Synthetic Organometallic and Coordination Chemistry Professor Anthony Hill

We study a wide range of topics in coordination and organometallic chemistry, with a particular focus on ligand reactivity and transformations. Organometallic compounds make useful catalysts for pharmaceutical chemists. Understanding the nature and reactivity of the metal centre and its interaction with ligands may lead to the development of improved catalysts for more cost-effective synthesis.

Our main interest is in creating new synthetic compounds with new types of bonds between atoms. We focus on unsaturated ligands involving metal-carbon, metal-phosphorus, phosphorus-carbon and chalcogen-carbon multiple bonding.

In addition to these various ligands of primary interest, the 'innocent' spectator ligands in a coordination complex can often subtly or dramatically influence ligand transformations. We are particularly interested in sulfur-based ligands due to the prevalence of these donors in biological catalysts such as metallo-enzymes.

Current research activities

Metal-boron dative interactions

The history of coordination chemistry is based on dative bonding in which a ligand donates a pair of electrons to a metal. We have succeeded for the first time in obtaining a range of compounds where the metal acts as the donor, producing a dative bond from the metal to boron.

Organometallic wires

There is much interest in compounds in which two metals are spanned by only a chain of carbon atoms - organometallic wires. By far the majority of these involve even numbers of carbon atoms however we have developed a general method for synthesising these compounds in which the metals are separated by three carbon atoms. We are conducting detailed studies of the electronic properties of these new molecules.

Sulfur Crowns

Crown ethers are macrocyclic molecules with a strong affinity for binding 'hard' electropositive metals. For softer metals, similar macrocycles based on sulfur serve a similar purpose, offering promise as ligands in the design of catalysts. We have been investigating new routes to novel members of this class of compound based on the cyclisation of poly(thioether)diynes.

Annual Research Report   (PDF format)

Group members

Academic Staff:
Professor Anthony F. Hill (Leader)    |   Dr Ian Crossley

Technical and General Staff:
Mr Horst Neumann

PhD Students:
Ms Robyn Abernethy   |   Ms Lorraine Caldwell   |   Mr Rian Dewhurst   |   Mr Never Tshabang

Honours Students:

Key publications

1. Crossley I R, Hill A F, Willis A C. Metallaboratranes: tris(methimazolyl)borane complexes of rhodium(I).Organometallics 2006, 25(1), 289-299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/om050772+
2. Hill A F, Smith M K. Dihydrobis(methimazolyl)borate and methimazolyl complexes of titanium.Dalton Trans. 2006, 1, 28-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b513251g
3. Abernethy, R.J., Hill, A.F., Neumann, H., Willis, A.C. Poly(azolyl) chelate chemistry 14.[1] κ2-S,S'vsκ3-H,S,S'-H2B(mt)2(mt = methimazolyl)borate coordination in the complex [W(CO){H2B(mt)2}2].Inorg. Chim. Acta 2005, 358(5), 1605-1613. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ica.2004.07.061
4. Bartlett, M.J., Hill, A.F., Smith, M.K. A bimetallic complex spanned by the C4H ligand: synthesis of [Cl(CO)2L2RuC≡CCH=C=RuL2(η-C5H5)]PF6(L = PPh3).Organometallics 2005, 24(24), 5795-5798. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/om050800o
5. Caldwell, L.M., Hill, A.F., Willis, A.C. Selenoaroyl complexes of molybdenum. Chem. Commun. 2005, 20, 2615-2617. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b417508e

>>more publications

Professor A.F. Hill commenced at the R.S.C. in March 2001 after relocating from the Department of Chemistry, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.

Professor A F Hill Research School of Chemistry, Building 35 Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA Ph: +61 2 6125 8577 Fx: +61 2 6125 3216 E-mail: a.hill@rsc.anu.edu.au