Karl Collins
Karl was born in the depths of Yorkshire, but moved to Manchester to study chemistry.
Following his Master’s in chemistry, which included a year working in pharma, he stayed on at the University of Manchester for PhD in organic synthesis with David Procter. While his chemistry improved his accent didn’t, and the mixture of northern influences were further aggravated when he moved to Germany for a postdoc in catalysis with Frank Glorius. Now speaking an awkward mix of northern English with German grammar and bad German with terrible grammar, Karl decided to remain in Germany and currently works as a medicinal chemistry laboratory head at Bayer Pharma, Wuppertal. He has dedicated interests beyond medicinal chemistry in photochemistry, contemporary catalysis and screening methodologies for reaction evaluation and exploration.
OpinionStereoselectivity with a twist
Helical ligands amplify solvent chirality to control reaction outcomes
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'Coffee machine' synthesiser's first steps
Cartridge-based machine enables non-experts to make heterocycles
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In search of ultimate selectivity
A catalyst that reacts only with aryl iodides, spurning bromides and chlorides
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Combining Lewis acid and redox catalysis
Organic phenalenyl cations perform a dual role without transition metals
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Making light work of synthesis
The LED zeppelin is flying high, but is it all hot air asks Karl Collins
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Ketones perform at the palladium
C–H activation takes the stress out of organometallic couplings
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Forcing fluorines into shape
Sometimes unnatural molecules can be more challenging to synthesise than natural metabolites
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Nickel catalyst couples alcohols and carbon dioxide
Flexibility and low cost make nickel a firm favourite in catalysis
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Functionalising pyridines with phosphonium salts
Newly-independent research groups often bring new perspectives to synthesis
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Lighting up crowded corners
Combining photocatalysis with organocatalysis opens doors to chiral quaternary centres
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An odd couple
Coupling unactivated phenols with amines requires an unusual approach, as Karl Collins discovers
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Scratching chiral surfaces
Heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis beyond hydrogenation is tricky, says Karl Collins
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A witches’ brew for trifluoromethylation
Karl Collins is surprised by the difficulty of a seemingly simple alkylation
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Dispelling nickel’s catalytic demons
Stable Ni(IV) complexes could help nickel rival its flashier platinum-group cousins, says Karl Collins
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Back to basics for silylation
Karl Collins applauds the simplicity of adding silicon to heterocycles with KOtBu
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Alkynes reverse reactivity
A mild coupling of alkynes with thiol nucleophiles appeals to Karl Collins
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Twisting activity from amides
When amides get out of shape, a whole new world of asymmetric aldol reactions opens up, says Karl Collins
