Stephen Liddle

{{Short description|British chemistry professor (born 1974)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} {{EngvarB|date=May 2020}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Stephen T. Liddle | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1974|MM|DD}} --> | birth_place = Sunderland, UK | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = | residence = | citizenship = | fields = Chemistry | workplaces = University of Manchester<br/>University of Nottingham<br/>University of Edinburgh<br/>Newcastle University<ref name="UoN">[http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry/people/stephen.liddle Stephen Liddle – The University of Nottingham] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727035939/http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/Chemistry/People/stephen.liddle |date=2013-07-27 }}</ref> | alma_mater = Newcastle University<ref name="UoN" /> | thesis_title = | thesis_url = | thesis_year = | doctoral_advisor = W. Clegg<ref name="UoN" /> | academic_advisors = | doctoral_students = | notable_students = | known_for = | author_abbrev_bot = | author_abbrev_zoo = | influences = | influenced = | awards = | signature = <!--(filename only)--> | signature_alt = | footnotes = | spouse = | website = {{URL|1=https://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/steve.liddle/}} }} '''Stephen T. Liddle''' FRSC FRSE MAE is a British professor of inorganic chemistry at the University of Manchester.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/researchers/null(69775189-8570-4c99-9eb8-0503d56d646e).html|title=Prof Stephen Liddle {{!}} The University of Manchester|website=www.research.manchester.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> He has been Head of Inorganic Chemistry and Co-Director of the Centre for Radiochemistry Research at the University of Manchester since 2015, and Director of the National Nuclear User Facility at the Centre for Radiochemistry Research since 2019. His research has contributed significantly to the field of f-element chemistry.

== Early life and education ==

Liddle was born near Sunderland, in the North East of England, in 1974. In 1997 he graduated with a BSc(Hons) in chemistry with applied chemistry from Newcastle University. His degree included a year working as a research scientist for ICI Performance Chemicals at Wilton, Teesside. Alongside a stint in the Territorial Army, Liddle continued his studies at the university and received his PhD in 2000. His PhD supervisor was Professor W. Clegg.<ref name=":0" />

== Career and research ==

After postdoctoral fellowships with P. J. Bailey at the University of Edinburgh, Keith Izod at Newcastle University as the Wilfred Hall Research Fellow, and Polly Arnold at the University of Nottingham, Liddle began his independent academic career at the University of Nottingham with a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (2007–2015) held with a proleptic Lectureship. He was promoted to Associate Professor and Reader in 2010 and Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in 2013.

He moved to the University of Manchester in 2015 as Head of Inorganic Chemistry and Co-Director of the Centre for Radiochemistry Research. He is Director of the National Nuclear User Facility at the Centre for Radiochemistry Research since 2019, and he held an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Established Career Fellowship (2015–2021).

He was Chairman of COST Action CM1006, a 22 country, research network of over 120 research groups in f-block chemistry (2011–2015),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cost.eu/actions/CM1006/|title=Action CM1006|website=COST|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> is an advisor to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (2013–), and was an elected category 3 member of Senate, the University of Manchester (2016–2019).

