Chemist
Chemist

Biography

Jeremy Erickson is a synthetic chemist specializing in air-sensitive chemistry, and the synthesis and testing of novel molecular catalysts spanning the range of transition metal, heavy p-block, and organocatalysis contexts. Notable achievements include the highest MeOH production from CO2 (by ton) of any known homogeneous ruthenium catalyst, the first dehydrocoupling of amines and boranes by divalent tin, and the discovery of an amino-/palladium synergistically catalyzed reaction in which stereo-control is determined by an achiral, monodentate ligand. He is also an accomplished small-molecule crystallographer.

Current research endeavors include the synthesis of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides, investigating the levers that tune their growth and defect formation with the aim of tying these levers to machine learning for on-the-fly synthetic refinement. He works in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Spectroscopy and Analysis group to collect high-quality infrared spectra of materials for a wide array of projects, and in this role is authorized to handle U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration controlled substances.

Disciplines and Skills

  • Column chromatography
  • Crystallization
  • Inorganic chemistry
  • Infrared spectroscopy
  • Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
  • Organocatalysis
  • Organometallic chemistry
  • Synthetic organic chemistry
  • X-ray crystallography

Education

  • PhD in chemistry, University of California, Davis
  • BA in chemistry, Augustana College

Publications

2024

  • Peterson K.A., B.E. Bernacki, D.L. Saunders, J.D. Erickson, S. Lockwood, T.J. Johnson, and T.L. Myers. 2024. "Deriving the Infrared Complex Refractive Indices of Organic Powders for Optical Modeling: Comparison of Methods." In SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing: Algorithms, Technologies, and Applications for Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imaging XXX, April 21-26, 2024, National Harbor, MD. Proceedings of the SPIE, edited by M. Velez-Reyes and D.W. Messinger, 13031, Paper No. 130310E. Bellingham, Washington: SPIE (International Society for Optical Engineering). PNNL-SA-197392. doi:10.1117/12.3013843
  • Patrick E.A., J.D. Erickson, R.M. Bullock, and B.L. Tran. 2024. "Synthesis and Structural Investigation of Rigid Naphthyridine-bis(carbene) for Trigonal Planar Coordination of Coinage Metals." Organometallics. PNNL-SA-203466. doi:10.1021/acs.organomet.4c00383
  • Peterson K.A., R.M. Francis, C.A. Banach, A.M. Bradley, S.D. Burton, J.D. Erickson, and S. Lockwood, et al. 2024. "Method to derive the infrared complex refractive indices n(?) and k(?) for organic solids from KBr pellet absorption measurements." Applied Optics 63, no. 6:1553-1565. PNNL-SA-192634. doi:10.1364/AO.514661
  • Phipps C.A., C.D. Zirilli, B.G. Duff, J.D. Erickson, S. Karki, M. Chekwube, and M.S. Mashuta, et al. 2024. "Enhancing CO2 Capture via Metal-Ligand Cooperativity: Tuning Ligand Basicity and Zn(II) Lewis Acidity." Inorganic Chemistry. PNNL-SA-198211. doi:10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c01159
  • Tran B.L., and J.D. Erickson. 2024. "Insertion Reactions and Structural Studies of [(NHC)CuH]2 with Nitrogen-Based Substrates." Polyhedron 249. PNNL-SA-193574. doi:10.1016/j.poly.2023.116811
  • Tran B.L., J.D. Erickson, J.T. Fuller III, B. Ginovska, and S. Raugei. 2024. "Direct Observation of ß-Alkynyl Eliminations from Unstrained Propargylic Alkoxide Cu(I) Complexes by C-C Bond Cleavage." Chemical Science 15. PNNL-SA-198168. doi:10.1039/d4sc02982h

