Mayer Lab Chemistry

Trump officials take steps toward a radically different NSF Efforts to shrink staff, budget, and focus have alarmed members of Congress

Another scoop from Jeff Mervis (@policyhound.bsky.social): NSF's ~1400 grant terminations have disproportionately affected PIs from groups underrepresented in science: women, racial & ethnic minorities, & those with disabilities. 1/3
www.science.org/content/arti...

Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.

Nature reports that the National Science Foundation has stopped awarding new grants and allotting funds to existing ones. All of them. @colincarlson.bsky.social says that unless the freeze is lifted, it “is going to destroy people's labs.” 2/10
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Congratulations to our fearless leader Jim Mayer on his official induction into the NAS! Check out his most recent perspective article on building intuition beyond the Sabatier principle. #jimisrad 🧪 doi.org/10.1016/j.jc...

🙏 We need your help 🙏

The government continues to cancel grants at both NIH and NSF to censor science it doesn't like.

We're tracking terminations to organize and advocate. Please report your terminated grants:

NIH:
forms.gle/J2znQ7y7YpeP...

NSF: airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...

w/ @noamross.net

Hell yes, more hydrogen 😎

NSF GRFP Awards by the Year:
2021 - 2074
2022 - 2193
2023 - 2555
2024 - 2036
2025 - 1000

Again, these funding cuts will have drastic longterm effects on the scientific future of the US.......

@jeremymberg.bsky.social @altnih4science.bsky.social

Congratulations to @dalaneywestbroek.bsky.social for receiving an NSF GRFP award! Dalaney is headed to @mitchemistry.bsky.social for graduate school! #jimisrad 🧪

🧪 URGENT! Advocate for NSF Future Funding

Call your Reps!!
AND House Commerce, Justice, Science & Related Agencies Committee Members

Chemistry majors, set to graduate in May, stress over their futures Federal funding cuts to universities are another hurdle in a challenging career course for young people

This year, in light of uncertainty about federal funding, US universities are shrinking incoming classes, rescinding admissions to PhD programs and canceling summer research opportunities. cen.acs.org/careers/empl...

#chemsky🧪 #phdsky #academicsky #STEM #phdchat #academicchatter

International PhD students make emergency plans in fear of US immigration raids Arrests of scholars by US President Donald Trump’s administration prompts lawsuit alleging free-speech violations.

Arrests of scholars by US President Donald Trump’s administration prompts lawsuit alleging free-speech violations

https://go.nature.com/3QZHA2q

NSF has awarded almost 50% fewer grants since Trump took office The reasons aren’t clear—and the agency’s director claims the president’s policies haven’t slowed grant awards

This hasn't gotten much attention—but new National Science Foundation grants have dropped by almost half since Trump took office, an analysis by @davidimiller.bsky.social shows. www.science.org/content/arti...

(Story by @policyhound.bsky.social)

Hydrogen Adsorption, Reactivity, and Catalysis on Colloidal Iron Carbide Nanoparticles Supported iron carbide particles have long served as catalysts for CO hydrogenation (the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, FTS) and continue to be attractive. Despite this, little is known about their chemistry. Reported here is a colloidal FexC nanoparticle (NP) model system that allows direct observation of surface hydrogen and CO, as well as quantification of the surface H. Dodecylamine-capped FexC NPs (DDA-FexC NPs) were synthesized through solution-phase carburization of Fe NPs and form stable colloids in low-polarity organic solvents. Treatment of these colloids with H2 or D2 produced highly hydrogenated materials, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of DDA-FexC–Dn showed that most of the D binds to carbides, with at least four distinct ν(C–D) modes. The surface C–H(D) bonds were reactive, transferring hydrogen to alkenes and other reagents in solution. Titration and ICP measurements showed a 0.17:1 ratio of added H:total Fe, or roughly 40 H per 1.8 nm DDA-FexC NP. Conversely, CO was preferentially bound to surface Fe sites, with FTIR spectra showing a single broad ν(CO) that shifted with CO coverage or coadsorption of H2. The DDA-FexC NPs were active catalysts for both olefin hydrogenation and the FTS, under mild conditions and without catalyst pretreatment. The CO hydrogenation reactions yielded a broad distribution of long-chain linear paraffins and olefins. Though quantitative comparisons with typical FTS results are not possible because of our use of sealed batch reactors and other factors, the observations of high catalytic reactivity demonstrate the relevance of this model system to iron-carbide catalysis. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations on model slab surfaces with varying iron carbide stoichiometries revealed that the thermodynamically preferred surface adsorption sites are C for Hads and Fe for COads. A variety of binding sites and binding energies were found for each adsorbate. We are unaware of previous studies indicating that a diverse array of C–H bonds is the primary source of reactive H on iron carbides. Experimentally, the diversity of *C–H sites was evident in reactions with H atom donors and abstractors of different strengths, from both the reaction stoichiometries and IR spectra. The different surface–H binding energies correlate with the ν(C–D) stretching frequencies. These insights into complex iron carbide surfaces and catalysis could assist catalyst design, and they showcase the importance of stoichiometric studies of reaction intermediates.

