David Leigh (scientist)

David Leigh
Born David Alan Leigh
(1963-05-31) 31 May 1963[1]
Birmingham, UK
Nationality British
Fields Organic chemistry
Institutions University of Manchester
University of Edinburgh
University of Warwick
Alma mater University of Sheffield (BSc, PhD)
Thesis The synthesis and properties of novel and natural macrocyclic trichothecenes (1987)
Known for Catenanes, Rotaxanes, Molecular knots, Molecular machines
Notable awards FRS
FRSE
Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology (2007)
Izatt-Christensen Award in Macrocyclic Chemistry (2007)
Royal Society Research Professor (2016)
Perkin Prize for Organic Chemistry (2017)
Website
catenane.net

David Alan Leigh (born 1963)[1] FRS FRSE FRSC is a British chemist, Royal Society Research Professor[2] and, since 2014, the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry in the School of Chemistry at the University of Manchester. He was previously the Forbes Chair of Organic Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh (2001–2012) and Professor of Synthetic Chemistry at the University of Warwick (1998–2001).[3][4]

Education

Leigh was educated at Codsall Community High School and the University of Sheffield.[1]

Career and research

He is noted for the development of new methods to construct rotaxanes, catenanes and molecular knots and for the invention of some of the first synthetic molecular motors and functional nanomachines. Using mechanically-interlocked molecular architectures he prepared a novel molecular information ratchet[5] that employs a mechanism reminiscent of Maxwell's demon (although it requires an energy input and so does not challenge the second law of thermodynamics).[6]

He has developed a rotaxane based photoactive molecular switch with the capability of changing the hydrophobicity of a surface and thus causing small droplets of liquid to move up hill, against the force of gravity.[7]

In 2009 he reported the first small-molecule walker-track system in which a 'walker' can be transported directionally along a short molecular track in a manner reminiscent of the way that biological motor proteins 'walk' along biopolymers in the cell.[8] In 2011 his research group described the smallest molecular knot prepared to date (a 76-atom-loop trefoil knot – three crossing points[9]) and also a 160-atom-loop pentafoil knot (five crossing points).[10] In 2013 the Leigh group reported[11] a small-molecule machine capable of detaching and assembling a series of amino acid building blocks from a track into a peptide of specific sequence, a very primitive version of the task performed by the ribosome. They also invented the first autonomous chemically-fuelled synthetic molecular motor[12] and demonstrated a small-molecule 'robotic arm' able to transport molecular fragments between sites 2 nm apart on a molecular platform, marking the start of so-called 'small-molecule robotics'.[13] In 2017 the Leigh group reported the synthesis of an 819 knot, the most complex molecular knot made to date.[14]

Awards and honours

References

  1. 1 2 3 LEIGH, Prof. David Alan. ukwhoswho.com. Who's Who. 2016 (online Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. (subscription required)
  2. ↑ "Leading scientists awarded Royal Society Research Professorships", The Royal Society, 6 Sept 2016
  3. ↑ Kay, E. R.; Leigh, D. A.; Zerbetto, F. (2007). "Synthetic Molecular Motors and Mechanical Machines". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 46: 72–191. doi:10.1002/anie.200504313.
  4. ↑ Brouwer, A. M.; Frochot, C.; Gatti, F. G.; Leigh, D. A.; Mottier, L.; Paolucci, F.; Roffia, S.; Wurpel, G. W. (2001). "Photoinduction of Fast, Reversible Translational Motion in a Hydrogen-Bonded Molecular Shuttle". Science. 291 (5511): 2124–2128. PMID 11251112. doi:10.1126/science.1057886.
  5. ↑ Leigh's Group's illustrated explanation of the "ratchet"
  6. ↑ "Tiny engine boosts nanotech hopes" BBC News Feb. 1, 2007
  7. ↑ "Nanotech team move water droplets" BBC News Aug. 29, 2005
  8. ↑ http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/December/21120901.asp "'Two-legged' molecular walker takes a stroll" Chemistry World 21 December 2009
  9. ↑ Barran, P. E.; Cole, H. L.; Goldup, S. M.; Leigh, D. A.; McGonigal, P. R.; Symes, M. D.; Wu, J.; Zengerle, M. (2011). "Active-Metal Template Synthesis of a Molecular Trefoil Knot". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 50 (51): 12280–12284. doi:10.1002/anie.201105012.
  10. ↑ Ayme, J. F.; Beves, J. E.; Leigh, D. A.; McBurney, R. T.; Rissanen, K.; Schultz, D. (2011). "A synthetic molecular pentafoil knot". Nature Chemistry. 4 (1): 15–20. PMID 22169866. doi:10.1038/nchem.1193.
  11. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20987065
  12. ↑ Wilson, M. R.; Solá, J.; Carlone, A.; Goldup, S. M.; Lebrasseur, N.; Leigh, D. A. (2016). "An autonomous chemically fuelled small-molecule motor". Nature. 534 (7606): 235–240. PMID 27279219. doi:10.1038/nature18013.
  13. ↑ Kassem, S.; Lee, A. T. L..; Leigh, D. A.; Markevicius, A.; Solá, J. (2016). "Pick-up, transport and release of a molecular cargo using a small-molecule robotic arm". Nature Chemistry. 8 (2): 138–143. doi:10.1038/nchem.2410.
  14. ↑ Danon, Jonathan J.; Krüger, Anneke; Leigh, David A.; Lemonnier, Jean-François; Stephens, Alexander J.; Vitorica-Yrezabal, Iñigo J.; Woltering, Steffen L. "Braiding a molecular knot with eight crossings". Science. 355 (6321): 159–162. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 28082585. doi:10.1126/science.aal1619.
  15. ↑ "RSC Perkin Prize for Organic Chemistry 2017 Winner". Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
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