2023

  • Lonergan C.E., J.D. Erickson, M.K. Kelly-Gorham, O.M. Primera-Pedrozo, M.J. Wilhelm, B.M. Forland, and K.D. Hughey, et al. 2023. "Using synthetic infrared spectra derived from n/k optical constants for standoff detection of chemical deposits." In Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XXIV; SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, April 30-May 5, 2023, Orlando, FL. Proceedings of the SPIE, edited by J.A. Guicheteau and C.R. Howle, 12541, Paper No. 1254109. PNNL-SA-184155. doi:10.1117/12.2663579
  • Patrick E.A., M.E. Bowden, J.D. Erickson, R.M. Bullock, and B.L. Tran. 2023. "Single-Crystal to Single-Crystal Transformations: Stepwise CO2 Insertions into Bridging Hydrides of [(NHC)CuH]2 Complexes." Angewandte Chemie International Edition 62, no. 30:e202304648. PNNL-SA-185775. doi:10.1002/anie.202304648
  • Primera-Pedrozo O.M., J.D. Erickson, C.E. Lonergan, S.D. Burton, B.E. Bernacki, T.L. Myers, and T.J. Johnson. 2023. "Preparation and Characterization Methods of Thin Layer Samples for Standoff Detection." In Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XXIV; SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, April 30-May 5, 2023, Orlando, FL. Proceedings of the SPIE, edited by J.A. Guicheteau and C.R. Howle, 12541, Paper No. 125410Q. Bellingham, Washington:SPIE. PNNL-SA-184156. doi:10.1117/12.2663444
  • Wiedner E.S., B.A. Helfrecht, J.D. Erickson, and N.M. Washton. 2023. Machine Learning for Prediction of Thermodynamic Descriptors. Machine Learning for Prediction of Thermodynamic Descriptors. PNNL-35049. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 
  • Yokosuk M.O., D.L. Saunders, C.T. Resch, J.D. Erickson, C.E. Lonergan, S.D. Burton, and M.E. Bowden, et al. 2023. "Methods for Determining the Infrared Complex Refractive Indices n(?) and k(?) from Organic Solid Powders: Comparison of Sucrose Single Crystal and a Pressed Pellet." ACS Applied Optical Materials 1, no. 1:41-47. PNNL-SA-174262. doi:10.1021/acsaom.2c00004

2022

  • Carroll T.G., D.E. Ryan, J.D. Erickson, R.M. Bullock, and B.L. Tran. 2022. "Isolation of a Cu-H Monomer Enabled by Remote Steric Substitution of a N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligand: Stoichiometric Insertion and Catalytic Hydroboration of Internal Alkenes." Journal of the American Chemical Society 144, no. 30:13865-13873. PNNL-SA-167662. doi:10.1021/jacs.2c05376
  • Gunasekara B., Y. Tong, A.L. Speelman, J.D. Erickson, A.M. Appel, M.B. Hall, and E.S. Wiedner. 2022. "Role of High-Spin Species and Pendant Amines in Electrocatalytic Alcohol Oxidation by a Nickel Phosphine Complex." ACS Catalysis 12, no. 5:2729-2740. PNNL-SA-168765. doi:10.1021/acscatal.1c05509
  • McLeod, D., N. Inunnguaq Jessen, T.V. Nguyen, M. Espe, J.D. Erickson, K. Anker Jørgensen, L. Yang, K.N. Houk. 2022. “Influence of Achiral Phosphine Ligands on a Synergistic Organo‐ and Palladium‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation.” Chemistry : a European journal. 28.71. doi:10.1002/chem.202202951
  • Yokosuk M.O., K.L. Jensen, J.D. Erickson, D.L. Saunders, M.E. Bowden, T.J. Johnson, and T.L. Myers. 2022. "Using spectroscopic ellipsometry and single-angle reflectance to derive accurate optical constants for chemical forms of aspartame." In Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XXIII, April 3-13, 2022, Orlando, FL. Proceedings of the SPIE, edited by J.A. Guicheteau and C.R. Howle, 12116, Paper No. 1211608. Bellingham, Washington:SPIE. PNNL-SA-170935. doi:10.1117/12.2619853

2020

  • Erickson J.D., A.Z. Preston, J.C. Linehan, and E.S. Wiedner. 2020. "Enhanced Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol by a Ruthenium Complex with a Charged Outer-Coordination Sphere." ACS Catalysis 10, no. 13:7419-7423. PNNL-SA-150983. doi:10.1021/acscatal.0c02268
  • Speelman A.L., B.L. Tran, J.D. Erickson, M. Vasiliu, D.A. Dixon, and R.M. Bullock. 2021. "Accelerating the insertion reactions of (NHC)Cu-H via remote ligand functionalization." Chemical Science 12, no. 34:11495. PNNL-SA-160159. doi:10.1039/d1sc01911b