Liddle's research is focused on synthetic inorganic chemistry, particularly making early transition metal, lanthanide, and actinide complexes to explore their structure, bonding, reactivity, and magnetism.<ref name="Liddle 454–460">{{Cite journal|last1=Liddle|first1=Stephen T.|last2=Blake|first2=Alexander J.|last3=Lewis|first3=William|last4=van Slageren|first4=Joris|last5=McMaster|first5=Jonathan|last6=Moro|first6=Fabrizio|last7=Mills|first7=David P.|date=June 2011|title=A delocalized arene-bridged diuranium single-molecule magnet|journal=Nature Chemistry|language=en|volume=3|issue=6|pages=454–460|doi=10.1038/nchem.1028|pmid=21602860|bibcode=2011NatCh...3..454M|issn=1755-4349}}</ref> In 2011 he reported a single-molecule magnet based on depleted uranium.<ref name="Liddle 454–460"/> In 2012 his research group was the first to synthesize a molecular terminal uranium(V) nitride.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Liddle|first1=Stephen T.|last2=Blake|first2=Alexander J.|last3=Lewis|first3=William|last4=McMaster|first4=Jonathan|last5=McInnes|first5=Eric J. L.|last6=Tuna|first6=Floriana|last7=King|first7=David M.|date=2012-08-10|title=Synthesis and Structure of a Terminal Uranium Nitride Complex|journal=Science|language=en|volume=337|issue=6095|pages=717–720|doi=10.1126/science.1223488|issn=0036-8075|pmid=22745250|bibcode=2012Sci...337..717K|s2cid=12121946|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Johnson|first1=Marc J. A.|last2=Sattelberger|first2=Alfred P.|date=2012-08-10|title=Uncovering the Uranium-Nitrogen Triple Bond|journal=Science|language=en|volume=337|issue=6095|pages=652–653|doi=10.1126/science.1225351|issn=0036-8075|pmid=22879490|bibcode=2012Sci...337..652S|s2cid=206542786}}</ref> In 2013 he reported the isolation of a terminal uranium(VI) nitride akin to examples previously restricted to cryogenic matrix isolation experiments <ref>King, David M.; Tuna, Floriana; McInnes, Eric J. L.; McMaster, Jonathan; Lewis, William; Blake, Alexander J.; Liddle, Stephen T. (2013). “Isolation and characterisation of a uranium(VI)-nitride triple bond”. ''Nature Chemistry''. 5: 482–488. {{doi|10.1038/NCHEM.1642}}.</ref>, and that formed the basis from which to report the electronic structure of uranium nitrides<ref>King, David M.; Cleaves, Peter A.; Wooles, Ashley J.; Gardner, Benedict M.; Chilton, Nicholas F.; Tuna, Floriana; Lewis, William; McInnes, Eric J. L.; Liddle Stephen T. (2016). "Molecular and Electronic Structure of Terminal and Alkali Metal-Capped Uranium(V)-Nitride Complexes". ''Nature Communications.'' 7: 13773. {{doi|10.1038/ncomms13773}}.</ref> including quantifying the covalence of the uranium-nitrogen triple bond by using ¹⁵N NMR spectroscopy.<ref>Du, Jingzhen; Seed, John A.; Berryman, Victoria E. J.; Kaltsoyannis, Nikolas; Adams, Ralph W.; Lee, Daniel; Liddle, Stephen T. (2021). "Exceptional Uranium(VI)-Nitride Triple Bond Covalency from ¹⁵N Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Analysis". ''Nature Communications.'' 