Photograph of Professor Alan McL. Sargeson

Emer. Professor Alan McL. Sargeson

Coordination and Biomimetic Chemistry

Research School of Chemistry

I am interested in the synthesis, structure, properties and reactivity of coordination complexes and their relationship to catalysis, organic synthesis and biology. The main thrusts are towards the elaboration and use of the chemistry of encapsulated metal ions, the synthesis and reactivity of amino and imino acids bound to metal ions, especially, polyamines, plant amino acids, lactams and biologically active molecules. The use of the complexes in various practical applications, such as NMR and radioisotope imaging, the treatment of metal toxicity problems and therapeutic agents for humans and animals, are also current goals. The encapsulated metal ion chemistry is typified by molecules such as

which for transition metals show extraordinary stability in both a kinetic and thermodynamic sense and unusually rapid electron transfer reactions. These properties allow their use in energy trapping photo-redox cycles where the integrity of the complex needs to be maintained over many turnovers. Paraffin chains tied to the cages generate new types of surfactants which can be be incorporated in membranes, while other substituents on the cages can target different biological surfaces.

The ability of metal ions to influence the reactivity of organic molecules in an unusual way is shown by the following example,

This synthetic utility of chelated imino acids is being explored and aimed at synthesising various biologically active amino acids and polyamines and at stabilising dehydroalanine as a synthetic intermediate en route to natural products such as cyanoalanine, mimosine and marasmic acid. It is also being extended to synthesise more complex molecules and to develop hetero Diels-Alder reagents.

This work is being carried out collaboratively with, H-B. Bürgi, University of Bern; J.McB. Harrowfield and A.H. White, UWA ; A. Hammershøi, Ørsted Institute, University of Copenhagen; F. Krebs-Larsen and R. Hazell, Chemistry Department, Aarhus University; J. Ulstrup, Denmark Technical University, Copenhagen; S. Smith, Biomedicine and Health, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation; J. Mercer, Murdoch Institute, Royal Childrens Hospital, Melbourne and M. Tweedle at Bracco Research, Princeton, NJ.

Selected Publications

A. M. Sargeson
The Potential for the Cage Complexes in Biology
Proceedings of the ISABC-3 Symposium, Fremantle (1994). (Ed A.B.P. Lever) Elsevier Science S.A., Lausanne, Switzerland
Coord.Chem.Rev.,151, 89-114 (1996)

R. Barfod, L. Bendahl, A. Hammershøi, D. Kjærgaard-Jensen, A. M. Sargeson and A. C. Willis
Novel Metal Complex Synthons for Chiral 4-Azaleucine, 2,3 Diamino-Propionic Acid and its Elaboration.
J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans., 449-457 (1999)

R. J. Geue, C. J. Qin, S. F. Ralph, A. M. Sargeson, B. W. Skelton, A. H. White, and A. C. Willis
Sterically Induced Transmutations in Cobalt Amine Chemistry
Chemical Commun., 2351-2352 (1999)

N.M. DiBartolo, A.M.Sargeson, T.M.Donlevy and S.V.Smith
Synthesis of a new cage ligand, SarAr, and its complexation with selected transition metal ions for potential use in radioimaging.
J.Chem.Soc. Dalton Trans.2303-2309 (2001)

G. Laval, W. Clegg, C. G. Crane, A. Hammershøi, A. M. Sargeson, and B. T. Golding
Assembly of Polyamines Via Amino Acids from Three Components Using Cobalt(III) Template Methodology.
Chem. Commun., 1874-1875 (2002)

This research by Professor Sargeson and coworkers has been acknowledged by the receipt of a number of awards including the inaugural Burrows Award (RACI), the Smith Medal (RACI), the Dwyer Medal (UNSW), the Nyholm Medal (RSC), the Bailar Medal (U. of Illinois), the ACS award for Inorganic Chemistry, the Rolf Sammet Award (U. of Frankfurt, FRG) and the International Izatt, Christensen Award in Macrocyclic Chemistry.

E-mail: sargeson@rsc.anu.edu.au
phone: 61 2 6125 3160

[ Research School of Chemistry Home Page ]

Last revised 18 May 2004 - Webmaster@rsc.anu.edu.au