Research Themes
My research interests are in synthetic chemistry and are focused on the design of molecules capable of self-assembling in solution, and of recognising small molecules. I am also greatly interested in the applications of complex and diverse inorganic stereochemistry. I have a long standing interest in crystallography and understanding solid state structures.
Research Publications
47. Gyeltshen, T.; Olivier, W. J.; Dutra-Nobre, A. R.; Kilah, N. L.; Smith, J. A.; Bissember, A. C. Furanosesquiterpenes and Related Natural Products from Myoporum Species: Isolation and Semisynthesis, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2023, 12(7), e202300259. DOI: 10.1002/ajoc.202300259
46. Gyeltshen, T.; Deans, B. J.; Ho, C. C.; Kilah, N. L.; Smith, J. A.; Bissember, A. C. Furanosesquiterpenes and Related Natural Products from Myoporum Species: Isolation and Semisynthesis, J. Nat. Prod. 2023, 86(6), 1584-1595. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.3c00278
45. Dutra-Nobre, A. R.; Olivier, W. J.; Deans, B. J.; Kilah, N. L.; Maya Alejandro, F.; Smith, J. A.; Bissember, A. C. Intraspecific Variation in the Terpene Profiles of Dodonaea viscosa, Asian J. Org. Chem. 2023, 12, e202300039. DOI: 10.1002/ajoc.202300039
44. Taylor, C. M. ; Breadmore, M. C. ; Kilah, N. L.* Exploring colorimetric detection of perfluorooctane sulfonate using micelle solubilised porphyrin, Aust. J. Chem., 2023, 709-718, DOI: 10.1071/CH23061
43. Taylor, C. M. ; Breadmore, M. C. ; Kilah, N. L.* Good Practices and Practical Considerations for Research with Perfluoroalkyl Substances, Chemistry: Methods, 2023, e202300017. DOI: 10.1002/cmtd.202300017
42. Taylor, C. M.; Breadmore, M. C.; Kilah, N. L.* Colorimetric determination of perfluorocarboxylic acids using porphyrin hosts and mobile phone photographs, Sens. Diagn. 2023, 2, 676–686. DOI: 10.1039/D3SD00035D
41. Taylor, C. M.; Breadmore, M. C.; Kilah, N. L.* Finding the Forever Pollutants – Fast!, Proc. Roy. Soc. Vic., In press.
40. Wolfenden, A. W.; Taylor, C. M.; Ho, C. C.; Clegg, J. K.; Kilah, N. L.* Disorder in 2-Bromoimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate Salts: The Role of Halogen Bonds. CrystEngComm. 2023, 25, 1763-1774. 10.1039/D2CE01643E
39. Taylor, C. M.; Kilah, N. L.* The structure of N-(chloromethyl)strychninium chloride, a spontaneously crystallized product of significance to analytical chemistry, bioprospecting, and chiral separations, J. Chem. Crystallogr. 2023, 53(3), 379-385. DOI: 10.1007/s10870-022-00977-7
38. Taylor, C. M.; Breadmore, M. C.; Kilah, N. L.* Mobile Phone-based Colorimetric Detection of Perfluorocarboxylic Acids using Porphyrin Hosts, ChemRxiv, 2022; This content is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed, DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2022-qjkjn
37. Taylor, C.M., Kilah, N.L.* Synthesis of [2+2] Schiff base macrocycles by a solvent templating strategy and halogen bonding directed assembly. J Incl Phenom Macrocycl Chem (2022). Open Access. DOI: 10.1007/s10847-022-01137-2
36. Taylor, C.M., Ellingsen, T.A., Breadmore, M.C., Kilah, N.L.* Porphyrin-based colorimetric sensing of perfluorooctanoic acid as proof of concept for perfluoroalkyl substance detection. Chem. Commun., 2021, 57, 11649-11652. DOI: 10.1039/D1CC04903H
35. Waheed S., Rodas M., Kaur H., Kilah N.L., Paull B., Maya, F.* In-situ growth of metal-organic frameworks in a reactive 3D printable material. Applied Materials Today, 2021, 22, 100930. DOI: j.apmt.2020.100930
34. Kilah, N. L.* Bang! Crackle! Pop! Fizzle?—Chemistry outreach and fireworks, J. & Proc. Roy. Soc. NSW. 2020, 152, 327–331.
