In Brief
Work in our group targets synthetic inorganic chemistry, with the primary goal being to make, purify, and study molecules and materials that are interesting by virtue of their unusual structures and chemical reactivity.
You can find more information on who we are and what we do by clicking the links on people, research, and papers above.
Need more information on research or positions in the group? Click on Contact to send an email.
Group meetings are generally held on Friday from 2.30-4 in 433 Latimer. See Calendar for details.
News
Chris's actinide-iridium paper is published in Chem. Sci.!
A versatile strategy for the formation of hydride-bridged actinide–iridium multimetallics
Jade's review appears in Chem. Sci.!
In this Perspective, we discuss the strategy of π-loading, i.e., coordination of two or more strongly π-donating ligands to a single metal center, as it applies to promoting reactivity at group 5 transition metal-imido groups.

Anukta graduates with her B.S. in ChemE & wins the undergraduate research award!
Congrats! Good luck in grad school at Cal Tech!
May 2022

David passes his qualifying exam and is enjoying his status as a newly minted PhD candidate!
Congratulations, David!
February 2022

Mark's low valent U work appears in JACS!
"A Uranium(II) Arene Complex That Acts as a Uranium(I) Synthon"
November 2021

Diego Alcantar joins the group as an undergraduate researcher!
Diego will collaborate with Jade on group 5 chemistry. Welcome to the group!
October 2021

Group alumni Dr. Mark Straub wins a 2021 Nuclear Science & Security Consortium award!
Mark wins the "Best Reviewed Publication" award for his nuclear forensic chemistry review article, which was featured on the cover of Analytical Chemistry. Congrats, Mark!
September 2021

Julian Magdalenski joins the group as an undergraduate researcher!
Julian joins the transition metal subgroup and will collaborate with Erik. Welcome to the group!
April 2021

Sheridon wins a NEUP Fellowship! Congratulations!
U.S. Department of Energy announces education awards for the next generation of nuclear scientists and engineers.
April 2021

Brighton's paper on fluorinated Li aryls published
"Perturbation of 1JC,F Coupling in Carbon–Fluorine Bonds on Coordination to Lewis Acids: A Structural, Spectroscopic, and Computational Study"
November 2020

Latest Nb imido chemistry appears in Chem. Sci.
"1,2-Addition and cycloaddition reactions of niobium bis(imido) and oxo imido complexes"
October 2020

Congratulations, Dr. Michael Boreen!
Michael received his Ph.D. in August 2020, and is now a joint postdoctoral scholar in the Katz and Arnold groups.

Latest Re chemistry just published in Inorg. Chem.
"Diverse Reactivity of a Rhenium(V) Oxo Imido Complex: [2 + 2] Cycloadditions, Chalcogen Metathesis, Oxygen Atom Transfer, and Protic and Hydridic 1,2-Additions"
July 2020

New Re paper from Trevor and Emmanuel
"Facile Activation of Triarylboranes by Rhenium(V) Oxo Imido Complexes"
April 2020

Trevor and Jade's Re tautomerism communication published
"Electron acceptors promote proton–hydride tautomerism in low valent rhenium β-diketiminates"
March 2020

New imido chemistry review published, joint with Mashima and Tonks groups
"Reactivity of terminal imido complexes of group 4–6 metals: Stoichiometric and catalytic reactions involving cycloaddition with unsaturated organic molecules"
January 2020

New paper from a collaboration with the Sessler group
"In-Plane Thorium(IV), Uranium(IV), and Neptunium(IV) Expanded Porphyrin Complexes"
October 2019

Inorg. Chem. paper from Bernard
"α-Diimine-Niobium Complex-Catalyzed Deoxychlorination of Benzyl Ethers with Silicon Tetrachloride"
September 2019

New thorium chemistry from Nick and Angie
"Dioxygen reacts with metal–carbon bonds in thorium dialkyls to produce bis(alkoxides"
March 2019

Old news!
For news items prior to 2019, please see our publication list, as well as our alumni page.
Undergraduate researcher Lucas Rodriguez joins the group!
Lucas will be working with David as part of the transition metal subgroup!

