Brian R. James

Professor Emeritus

Office: Wesbrook W335
Office Phone: (604) 822-6645
Lab(s): Chemistry A211/A215
Lab Phone(s): (604) 822-4217

FAX: (604) 822-2847
Email: brj@chem.ubc.ca

Curriculum Vitae: B.A., Oxford (1957); M.A., Oxford (1960); D. Phil., Oxford (R.J.P. Williams, 1960); Postdoctoral, British Columbia (J. Halpern, 1960-62); Fellow, Royal Society of Canada; Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry; Fellow, Chemical Institute of Canada (1975); Noranda Award (CIC); Editor, Canadian Journal of Chemistry (1978-88); Guggenheim Fellow (1983); Jacob Biely Faculty Research Prize, UBC (1986); UBC Killam Research Prize (1988); Canadian Catalysis Award (1990); Canada Council Killam Fellow (1993-95); Royal Society of Chemistry Award – Chemistry of Noble Metals (1996); E.W.R. Steacie Award (1997); Canadian Catalysis Lectureship Award (2000); Chemical Institute of Canada Medal (2000)

Inorganic: Synthesis, kinetics and mechanisms within bioinorganic and organometallic chemistry; homogeneous catalysis including asymmetric synthesis; activation of gas molecules by metal complexes, including metalloporphyrins

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Research/Teaching Interests

Professor James' major research is concerned with determining the factors that govern the binding of gases to metal centres of coordination compounds and the subsequent activation of the gases for catalytic processes; thermodynamic, kinetic and mechanistic aspects are studied. Thus, in the presence of added substrates (usually unsaturated organics), hydrogenation (H₂), oxygenation and oxidation (O₂), and carbonylation (CO) of the substrate are investigated, including asymmetric syntheses when the catalytic metal complex contains chiral ligands, as for example in hydrogenation:

The studies usually involve iorganometallic-like ancillary ligands such as tertiary-phosphines, arsines, carbonyl, hydride, etc., and have focussed on the interaction of gases (particularly H₂, O₂, CO, CO₂ and H₂S) with complexes of Ru, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd and Pt.

Interest in biological O₂- carriers and enzymatic oxygenases and oxidases (especially based on Fe porphyrins) has led to development of the porphyrin chemistry of Ru ­ the "slowed down" second-row analogue of Fe ­ as a probe for the iron enzyme systems, and for new catalysis in its own right, e.g. via more accessible, higher oxidation states (+4, +6). Organometallic-like catalysis can occur at metalloporphyrin centres, particularly via radical processes, and data from the two areas (organometallic and bioinorganic) complement each other; this leads to increased understanding of interrelationships between enzymic catalysis and "more simple" (nonprotein) homogeneous catalysis, as well as the development of efficient catalysts for presently known, and new, processes.

Research is also conducted on: (a) the evaluation of Pt metal complexes as radio-sensitizers and hypoxia imaging agents in a joint program with Dr. K.A. Skov (B.C. Cancer Research Centre), and (b) modification of lignin in a joint program with Dr. Thomas Hu, with PAPRICAN (Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada), and an adjunct professor in Chemistry (seated to the left of BRJ).