12:5649. {{doi|10.1038/s41467-021-25863-2}}.</ref> In 2013, his research group disclosed the first f-element cyclobutadienyl complexes.<ref>Patel, Dipti; McMaster, Jonathan; Lewis, William; Blake, Alexander J.; Liddle, Stephen T. (2013). “Reductive assembly of cyclobutadienyl and diphosphacyclobutadienyl rings at uranium”. ''Nature Communications''. 4: 2323. {{doi|10.1038/ncomms3323}}.</ref><ref>Boronski, Josef T.; Doyle, Laurence R.; Seed, John A.; Wooles, Ashley J.; Liddle, Stephen T. (2020). "f-Element Half-Sandwich Complexes: A Tetrasilylcyclobutadienyl–Uranium(IV)–Tris(tetrahydroborate) Anion Pianostool Complex". ''Angewandte Chemie''. 59: 295. {{doi|10.1002/anie.201913640}}.</ref> Between 2014-2025 he reported a range of M=EH bonds (M = Th, U; E = N, P, As, and Sb) along with phosphide, arsenido, and stibido derivatives.<ref>King, David M.; McMaster, Jonathan; Tuna, Floriana; McInnes, Eric J. L.; Lewis, William; Blake, Alexander J.; Liddle, Stephen T. (2014). "Synthesis and Characterization of an f-Block Terminal Parent Imido [U=NH] Complex: A Masked Uranium(IV)-Nitride". ''Journal of the American Chemical Society.'' 136: 5619-5622. {{doi| 10.1021/ja502405e}}.</ref><ref>Gardner, Benedict M.; Balázs, Gábor; Scheer, Manfred; Tuna, Floriana; McInnes, Eric J. L.; McMaster, Jonathan; Lewis, William; Blake, Alexander J.; Liddle, Stephen T. (2014). "Triamidoamine-Uranium(IV)-Stabilized Terminal Parent Phosphide and Phosphinidene Complexes". ''Angewandte Chemie.'' 53: 4484-4488. {{doi| 10.1002/anie.201400798}}.</ref><ref>Gardner, Benedict M.; Balázs, Gábor; Scheer, Manfred; Tuna, Floriana; McInnes, Eric J. L.; McMaster, Jonathan; Lewis, William; Blake, Alexander J.; Liddle, Stephen T. (2015) “Triamidoamine Uranium(IV)-Arsenic Complexes Containing One-, Two-, and Three-fold U-As Bonding Interactions”. ''Nature Chemistry''. 7: 582–590. {{doi|10.1038/NCHEM.2279}}.</ref><ref>Wildman, Elizabeth P.; Balázs, Gábor; Wooles, Ashley J.; Scheer, Manfred; Liddle, Stephen T. (2016). "Thorium-Phosphorus Triamidoamine Complexes Containing Th-P Single- and Multiple-Bond Interactions". ''Nature Communications.'' 7: 12884. {{doi| 10.1038/ncomms12884}}.</ref><ref>Wildman, Elizabeth P.; Balázs, Gábor; Wooles, Ashley J.; Scheer, Manfred; Liddle, Stephen T. (2017). "Triamidoamine Thorium-Arsenic Complexes with Parent Arsenide, Arsinidiide and Arsenide Structural Motifs". ''Nature Communications.'' 8: 14769. {{doi| 10.1038/ncomms14769}}.</ref><ref>Rookes, Thomas M.; Gardner, Benedict M.; Balázs, Gábor; Gregson Matthew; Tuna, Floriana; Wooles, Ashley J.; Scheer, Manfred; Liddle, Stephen T. (2017). "Crystalline Diuranium-Phosphinidiide and -μ-Phosphido Complexes with Symmetric and Asymmetric UPU Cores". ''Angewandte Chemie.'' 56: 10495-10500. {{doi| 10.1002/anie.201706002}}.</ref><ref>Du, Jingzhen; Balázs, Gábor; Seed, John A.; Cryer, Jonathan A.; Wooles, Ashley J.; Scheer, Manfred; Liddle, Stephen T. (2022). "Actinide Pnictinidene Chemistry: A Terminal Thorium Parent-Arsinidene Complex Stabilised by a Super-Bulky Triamidoamine Ligand".''Angewandte Chemie.'' I 61: e202211627. {{doi| 10.1002/anie.202211627}}.