Robert James Baker
Assistant Professor
Chemistry
Trinity College Dublin
Ireland
Biography
Dr Bob Baker was born in 1975 in Blaenavon, South Wales. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Warwick and carried out his PhD studies under the supervision of Prof. P. G. Edwards at Cardiff University (1997-2001) on early transition metal triphosphamacrocycles. He then worked as a postdoctoral research fellow with Prof. Cameron Jones (2001-2005), working on low oxidation state group 13 compounds. He was then awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship held at the Technische Universität Braunschweig, working with Prof. Dr. Matthias Tamm on substituted cyclohepatrienyl early transition metal complexes. From 2006-2008 he was a Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry at Nottingham Trent University, before moving to Trinity College in January 2009. His research interests are in fundamental and applied actinide chemistry and the development of new transition metal complexes for catalysis
Research Interest
My research focuses on the organometallic chemistry of p-, d- and f-block metals. Currently work in my group is centred on four different themes. 1. Low Oxidation State Actinide Chemistry. We are examining the coordination and organometallic chemistry of U(III), U(IV) and Th(IV)using a multi-technique approach in order to fully understand the electronic structure. Routinely we use X-ray diffraction, multinuclear NMR, UV-vis/NIR, infrared and raman spectroscopies, temperature dependent cyclic voltammetry and SQUID, as well as computational chemistry. Using these methodologies we are targeting a compehensive uderstanding of simple U(IV) compounds. The synthesis of compounds featuring An-An or An-TM (An = Th or U) multiple bonds is being undertaken in order to probe the effects of the f-orbitals in forming bonds. 2. High Oxidation State Uranium Chemistry. We are examining the catalytic activity of the uranyl ion towards hard monomers to probe new reactivity patterns for the uranyl ion. Additionally we are looking at reduction to the U(V)uranly ions. 3. New heterobimetallic transition metal complexes are being prepared with the aim of preparing new homogeneous catalysts for a variety of processes such as Fischer-Tropsch production of alkanes, and methane activation. 4. A new process is being developed in order to remove toxic metals (e.g. Cr, Cd, Hg, U, Pu) from contaminated soil, and precious metals from e-waste. From the crystal structures of fluorinated extractants we have characterised C-F...F-C interactions in the solid state and by computational chemistry.
Publications
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E. Hashem, A.N. Swinburne, C. Schulzke, R.C. Evans, J.A. Platts, A. Kerridge, L.S. Natrajan and R.J. Baker, Emission Spectroscopy of Uranium(IV) Compounds: A Combined Synthetic, Spectroscopic and Computational Study, RSC Advances, 3, 2013, p4350 - 4361
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Muhammad Ikram, Sadia Rehman, Muhammad Ali, Faridoon, Carola Schulzke, Robert J. Baker, Alexander James Blake, Khan Malook, Henry Wong, Saeed-Ur-Rehman, Urease and α-chymotrypsin inhibitory activities of transition metal complexes of new Schiff base ligand: Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of the synthesized complexes using TG DTA pyrolysis, Thermochimica Acta, 562, 2013, p22 - 28
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S. Rehman, M. Ikram, R. J Baker, M. Zubair, E. Azad, S. Min, K. Riaz, KH Mok and S.-U. Rehman, Synthesis, characterization, in vitro antimicrobial, and U2OS tumoricidal activities of different coumarin derivatives, Chemistry Central Journal, 7, 2013, p1-12
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Rehman, S, Ikram, M, Khan, A, Min, S, Azad, E, Hofer, TS, Mok, KH, Baker, RJ, Blake, AJ, Rehman, SU, New dicoumarol sodium compound: crystal structure, theoretical study and tumoricidal activity against osteoblast cancer cells, Chemistry Central Journal, 7, 2013, p110-
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Muhammad Ikram, Sadia Rehman, Faridoon, Robert J. Baker, Hanif Ur Rehman, Ajmal Khan, Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Saeed-Ur -Rehman, Synthesis and distinct urease enzyme inhibitory activities of metal complexes of Schiff-base ligands: Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters evaluation from TG-DTA analysis, Thermochimica Acta, 555, 2013, p72 - 80
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Aurora Walshe, Tim Prüßmann, Tonya Vitova and Robert J. Baker, An EXAFS and HR-XANES Study of the Uranyl Peroxides [UO2(η2-O2)(H2O)2].nH2O (n = 0,2) and Uranyl (Oxy)hydroxide [(UO2)4O(OH)6].6H2O, Dalton Transactions, 43, (11), 2014, p4400-7
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Robert J Baker, Uranium Minerals and their Relevance to Long Term Storage of Nuclear Fuels, Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 266-267, 2014, p123-136
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Emtithal Hashem, James A. Platts, Frantisek Hartl, Giulia Lorusso, Marco Evangelisti, Carola Schulzke, Robert J. Baker, , Thiocyanate complexes of uranium in multiple oxidation states: a combined structural, magnetic, spectroscopic, spectroelectrochemical and theoretical study, Inorganic Chemistry, 53, 2014, p8624 - 8637
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Emtithal Hashem, Thomas McCabe, Carola Schulzke and Robert J. Baker, Synthesis, Structure and Photophysical Properties of [UO2X2(O=PPh3)2] (X = Cl, Br, I), Dalton Transactions, 43, 2014, p1125 - 1131
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M. Ikram, S. Rehman, A. Khan, R. J. Baker, T.S. Hofer, F. Subhan, M. Qayum, Faridoon, C. Schulzke, Synthesis, characterization, antioxidant and selective xanthine oxidase inhibitory studies of transition metal complexes of novel amino acid bearing Schiff base ligand, Inorganica Chimica Acta, 428, 2015, p117 - 126
