Skip to main content

Brian V. Popp, Ph.D.

Associate Professor – DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE STUDIES

Popp Group Website

GradLife 601: Organic, Inorganic, and Computational Chemistry (Podcast interview of Dr. Popp)

About

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison

J. Evans Attwell-Welch Postdoctoral Fellow, Rice University

Research Interests: Organometallic Chemistry and Catalysis, Organoboron Chemistry, Chemical Kinetics and Mechanisms, Computational Chemistry

Director/PI of the NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site: Research in Chemistry at West Virginia University (2018-2024) 

Notable Awards

  • WVU Award for Distinction in Mentoring Undergraduates in Research (2022)
  • C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry Outstanding Faculty Award (2019)
  • National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award (2018)

Teaching Fields

Organic and Inorganic Chemistry

Courses Offered

  • CHEM 236 - Organic Chemistry II
  • CHEM 401/403 - Chemistry Capstone (Chemical Literature and Undergraduate Seminar)
  • CHEM 521 - Organometallic Chemistry
  • CHEM 533 - Advanced Spectroscopic Characterization of Organic Molecules

Selected Publications (*undergraduate co-authors)

Knowlden, S. W.; Popp, B. V. “Regioselective boracarboxylation of a-substituted vinyl arenes” Organometallics 202241, 1883-1891; https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.organomet.2c00184. (Appears in Special Issue: Sustainable Organometallic Chemistry)

Martin, A.; Rogers, J. A.; Batsomboon, P.; Morrison, A.;* Ramsubhag, R.; Popp, B. V.; Dudley, G. B. “Benzannulation and hydrocarboxylation methods for the synthesis of a neopentylene-fused analogue of ibuprofen” ACS Omega 20216, 30108 -0114; https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsomega.1c04943.

Baughman, N. N; Akhmedov, N. G.; Petersen, J. L.; Popp, B. V. “Experimental and Computational Studies of CO2 Addition Reactions Relevant to Copper-Catalyzed Boracarboxylation of Vinyl Arenes: Evidence for a Phosphine-Promoted Mechanism” Organometallics 202140, 23-37; https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.organomet.0c00488.

Baughman, N. N; Popp, B. V. “Evidence of Boron Assistance for CO2 Activation during Copper-Catalyzed Boracarboxyaltion of Vinyl Arenes: A Synthetic Model for Cooperative Fixation of CO2” Comment Inorg. Chem. 2020, 40, 159-175; DOI: 10.1080/02603594.2020.1726328.

Rogers, J. A.; Popp, B. V. “Operando Infrared Spectroscopy Study of Iron-Catalyzed Hydromagnesiation of Styrene: Explanation of Nonlinear Catalyst and Inhibitory Substrate Dependencies” Organometallics 201938, 4533-4538; DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.9b00492.  

Perrone, T. M.; Gregory, A. S.;* Knowlden, S. W.; Ziemer, N. R.;* Alsulami, R. N.; Petersen, J. L.; Popp, B. V. “Beneficial effect of a secondary ligand on the catalytic difunctionalization of vinyl arenes with boron and CO2” ChemCatChem 201911, 5814-5820; https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.201901197. (Appears in Special Issue: The Pharma Issue – Sustainable and Affordable Chemistry to Meet Future Challenges in the Pharmaceutical Industry)

Popp, B. V.; Richards-Babb, M. “The West Virginia University Chemistry REU Program.” In Best Practices for Chemistry REU Programs; Griep, M., Watkins, L. Eds.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2018, pp 86-106.

Nichols, B. N.; Akhmedov, N. G.; Petersen, J. L.; Popp, B. V. “Access to a pair of ambiphilic phosphine-borane regioisomers by rhodium-catalayzed hydroboration” Dalton Trans. 201847, 8456-8465; DOI: 10.1039/C8DT01467A.

Butcher, T. W.;* McClain, E. J.;* Hamilton, T. G.;* Perrone, T. M.; Kroner, K. M.;* Donohoe, G. C.; Akhmedov, N. G.; Petersen, J. L.; Popp, B. V. “Regioselective copper-catalyzed boracarboxylation of vinyl arenes” Org. Lett. 201618, 6428-6431. (Recognized as the “Editor’s Choice” article for Nov. 30, 2016 by American Chemical Society Publications; Organic Chemistry Portal Highlight: http://www.organic-chemistry.org/abstracts/lit5/696.shtm)