APRIL FOOLS we still love hydrogen. Check out our new paper on hydrogen adsorption, reactivity, and catalysis on colloidal iron carbide nanoparticles. #jimisrad 🧪
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Hydrogen isn't that interesting. 🧪

Call your senators and tell them to support Cory Booker on the senate floor telling the stories of Americans that have been hurt by government cuts.

She appears to have been taken to an ICE facility in Louisiana, against a judge’s orders

Photoelectrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to formate using immobilized molecular manganese catalysts on oxidized porous silicon The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to formate using molecular catalysts immobilized on high surface area porous silicon is described. Manganese com…

Want to see us put a catalyst on porous silicon? Want to see us do it again? 🧪

Check out this exciting article from our very own Dr. Stewart-Jones in collaboration with the Hazari Lab (and many others), now in Chem!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I just talked to my representative on the State of Massachusetts Legislature (not Congress at the federal level) and brainstormed ideas on how we could help scientists-in-training and fight back if my grants get frozen. Scientists - call your state to talk about ways they can help! 🧪🧑‍🔬

Congratulations to Dr. Eleanor Stewart-Jones on her successful defense of her thesis and a stimulating talk on porous silicon surface chemistry! We can't wait to see what you do next! 🧪🎉🥳#jimisrad

list of banned keywords

🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.

Scientists as political advocates Science, both teaching and doing, is under attack. The recent US presidential election of a person and platform with anti-science bias exemplifies this. The study of climate processes and patterns and...

If you can, do something, speak up and act up. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The Mayer lab's hairiest member is back! Kasha the dog can sit, stay, speak and balance a reaction. 🐶🧪⚗️

UNC's 5th annual Cyclic Voltammetry Boot Camp will be June 25-27!! 🔌🧪 Want to incorporate electrochemistry into your research but don't know where to start? We'll teach you! Apply by March 15!

Jim got his National Academy of Science diploma framed, so we had to have a little photoshoot. #jimisrad

Disentangling Driving Force Effects, Polar Effects, e–/H+ Imbalance, and Other Influences on H-Atom Transfer Reactions Hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reactions and their kinetic barriers ΔGHAT‡ are important in organic and inorganic chemistry. This study examines factors that influence ΔGHAT‡, reporting the kinetics and...

‼️New paper alert‼️
In this work, Dr. Benjamin Groff et al. show just how complicated a simple hydrogen atom transfer can be #jimisrad
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

No 🔋⚡ELECTROCHEMSKY⚡🔋 starter pack? That's fine, we'll make our own.

go.bsky.app/7BokNKP

The memo on paused grants is also trying to cancel awarded grants (see last paragraph).

Willing to comment for a trusted outlet on the current NIH mess on the record? DM me, please.

Please RT

#chemsky 🧪⚗️

Is there any information on whether this will affect NIH postdoctoral fellowship applications that are in review?

When it’s cold outside but you forgot your gloves 🥶❄️