diff --git a/include/cantera/kinetics/KineticsFactory.h b/include/cantera/kinetics/KineticsFactory.h
index 2a70a570c..3ffb3befb 100644
--- a/include/cantera/kinetics/KineticsFactory.h
+++ b/include/cantera/kinetics/KineticsFactory.h
@@ -59,7 +59,14 @@ shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const string& model);
  * @param rootNode   The root node of the file containing the phase definition,
  *     which will be treated as the default source for reactions
  */
-shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const std::vector<ThermoPhase*>& phases,
+shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const vector<shared_ptr<ThermoPhase>>& phases,
+                                 const AnyMap& phaseNode,
+                                 const AnyMap& rootNode=AnyMap());
+
+//! @copydoc KineticsFactory::newKinetics(const vector<shared_ptr<ThermoPhase>>&, const AnyMap&, const AnyMap&)
+//! @deprecated  To be removed after Cantera 3.0;
+//!     superseded by newKinetics() returning shared_ptr
+unique_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const std::vector<ThermoPhase*>& phases,
                                  const AnyMap& phaseNode,
                                  const AnyMap& rootNode=AnyMap());
 
@@ -74,7 +81,14 @@ shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const std::vector<ThermoPhase*>& phases,
  * @param phase_name  The name of the reacting phase in the input file (that is, the
  *     name of the first phase in the `phases` vector)
  */
-shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const std::vector<ThermoPhase*>& phases,
+shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const vector<shared_ptr<ThermoPhase>>& phases,
+                                 const string& filename,
+                                 const string& phase_name);
+
+//! @copydoc KineticsFactory::newKinetics(const vector<shared_ptr<ThermoPhase>>&, const string&, const string&)
+//! @deprecated  To be removed after Cantera 3.0;
+//!     superseded by newKinetics() returning shared_ptr
+unique_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const std::vector<ThermoPhase*>& phases,
                                  const std::string& filename,
                                  const std::string& phase_name);
 
diff --git a/src/base/Solution.cpp b/src/base/Solution.cpp
index d2c0406c1..9b45a4c2a 100644
--- a/src/base/Solution.cpp
+++ b/src/base/Solution.cpp
@@ -300,10 +300,10 @@ shared_ptr<Solution> newSolution(const AnyMap& phaseNode,
     }
 
     // kinetics
-    std::vector<ThermoPhase*> phases;
-    phases.push_back(sol->thermo().get());
+    vector<shared_ptr<ThermoPhase>> phases;
+    phases.push_back(sol->thermo());
     for (size_t i = 0; i < sol->nAdjacent(); i++) {
-        phases.push_back(sol->adjacent(i)->thermo().get());
+        phases.push_back(sol->adjacent(i)->thermo());
     }
     sol->setKinetics(newKinetics(phases, phaseNode, rootNode));
 
diff --git a/src/clib/ct.cpp b/src/clib/ct.cpp
index 6c01377c8..ad264aedc 100644
--- a/src/clib/ct.cpp
+++ b/src/clib/ct.cpp
@@ -1013,16 +1013,16 @@ extern "C" {
                         int neighbor3, int neighbor4)
     {
         try {
-            vector<ThermoPhase*> phases;
-            phases.push_back(ThermoCabinet::at(reactingPhase).get());
+            vector<shared_ptr<ThermoPhase>> phases;
+            phases.push_back(ThermoCabinet::at(reactingPhase));
             if (neighbor1 >= 0) {
-                phases.push_back(ThermoCabinet::at(neighbor1).get());
+                phases.push_back(ThermoCabinet::at(neighbor1));
                 if (neighbor2 >= 0) {
-                    phases.push_back(ThermoCabinet::at(neighbor2).get());
+                    phases.push_back(ThermoCabinet::at(neighbor2));
                     if (neighbor3 >= 0) {
-                        phases.push_back(ThermoCabinet::at(neighbor3).get());
+                        phases.push_back(ThermoCabinet::at(neighbor3));
                         if (neighbor4 >= 0) {
-                            phases.push_back(ThermoCabinet::at(neighbor4).get());
+                            phases.push_back(ThermoCabinet::at(neighbor4));
                         }
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/src/kinetics/KineticsFactory.cpp b/src/kinetics/KineticsFactory.cpp
index f46cd1036..5755de325 100644
--- a/src/kinetics/KineticsFactory.cpp
+++ b/src/kinetics/KineticsFactory.cpp
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const string& model)
     return kin;
 }
 
-shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const vector<ThermoPhase*>& phases,
+shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const vector<shared_ptr<ThermoPhase>>& phases,
                                  const AnyMap& phaseNode,
                                  const AnyMap& rootNode)
 {
@@ -96,10 +96,54 @@ shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const vector<ThermoPhase*>& phases,
     return kin;
 }
 
-shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const std::vector<ThermoPhase*>& phases,
+unique_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const vector<ThermoPhase*>& phases,
+                                 const AnyMap& phaseNode,
+                                 const AnyMap& rootNode)
+{
+    warn_deprecated("newKinetics",
+        "To be removed after Cantera 3.0; superseded by\nnewKinetics"
+        "(const vector<shared_ptr<ThermoPhase>>&, const AnyMap&, const AnyMap&).");
+    std::string kinType = phaseNode.getString("kinetics", "none");
+    kinType = KineticsFactory::factory()->canonicalize(kinType);
+    if (kinType == "none") {
+        // determine phase with minimum number of dimensions
+        size_t nDim = 3;
+        for (auto& phase : phases) {
+            nDim = std::min(phase->nDim(), nDim);
+        }
+        // change kinetics type as necessary
+        if (nDim == 2) {
+            kinType = "surface";
+        } else if (nDim == 1) {
+            kinType = "edge";
+        }
+    }
+
+    unique_ptr<Kinetics> kin(KineticsFactory::factory()->newKinetics(kinType));
+    for (auto& phase : phases) {
+        kin->addPhase(*phase);
+    }
+    kin->init();
+    addReactions(*kin, phaseNode, rootNode);
+    return kin;
+}
+
+shared_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const vector<shared_ptr<ThermoPhase>>& phases,
+                                 const string& filename,
+                                 const string& phase_name)
+{
+    AnyMap root = AnyMap::fromYamlFile(filename);
+    AnyMap& phaseNode = root["phases"].getMapWhere("name", phase_name);
+    return newKinetics(phases, phaseNode, root);
+}
+
+unique_ptr<Kinetics> newKinetics(const std::vector<ThermoPhase*>& phases,
                                  const std::string& filename,
                                  const std::string& phase_name)
 {
+    warn_deprecated("newKinetics",
+        "To be removed after Cantera 3.0; superseded by\nnewKinetics"
+        "(const vector<shared_ptr<ThermoPhase>>&, const string&, const string&).");
     AnyMap root = AnyMap::fromYamlFile(filename);
     AnyMap& phaseNode = root["phases"].getMapWhere("name", phase_name);
     return newKinetics(phases, phaseNode, root);