James Cuthbertson

Contact

• workRoom A18 GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratories for Sustainable Chemistry
  Jubilee Campus
  Wollaton Road
  Nottingham
  NG8 1BB
  UK
• work0115 7486009
• James.Cuthbertson@nottingham.ac.uk
• https://thecuthbertsongroup.wixsite.com/thecuthbertsongroup/home

Biography

James obtained his MChem degree from Durham University in 2007. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he moved to the University of York to carry out a PhD under the supervision of Prof. Richard Taylor. His doctoral research focused on the development of new strategies for the synthesis of bioactive natural products. After completing his PhD in 2011, he continued to work in the Taylor group as a postdoctoral research associate, before moving to Princeton University (NJ, USA) in 2013 to start a Marie Curie Fellowship in the group of Prof. David MacMillan, working in the field of visible light mediated photoredox catalysis. James returned to the UK in 2015 to complete the return phase of the Marie Curie Fellowship in the group of Prof. Matthew Gaunt at the University of Cambridge, working on the development of enantioselective palladium-mediated C-H activation reactions. In January 2017 he moved to the University of Nottingham to work as a postdoctoral research associate in the group of Dr Ross Denton. In October 2017, James commenced his independent research career as a Royal Society University Research Fellow in the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham.

Research Summary

Research in the group focuses on the development of broadly applicable catalytic reactions that will find widespread applications across the field of organic chemistry. In light of the ongoing drive… read more

Recent Publications

• SMALLEY, ADAM P., CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D. and GAUNT, MATTHEW J., 2017. Palladium-Catalyzed Enantioselective C-H Activation of Aliphatic Amines Using Chiral Anionic BINOL-Phosphoric Acid Ligands JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 139(4), 1412-1415
• WILLIAMSON, ALICE E., NGOUANSAVANH, TIFELLE, PACE, ROBERT D. M., ALLEN, ANNA E., CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D. and GAUNT, MATTHEW J., 2016. Rapid Generation of Complex Molecular Architectures by a Catalytic Enantioselective Dearomatization Strategy SYNLETT. 27(1), 116-120
• SHAW, MEGAN H., SHURTLEFF, VALERIE W., TERRETT, JACK A., CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D. and MACMILLAN, DAVID W. C., 2016. Native functionality in triple catalytic cross-coupling: sp(3) C-H bonds as latent nucleophiles SCIENCE. 352(6291), 1304-1308
• CLARKE, AIMEE K, LIDDON, JOHN T R, CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D, TAYLOR, RICHARD J K and UNSWORTH, WILLIAM P, 2016. Dearomatisation approaches to spirocyclic dienones via the electrophilic activation of alkynes. Organic & biomolecular chemistry. 15(1), 233-245

• View all publications

Current Research

Research in the group focuses on the development of broadly applicable catalytic reactions that will find widespread applications across the field of organic chemistry. In light of the ongoing drive towards the design and implementation of sustainable chemical processes, we are particularly interested in the development of reactions that enable the rapid build-up of molecular complexity from simple and readily accessible starting materials. Current projects involve the development of carbon-carbon bond forming reactions enabled through the catalytic activation of alcohols, and the development of novel routes to heterocyclic scaffolds through ring-expansion processes.

• SMALLEY, ADAM P., CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D. and GAUNT, MATTHEW J., 2017. Palladium-Catalyzed Enantioselective C-H Activation of Aliphatic Amines Using Chiral Anionic BINOL-Phosphoric Acid Ligands JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 139(4), 1412-1415
• WILLIAMSON, ALICE E., NGOUANSAVANH, TIFELLE, PACE, ROBERT D. M., ALLEN, ANNA E., CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D. and GAUNT, MATTHEW J., 2016. Rapid Generation of Complex Molecular Architectures by a Catalytic Enantioselective Dearomatization Strategy SYNLETT. 27(1), 116-120
• SHAW, MEGAN H., SHURTLEFF, VALERIE W., TERRETT, JACK A., CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D. and MACMILLAN, DAVID W. C., 2016. Native functionality in triple catalytic cross-coupling: sp(3) C-H bonds as latent nucleophiles SCIENCE. 352(6291), 1304-1308
• CLARKE, AIMEE K, LIDDON, JOHN T R, CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D, TAYLOR, RICHARD J K and UNSWORTH, WILLIAM P, 2016. Dearomatisation approaches to spirocyclic dienones via the electrophilic activation of alkynes. Organic & biomolecular chemistry. 15(1), 233-245
• TERRETT, JACK A., CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D., SHURTLEFF, VALERIE W. and MACMILLAN, DAVID W. C., 2015. Switching on elusive organometallic mechanisms with photoredox catalysis NATURE. 524(7565), 330-334
• CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D., UNSWORTH, WILLIAM P., MOODY, CATHERINE L. and TAYLOR, RICHARD J. K., 2015. The total synthesis of (+)-elaeokanidine A: natural product or isolation artefact? TETRAHEDRON LETTERS. 56(23), 3123-3126
• JAMES, MICHAEL J., CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D., O'BRIEN, PETER, TAYLOR, RICHARD J. K. and UNSWORTH, WILLIAM P., 2015. Silver(I)- or Copper(II)-Mediated Dearomatization of Aromatic Ynones: Direct Access to Spirocyclic Scaffolds ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION. 54(26), 7640-7643
• CUTHBERTSON, JAMES D. and MACMILLAN, DAVID W. C., 2015. The direct arylation of allylic sp(3) C-H bonds via organic and photoredox catalysis NATURE. 519(7541), 74-77
• UNSWORTH WP, CUTHBERTSON JD and TAYLOR RJ, 2013. Total synthesis of spirobacillene A. Organic letters. 15(13), 3306-9
• CUTHBERTSON JD and TAYLOR RJ, 2012. A telescoped route to 2,6-disubstituted 2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridines and 2,6-syn-disubstituted piperidines: total synthesis of (-)-grandisine G. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English). 52(5), 1490-3
• FRANCKEVIČIUS V, CUTHBERTSON JD, PICKWORTH M, PUGH DS and TAYLOR RJ, 2011. Asymmetric decarboxylative allylation of oxindoles. Organic letters. 13(16), 4264-7
• CUTHBERTSON JD, GODFREY AA and TAYLOR RJ, 2011. The preparation of (-)-grandisine B from (+)-grandisine D; a biomimetic total synthesis or formation of an isolation artefact? Organic letters. 13(15), 3976-9