2018 

  • Donslund B.S., A. Monleón, T.A. Palazzo, M.L. Christensen, A. Dahlgaard, J.D. Erickson, K.A. Jørgensen. 2018. “Organocatalytic Enantioselective Higher-Order Cycloadditions of In Situ Generated Amino Isobenzofulvenes.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 57, 1246. doi:10.1002/anie.201710694
  • Hammer N., J.D. Erickson, V.H. Lauridsen, J.B. Jakobsen, B.K. Hansen, K.M. Jacobsen, T.B. Poulsen, K.A. Jørgensen. 2018. “Catalytic Asymmetric [4+2]-Cycloadditions Using Tropolones: Developments, Scope, Transformations, and Bioactivity.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 57, 13216. doi:10.1002/anie.201808221
  • Martinez, G.E., J.A. Killion, B.J. Jackson, A.R. Fout, B.E. Petel, E.M. Matson, B.M. Gridley, G.J. Moxey, D.L. Kays, A.M. Bryan, P.P. Power, J.D. Erickson, et al. 2018. Sterically Crowded σ- and π-Bonded Metal Aryl Complexes. Inorganic Syntheses 37. doi:10.1002/9781119477822.ch4

2017

  • Meazza M., L.A. Leth, J.D. Erickson, K.A. Jørgensen. 2017. “Indium(III)-catalyzed Aza-Conia-Ene Reaction for the Synthesis of Indolizines.” Chem. Eur. J., 23, 7905. doi:10.1002/chem.201701820

2016

  • Erickson J.D., T.Y. Lai, D.J. Liptrot, M.M. Olmstead, P.P. Power. 2016. “Catalytic dehydrocoupling of amines and boranes by an incipient tin(ii) hydride.” Chem. Commun. 52, 13656-13659. doi:10.1039/C6CC06963K
  • Erickson J.D., R.D. Riparetti, J.C. Fettinger, and P.P. Power. 2016. “Molecular Zinc Species with Ge–Zn and Sn–Zn Bonds: A Reversible Insertion of a Stannylene into a Zinc–Carbon Bond.” Organometallics 35, no. 12: 2124-2128. doi:10.1021/acs.organomet.6b00344

2015

  • Eichler B., J. Erickson, J. Keppen, A. Sykes, G. Sereda. 2015. “A non-planar crystal polymorph of 1,2-bis(9-anthracenyl)ethyne.” Tetrahedron Letters, 56, no. 31: 4574-4577. doi:10.1016/j.tetlet.2015.05.119
  • Erickson J.D., J.C. Fettinger, and P.P. Power. 2015. “Reaction of a Germylene, Stannylene, or Plumbylene with Trimethylaluminum and Trimethylgallium: Insertion into Al–C or Ga–C Bonds, a Reversible Metal–Carbon Insertion Equilibrium, and a New Route to Diplumbenes.” Inorganic Chemistry 54, no. 4: 1940-1948. doi:10.1021/ic502824w
  • Erickson J.D., P. Vasko, R.D. Riparetti, J.C. Fettinger, H.M. Tuononen, and P.P. Power. 2015. “Reactions of m-Terphenyl-Stabilized Germylene and Stannylene with Water and Methanol: Oxidative Addition versus Arene Elimination and Different Reaction Pathways for Alkyl- and Aryl-Substituted Species.” Organometallics 34, no. 24: 5785-5791. doi:10.1021/acs.organomet.5b00884

2013

  • Brown Z.D., P. Vasko, J.D. Erickson, J.C. Fettinger, H.M. Tuononen, and P.P. Power. 2013. “Mechanistic Study of Stepwise Methylisocyanide Coupling and C–H Activation Mediated by a Low-Valent Main Group Molecule.” Journal of the American Chemical Society 135, no. 16: 6257-6261. doi:10.1021/ja4003553
  • Brown Z.D., J.D. Erickson, J.C. Fettinger, and P.P. Power. 2013. “Facile, High-Yield Functionalization of Germanium and Tin by Oxidative Insertion of Tetrelenes into the E–H Bonds of Inorganic Acids (E = C, N, O, F): Arene Elimination versus Oxidative Addition and Formation of a Germanium Cation–Water Complex.” Organometallics 32, no. 2:617-622. doi:10.1021/om301121x