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
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 first graduate student Wenhao has finished his open defense. Congratulations to Wenhao.
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!
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!
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!
Nov. 2019
Dr. Liu has presented our research in the Department of Chemistry at University of Louisville as a Brown&Williamson Distinguished Guest Speaker. Thanks Prof. GB Hammond for the invitation! It was also a great pleasure to meet Dr. Umemoto, the inventor of the Umemoto reagent!
Sept. 2019
Dr. Liu has presented our research in the Department of Chemistry at Wayne State University. Thanks Prof. Hien Nguyen for the invitation!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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