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Associate Professor Anthony F Masters


Contact Details

Associate Professor
Room 459
School of Chemistry, Building F11
The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006Australia
E: anthony.masters@sydney.edu.au
T: +61 (2) 9351-3743
F: +61 (2) 9351-3329

Career Profile

  • BSc(Hon)(1972) University of Melbourne, PhD (1976) Australian National University
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Temporary Lecturer, Imperial College London, 1975-77
  • Research Fellow, Assistant Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, 1977-79
  • La Trobe Research Fellow, La Trobe University, Victoria, 1979-80
  • Research Scientist, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Division of Materials Science, Melbourne, 1980-86
  • Appointed at the University of Sydney, 1986

Areas of Interest

  • Organometallic chemistry catalysis
  • Olefin oligimerization catalysts
  • Oxidation catalysts
  • The chemistry of highly hindered metallocenes
  • EXAFS in organometallic chemistry and homogeneous catalysis
  • Synthesis gas catalytic chemistry
  • Carboxylate chemistry

Research

Our research is devoted primarily to organometallic chemistry and homogeneous catalysis. Aspects of the research involve the design and synthesis of organometallic species as possible catalysts or active site models (olefin digomerization catalysts, the chemistry of pentaphenylcyclopenhardienyl complexes), the characterization of existing catalysts (the chemistry of ,metal carboxylates, metal carbonyl cluster chemistry, EXAFS or organometallic species and very fast EXAFS of operating catalysts), investigations into and optimization of catalytic conversions of small molecules by homogeneous catalysis (olehin oligomerization, syngas chemistry, hydrocarbon oxidation) and the preparation and characterization of homogeneous catalysts chemically anchored to insoluble supports.

Applications for PhD Admission

These should be made via the University’s web pages. International students should also contact the University’s International Student Office for advice about visa, living and studying in Sydney, etc..  Please note that unless we are advertising scholarships (e.g., on the School of Chemistry web page, which also contains a link to general scholarships for international students), you will need to arrange your own support.  You should also consult the University’s scholarships web pages for information about scholarships at Sydney.  These can be University-wide (e.g., University of Sydney Postgraduate Awards) or more chemistry focussed (e.g., the Henry Bertie and Florence Mabel Gritton Research Scholarships - Chemistry, or the Richard Claude Mankin Scholarship – Water Conservation).  Note that these scholarships are very competitive, so you will need an excellent academic record and very strong support from eminent referees to be competitive.

Applications for Postdoctoral Positions

Please note that unless we are advertising scholarships (e.g., on the School of Chemistry web page, you will need to arrange your own support.  International applicants should also contact the University’s International Student Office for advice about visa, living and studying in Sydney, etc..  Note that postdoctoral positions are very competitive, so you will need an excellent research record and very strong support from eminent referees to be competitive.

Publications (2009 - 2013)

  1. Kaza, A; Jensen, P; Clegg, J; Masters, AF; Maschmeyer, T and Yuen, AKL. The chemistry of cobalt acetate. X. The preparations of the mixed ligand cobalt oligomers, [Co3O(C6H5N2O)3(CH3CO2)3][PF6].CH3CN (I), [Co4(μ2-OH)2(η1:η1:μ2-CH3COO)2(CH3CO2)2 (η1:η1:μ2-C11H8NO)2(η1:η1η1:η1:μ2-C11H8N3O)2][PF6]2.CH3OH.3H2O (II) and [Co3O(CH3CO2)5(C7H6NO2)(py)3][PF6] (III) and the crystal structures of (I) and (II). Comparisons with homoleptic cobalt acetate dimers and trimers. Polyhedron, 52, 909-916, 2013. DOI: 10.1016/j.poly.2012.07.023

  2. Ward, AJ; Weber, CC; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Application of bismuth-impregnated mesoporous silica to the photochemical oxidation of methylne blue: An example of nanoparticle autocatalysis. ChemCatChem, 5 (4), 959-965, 2013. DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201200669

  3. Weber, CC; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Steric, hydrogen-bonding and structural heterogeneity effects on the nucleophilic substitution of N-(p-fluorophenyldiphenylmethyl)-4-picolinium chloride in ionic liquids. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 11 (15), 2534-2542, 2013. DOI: 10.1039/c3ob40105g

  4. Ward, AJ; Rich, AM; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Unprecedented blue-shift in bismuth oxide supported on mesoporous silica. New Journal of Chemistry, 37 (3), 593-600, 2013. DOI: 10.1039/c2nj40847c

  5. Stanley, JNG; Heinroth, F; Weber, CC; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Robust bimetallic Pt-Ru catalysts for the rapid hydrogenation of toluene and tetralin at ambient temperature and pressure. Applied Catalysis A: General, 454, 46-52, 2013. DOI: 10.1016/j.apcata.2013.01.002

  6. Weber, CC; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Pseudo-encapsulation−nanodomains for enhanced reactivity in ionic liquids. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 51 (46), 11483-11486, 2012. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201206113

