The sustainable movement of electrons and activation of C-H bonds continue to be critical areas of research in the energy and synthesis sectors. To this end, our group strives to understand how ligand design can uncover new paradigms in C-H activation, electrocatalysis, proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), and small molecule activation. Firstly, I will present our group’s work in using an amine-rich cyclopentadienyl ligand (CpN3) coordinated to iron for electrocatalytic H2 production,1 where the chemically non-innocent CpN3 participates in stereoselective endo-CpN3 protonation during catalysis.2 Current efforts in leveraging the CpN3 ligand for other electrocatalysis applications will also be described. Secondly, I will show our progress in measuring the magnitude of C(sp3)-H bond weakening when an alkane moieties interact with a transition metal (i.e., agostic interactions). To study these C-H bond strength properties, we use diamondoid pincer ligands coordinated to Ni and Pd, which provide unique insights into the thermochemical requirements for C-H activation with unactivated alkanes.3,4 By carefully measuring equilibria in nonpolar solvents, we are able to directly compare the differences in agostic C-H bond strengths between Ni and Pd, providing a rationale as to why Pd is often “better” at C-H activation than Ni.

1. ACS Catal. 2023, 13, 13650.

2. Nat. Rev. Chem. 2023, 7, 561.

3. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 12632.

4. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 10.1021/jacs.5c07649.