Director of Research
In the Ley Group, we specialise in developing new synthesis methods and applying them to the construction of biologically important molecules. Over the years we have completed the total synthesis of many natural products, including: spongistatin 1 (anti-mitotic agent); rapamycin (immunosuppressant); thapsigargin (SERCA pumps inhibitor); azadirachtin (insect antifeedant); and bengazole A (fungicide). In addition to our research on natural product synthesis, we also pioneered flow chemistry and machine assisted synthesis.
For more detailed research information and our publication list, please see our legacy group website.
Completed Natural Products

Publications
Generation of Reactive Ketenes under Flow Conditions through Zinc-Mediated Dehalogenation
Synlett
(2015)
26
1470
(doi: 10.1055/s-0034-1380679)
Machines vs Malaria: A Flow-Based Preparation of the Drug Candidate OZ439.
Organic letters
(2015)
17
3218
(doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.5b01307)
Continuous Flow Metathesis for Direct Valorization of Food Waste: An Example of Cocoa Butter Triglyceride.
ACS Sustain Chem Eng
(2015)
3
1453
A Versatile Room-Temperature Route to Di- and Trisubstituted Allenes Using Flow-Generated Diazo Compounds
Angewandte Chemie - International Edition
(2015)
54
7920
(doi: 10.1002/anie.201501538)
Thiazole formation through a modified Gewald reaction.
Beilstein journal of organic chemistry
(2015)
11
875
(doi: 10.3762/bjoc.11.98)
A Versatile Room‐Temperature Route to Di‐ and Trisubstituted Allenes Using Flow‐Generated Diazo Compounds
Angewandte Chemie
(2015)
127
8031
(doi: 10.1002/ange.201501538)
A practical deca-gram scale ring expansion of ( R )-(−)-carvone to ( R )-(+)-3-methyl-6-isopropenyl-cyclohept-3-enone-1
Org Biomol Chem
(2015)
13
7633
(doi: 10.1039/c5ob00525f)
Large-Scale Synthesis of Crystalline 1,2,3,4,6,7-Hexa-O-acetyl-L-glycero-α-D-manno-heptopyranose
European J Org Chem
(2015)
2015
2718
(doi: 10.1002/ejoc.201500024)
Flow synthesis of ethyl isocyanoacetate enabling the telescoped synthesis of 1,2,4-triazoles and pyrrolo-[1,2-c]pyrimidines.
Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry
(2015)
13
4231
(doi: 10.1039/c5ob00245a)
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