Yudin wins Cope Scholar Award

October 1, 2024 by Alyx Dellamonica

Professor Andrei Yudin has been recognized by the American Chemical Society in its 2025 awards announcement as one of the 2025 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Awards recipients. 

The award recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of organic chemistry, specifically results--according to the ACS site—that have become apparent within the half decade preceding the year in which the awards are presented. 

Head Shot of Dr. Andrei Yudin, a middle-aged white man with blue eyes and wearing a white shirt.
photo: Department of Chemistry

“Since 2006 my research group has been involved in several areas, including the study of amphoteric molecules. They show both electrophilic and nucleophilic reactivity,” said Yudin, describing the recent work which has garnered this honour. "This chemistry has allowed us to prepare a broad range of structures with useful properties. It is our work in this area that is being recognized.” 

In chemistry, an amphoteric compound is a molecule or ion that can react both as an acid and as a base. Water, for example, is an amphoteric chemical, meaning it can act as an acid by donating a proton, or as a base by accepting a proton. This dual behavior is influenced by thermodynamic principles—when an amphoteric chemical encounters a strong acid it acts as a base, and vice versa.

Yudin and his students have zeroed in on molecules that exist because of a barrier that protects them against premature reactivity between the electrophilic and the nucleophilic part. This falls within the domain of kinetics—the speed and timing of chemical reactions. The barriers affect when and how reactions happen, ensuring that molecules behave in a predictable and useful way.

Yudin credited the hardworking students and scientists in his research group for the Cope Scholar Award. “This award is a testament to our lab’s efforts over the years and is meant to celebrate all the undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows who have contributed to our research program.” 

Asked about future directions for study, Yudin predicted an increasing emphasis on sustainability in organic chemistry in coming years. "Sustainability will be one of the main considerations for how we build molecules. Rethinking industrial synthesis toward waste-derived building blocks will require a lot of resources and will drive innovation.” 

“Our fundamental understanding of chemical reactivity will also evolve in new directions.”  

Yudin, who will accept the award and deliver a lecture about his work at the 2025 ACS National Meeting in Washington, D.C. next summer, said he finds inspiration in the elegance of chemical structures and the incredible diversity of ways they react with one another. “I like the inherent logic of organic chemistry.” 

Asked to provide advice to incoming students and scientists, he said: “My advice is to focus on fundamentals and keep an eye on the applications of what you have learned.” 
 

This award is a testament to our lab’s efforts over the years and is meant to celebrate all the undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows who have contributed to our research program. --Prof. Andrei Yudin