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Liu Leo Liu
Associate Professor
liuleoliu@sustech.edu.cn

Liu Leo Liu (LLL) received his B.Sc. degree in chemistry (2011) at Xiamen University and Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry (2016) from a joint program under the supervision of Prof. Yufen Zhao at Xiamen University (2011-2013, 2015-2016) and Prof. Guy Bertrand at the University of California, San Diego (2013-2015). He was awarded the National Scholarship for outstanding Ph.D. students (2014). He was a post-doctoral fellow in Prof. Douglas W. Stephan's group at the University of Toronto (2016-2019). After a short post-doctoral study in the groups of Profs. F. Dean Toste, Kenneth N. Raymond and Robert G. Bergman in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory & the University of California, Berkeley (2019-2020), he has been an assistant professor (PI, tenure-track) at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) since September 2020. His research spans synthetic and computational chemistry with the focus of unusual main group compounds.

 

Graduation with Distinction, 2016 (Xiamen University)

National Scholarship for Outstanding PhD Students, 2014 (Chinese Ministry of Education)

CSC Fellowship for a Joint PhD Program, 2013 (China Scholarship Council)

Jindawei Scholarship for Academic Excellence, 2012 (College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University)

The First Prize Winner in the National High School Chemistry Competition (Provincial Division), 2006 (Chinese Chemical Society)

 

Selected publications:

For full publications, please see: https://www.liuleoliu.com/overview-publications

1)   L. Liu; D. A. Ruiz; D. Munz and G. Bertrand,* A Singlet Phosphinidene Stable at Room Temperature, Chem 2016, 1, 147–153. (Highlighted by Chem. Eng. News entitled “Stable phosphorus carbene analog debuts”; Previewed by Rory Waterman entitled “A ‘Bottle-able’ Phosphinidene” in Chem)

2)   L. L. Liu; L. L. Cao; Y. Shao; G. Ménard and D. W. Stephan,* A Radical Mechanism for Frustrated Lewis Pair Reactivity, Chem 2017, 3, 259–267. (Highlighted by front cover; Previewed by Duncan F. Wass entitled “How Important Are Radical Mechanisms in Frustrated Lewis Pair Chemistry?” in Chem)

3)   L. L. Liu; L. L. Cao; Y. Shao and D. W. Stephan,* Single Electron Delivery to Lewis Pairs: An Avenue to Anions by Small Molecule Activation, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 10062–10071.

4)   L. L. Liu; J. Zhou; L. L. Cao; R. Andrews; R. L. Falconer; C. A. Russell and D. W. Stephan,* A Transient Vinylphosphinidene via a Phosphirene−Phosphinidene Rearrangement, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 147–150.

5)   L. L. Liu; J. Zhou; R. Andrews and D. W. Stephan,* A Room-Temperature-Stable Phosphanorcaradiene, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 7466–7470.

6)   L. L. Liu; J. Zhou; L. L. Cao; Y. Kim and D. W. Stephan,* Reversible Intramolecular Cycloaddition of Phosphaalkene to an Arene Ring, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 8083–8087.

7)   L. L. Liu; J. Zhou; L. L. Cao and D. W. Stephan,* Phosphaaluminirenes: Synthons for Main Group Heterocycles, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 16971–16982. (Highlighted by ChemistryViews entitled “Phosphaaluminirenes Synthesized”)

8)   L. L. Liu; L. L. Cao; J. Zhou and D. W. Stephan,* Facile Cleavage of the P=P Double Bond in Vinyl-Substituted Diphosphenes, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 273–277.

9)   J. Tang;+ L. L. Liu;+ S. Yang;+ X. Cong; M. Luo and X. Zeng,* Chemoselective Cross-Coupling between Two Different and Unactivated C(aryl)–O Bonds Enabled by Chromium Catalysis, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 7715–7720. (+ = equal contribution)

10)   L. Liu; D. A. Ruiz; F. Dahcheh; G. Bertrand;* R. Suter; A. M. Tondreau and H. Grützmacher,* Isolation of Au-, Co-η1 PCO and Cu-η2 PCO Complexes, Conversion of an Ir-η1 PCO Complex into a Dimetalladiphosphene, and an Interaction-free PCO Anion, Chem. Sci. 2016, 7, 2335–2341.