</ref><ref>Du, Jingzhen; Hurd, Joseph; Seed, John A.; Balázs, Gábor; Scheer, Manfred; Adams, Ralph W.; Lee, Daniel; Liddle, Stephen T. (2023). "³¹P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy as a Probe of Thorium-Phosphorus Bond Covalency: Correlating Phosphorus Chemical Shift to Metal-Phosphorus Bond Order". ''Journal of the American Chemical Society.'' 145: 21766-21784. {{doi| 10.1021/jacs.3c02775}}.</ref><ref>Du, Jingzhen; Dollberg, Kevin; Seed, John A.; Wooles, Ashley J.; von Hänisch, Carsten; Liddle, Stephen T. (2024). "Thorium(IV)-antimony complexes exhibiting single, double, and triple polar covalent metal-metal bonds". ''Nature Chemistry.'' 16: 780-790. {{doi| 10.1038/s41557-024-01448-6}}.</ref><ref>Sheppard, Rebecca F.; Dollberg, Kevin; Michel, Nick; Seed, John A.; Wooles, Ashley J.; Du, Jingzhen; von Hänisch, Carsten; Liddle, Stephen T. (2025). "Uranium-stibnidiide, -stibinidene, and stibido multiple bonds and uranium-nitride formation from multimetallic diuranium-distibene-mediated dinitrogen cleavage". ''Nature Communications.'' 16. 7136. {{doi| 10.1038/s41467-025-61612-5}}.</ref> In 2019 his research group isolated a uranium(V)-dinitrogen complex.<ref name="Liddle 806–811">Lu, Erli; Atkinson, Benjamin, E.; Wooles, Ashley J.; Boronski, Josef T.; Doyle, Laurence R.; Tuna, Floriana; Cryer, Jonathan D.; Cobb, Philip J.; Vitorica-Yrezabal, Inigo J.; Whitehead, George F. S.; Kaltsoyannis, Nikolas; Liddle, Stephen T. (2019) “Back-bonding between an electron-poor, high-oxidation-state metal and poor π-acceptor ligand in a uranium(V)–dinitrogen complex”. ''Nature Chemistry''. 11, 806–811. {{doi|10.1038/s41557-019-0306-x}}.</ref> In 2021, Liddle reported a tri-thorium cluster featuring two-electron σ-aromatic actinide metal-metal bonding,<ref>Boronski, Josef T.; Seed, John A.; Hunger, David; Woodward, Adam W.; van Slageren, Joris; Wooles, Ashley J.; Natrajan, Louise S.; Kaltsoyannis, Nikolas; Liddle, Stephen T. (2021). "A Crystalline Tri-thorium Cluster with σ-Aromatic Metal-Metal Bonding". ''Nature''. {{doi|10.1038/s41586-021-03888-3}}.</ref> and in follow-up work reported one-electron analogues that exhibit exalted diamagnetism and were found to be open-shell aromatic superatoms.<ref>Seed, John A.; Deng, Xinglan; Tomecek, Joseph; Brookfield, Adam; Collison, David; Tuna, Floriana; Wooles, Ashley J.; Whitehead, George F. S.; Kaltsoyannis, Nikolas; Liddle, Stephen T. (2025). "Valence-Delocalized Trithorium Nanocluster Superatoms with Open-Shell Exalted Diamagnetism". ''Nature Chemistry.'' 17: 1035-1041. {{doi| 10.1038/s41557-025-01790-3}}.</ref> Before the synthesis of those metal-metal complexes, examples of actinide-actinide bonding had been restricted to matrix isolation experiments and fullerene-encapsulated species. In 2022, he reported a terminal neptunium(V)-mono(oxo) complex. Before the synthesis of this complex all transuranium-ligand multiple bond complexes required two or more metal-ligand multiple bonds to be stable.