The Stone Symposium 2025

The prestigious Stone Symposium returns to the School of Chemistry on Wednesday, 12 November 2025.

Stone Symposium 2025 - hosted by Professor Robin Bedford, Professor Natalie Fey, and Dr Chris Russell, University of Bristol.

Headline Speaker

Professor Paul Pringle, University of Bristol

Title: The role of design, curiosity and luck in P-ligand invention for homogeneous catalysis or nuclear medicine

Abstract: It is difficult to overstate how important phosphorus ligands have been, and continue to be, in the development of efficient homogeneous catalysts for a great variety of reactions; such reactions have found extensive applications in the industrial production of commodity and fine chemicals. P-ligands are often arduous and expensive to make, as well as being air-sensitive, highly toxic and foul-smelling. In view of this catalogue of undesirable properties, why are P-ligands so successful? Answering this question will be one of the themes of this lecture.


We have concentrated on exploring P-ligands that are of academic interest because of their unusual chemical structure, but have always had an eye on potential applications for the curiosities we have produced. For example, complex ligands derived from one of the simplest phosphorus(III) compounds, PH3, via sequential hydrophosphinations (P–H additions), have led to a fascinating array of cyclic, bicyclic and cage phosphines that, in collaboration with industrial partners, have been shown to produce impressive catalysts for alkene carbonylation and hydroformylation. By pushing the boundaries of what is possible with P-ligands (e.g. with ligands containing P–F or P–B bonds), we have discovered systems that 'break the rules' in some areas of homogeneous catalysis and examples of this concept will be presented.


Recently we have applied the lessons learned from designing P-ligands for homogeneous catalysts, to the design of P-ligands with potential biomedical applications and, in the process, have uncovered reasons why, seemingly improbable, platinum(0)-catalysed hydrophosphination reactions proceed at all.

Keynote Speakers

Professor Liam Ball, University of Bristol

Organobismuth reagents for synthesis and catalysis

Dr Michelle Ma, Kings College London

Delivery of radioactive 99mTc and 188Re to cancers using versatile diphosphine chelators

Professor Derek Woollins, University of St. Andrews (Emeritus)

The Isolobal Analogy in p block chemistry  ..a history lesson

 

The symposium is free to attend, but please register by completing the online form.