Prof Richard Keene ~ Emeritus Professor

Over the last two decades, the laboratory of F Richard Keene has been an international pioneer in the development of techniques to control the stereochemistry of the component metal centres in mononuclear and oligonuclear metal complexes.

The methodologies – using a combination of stereoselective synthesis and chromatography – have allowed the routine separation of diastereoisomers, the resolution of enantiomers, the separation of geometric isomers, and the separation of chiral helical forms. 

Interests

Research

• Control of the stereochemistry in metallosupramolecular assemblies – with particular interest in ligand-bridged oligonuclear polpyridylruthenium(II) species
• Stereochemical aspects of intramolecular electron transfer in metallosupramolecular assemblies
• Structure- and sequence-selectivity in the interaction of metal complexes with nucleic acids
• Mechanism of cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of lipophilic inert dinuclear polypyridylruthenium(II) complexes to cancer cells and bacteria
• The selective toxicity of ruthenium(II) complexes to drug-resistant pathogens

Research Disciplines

• Inorganic chemistry (3402)
• Macromolecular and materials chemistry (3403)
• Medicinal and biomolecular chemistry (3404)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Expanding knowledge (2801)

Awards

• 2009 - Recipient of Visiting Scientist Award (Australian Academy of Science/Japan Society for Promotion of Science), Osaka University and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan)
• 2002 - Vice Chancellor's Award for Research Excellence, JCU
• 1979 - Rennie Medal of Royal Australian Chemical Institute

Fellowships

• 2012 - Honorary Visiting Research Fellow, University of Adelaide
• 2012 - Recipient of Erasmus Mundus Research Fellowship (Universität Leipzig, Germany)
• 2000 - Erskine Visiting Research Fellow, University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand)
• 1998 - Commonwealth Scholar, Bede Morris Fellowship Scheme, Australian Academy of Science
• 1983 - Fulbright Scholar (Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York, USA)

Other

• 2012 - Emeritus Professor, James Cook University
• 2009 - Professeur Invité, CNRS/Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse, France)
• 2003 - Visiting Scholar, University of Oxford (UK)
• 2003 - Visiting Professor, University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand)
• 2000 - Professeur Invité, Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg (France)
• 1994 - Professeur Invité, Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg (France)
• 1992 - Troisième Cycle Lecturer and Visiting Professor, Université de Fribourg (Switzerland)
• 1989 - Visiting Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)
• 1988 - Visiting Professor, Stanford University (California, USA)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Wardhani K, Levina A, Sun B, Grau G, Keene F, Collins J and Lay P (2023) A tetranuclear polypyridylruthenium(ii) complex as a selective stain for extracellular vesicle penetration through brain microvascular endothelium. Chemical Communications, 59. pp. 6877-6880
• Flint K, Huang D, Linder-Patton O, Sumby C and Keene F (2022) Synthesis of Triple-Stranded Diruthenium(II) Compounds. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, 2022 (25).
• Fairbanks S, Robertson C, Keene F, Thomas J and Williamson M (2019) Structural investigation into the threading intercalation of a chiral dinuclear ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex through a B‑DNA oligonucleotide. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 141 (11). pp. 4644-4652
• Flint K, Collins J, Bradley S, Smith T, Sumby C and Keene F (2019) Synthesis and characterisation of helicate and mesocate forms of a double-stranded diruthenium(II) complex of a di(terpyridine) ligand. Australian Journal of Chemistry, 72 (10). pp. 762-768
• Sun B, Sundaraneedi M, Southam H, Poole R, Musgrave I, Keene F and Collins J (2019) Synthesis and biological properties of tetranuclear ruthenium complexes containing the bis[4(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridyl)]-1,7-heptane ligand. Dalton Transactions, 48 (38). pp. 14505-14515
• Li X, Gorle A, Sundaraneedi M, Keene F and Collins J (2018) Kinetically-inert polypyridylruthenium(II) complexes as therapeutic agents. Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 375. pp. 134-147
• Liu X, Sun B, Kell R, Southam H, Butler J, Li X, Poole R, Keene F and Collins J (2018) The antimicrobial activity of mononuclear ruthenium(II) complexes containing the dppz ligand. ChemPlusChem, 83. pp. 643-650
• Sun B, Musgrave I, Day A, Heimann K, Keene F and Collins J (2018) Eukaryotic cell toxicity and HSA binding of [Ru(Me4phen)(bb7)]2+ and the effect of encapsulation in cucurbit[10]uril. Frontiers in Chemistry, 6.
• Sun B, Southam H, Butler J, Poole R, Burgun A, Tarzia A, Keene F and Collins J (2018) Synthesis, isomerisation and biological properties of mononuclear ruthenium complexes containing the bis[4(4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridyl)]-1,7-heptane ligand. Dalton Transactions, 47. pp. 2422-2434
• Sundaraneedi M, Eichenberger R, Al-Hallaf R, Yang D, Sotillo J, Rajan S, Wangchuk P, Giacomin P, Keene F, Loukas A, Collins J and Pearson M (2018) Polypyridylruthenium(II) complexes exert in vitro and in vivo nematocidal activity and show significant inhibition of parasite acetylcholinesterases. International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drugs Resistance, 8 (1). pp. 1-7
• Gorle A, Bottomley A, Harry E, Collins J, Keene F and Woodward C (2017) DNA condensation in live E. coli provides evidence for transertion. Molecular BioSystems, 13 (4). pp. 677-680

Book Chapters

• Chambron J and Keene F (2017) Principles of molecular chirality. In: Chirality in Supramolecular Assemblies: causes and consequences. Wiley, Chichester, United Kingdom, pp. 1-43

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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 195+ research outputs authored by Prof Richard Keene from 1970 onwards.

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.