What we do

Spin-state control of electrochemical catalyst for selective Oxygen-Atom transfer and Hydrogen Abstraction

In the modern chemical industry, epoxides have been regarded as pivotal ingredients for chemical synthesis. In general, the reactive three-membered heterocyclic ring in epoxides can be opened by nucleophilic groups, thus easily introducing diverse functionality. Currently, thermochemical routes are employed to epoxide target olefins under elevated temperature and high pressure. Given that the whole country aims to build a carbon-neutral society, it would be essential to exploit sustainable methodologies to replace the current route.

Herein, we report electrocatalytic epoxidation via the generation of Co-oxo intermediate in Co-TAML(tetraamido macrocyclic ligand) molecular catalysts. 

Selective amine preparation pathways using electrochemical reductive amination

The selective construction of carbon-nitrogen bonds has been considered as one of the central tasks of chemical synthesis, as they are basic structural units that constitute various natural products, pharmaceuticals, and bioactive molecules. For instance, amine functional groups can be found in methyl orange (pH indicator), chlorpheniramine (antihistamine), and adrenaline (hormone). A commonly employed method to prepare amines is reductive amination, which exhibits high chemo-selectivity and is cost-effective.

In this study, we demonstrated a new strategy to catalyze the reductive amination process. Moreover, we suggested selective pathways for the preparation of various amines using electrochemistry.

Electrochemical Nitric Oxide Synthesis via Cobalt Oxide Nanocatalysts

Nitric oxide is one of the gaseous messenger molecules that mediate the various biological processes, such as neurotransmission, immune response. The study of the signaling pathway and biological effects of nitric oxide is crucial, although the radical nature of nitric oxide has limited identifying the accurate reaction pathway. In this study, we attempted to reveal the biological effects of nitric oxide via an electrochemical platform. 

So, we suggest a new direction to study the cellular responses to gaseous messenger molecules.