Dr. Isaac Blythe earned his B.S. (’16) and M.S. (’18) in Chemistry from Texas State University before earning their PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Michigan in 2023. After defending their dissertation, Dr. Blythe taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, before moving back to Texas to begin his independent career at SU.

Dr. Blythe teaches general chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and organic chemistry. 

In their off hours, Dr. Blythe enjoys reading just about anything, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and going to Round Rock Express baseball games. 

My research group is currently exploring the chemistry related to moving an organic molecule fragment from a main-group element (such as boron or silicon) to a transition metal element (particularly iron) because it’s a very important reaction in the synthesis of most medicines and agricultural chemicals. While this process is relatively easy on some transition metals (palladium and platinum, for example) it’s exceedingly difficult to achieve on iron without the use of pyrophoric reagents (compounds that catch fire when exposed to air). Our research is focused on how to make this reaction happen without those dangerous compounds. 

Prior to SU:

(# indicates mentored graduate student, $ indicates mentored undergraduate student)

1. Hall, J. R.#; Blythe, I. M.; Sharninghausen, L. S.; Sanford, M. S. “Copper-Mediated Fluoroalkylation of Aryl Bromides and Chlorides Enabled by Directing Groups” Organometallics 2023, 42, 543–546. doi: 10.1021/acs.organomet.3c00066
2. Blythe, I. M.; Xu, J.$; Fernandez Odell, J. S.$; Kampf, J. W.; Bowring, M. A.; Sanford, M. S. “Characterization and Reactivity of Copper(II) and Copper(III) σ-Aryl Intermediates in Aminoquinoline-Directed C—H Functionalization” Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 18253–18259. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c00914
3. Nolan, E. L.^#, Blythe, I. M.; Qu, F.; Kampf, J. W.; Sanford, M. S. “Speciation and Reactivity of Mono- and Binuclear Ni Intermediates in Aminoquinoline Directed C – H Arylation and Benzylation” Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 18128–18135. doi: 10.1021/jacs.4c05123
4. Nolan, M. M.; Blythe, I. M.; Vincent-Ruz, P. “The challenges of transgender and nonbinary graduate students in chemistry: A qualitative study on trans identity, science culture, and institutional support using reflexive thematic analysis” PLoS One 2024, 20(4): e0320493. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0320493

Prior to SU: 

Chemical Cartography: Elucidating Mechanisms Through Organometallic Studies Invited Seminar, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA, September 2024

Synthesis and Study of Catalytically Relevant N-(quinolin-8-yl)-benzamide Copper Complexes Oral Presentation, “LGBTQ+ Graduate Student & Postdoctoral Scholar Symposium,” PROF Division, 263rd National ACS Conference, San Diego, CA, April 2022; Chosen for Sci-Mix

Navigating the Graduate School Admissions Process for Transgender Students in Chemistry Doctoral Programs Invited Oral Presentation, “LGBTQ+ Mentorship, Advocacy, & Community Building,” PROF Division, 262nd National ACS Conference, August 2021