Stephanie Sheppard

Contact

s.sheppard17@imperial.ac.uk

Research

"Towards the synthesis of functionalised oligomeric ferrocene-based systems"

Currently, multinuclear metallocene complexes are of great interest. The presence of multiple redox centres allows access to different oxidation states of the metals, creating ‘mixed-valent’ species, and systems with direct covalent bonds between the cyclopentadienyl rings of adjacent metallocene moieties show increased metal-metal interactions and stability, than analogous C1 bridged species. Such multi-ferrocenyl species have potential applications in a range of areas, including catalysis, electron-transfer mediation, and molecular electronics.

Recently in our group, the first example of a covalently-bonded cyclic oligomeric ferrocene-only system was synthesised by utilising Ullmann-type reactions. These feature copper(I) complexes, but circumvent the use of activated copper, high temperatures and long reaction times. This work focuses on optimising these reactions, in an effort to make oligomeric ferrocene building blocks, and the corresponding ruthenocene analogues, available in improved yields. The development of functionalised derivatives of these systems will also be explored.

Personal

I completed my masters at the University of Sussex under the supervision of Prof. F. Geoffery N. Cloke, in 2016. In my free time, I enjoy exploring London, going to the cinema, reading, and eating great food. I also like to try my hand at baking, although this doesn’t usually go to plan- sometimes a chemist does not necessarily make a good baker.