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/...
Reposted by Demyan 🇺🇦 Prokopchuk ⌬
Nucleophilic #Bismuth: diarylbismuth-anions grant access to bismuth-acyl compounds & visible-light-induced reversible insertion/extrusion of CO! Just out @natcomms.nature.com: link.springer.com/article/10.1.... Congrats to the team (including @felixgeist.bsky.social, @jordipoater.bsky.social)!
Diaryl Bismuthides and Acyl Bismuthanes Enable Visible-Light-Induced Reversible Carbon Monoxide Insertion and Extrusion - Nature Communications
Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the simplest and most fundamental molecules that has fascinated chemists for decades. Early-on, chemists have recognized and exploited its favorable properties as a key ...
link.springer.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Nucleophilic #Bismuth: diarylbismuth-anions grant access to bismuth-acyl compounds & visible-light-induced reversible insertion/extrusion of CO! Just out @natcomms.nature.com: link.springer.com/article/10.1.... Congrats to the team (including @felixgeist.bsky.social, @jordipoater.bsky.social)!
Reposted by Demyan 🇺🇦 Prokopchuk ⌬
Nov 12 - 8:30 pm in Saskatchewan 🇨🇦🍁
November 13, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Nov 12 - 8:30 pm in Saskatchewan 🇨🇦🍁
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. 👸🏻👑🥼🧪