My group investigates two areas:

• Unusual low-valent main group molecules in both synthesis and catalysis.

In this area, we seek to challenge the extent to which doctrines dictating the stability of systems are true, and thus to generate unpredecented motifs. We are also interested in extending the range of nucleophilic metal species thus described.

• The selective installation of normal-valent main group elements in molecules via catalysis.

Over the last 5 years, the Liptrot lab have disclosed a range of NHC-copper(I) main group complexes spanning most of the p-block. These encompass the first acyclic copper boryl, a range of copper(I) phosphides,  and tetranides. These compounds can be readily synthesised under mild conditions and are thus ideal catalytic vectors, work we have now exploited to report a range of cross-coupling and hydroelementation reactions. We now investigate expanding this work to a wider suite of main group elements, and desired reactions.