Toufic W. Mrad
@touficmrad.bsky.social
150 followers 130 following 7 posts
Chemist. Machines & Non equilibrium systems. Racing with time. Observe, Understand, Know. PhD @ Leigh group 🇬🇧
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touficmrad.bsky.social
Yesterday marked a major milestone. A smooth viva for a bumpy PhD. #PhDone

Thanks @gemcrisenza.bsky.social and @fiszczyp.bsky.social for a genuinely enjoyable viva, and most of all @profdaveleigh.bsky.social (and the group!) for believing in me and supporting me from the start!
touficmrad.bsky.social
The seminar (GRS) takes place on the weekend before the main GRC conference and is targeted at PhD students and Early-Career Researchers to promote their work, foster collaborations, and discuss career prospects! Please help spread the word!
touficmrad.bsky.social
Join us at the Seminar adjunct to GRC Systems Chemistry 2026! If you’re a PhD student or Early-Career Researcher, submit your abstract for a chance to present your work and connect with colleagues!

⚠️ Register now, places are limited!

Contact me for more info!

www.grc.org/systems-chem...
2026 Systems Chemistry (GRS) Seminar GRC
The 2026 Gordon Research Seminar on Systems Chemistry (GRS) will be held in Portland, Maine. Apply today to reserve your spot.
www.grc.org
Reposted by Toufic W. Mrad
rsc-masc.bsky.social
📣 Call for Volunteers - vMASC 📣

Submit your expression of interest to join the vMASC organising committee!

Deadline 📆 18th Aug 2025

Eligibility: full-time researcher (including early career) + member of RSC MASC Interest Group

Find out more on mascgroup.co.uk/vmasc-4/vmas...
vMASC Call to volunteer for the vMASC committee
vMASC: Expression of interest to volunteer for the vMASC committee The organising committee of the virtual Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry We are inviting members of the vMASC community to…
mascgroup.co.uk
Reposted by Toufic W. Mrad
rsc-masc.bsky.social
✨Spotlight✨

The MASC Interest Group and WISC Network @wisuprachem.bsky.social announce the inaugural 2025 MASC/WISC EDIA Award for “excellence in equality/equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA)”.

Application deadline 📆 5th Sep 2025

More on mascgroup.co.uk/2025-masc-pr...

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2025 MASC Prize Calls
MASC: The Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry Interest Group 2025 MASC Prize Calls 2025 RSC MASC Group PhD Thesis Award given in memory of John Fossey: The RSC MASC Group P…
mascgroup.co.uk
Reposted by Toufic W. Mrad
rsc-masc.bsky.social
The 2025 MASC Group Awards are all open for nominations, with the following deadlines:

🏆 MASC Group Supramolecular Chemistry Award. 📆 5th Sep

🏆 Bob Hay Award Lectureship. 📆 5th Sep

🏆 MASC Group PhD Thesis Award. 📆 7th Nov

🏆 MASC/WISC EDIA Award. 📆 5th Sep

More on mascgroup.co.uk/2025-masc-pr...
2025 MASC Prize Calls
MASC: The Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry Interest Group 2025 MASC Prize Calls 2025 RSC MASC Group PhD Thesis Award given in memory of John Fossey: The RSC MASC Group P…
mascgroup.co.uk
touficmrad.bsky.social
Yesterday marked a major milestone. A smooth viva for a bumpy PhD. #PhDone

