Anderson Lab at UChicago Chemistry

Reversible C–H Bond Activation of Unactivated Arenes by a Nickel-Silylene Complex A nickel-silylene complex is shown to reversibly activate benzene via C–H bond activation at ambient temperature. The benzene C–H bond formally adds across the Ni–Si core to form a nickel-silyl comple...

Reversible C–H Bond Activation of Unactivated Arenes by a Nickel-Silylene Complex - pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
So proud to congratulate first author Leon Gomm for his first paper in JACS. Thanks to Hui Zhu and Stefan Grimme for the ever helpful DFT calculations. @unibonn.bsky.social

Rapid Intermolecular C-H Activation of Aromatic Substrates at a Cationic, Electrophilic Molybdenum (VI) Nitrido Complex: Mechanistic Nuance in C-H Amination When the cationic, octahedral terminal nitrido complex of Mo(VI) supported by a diborate pentadentate ligand is generated in the absence of trapping nucleophiles, it rapidly activates the C(sp2)-H bon...

Rapid Intermolecular C-H Activation of Aromatic Substrates at a Cationic, Electrophilic Molybdenum (VI) Nitrido Complex: Mechanistic Nuance in C-H Amination | ChemRxiv - doi.org/10.26434/che...
Another opus from Chris 😎

🚨Just out in Nature!
We have offered a general method for 1,2-difunctionlization of arenes via a differential 1,2-diborylation!
rdcu.be/esXq8
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Congratulations to Jingfeng!

Accessing sulfonamides via formal SO2 insertion into C–N bonds - Nature Chemistry Despite recent advances in primary sulfonamide synthesis, approaches using primary amines as starting points for direct sulfonamide construction remain elusive. Now a formal SO2 insertion into the C–N...

Online today @natchem.nature.com - we show how to turn a deletion reaction into an insertion reaction:

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

How do you turn a carbonyl into sulfur?

In this work, Zining from our lab developed a carbonyl-to-sulfur swap enabled by a rationally designed N′-alkyl-hydrazonamide (NAHA) reagent that promotes double C-C bond activation.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Carbonyl-to-sulfur swap enabled by sequential double carbon-carbon bond activation In drug development, replacement of a skeletal carbon with a sulfur atom can result in analogs of bioactive compounds with improved properties. Currently, the sulfur analogs are almost exclusively pre...

Out First Release in @science.org today, Zining Zhang in @donglab.bsky.social swaps out ketones for sulfur in saturated carbon rings through two modes of radical trapping www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Markovnikov-Selective Electrocatalytic Hydroalkylation Enabled by Metal–Ligand Cooperative Storage of H-Atom Equivalents The synthesis of 1,1-disubstituted olefins is an important transformation that classically uses strategies like Wittig chemistry or cross-coupling reactions. Here, we introduce an electrochemical method for the selective hydroalkylation of terminal alkynes to generate a variety of 1,1-disubstituted olefins. This approach utilizes a dihydrazonopyrrole Ni complex capable of storing a H2 equivalent (2H+ + 2e–) on the ligand backbone. This mild reaction uses electricity and a weak acid and thus tolerates amine and ketone functional groups which are sensitive to classic Wittig conditions. Mechanistic studies reveal the essential role of the ligand steric environment in dictating product regioselectivity. Calculations support an outer sphere alkyl radical addition instead of a Ni-centered reductive elimination mechanism which is commonly invoked for transition-metal hydroalkylation catalysts. Beyond its unique functional group compatibility, the scope of this reaction includes primary and secondary alkyl iodide electrophiles along with unactivated alkyne substrates. These findings underscore how metal–ligand cooperativity, particularly with ligand-based storage of protons and electrons, supports catalytic platforms which can be tuned for varied electrosynthetic applications beyond hydrogenation.