<ref>Dutkiewicz M.S.; Goodwin C. A. P.; Perfetti M.; Gaunt A. J.; Griveau J. -C.; Colineau E.; Kovács A.; Wooles A. J.; Caciuffo R.; Walter O.; Liddle S.T. (2022). "A Terminal Neptunium(V)-Mono(Oxo) Complex". ''Nature Chemistry.'' 14: 342-349. {{doi|10.1038/s41557-021-00858-0}}. {{Cite web|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-021-00858-0/|title=A Terminal Neptunium(V)-Mono(Oxo) Complex}}.</ref> Following on from his reports of U=C double bonds over uranium oxidation states +3 to +6 <ref name="Liddle 454–460"/><ref name="Liddle 806–811"/><ref>Cooper O. J.; Mills D. P.; McMaster J.; Moro F.; Davies, E. S.; Lewis W.; Blake A. J.; Liddle S. T. (2011). "Uranium-Carbon Multiple Bonding: Facile Access to the Pentavalent Uranium Carbene [U{C(PPh₂NSiMe₃)₂}(Cl)₂(I)] and Comparison of U^V=C and U^IV=C Double Bonds". ''Angewandte Chemie.'' 50: 2383-2386. {{doi|10.1002/anie.201007675}}.</ref><ref>Mills D. P.; Cooper O. J.; Tuna F.; McInnes E. J. L.; Davies, E. S.; McMaster J.; Moro F.; Lewis W.; Blake A. J.; Liddle S. T. (2012). "Synthesis of a Uranium(VI)-Carbene: Reductive Formation of Uranyl(V)-Methanides, Oxidative Preparation of a [R₂C=U=O]²⁺ Analogue of the [O=U=O]²⁺ Uranyl Ion (R = Ph₂PNSiMe₃), and Comparison of the Nature of U^IV=C, U^V=C and U^VI=C Double Bonds". ''Journal of the American Chemical Society.'' 134: 10047-10054. {{doi|10.1021/ja301333f}}.</ref><ref>Lu E.; Cooper O. J.; McMaster J.; Tuna F.; McInnes E. J. L.; Lewis W.; Blake A. J.; Liddle S. T. (2014). "Synthesis, Characterisation, and Reactivity of a Uranium(VI) Carbene Imido Oxo Complex". ''Angewandte Chemie.'' 53: 6696-6700. {{doi| 10.1002/anie.201403892}}.</ref><ref>Gregson M.; Lu E.; Tuna F.; McInnes E. J. L.; Hennig C.; Scheinost A. C.; McMaster J.; Lewis W.; Blake A. J.; Kerridge A.; Liddle S. T. (2016). "Emergence of Comparable Covalency in Isostructural Cerium(IV)-Carbon Multiple Bonds". ''Chemical Science.'' 7: 3286-3297. {{doi| 10.1039/C6SC00278A}}.</ref><ref name="Liddle 14137">Gregson M.; Lu E.; Mills D. P.; Tuna F.; McInnes E. J. L.; Hennig C.; Scheinost A. C.; McMaster J.; Lewis W.; Blake A. J.; Kerridge A.; Liddle S. T. (2017). "The inverse-trans-influence in tetravalent lanthanide and actinide bis(carbene) complexes". ''Nature Communications.'' 8: 14137. {{doi| 10.1038/ncomms14137}}.</ref><ref>Lu E.; Boronski J. T.; Gregson M.; Wooles A. J.; Liddle S. T. (2018). "Silyl-Phosphino-Carbene Complexes of Uranium(IV)". ''Angewandte Chemie.'' 57: 5506-5511. {{doi| 10.1002/anie.201802080}}.</ref><ref>Wooles A. J.; Mills D. P.; Tuna F.; McInnes E. J. L.; Law G. T. W.; Fuller A. J.; Kremer F.; Ridgway M.; Lewis W.; Gagliardi L.; Vlaisavljevich B.; Liddle S. T. (2018). "Uranium(III)-Carbon Multiple Bonding Supported by Arene δ-Bonding in Mixed-Valence Hexauranium Nanometre-Scale Rings". ''Nature Communications.'' 