About

Alexandra Velian is a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Washington, specializing in inorganic chemistry. Her research focuses on the synthesis and reactivity of novel organometallic compounds, with an emphasis on the development of new catalytic systems for organic transformations and the exploration of the electronic and magnetic properties of transition metal complexes.

Research topics

• Crystallography
• Materials science
• Chemistry
• Stereochemistry
• Art

Selected publications

• Dual Metal Complex Functionalization of Black Phosphorus

  Nano Letters · 2026-02-02

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Black phosphorus (bP), a two-dimensional van der Waals material with a phosphine-like basal plane, offers a promising but underexplored platform for surface organometallic chemistry. Here we demonstrate the first dual organometallic functionalization of bP using two chemically orthogonal protocols applied sequentially: (i) direct coordination of Re(CO)3Cl to the bP surface and (ii) tethering Re or Ru complexes via ortho-quinone anchors. Together, these strategies establish bP as a versatile platform for programmable, molecularly precise, multimetal architectures.

  PublisherDOI

• Molecular Plasmonic Cavities

  Nano Letters · 2025-09-11

  articleCorresponding

  Graphene-based photonic structures have emerged as fertile ground for the controlled manipulation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), providing a two-dimensional platform with low optoelectronic losses. In principle, nanostructuring graphene can enable further confinement of nanolight─enhancing light-matter interactions in the form of SPP cavity modes. In this study, we engineer nanoscale plasmonic cavities composed of self-assembled C60 arrays on graphene. Using scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) in conjunction with first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we show that C60 assemblies behave as molecular plasmonic cavities, giving rise to precisely defined hole-doped regions within continuous samples of graphene. By tuning the deposition conditions of C60, the lateral dimensions of molecular cavities can be tailored to the SPP wavelength. Finite-element simulations verify the existence of SPP cavity modes, revealing a real-space pattern characteristic of confined SPPs. Thus, our study provides a straightforward scheme for tailoring SPP mode volume by leveraging molecular self-assembly.

  PublisherDOI

• Dual Metal Complex Functionalization of Black Phosphorus

  ChemRxiv · 2025-11-05

  preprintSenior author

  Black phosphorus (bP), a two-dimensional van der Waals material with a phosphine-like basal plane, offers a promising but underexplored platform for surface organometallic chemistry. Here we demonstrate the first dual organometallic functionalization of bP using two chemically orthogonal protocols applied sequentially: (i) direct coordination of Re(CO)₃Cl to the bP surface, and (ii) tethering Re or Ru complexes via ortho-quinone anchors. Together, these strategies establish bP as a versatile platform for programmable, molecularly precise, multi-metal architectures.

  PublisherDOI

• Synthesis and Reactivity of Iron and Cobalt Bis(amidophosphine selenide) Complexes

  Organometallics · 2024-12-19

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  We report the synthesis of two metal bis(amidophosphine selenide) complexes, ML2 (M = Fe, Co; L = SePPh2N(−)Tol), and investigate their reactivity toward ligand binding and oxidation with oxygen atom transfer reagents, pyridine-N-oxide and mesityl nitrile oxide. The oxidative strength of the reagent dictates the nature of the reactivity: either the ligand is oxidized, leading to the formation of a bimetallic mixed-ligand complex [MLL′]n, (L′ = OPPh2N(−)Tol), or the metal center is oxidized, resulting in a bimetallic μ-oxo complex [FeL2]2(μ2-O). This study defines a chemical space in which amidophosphine selenide ligands maintain their structural integrity.

  PublisherDOI

• Caught in the Act of Substitution: Interadsorbate Effects on an Atomically Precise Fe/Co/Se Nanocluster

  ACS Central Science · 2024-05-31 · 6 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Directing groups guide substitution patterns in organic synthetic schemes, but little is known about pathways to control reactivity patterns, such as regioselectivity, in complex inorganic systems such as bioinorganic cofactors or extended surfaces. Interadsorbate effects are known to encode surface reactivity patterns in inorganic materials, modulating the location and binding strength of ligands. However, owing to limited experimental resolution into complex inorganic structures, there is little opportunity to resolve these effects on the atomic scale. Here, we utilize an atomically precise Fe/Co/Se nanocluster platform, [Fe3(L)2Co6Se8L′6]+ ([1(L)2]+; L = CNtBu, THF; L′ = Ph2PN(−)Tol), in which allosteric interadsorbate effects give rise to pronounced site-differentiation. Using a combination of spectroscopic techniques and single-crystal X-ray diffractometry, we discover that coordination of THF at the ligand-free Fe site in [1(CNtBu)2]+ sets off a domino effect wherein allosteric through-cluster interactions promote the regioselective dissociation of CNtBu at a neighboring Fe site. Computational analysis reveals that this active site correlation is a result of delocalized Fe···Se···Co···Se covalent interactions that intertwine edge sites on the same cluster face. This study provides an unprecedented atom-scale glimpse into how interfacial metal–support interactions mediate a collective and regiospecific path for substrate exchange across multiple active sites.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Exploring Charge Redistribution at the Cu/Co₆Se₈ Interface