Michael's U paper appears in Inorganic Chemistry!
"Does Reduction-Induced Isomerization of a Uranium(III) Aryl Complex Proceed via C–H Oxidative Addition and Reductive Elimination across the Uranium(II/IV) Redox Couple?"
June 2022

Anukta and Jade's niobium paper is live in Inorganic Chemistry!
"[3 + 2] Cycloadditions and Retrocycloadditions of Niobium Imido Complexes: An Experimental and Computational Mechanistic Study"
April 2022

Sheridon passes her qualifying exam and triumphantly advances to PhD candidacy!
Congratulations, Sher!
February 2022

Latest Re work from Erik published in Organometallics!
"Spectroscopic, Magnetic, and Computational Investigations on a Series of Rhenium(III) Cyclopentadienide β-diketiminate Halide and Pseudohalide Complexes"
November 2021

Aaand we're back from the 2nd annual Arnold Groups camping trip!
John and Polly's groups join forces to enjoy nature, drink beers, and play absurd lawn games.
September 2021

Jade's tantalum work published in Inorg. Chem!
"A Diverse Array of C-C Bonds Formed at a Tantalum Metal Center"
June 2021

Another publication from Mark!
"Thorium amidates function as single-source molecular precursors for thorium dioxide"
April 2021

Erik's Re paper is live!
"σ or π? Bonding interactions in a series of rhenium metallotetrylenes"
January 2021

Michael's low valent uranium perspective published
"The synthesis and versatile reducing power of low-valent uranium complexes"
October 2020

Michael's joint work with Stephan and Oliver now published
"Isocyanide adducts of tri- and tetravalent uranium metallocenes supported by tetra(isopropyl)cyclopentadienyl
ligands"
August 2020

And a second one today from our collaboration on actinide chemistry with the Hohloch group
"Structure and magnetism of a tetrahedral uranium(III) β-diketiminate complex"
May 2020

Congrats to Jacob and Chris, both of whom were awarded NEUP Fellowships today!
U.S. Department of Energy announces education awards for the next generation of nuclear scientists and engineers.
April 2020

Sandra You joins the group as an undergraduate researcher!
Sandra will work with graduate student Joe. Welcome, Sandra!
March 2020

New Re N2 chemistry from Trevor
"Controlling dinitrogen functionalization at rhenium through alkali metal ion pairing"
December 2019

Jade's paper on tantalum hydrides in Chem. Comm.
"Structural diversity in multinuclear tantalum polyhydrides formed viareductive hydrogenolysis of metal–carbon bonds"
October 2019

Michael and Trevor's trefoil sandwich compound published
"A Uranium Tri-Rhenium Triple Inverse Sandwich Compound"
March 2019
Erik and Julian's heterobimetallic rhenium papers is up in Inorganic Chemistry!
Heterobimetallic-Mediated Dinitrogen Functionalization: N–C Bond Formation at Rhenium-Group 9 Diazenido Complexes

Congrats to Jade for graduating with her PhD!
Next up: Assistant Teaching Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at UNC Chapel Hill!!
May 2022

Dr. Boreen leaves the group for a job at a clean tech startup- huge congratulations!!
We miss you already, Michael!
April 2022

Erik and Julian's review article published in Accounts of Chemical Research!
"Applications of Low-Valent Transition Metalates: Development of a Reactive Noncarbonyl Rhenium(I) Anion"
February 2022

Undergraduate researcher Sacy Lopez-Flores joins the group!
Sacy joins Jade's group 5 chemistry collaboration. Welcome!
October 2021

Undergraduate researcher Constantine Kyprianou joins the group!
Constantine will work with Chris as part of the actinide subgroup. Welcome!
September 2021

Mark's bridging nitride paper published in Inorg. Chem.
"Amidinate Supporting Ligands Influence Molecularity in Formation of Uranium Nitrides"
April 2021

Mark's nuclear forensics review graces the cover of a special issue of Analytical Chem!
"Recent Advances in Nuclear Forensic Chemistry"
September 2020

More Re! EPR paper in JACS now published
"Electronic Structures of Rhenium(II) β‐Diketiminates Probed by EPR Spectroscopy: Direct Comparison of an Acceptor-Free Complex to Its Dinitrogen, Isocyanide, and Carbon Monoxide Adducts"
July 2020

Michael's latest bulky Cp paper just appeared
"Uranium Metallocene Azides, Isocyanates, and Their Borane-Capped Lewis Adducts"
May 2020

Michael's uranium molecular square paper published
"Lewis acid capping of a uranium(V) nitride via a uranium(III) azide molecular square"
March 2020

Joe's U silylene paper published!
"Synthesis and Structure of Uranium‐Silylene Complexes"
January 2020

Michael's latest uranium metallocene chemistry with bulky Cp's
"Structural, Electrochemical, and Magnetic Studies of Bulky Uranium(III) and Uranium(IV) Metallocenes"
November 2019

Trevor's paper on (BDI)Re reactivity published
"H2 Activation and Direct Access to Terminal Nitride and cyclo-P3 Complexes by an Acceptor-Free Rhenium(II) β-Diketiminate"
September 2019

Welcome to our newest undergraduate group member, Anukta Jain!
Anukta will work with graduate student Jade on group 5 chemistry.
May 2019

The Arnold group wins the UC Berkeley lab safety award!
Lab safety coordinators and graduate students Michael Boreen and Trevor Lohrey accepted the award for the group.
February 2019