John Gordon

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Chemistry Division
Bldg. 555, Room 200c
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000

(631) 344-4301
jgordon1@bnl.gov

Expertise | Research | Education | Publications | Highlights | Awards

Expertise

Inorganic Chemistry
Organometallic Chemistry
Catalysis Science
Chemistry for (renewable) energy applications

Research Activities

Selected Activities:

• 2024: Session Chair, Keynote Session, Inorganic Chemistry Research Gordon Conference
• 2022: Session Chair, Organometallic Chemistry Research Gordon Conference
• 2022: Member, Career Panel, Organometallic Chemistry Research Graduate Research Symposium
• 2021: Chair, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Fellows Prize Committee
• 2021: Co-Organizer, symposium entitled “Catalytic Addition and Removal of Hydrogen for Upgrading Oxidized Bio-Related and Renewable Compounds”, International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (Pacifichem), Honolulu, HI.
• 2020, 2021: Chair, LDRD Panel, Chemistry Exploratory Research Category, LANL
• 2019: Invited Reviewer, University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Study
• 2019: Member, Postdoc Distinguished Performance Award Committee, LANL
• 2017: Chair, Organometallic Chemistry Gordon Research Conference, Salve Regina University, Newport, RI
• 2017: Session Chair, ACS Award Symposium, (Dr. David L. Clark, recipient), 253rd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA
• 2016: Vice Chair, Organometallic Chemistry Gordon Research Conference, Salve Regina University, Newport, RI
• 2015: Organizer, symposium entitled “Homogeneous Catalysis Methodologies for the Upgrading of Biomass Derived Molecules”; held during the International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (Pacifichem) in Honolulu, HI. 
• 2014: Session Moderator, 2nd International Symposium on Energy Challenges and Mechanics, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
• 2011: Symposium Organizer; “Recycling Carbon: Catalyzed Conversion of Non-Food Biomass to Fuels & Chemicals” (I&EC Division, primary sponsor); held during the 242nd ACS National Meeting, Denver, USA)
• 2011: Organizer, LANSCE neutron scattering summer school, LANL
• 2005: Organizer, DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences Catalysis and Chemical Transformations Contractors’ Meeting
• 2004: Organizer, DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences Catalysis and Chemical Transformations Contractors’ Meeting
• 2003: Session Chair, Inorganic Chemistry Gordon Research Conference 

Education

1992-1995: Postdoctoral Research Associate (Drs. David Clark and John Watkin,), CST-Division, LANL
1990-1992: Postdoctoral Research Associate (Prof. Rinaldo Poli), University of Maryland, College Park, MD
1990: Ph.D. in Chemistry (with Prof. Michael J. Chetcuti), University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
1985: B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Selected Publications

• Smythe NC, Mondal J, Duque JG, et al (2025) Historical account of dinitrogen-bridged diiron complex synthesis using a commercial tripodal ligand. Chemical Communications 61:9908–9911. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5cc02058a
• Do VK, Alfonso Vargas N, Chavez AJ, et al (2022) Pressurized formic acid dehydrogenation: an entropic spring replaces hydrogen compression cost. Catalysis Science & Technology 12:7182–7189. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2cy00676f
• Sharma S, Andrade GA, Maurya S, et al (2021) Iron-iminopyridine complexes as charge carriers for non-aqueous redox flow battery applications. Energy Storage Materials 37:576–586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ensm.2021.01.035
• Santiago Cordoba MA, Spendelow JS, Parra-Vasquez ANG, et al (2019) Aerobijels: Ultralight Carbon Monoliths from Cocontinuous Emulsions. Advanced Functional Materials 30:. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201908383
• Dub PA, Gordon JC (2018) The role of the metal-bound N–H functionality in Noyori-type molecular catalysts. Nature Reviews Chemistry 2:396–408. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-018-0049-z
• Sutton AD, Waldie FD, Wu R, et al (2013) The hydrodeoxygenation of bioderived furans into alkanes. Nature Chemistry 5:428–432. https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1609
• Baker RT, Gordon JC, Hamilton CW, et al (2012) Iron Complex-Catalyzed Ammonia–Borane Dehydrogenation. A Potential Route toward B–N-Containing Polymer Motifs Using Earth-Abundant Metal Catalysts. Journal of the American Chemical Society 134:5598–5609. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja210542r
• Sutton AD, Burrell AK, Dixon DA, et al (2011) Regeneration of Ammonia Borane Spent Fuel by Direct Reaction with Hydrazine and Liquid Ammonia. Science 331:1426–1429. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1199003
• Gordon JC, Kubas GJ (2010) Perspectives on How Nature Employs the Principles of Organometallic Chemistry in Dihydrogen Activation in Hydrogenases. Organometallics 29:4682–4701. https://doi.org/10.1021/om100436c

Research Highlights

Service to Journals/Funding Agencies:

• Currently: Member, Advisory Board, Energy Advances (RSC)
• Currently: Associate Editor, Frontiers in Chemistry (Inorganic Chemistry)
• 2019: National Laboratory Observer, DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences Polymer Upcycling Roundtable
• 2018-2019: Guest Editor, Special Issue, Inorganics, entitled "First Row Transition Metal Complexes”
• Currently: Member, Editorial Board, Inorganics
• Currently: Member, International Advisory Board, European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry (EurJIC)
• 2011-2014: Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Inorganic Chemistry
• 2013: Guest Editor, Special Forum Issue, Inorganic Chemistry, entitled "Aspects of Inorganic Chemistry Related to Nuclear Energy" (2013, 52, Issue 7).
• Proposal reviewer; National Science Foundation, DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Petroleum Research Fund, The Leverhulme Trust (UK),University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Study
• Manuscript reviewer for ACS journals; Inorganic Chemistry, Organometallics, J. Am. Chem. Soc., I&E Chemistry Research, Chemistry of Materials, ACS Catalysis, ChemCatChem
• Manuscript reviewer for RSC journals; Chemical Communications, Dalton Transactions, Energy & Environmental Science, Chemical Science, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.
• Manuscript reviewer for other international journals; Science, Chemistry-A European Journal, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Catalysis Letters, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, International Journal of Energy Research, PNAS (National Academy of Sciences), Comments on Inorganic Chemistry, Nature Communications

Awards & Recognition

2025: Elected (February) and Inducted (June) into Scotland's National Academy (The Royal Society of Edinburgh); Appointed to the Rank of International Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (IntFRSE). 
2022: US Department of Energy's Hydrogen Program R&D Award (for work on improved catalysts for the dehydrogenation of high capacity hydrogen carriers).
2017:  Invited Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
2015:  Fellow, American Institute of Chemists (AIC)
2014:  Laboratory Fellow, LANL
2014:  Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
2011:  Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2011:  Fellows Prize, LANL
2010: Exceptional Mentor Award (Los Alamos Award Program), Chemistry, Life and Earth Sciences Directorate, LANL