SynCat at Birmingham – The Davies Group

We are a multinational research team focusing on the development and use of catalysis for molecular synthesis. Led by Dr Paul Davies our aim is to produce attractive and applicable chemistry that best uses limited natural resources, while increasing our understanding of complex catalysis systems.

Our research has several interlinked strands. These include the design of new chemical transformations for faster, easier and more efficient synthesis, and the design and study of novel multifunctional catalysts to explore new ways to control chemical reactivity and enable more sustainable use of precious metals.

Our interest in the study of reaction mechanism and structure-function relationships link both areas. We have a long-standing interest in the catalysis chemistry of the precious metals but are also interested in earlier, more abundant metals and organic catalysts.

Our chemistry is designed to provide flexible and powerful routes into new molecular entities that can be used to advance affiliated endeavours  including early stage drug discovery and molecular electronics.

We are very interested in collaborating on mutually interesting projects to address challenges involving molecular synthesis, functional molecules and catalysis, and are currently working with a number of different groups across academic and industrial institutions on areas from catalysis design to early stage drug discovery.

For more information, please visit the SynCat Team external website.

Image: Selective transformation of a molecule (an ynamide) into three different cyclic structures by the application of three different types of catalysis (Au(I), Au(III) ad Cu(I)).