John Anderson

The Anderson Lab is a group of synthetic inorganic chemists. While our research is centered upon transition metal chemistry, we find substantial overlap and applicability in a variety of other fields, including organic chemistry, spectroscopy, materials chemistry, and biology. Students in the lab are trained in a variety of synthetic techniques, particularly those related to the isolation and handling of air-sensitive complexes and materials. Furthermore, students gain expertise in the acquisition and interpretation of common analytical methods such as NMR, UV-Vis, and IR spectroscopies, as well as using more advanced data acquired from EPR, XAS, or magnetometry.

Research Interests

The heart of our research lies in leveraging the power of synthetic chemistry to understand and improve processes related to biology, health, energy, sustainability, and industry. Portions of our research are inspired by natural strategies for substrate activation and catalysis, while other directions use completely non-natural scaffolds for new directions in materials science and quantum technologies. Current areas of interest include the discovery and elucidation of high-valent metal complexes for bond activations and group transfer, using metal-ligand cooperativity for oxidative and electroreductive catalysis, coordination polymers with sulfur-based ligands for catalytic and/or technological applications, and new NIR-II addressable lumiphores for sensing applications.

The University of Chicago
B.S./M.S. - Chemistry
2008

California Institute of Technology
Ph.D.
2014

Northwestern University
Postdoctoral Fellow
2015

The University of Chicago
Assistant Professor
2021

The University of Chicago
Associate Professor
Present


“Isolation and Crystallographic Characterization of an Octavalent Co2O2 Diamond Core.” Schneider, J.E.; Anferov, S.W.; Filatov, A.S.; Anderson, J.S. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 23998–24008. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c07335


“Aliovalent Substitution Tunes Physical Properties in a Conductive Bis(dithiolene) Two-Dimensional Metal−Organic Framework” Wang, L.; Darù, A.; Jangid, B.; Chen, J-H.; Jiang, N.; Patel, S. N.; Gagliardi, L.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 17, 12063–12073.


“Elucidating Nonradiative Decay in Deep Near-Infrared Lumiphores: Leveraging New Design Principles to Develop a Telecom Band Organic Dye Laser” McNamara, L. E.; Melnychuk, C.; Boyn, J-N.; Anferov, S. W.; Mazziotti, D. A.; Schaller, R. D.; Anderson, J. S. Chem, 2024, 10, 17.


“Electrocatalytic Semi-Hydrogenation of Terminal Alkynes using Ligand-Based Transfer of Protons and Electrons” Czaikowski, M. E.; Anferov, S. W.; Tascher, A. P.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 1, 476–486.


“Realizing Solution-Phase Room Temperature Quantum Coherence in a Tetrathiafulvalene-Based Diradicaloid Complex” McNamara, L. E.;* Zhou, A.;* Rajh, T.; Sun, L.; Anderson, J. S. Cell Rep. Phys. Sci., 2023, 4, 101693.


“Testing the Limits of Imbalanced CPET Reactivity: Mechanistic Crossover in H-atom Abstraction by Co(III)-oxo Complexes” Zhao, N.; Goetz, M. K.; Schneider, J. E.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2023, 145, 10, 5664–5673.


“Generation and Aerobic Oxidative Catalysis of a Cu(II) Superoxo Complex Supported by a Redox-Active Ligand” Czaikowski, M. E.; McNeece, A. J.; Boyn, J-N.; Jesse, K. A.; Anferov, S. W.; Filatov, A. S.; Mazziotti, D. A.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 34, 15569–15580.


“Intrinsic Glassy-Metallic Transport in an Amorphous Coordination Polymer” Xie, J.; Ewing, S.; Boyn, J-N.; Filatov, A. S.; Cheng, B.; Ma, T.; Zhao, N.; Grocke, G.; Zhao, N.; Itani, R.; Sun, X.; Cho, H.; Chen, Z.; Chapman, K. S.; Patel, S. N.; Talapin, D. V.; Park, J.; Mazziotti, D. A.; Anderson, J. S. Nature, 2022, 611, 479-484.


“Enzyme-Like Hydroxylation of Aliphatic C–H Bonds From an Isolable Co-Oxo Complex” Goetz, M. K.; Schneider, J. E.; Filatov, A. S.; Jesse, K. A.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 20849-20862.


“Statistical Analysis of C-H Activation by Transition Metal Oxo Species Supports Thermodynamic Control Over Reactivity” Schneider, J. E.; Goetz, M. K.; Anderson, J. S. Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 4173-4183.


“Generation and Reactivity of a NiIII2(μ-1,2-peroxo) Complex” Zhao, N.; Filatov, A. S.; Xie, J.; Hill, E. A.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 21634–21639.


“Reversible Switching of Organic Diradical Character via Iron-Based Spin-Crossover” Kawamura, A.; Xie, J.; Boyn, J-N.; Jesse, K. A.; McNeece, A. J.; Hill, E. A.; Collins, K. A.; Valdez-Moreira, J. A.; Filatov, A. S.; Kurutz, J. W.; Mazziotti, D. A.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 17670-17680


“Generation and Oxidative Reactivity of a Ni(II) Superoxo Complex via Ligand-Based Redox Non-Innocence” McNeece, A. J.; Jesse, K. A.; Xie, J.; Filatov, A. S.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 10824-10832.


“Redox, Transmetalation, and Stacking Properties of Tetrathiafulvalene-2,3,6,7-tetrathiolate Bridged Tin and Nickel Compounds” Xie, J.; Boyn, J-N.; Filatov, A. S.; McNeece, A. J.; Mazziotti, D. A.; Anderson, J. S. Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 1066-1078.


“Experimental Evidence for pKa-Driven Asynchronicity in C-H Activation by a Terminal Co(III)-Oxo Complex” Goetz, M. K.; Hill, E. A.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 4051-4062.


“Redox-Active 1D Coordination Polymers of Iron-Sulfur Clusters and 1,4-benzendithiol” Horwitz, N. E.; Xie, J.; Filatov, A. S.; Papoular, R. J.; Grahn, M.; Gilder, C.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 3940-3951.


"Reversible Homolytic Activation of Water via Metal-Ligand Cooperativity in a T-shaped Ni(II) Complex" Chang, M-C; Jesse, K. A.; Filatov, A. S.; Anderson, J. S. Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 1360-1367.


"Isolation of a Terminal Co(III)-Oxo Complex" Goetz, M. K.; Hill, E. A.; Filatov, A. S.; Anderson, J. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2018, 140, 13176-13180.


"Isolable Iodosylarene and Iodoxyarene Adducts of Co and Their O-atom Transfer and C-H Activation Reactivity" Hill, E. A.; Kelty, M. L.; Filatov, A. S.; Anderson, J. S. Chem. Sci., 2018, 9, 4493.

Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar
2021

ARO YIP
2020

Sloan Research Fellowship
2019

3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award
2018

NSF CAREER Award
2017

ACS DIC Young Investigator Award
2014

Herbert Newby McCoy Award
2014

NSF Graduate Research Fellow
2008 - 2012

Norman H. Nachtrieb Award
2008

MIT Presidential Scholar
2008

Beckman Scholar
2006 - 2008

Anderson, Gagliardi and Wuttig groups collaborate on CD4DC Initiative

John Anderson and Sarah King organize 3rd South Side Science Festival

The Beckman Scholars and the Path to Research Excellence: An Interview with Assistant Professor John Anderson

John Anderson's lab isolates reactive intermediates in the synthesis of transition metal oxo complexes