Pittcon 2025: Long Luo Talks About Alternating Current Electrolysis and His Laboratory’s Most Recent Work

Last week at Pittcon, which took place in Boston, Massachusetts, numerous awards were given out that recognized the contributions separation scientists have made to the field. Long Luo, an associate professor at the University of Utah, was one of these award recipients. At an award symposium held on Monday, March 3^rd, Luo was honored with the Pittcon Achievement Award.

During the award symposium, Luo delivered a talk titled, “Controlling Organic Reaction Selectivity by Alternating Current Electrolysis.” In his talk, Luo highlighted recent advancements in electrochemical organic synthesis, a field experiencing renewed interest because of its potential to create greener and more efficient pharmaceutical production (1). Electrochemical synthesis leverages electrons from a power source to drive redox reactions, thereby reducing the need for chemical reagents, minimizing waste, and improving cost-efficiency, safety, and sustainability (1,2).

Although traditional methods rely on direct current (DC) electrolysis, which flows in a single direction, Luo’s focus on alternating current (AC) electrolysis—where the charge flow periodically reverses—offers a novel approach (1). By adjusting the frequency of AC electrolysis, Luo demonstrated the ability to control reaction timing and enhance selectivity, thereby optimizing synthetic processes (1).

This work is part of the Luo Laboratory’s “tetrahedron approach,” which connects several key areas to address the most pressing issues in environmental analysis (2). Luo and his research group design new functional materials and molecules while developing innovative analytical methods and tools (2).

In a previous interview, Luo explained that the tetrahedron approach allows for a balance between fundamental research and practical problem-solving (3). He acknowledged the challenge of consistently implementing this approach, as it requires expanding beyond his core strength in electrochemistry to incorporate knowledge from other chemical disciplines (3).

In this video interview, Luo explains more about his laboratory group’s research, as well as provides an overview of what he talked about at Pittcon during his award symposium. And finally, Luo addresses some of the highlights of Pittcon and what winning the Pittcon Achievement Award means for his research.

References

1. Pittcon, Controlling Organic Reaction Selectivity by Alternating Current Electrolysis. Lab Science Events. Available at: https://labscievents.pittcon.org/event/pittcon-2025/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfMjQ1Mzc5Mg== (accessed 2025-03-13).
2. University of Utah, Our Research Projects. Utah.edu. Available at: https://luo.chem.utah.edu/research/ (accessed 2025-03-13).
3. Wetzel, W. Pittcon 2025: Long Luo Discusses His Laboratory’s Tetrahedron Approach. LCGC International. Available at: https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/pittcon-2025-long-luo (accessed 2025-03-13).