Demyan 🇺🇦 Prokopchuk ⌬
@dpro.bsky.social
Assistant Professor at Rutgers-Newark. Mildly obsessed with ligand design. Opinions fueled by espresso. 🇨🇦 in the 🇺🇸 (with 🇺🇦 roots). Pronounced “Dem-yahn”
depchem.com
depchem.com
Pinned
Why is Pd often "better" at C-H activation than Ni? Just published in JACS, we show that Pd acidifies C(sp3)-H bonds 100,000 times more than Ni. Our DFT collab with @tkschramm.bsky.social and Andreas Hansen @unibonn.bsky.social was crucial to explain acid-base rxns!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Had an awesome visit to the @upenn.edu chemistry department earlier this week. Thanks so much for hosting, Dan! (and for forgiving my lack of early TM chemistry in my talk 😆) 🧪🥼
November 8, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Had an awesome visit to the @upenn.edu chemistry department earlier this week. Thanks so much for hosting, Dan! (and for forgiving my lack of early TM chemistry in my talk 😆) 🧪🥼
Reposted by Demyan 🇺🇦 Prokopchuk ⌬
How to catalytically cyclize alkyl species onto alkynes? Just add a pinch of bismuth! Read about our findings in controlled radical reactions catalyzed by well-defined manganese- bismuth heterobimetallic complexes, just published in ACS Catalysis @pubs.acs.org: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Bismuth Radical Catalysis: Thermally Induced Intramolecular C(sp3)–C(sp) Cyclization of Unactivated Alkyl Iodides and Alkynes
Bismuth radical chemistry has attracted increased interest in recent years. Here, we report a series of bismuth–manganese complexes that catalyze the intramolecular redox-neutral coupling of alkyl iod...
pubs.acs.org
August 13, 2025 at 3:27 PM
How to catalytically cyclize alkyl species onto alkynes? Just add a pinch of bismuth! Read about our findings in controlled radical reactions catalyzed by well-defined manganese- bismuth heterobimetallic complexes, just published in ACS Catalysis @pubs.acs.org: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
It has been an honour and privilege to co-write this piece in honour of Bob!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…
(Want to know how many papers Bob has in his self-curated digital reference library that he started in 1989? The answer will surprise you! Read the article to find out 😉)
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…
(Want to know how many papers Bob has in his self-curated digital reference library that he started in 1989? The answer will surprise you! Read the article to find out 😉)
October 13, 2025 at 6:55 PM
It has been an honour and privilege to co-write this piece in honour of Bob!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…
(Want to know how many papers Bob has in his self-curated digital reference library that he started in 1989? The answer will surprise you! Read the article to find out 😉)
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…
(Want to know how many papers Bob has in his self-curated digital reference library that he started in 1989? The answer will surprise you! Read the article to find out 😉)
Thanks so much to Eric Piechota and @natsynth.nature.com for highlighting our work!
Research Highlight now online:
Palladium makes agostic C–H bonds more acidic by Eric J. Piechota
www.nature.com/articles/s44... ($)
Highlighting the @jacs.acspublications.org article by Andreas Hansen, Demyan E. Prokopchuk & co-workers
#Chemsky
Palladium makes agostic C–H bonds more acidic by Eric J. Piechota
www.nature.com/articles/s44... ($)
Highlighting the @jacs.acspublications.org article by Andreas Hansen, Demyan E. Prokopchuk & co-workers
#Chemsky
Palladium makes agostic C–H bonds more acidic - Nature Synthesis
Nature Synthesis - Palladium makes agostic C–H bonds more acidic
www.nature.com
October 10, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Thanks so much to Eric Piechota and @natsynth.nature.com for highlighting our work!
Reposted by Demyan 🇺🇦 Prokopchuk ⌬
October 9, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Isn’t it amazing that modern Macs/PCs are back compatible with “ancient” printers and scanners? My all-in-one inkjet printer/scanner/copier is almost 20 years old and still works beautifully. Totally bucks the “planned obsolescence” mantra in tech
October 4, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Isn’t it amazing that modern Macs/PCs are back compatible with “ancient” printers and scanners? My all-in-one inkjet printer/scanner/copier is almost 20 years old and still works beautifully. Totally bucks the “planned obsolescence” mantra in tech
Reposted by Demyan 🇺🇦 Prokopchuk ⌬
Continuing the saga of "radioactive shrimp" from Indonesia, the FDA this week posted a summary of all recalls so far flagged for Cs-137 contamination. It includes not only frozen shrimp but cocktail shrimp and shrimp skewers. 1/2
2025 Recalls of Frozen Shrimp Products Associated with Cesium-137
2025 Recalls of Frozen Shrimp Products Associated with Cesium-137 Contamination from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati due to Potential Safety Concerns
www.fda.gov
September 28, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Continuing the saga of "radioactive shrimp" from Indonesia, the FDA this week posted a summary of all recalls so far flagged for Cs-137 contamination. It includes not only frozen shrimp but cocktail shrimp and shrimp skewers. 1/2
One of my students needs to make a Ni(II) starting material, and if you aren’t aware, Luigi Venanzi has this awesome paper from 1958: dx.doi.org/10.1039/JR95...
