James Blakemore
- Professor
- Chemistry
Contact Info
Lawrence
1567 Irving Hill Road
Lawrence, KS 66045
Personal Links
Research —
Research in the Blakemore Group aims to address fundamental challenges in the efficient and sustainable production of energy, fuels, and chemicals. In our research, we integrate modern inorganic and organometallic chemistry, molecular electrochemistry, and surface science. The actinides (e.g., U, Np, and Pu), lanthanides, and transition metals are the focus of our work, especially complexes containing multiple metals. We target synthesis and study of new molecules that provide rational control of bonding and reactivity, including molecular electrocatalysts capable of storing energy in chemical bonds, and also prepare and study electrodes featuring immobilized redox-active molecules and catalysts. Furthermore, Prof. Blakemore and his group are conducting research on electrolyte design and the chemistry of carbon dioxide conversion at the CEBC.
Selected Publications —
Curry, T.D., Cooper, F.L., Lind, N.M., Thach, C.L., Khalife, C., and Blakemore, J.D.* Quantifying the Lewis Acidity of Mono-, Di-, and Trivalent Cations in Anhydrous Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide Salts, Inorg. Chem. 2025, 64, 23920–23938, doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c03576.
Golwankar, R.R.,# Ervin, A.C.,# Makos, M.Z., Mikeska, E.M., Glezakou, V.-A.,* and Blakemore, J.D.* Synthesis, Isolation, and Study of Heterobimetallic Uranyl-Crown Ether Complexes, J. Am. Chem. Soc.2024, 146, 9597–9604, doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c12075.
Nilles, C.K., Borkowski, A.K., Bartlett, E.R., Stalcup, M.A., Lee, H.-J., Leonard, K.C.,* Subramaniam, B.,* Thompson, W.H.,* and Blakemore, J.D.* Mechanistic Basis of Conductivity in Carbon Dioxide-Expanded Electrolytes: A Joint Experimental-Theoretical Study, J. Am. Chem. Soc.2024, 146, 2398–2410, doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c08145.
Golwankar, R.R.,# Curry II, T.D.,# Paranjothi, C.J., and Blakemore, J.D.* Molecular Influences on the Quantification of Lewis Acidity with Phosphine Oxide Probes, Inorg. Chem. 2023, 62, 9765–9780, doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00084.
Kumar, A. and Blakemore, J.D.* On the Use of Aqueous Metal-Aqua pKa Values as a Descriptor of Lewis Acidity, Inorg. Chem. 2021, 60, 1107-1115, doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c03239.
Henke, W.C., Peng, Y., Meier, A.A., Fujita, E., Grills, D.C.,* Polyansky, D.E.,* and Blakemore, J.D.* Mechanistic Roles of Metal- and Ligand-Protonated Species in Hydrogen Evolution with [Cp*Rh] Complexes, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.2023, 120, e2217189120, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2217189120.
Aguirre Quintana, L., Johnson, S.I., Corona, S.L., Villatoro, W., Goddard, W.A., III, Takase, M.K., VanderVelde, D.G., Winkler, J.R.,* Gray, H.B.,* Blakemore, J.D.* Proton-Hydride Tautomerism in Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2016, 113, 6409-6414, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1606018113.
Awards & Honors —
Grant Goodman Undergraduate Mentor Award
2023
K. Barbara Schowen Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
2021
DOE Early Career Award
2018
NSF EPSCoR Research Fellowship
2018
Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship, Caltech Resnick Sustainability Institute
2014-2015
Postdoctoral Fellowship, NSF CCI Solar Fuels
2012-2014
Richard Wolfgang Prize, Yale University
2012
Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students
2010