Rate My Professor Ola Wendt

The research of Ola Wendt’s group focuses on organotransition metal chemistry to develop organometallic reactions for catalytic applications. Major themes encompass activation of small molecules and unreactive bonds, dehydrogenation reactions such as those for hydrogen storage, and metal hydride chemistry. The group applies specialized synthetic techniques including high-vacuum, Schlenk, and glovebox work. Structural characterization relies on multi-nuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, while reaction mechanisms are probed via kinetics measurements and spectroscopic identification of intermediates. They also advance the organometallic chemistry of pincer ligands and complexes. Wendt has produced 142 research outputs, including 132 articles, 4 reviews, and 2 book chapters. Recent key publications include “Green and scalable approaches for synthesis and encapsulating clean metal nanoclusters inside cerium MOFs for efficient glycerol carboxylation with CO2” (Journal of CO2 Utilization, 2025), “In Situ X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy to Study the Dehydrogenation and Decomposition Mechanisms of an Iridium Pincer Catalyst Exposed to Gaseous Isopropanol” (ChemCatChem, 2025), “Optimization of coal desulfurization method by sub/supercritical fluid extraction with binary mixtures of carbon dioxide and ethyl lactate as a solvent” (Green Analytical Chemistry, 2024), and “Characterization and evaluation of photolabile (µ-peroxo)(µ-hydroxo)bis[bis(bipyridyl)cobalt caged oxygen compounds to facilitate time-resolved crystallographic studies of cytochrome c oxidase” (Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, 2024).