The University of Sheffield
Department of Chemistry

Mark WinterDr. Mark J. Winter

Senior Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry

Room: C82

Tel: +44-(0)114-22-29304

Fax: +44-(0)114-22-29436

email:

 


General Information Research Teaching

Biographical Sketch

Dr Mark Winter obtained his BSc in Chemistry from the University of Bristol in 1975, followed by a PhD in Chemistry from the same institution in 1978 with Prof Selby Knox and Prof Gordon Stone. He was a SERC-NATO Postdoctoral Fellow working with Prof Peter Vollhardt at the University of California at Berkeley (USA) from 1978 to 1980. In 1980 he was appointed as a temporary lecturer at the University of Sheffield where he is now the Director of Studies in the Department of Chemistry. Mark believes firmly that molybdenum is the best element in the periodic table and that he doesn't play enough cricket.

Awards

RSC Sir Edward Frankland Fellow 1986 and 1987. Royal Society of Chemistry HE Teaching Award winner for 1998. Senate Teaching Award 2012.

Research Keywords

Organometallic chemistry, reaction mechanisms, migration reactions, carbene complexes, carbyne complexes, vinylidene complexes, World Wide Web (WWW), chemistry data visualisation.

Teaching Keywords

Molecular Structure and Bonding; Transition Metal Chemistry, Internet

Selected Publications

  • "Diffusion Cartograms for the Display of Periodic Table Data", J. Chem. Educ., 2011, 88, 1507-1510.
  • Cyclopropanation in the reaction of [M(CO)3Tp]– [M = Mo, W; Tp = hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borato] with I(CH2)3I and the insertion of isocyanide into metal-acyl bonds", H. Adams, R.J. Cubbon, M.J. Sarsfield and M.J. Winter, J. Chem., Soc., Chem. Commun., 1999, 491-492.
  • "Syntheses of neutral iron, ruthenium, and manganese half-sandwich vinylidene complexes. Crystal structure of Fe(SnPh3)(CO)(=C=CHPh)(η-C5H5)", H. Adams, S.G. Broughton, C. Sumner, S.J. Walters, and M.J. Winter, J. Chem., Soc., Chem. Commun., 1999, 1231-1232.
  • "Methyl to alkylidene migration within trans WMe(=CHPh)(CO)2(η-C5H5)", J. E Muir, A. Haynes, and M.J. Winter, J. Chem., Soc., Chem. Commun., 1996, 1765-1766.
  • "Syntheses of acyloxy carbene complexes M(SnPh3)(CO)n{=C(OCOR)Ph}(η-C5H5) (M = Mo, W, n = 2, R = Me; M = Fe, Ru, n = 1, R = Me, Ph, But) and X-ray crystal structures of Fe(SnPh3)(CO){=C(OCOR)Ph}(η-C5H5) (R = Me, Ph)", H. Adams, C.A. Maloney, J.E. Muir, S.J. Walters and M.J. Winter, J. Chem., Soc., Chem. Commun., 1995, 1511-1512.
  • "Chemical Applications of the World-Wide-Web System", H.S. Rzepa, B. Whitaker, and M.J. Winter, J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 1994, 1907-1910.

Educational web sites

Books

  • M.J. Winter, "An elementary approach to chemical bonding", Oxford University Press, 1994 (ISBN 019-855694-2).
  • M.J. Winter, "An introduction to transition metal chemistry", Oxford University Press, 1994 (ISBN 019-855697-7).
  • M.J. Winter and J.E. Andrew, "Foundations of inorganic chemistry", Oxford University Press, 2000 (ISBN 019-879288-3).

Research Interests

Migration Reactions

Hydrogen Transfer ReactionsMigration reactions are an important fundamental class of reactions in organometallic chemistry. The migration of alkyl to carbonyl is well known but we are interested in migrations of hydride, alkyl, and other groups to metal coordinated carbene in processes which result in new alkyl ligands. To date, most of our work has involved molybdenum, tungsten, iron, and ruthenium.

Such reactions are models for some important C－H and C－C bond formations but surprisingly little is known about these rearrangements. We are attempting to understand the the mechanisms by which they proceed. These migrations are the reverse of α-elimination reactions and we find that some of these compounds α-eliminate under photochemical excitation to regenerate the initial carbene starting materials.

Vinylidene chemistry

Cartogram of the Molar Volume of the ElementsVinylidene complexes contain the M=C=CR2 group and are implied by some in Fischer Tropsch processes. We are examining their tendencies towards the migration processes indicated above. Further, we have now developed good routes to chiral molecules of the type CpMXL(=C=CR2) and examining their use for fine chemical synthesis. Much of this work is challenging given the sensitivity of many of the compounds.

Chemical information and data visualisation

I am interested in applications of the world-wide web for chemistry. I developed a number of well known chemical information sources including WebElements and Chemdex. I am working on software to extend "social network" concepts to molecules. Visualisation of chemical data is often a challenge and I have produced new ways of visualising periodicity data for the periodic table including cartograms (illustrated).

Teaching Interests

Dr Mark Winter is director of studies in the Department of Chemistry. He is interested in the development of web sites for chemistry education. Mark is working on a "social network" web site for molecules and is developing new chemistry "Apps" for delivery on IOS and Android devices. He provides small group tutorials for first and second year students, demonstrates in the second and third year undergraduate laboratories, and supervises fourth year project students. He has been invited to deliver three undergraduate chemistry lecture courses in China during 2012.

Teaching Section

Inorganic Chemistry

Undergraduate Courses Taught

  • Molecules (Year 1)
    This course introduces methods of predicting molecular shape (VSEPR) and models with which to interpret the bonding in simple molecules.
  • Introduction to d- andf-block elements (1) (Year 1)
    This course introduces the concept of metal complexes, examines their geometric and electronic structures, and explains why metal complexes are often coloured materials with unusual magnetic properties.
  • d- and f-block elements 1 (Year 2)
    This course addresses how physical and bonding properties of transition metal complexes are, to a large extent, defined by their d-orbitals (and f-orbitals as appropriate). The course moves on to discuss distortions to metal complexes, the electronic nature of bonding of metals to ligands, and metal-metal bonds (including metal-metal quadruple bonds).
  • d- and f-block elements 2 (Year 2)
    This course is an introduction to the chemistry of transition metal complexes containing hydride ligands and in particular π-acid ligands including CO, CS, CN–, CNR, N2, NO, phosphines and phosphites. It is a prelude to the use of such compounds as catalysts in the chemical industry.

Tutorial & Workshop Support

  • First Year General Tutorials.
  • First Year Workshops.
  • Second Year Inorganic Chemistry Tutorials.
  • Third Year Literature Review.

Laboratory Teaching

  • Second Year Laboratory Demonstrating
  • Fourth Year Research Project.