Following quickly on her defense, Maia's most recent paper on electrochemical alkyne hydroalkylation was just published in ACS Catalysis! We think this is nice complement to Wittig chemistry, with better compatibility for several functional groups.

pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Britni Ratliff Honored with Swogger Award for Transformative Teaching UChicago Students Recognize Chemistry Professor for Impactful Collaborative Learning Model

Dr. Britni Ratliff has won this year's Swogger Award, chosen by UChicago's undergrads. Big congrats, Britni, on continuing our department's tradition of excellence! We're so proud of your dedication to fostering deeper learning.
chemistry.uchicago.edu/news/britni-...

Student Profile: Lauren McNamara

Our Student Profile series continues with Lauren McNamara, 2024 Merck Award winner & graduate student! We chat about how the Bay Area sparked an interest in STEM, to her current research on metal dithiolene complexes for bioimaging & quantum sensing

Read more: chemistry.uchicago.edu/news/student...

Last week the group celebrated Maia Czaikowski's thesis defense! She did an unsurprisingly incredible job, delivering a beautiful talk summing up all of her findings over 5 years. Congrats Maia!

Great news, glad to see this!

Nature Recognizes He Lab Publication as a 'Top 25 Life and Biological Sciences Article of 2024' Lab's Cellular Research Among Top Downloads

Nature Magazine has selected the Chuan He lab's study on a new gene regulation pathway via internal m7G modification as a "Top 25 Life & Biological Sciences Article of 2024"! Learn more about this significant new research: shorturl.at/B4WIh

Dr. Alex Cusumano Joins the University of Chicago Chemistry Department Faculty New Appointee Brings Expertise in Synthetic, Organometallic, and Computational Chemistry

The UChicago Department of Chemistry is thrilled to welcome Dr. Alex Cusumano to its faculty. His expertise in synthetic organic, organometallic, and computational chemistry will be a valuable asset to our research and educational initiatives. shorturl.at/hqRZK

Student Profile: Yizhen Jin A UChicago Chemist at the Intersection of Biology and Discovery

Discover the work of Yizhen Jin, a talented fourth-year grad student whose research focuses on the intersection of chemical synthesis and biological application. Read their story in the latest student profile! #UChicagoChemistry #StudentProfile #Science - chemistry.uchicago.edu/news/student...

The Jasrasaria Group @uchichemistry.bsky.social is recruiting postdocs! We will use theory and simulation to understand how microscopic interactions between atoms and electrons in materials dictate their macroscopic behaviors. Visit diptijasrasaria.com/contact to learn more. Reposts appreciated!

Last week we hosted the first Future of Chemistry panel about #QuantumComputing:

If you're interested in a break from the doom-and-gloom, may I recommend our article, online today @nature.com

A solution to the pyrazole alkylation problem, leveraging S-to-NR atom replacement. Skeletal editing has strategic value, outside of late-stage!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Renormalized mechanics and stochastic thermodynamics of growing model protocells Uncovering the rules governing the nonequilibrium dynamics of the membranes that define biological cells is of central importance to understanding the physics of living systems. We theoretically and c...

Ever wonder how the first cells took shape? Researchers in the @vaikuntsuri.bsky.social lab simulated early 'protocells' and found they grow and change shape when they absorb materials from their surroundings arxiv.org/abs/2503.24120

Redesigning Chemistry: A Student-Centered Approach to Transforming Instruction at the University of Chicago New research demonstrates how instructors enhanced the General Chemistry College classroom

A new study by UChiChemistry instructional professors details a successful redesign of UChicago's General Chemistry courses, demonstrating significantly improved student engagement and self-efficacy through active learning, accessibility, and transparency. chemistry.uchicago.edu/news/redesig...

Welcome Dipti! We are thrilled to have you join us!

We are thrilled to announce Dr. Dipti Jasrasaria, our new Assistant Professor in theoretical chemistry and materials science! She is a highly accomplished theoretical and computational chemist whose work will build on the department's long tradition of pioneering materials science. Welcome Dipti!

