Department of Chemistry professor Douglas W. Stephan is the author of a new ACS in Focus primer on the topic of a new 21st century paradigm for developing reactivity and catalysis.
Frustrated Lewis Pairs, published in 2025 by the American Chemical Society, covers topics introduced in 2006 by Stephan's groundbreaking paper “Reversible, Metal-Free Hydrogen Activation” in Science. The paper, which has been cited over 2000 times, changed the way chemistry is taught, broadening the scope of catalysts well beyond transition metals.
In that paper, Stephan and his coauthors showed that it was possible to create what he subsequently called "frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs).” FLPs contain a Lewis acid and a Lewis base which are physically limited from combining with each other and thus react with a third intervening substance. This allows such pairs to split hydrogen and react with a variety of other molecules.
Stephan says he was contacted about writing the primer by the ACS. “This book is a primer for those unfamiliar with FLP chemistry and is thus suitable for senior undergraduates and graduate students. It will provide materials that professors at other institutions can use to add this subject to their courses.”
According to Stephan, the primer outlines the concept of FLPs and covers material taught, on an introductory level, in Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry. “The primer shows how this enables metal-free catalysis that were previously thought to be impossible. It also outlines how this concept can and has been applied across the periodic table and across the discipline.”
The ACS in Focus description of the primer emphasizes the importance of FLP chemistry, saying. “The production of almost all modern technologies requires the conversion of raw materials into components and components into products,” it says. “While such advances require sophisticated engineering, these transformations are, at their core, synthetic chemistry. Thus, whether you are targeting organic, inorganic, or materials chemistry, understanding how to exploit chemical reactivity and catalysis is essential to your success.”
The publication of Frustrated Lewis Pairs ensures Stephan’s continued influence on this area of chemical research and education. By providing an accessible introduction to a concept that has already transformed catalysis, the primer assists future generations of chemists in building on an already game-changing innovation.
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For a more detailed discussion of FLP Pairs with Prof. Stephan, read our 2024 interview.