Staff Profile

My main role is an NMR analytical technician where I have about 10 years of experience. This experience started out during my PhD where I studied the structural changes of phosphine-borane-stabilised carbanions with main group metals in Dr. Keith Izod's group at Newcastle University. I then moved on to a manufacturing company as a research and development chemist in the synthesis and development of high purity inorganics for the semiconducting industry.

Finally, since being back at Newcastle University as an NMR technician I am also involved in many other analytical techniques in order to help me have a more informed dialogue with personnel from industry. This industry liaison role involves attending conferences and carrying out talks and meetings with manufacturing companies to outsource the universities analytical equipment.

My main area of expertise is in multinuclear NMR although I have a broad range of NMR knowledge and inorganic/organic chemsitry along with the handling of air sensitive samples using a Schlenk line/dry box.

• Articles

  • Campbell ADG, Roper NJ, Waddell PG, Wills C, Dixon CM, Denton RM, Ermanis K, Armstrong RJ. Synthesis, Structure and Stereodynamics of Atropisomeric N‑Chloroamides. Chemical Communications 2024, 60(28), 3818-3821.
  • Doherty S, Knight JG, Alharbi Adhwa, Wills C, Dixon C, Cheng Chuan, Russo-Abegao Fernando, Chamberlain TW, Yan Han, Griffiths Anthony, Bourne Richard, Collins Sean, Wu Kejun, Alshaikh H. Selective Partial Reduction of Nitroarenes to the Hydrazoarene Catalyzed by Amine-Modified Ordered Mesoporous Silica Immobilized Ionic Liquid (OMSIIL) Stabilised RuNPs. ChemCatChem 2024, Epub ahead of print.
  • Doherty S, Knight JG, Alharbi AA, Will C, Dixon C, Cheng C, Russo Abegão F, Chamberlain TW, Yan H, Griffiths A, Bourne RA, Collins SM, Wu KJ, Alshaikh H. Selective Partial Reduction of Nitroarenes to the Hydrazoarene Catalyzed by Amine-Modified Ordered Mesoporous Silica Immobilized Ionic Liquid (OMSIIL) Stabilised RuNPs. ChemCatChem 2024, 16(13), e202400013.
  • Madlool AM, Alwaaly A, Dixon CM, Waddell PG, Clegg W, Probert MR, Harrington RW, Izod K. Alkali Metal Complexes of Phosphine-Borane-Substituted Benzyl Ligands and Their Application in the Synthesis of B-H···Sn Stabilized Dialkylstannylenes. Organometallics 2024, 43(2), 164–173.
  • Davison N, McMullin CL, Zhang L, Hu S-X, Waddell PG, Wills C, Dixon C, Lu E. Li vs Na: Divergent Reaction Patterns between Organolithium and Organosodium Complexes and Ligand-Catalyzed Ketone/Aldehyde Methylenation. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145(11), 6562–6576.
  • Paterson R, Fahy LE, Arca E, Dixon C, Wills CY, Yan H, Griffiths A, Collins SM, Wu K, Bourne RA, Chamberlain TW, Knight JG, Doherty S. Amine-modified polyionic liquid supports enhance the efficacy of PdNPs for the catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ to formate. Chemical Communications 2023, 59, 13470-13473.
  • Davison N, Zhou K, Waddell PG, Wills C, Dixon C, Hu S-X, Lu E. Versatile Coordination Modes of Multidentate Neutral Amine Ligands with Group 1 Metal Cations. Inorganic Chemistry 2022, 61(8), 3674–3682.
  • Izod K, Liu M, Evans P, Wills C, Dixon CM, Waddell PG, Probert MR. Spontaneous Decomposition of an Extraordinarily Twisted and Trans-Bent Fully-Phosphanyl-Substituted Digermene to an Unusual Ge^I Cluster. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition 2022, 61(39), e202208851.
  • Paterson R, Alharbi AA, Wills C, Dixon C, Siller L, Chamberlain TW, Griffiths A, Collins SM, Wu KJ, Simmons MD, Bourne RA, Lovelock KRJ, Seymour J, Knight JG, Doherty S. Heteroatom Modified Polymer Immobilized Ionic Liquid Stabilized Ruthenium Nanoparticles: Efficient Catalysts for the Hydrolytic Evolution of Hydrogen from Sodium Borohydride. Molecular Catalysis 2022, 528, 112476.
  • Davison N, Quirk JA, Wills C, Dixon C, Waddell PG, Dawson JA, Lu E. Elucidating Solution-State Coordination Modes of Multidentate Neutral Amine Ligands with Group-1 Metal Cations: Variable-Temperature NMR Studies. Inorganic Chemistry 2022, 61(38), 15204-15212.
  • Doherty S, Knight JG, Alharbi HY, Paterson R, Wills C, Dixon C, Siller L, Chamberlain TW, Griffiths A, Collins SM, Wu KJ, Simmonds SD, Bourne RA, Lovelock KRJ, Seymour J. Efficient Hydrolytic Hydrogen Evolution from Sodium Borohydride Catalyzed by Polymer Immobilized Ionic Liquid-Stabilized Platinum Nanoparticles. ChemCatChem 2022, 14(4), e202101752.
  • Purvis G, Safi E, Edgar J, Willis C, Dixon C, Siller L, Telling J. Aeolian driven silicate comminution unlikely to be responsible for the rapid loss of Martian methane. Icarus 2022, 375, 114827.
  • Davison N, Waddell PG, Dixon C, Wills C, Penfold TJ, Lu E. A monomeric (trimethylsilyl) methyl lithium complex: synthesis, structure, decomposition and preliminary reactivity studies. Dalton Transactions 2022, 51(28), 10707-10713.
  • Doherty S, Knight JG, Alshaikh H, Wilson J, Waddell PG, Wills C, Dixon CM. Arene-Immobilized Ru(II)/TsDPEN Complexes: Synthesis and Applications to the Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation of Ketones. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry 2021, 2021(3), 226-235.
  • Al-Sharif HHT, Ziessel R, Waddell PG, Dixon C, Harriman A. Origin of Fluorescence from Boranils in the Crystalline Phase. Journal of Physical Chemistry A 2020, 124(11), 2160-2172.
  • Izod K, Dixon CM, Harrington RW, Probert MR. Impact of a rigid backbone on the structure of an agostically-stabilised dialkylstannylene: isolation of an unusual bridged stannyl–stannylene. Chemical Communications 2015, 51(4), 679-681.
  • Izod K, Dixon CM, McMeekin E, Rodgers L, Harrington RW, Baisch U. Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Phosphine-Borane-Stabilized Dicarbanions with either Rigid or Flexible Spacers. Organometallics 2014, 33(1), 378-386.