Haibo Ge is a Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), and works on the development of novel transition metal-catalyzed C–H functionalization processes and structure-activity relationship studies of anticancer agents. His group recently published a paper entitled “Site-selective C–H arylation of primary aliphatic amines enabled by a catalytic transient directing group” in Nature Chemistry.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

I was amazed by the “magic” results from arranging different elements when I was a middle school student. Later, I was attracted by the art of synthetic chemistry and the applications in pharmaceuticals.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be — and why?

If I weren’t a chemist, I would want to be a pilot since I enjoy the feeling of flying “freely” in the sky. However, I have never had this experience, and thus it might not be realistic.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

We are working on the site-selective C–H functionalization of simple substrates such as aliphatic amines and aldehydes via transition metal catalysis. I hope that it will lead to the practical use of these methods in process chemistry.

4. Which historic figure would you most like to have dinner with — and why?

Mozi, an ancient Chinese philosopher and the founder of the school of Mohism. More impressively, he was also a great scientist with prominent knowledge in geometry, physics, optics, etc.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab — and what was it?

I was running a Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction together with a new graduate student about two weeks ago if that counts.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

For the book, I would like to take the ancient Chinese book Strategies of the Warring States. For the music album, I would like to have the Collection of Chinese Classical Music with me.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions — and why?

Vy Dong because she is such a creative chemist.

Javier Pérez-Ramírez is a Full Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH Zurich, and works on the design of catalytic materials and reactor concepts for the production of chemicals and fuels, with emphasis on sustainability and resource efficiency. His group published “Catalyst design for natural-gas upgrading through oxybromination chemistry” in Nature Chemistry earlier this year.

1. What made you want to be a chemical engineer?

My passion throughout my youth was playing tennis, which I hoped to make a career. This did not work for various reasons, prompting a change in direction to attend university. The choice of chemical engineering was somewhat improvised, since I hadn’t considered an academic path, but after the first semester I was really attracted to chemical processes, a flame which still burns today.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be — and why?

I could commit to any activity driven by a strong dose of creativity, like any expression of art.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

We are interested in the discovery, understanding, and implementation of catalytic processes devoted to sustainable technologies. The latter secure the efficient utilization of natural resources, the transition to renewable feedstocks, reduced energy consumption and waste, and minimized environmental impact. More specifically, we target the design of practically relevant catalysts for natural gas functionalization, carbon dioxide valorization, the conversion of biomass to chemicals and fuels, and novel manufacturing approaches to specialty chemicals.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with — and why?

I would meet with John Hutchinson, John McClelland, William Gossage, Holbrook Gaskell, and Henry Deacon at the time they conceived the modern chemical industry in Widnes, England.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab — and what was it?

I am still experimentally active and master the process of coffee making every day; this is done in a highly reproducible way.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

Given the remote setting, I would take a thick notebook to write and draw. As for a music album, if Spotify is out of the question I would face the dilemma between The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 or The Ties that Bind: The River Collection. I need more time to think…

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions — and why?

I would be curious to read the answers of my colleague and friend Núria López.

Ellen Sletten is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles.  The Sletten Group develops fluorinated nanomaterials and imaging agents for applications in medicine, chemical biology, and energy.  Ellen can be found on Twitter at @EllenSletten.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

I was hooked ever since taking Advanced Placement Chemistry in high school¹. The ability to explain everything around me with elements and molecules was fascinating. I was particularly drawn to organic chemistry because of its synergy with biology, which ultimately led me to carrying out my graduate work with Carolyn Bertozzi.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be — and why?

I would be a horse trainer. My first job was working on a farm and teaching horseback riding lessons.  I loved it and spent every free second in high school at the barn. I managed to ride horseback a little in college but gave it up completely to go to graduate school.  Someday I’ll find time for it again!

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

We are exploiting the fluorous phase to create advanced nanotheranostics.  Perfluorinated materials have unique, orthogonal properties to biomolecules which allow us to control the localization and delivery of imaging agents and therapeutics.  We envision these materials will lead to a general approach for personalized medicine.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with — and why?

Marie Curie — perhaps she is an obvious choice, but it is incredible what she accomplished in a time when it was difficult for women to do anything outside of their homes.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab — and what was it?

I ran a TLC plate yesterday — does that count?  As a new faculty member, I’ve spent many hours in lab teaching my students and helping them with their chemistry; however, I haven’t actually done any of my “own” experiments here at UCLA.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

I’m a big Billy Joel fan so any of his albums would do but if I had to pick one it’d be The Stranger, which has “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” on it.  There are many books I’d like to find time to read but I’d have to go with Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, which is a perfect mix of science and inspiration.  Shout out to my graduate school book club for introducing me to this book!

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions — and why?

John Jewett because he always has great answers!

[1] For our non-American readers, “Advanced Placement” classes (commonly referred to as AP) are upper-level classes that can be taken in lieu of the corresponding introductory course at a university, should the student score well enough on the associated AP exam. While not identical by any means, these are similar to an A-level in regard to who takes them and why.

Rein U. Kirss is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Northeastern University, and works on mechanistic organometallic chemistry related to homogeneous catalysis as well as co-authoring two general chemistry textbooks.

1. What made you want to be a chemist?

My father was a PhD chemist, so I had a pre-disposition toward science. In my junior year of college I was deciding between history and chemistry as my major¹. I took a course in qualitative organic chemistry and realized that I enjoyed the challenge of solving chemical problems.

2. If you weren’t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be — and why?

I would be an historian. Surprisingly, history and chemistry share some of the same intellectual challenges. Both disciplines require identification of important questions that lead to hypotheses. Those hypotheses are then tested by archival research and experimentation, respectively.

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?

I am currently exploring substitution reaction mechanisms of catalytically important ruthenium complexes, which I hope will lead to the design of new compounds with greater reactivity and selectivity.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with — and why?

There are many to choose from but I imagine it would be really interesting to chat with Winston Churchill, a prolific writer, a man with wide interests and great gifts for oration that might help in teaching chemistry.

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab — and what was it?

I carry out the majority of the experiments in my laboratory as I do not have a graduate research group. My most recent experiment was last week as part of a kinetic study of halide substitution in cyclopentadienyl ruthenium compounds using ³¹P NMR spectroscopy.

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?

Depending on the nature of my exile I might need a book on survival, but intellectually speaking I might settle for Larry McMurty’s Lonesome Dove, a saga of 19th century life on the American frontier. Choosing a single album in an era of iPods with playlists of hundreds of songs is difficult, but I would pick an album from a sparingly known artist, Rodriguez, whose album Cold Fact still speaks to the human condition.

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions – and why?

For many years I have admired the work of Prof. William Geiger at the University of Vermont. As I got to know Bill, I was impressed with how he chooses the projects he does and how he came to become one of the leading organometallic electrochemists.

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