140. Tetrahedral nickel(II) complexes and the factors determining their formation. Part I. Bistriphenylphosphine nickel(II) compounds
dx.doi.org
September 26, 2025 at 5:56 PM
One of my students needs to make a Ni(II) starting material, and if you aren’t aware, Luigi Venanzi has this awesome paper from 1958: dx.doi.org/10.1039/JR95...
Thanks so much to @bribarbu.bsky.social and @cenmag.bsky.social for highlighting our recent work! 😊
@tkschramm.bsky.social @unibonn.bsky.social
@tkschramm.bsky.social @unibonn.bsky.social
Chemists finally know why palladium beats nickel at C–H activation
New study examines the precious metal’s ability to acidify bonds in alkanes. cen.acs.org/synthesis/c-... #chemsky 🧪
New study examines the precious metal’s ability to acidify bonds in alkanes. cen.acs.org/synthesis/c-... #chemsky 🧪
Chemists finally know why palladium beats nickel at C–H activation
New study examines the precious metal’s ability to acidify bonds in alkanes
cen.acs.org
September 25, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Thanks so much to @bribarbu.bsky.social and @cenmag.bsky.social for highlighting our recent work! 😊
@tkschramm.bsky.social @unibonn.bsky.social
@tkschramm.bsky.social @unibonn.bsky.social
Why is Pd often "better" at C-H activation than Ni? Just published in JACS, we show that Pd acidifies C(sp3)-H bonds 100,000 times more than Ni. Our DFT collab with @tkschramm.bsky.social and Andreas Hansen @unibonn.bsky.social was crucial to explain acid-base rxns!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
September 9, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Why is Pd often "better" at C-H activation than Ni? Just published in JACS, we show that Pd acidifies C(sp3)-H bonds 100,000 times more than Ni. Our DFT collab with @tkschramm.bsky.social and Andreas Hansen @unibonn.bsky.social was crucial to explain acid-base rxns!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Super busy summer for PhD defenses - Lirong Lin (holding the blue bottle of bubbly!) recently defended her thesis titled "Using Diamondoid Pincer Ligands and C(sp3)-H Activation Models at Group 10 Transition Metals."
All very the very best in the next stages of your career! #ProudPI 🙂
All very the very best in the next stages of your career! #ProudPI 🙂
August 11, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Super busy summer for PhD defenses - Lirong Lin (holding the blue bottle of bubbly!) recently defended her thesis titled "Using Diamondoid Pincer Ligands and C(sp3)-H Activation Models at Group 10 Transition Metals."
All very the very best in the next stages of your career! #ProudPI 🙂
All very the very best in the next stages of your career! #ProudPI 🙂
Reposted by Demyan 🇺🇦 Prokopchuk ⌬
"PhD-level experts in your back pocket" is a completely nonsensical description of AI but a pretty good description of social media if you follow the right people
August 9, 2025 at 11:07 PM
"PhD-level experts in your back pocket" is a completely nonsensical description of AI but a pretty good description of social media if you follow the right people
Reposted by Demyan 🇺🇦 Prokopchuk ⌬
Reversible C–H Bond Activation of Unactivated Arenes by a Nickel-Silylene Complex - pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
So proud to congratulate first author Leon Gomm for his first paper in JACS. Thanks to Hui Zhu and Stefan Grimme for the ever helpful DFT calculations. @unibonn.bsky.social
So proud to congratulate first author Leon Gomm for his first paper in JACS. Thanks to Hui Zhu and Stefan Grimme for the ever helpful DFT calculations. @unibonn.bsky.social
Reversible C–H Bond Activation of Unactivated Arenes by a Nickel-Silylene Complex
A nickel-silylene complex is shown to reversibly activate benzene via C–H bond activation at ambient temperature. The benzene C–H bond formally adds across the Ni–Si core to form a nickel-silyl comple...
pubs.acs.org
August 8, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Reversible C–H Bond Activation of Unactivated Arenes by a Nickel-Silylene Complex - pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
So proud to congratulate first author Leon Gomm for his first paper in JACS. Thanks to Hui Zhu and Stefan Grimme for the ever helpful DFT calculations. @unibonn.bsky.social
So proud to congratulate first author Leon Gomm for his first paper in JACS. Thanks to Hui Zhu and Stefan Grimme for the ever helpful DFT calculations. @unibonn.bsky.social
Really fun project with @grimmelab.bsky.social, esp. when DFT data agrees so well with expt (most values < 1 kcal/mol!). David discovered that N-H deprotonation leads to a new dimension in PCET thermochemistry with Cpᴺ³ molecules. Congrats all and thx to collaborators for validating Fe(II)!!
