William Kerr
University of Strathclyde
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Publication
Featured researches published by William Kerr.
Angewandte Chemie | 2018
Jens Atzrodt; Volker Derdau; William Kerr; Marc Reid
The various applications of hydrogen isotopes (deuterium, D, and tritium, T) in the physical and life sciences demand a range of methods for their installation in an array of molecular architectures. In this Review, we describe recent advances in synthetic C-H functionalisation for hydrogen isotope exchange.
Chemical Communications (london) | 2008
Jack A. Brown; Stephanie Irvine; Alan R. Kennedy; William Kerr; Shalini Andersson; G.N. Nilsson
Practically convenient methods have been developed for the preparation of new iridium complexes, possessing bulky N-heterocyclic carbene and phosphine ligands; these routinely handled complexes are highly active catalysts within directed hydrogen isotope exchange processes.
Analytical Chemistry | 2009
Vanitha Kunalan; Niamh Nic Daeid; William Kerr; Hilary A. S. Buchanan; Allan R. McPherson
Impurity profiling of seized methamphetamine can provide very useful information in criminal investigations and, specifically, on drug trafficking routes, sources of supply, and relationships between seizures. Particularly important is the identification of “route specific” impurities or those which indicate the synthetic method used for manufacture in illicit laboratories. Previous researchers have suggested impurities which are characteristic of the Leuckart and reductive amination (Al/Hg) methods of preparation. However, to date and importantly, these two synthetic methods have not been compared in a single study utilizing methamphetamine hydrochloride synthesized in-house and, therefore, of known synthetic origin. Using the same starting material, 1-phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), 40 batches of methamphetamine hydrochloride were synthesized by the Leuckart and reductive amination methods (20 batches per method). Both basic and acidic impurities were extracted separately and analyzed by GC/MS. From this controlled study, two route specific impurities for the Leuckart method and one route specific impurity for the reductive amination method are reported. The intra- and inter-batch variation of these route specific impurities was assessed. Also, the variation of the “target impurities” recently recommended for methamphetamine profiling is discussed in relation to their variation within and between production batches synthesized using the Leuckart and reductive amination routes.
Analytical Chemistry | 2008
Hilary A. S. Buchanan; Niamh Nic Daeid; Wolfram Meier-Augenstein; Helen F. Kemp; William Kerr; Michael Middleditch
Drug profiling, or the ability to link batches of illicit drugs to a common source or synthetic route, has long been a goal of law enforcement agencies. Research in the past decade has explored drug profiling with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). This type of research can be limited by the use of substances seized by police, of which the provenance is unknown. Fortunately, however, some studies in recent years have been carried out on drugs synthesized in-house and therefore of known history. In this study, 18 MDMA samples were synthesized in-house from aliquots of the same precursor by three common reductive amination routes and analyzed for 13C, 15N, and 2H isotope abundance using IRMS. For these three preparative methods, results indicate that 2H isotope abundance data is necessary for discrimination by synthetic route. Furthermore, hierarchical cluster analysis using 2H data on its own or combined with 13C and/or 15N provides a statistical means for accurate discrimination by synthetic route.
Tetrahedron | 2002
Kenneth W. Henderson; William Kerr; Jennifer H. Moir
A novel homochiral magnesium bisamide has been readily prepared and, following careful optimisation, this species has been shown to react efficiently with a series of prochiral 4-substituted cyclohexanones in the presence of TMSCl to give the corresponding silyl enol ethers in enantiomeric ratios of up to 95:5. Additionally, the same chiral base system has been shown to be highly effective in the desymmetrisation of cis-2,6-disubstituted cyclohexanones, providing excellent levels of both conversion and enantioselection (up to >99.5:0.5 er). Furthermore, the magnesium bisamide has also been shown to mediate a kinetic resolution process with the corresponding trans-disubstituted substrates, allowing access to enantioenriched enol ethers and ketones.
Journal of Labelled Compounds and Radiopharmaceuticals | 2013
Alison Ruth Cochrane; Stephanie Irvine; William Kerr; Marc Reid; Shalini Andersson; Göran N. Nilsson
Bench-stable complexes of the type [Ir(COD)(NHC)Cl] (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) have been investigated within the field of hydrogen isotope exchange. By employing a sterically encumbered NHC within such complexes and catalyst loadings of only 5 mol%, moderate to high deuterium incorporations were achieved across a range of aromatic ketones and nitrogen-based heterocycles. The simple and synthetically accessible catalysts reported herein present alternatives to phosphine-based species and increase the available labelling systems with respect to established iridium-based isotope exchange methodologies.
Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry | 2010
Alan R. Burns; Jennifer Kerr; William Kerr; Joanna Passmore; Laura C. Paterson; Allan J. B. Watson
The addition of various nucleophiles to a vinyl 1,2,4-oxadiazole is described. Following optimisation, individual protocols tuned for the use of each specific class of reagent have been developed to allow the installation of nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and carbon nucleophiles, and leading to the preparation of a series of compounds containing the pharmaceutically important oxadiazole motif.
Analytical Chemistry | 2012
Vanitha Kunalan; Niamh Nic Daeid; William Kerr
The synthesis of methylamphetamine hydrochloride from l-ephedrine or d-pseudoephedrine hydrochloride via reduction with hydriodic acid and red phosphorus was investigated. Eighteen batches of methylamphetamine hydrochloride were synthesized in six replicate batches using three different reaction times. This allowed the investigation of the variation of impurities in the final product with reaction time. The results obtained have resolved previously conflicting impurity profile data reported in the literature for this synthesis route. The impurity profile was shown to change with reaction time, and all previously reported impurity components were identified but not in all batches. Additionally, 20 batches of methylamphetamine hydrochloride were synthesized from either from l-ephedrine or d-pseudoephedrine hydrochloride in reactions which were allowed to proceed for 24 h. The impurities present in the resulting batches were investigated, and route-specific impurities present in all batches were identified. Batch-to-batch fluctuations in the resultant chromatographic impurity profile, despite careful synthetic monitoring and control, were also noted.
Chemistry: A European Journal | 2014
William Kerr; Richard Mudd; Laura C. Paterson; John Alexander Brown
Isotopic labelling is a key technology of increasing importance for the investigation of new CH activation and functionalization techniques, as well as in the construction of labelled molecules for use within both organic synthesis and drug discovery. Herein, we report for the first time selective iridium-catalyzed CH activation and hydrogen-isotope exchange at the β-position of unsaturated organic compounds. The use of our highly active [Ir(cod)(IMes)(PPh3 )][PF6 ] (cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene) catalyst, under mild reaction conditions, allows the regioselective β-activation and labelling of a range of α,β-unsaturated compounds with differing steric and electronic properties. This new process delivers high levels of isotope incorporation over short reaction times by using low levels of catalyst loading.
Chemical Communications | 2011
Linsey S. Bennie; Calum J. Fraser; Stephanie Irvine; William Kerr; Shalini Andersson; G.N. Nilsson
New iridium(I) complexes, bearing a bulky NHC/phosphine ligand combination, have been established as extremely efficient hydrogenation catalysts that can be used at low catalyst loadings, and are compatible with functional groups which are often sensitive to more routinely employed hydrogenation methods.