Nobel Laureate Jack Szostak Presents RNA Research at Washington University

Jack Szostak, a pioneer in the field of Origins of Life research, recently delivered a compelling presentation at Washington University in St. Louis on non-enzymatic replication of RNA and the challenges of creating self-replicating systems. chemistry.uchicago.edu/news/nobel-l...

The Wenbin Lin lab have developed a viologen-based covalent organic framework (COF) that uses near-infrared light (NIR) to drive electron transfer and enable efficient catalytic oxidative coupling reactions. Find their work in
JACS: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Synthesis of heteroleptic bis-phosphine bis-NHC iron (0) complexes: a strategy to enhance small molecule activation We report the synthesis of heteroleptic iron complexes supported by both a bis-phosphine ligand (depe) and a bis-NHC ligand. The mixed ligand sets provide access to iron (0) adducts of N2 and CO that ...

Check out one of our most read recent articles, from Christian Andre and Nathaniel Szymczak at @umich.edu

'Synthesis of heteroleptic bis-phosphine bis-NHC iron (0) complexes: a strategy to enhance small molecule activation'

#ChemSky #OpenAccess 🔓

pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

How does course redesign impact student learning? This J Chem Ed article by Hannah Lant dives into a 3-pillared General Chemistry course redesign and compares 2 pedagogical strategies. This is a must-read for chem educators! #chemed #coursedesign #studentexperience pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering, Imperial College London host quantum workshop

#UChicagoPME recently hosted UK-based Imperial College London visiting academics to collaborate and trade ideas, insights and research presentations on #quantum science and engineering, as well as tour labs at PME, Argonne National Laboratory, and Fermilab.
pme.uchicago.edu/news/uchicag...

Gregory Voth Wins 2025 ACS Award in Theoretical Chemistry Recognized for groundbreaking work in computational chemistry

It is with great pleasure that we share the news that the American Chemical Society has named Prof. Gregory Voth as the recipient of the 2025 ACS Award in Theoretical Chemistry!

chemistry.uchicago.edu/news/gregory...

Colloidal Chemistry in Molten Inorganic Salts: Direct Synthesis of III–V Quantum Dots via Dehalosilylation of (Me3Si)3Pn (Pn = P, As) with Group III Halides Gallium pnictides, such as GaAs and GaP, are among the most widely used semiconductors for electronic, optoelectronic, and photonic applications. However, solution syntheses of gallium pnictide nanomaterials are less developed than those of many other colloidal semiconductors, including indium pnictides, II–VI and IV–VI compounds, and lead halide perovskites. In this work, we demonstrate that the Wells dehalosilylation reaction can be carried out in molten inorganic salt solvents to synthesize colloidal GaAs, GaP, and GaP1–xAsx nanocrystals. We demonstrate that discrete colloidal nanocrystals can be nucleated and grown in a molten salt with control over their size and composition. Additionally, we found that reaction temperatures above 400 °C are crucial for annealing structural defects in GaAs nanocrystals. We also highlight the utility of the as-synthesized GaP nanocrystals by showing that GaP can be solution-processed into high-refractive-index coatings and patterned by direct optical lithography with micron resolution. Finally, we demonstrate that dehalosilylation reactions in molten salts can be generalized to synthesize indium pnictide (Pn = As, P) and ternary (In1–xGaxAs and In1–xGaxP) quantum dots.

The Dmitri Talapin Lab has published a study inJ ACS exploring a different approach to making III-V quantum dots. The researchers used dehalosilylation in molten salts, which offers a direct synthesis method that bypasses traditional routes. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

American Conference on Inorganic Nanoscience to Convene in Vermont

This coming July, the inaugural American Conference on Inorganic Nanoscience will convene in Vermont. Prof Dmitri Talapin, a leading expert in the field, will be among the featured speakers. Get the details here: chemistry.uchicago.edu/news/america...