We are excited to share the success of Marcel Schorpp’s first-time independent article in ChemComm; “A diazadiphospholenium cation featuring a reactive P=P bond: synthesis and reversible main-group bond activation” included in the full milestones collection.
Read our interview with Marcel below.
What are the main areas of research in your lab and what motivated you to take this direction?
Our lab focuses on reactive main-group species, particularly the design and synthesis of molecular systems capable of reversible bond activation. A central theme is triggerable reactivity. We investigate compounds that respond to external stimuli, such as coordination, redox changes, and photoexcitation, enabling the controlled uptake, release, or transformation of chemical bonds.
Can you set this article in a wider context?
This article introduces a new heterocyclic cation featuring a reactive P=P bond. Typically, compounds with heavier p-block element multiple bonds require substantial kinetic stabilization through bulky ligand frameworks. In contrast, our system features a sterically exposed formal P=P double bond, which remains stable yet reactive. We believe its stability arises from a delicate balance between electronic delocalization and cationic charge. We are currently exploring its coordination chemistry and have already made some exciting observations. Looking ahead, we aim to extend this motif to other p-block elements, where we anticipate similarly intriguing reactivities and bonding scenarios.
What do you hope your lab can achieve in the coming year?
The group has now reached a decent size. It’s starting to look like the individual research projects are taking up pace, and we hope to finalize some stories from the various research directions we’re currently exploring over the next year.
Describe your journey to becoming an independent researcher.
My journey isn’t anything unusual: I completed a Ph.D. followed by two postdoctoral positions. I finished my Ph.D. just as COVID hit, which unfortunately prevented me from pursuing a planned postdoc in Australia. Thanks to the flexibility of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, I was able to change plans on short notice. While that period was challenging, everything has worked out well in the end, likely due to a good portion of luck and the excellent mentors I met along the way, who played a key role in shaping my path.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
I’ve had, and still have, many great supervisors and colleagues whose advice has been truly impactful. However, the quote that immediately came to mind while reading this is: “You have to be in it to win it,” a phrase a good friend often used to say.
Why did you choose to publish in ChemComm?
ChemComm was the right fit for this work due to its focus on concise, high-impact communications and its broad readership in inorganic and main-group chemistry. It’s an excellent platform for sharing new molecular designs and reactivity concepts.
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Marcel Schorpp studied Chemistry at Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg, earning both B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees. During this time, he completed a research internship with Prof. Jose Goicoechea, working on structurally constrained main-group compounds. From 2017 to 2020, he pursued a Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Ingo Krossing, focusing on the development of novel cationic oxidants and reactive main-group cations for bond activation. He then held a postdoctoral position with Prof. Lutz Greb at Heidelberg University, investigating structural constraint and electromerism in stibenium ↔ stibonium systems, demonstrating triggerable Lewis superacidity. From 2021 to 2023, he joined the group of Prof. Simon Aldridge at the University of Oxford, co-supervised by Prof. Cameron Jones, as a Feodor Lynen Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. His research there explored Group 14 and 15 compounds bearing aluminyl ligands for bond activation. Since April 2023, he has been a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of Regensburg, where his research focuses on main-group compounds with triggerable reactivity.
Instagram: @schorpplab Bluesky: @m-schorpp.bsky.social webpage: go.ur.de/schorpp-group |
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