Happy to share my first PhD contribution from the @grimmelab.bsky.social! 🎓 We explored the N-H bond thermochemistry of an amine-rich cyclopentadienyl ligand motif that shows no change in N-H bond acidity when coordinated to iron - surprising!
#compchem #PCET #catalysis #ORCA
doi.org/10.1021/acso...
#compchem #PCET #catalysis #ORCA
doi.org/10.1021/acso...
Expanding the PCET Thermochemistry of CpN3: N–H Bond Strengths of Metal-Free CpN3 Molecules and the Influence of Fe(CO)3 Coordination
Amine rich cyclopentadienyl (CpN3) ligands are electronically distinct from classical Cp ligand architectures, as they exhibit fascinating proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) chemistry under acidi...
doi.org
August 8, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Really fun project with @grimmelab.bsky.social, esp. when DFT data agrees so well with expt (most values < 1 kcal/mol!). David discovered that N-H deprotonation leads to a new dimension in PCET thermochemistry with Cpᴺ³ molecules. Congrats all and thx to collaborators for validating Fe(II)!!
Huge shout out to my brother in law Igor who just completed a monumental achievement: Ironman triathlon! He jumped straight from doing a couple triathlons a few years ago to training for the big kahuna. Was a very emotional race for him, and the fam is incredibly proud. ❤️
August 4, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Huge shout out to my brother in law Igor who just completed a monumental achievement: Ironman triathlon! He jumped straight from doing a couple triathlons a few years ago to training for the big kahuna. Was a very emotional race for him, and the fam is incredibly proud. ❤️
The most New Jersey beer I’ve ever purchased. Brewed in Brick, NJ @gabagoolmarx.bsky.social
July 24, 2025 at 11:24 PM
The most New Jersey beer I’ve ever purchased. Brewed in Brick, NJ @gabagoolmarx.bsky.social
Really proud of PhD #3, David Tresp . Not only is he a fine researcher, but he’s our de facto handyman. Glove boxes, pumps, crystallography, voltammetry, synthesis, and many more impressive talents under his belt. Congrats!!! 🥳
July 3, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Really proud of PhD #3, David Tresp . Not only is he a fine researcher, but he’s our de facto handyman. Glove boxes, pumps, crystallography, voltammetry, synthesis, and many more impressive talents under his belt. Congrats!!! 🥳
Does anyone else have clothes from grade school that they still wear around the house? 😄
June 5, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Does anyone else have clothes from grade school that they still wear around the house? 😄
As seen on my lab’s message board 🌹
May 9, 2025 at 2:42 PM
As seen on my lab’s message board 🌹
Reposted by Demyan 🇺🇦 Prokopchuk ⌬
personally would like to see every store show what part of the price increase is due to tariffs bc if these tariffs ever come down, i need to see that price go right back down
April 29, 2025 at 6:48 PM
personally would like to see every store show what part of the price increase is due to tariffs bc if these tariffs ever come down, i need to see that price go right back down
Congratulations, Dr. Karagiannis!!! 🎉
Ageliki is PhD #2 coming out of my lab, opening the doors to some amazing Mn chemistry. We gave her the Greek goddess treatment for the photo op. 👸🏻👑🥼🧪
Ageliki is PhD #2 coming out of my lab, opening the doors to some amazing Mn chemistry. We gave her the Greek goddess treatment for the photo op. 👸🏻👑🥼🧪
March 29, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Congratulations, Dr. Karagiannis!!! 🎉
Ageliki is PhD #2 coming out of my lab, opening the doors to some amazing Mn chemistry. We gave her the Greek goddess treatment for the photo op. 👸🏻👑🥼🧪
Ageliki is PhD #2 coming out of my lab, opening the doors to some amazing Mn chemistry. We gave her the Greek goddess treatment for the photo op. 👸🏻👑🥼🧪
Looking for a place with stellar inorganic and organometallic chemistry at #ACSSpring2025 ? Come to the symposium in honor of Robert (Bob) Morris TODAY starting at 8:00 in Room 28B!
March 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Looking for a place with stellar inorganic and organometallic chemistry at #ACSSpring2025 ? Come to the symposium in honor of Robert (Bob) Morris TODAY starting at 8:00 in Room 28B!
Can confirm, it’s super easy to take apart without any tools. Plus, CR2032 batteries are probably useful in some other device you have in your home!
March 24, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Can confirm, it’s super easy to take apart without any tools. Plus, CR2032 batteries are probably useful in some other device you have in your home!