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1987. BSc. University of Bath.
1990. PhD. University of Warwick
1990 – 1991. Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, University of Heidelberg
1992 – 2001. Lecturer and Senior Lecturer, Cardiff University
2001 – 2007. Reader, Queen Mary, University of London. 

Catalysis is a key technology that will enable the sustainable discovery, synthesis and manufacture of new pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and materials. My approach to achieving these goals involves the design and synthesis of novel organometallic compounds, and to investigate these as catalysts for the efficient enantioselective synthesis of high value chiral organic compounds from low value starting materials. These products are then used to generate new and potentially bioactive chiral heterocycles for application in drug-discovery programmes.

More information is available on the group website.

Selected Recent Publications

Planar Chiral Palladacycle Precatalysts for Asymmetric Synthesis
R. A. Arthurs, D. L. Hughes and C. J. Richards, Org. Biomol. Chem. 2020, 18, 5466.

Stereoselective Synthesis of all Possible Phosferrox Ligand Diastereoisomers Displaying Three Elements of Chirality: Stereochemical Optimization for Asymmetric Catalysis
R. A. Arthurs, D. L. Hughes and C. J. Richards, J. Org. Chem. 2020, 85, 4838.

Ferrocenyloxazoline-Derived Planar Chiral Palladacycles: C-H Activation, Transmetalation, and Reversal of Diastereoselectivity
R. A. Arthurs, D. L. Hughes and C. J. Richards, Organometallics, 2019, 38, 4271.

Application of Transmetallation to the Synthesis of Planar Chiral and Chiral-at-Metal Iridacycles
R. A. Arthurs, D. L. Hughes, P. N. Horton, S. J. Coles and C. J. Richards, Organometallics, 2019, 38, 1099.

Stereoselective and Stereospecific Reactions of Cobalt Sandwich Complexes. Application to the Synthesis of a New Class of Single Enantiomer Bulky Planar Chiral P-N and P-P Ligands
R. A. Arthurs, P. N. Horton, S. J. Coles and C. J. Richards Chem. Eur. J. 2018, 24, 4310.

Enantiopure Planar Chiral and Chiral-at-Metal Iridacycles Derived from Bulky Cobalt Sandwich Complexes
R. A. Arthurs, C. C. Prior, D. L. Hughes, V. S. Oganesyan and C. J. Richards, Organometallics, 2018, 37, 4204.

Catalyst Optimisation for Asymmetric Synthesis by Ligand Chirality Element Addition – A Perspective on Stereochemical Cooperativity
C. J. Richards and R. A. Arthurs, Chem. Eur. J. 2017, 48, 11460.

Deuterium as a Stereochemically Invisible Blocking Group for Chiral Ligand Synthesis
R. A. Arthurs and C. J. Richards, Org. Lett. 2017, 19, 702.

Enantiopure ferrocene-based planar-chiral iridacycles: stereospecific control of iridium-centred chirality
R. A. Arthurs, M.  Ismail, C. C. Prior, V. S. Oganesyan, P. N. Horton, S. J. Coles and C. J. Richards, Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22, 3065

Metallocene to Metallocene Conversion. Synthesis of an Oxazoline-Substituted Pentamethyliridocenium Cation from a Ferrocenyloxazoline
R. A. Arthurs, P. N. Horton, S. J. Coles and C. J. Richards, Chem. Commun. 2016, 52, 7024.

For a summary of current research interest please follow this link.