33. Deans, B. J.; Just, J.; Tedone, L.; Kilah, N. L.; Jordan, G. J.; Bissember, A. C.; Smith, J. A. Distinct Drimane Chemotypes in Tasmanian Mountain Pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata): Differences in the Profiles of Pungent Leaf Phytochemicals Associated with Altitudinal Cline, J. Agric. Food Chem. 2020, 68, 315–322. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b05703
32. Wolfenden, A. V.; Kilah, N. L.* Ancient Alchemy in the Classroom: A Honey-Based, Deflagrating Pyrotechnic, J. Chem. Ed. 2018, 95, 1350–1353. doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00978
31. Deans, B. J.; Kilah, N. L.; Jordan, G.J.; Bissember, A. C.; Smith, J. A. Arbutin derivatives isolated from ancient proteaceae: potential phytochemical markers present in Bellendena, Cenarrhenes, and Persoonia Genera, J. Nat. Prod. 2018, 81, 1241–1251. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.7b01038
30. Bissember, A.; Hindrum, S.; Hornblow, M.; Kilah, N.; Power, J.; Thickett, S.; Yong, A. 'Growing and bio-fabricating SCOBY: a project developed in an extended cross-disciplinary research team', Proceedings of the 1st Annual Design Research Conference (ADR18), University of Sydney, 2018, pp. 581-595.
29. Macdonald, N. P.; Bunton, G. L.; Park, A. Y.; Breadmore, M. C.; Kilah, N. L.* 3D printed micrometer-scale polymer mounts for single crystal analysis. Anal. Chem. 2018, 89, 4405–4408. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b00443
28. Deans, B. J.; Just, J.; Chhetri, J.; Burt, L. K.; Smith, J. N.; Kilah, N. L.; de Salas, M.; Gueven, N.; Bissember, A. C.; Smith, J. A. Pressurized hot water extraction as a viable bioprospecting tool: isolation of coumarin natural products from previously unexamined Correa (Rutaceae) species. ChemistrySelect, 2017, 2, 2439–2443. doi: 10.1002/slct.201602006
Research Publications prior to independent career
27. Wielandt, J. W.; Petrie, S.; Kilah, N. L.; Willis, A. C.; Dewhurst, R. D.; Belaj, F.; Orthaber, A.; Stranger, R.; Wild, S. B. Self-assembly of square-planar halide complexes of trimethylphosphine-stabilized diphenyl-arsenium, -stibenium, and -bismuthenium hexafluorophosphates. Aust. J. Chem. 2016. doi: 10.1071/CH15701
26. Brown, A.; Langton, M. J.; Kilah, N. L.; Thompson, A. L.; Beer, P. D. Chloride-anion-templated synthesis of a strapped-porphyrin-containing catenane host system. Chem.–Eur. J. 2015, 21, 17664-17675.
25. Allain, C.; Beer, P. D.; Faulkner, S.; Jones, M. W.; Kenwright, A. M.; Kilah, N. L.; Knighton, R. C.; Sørensen, T. J.; Tropiano M. Lanthanide appended rotaxanes respond to changing chloride concentration. Chem. Sci. 2013, 4, 489–493.
24. Kilah, N. L.*; Meggers, E. Sixty years young: The diverse biological activity of metal polypyridyl complexes pioneered by Francis P. Dwyer. Aust. J. Chem., 2012, 65, 1325–1332.
23. Kilah, N. L.; Wild, S. B. Phosphine complexes of an enantiomerically pure, atropisomeric, arsenium Ion. Organometallics, 2012, 31, 2658–2666.
22. Lu, D.; Coote, M. L.; Ho, J.; Kilah, N. L.; Lin C-. Y.; Salem G.; Weir M. L.; Willis A. C.; Wild S. B.; Dilda P. J. Resolution and improved synthesis of (±)-Arsenicin A: A natural adamantane-type tetraarsenical possessing strong anti-acute promelocytic leukemia cell line activity. Organometallics, 2012, 31, 1808–1816.
21. Evans, N. H.; Rahman, H.; Leontiev, A. V.; Greenham, N. D.; Orlowski, G. A.; Zeng, Q.; Jacobs, R. M. J.; Serpell, C. J.; Kilah, N. L.; Davis, J. J.; Beer, P. D. Solution and surface-confined chloride anion templated redox-active catenanes. Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 1080–1089.
20. Kilah, N. L.; Wise, M. D.; Beer, P. D. Crystallographic implications for the design of halogen bonding anion receptors. Cryst. Growth Des., 2011, 11, 4565–4571.
19. Tropiano, M.; Kilah, N. L.; Morten, M.; Rahman, H.; Davis, J. J.; Beer, P. D.; Faulkner, S. Reversible luminescence switching of a redox-active ferrocene-europium dyad J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2011, 133, 11847–11849.