Thanks @gemcrisenza.bsky.social and @fiszczyp.bsky.social for a genuinely enjoyable viva, and most of all @profdaveleigh.bsky.social (and the group!) for believing in me and supporting me from the start!
touficmrad.bsky.social
A true pleasure to share my PhD’s work with such an incredible community!
rsc-masc.bsky.social
Toufic Mrad from the university of Manchester talks about ratchets and catalysis beyond chemical synthesis!
@touficmrad.bsky.social
#ECRMASC25
#RSC_MASC
Researcher presenting using PowerPoint slides in a lecture theatre
Reposted by Toufic W. Mrad
rsc-masc.bsky.social
A first coffee break after a fantastic first set of speakers at this year’s ECR conference at Oxford!
#ECRMASC25
#RSC_MASC
People socialising during a coffee break People socialising during a coffee break
touficmrad.bsky.social
Kinetic asymmetry drives the continuous directional rotation of the motor. So, if you’re interested in Brownian ratchets or machines, check out our chiral carbodiimide derivatives as well as the asymmetric anhydride hydrolysis promoters we used!
Reposted by Toufic W. Mrad
deanast.bsky.social
Beautiful example of how the paradigmatic four-state mechanism for a molecular machine can provide insight into optimization principles as well as clarify the origin of kinetic asymmetry! Congratulations to all authors.
touficmrad.bsky.social
Check out how we made a minuscule motor rotate 24 times in one direction on its own! Huge thanks to all involved, especially @profdaveleigh.bsky.social for making this work possible
@pubs.acs.org
Huakui, Axel, @stefanborsley.bsky.social @benjaminoacid.bsky.social & Alex
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Structural Influence of the Chemical Fueling System on a Catalysis-Driven Rotary Molecular Motor
Continuous directionally biased 360° rotation about a covalent single bond was recently realized in the form of a chemically fueled 1-phenylpyrrole 2,2′-dicarboxylic acid rotary molecular motor. However, the original fueling system and reaction conditions resulted in a motor directionality of only ∼3:1 (i.e., on average a backward rotation for every three forward rotations), along with a catalytic efficiency for the motor operation of 97% and a fuel efficiency of 14%. Here, we report on the efficacy of a series of chiral carbodiimide fuels and chiral hydrolysis promoters (pyridine and pyridine N-oxide derivatives) in driving improved directional rotation of this motor-molecule. We outline the complete reaction network for motor operation, composed of directional, futile, and slip cycles. Using derivatives of the motor where the final conformational step in the 360° rotation is either very slow or completely blocked, the phenylpyrrole diacid becomes enantiomerically enriched, allowing the kinetic gating of the individual steps in the catalytic cycle to be measured. The chiral carbodiimide fuel that produces the highest directionality gives 13% enantiomeric excess (e.e.) for the anhydride-forming kinetically gated step, while the most effective chiral hydrolysis promoter generates 90% e.e. for the kinetically gated hydrolysis step. Combining the best-performing fuel and hydrolysis promoter into a single fueling system results in a 92% e.e.. Under a dilute chemostated fueling regime (to avoid N-acyl urea formation at high carbodiimide concentrations with pyridine N-oxide hydrolysis promoters), the motor continuously rotates with a directionality of ∼24:1 (i.e., a backward rotation for every 24 forward rotations) with a catalytic efficiency of >99% and a fuel efficiency of 51%.
pubs.acs.org
touficmrad.bsky.social
Check out how we made a minuscule motor rotate 24 times in one direction on its own! Huge thanks to all involved, especially @profdaveleigh.bsky.social for making this work possible
@pubs.acs.org
Huakui, Axel, @stefanborsley.bsky.social @benjaminoacid.bsky.social & Alex
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Structural Influence of the Chemical Fueling System on a Catalysis-Driven Rotary Molecular Motor
Continuous directionally biased 360° rotation about a covalent single bond was recently realized in the form of a chemically fueled 1-phenylpyrrole 2,2′-dicarboxylic acid rotary molecular motor. However, the original fueling system and reaction conditions resulted in a motor directionality of only ∼3:1 (i.e., on average a backward rotation for every three forward rotations), along with a catalytic efficiency for the motor operation of 97% and a fuel efficiency of 14%. Here, we report on the efficacy of a series of chiral carbodiimide fuels and chiral hydrolysis promoters (pyridine and pyridine N-oxide derivatives) in driving improved directional rotation of this motor-molecule. We outline the complete reaction network for motor operation, composed of directional, futile, and slip cycles. Using derivatives of the motor where the final conformational step in the 360° rotation is either very slow or completely blocked, the phenylpyrrole diacid becomes enantiomerically enriched, allowing the kinetic gating of the individual steps in the catalytic cycle to be measured. The chiral carbodiimide fuel that produces the highest directionality gives 13% enantiomeric excess (e.e.) for the anhydride-forming kinetically gated step, while the most effective chiral hydrolysis promoter generates 90% e.e. for the kinetically gated hydrolysis step. Combining the best-performing fuel and hydrolysis promoter into a single fueling system results in a 92% e.e.. Under a dilute chemostated fueling regime (to avoid N-acyl urea formation at high carbodiimide concentrations with pyridine N-oxide hydrolysis promoters), the motor continuously rotates with a directionality of ∼24:1 (i.e., a backward rotation for every 24 forward rotations) with a catalytic efficiency of >99% and a fuel efficiency of 51%.
pubs.acs.org
touficmrad.bsky.social
Heartfelt congratulations! Looking forward to some exciting science