RESEARCH SCHOOL OF CHEMISTRY Annual Report 2004 CANBERRA ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA ANU CRICOS Provider Number 00120C www.anu.edu.au RESEARCH SCHOOL OF CHEMISTRY Annual Report 2004 Institute of Advanced Studies Telephone: +61 2 6125 3637 Australian National University Bldg 35 Fax: +61 2 6125 0750 Canberra ACT 0200 Email: [email protected] Australia Website: http://rsc.anu.edu.au/index.php Editors: Ms Marilyn A Holloway, Professor Martin G Banwell, Ms Christine Sharrad Editorial Coordinator: Ms Michelle Baker Front Cover: The Wigner intracule for the Li2 molecule shows how the relative positions and momenta of the electrons are distributed — Professor Peter Gill, Theoretical Quantum Chemistry Group Back Cover: The “Superbowl” molecule is capable of capturing and releasing drugs and chemicals — Dr Mick Sherburn, Organic Synthesis, Methodology and Host-guest Chemistry Group RESEARCH SCHOOL OF CHEMISTRY CONTENTS Dean’s Report ____________________________________________________1 Mission Statement ________________________________________________4 Senior Staff ______________________________________________________5 Research Summaries Biological Chemistry Protein Structure and Function N E Dixon ________________________________________ 6 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance M A Keniry ________________________________________ 8 Structural Biology (ARC Fellow) A J Oakley _______________________________________ 10 Protein Crystallography and Engineering D L Ollis _________________________________ 12 Biomolecular NMR G Otting __________________________________________________ 14 Inorganic Chemistry Synthetic Organometallic and Coordination Chemistry A F Hill _______________________ 16 Inorganic Stereochemistry and Asymmetric Synthesis S B Wild _______________________ 18 Solid State Inorganic Chemistry R L Withers ______________________________________ 20 Organic Chemistry Synthesis and Mechanism M G Banwell _________________________________________ 22 Biochemical Reactions and Molecular Recognition C J Easton ________________________ 24 Organic Synthesis L N Mander _________________________________________________ 26 Organic Synthesis, Methodology and Host-guest Chemistry M S Sherburn ______________ 28 Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Theoretical Chemical Physics M A Collins ________________________________________ 30 Computational Quantum Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry (ARC Fellow) M L Coote _________ 32 Liquid State Chemical Physics D J Evans _________________________________________ 34 Theoretical Quantum Chemistry P M W Gill ______________________________________ 36 Laser and Optical Spectroscopy E R Krausz _______________________________________ 38 Computational Quantum Chemistry L Radom _____________________________________ 40 Polymers and Soft Condensed Matter E M Sevick __________________________________ 42 2 RESEARCH SCHOOL OF CHEMISTRY Disordered Materials T R Welberry ______________________________________________ 44 Solid State Molecular Science J W White _________________________________________ 46 Electrochemistry R D Webster _________________________________________________ 48 Visiting Fellows (Post-retirement) A L J Beckwith, M A Bennett, R Bramley, D J Brown, J K MacLeod, R W Rickards, A M Sargeson, J F Williams ________________________________________ 50 Adjunct Professors R Amos, V J James ___________________________________________________________ 53 Honours and Awards _____________________________________________54 Publications ____________________________________________________56 National and International Links Collaborative Research Projects ________________________________________________ 71 Academic Visitors ___________________________________________________________ 79 Conference Presentations ____________________________________________________ 81 Plenary and Invited Lectures ___________________________________________________ 91 Service to External Organisations _______________________________________________ 92 External Lectures and Courses _________________________________________________ 94 Outreach Activities __________________________________________________________ 95 Postgraduate Career Development, Education and Training The David Craig Lecture Series and RSC Graduate Lectures ___________________________ 97 PhD Degrees Awarded and Present Employment of Graduates ________________________ 97 MPhil Degrees Awarded ______________________________________________________ 98 Postdoctoral Fellows, Research Fellows and Fellows – Completions and Destinations _______ 98 PhD Scholars _______________________________________________________________ 99 Visiting Scholars ___________________________________________________________ 101 Honours Scholars __________________________________________________________ 101 Summer Scholar Program ____________________________________________________ 102 Contents RESEARCH SCHOOL OF CHEMISTRY 3 Interactions Across the University Undergraduate Lecture Courses in The Faculties _____________________________ 103 University Service _____________________________________________________ 104 Internal Management Administrative Support Structure _________________________________________ 105 Technical Support and Research Services ___________________________________ 105 Technical Support __________________________________________________________ 105 ANU Microanalytical Services Unit _____________________________________________ 105 Computer Unit ____________________________________________________________ 106 Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction Unit ___________________________________________ 106 Mass Spectrometry Service ___________________________________________________ 106 University NMR Centre ______________________________________________________ 107 Research Services __________________________________________________________ 107 Carpentry and Paint Workshops _______________________________________________ 107 Cryogenics Unit ___________________________________________________________ 107 Electrical Unit ____________________________________________________________ 107 Electronics Unit ____________________________________________________________ 107 Glassblowing Unit __________________________________________________________ 108 Mechanical Workshop _______________________________________________________ 108 School Committees, Representatives, and Office Bearers _______________________ 108 Finance Financial Summary ____________________________________________________ 111 Outside Grants and Contracts _________________________________________________ 111 Environmental Policy ____________________________________________116 Equal Opportunity ______________________________________________117 Staff _________________________________________________________118 Statistics ______________________________________________________122 RESEARCH SCHOOL OF CHEMISTRY DEAN'S REPORT As an established ‘centre of excellence’, maintaining the highest international standards for over 30 years, the RSC has concentrated on areas of research of national importance and international significance. These research activities strengthen the discipline of chemistry in Australia and lead to numerous potential applications in medicine and industry, as well as maintaining a focus on fundamental research. The Australian National University underwent a major Quality Review in 2004. The Review was conducted by a committee of twelve internationally eminent academics. The five best publications of ANU researchers were assessed by international experts in the respective research fields. The total number of international assessors involved in the ANU Review numbered over one thousand. The Executive Summary of the Review report states in part: “On the basis of all the available evidence and our own observations, we confirm the standing of ANU within the elite “Top 100” research intensive universities in the world, even among the top 50 or so.” On the basis of chemistry citations, ANU chemistry already ranked in the top 100 institutions world wide. We quote from the Review’s comments on chemistry research: The research topics of the inorganic chemistry group at the Research School of Chemistry (RSC) cover a broad range of very high standard fundamental research. The School also has strengths in synthetic organic chemistry. The creative work in supramolecular chemistry and the approach to chemo-enzymatic synthesis are at the forefront of new developments internationally. Important areas of biological and structural chemistry are being investigated, reflecting the growing importance of organic chemistry to biological problems. The ANU has some of the world’s leading researchers in physical and analytical chemistry – working on colloids and interfaces, solar energy, electron diffraction and X-ray diffuse scattering. Similarly, the theoretical and computational chemistry group at RSC is regarded as one of the best in the world. Since it was founded in 1968, the RSC has earned seven Fellowships of the Royal Society of London. Prior to 2004, the RSC had more Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science than any other chemistry department in Australia. Continuing its outstanding record of performance and recognition in this regard, Professors Christopher Easton and Martin Banwell were both elected Fellows in 2004, bringing our total membership to fifteen. Given the rules governing elections to the Academy of Science, the election of two chemists from one School or department in any one year is quite exceptional. Other major prizes and awards won by