Research Interests

Transition metal compounds, due to their rich redox and coordination chemistry, exhibit fascinating reactivity. Many useful chemical transformations, such as polymerization, alkane functionalization, carbon dioxide fixation, dioxygen activation, nitrogen fixation, and cross-coupling reactions, rely on the help of transition metal catalysts. Among all the transition metal catalysts, nature’s metalloenzymes usually have the best efficiency and selectivity, due in part to the cooperative action of multiple components at the active sites. Inspired by nature, the Song group focuses on designing novel homogeneous catalytic systems for various organic and inorganic transformations, taking advantage of the cooperative actions of multiple metal centers. Some specific areas of our interests include developing multinuclear transition metal catalysts to functionalize carbon-hydrogen bonds, use air components (e.g. O₂, N₂, CO₂) as the feedstock to transform organic molecules into value-added products, split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases photochemically, and degrade halogenated organic compounds that pollute the environment. We are also interested in developing luminescent sensors based on transition metal compounds for the detection of environmentally concerned species and bio-relevant species.