Welcome to Wei Liu's Lab. We are an organic chemistry lab in the Department of Chemistry at University of Cincinnati. Research in our group focuses on the areas of organic synthesis, organometallic chemistry and catalysis.

Lab News

2024

May 2024

Our research paper “Catalytically Relevant Organocopper(III) Complexes Formed through Aryl-Radical-Enabled Oxidative Additionhas been published in J. Am. Chem. Soc.! Congratulations to Wenhao, Lingfeng, and Chao!

 
 

2023

Nov. 2023

Our research paper “Copper–Carbon Homolysis Competes with Reductive Elimination in Well-Defined Copper(III) Complexes” has been published in J. Am. Chem. Soc.! Congratulations to Wenhao!

 
 

Oct. 2023

Our graduate student Wenhao Yan has finished his open defense. Congratulations to Dr. Yan!

Aug. 2023

Lingfeng Yin has joined the lab as a graduate student. Welcome Lingfeng!

May. 2023

Xian Zhao has joined our lab as postdoctoral fellow. Welcome Xian!

Feb. 2023

Our research paper “Aryl Radical Enabled, Copper-Catalyzed Sonogashira-Type Cross-Coupling of Alkynes with Alkyl Iodides” has been published in ACS Catalysis! Congratulations to Xiaojun, Chao, Wenhao, and Aijie!

 
 

Jan. 2023

Shengtong Niu and Decai Ding has joined our lab as postdoctoral fellows. Welcome Shengtong and Decai!

2022

Dec. 2022

Our group has been awarded the NSF CAREER Award. We thank the funding agency for its generosity.

Nov. 2022

Su Chen has joined our lab as a postdoctoral fellow. Welcome Su!

June 2022

Our group has been awarded the MIRA grant. We thank NIH for its generosity.

 
 

April 2022

Our group has been awarded the Herman Frasch Foundation Grant. We thank ACS for its generosity.

Oct. 2021

Our research paper “Copper-Catalyzed Difluoromethylation of Alkyl Iodides Enabled by Aryl Radical Activation of Carbon–Iodine Bonds” has been published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.! Congratulations to Aijie, Wenhao, and Chao!

 
 

Aug. 2021

Chao Wang has joined the lab as a graduate student. Welcome Chao!

June 2021

Given our group’s interest in organofluorine chemistry and the widespread of fluorine-containing molecules as agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and materials, we decide to create a series of posters that help to educate the importance of fluorinated molecules in our daily life. Please check.

 
 

June 2021

Our research paper “Aryl Radical Activation of C–O Bonds: Copper-Catalyzed Deoxygenative Difluoromethylation of Alcohols” has been published in J. Am. Chem. Soc.! Congratulations to Aijie and Wenhao!

 
 

June 2021

Our research paper “Copper-Catalyzed Carbodifluoromethylation” has been published in Nat. Commun.! Congratulations to Aijie, Wenhao, Xiaojun, and Samson!

 
 

2020

Aug. 2020

Our research group moved to the Department of Chemistry at University of Cincinnati. We miss all of our friends at Miami University.

June 2020

Our research paper “Copper-Catalyzed Deaminative Difluoromethylation” has been published in Angewandte Chemie! Congratulations to Xiaojun, Wenhao, Samson, Aijie and Dongqi!

 
deaminative difluoromethylation.jpg
 

Feb. 2020

Xiaojun, Wenhao, Samson and Matt’s benzylic C-H difluoromethylation paper has been highlighted in Synfacts! Thank you to Prof. Mark Lautens and Rachel Ross for highlighting our work!

Feb. 2020

Dr. Aijie Cai joins our group as a postdoc. Welcome Aijie!

2019

Nov. 2019

Our research paper “Copper-Catalyzed, Chloroamide-Directed C-H Difluoromethylation” has been published in J. Am. Chem. Soc. Congratulations to Xiaojun, Wenhao, Matt, Dongqi, and Samson!

 
C-H difluoromethylation.jpg
 

Nov. 2019

Xiaojun, Wenhao, Samson and Matt’s decarboxylative difluoromethylation paper has been highlighted in Synfacts! Thank you to Prof. Mark Lautens and Christian Dank for highlighting our work!

July. 2019

Our research paper “Copper-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Difluoromethylation” has been published in J. Am. Chem. Soc. Congratulations to Xiaojun, Wenhao, Samson, Matt, and Sam!

 
Copper-CF2H.png
 

May. 2019

Dr. Liu has presented our research in the Department of Chemistry at Southern Methodist University. Thanks Prof. Isaac Garcia-Bosch for the invitation!

April. 2019

Xiaojun Zeng has joined our lab as a postdoctoral fellow. Welcome Xiaojun!

March. 2019

Dr. Liu has presented our research in the Department of Chemistry at Wright State University. Thanks Swamy for the invitaion!

Jan. 2019

Our research paper “Csp3-Csp3 Bond-Forming Reductive Elimination from Well-Defined Copper(III) Complexes” has been published in J. Am. Chem. Soc. Congratulations to Matt, Sam, Will and Elizabeth!

 
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Jan, 2019

Wenhao Yan joined the lab as a graduate student. Welcome Wenhao!

Jan, 2019

Our research paper Electrochemical benzylic oxidation of C–H bonds” has been published in Chemical Communications. Congratulations to Jason and Tony.

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2018

August, 2018

Our research paper "Tuning Gold Nanoparticles with Chelating Ligands for Highly Efficient Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction" has been accepted for publication in Angewantde Chemie as a Hot Paper. Congratulations to Samson, Elizabeth, Will and Sam.

 
 

June, 2018

Our first research paper "Copper Mediated Trifluoromethylation of Benzylic Csp3-H bonds" is published in Chemistry - A European Journal. Congratulations to Matt and Will.

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May, 2018

The group welcomes Ashley as a REU student

February, 2018

Sam Tyndall, Juliana Livieri andTony Durgham join the group as undergraduate researchers

2017

November, 2017

Jenn Peters joins the group as an undergraduate researcher

October, 2017

Matthew Paeth and Kate Bradford  join the group as graduate researchers

October, 2017

Samson Zacate Joins the lab as an undergraduate researcher 

September, 2017

William Carson and Elizabeth Hale joins the group as undergraduate researchers and help set up the lab.

August, 2017

The lab begins