Dr Chris Smith

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+ 44 (0) 118 378 6312
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Lecturer in Chemistry
- Lecturer in Organic Chemistry
- Careers and Employability Officer
- Erasmus and Study Abroad Coordinator
- Industrial Placements Officer.
Office
110Building location
ChemistryAreas of interest
Dr Smith's research is directed towards new applications of synthetic chemistry.
The group has a great deal of experience in continuous flow, with a particular interest in photochemistry. This includes FP-HM (Flow Photochemical – Heterocyclic Metamorphosis), providing unusual routes to heterocycles; synthesis of beta-lactams; and new photochemical approaches to natural products such as aphidicolin.
We also work on ligands such as CyMe4-BTPhen for element separations – such as the separation of actinides from lanthindes – which are of importance to the Nuclear Industry for clean-up and recycling.
Finally, in collaboration with Dr Kevin Lovelock we are characterising the speciation zinc reagents such as diethylzinc or phenylzinc bromide (used in Negishi cross coupling), trying understand the reactivity and effect of additives on these important reagents.
Research centres and groups
Dr Smith is part of the Biomedical, Molecular and Analytical Chemistry research group.Learn more about our research groups
Websites/blogs
Visit Dr Smith's personal website.Selected publications
Peer-reviewed journal articles
14) Methyl Hydrazinocarboxylate as a Practical Alternative to Hydrazine in the Wolff-Kishner Reaction.
P.B Cranwell, Andrew T Russell, Christopher D Smith, Synlett, 2015, DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1560805.
13) Investigation of Petasis and Ugi reactions in series in an automated microreactor system.
N Heublein, JS Moore, CD Smith and KF Jensen
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 63627-63631.
12) Zinc Mediated Azide-Alkyne Ligation to 1,5- and 1,4,5-Substituted 1,2,3-Triazoles.
CD Smith and MF Greaney
Org. Lett., 2013, 15, 4826-4829.
11) In situ formation of azides and their reaction with monolithic supported triphenylphosphine under flow conditions.
CJ Smith, N Nikbin, CD Smith, IR Baxendale and SV Ley
Org. Biomol. Chem. 2011, 9, 1927-1937.
10) Sequential oxidation/Seyferth-Gilbert/CuAAC reactions performed with a modular flow reactor.
IR Baxendale, SV Ley, A Mansfield and CD Smith
Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 4017-4021.
9) New opportunities for advancing organic synthesis and flow based chemical processing.
M Baumann, IR Baxendale, JJ Hayward, MD Hopkin, J Jin, MO Kitching, S Lanners, SV Ley, N Nikbin-Rousardi, CD Smith, CJ Smith and L Tamborini
J. Labelled Compd Rad. 2008, 51, 252-253.
8) A bifurcated pathway to thiazoles and imidazoles using a modular flow microreactor.
IR Baxendale, SV Ley, CD Smith, L Tamborini and AF Voica
J. Comb. Chem. 2008, 10, 851-857.
7) Azide monoliths as convenient flow reactors for efficient Curtius rearrangement reactions.
M Baumann, IR Baxendale, SV Ley, N Nikbin and CD Smith
Org. Biomol. Chem. 2008, 6, 1587-1593.
6) A modular flow reactor for performing Curtius rearrangements as a continuous flow process.
M Baumann, IR Baxendale, SV Ley, N Nikbin, CD Smith and Jason P Tierney
Org. Biomol. Chem. 2008, 6, 1577-1586.
5) Tagged phosphine reagents to assist reaction work-up by phase-switched scavenging using a modular flow reactor.
CD Smith, IR Baxendale, GK Tranmer, M Baumann, SC Smith, RA Lewthwaite and SV Ley
Org. Biomol. Chem. 2007, 5, 1562-1568.
4) [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of acetylenes with azides to give 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles in a modular flow reactor.
CD Smith, IR Baxendale, S Lanners, JJ Hayward, SC Smith and SV Ley,
Org. Biomol. Chem. 2007, 5, 1559-1561.
3) A flow reactor process for the synthesis of peptides utilizing immobilized reagents, scavengers and catch and release protocols.
IR Baxendale, SV Ley, CD Smith and GK Tranmer,
Chem. Commun. 2006, 4835-4837.
2) Fully automated continuous flow synthesis of 4,5-disubstituted oxazoles.
M Baumann, IR Baxendale, SV Ley, CD Smith and GK Tranmer,
Org. Lett. 2006, 8, 5231-5234.
1) Synthesis of linked heterocycles via use of bis-acetylenic compounds.
CD Smith, K Tchabanenko, RM Adlington and JE Baldwin
Tetrahedron Lett. 2006, 3209-3212.