  7. Fábos, V; Yuen, AKL; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Exploring the myth of nascent hydrogen and its implications for biomass conversions. Chemistry - An Asian Journal, 7 (11), 2629-2637, 2012. DOI: 10.1002/asia.201200557

  8. Fábos, V; Yuen, AKL; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. The role of the reactor wall in hydrothermal biomass conversions. Chemistry - An Asian Journal, 7 (11), 2638-2643, 2012. DOI: 10.1002/asia.201200556

  9. Yap, AJ; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. The kinetic features of the palladium-catalyzed hydrogenolysis of nitriles and amines. ChemCatChem, 4 (8), 1179-1184, 2012. DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201100472

  10. Lau, VW-H; Masters, AF; Bond, AM and Maschmeyer, T. Ionic-liquid-mediated active-site control of MoS2 for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction. Chemistry: A European Journal, 18 (26), 8230-8239, 2012. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201200255

  11. Ward, AJ; Lesic, R; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Silsesquioxanes as molecular analogues of single-site heterogeneous catalysts. Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 468 (2143), 1968-1984, 2012. DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2012.0113

  12. Lau, VW-H; van de Water, L; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Tuning the photocatalytic activity of CdS nanocrystals through intermolecular interactions in ionic-liquid solvent systems. Chemistry: A European Journal, 18 (10), 2923-2930, 2012. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201102720

  13. Yuen, AKL; Hutton, GA; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. The interplay of catechol ligands with nanoparticulate iron oxides. Dalton Transactions, 41 (9), 2545-2559, 2012. DOI: 10.1039/c2dt11864e

  14. Weber, CC; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Controlling hydrolysis reaction rates with binary ionic liquid mixtures by tuning hydrogen-bonding interactions. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 116 (6), 1858-1864, 2012. DOI: 10.1021/jp211543v

  15. Yuen, AKL; Heinroth, F; Ward, AJ; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Novel bis(methylimidazolium)alkane bolaamphiphiles as templates for supermicroporous and mesoporous silicas. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 148 (1), 62-72, 2012.DOI: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2011.06.036

  16. Ward, AJ; Pujari, AA; Costanzo, L; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. The one-pot synthesis, characterisation and catalytic behaviour of mesoporous silica-sulfated zirconia solids. Catalysis Today, 178 (1), 187-196, 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2011.08.003

  17. Stanley, JNG; Worthington, K; Heinroth, F; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Designing nanoscopic, fluxional bimetallic Pt-Ru alloy hydrogenation catalysts for improved sulfur tolerance. Catalysis Today, 178 (1), 164-171, 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2011.09.014

  18. Aquino, CC; Pastore, HO; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. An ITQ-2/TUD-1 micro-/mesoporous composite: In situ delamination as a tool for the preparation of innovative materials. ChemCatChem, 3 (11), 1759-1762, 2011. DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201100077

  19. Lau, VW-H; Masters, AF; Bond, AM and Maschmeyer, T. Promoting the formation of active sites with ionic liquids: A case study of MoS2 as hydrogen-evolution-reaction electrocatalyst. ChemCatChem, 3 (11), 1739-1742, 2011. DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201100212

  20. Yap, AJ; Chan, B; Yuen, AKL; Ward, AJ; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. A palladium-catalyzed multicascade reaction: Facile low-temperature hydrogenolysis of activated nitriles and related functional groups. ChemCatChem., 3 (9), 1496-1502, 2011. DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201100076

  21. Ward, AJ; Pujari, AA; Costanzo, L; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Ionic liquid-templated preparation of mesoporous silica embedded with nanocrystalline sulfated zirconia. Nanoscale Research Letters, 6 (1), 192-200, 2011. DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-6-192

  22. Field, LD; Lindal, CM; Masters, AF and Clentsmith, GKB. Penta-arylcyclopentadienyl complexes. Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 255 (15-16), 1733-1790, 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2011.02.001

  23. Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Zeolites – From curiosity to cornerstone. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 142 (2-3), 423-438, 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2010.12.026

  24. Ward, AJ; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. Transition metal single site catalysts - from homogeneous to immobilized systems. In: Modern Surface Organometallic Chemistry. ISBN: 978-3-527-31972-5. Editors: Jean-Marie Basset, Rinaldo Psaro, Dominique Roberto and Renato Ugo. Chapter 5, 167-237, 2009. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9783527627097.ch5

  25. Pujari, AA; Chadbourne, JJ; Ward, AJ; Costanzo, L; Masters, AF and Maschmeyer, T. The use of acidic task-specific ionic liquids in the formation of high surface area mesoporous silica. New Journal of Chemistry, 33 (10), 1997-2000, 2009. DOI: 10.1039/b907077j

  26. Ward, AJ; Arrow, GJ; Maschmeyer, T; Masters, AF; Turner, P and Clegg, JK. Tetraammonium diaquadiperoxidooctamolybdate(VI) tetrahydrate. Acta Crystallographica Section E-Structure Reports Online, E65, I53-U151, 2009. DOI: 10.1107/S1600536809023460