9: 2097. {{doi| 10.1038/s41467-018-04560-7}}. </ref><ref>Seed J. A.; Sharpe H. R.; Futcher H. J.; Wooles A. J.; Liddle S. T. (2020). "Nature of the Arsonium-Ylide Ph₃As=CH₂ and a Uranium(IV) Arsonium-Carbene Complex". ''Angewandte Chemie.'' 59: 15870-15874. {{doi| 10.1002/anie.202004983}}. </ref>, in 2022 and 2024 he reported neptunium- and plutonium- diphosphonioalkylidenes and -''N'' -heterocyclic carbenes.<ref>Goodwin C. A. P.; Wooles A. J.; Murillo J.; Lu E.; Boronski J. T.; Scott B. L.; Gaunt A. J.; Liddle S. T.; (2022). "Carbene Complexes of Neptunium". ''Journal of the American Chemical Society'' 144: 9764-9774. {{doi| 10.1021/jacs.2c02152}}. </ref><ref>Murillo J.; Seed J. A.; Wooles A. J.; Oakley M. S.; Goodwin C. A. P.; Gregson M.; Dan D.; Chilton N. F.; Gaunt A. J.; Kozimor S. A.; Liddle S. T.; Scott B. L. (2024) "Carbene Complexes of Plutonium: Structure, Binding, and Divergent Reactivity to Lanthanide Analogs". ''Journal of the American Chemical Society.'' 146: 4098-4111. {{doi| 10.1021/jacs.3c12719}}.</ref> In 2018 he introduced titanium as a catalytically active metal in molecular dinitrogen to ammonia catalysis chemistry<ref>Doyle L. R.; Wooles A. J.; Jenkins L. C.; Tuna F.; McInnes E. J. L.; Liddle S. T. (2018). "Catalytic Dinitrogen Reduction to Ammonia at a Triamidoamine-Titanium Complex". ''Angewandte Chemie.'' 57: 6314-6318. {{doi| 10.1002/anie.201802576}}</ref>, and in 2025, in collaboration with the Mazzanti group at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, he reported catalytic conversion of side-on bound dinitrogen to ammonia at uranium<ref>Batov M. S.; Partlow H. T.; Chatelain L.; Seed J. A.; Scopelliti R.; Zivkovic I.; Adams R. W.; Liddle S. T.; Mazzanti M. (2025). "Catalytic and Stoichiometric Stepwise Conversion of Side-On Bound Dinitrogen to Ammonia Mediated by a Uranium Complex". ''Nature Chemistry.'' 17: 1425-1433. {{doi| 10.1038/s41557-025-01867-z}}.</ref>. He has also reported investigations on the basic properties of actinides, including homologation of carbon monoxide<ref>Gardner B.; Stewart J. C.; Davis A. L.; McMaster J.; Lewis W.; Blake A. J.; Liddle S. T. (2012). "Homologation and Functionalization of Carbon Monoxide by a Recyclable Uranium Complex". ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.'' 109: 9265-9270. {{doi| 10.1073/pnas.1203417109/}}.</ref>, showing that the inverse-trans-influence is general<ref name="Liddle 14137"></ref>, reversible oxidative addition/reductive elimination at uranium<ref>Gardner B. M.; Kefalidis C. E.; Lu E.; Patel D.; Mcinnes E. J. L.; Tuna F.; Wooles A. J.; Maron L.; Liddle S. T. (2017). "Evidence for Single-Metal Two-Electron Oxidative Addition and Reductive Elimination at Uranium". ''Nature Communications.'' 8: 1898. {{doi| 10.1038/s41467-017-01363-0}}.</ref>, demonstrating the structure-directing role of f-orbital overlap-driven covalency<ref>Lu E.; Sajjad S.; Berryman V. E. J.; Wooles A. J.; Kaltsoyannis N.; Liddle S. T. (2019). "Emergence of the Structure-Directing Role of f-Orbital Overlap-Driven Covalency". ''Nature Communications.'' 