Book Chapter
"Heterogeneous Reactions" in Microreactors in Organic Synthesis and Catalysis.
JJ Hayward, S Lanners, IR Baxendale, SV Ley and CD Smith
Ed. T Wirth, Wiley-VCH: Weinheim, 2008, pp. 84-122.
Publications
- Trunks, T. , Babra, J. , Westwood, J. , Smith, C. (2022) A homocoupling approach to the key dione of CyMe4-BTPhen – vital ligands for nuclear clean-up by the SANEX process. SynOpen , 6 (1). pp. 16-18. ISSN: 2509-9396 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1055/a-1737-8610
- Babra, J. , Russell, A. , Smith, C. , Zhang, Y. (2018) Combining C-H functionalisation and flow photochemical heterocyclic metamorphosis (FP-HM) for the synthesis of benzo[1,3]oxazepines. Tetrahedron , 74 (38). pp. 5351-5357. ISSN: 0040-4020 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tet.2018.05.066
- Sebastian, V. , Smith, C. , Jensen, K. (2016) Shape-controlled continuous synthesis of metal nanostructures. Nanoscale , 8 (14). pp. 7534-7543. ISSN: 2040-3364 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c5nr08531d
- Moore, J. , Smith, C. , Jensen, K. (2016) Kinetics analysis and automated online screening of aminocarbonylation of aryl halides in flow. Reaction Chemistry & Engineering , 1 (3). pp. 272-279. ISSN: 2058-9883 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C6RE00007J
- Cranwell, P. , Russell, A. , Smith, C. (2016) Methyl hydrazinocarboxylate as a practical alternative to hydrazine in the Wolff–Kishner reaction. Synlett , 27 (1). pp. 131-135. ISSN: 0936-5214 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0035-1560805
- Heublein, N. , Moore, J. , Smith, C. , Jensen, K. (2014) Investigation of Petasis and Ugi reactions in series in an automated microreactor system. RSC Advances , 4 pp. 363627-63631. ISSN: 2046-2069 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c4ra13626h
- Smith, C. and Greaney, M. (2013) Zinc mediated azide-alkyne ligation to 1,5- and 1,4,5-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles. Organic Letters , 15 (18). pp. 4826-4829. ISSN: 1523-7060 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ol402225d
- Smith, C. , Smith, C. , Nikbin, N. , Ley, S. , Baxendale, I. (2011) Flow synthesis of organic azides and the multistep synthesis of imines and amines using a new monolithic triphenylphosphine reagent. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry , 2011 (9). pp. 1927-1937. ISSN: 1477-0520 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c0ob00813c
- Baxendale, I. , Ley, S. , Smith, C. , Tamborini, L. , Voica, A. (2008) A bifurcated pathway to thiazoles and imidazoles using a modular flow microreactor. Journal of Combinatorial Chemistry , 10 (6). pp. 851-857. ISSN: 1520-4774 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/cc800070a
- Baumann, M. , Baxendale, I. , Ley, S. , Nikbin, N. , Smith, C. (2008) Azide monoliths as convenient flow reactors for efficient Curtius rearrangement reactions. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry , 6 pp. 1587-1593. ISSN: 1477-0520 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b801634h
- Baumann, M. , Baxendale, I. , Ley, S. , Nikbin, N. , Smith, C. , Tierney, J. (2008) A modular flow reactor for performing Curtius rearrangements as a continuous flow process. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry , 6 pp. 1577-1586. ISSN: 1477-0520 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b801631n
- Smith, C. , Baxendale, I. , Lanners, S. , Hayward, J. , Smith, S. , Ley, S. (2007) [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of acetylenes with azides to give 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles in a modular flow reactor. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry , 5 pp. 1559-1561. ISSN: 1477-0520 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b702995k
- Smith, C. , Baxendale, I. , Tranmer, G. , Baumann, M. , Smith, S. , Lewthwaite, R. , Ley, S. (2007) Tagged phosphine reagents to assist reaction work-up by phase-switched scavenging using a modular flow reactor. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry , 5 pp. 1562-1568. ISSN: 1477-0520 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b703033a
- Baxendale, I. , Ley, S. , Smith, C. , Tranmer, G. (2006) A flow reactor process for the synthesis of peptides utilizing immobilized reagents, scavengers and catch and release protocols. Chemical Communications pp. 4835-4837. ISSN: 1359-7345 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b612197g
- Smith, C. , Tchabanenko, K. , Adlington, R. , Baldwin, J. (2006) Synthesis of linked heterocycles via use of bis-acetylenic compounds. Tetrahedron Letters , 47 (19). pp. 3209-3212. ISSN: 0040-4039 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tetlet.2006.03.052