In this section, you will find the science projects I have previously worked on or various cool scientific topics I am interested in. This includes links to my work on phosphorus chemistry & sustainability, my reports on critical minerals, a list of news articles referencing my work, reports, and publications, and finally a list of useful links & recommended readings.
Phosphorus chemistry
Being at the backbone of DNA & RNA, and playing a significant role in adenosine triphosphate for biological energy transfers, phosphorus is vital for life-essential processes. It is crucial for applications such as fertilizers, therapeutics, pesticides, flame retardants, ligands, or electronic materials. Although phosphorus is a relatively common element on Earth, its exploitable resources are asymmetrically distributed & rely on non-renewable sedimentary phosphate rocks. Excessive release of phosphorus in water also leads to environmental catastrophes, making its biogeochemical cycle one of the important planetary boundaries not to disrupt. Furthermore, most transformations in the phosphorus industry rely on energy-costly processes, on hazardous and hard-to-handle chemical intermediates, and can release toxic byproducts. Implementing a benign-by-design and more sustainable phosphorus industry is thus highly needed. For a more detailed article on these issues, see the open-access tutorial review published on RSC Sustainability.
It is within this context that I had the chance to pursue my doctoral studies under the guidance of Prof. Chao-Jun Li at McGill University. My thesis dealt with designing new ways of constructing carbon-phosphorus(V) bonds for bioactive target molecules within the framework of green chemistry. Phosphinylidenes, such as H-phosphonates or secondary phosphine oxides, which can be obtained from the promising hypophosphorous acid pathway, were used throughout my research as a more sustainable & bench-stable source of phosphorylating reagents. 3 novel reactions were achieved for the synthesis of α-aminophosphorus molecules, a critical motif for the pharmaceutical & agrochemical industry. Methodologies such as Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling, transition metal-catalyzed dehydrogenation of alcohols, or photochemistry were successfully applied to the phosphorylation of carbon. For more information, my thesis is available online here.
In the News
Here is a list of news articles citing work I have been involved in:
Rabinovitch, A. How Canada’s Critical Minerals Push May Spur Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs | Global News Canada. June 26, 2025. https://globalnews.ca/news/11260771/critical-minerals-canada-jobs/
Friedman, G. Western Canada Holds Potential to Become a “Critical Minerals Processing Behemoth,” Expert Says. Financial Post. June 24, 2025. https://financialpost.com/commodities/mining/western-canada-critical-minerals-processing-behemoth/
Southin, T., Eaton, D., Ung, S., Critical mineral processing will protect Canada’s EV industry. The Hill Times. March 19, 2025. https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/03/19/critical-mineral-processing-will-protect-canadas-ev-industry/454048/
Reports
Here is a list of reports I have authored or co-authored:
Ung, S. (June 2025). From Rocks to Power: Strategies to Unlock Canada’s Critical Minerals for Global Leadership in Energy Storage, EVs, and Beyond. Battery Metals Association of Canada, The Transition Accelerator, and Energy Futures Lab. Version 1.0 Link
Ung S., (June 2025). Towards a Western Canadian Battery Value Chain. Battery Metals Association of Canada, The Transition Accelerator, and Energy Futures Lab. Version 1.0 Link
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Here is an updated list of the publications I have authored so far. You can also find my ORCID, and my ResearchGate profile here.
Ung, S. P.-M. & Li, C.-J. From rocks to bioactive compounds: a journey through the global P(v) organophosphorus industry and its sustainability. RSC. Sustain. (2023) doi:10.1039/D2SU00015F.
Ung, S. P.-M., Perepichka, I. & Li, C.-J. Visible‐light mediated photooxidative phosphorylation of benzylamines: A novel and mild pathway towards α‐aminophosphorus compounds. Helv. Chim. Acta (2021) doi:10.1002/hlca.202100190.
Ung, S. P.-M., Mechrouk, V. A. & Li, C.-J. Shining Light on the Light-Bearing Element: A Brief Review of Photomediated C–H Phosphorylation Reactions. Synthesis 53, 1003–1022 (2021) doi:10.1055/s-0040-1705978.
Dominguez-Huerta, A., Dai, X.-J., Zhou, F., Querard, P., Qiu, Z., Ung., S., Liu, W. & Li, C.-J. Exploration of new reaction tools for late-stage functionalization of complex chemicals. Can. J. Chem. 1–19 (2018) doi:10.1139/cjc-2018-0357.
Zhu, D., Lv, L., Li, C.-C., Ung, S., Gao, J., Li, C.-J. Umpolung of Carbonyl Groups as Alkyl Organometallic Reagent Surrogates for Palladium-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 57, 16520–16524 (2018) doi:10.1002/anie.201809112.
Tan, E., Ung, S. & Corbet, M. Microwave-Assisted Formylations of Weakly Basic Anilines with Methyl Formate Catalyzed by Calcium and Hydrogen Triflimides. Eur. J. Org. Chem., 1836–1840 (2016) doi:10.1002/ejoc.201600226.
Zhi, H., Ung, S. P.-M., Liu, Y., Zhao, L. & Li, C.-J. Phosphorylation of Glycine Derivatives via Copper(I)-Catalyzed Csp3−H Bond Functionalization. Adv. Synth. Catal. 358, 2553–2557 (2016) doi:10.1002/adsc.201600539.
Sosthène P.-M. Ung 