LU
Prof. LU Zhenpin
盧振品教授
PhD (Germany)

Assistant Professor of Department of Chemistry


Contact Information
Office: YEUNG-P5310
Phone: +852 3442-7304
Fax: +852 3442-0522
Email: zhenpilu@cityu.edu.hk
Web: Personal Web
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-0000-6026
Research Interests
  • Organic chemistry
  • Organometallic chemistry
  • Main group chemistry
  • Catalysis

Dr. Zhenpin Lu obtained his B.Sc. in Chemistry from Fuzhou University (2010), where he was involved in a program of national talent training base for the study in chemistry. Afterwards, he received a M.Sc. in organic chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Huadong Wang at Fudan University (2013). He then joined the group of Prof. Hermann A. Wegner at the Justus-Liebig-University (JLU) in Giessen, Germany, where he received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 2016. Subsequently, he was awarded a two-year DFG (German Research Foundation) fellowship (also called Walter-Benjamin Fellowship now) in 2017, which allowed him to conduct his postdoctoral research with Prof. Jonathan R. Nitschke at the University of Cambridge in the field of supramolecular chemistry. In June 2019, supported by a DFG return grant, he had a five-month research stay in the group of Prof. Frank Würthner at the University of Würzburg, Germany. In November 2019, he worked as a research assistant professor in the group of Prof. Xie Zuowei at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In January 2022, he was appointed as an assistant professor at the City University of Hong Kong.

Dr. Lu’s research interest lies in the field of organic chemistry, organometallic chemistry, main-group chemistry, supramolecular chemistry and catalysis. His current research interest involves the design, synthesis of new boron compounds and explore their applications in organic synthesis, organometallic chemistry, small molecule activation, catalysis and material science.

Representative Publications
  1. S. Li, F. Shiri, G. Xu, S.-M. Yiu, H. K. Lee, T. H. Ng, Z. Lin, Z. Lu. “Reactivity of A Hexaaryldiboron(6) Dianion as Boryl Radical Anions”. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 17348-17354.
  2. W. Guo, Y. Wu, C. Xie, X. Tan, Z. Lu, H. Li. “Simultaneous covalent Au-C contact formation and C-C homo-coupling reactions from organotin compounds in single-molecule junctions”. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c03925 .
  3. H. Li, J. Yao, G. Xu, K.S.M. Yiu, C. Siu, Z. Wang, Y. Peng, Y. Xie, Y. Wang, Z. Lu. "Reduction of Li+ within A Borate Anion". Nat. Commun., 2024, 15, 2590.
  4. X. Mao, Z. Lu, J. Zhang, Z. Xie, “Catalyst-Free Regioselective Diborylation of Aryllithium with Tetra(o-tolyl)diborane(4)”. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, e202317614.
  5. X. Mao, J. Zhang, Z. Lu, Z. Xie. “A (µ-Hydrido)diborane(4) Anion and Its Coordination Chemistry with Coinage Metals” Chem Sci, 2022, 13, 3009-3013.
  6. M. Zhong, J. Zhang, Z. Lu, Z. Xie. “Diboration of Alkenes and Alkynes with a Carborane-Fused Four-Membered Boracycle Bearing an Electron-Precise B-B Bond”. Dalton Trans. 2021, 50, 17150-17155.
  7. H. Ni, Z. Lu, Z. Xie. “Transition-Metal-Free Cross-Coupling Reaction of Iodocarboranes with Terminal Alkynes Enabled by UV Light: Synthesis of 1-Alkynyl-o-Carboranes and Carborane-Fused Cyclics”. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 18661-18667.
  8. Z. Lu, T. K. Ronson, J. R. Nitschke. “Reversible reduction drives anion ejection and C60 binding within an FeII4L6 cage”. Chem. Sci., 2020, 11, 1097-1101.
  9. Z. Lu, R. Lavendomme, O. Burghaus, J. R. Nitschke. “A Zn4L6 capsule shows enhanced catalytic C-C bond formation activity upon C60 binding”. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 9073-9077.
  10. Z. Lu, H. Quanz, J. Ruhl, G. Albrecht, C. Logemann, D. Schlettwein, P. R. Schreiner, H. A. Wegner. "Control of excited state conformation in B,N-acenes". Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 4259-4263.
  11. Z. Lu, H. Quanz, O. Burghaus, J. Hofmann, C. Logemann, S. Beeck, P. R. Schreiner, H. A. Wegner. "Stable Organic Neutral Diradical via Reversible Coordination". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 18488-18491.
  12. Z. Lu, L. Schweighauser, H. Hausmann, H. A. Wegner. "Metal-Free Ammonia-Borane Dehydrogenation Catalysed by a Bis(borane) Lewis Acid". Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 15556 -15559.
  13. Z. Lu, H. Hausmann, S. Becker, H. A. Wegner. "Aromaticity as Stabilizing Element in the Bidentate Activation for the Catalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 5332-5335.
  14. Z. Lu, Z. Cheng, Z. Chen, L. Weng, Z. H. Li, H. Wang. “Heterolytic Cleavage of Dihydrogen by Frustrated Lewis Pairs Comprised of Bis(2,4,6-tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-borane and Amines: Stepwise versus Concerted Mechanism”. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 12227-12231.

Job openings

We are always looking to recruit excellent scientists to join the group as research assistants, PhD students or PostDocs. If you are interested, please get in touch (zhenpilu@cityu.edu.hk).