Jeremy Sanders
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Keith Morris Sanders, is a British chemist who is known for his contributions to many fields including NMR spectroscopy and supramolecular chemistry. He has been Head of the School of Physical Sciences at the University of Cambridge since 2009; he was also Deputy Vice-Chancellor 2006–2010, responsible for overseeing the University's 800th Anniversary celebrations. In July 2011 it was announced that Professor Sanders was promoted to the role Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional Affairs of Cambridge University.[(http://news.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/2011/07/18/new-pro-vice-chancellor-appointed/)]
) supervised by Dudley Williams.
Elected a Fellow of Christ's College in 1972, he spent a postdoctoral year in the Pharmacology Department, Stanford University before returning to Cambridge to become a Demonstrator in Chemistry. He was promoted to Lecturer (1978), Reader (1992) and then Professor (1996). He was Head of the Chemistry Department 2000–2006.
He was Chair from 2004 to 2008 of sub-panel 18 (Chemistry) for the UK 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (Assessment Exercise).
In supramolecular chemistry
, his porphyrin systems have led to one of the first experimental verifications of the predicted Marcus 'inverted region', and the standard model (with Chris Hunter) of aromatic π-π interactions. He has used the coordination chemistry of Zn, Sn, Ru, Rh and Al oligoporphyrin
s to create new complex systems, to develop new templated approaches in synthesis, and to engineer the acceleration of intermolecular reactions within host cavities.
Since the mid-1990s he has been in the forefront (with Jean-Marie Lehn
and several other research groups of developing Dynamic covalent chemistry
and the closely related dynamic combinatorial chemistry
. In dynamic covalent chemistry, the most stable accessible product of a mixture is formed using thermodynamically controlled reversible reactions; in dynamic combinatorial chemistry a template is used to direct the synthesis of the molecule that best stabilises the template. In each case unpredictable molecules may be discovered that would not be designed or could not be prepared by conventional chemistry. These approaches have been particularly successful in preparing unpredictable Catenane
s and other complex macrocycles
Sanders has also recently discovered helical supramolecular nanotubes capable of binding C60 Fullerene
and other guests.
Biography
Educated in London at Southmead and Wandsworth Schools, he then studied chemistry at Imperial College, London where he graduated with a B.Sc. in 1969 and was awarded the Edmund White Prize. During 1969–72 he carried out his PhD studies on lanthanide shift reagents, especially Eu(DPM), the original reagent developed before Eu(FOD) [(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eufod)] at the University of Cambridge (Churchill College Churchill College, CambridgeChurchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.In 1958, a Trust was established with Sir Winston Churchill as its Chairman of Trustees, to build and endow a college for 60 fellows and 540 Students as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill; its...
) supervised by Dudley Williams.
Elected a Fellow of Christ's College in 1972, he spent a postdoctoral year in the Pharmacology Department, Stanford University before returning to Cambridge to become a Demonstrator in Chemistry. He was promoted to Lecturer (1978), Reader (1992) and then Professor (1996). He was Head of the Chemistry Department 2000–2006.
He was Chair from 2004 to 2008 of sub-panel 18 (Chemistry) for the UK 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (Assessment Exercise).
Scientific contributions
NMR Spectroscopic achievements include the first complete analyses of the proton spectra of steroids through the pioneering use of NOEs and two-dimensional techniques, and new understanding of the biophysical chemistry in vivo of microbial storage polymers.In supramolecular chemistry
Supramolecular chemistry
Supramolecular chemistry refers to the area of chemistry beyond the molecules and focuses on the chemical systems made up of a discrete number of assembled molecular subunits or components...
, his porphyrin systems have led to one of the first experimental verifications of the predicted Marcus 'inverted region', and the standard model (with Chris Hunter) of aromatic π-π interactions. He has used the coordination chemistry of Zn, Sn, Ru, Rh and Al oligoporphyrin
Porphyrin
Porphyrins are a group of organic compounds, many naturally occurring. One of the best-known porphyrins is heme, the pigment in red blood cells; heme is a cofactor of the protein hemoglobin. Porphyrins are heterocyclic macrocycles composed of four modified pyrrole subunits interconnected at...
s to create new complex systems, to develop new templated approaches in synthesis, and to engineer the acceleration of intermolecular reactions within host cavities.
Since the mid-1990s he has been in the forefront (with Jean-Marie Lehn
Jean-Marie Lehn
Jean-Marie Lehn is a French chemist. He received the Nobel Prize together with Donald Cram and Charles Pedersen in 1987 for his work in Chemistry, particularly his synthesis of the cryptands...
and several other research groups of developing Dynamic covalent chemistry
Dynamic covalent chemistry
In supramolecular chemistry, dynamic covalent chemistry is a strategy that aims at synthesizing large complex molecules. In it a reversible reaction is under thermodynamic reaction control and a specific reaction product out of many is captured...
and the closely related dynamic combinatorial chemistry
Dynamic combinatorial chemistry
Dynamic combinatorial chemistry is defined as combinatorial chemistry under thermodynamic control.-Introduction:In a dynamic combinatorial library, all constituents are in equilibrium. The interconversion of library members into one another is through a reversible process that can involve covalent...
. In dynamic covalent chemistry, the most stable accessible product of a mixture is formed using thermodynamically controlled reversible reactions; in dynamic combinatorial chemistry a template is used to direct the synthesis of the molecule that best stabilises the template. In each case unpredictable molecules may be discovered that would not be designed or could not be prepared by conventional chemistry. These approaches have been particularly successful in preparing unpredictable Catenane
Catenane
A catenane is a mechanically-interlocked molecular architecture consisting of two or more interlocked macrocycles. The interlocked rings cannot be separated without breaking the covalent bonds of the macrocycles. Catenane is derived from the Latin catena meaning "chain"...
s and other complex macrocycles
Sanders has also recently discovered helical supramolecular nanotubes capable of binding C60 Fullerene
Fullerene
A fullerene is any molecule composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Spherical fullerenes are also called buckyballs, and they resemble the balls used in association football. Cylindrical ones are called carbon nanotubes or buckytubes...
and other guests.
Awards and honours
- 1975 – Meldola Medal and Prize, Royal Institute of Chemistry
- 1981 – Hickinbottom Award, Royal Society of Chemistry, Royal Society of ChemistryRoyal Society of ChemistryThe Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
- 1984 – Pfizer Academic Award (for work on nuclear Overhauser effect), Royal Society of Chemistry
- 1988 – Pfizer Academic Award (for work on in vivo NMR), Royal Society of Chemistry
- 1994 – Josef Loschmidt Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry
- 1995 – Elected Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), Fellows of the Royal Society
- 1996 – Pedler Medal and Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry
- 2002 – Visiting Fellow, Japan Society for Promotion of Science, JSPS
- 2003 – Izatt-Christensen Award in Macrocyclic Chemistry (U.S.A.)
- 2009 – Davy MedalDavy MedalThe Davy Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". Named after Humphry Davy, the medal is awarded with a gift of £1000. The medal was first awarded in 1877 to Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff "for...
, The Royal Society "for his pioneering contributions to several fields, most recently to the field of dynamic combinatorial chemistry at the forefront of supramolecular chemistry" - 2011 – President (Vice-President 2010), Bürgenstock Conference, Switzerland