11)  L. L. Liu,* The Dynamic Nature of Phosphorus, Chem 2017, 3, 195–197. (Invited “Potential Energy” article)

12)   L. L. Liu and D. W. Stephan,* Radicals Derived from Lewis Acid/Base Pairs, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2019, 48, 3454–3463.

13)   L. Liu; J. Zhu* and Y. Zhao,* The Phosphaethynolate Anion Reacts with Unsaturated Bonds: DFT Investigations on [2+2], [3+2] and [4+2] Cycloadditions, Chem. Comm. 2014, 50, 11347–11349.

14)   L. Liu; D. A. Ruiz; F. Dahcheh and G. Bertrand,* Isolation of a Lewis Base Stabilized Parent Phosphenium (PH2+) and Related Species, Chem. Comm. 2015, 51, 12732–12735.

15)  L. L. Liu and D. W. Stephan,* An Imine-Gallium Lewis Pair Stabilized Oxophosphinidene via an Unexpected Phosphirene Rearrangement, Chem. Comm. 2018, 54, 1041–1044. (Highlighted by front cover)

16)  L. L. Liu; L. L. Cao; D. Zhu; J. Zhou and D. W. Stephan,* Homolytic Cleavage of Peroxide Bonds via a Single Electron Transfer of Frustrated Lewis Pair, Chem. Comm. 2018, 54, 7431–7434. (Highlighted by front cover)

17)  Y. Wu;* C. Shan; Y. Sun; P. Chen; J. Ying; J. Zhu; L. L. Liu* and Y. Zhao,* Main Group Metal Ligand Cooperation of N-Heterocyclic Germylene: An Efficient Catalyst for the Hydroboration of Carbonyl Compounds, Chem. Comm. 2016, 52, 13799–13802.

18)  J. Zhou; L. L. Liu; L. L. Cao and D. W. Stephan,* The η5-Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl Phosphorus Dication [(η5-Cp*)P]2+: A Phosphorus Lewis Super Acid, Chem 2018, 4, 2699–2708. (Highlighted by Chemistryworld entitled “Rare phosphorus dication synthesised”)

19)  Z. Li;* X. Chen; L. L. Liu; M. T. Scharnhölz and H. Grützmacher,* N-Heterocyclic Carbene Stabilized Dicarbondiphosphide: A Strong Neutral Four-membered Heterocyclic 6π-electron Donor, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 4288–4293.

20)  J. Zhou; L. L. Liu; L. L. Cao and D. W. Stephan,* Base-Stabilized [PO]+/[PO2]+ Cations, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 18276–18280.

21)  J. Zhou; L. L. Liu; L. L. Cao and D. W. Stephan,* The Arene-Stabilized η5-Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl Arsenic Dication [(η5-Cp*)As(toluene)]2+, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 5407–5412.

22)  J. Zhou; L. L. Liu; L. L. Cao and D. W. Stephan,* Nitrogen-Based Lewis Acids: Synthesis and Reactivity of a Cyclic (Alkyl)(Amino)Nitrenium Cation, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 3322–3326.

23)  C. Pranckevicius; L. Liu; G. Bertrand and D. W. Stephan,* Synthesis of a Carbodicyclopropenylidene: A Carbodicarbene Based Solely on Carbon, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 5536–5540.

24)  Z. Li; X. Chen; Z. Benkő; L. Liu; D. Ruiz; J. Peltier; G. Bertrand;* C. Su* and H. Grützmacher,* N-Heterocyclic Carbenes as Promotors for the Rearrangement of Phosphaketenes to Phosphaheteroallenes: A Case Study for OCP to OPC Constitutional Isomerism, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 6018–6022.

25)  B. Rao; H. Tang; X. Zeng*; L. Liu; M. Melaimi and G. Bertrand,* Cyclic (Amino)(aryl)carbenes (CAArCs) as Strong σ-Donating and π-Accepting Ligands for Transition Metals, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 14915–14919.

26)  C. Weinstein; C. Martin; L. Liu and G. Bertrand,* Cross-Coupling Reactions between Stable Carbenes, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 6550–6553.