The Nick Green research group is a synthetic and biological chemistry group. We are interested in exploring new chemical reactions and new chemical structures.
We have a particular interest in the chemistry of molecules of life, including nucleosides, peptides, and lipids. We investigate the synthesis of these molecules and derivatives with applications in organic and medicinal chemistry. We also evaluate the chemical and physical properties of these molecules, and potential routes to them that may have occurred on a primordial Earth, or other planets, which may inform our understanding on the origins of life and homochirality.
Professional background
2022–present, Lecturer, University of Otago.
2018–2022, Research Associate, Homerton College, University of Cambridge.
2017–2022, Career Development Fellow, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge.
2016–2017, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Edinburgh.
2015–2016, Postdoctoral Fellow, Australian National University.
2011–2015, PhD (Organic Synthesis), Australian National University.
Publications
Green, N. J., Russell, D. A., Tanner, S. H., & Sutherland, J. D. (2023). Prebiotic synthesis of N-formylaminonitriles and derivatives in formamide. Journal of the American Chemical Society. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1021/jacs.2c13306
Journal - Research Article
Godfrey, R. C., Jones, H. E., Green, N. J., & Lawrence, A. L. (2022). Unified total synthesis of the brevianamide alkaloids enabled by chemical investigations into their biosynthesis. Chemical Science, 13(5), 1313-1322. doi: 10.1039/d1sc05801k
Journal - Research Article
Rimmer, P. B., Thompson, S. J., Xu, J., Russell, D. A., Green, N. J., Ritson, D. J., … Queloz, D. P. (2021). Timescales for prebiotic photochemistry under realistic surface ultraviolet conditions. Astrobiology, 21(9), 1099-1120. doi: 10.1089/ast.2020.2335
Journal - Research Article
Xu, J., Green, N. J., Russell, D. A., Liu, Z., & Sutherland, J. D. (2021). Prebiotic photochemical coproduction of purine ribo- and deoxyribonucleosides [Communication]. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143, 14482-14486. doi: 10.1021/jacs.1c07403
Journal - Research Other
Green, N. J., Xu, J., & Sutherland, J. D. (2021). Illuminating life's origins: UV photochemistry in abiotic synthesis of biomolecules. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143, 7219-7236. doi: 10.1021/jacs.1c01839
Journal - Research Article
Szabla, R., Zdrowowicz, M., Spisz, P., Green, N. J., Stadlbauer, P., Kruse, H., … Rak, J. (2021). 2,6-diaminopurine promotes repair of DNA lesions under prebiotic conditions. Nature Communications, 12, 3018. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-23300-y
Journal - Research Article
Godfrey, R. C., Green, N. J., Nichol, G. S., & Lawrence, A. L. (2020). Total synthesis of brevianamide A. Nature Chemistry, 12, 615-619. doi: 10.1038/s41557-020-0442-3
Journal - Research Article
Xu, J., Chmela, V., Green, N. J., Russell, D. A., Janicki, M. J., Góra, R. W., … Sutherland, J. D. (2020). Selective prebiotic formation of RNA pyrimidine and DNA purine nucleosides. Nature, 582, 60-66. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2330-9
Journal - Research Article
Bonfio, C., Russell, D. A., Green, N. J., Mariani, A., & Sutherland, J. D. (2020). Activation chemistry drives the emergence of functionalised protocells. Chemical Science, 11, 10688-10697. doi: 10.1039/d0sc04506c
Journal - Research Article
Xu, J., Green, N. J., Gibard, C., Krishnamurthy, R., & Sutherland, J. D. (2019). Prebiotic phosphorylation of 2-thiouridine provides either nucleotides or DNA building blocks via photoreduction. Nature Chemistry, 11, 457-462. doi: 10.1038/s41557-019-0225-x
Journal - Research Article
Green, N. J., Connolly, C. A., Rietdijk, K. P. W., Nichol, G. S., Duarte, F., & Lawrence, A. L. (2018). Bio-inspired domino oxa-Michael/Diels–Alder/oxa-Michael dimerization of para-quinols [Communication]. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 57(21), 6198-6202. doi: 10.1002/anie.201802125
Journal - Research Other
Cao, M.-H., Green, N. J., & Xu, S.-Z. (2017). Application of the aza-Diels-Alder reaction in the synthesis of natural products. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 15, 3105-3129. doi: 10.1039/C6OB02761J
Journal - Research Other
Green, N. J., Saglam, M. F., & Sherburn, M. S. (2016). Synthesis of dendralenes. In H. Hopf & M. S. Sherburn (Eds.), Cross conjugation: Modern dendralene, radialene and fulvene chemistry. (pp. 1-38). Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH. doi: 10.1002/9783527671182.ch1
Chapter in Book - Research
Green, N. J., & Lawrence, A. L. (2016). [Review of the book Applications of domino transformations in organic synthesis]. Synthesis, 48, 4594. doi: 10.1055/s-0036-1589473
Journal - Research Other
Green, N. J., Willis, A. C., & Sherburn, M. S. (2016). Direct cross-couplings of propargylic diols [Communication]. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 55(32), 9244-9248. doi: 10.1002/anie.201604527
Journal - Research Other
Green, N. J., & Sherburn, M. S. (2013). Multi-bond forming processes in efficient synthesis. Australian Journal of Chemistry, 66, 267-283. doi: 10.1071/CH13003
Journal - Research Other
Green, N. J., Lawrence, A. L., Bojase, G., Willis, A. C., Paddon-Row, M. N., & Sherburn, M. S. (2013). Domino cycloaddition organocascades of dendralenes [Communication]. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 52(32), 8333-8336. doi: 10.1002/anie.201302185
Journal - Research Other