Derosa Lab

@derosalab.bsky.social

Research group at Boston University interested in electrochemistry, organometallic chemistry, organic synthesis, and catalysis. www.derosalab.com

Just in time for break, we are thrilled to see our collaborative work with the Gutierrez group published in ACS Catalysis @pubs.acs.org today! Congrats to Bryan and team on an impressive study! More to come in this area soon, building on exciting mechanistic insights. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Mediator-Enabled Co-Catalyzed Z-Selective Semihydrogenation via Hydride-Free Multisite Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer

Redox mediators continue to emerge as powerful tools for driving electrochemical reactions, preventing electrode surface fouling and/or facilitating redox processes at milder operating potentials than direct electrolysis requires. In this study, we demonstrate a tandem electrocatalytic approach using a Cp2Co redox mediator and (dppe)CoCl2 precatalyst to selectively hydrogenate a variety of alkynes to cis-alkenes. Controlled potential electrolysis (CPE) at the potential of the mediator (Eapp = −1.45 V vs Fc+/0) successfully generates a variety of terminal and internal alkenes in moderate to good yields. Notably, substrates with tethered Lewis bases further drive selectivity almost exclusively for the Z isomer. Mechanistic investigation of the tandem catalytic reaction via CV and DFT point toward a multisite proton-coupled electron transfer (MS-PCET) step involving a hydride-free pathway where Cp2Co facilitates the reduction of alkyne- and acid-bound (dppe)Co(I)/(0). This developed methodology can be applied toward the synthesis of cis-stilbenoid natural products, as demonstrated with combretastatin A-4. It is also amenable to more practical gram-scale setup and proceeds with up to 99% Faradaic efficiency.

pubs.acs.org

Congrats to Zi and team on the publication of our study on a redox mediator strategy to electroreductively harness Fe(I) in alkyne semi-hydrogenation! This work is now published in ACS Catalysis - stay tuned for more from #TeamFe. #chemsky #newPI pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Electroreductive Iron Catalysis Enabled by a Redox Mediator: Alkyne Semi-Hydrogenation as a Model System

The development of electroreductive Fe-catalyzed processes for organic synthesis has remained scarce compared to other earth-abundant metals despite inherent advantages such as cost, low-toxicity, and accessible redox. Through stability of the Fe center using polydentate and/or redox-active ligand frameworks, pioneering work in reductive chemical catalysis for C–C π-bond hydrogenation and electrocatalytic CO2 reduction sheds light on strategies to harness reduced Fe species electrochemically for organic transformations. Using a tetraphos ligand (P3P), we demonstrate that electroreductive Fe catalysis can be achieved using cobaltocene (Cp2Co) as a redox mediator with alkyne semi-hydrogenation as a model system; the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is mitigated by operating at the potential of the redox mediator (Eapp = −1.45 V vs Fc+/0) to access Fe(II/I) reduction as opposed to Fe(II/0) over-reduction. A combination of cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis (CPE) studies support a rate-limiting electron transfer step to generate a crystallographically characterized (P3P)Fe(I) which can engage in a nonstereoselective reductive protonation step with internal aryl alkynes and acid. Stoichiometric studies involving a related (P3P)Fe(II)-H ligand suggest that this tandem electrocatalytic system does not operate through a canonical Fe–H mechanism. Lastly, a small survey of diaryl alkynes with unique functional group tolerance is conducted, giving stilbene products with up to 8 turnovers per Fe.

pubs.acs.org

If you like molecular sandwiches and their applications in biology, don't forget to register to the 2025 International Symposium on Bioorganometallic Chemistry that we will host with @gassergroup.bsky.social in August in Paris. isbomc25.sciencesconf.org?lang=en

International Symposium on Bioorganometallic Chemistry 2025 (ISBOMC′25) - Sciencesconf.org

isbomc25.sciencesconf.org

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News)@cenmag.bsky.social · 2y ago

In this edition of #PeriodicGraphics, we take a look at the chemistry and history of ferrocene and other sandwich compounds, and their applications: cen.acs.org/physical-che... #chemsky 🧪

An infographic describes the history of ferrocene and the chemistry and uses of other sandwich compounds. Researchers discovered ferrocene and determined its structure in the 1950s. The 1973 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Geoffrey Wilkinson and Ernst Otto Fischer for their determination of ferrocene's structure and subsequent research on sandwich compounds. Researchers have also made compounds like ferrocene with variations to the central metal or the molecules around it. Sandwich compounds have been used in glucose sensors and as antiknock agents in gasoline.

Introducing a new, automated approach for constructing Zone Diagrams in #Electrochemistry. Check out how it is possible to decipher complexity in electrochemical systems through the lens of geometry, out now in JACS! #ChemSky pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

A Geometric Interpretation of Kinetic Zone Diagrams in Electrochemistry

Electrochemical systems with increasing complexity are gaining importance in catalytic energy conversion applications. Due to the interplay between transport phenomena and chemical kinetics, predicting optimization is a challenge, with numerous parameters controlling the overall performance. Zone diagrams provide a way to identify specific kinetic regimes and track how variations in the governing parameters translate the system between either adverse or optimal kinetic states. However, the current procedures for constructing zone diagrams are restricted to simplified systems with a minimal number of governing parameters. We present a computationally based method that maps the entire parameter space of multidimensional electrochemical systems and automatically identifies kinetic regimes. Once the current output over a discrete set of parameters is interpreted as a geometric surface, its geometry encodes all of the information needed to construct a zone diagram. Zone boundaries and limiting zones are defined by curved and flat regions, respectively. This geometric framework enables a systematic exploration of the parameter space, which is not readily accessible by analytical or direct numerical methods. This will become increasingly valuable for the rational design of electrochemical systems with intrinsically high complexity.

pubs.acs.org

Greetings #Chemsky! We are so excited by all of the amazing chemistry discourse and warm welcomes. We are a synthetic organic electrochemistry group studying catalysis. For a recent paper (our first!), feel free to check out the link below: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

A Voltage-Controlled Strategy for Modular Shono-Type Amination

Shono-type oxidation to generate functionalized heterocycles is a powerful method for late-stage diversification of relevant pharmacophores; however, development beyond oxygen-based nucleophiles remai...

pubs.acs.org