Faculty Profile
Reginald Mills
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
Office: SERC, 5008
Contact: lrmills2@central.uh.edu - 713-743-6821
Education: Ph.D., University of Toronto, 2020; B.Sc., University of Toronto, 2015
Banting Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton University, 2021–2024
Website
Transition metal (TM) chemistry has greatly impacted pharmaceutical and materials
synthesis, and TM catalysis is nowadays entrenched in the area of synthetic chemistry,
notably enabling Nobel Prize–winning reactions such as hydrogenation, metathesis,
and cross-coupling. In the past, TM catalysis has typically employed well-behaved
second- and third-row TMs. Now, first-row TMs are realized as advantageous due to
their relative Earth-abundance, cost, and unique reactivity that is often defined
by single-electron behavior. The unique reactivity of first-row transition metals
has been known for decades;1 however, sophisticated study of these elements is historically
challenging due to paramagnetism, single-electron-differentiated oxidation states,
and the necessity for specialized analytical tools to studying at-metal chemistry.
Research in the Mills Laboratory is devoted to the use of Earth-abundant first-row
transition metals as a platform for synthesis, catalysis, and the fundamental understanding
of organic and inorganic reactivity. A particular emphasis will be placed on mechanistic
study, as well as the application of physical organic and inorganic techniques to
approach these problems from an at-metal perspective. Projects in the Mills Laboratory
include cross-coupling of abundant feedstock chemicals, synthesis of new catalysts
for C–H activation, and development of aromatic chelates for small molecule sensing.
Please reach out to Dr. Mills with any questions!
References
1. (a) Tsou, T. T.; Kochi, J. K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1979, 101, 6319–6332; (b) Tsou,
T. T.; Kochi, J. K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1979, 101, 7547–7560.
2022 Participant, 71st Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting
2022 Canadian CCUCC Doctoral Award
2021 Department of Chemistry Chair’s Gold Metal, University of Toronto
2021 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship
2018 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship—Doctoral
(PGS-D)
2017 Ontario Graduate Scholarship
2015 Merck Frosst Canada Inc. Graduate Award in Chemistry
2014 NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)