  Inorganic Chemistry · 2024-10-21 · 2 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  This study investigates the electronic interactions and charge redistribution at the dopant–support interface using a Cu/Co6Se8 cluster construct. Specifically, the redox cluster series [Cu3Co6Se8L6]n ([1-Cu3]n; n = 0, −1, −2, −3; L = Ph2PNTol–, Ph = phenyl, Tol = p-tolyl) spanning four distinct oxidation states is synthesized and characterized using a multitude of techniques, including multinuclear NMR, UV–vis, XANES, and X-ray crystallography. Structural investigations indicate that the clusters are isostructural and chiral, adopting a pseudo-D3 symmetry. Paramagnetic 31P NMR spectroscopy and solution-phase magnetic measurements together with DFT calculations are employed to interrogate the electronic structure and spin-state changes across the [1-Cu3]3– to 1-Cu3 redox series, revealing that the copper edge sites retain a +1 oxidation state while the Co/Se core becomes increasingly oxidized, yielding a highly zwitterionic cluster.

  PublisherDOI

• CCDC 2278722: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

  The Cambridge Structural Database · 2023-07-03

  datasetOpen access

  An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

  PublisherDOI

• CCDC 2278720: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

  The Cambridge Structural Database · 2023-07-03

  datasetOpen access

  An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

  PublisherDOI

• CCDC 2278725: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

  The Cambridge Structural Database · 2023-07-03

  datasetOpen access

  An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

  PublisherDOI

• Reaction Chemistry at Discrete Organometallic Fragments on Black Phosphorus

  Angewandte Chemie International Edition · 2023-10-16 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Black phosphorus (bP) is a two-dimensional van der Waals material unique in its potential to serve as a support for single-site catalysts due to its similarity to molecular phosphines, ligands quintessential in homogeneous catalysis. However, there is a scarcity of synthetic methods to install single metal centers on the bP lattice. Here, we demonstrate the functionalization of bP nanosheets with molecular Re and Mo complexes. A suite of characterization techniques, including infrared, X-ray photoelectron and X-ray absorption spectroscopy as well as scanning transmission electron microscopy corroborate that the functionalized nanosheets contain a high density of discrete metal centers directly bound to the bP surface. Moreover, the supported metal centers are chemically accessible and can undergo ligand exchange transformations without detaching from the surface. The steric and electronic properties of bP as a ligand are estimated with respect to molecular phosphines. Sterically, bP resembles tri(tolyl)phosphine when monodentate to a metal center, and bis(diphenylphosphino)propane when bidentate, whereas electronically bP is a σ-donor as strong as a trialkyl phosphine. This work is foundational in elucidating the nature of black phosphorus as a ligand and underscores the viability of using bP as a basis for single-site catalysts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: Elucidating and Harnessing Metal-Support Interactions using Designer Nanoclusters as Functional Models

  NSF · $763k · 2020–2025

Frequent coauthors

• Werner Kaminsky

  University of Washington

  61 shared

• Jonathan A. Kephart

  University of Washington

  54 shared

• Christopher C. Cummins

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  43 shared

• Benjamin S. Mitchell

  University of Washington

  41 shared

• Michael W. Day

  University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

  23 shared

• Andrei Chirila

  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

  23 shared

• Theodor Agapie

  California Institute of Technology

  23 shared

• Dylan Rogers

  22 shared

Education

• PhD, Chemistry

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  2014

• B.S.

  California Institute of Technology

  2009

Awards & honors

• Sloan Fellowship (2024)
• Inorganic Chemistry Lectureship Award (2023)
• Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar Award (2023)
• Marion Milligan Mason AAAS Award (2023)
• C&EN Talented 12 distinction (2022)