We are a group of molecular architects designing molecules for catalysis. We don't just build effective catalysts — we work to understand why they behave the way they do, learning from both successes and surprises as we refine our strategies and try to "think like molecules."
Our chemistry centers on bismuth, the heaviest stable element — yet low-cost and low-toxicity. We both synthesize new molecular bismuth complexes and use bismuth as a donor ligand to transition metals. We ask how a heavy element like bismuth differs from lighter elements — in reactivity, electronic structure, and catalytic performance — and how those differences can reshape catalytic cycles.
Students in the lab gain experience across inorganic and organic chemistry, catalysis, synthesis, and renewable-energy sciences — from air-free chemical synthesis to molecular structure determination, electrochemical and photochemical methods, and catalytic analysis.
We are always looking for motivated undergraduate researchers excited by these directions. Please don't hesitate to reach out about research opportunities. We can't wait to see what we'll discover together.
See the Team page for current and past group members, and Research for what we are working on now.
We are delighted to announce that our proposal, "Unlocking Bismuth–Metal Cooperativity for Catalytic Carbon–Carbon Bond Formation," has been funded by the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS PRF) for 2026–2028. This support will drive our efforts to understand how bismuth and transition metals work together to enable selective carbon–carbon bond formation. Congratulations to the whole team!
Our second paper on bismuth–palladium complexes is now out in Organometallics. Read it here.
Our first paper on bismuth–transition metal complexes is now out in Organometallics. Read it here.
If you would like to discuss research opportunities, please reach out to Prof. Gongfang Hu at ghu [at] colgate.edu.
Department of Chemistry, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346.