10: 634. {{doi| 10.1038/s41467-019-08553-y}}</ref>, establishing pushing-from-below for thorium<ref>Du J.; Alvarez-Lamsfus C.; Wildman E. P.; Wooles A. J.; Maron L.; Liddle S. T. (2019). "Thorium-Nitrogen Multiple Bonds Provide Evidence for Pushing-from-Below for Early Actinides". ''Nature Communications.'' 10: 4203. {{doi| 10.1038/s41467-019-12206-5}}.</ref>, introducing Frustrated Lewis Pair chemistry to the actinides <ref>Chatelain L.; Louyriac E.; Douair I.; Lu E.; Tuna F.; Wooles A. J.; Gardner B. M.; Maron L.; Liddle S. T. (2020). "terminal Uranium(V)-Nitride Hydrogenations Involving Direct Addition or Frustrated Lewis Pair Mechanisms". ''Nature Communications.'' 11: 337. {{doi| 10.1038/s41467-019-14221-y}}.</ref>, explaining anomalous magnetism of uranium(IV)<ref>Seed J. A.; Birnoschi L.; Lu E.; Tuna F.; Wooles A. J.; Chilton N. F.; Liddle S. T. (2021). "Anomalous Magnetism of Uranium(IV)-Oxo and -Imido Complexes Reveals Unusual Doubly Degenerate Electronic Ground States". ''Chem.'' 7: 1666-1680. {{doi| 10.1016/j.chempr.2021.05.001}}.</ref>, inverting the fundamental disproportionation chemistry of uranium<ref>Du J.; Douair I.; Lu E.; Seed J. A.; Tuna F.; Wooles A. J.; Maron L.; Liddle S. T. (2021). "Evidence of ligand- and solvent-induced disproportionation of uranium(IV)". ''Nature Communications.'' 12:4832. {{doi| 10.1038/s41467-021-25151-z}}.</ref>, and using actinides to stabilise unusual main group species<ref>Liddle S. T.; McMaster J.; Mills D. P.; Blake A. J.; Jones C.; Woodul W. D. (2009). "σ and π donation in an unsupported uranium-gallium bond". ''Angewandte Chemie.'' 48: 1077-1080. {{doi| 10.1002/anie.200805481}}.</ref><ref>Gardner B. M.; Tuna F.; McInnes E. J. L.; McMaster J.; Lewis W.: Blake A. J.; Liddle S. T. (2015). "An Inverted Sandwich Diuranium μ-η⁵:η⁵-''Cyclo''-P₅ Complex Supported by U-P₅ δ-Bonding" ''Angewandte Chemie.'' 54: 7068-7072. {{doi| 10.1002/anie.201501728}}.</ref><ref>Gardner B. M.; Baláʐs G.; Scheer M.; Wooles A. J.; Tuna F.; McInnes E. J. L.; McMaster J.; Lewis W.; Blake A. J.; Liddle S. T. (2015). "Isolation of Elusive HAsAsH in a Crystalline Diuranium(IV) Complex". ''Angewandte Chemie.'' 54: 15250-15254. {{doi| 10.1002/anie.201508600}}.</ref><ref>Du J.; Hunger D.: Seed J. A.; Cryer J. A.; King D. M.; Wooles A. J.; van Slageren J.; Liddle S. T. (2021). "Dipnictogen f-Element Chemistry: A Diphosphorus Uranium Complex". ''Journal of the American Chemical Society.'' 143: 5343-5348. {{doi| 10.1021/jacs.1c02482}}.</ref><ref>Du J.; Dollberg K.; Seed J. A.; Tuna F.; Wooles A. J.; von Hänisch C.; Liddle S. T. (2025). "Dipnictogen Radical Chemistry: A Dithorium-Supported Distibene Radical Trianion". ''Journal of the American Chemical Society''. 147: 4430-4437. {{doi| 10.1021/jacs.4c15431}}.</ref><ref>Du J.; Atkinson B. E.; Seed J. A.; Tuna F.; Wooles A. J.; Chilton N. F.; Liddle S. T. (2025). "Strong Uranium-Phospohorus Antiferromagnetic Exchange Coupling in a Crystalline Diphosphorus Radical Trianion Actinide Complex". ''Chem.'' 11: 102377. {{doi| 10.1016/j.chempr.2024.10.004}}.</ref>.

