Luo Lab

Congrats Mike! A true rising star in electrochemistry!

Great collaboration with the White Group @utahchemistry.bsky.social @nsf-csoe.bsky.social ! Thanks the funding support from @NIH and @NSF!

The selectivicty arises from binning the products by time duration during AC electrolysis. At short times, the 1st step is fast than the 2nd step due to fast kinetics and sufficient supply of reactant. At long times, the 2nd catches up with the 1st due to concentration change.

The key take-home message is when the potential difference at the foot of the wave between 1-->2 and 2--->3 is larger than 80 mV, AC electrolysis can achieve selectivity toward 2.

Origin of Selectivity in Alternating Current-Enabled Partial Reduction of (Hetero)Arenes: A Case Study of Two Consecutive Irreversible Electrochemical Steps Herein, we investigate the origin of selectivity in the alternating current (AC)-enabled partial reduction of (hetero)arenes to cyclic alkenes. Reduction of (hetero)arenes can be considered as a reaction involving two consecutive irreversible electrochemical steps: the first generates the desired cyclic alkene, while the second leads to its undesired overreduction. Conventional constant current or voltage (DC) electrolysis results in poor selectivity toward the partial reduction products, originating from overreduction and base-induced decomposition of the desired product. Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry shows that the rate constant for the first reduction (k1) exceeds that of the second one (k2). Finite element simulations based on this experimental finding semiquantitatively capture the frequency-dependent selectivity observed in AC electrolysis experiments (i.e., increasing the AC frequency enhances selectivity). The results further reveal that AC electrolysis mitigates the low selectivity by only collecting the products at the initial stage of the reduction reaction, which is mostly under a kinetically controlled regime. We then extend the finite element model and introduce ΔEFOW, the foot-of-the-wave potential difference between cyclic voltammograms of substrate and partial reduction product, as an accessible proxy for k2/k1. A ΔEFOW > 80 mV predicts synthetically useful selectivity (>30%) toward the partial reduction product below 100 Hz.

Check out our new work published @J_A_C_S ! We answer the question, "How to control the product selectivity in a reaction consisting of two consecutive irreversible echem steps by #AC electrolysis?" pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Thanks @rescorp.org for the support and look forward to working with Jim and Glen! @utahchemistry.bsky.social

Welcome @griffynsgro1.bsky.social and @mitch-horn.bsky.social from @waynestatechem.bsky.social to @utahchemistry.bsky.social for summer research!

And having dinner the legendary Profs. Joel Harris and Henry White @utahchemistry.bsky.social !

Great seminar by @hangren.bsky.social from @utaustin.bsky.social ! Thanks for visiting us!

It is my great honor to receive the Pittcon Achievement Award! Thanks to all the current and former students for their hard work @waynestatechem.bsky.social @utahchemistry.bsky.social ! Also, thanks to
@minteerlab.bsky.social , TD, Siegi, and Lane @bakergrp.bsky.social for the continued support!

A great electrochemistry minisynposium today @utahchemistry.bsky.social with Prof. TD Chung from Seoul National U and the White and @minteerlab.bsky.social !

Pittcon 2025: Long Luo Discusses His Laboratory’s Tetrahedron Approach At Pittcon 2025, Long Luo of the University of Utah sat down with LCGC International to discuss his laboratory's tetrahedron approach to their research.

Thanks, @LC_GC @Pittcon, for highlighting our work
@utahchemistry.bsky.social! Great discussion during the interview!
Pittcon 2025: Long Luo Discusses His Laboratory’s Tetrahedron Approach chromatographyonline.com/view/pittcon... via
@LC_GC

Researchers working on #advanced #materials for #sensing, do not miss this opportunity to attend a focused session, “Symposium on Advances in Gas Sensing Material Development (#ANA004),” at #Pacifichem 2025. Abstracts are accepted until April 2.

pacifichem.org/scientific-p...

