Dr Philip Norcott

B.Sc.(Adv) (Hons I), Ph.D (University of Sydney)
ARC DECRA
ANU College of Science
T: +61 2 6125 8202

Areas of expertise

  • Organic Chemistry 0305
  • Catalysis And Mechanisms Of Reactions 030601
  • Structural Chemistry And Spectroscopy 030606
  • Electrochemistry 030604
  • Physical Organic Chemistry 030505
  • Biologically Active Molecules 030401
  • Natural Products Chemistry 030502
  • Organometallic Chemistry 039904

Research interests

My research interest centres on using organic synthesis and reactivity to design new, functional molecules with important purposes.

Currently my focus is the development of a new range of organocatalysts which can cause other molecules to experience a dramatic sensitivity enhancement in NMR spectroscopy through a process called hyperpolarisation.

NMR is an incredibly powerful analytical tool, but unlike many other forms of spectroscopy it is inherently insensitive. For example even in very powerful NMR spectrometers, the number of 1H nuclei that contribute to a signal is less than 1 in 10 000 – the rest of the nuclei cancel each other out to give no signal.

However, in a hyperpolarised sample all nuclei are detected at once, and the NMR signals can be thousands of times stronger than normal, and take only a few seconds to achieve the same signal which would otherwise take hours or even days of experiment time. Ultimately, advances in NMR can be translated to MRI applications, where hyperpolarisation can dramatically reduce scanning times in a clinical setting.

Biography

Philip has a PhD in organic chemistry, catalysis and natural product total synthesis from the University of Sydney. He has held postdoctoral research positions at the University of York, UK, in the Centre for Hyperpolarisation in Magnetic Resonance, and in the Research School of Chemistry at ANU.

He currently holds an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (ARC DECRA), with his research combining the fields of organic synthesis and reactivity, and NMR hyperpolarisation.

http://www.norcottlab.com

Available student projects

Organocatalyst design for reversible para-hydrogen activation

One important way to hyperpolarise molecules is through their interaction with parahydrogen – a nuclear spin isomer of hydrogen which possesses unique magnetic properties. Most often, transition-metal catalysts are used to bind both parahydrogen and a target molecule to transfer these properties and cause hyperpolarisation. However those commonly used can be toxic for a patient in a MRI.

This project will involve the development and optimisation of a new class of metal-free organocatalysts which can interact with parahydrogen. Viable synthetic routes to a library of these molecules will be developed, and their effectiveness as hyperpolarisation catalysts will be examined through NMR experiments.

Projects and Grants

Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.

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Updated:  29 March 2024 / Responsible Officer:  Director (Research Services Division) / Page Contact:  Researchers