== Honours and awards ==

Liddle was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 2011, to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE)<ref>https://rse.org.uk</ref>, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, in 2022, and Member of Academia Europaea (MAE)<ref>https://www.ae-info.org</ref> in 2025. <br>In 2025, Liddle became Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and a Member of the European Academy of Science in 2026. <br><br> He was Vice President to the Executive Committee of the European Rare Earth and Actinide Society (2012–), and is currently President Elect (2023-).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ereswww.epfl.ch/|title=ERES|website=ereswww.epfl.ch|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref><br> <br>He was one of the Periodic Videos team awarded the IChemE Petronas Team Award for Excellence in Education and Training (2008).<br><br> He is a recipient of the RSC Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship (2011)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/SirEdwardFranklandFellowship/2011winner.asp|title=2011 winner of the RSC Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship – Stephen Liddle|website=www.rsc.org|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref>, the RSC Radiochemistry Group Bill Newton Award in 2011<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org/Membership/Networking/InterestGroups/Radiochemistry/BillNewtonAward.asp|title=Radiochemistry Awards – Bill Newton Award|website=www.rsc.org|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref>, the RSC Corday-Morgan Prize in 2015<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/CordayMorganPrizes/2015-Winner-Liddle.asp|title=RSC Corday-Morgan Prize 2015 Winner|website=www.rsc.org|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref>, the RSC Tilden Prize in 2020<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org/awards-funding/awards/2020-winners/professor-stephen-liddle|title=RSC Tilden Prize 2020 Winner}}</ref>, and a Royal Society of Chemistry Dalton Division Horizon Team Prize in 2021<ref>https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/university-of-manchester-teams-win-seven-royal-society-of-chemistry-prizes/#:~:text=Professor%20Richard%20Winpenny-,The%20Horizon%20Prizes%20celebrate%20the%20most%20exciting%2C%20contemporary%20chemical%20science,all%20stages%20of%20their%20career</ref>.<br><br> He was a recipient of a Rising Star Award at the 41st International Conference on Coordination Chemistry in 2014<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chemistryviews.org/details/event/5356851/41st_International_Conference_on_Coordination_Chemistry_ICCC_41.html|title=Event :: 41st International Conference on Coordination Chemistry (ICCC 41) :: ChemistryViews|website=www.chemistryviews.org|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref>.<br><br> He was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research award in 2019<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/pls/web/pub_auswahlergebnisse.main?p_lang=en&p_bereich=&p_pattern=&p_humboldt_nation=&p_address_country=&p_address_region=&p_address_city=&p_address_uni=&p_host_country=&p_host_region=&p_host_city=&p_host_uni=&p_order_by=D&p_page=12|title=Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research award}}</ref>. <br> <br>He was awarded the GDCh Alexander Todd - Hans Krebs Lectureship in 2023<ref>https://en.gdch.de/gdch/prizes-and-awards/name-lectures/alexander-todd-hans-krebs-lecture.html</ref><br> <br>He was awarded the Terrae Rare Award of the Tage Der Seltenen Erden in 2025<ref>https://www.sfb1573.kit.edu/terrae_rarae.php</ref>. <br> <br>He was awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Starter Grant in 2009 and Consolidator Grant in 2014. <br><br> He has been a visiting professor at the University of Regensburg in Germany and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland.

== Popular science ==

Liddle is known for his work on ''The Periodic Table of Videos'', a series of videos from the University of Nottingham presented on YouTube, which feature educational vignettes on the periodic table.

He is executive producer for Chemistry at Manchester Explains Research Advances (CAMERA),<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXf3CFkyGpa2eIeT5wz_Prw/videos], https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXf3CFkyGpa2eIeT5wz_Prw/videos.</ref><ref>[http://www.itv.com/news/granada/2017-10-02/scientists-at-manchester-university-make-chemistry-easy-through-bitesize-videos], http://www.itv.com/news/granada/2017-10-02/scientists-at-manchester-university-make-chemistry-easy-through-bitesize-videos.</ref> a series of videos from the University of Manchester presented on YouTube, which feature videos explaining chemistry research papers published from the University of Manchester.

He is a National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement Ambassador (2013–).<ref>[http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk], http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk.</ref>

==References== {{Scholia|author}} {{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Liddle, Stephen}} Category:British chemists Category:Academics of the University of Nottingham Category:Living people Category:Academics of the University of Manchester Category:Alumni of Newcastle University Category:British inorganic chemists Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Rare earth scientists Category:Chemists of the University of Nottingham Category:Chemists of the University of Manchester Category:Chemists of the University of Edinburgh