Challenges in PFAS Postdegradation Analysis: Insights from the PFAS-CTAB Model System Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals widely used for their oil and water-repellent properties. Their environmental persistence and potential health risks have raised significant concerns. As PFAS degrades through remediation or natural processes, they form complex mixtures of the original chemicals, transformation byproducts, and degradation additives. Analyzing PFAS after degradation presents analytical challenges due to possible chemical and physical interactions, including ion pairing, micelle formation, and complexation. These factors can significantly impact the precision and accuracy of PFAS measurements, yet they are often overlooked in PFAS degradation studies. In this work, we demonstrate that with the addition of ppb-level cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant used in PFAS plasma-based degradation, the PFAS calibration curve linearity, sensitivity, and reproducibility are severely compromised. Isotopically labeled internal standards cannot fully correct these issues. Furthermore, the standard EPA methods 537.1, 533, and 1633 could not accurately recover PFAS concentrations in the PFAS and CTAB mixtures, with severe matrix effects observed for longer-chain and nitrogen-containing PFAS. Among these methods, Method 1633 is currently the most suitable option for postdegradation analysis. Method 1633 showed the lowest CTAB interference because this method used another weak ion pair additive, formic acid or acetic acid (in commercial lab analysis), to acidify the sample before LC–MS/MS analysis and added an isotopically labeled internal standard. For future PFAS degradation studies, we recommend systematically evaluating the matrix effect on the PFAS quantification using a recovery matrix to validate the analytical methods before use.

The third paper of 2025: Challenges in #PFAS Postdegradation Analysis: Insights from the PFAS-CTAB Model System at ACS Meas. Sci. Au @UtahChemistry @waynestatechem.bsky.social ! We discuss the interference of CTAB on the PFAS quantification and the possible solutions.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

YouTube video by The Luo Lab at Utah Electrochemical filtration of gadolinium based contrast agents to recycle gadolinium

Here are the @googleyoutube.bsky.social instructions for the key experiments in this paper.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-tG...

Electrochemical Filtration of Gadolinium from Patient Urine after Magnetic Resonance Imaging The widespread use of gadolinium-based contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in recent decades has led to a growing demand for Gd and raised environmental concerns due to their direct d...

The second paper of 2025: Electrochemical Filtration of Gadolinium from Patient Urine after Magnetic Resonance Imaging @UtahChemistry! Great collaboration with
@mattallen12345.bsky.social @waynestatechem.bsky.social
! Check it out:
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Using polylactic acid plastic waste as a reagent to make amides!

The first paper of 2025: Reductive amidation of polylactic acid with nitro compounds using nickel-based nanocatalysts! @greenchemistry.bsky.social @utah.edu

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

New group photo! Welcome two new graduate students, Marisa and Nguyen, to the group!

Now hiring: Analytical/organic chemistry tenure-track faculty Wayne State's Department of Chemistry invites applications for a tenure-track analytical or organic chemistry faculty position.

Wayne State University Chemistry invites applications for an Assistant Professor in Analytical or Organic Chemistry with a broad focus on interdisciplinary biomedical research. #wsuchemistry #scisky #chemjobber @chemjobber.bsky.social

Apply by 12/1/24

clas.wayne.edu/chemistry/ne...

Through-space dipolar-based solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments AmesNatLab
and computational studies with Zhenfei Liu @waynestatechem
confirmed the surface binding geometry and the surface pathway.

Hydrogen Isotope Labeling of Pharmaceuticals Via Dual Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Pathways Using CdS Quantum Dot Photocatalyst Isotopic labeling is a powerful technique extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry. By tracking isotope-labeled molecules, researchers gain unique and invaluable insights into the pharmacokinet...

TWO is better than ONE: Photocatalytic hydrogen isotope labeling of pharmaceuticals via dual pathways: one occurs in the reaction solution and the other on the catalytic CdS surface, doubling the D/T labeling efficiency! With Merck. Now in pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Here is a new starter pack to follow some electrochemists (More to come)
go.bsky.app/UzqjkNk