Shuhuai Xiang has seen a lot of changes during his seven years at UC Merced — only some of which are the result of the chemical reactions he studies in his graduate research work with the chemistry and chemical biology group.
In 2008, Xiang arrived from his home country of China to begin his Ph.D. studies at UC Merced. The campus was much smaller then, but he said it was that very newness that drew him here in the first place.
“I really liked that this was the first research university built in the 21st century, that all the facilities were new and that most of our faculty was young and invigorated by the challenge of starting up new labs,” Xiang said.
He admits that the closeness of Yosemite was also a factor in his decision. “I grew up in the country, so having that kind of natural beauty so close by was very attractive to me as well.”
Over the years, as Xiang has worked toward his Ph.D., the UC Merced campus has changed quite a bit — and Xiang’s appreciation for his university and his graduate experience has only increased. In 2011, Xiang became a student of Professor Matthew Meyer. The academic freedom he experienced as part of Meyer’s group was revelatory to the young scholar.
“I would talk to Dr. Meyer about the kinds of projects we were both interested in, then do some exploratory research, and come back to meet with him to discuss the types of things I wanted to try,” Xiang said. “I really could do whatever I wanted, research-wise. Of course I still got all the help and guidance that I needed, but I have enjoyed an independence that I might not get at another school.”
Together with Meyer and the rest of the lab, Xiang has spent much of his time over the last few years studying the ways in which particular chemical reactions work, using a method that employs the kinetic isotope effect (KIE). Their new method, which they call the product-specific KIE, enables researchers to better understand the mechanisms of multi-product reactions.
“The process by which we currently manufacture drugs, polymers, pesticides, things like that — it can and should be cleaner,” Xiang explained. “Conventional processes may suffer from slow rate or counterproductive side reactions. So in my lab, we have been asking the question: ‘How can we better understand chemical reactions in general, so that we can eventually achieve unprecedented control over rate and product distribution?’”
Currently, many of the most successful industrial reactions employ costly heavy metal catalysts like rhodium or palladium. Meyer and his team are attempting to find ways to use cheaper catalysts like nickel, cobalt or even iron, while still yielding the desired products cleanly.
Another benefit to the product-specific KIE method is the avenues of research it makes possible. Before this, there was no systematic method that allowed researchers to effectively study multi-product reactions, so study was limited to spot-to-spot reactions. Once it is widely adopted, the product-specific KIE will make the study of more complicated reactions a much easier task.
While he is excited about the strides his group has made with their research, Xiang is now wrapping up his time at UC Merced. Over the course of the summer, he concluded much of his research and is finishing up his dissertation, which he will soon defend.
With graduating quickly approaching, Xiang is exploring job possibilities in industry and academia. He is already looking forward to the next change — whatever it may be.