18. Hancock, L. M.; Gilday, L. C.; Kilah, N. L.; Beer, P. D. A new synthetic route to chloride selective [2]catenanes. Chem. Comm. 2011, 47, 1725–1727.
17. Hancock, L. M.; Gilday, L. C.; Carvalho, S.; Costa, P. J.; Félix, V.; Serpell, C. J.; Kilah, N. L.; Beer, P. D. Rotaxanes capable of recognising chloride in aqueous media. Chem.–Eur. J. 2010, 16, 1308–13094.
16. Kilah, N. L.; Beer, P. D. Pyridine and pyridinium-based anion receptors. Top. Heterocycl. Chem. 2010, 24, 301–340.
15. Kilah, N. L.; Wise, M. D.; Serpell, C. J.; Thompson, A. L.; White, N. G.; Christensen, K. E.; Beer, P. D. Enhancement of Anion Recognition exhibited by a halogen-bonding rotaxane host system. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2010, 132, 11893–11895.
14. Serpell, C. J.; Kilah, N. L.; Costa, P. J.; Félix, V.; Beer, P. D. Halogen bond anion templated assembly of an imidazolium pseudorotaxane. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 5322–5326.
13. Hasan, S.; Kilah, N. L.; Martinez, M.; Bernhardt, P. V. Macrocyclic thiophene-appended cyanido-bridged CoIII/FeII complexes: precursors to mixed-valent poly-thiophene hybrid materials. Aust. J. Chem. 2009, 62, 1214–1220.
12. Weir, M. L.; Cade, I. A.; Kilah, N. L.; Zhou, X.; Wild, S. B. Asymmetric synthesis of bis(tertiary arsines): highly stereoselective alkylations of diastereomers of a chiral phosphine-stabilized bis(arsenium triflate). Inorg. Chem. 2009, 48, 7482–7490.
11. Kilah, N. L.; Wild, S. B. Product class 13: trialkylphosphane oxides, sulfides, selenides, tellurides, and imides. Science of Synthesis 2009, 42, 595–632.
10. Gugger, P. A.; Hockless, D. C. R.; Kilah, N. L.; Mayadunne, R. C.; Wild, S. B. Resolution of (±)-nipecotic acid ((±)-3-piperidinecarboxylic acid) by separation of palladium(II) diastereomers containing orthometallated (S)-(–)-1-[1-(dimethylamino)ethyl]naphthalene. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 2008, 19, 1810–1812.
9. Kilah, N. L.; Weir, M. L.; Wild, S. B. Tertiary arsine-stabilised arsenium salts: syntheses and comparisons with phosphine analogues. Dalton Trans. 2008, 2480–2486.
8. Kilah, N. L.; Petrie, S.; Stranger, R.; Wielandt, J. W.; Willis, A. C.; Wild, S. B. Triphenylphosphine-stabilized diphenyl-arsenium, -stibenium, and -bismuthenium salts. Organometallics 2007, 26, 6106–6113.
7. Bernhardt, P. V.; Kilah, N. L. Macrocyclic cobalt(III) complexes as precursors for metal-polythiophene hybrid materials. Polyhedron 2007, 26, 392–399.
6. Wielandt, J. W.; Kilah, N. L.; Willis, A. C.; Wild, S. B. Self-assembly of square-planar halide complexes of phosphine-stabilised stibenium salts. Chem. Commun. 2006, 3679–3680. (Article highlighted on journal cover).
5. Habermehl, N. C.; Angus, P. M.; Kilah, N. L.; Norén, L.; Rae, A. D.; Willis, A. C.; Wild, S. B. Asymmetric transformation of a double-stranded, dicopper(I) helicate containing achiral bis(bidentate) Schiff bases. Inorg. Chem. 2006, 45, 1445–1462. (Article highlighted on journal cover).
4. Bernhardt, P. V.; Kilah, N. L.; Meacham, A. P.; Meredith, P.; Vogel, R. Immobilisation of electroactive macrocyclic complexes within titania films. Dalton Trans. 2005, 2508–2515.
3. Bernhardt, P. V.; Kilah, N. L. Cyanocobalt(III) complexes of penta- and tetradentate-coordinated macrocyclic hexaamines. Acta Crystallogr., Sect. C: Cryst. Struct. Commun. 2005, 61, m245–m249.
2. Zeng, Q.; Kilah, N.; Riley, M.; Riesen, H. Luminescence properties of Sm2+-activated barium chloroborates. J. Lumin. 2003, 104, 65–76.
1. Zeng, Q.; Kilah, N.; Riley, M. The luminescence of Sm2+ in alkaline earth borophosphates. J. Lumin. 2003, 101, 167–174.