Methodology
In our experimental work, synthetic organic chemistry forms the basis for creating ligands that we can incorporate into our halogen(I) discrete or supramolecular complexes. Our main focus is on the design, synthesis, characterisation, and application of halogen(I) complexes, though fundamental studies are also pursued to promote a better understanding of halogen bonding in a more general sense.
For the synthesis of our target ligands, we use established procedures or develop new synthetic approaches when necessary. Synthesised compounds are characterised by a myriad of techniques including NMR (1D/2D, heteronuclear), IR, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and X-ray diffraction.
Our target halogen(I) complexes are routinely formed via silver(I) to X(I) (X = Br, I) cation exchange upon reaction of the silver(I) complexes with a source of X+ (e.g., elemental iodine). These halogen(I) complexes can then be probed in subsequent reactivity studies, where benchmark reactions are used as a point of reference and monitored by spectroscopic methods, typically NMR or IR spectroscopy. As they are halogenation reagents, halogen(I) complexes can exhibit varying stabilities, such that their analysis can often be preferentially inclined toward solid-state analyses, with techniques like single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) playing a significant role in our studies.
About Dr Ward
Jas was born in Scotland and completed his Masters in Chemistry at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, working with Prof. Alan Welch on supraicosahedral metallacarboranes. He then moved on to undertake a PhD at the Australian National University under Prof. Anthony Hill researching main-group (primarily boron, phosphorus and arsenic) organometallic chemistry with late transition metals. In 2015, he assumed the position of Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. Paul Kruger at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, looking into supramolecular assemblies of early transition metals bearing useful properties, such as heat and light spin-crossover (SCO) and single-molecule magnetism (SMM). From 2017 to 2019, he was appointed as a Lecturer and Undergraduate Course Convenor for the Department of Chemistry at the Australian National University, then undertook a second postdoctoral fellowship with Prof. Kari Rissanen at the University of Jyväskylä until 2020, studying halogen bonding in its many forms. Jas worked as an independent researcher at the University of Jyväskylä thanks to successive awards from the Suomen Kulttuurirahasto (Finnish Cultural Foundation) and the Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation.
Jas is interested in the fields of main-group and supramolecular chemistry; during his studies he developed a passion for single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), and shares this knowledge with colleagues and an extensive network of collaborators all over the world.
In 2023, Jas was awarded a 4-year Academy Research Fellowship by the Suomen Akatemia (Academy of Finland), enabling him to establish the Ward research group at the University of Jyväskylä. The HI:ReS Nano project will study a myriad of halogen bonding motifs, with a particular focus on multi-halogen(I) complexes with respect to their connectivity, behaviour, and potential uses.
A comprehensive list of Dr Ward's publications can be found here.
