Research
What we do
Research in our group revolves around catalysis with a focus on molecularly defined systems.
In one strand we design and make new catalysts based on novel organometallic complexes using dinucleating ligand structures (the SynCrew), while another part of the group works on operando spectroscopic methods for mechanistic investigations of catalytic systems under true working conditions (the DReaM-Team).
Uli's interest in chemical energy conversion also often leads to collaborative projects in electrocatalysis and energy materials.
We work with a wide range of academic and industrial collaborators in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, USA, Australia, so if you are interested in any of our work please get in touch!
Publications
2024
Catalyst speciation and deactivation in the ruthenium-mediated transformation of ethynyl-β-ionol to α,β-unsaturated esters for vitamin A synthesis
Asad Saib, Roman Goy, Jonathan Medlock, Bettina Wüstenberg, Gabriele Kociok-Köhn, Catherine Lyall, John Lowe, and Ulrich Hintermair*
Catalysis Science & Technology
Reversible formation of tetraphenylpentalene, a room temperature stable antiaromatic hydrocarbon
Chemical Science
![A Resorcin[4]arene-Based Phosphite-Phosphine Ligand.jpeg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d8e25a_cc936face640452d9a0d8b31f88c1807~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_358,h_160,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/A%20Resorcin%5B4%5Darene-Based%20Phosphite-Phosphine%20Ligand.jpeg)
A Resorcin[4]arene-Based Phosphite-Phosphine Ligand for the Branched-Selective Hydroformylation of Alkyl Alkenes
Jennifer Smart, Jack Emerson-King, Rebekah Jeans, Thomas Hood, Samantha Lau, Alejandro Bara-Estaún, Ulrich Hintermair, Paul Pringle, Adrian Chaplin*
ACS Catalysis
In-Situ Investigations of Polyoxometalate-Catalysed Biomass Oxidation to Formic Acid by Using Multinuclear High Resolution FlowNMR Spectroscopy
Jan‐Dominik Krüger, Maximilian Poller, Catherine Lyall, John Lowe, Ulrich Hintermair,* Jakob Albert*
ChemCatChem
Tetraphenylpentalenide Organolanthanide Complexes
Chemical Communications
Understanding and Tuning the Electronic Structure of Pentalenides
Chemical Science
Twinned versus linked organometallics - bimetallic “half-baguette” pentalenide complexes of Rh(I)
Dalton Transactions
Water co-catalysis in aerobic olefin epoxidation mediated by ruthenium oxo complexes
Chemical Science
2023
Synthesis, Structure, and Reactivity of Magnesium Pentalenides
Hugh Sanderson, Gabriele Kociok-Köhn, Ulrich Hintermair*
Inorganic Chemistry
Paramagnetic relaxation agents for enhancing temporal resolution and sensitivity in multinuclear FlowNMR spectroscopy
Chemistry–A European Journal
Enhancing the performance for palladium catalysed tert-butyl hydroperoxide-mediated Wacker-type oxidation of alkenes
Matthew Blair, Meadhbh Murray-Williams, Calum Maguire, Clare Brown, Qun Cao, Hongxin Chai, Yitong Li, Róisín O'hagan, Paul Dingwall, Panagiotis Manesiotis, Catherine Lyall, John Lowe, Ulrich Hintermair, Peter Knipe, Mark Muldoon*
Catalysis Science & Technology
Understanding Rh-catalysed Hydroformylation with Phosphite Ligands through Catalyst Speciation Analysis by Operando FlowNMR Spectroscopy
Alejandro Bara-Estaún, Catherine Lyall, John Lowe, Paul Pringle, Paul Kamer, Robert Franke, Ulrich Hintermair*
ChemCatChem
2022
Connect Four: Tetraarylated Dihydropentalenes and Triarylated Monocyclic Pentafulvenes from Cyclopentadienes and Enones
Niko Jenek, Marek Balschun, Stuart Boyt, Ulrich Hintermair*
The Journal of Organic Chemistry
Sustainable Synthesis of Dimethyl- and Diethyl Carbonate from CO2 in Batch and Continuous Flow─Lessons from Thermodynamics and the Importance of Catalyst Stability
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Mapping catalyst activation, turnover speciation and deactivation in Rh/PPh 3-catalysed olefin hydroformylation
Catalysis Science & Technology
Convenient and accurate insight into solution-phase equilibria from FlowNMR titrations
Reaction Chemistry & Engineering
Fast and accurate diffusion NMR acquisition in continuous flow
Chemical Communications
2021
Synthesis of a Tetraphenyl-Substituted Dihydropentalene and Its Alkali Metal Hydropentalenide and Pentalenide Complexes
Stuart Boyt, Niko Jenek, Hugh Sanderson, Gabriele Kociok-Köhn, Ulrich Hintermair*
Organometallics
Does the configuration at the metal matter in Noyori–Ikariya type asymmetric transfer hydrogenation catalysts?
