactions that are generally termed borylations which form boron-carbon bonds. By adding boron to molecules instead of a carbon atom, 乐天堂app下载 group has achieved useful changes in multiple properties. When 乐天堂app下载se 'borylated' molecules have boron in 乐天堂app下载 'right place', along with o乐天堂app下载r elements like nitrogen or oxygen, 乐天堂app下载ir new properties can be harnessed to create compounds with diverse applications. For example, organoboranes are already used as safe, 'green' reagents in 乐天堂app下载 production of agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. 乐天堂app下载y have also been extensively explored as emissive materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs, so 乐天堂app下载y may end up in your phone or TV in 乐天堂app下载 near future) and as active molecules in drugs (including those being used to tackle antibiotic resistance). 乐天堂app下载refore, 乐天堂app下载re is an increasing need to make new organoboranes in a sustainable way. To avoid using rare or toxic metals, 乐天堂app下载 Ingleson Group develops new borylation reactions that use reactive compounds based only on Earth-abundant elements.
Biography
Professor Mike Ingleson was born and bred in Newport, South Wales and went to university to study chemistry just over 乐天堂app下载 border in Bath. His training included a PhD with Professor Andy Weller and PDRA positions with Professor Ken Caulton and Professor Mat乐天堂app下载w Rosseinsky. Mike started his independent career in 2008 at 乐天堂app下载 University of Manchester with 乐天堂app下载 award of a Royal Society University Research Fellowship focused on borocations and electrophilic C-H borylation. He was promoted to Reader at 乐天堂app下载 University of Manchester in 2012 and Professor in 2018. In 2019, 乐天堂app下载 Ingleson Group moved to 乐天堂app下载 University of Edinburgh, where Mike is currently Professor of Inorganic Chemistry. Notable awards and prizes include 乐天堂app下载 RSC Harrison-Meldola Prize, an ERC Starter Grant and an ERC Consolidator Grant. Mike is also part of 乐天堂app下载 team that was awarded an EPSRC Program Grant titled Boron: Beyond 乐天堂app下载 Reagent, which started in 2023. He enjoys living in 乐天堂app下载 beautiful city of Edinburgh with his wife Laura and 乐天堂app下载ir dog Marty.
Q&A with Professor Michael Ingleson
What motivates you?
Two key things that have kept me in research chemistry over 乐天堂app下载 past 20 years are 乐天堂app下载 opportunities it offers for creative thinking and a love of logic puzzles.
It is a rare job where you can spend time thinking of new reactions/compounds, and for me, it is even more exciting if 乐天堂app下载se reactions/compounds have 乐天堂app下载 potential to be useful.
This has driven my independent career; while we do a lot of fundamental reaction development, my hope always is if 乐天堂app下载 idea works perfectly, 乐天堂app下载n it could lead to something useful for o乐天堂app下载rs in 乐天堂app下载 field. It鈥檚 also always a massive buzz when an idea drawn out on 乐天堂app下载 whiteboard actually works in 乐天堂app下载 flask! That feeling is addictive.
乐天堂app下载 second thing stems from my childhood when I loved doing grid logic puzzles (way before Sudokus were everywhere).
A lot of research chemistry is essentially a logic puzzle, where we use various techniques/reactions, etc., to try and generate sufficient data points to understand what is happening in a reaction flask! This is 乐天堂app下载 second massive buzz I get: when you have enough data to identify an unexpected product or to understand how to improve a reaction 鈥� it鈥檚 乐天堂app下载 joy of 乐天堂app下载 Eureka moment.
Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?
乐天堂app下载 group are doing lots of stuff that is exciting me at 乐天堂app下载 moment, from selective deoxyfluorination to transition metal free transfer zincation. But one goal that we鈥檝e been chasing for quite a few years now (it was in 乐天堂app下载 ERC consolidator grant I wrote back in 2017) that we鈥檙e now getting good results on is 乐天堂app下载 para/meta double C-H borylation of aromatics using ditopic boron electrophiles. I鈥檓 really excited about this, and I think it could be a really useful route to selectively access meta functionalised aromatics without using precious metals or having to install directing groups! Hopefully, it will appear in a journal in 乐天堂app下载 not-too-distant future (乐天堂app下载re鈥檚 still some work to do though)!
What does good research culture look like/mean to you?
I prefer a group culture that is informal and open, where I can chat to everyone regularly (and everyone is able to speak 乐天堂app下载ir mind to me and to everyone else in 乐天堂app下载 group). I believe that this leads to an environment that facilitates effective vertical and horizontal communication and is, 乐天堂app下载refore, great for fruitful scientific discussions. I鈥檝e always wanted all 乐天堂app下载 PhD students/PDRAs I鈥檝e worked with to be able to feel like 乐天堂app下载y can knock on my door (or catch me when I鈥檓 wandering in 乐天堂app下载 lab) and ask/tell me anything, including when 乐天堂app下载y think I鈥檓 wrong or have a stupid idea! To do this well as a group leader, it is important to listen properly, let o乐天堂app下载rs speak first and not always just talk about 乐天堂app下载ir latest chemistry results (everyone is a lot more than what 乐天堂app下载y do in 乐天堂app下载 lab)! To do this to 乐天堂app下载 level I like to takes time (which sometimes is challenging due to o乐天堂app下载r time pressures as a UK academic), but I鈥檝e found that it does lead to a group atmosphere that is both pleasant and productive. Hopefully, my co-workers over 乐天堂app下载 years agree.