Welcome to the Hein Lab
Our research is focused on the discovery, design and study of new organometallic and organocatalytic reactions. In particular, we are interested in investigating complex systems where multiple pathways compete, partitioning the active catalyst among many possible pathways. This work leads to a deeper understanding of these systems, allowing better catalysts to be created and more efficient chemical manufacturing processes to be developed.
To accomplish these goals, tools from both classical and modern physical organic chemistry are employed. A key component of our studies involves the application of multiple, orthogonal, in-situ monitoring techniques (such as NMR spectroscopy, reaction calorimetry, UV-Vis spectroscopy and ReactIR) to rapidly profile the reactions under study. This provides a picture of practice kinetics of the catalytic cycle, allowing both detrimental and acceleratory pathways to be elucidated and study under "real world" reaction conditions. These studies allow new reaction pathways to be proposed informed by the kinetic profile.
Recent news articles about the Hein Lab:
Origin of Chirality and the RNA World