The Whited Research Group

Several representatives from the Whited group will showcase recent results at the Spring 2025 ACS National Meeting in San Diego. Check out their awesome work if you are in town for the meeting!

• Khan, A.; Lee-Zacheis, C.; Whited, M. T.; Kohen, D. “Computational investigation of silicon-metal cooperative chemistry to catalyze group transfers” INOR-439.
• Lee-Zacheis, C.; Khan, A.; Whited, M. T.; Kohen, D. “G/16 and crest investigation of silicon-metal cooperative chemistry in catalysis” COMP-855.
• Stewart, A.; Pearson, C.; Whited, M. T. “Effects of sterically encumbered pincer-type cobalt silylenes on silicon-metal cooperation” INOR-476

Matt spoke at an event celebrating Carleton’s recently announced pledge of $2M to the Reimagine Northfield High School project. This amazing contribution recognizes the important symbiotic relationship between Carleton and the local public schools, and Matt was able to share insights about benefits to Carleton students who have hosted NHS AP Chemistry classes for organic chemistry experiments for many years. Thanks to all our partners for making this a wonderful event!

We’ve just closed the books on another great summer of research. Thanks to Aidan, Annika, Claire, Collin, Isaac, and Sergio (and collaborator Dani Kohen) for a fun and productive summer! Expect to see some exciting results making it into the literature in the next 8-12 months.

As one of several summer community-building activities, the Whited group joined others from the Carleton Chemistry Department for a session of goat yoga at Gray Hobby Farm in Prior Lake, MN. It was memorable!

We are fast approaching the end of the academic year, which means congrats are in order to our graduating research students, who have been so awesome these past few years! So, thanks and congrats to Wenlai Han, Emma Watson, Ellie Vandel, Helen Jin-Lee, and Jackson Cleveland!

Congrats are also in order to group alumni as they move on to next steps:

• Wenlai Han is heading to MIT to begin graduate work in Chemistry
• Ellie Vandel is heading to UIUC to begin graduate work in Chemistry
• Jackson Cleveland is starting a PhD in Materials Science at University of Minnesota
• Emma Watson will be starting a research associate position at Carleton with Dan Maxbauer in Geology
• Jack Williams ’21 will be starting graduate study in the Integrated Program in Biochemistry at Wisconsin
• And, Luke Westawker ’20 (UIUC, Mirica Group) has recently been awarded an NSF graduate research fellowship

Again, congrats all around and thanks to all for your amazing work supporting our research at Carleton!

The Whited Lab has been awarded an NSF grant for $356k to support our research into use of metal/silicon bonds to support cooperative catalysis. In the project, “RUI: CAS-SC: Promoting Group-Transfer Reactions at Metal/Main-Group Bonds,” we will target cut-and-paste-style reactions where reactive chemical fragments can be stitched onto inexpensive and readily abundant substrates to afford products with applications in both bulk- and fine-chemicals. This approach also seeks to replace expensive and toxic metals with earth-abundant ones in catalysis, and thus contributes to the Critical Aspects of Sustainability – Innovative Solutions to Sustainable Chemistry (CAS-SC) initiative.

Matt’s promotion to full professor has been approved by the Board of Trustees, beginning fall 2023! Thanks to all the students, colleagues, and collaborators who have made this possible!