ACS Catalysis
Engineering aspects of FlowNMR spectroscopy setups for online analysis of solution-phase processes
Reaction Chemistry & Engineering
Multi-nuclear, high-pressure, operando FlowNMR spectroscopic study of Rh/PPh 3–catalysed hydroformylation of 1-hexene
Faraday Discussions
2020
Selective catalytic synthesis of 1, 2‐and 8, 9‐cyclic limonene carbonates as versatile building blocks for novel hydroxyurethanes
Katarzyna Maltby, Marc Hutchby, Pawel Plucinski, Matthew Davidson, Ulrich Hintermair*
Chemistry–A European Journal
Online tracing of molecular weight evolution during radical polymerization via high-resolution FlowNMR spectroscopy
Polymer Chemistry
Sustainable catalytic protocols for the solvent free epoxidation and anti-dihydroxylation of the alkene bonds of biorenewable terpene feedstocks using H2O2 as oxidant
Green Chemistry
2019
Kinetics of Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation, Catalyst Deactivation, and Inhibition with Noyori Complexes As Revealed by Real-Time High-Resolution FlowNMR Spectroscopy
Andrew Hall, Peilong Dong, Anna Codina, John Lowe and Ulrich Hintermair*
ACS Catalysis
Synthesis of organometallic pentalenide complexes
Dalton Transactions
Insight into catalyst speciation and hydrogen co-evolution during enantioselective formic acid-driven transfer hydrogenation with bifunctional ruthenium complexes from multi-technique operando reaction monitoring
Daniel Berry, Anna Codina, Ian Clegg, Catherine Lyall, John Lowe and Ulrich Hintermair*
Faraday Discussions
In Situ Monitoring of Nanoparticle Formation during Iridium‐Catalysed Oxygen Evolution by Real‐Time Small Angle X‐Ray Scattering
Maya Singer Hobbs, Emma Sackville, Andrew Smith, Karen Edler, Ulrich Hintermair*
ChemCatChem
Graphite-protected CsPbBr3 perovskite photoanodes functionalised with water oxidation catalyst for oxygen evolution in water
Isabella Poli, Ulrich Hintermair,* Miriam Regue, Santosh Kumar, Emma V. Sackville, Jenny Baker, Trystan M. Watson, Salvador Eslava,* Petra Cameron*
Nature Communications
2018
Online monitoring of a photocatalytic reaction by real-time high resolution FlowNMR spectroscopy
Andrew Hall, Rachael Broomfield-Tagg, Matthew Camilleri, David Carbery,* Anna Codina, David Whittaker, Steven Coombes, John Lowe and Ulrich Hintermair*
Chemical Communications
2017
Controlled Formation of Hierarchical Metal–Organic Frameworks Using CO2-Expanded Solvent Systems
Huan Doan, Yanan Fang, Bingqing Yao, Zhili Dong, Timothy White, Asel Sartbaeva, Ulrich Hintermair,* Valeska Ting*
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Ligand Tuning in Pyridine-Alkoxide Ligated Cp*IrIII Oxidation Catalysts
Emma Sackville, Gabriele Kociok-Köhn and Ulrich Hintermair*
Organometallics
2016
Practical aspects of real-time reaction monitoring using multi-nuclear high resolution FlowNMR spectroscopy
Andrew Hall, Jonathan Chouler, Anna Codina, Peter Gierth, John Lowe,* Ulrich Hintermair*
Catalysis Science & Technology
Mixed-linker approach in designing porous zirconium-based metal–organic frameworks with high hydrogen storage capacity
Ayesha Naeem, Valeska Ting, Ulrich Hintermair, Mi Tian, Richard Telford, Saaiba Halim, Harriott Nowell, Małgorzata Hołynska, Simon Teat, Ian Scowen and Sanjit Nayak*
Chemical Communications
Kinetics versus Charge Separation: Improving the Activity of Stoichiometric and Non-Stoichiometric Hematite Photoanodes Using a Molecular Iridium Water Oxidation Catalyst
Jonathon Moir, Emma Sackville, Ulrich Hintermair,* Geoffrey Ozin*
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
2015
Unlocking the potential of supported liquid phase catalysts with supercritical fluids: low temperature continuous flow catalysis with integrated product separation
Giancarlo Franciò, Ulrich Hintermair* and Walter Leitner*
Philosophical Transactions A
A molecular catalyst for water oxidation that binds to metal oxide surfaces
Stafford Sheehan,* Julianne Thomsen, Ulrich Hintermair,* Robert Crabtree, Gary Brudvig,* Charles Schmuttenmaer
Nature Communications
2014
Electrochemical Activation of Cp* Iridium Complexes for Electrode-Driven Water-Oxidation Catalysis
Julianne Thomsen, Stafford Sheehan, Sara Hashmi, Jesús Campos, Ulrich Hintermair,* Robert Crabtree, Gary Brudvig*
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Catalyst Activation by Loss of Cyclopentadienyl Ligands in Hydrogen Transfer Catalysis with Cp*IrIII Complexes
ACS Catalysis
Modes of activation of organometallic iridium complexes for catalytic water and C–H Oxidation
Andrew Ingram, Arron Wolk, Cornelia Flender, Jialing Zhang, Christopher Johnson, Ulrich Hintermair, Robert Crabtree, Mark Johnson,* Richard Zare*
Inorganic Chemistry
Hydrogen-Transfer Catalysis with Cp*IrIII Complexes: The Influence of the Ancillary Ligands
Ulrich Hintermair,* Jesús Campos, Timothy Brewster, Lucas Pratt, Nathan Schley, Robert Crabtree*
ACS Catalysis