Research Overview
The research in the Liu Lab focuses on the field of catalysis, with specific interests in organic synthesis and energy conversion. We will develop interdisciplinary approaches to address unsolved problems in organic synthesis and sustainable chemistry.
Organic Synthesis
The first research area in our lab is to develop new methods to synthesize medicinally relevant molecules that are otherwise inaccessible. We are specifically interested in fluoroalkylation reactions. The incorporation of fluorine and fluorine containing groups onto organic molecules is highly useful in modern drugs and agrochemicals, as many as 35 %of agrochemicals and 20 %of pharmaceuticals on the market contain at least one fluorine atom. Our research in this area focuses on the development of novel selective catalytic fluorination processes.
Key references: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 11398-11403
Organometallic
Another research area in the Liu laboratory focuses on the design, synthesis, and reactivity studies of high-valent metal complexes, in particular copper(III) complexes. High-valent copper(III) species have been implicated as the key reactive intermediates in many copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. However, the transient nature of copper(III) has hindered detailed understanding of their roles in catalysis. We rationally synthesize model copper(III) complexes to directly study their reactivity towards catalytically-relevant C-C and C-heteroatom bond-forming reactions.
Key references: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 3153-3159
Electrochemistry
Electrocatalytic conversion of organic molecules and earth-abundant materials into value-added chemicals has emerged as a promising solution for incremental energy demand. Our group is applying the fundamental concept in homogenous catalysts and heterogenous catalysis to the development of novel catalysts and methods for electro-organic synthesis and energy catalysis.
Key references: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2018, 39, 12675-12679