Rowan Young

I obtained my BSc.(Hons) from the University of New South Wales in Australia, then went on to pursue a PhD at the Australian National University’s Research School of Chemistry under the supervision of Professor Anthony Hill. After stints at the University of Oxford and the University of Edinburgh as a research fellow in groups of Andrew Weller and Polly Arnold respectively, I began my independent career at the National University of Singapore in 2014. Since then I have focused on methodology development using pincer complexes and frustrated Lewis pairs to address challenges in small molecule activation, in particular the selective activation of carbon-halide and carbon-chalcogen bonds. My achievements have been recognized with research awards including Asian Chemistry Prizes from Japan and China (2018) and the Thieme Chemistry Journal Award in 2019. In 2022 I was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship, which I assumed at the University of Queensland in mid-2023. The theme of the research for this fellowship is the recycling and repurposing of fluorocarbons through selective activation using organometallic techniques. Frustrated Lewis Pairs: Activation chemistry based on the interaction of bulky Lewis acid and bases; Transition Metal Pincer Chemistry: Chemistry concerning synthesis, reactivity and catalysis of PC(carbene)P pincer complexes that feature central alkylidene donors; Carbon-Fluorine Bond Activation and Functionalisation: The development of new methods to functionalise fluorocarbons, including the selective activation of fluorine-carbon bonds in poly fluorocarbons.

[2026] FLP mediated conversion of difluorobenzylalkynes to fluoroallenyl oniums via an SN1’ pathway. Coles, Max, Wang, Tianhong, McLennan, Rubi, Kwan, Long Kit, Mondal, Bivas, Chan, Chakyu Richard and Young, Rowan D. (2026). FLP mediated conversion of difluorobenzylalkynes to fluoroallenyl oniums via an SN1’ pathway. Chemistry–A European Journal e71213, 1-9. doi: 10.1002/chem.71213 [2024] Evidence for a kinetic FLP reaction pathway in the activation of benzyl chlorides by alkali metal-phosphine pairs. Csókás, Dániel, Coles, Max, Toh, Zhi Hao and Young, Rowan Drury (2024). Evidence for a kinetic FLP reaction pathway in the activation of benzyl chlorides by alkali metal-phosphine pairs. Dalton Transactions, 53 (35), 14582-14586. doi: 10.1039/d4dt02028f [2024] Alternative Si–F Elimination and