Students and staff

Center for Sustainable Chemistry

Head of the center

Associate Professor Artis Kinens

The staff of the Center for Sustainable Chemistry provides teaching of study courses in organic and sustainable chemistry, as well as in other related study programs. The Center's research team conducts high-level scientific research, with a central focus on the development of novel, environmentally friendly organic synthesis methods and their application in the synthesis of biologically active natural products and their analogues. Research is carried out in collaboration with other departments of the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, the Faculty of Science and Technology, the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, and foreign research institutions. Additionally, the Center's staff conducts research and quality assessments for industry needs. 

The main research directions of the Center for Sustainable Chemistry are: 

1. Organic synthesis of natural products and their synthetic analogues, based on environmentally friendly methods using organic electrochemical synthesis and nucleophilic catalysis. 
2. Design and synthesis of task-specific ionic liquids, focusing on the development of biodegradable and minimally toxic ionic liquids, as well as their application as sustainable solvents in chemical reactions. 
3. Design of chiral nucleophilic catalysts and their application in stereoselective synthesis.
4. Development of novel synthetic and crystal engineering methodologies for the design of solid-state luminophores and studies of their potential applications. 
5. Theoretical studies of adsorption and redox processes in the electrical double layers, such as CO2 electrosorption and metal deposition.

First name, Last namePosition ENG
Dr. Chem. Artis KinēnsAssociate Professor, Head of the Cener
Dr. Chem. Edgars SūnaProfessor
Dr. Chem. Kristaps JaudzemsProfessor
PhD Vladislav IvanistsevAssociate Professor
Dr. Chem. Anda PrikšāneAssistant Professor
Dr. Chem. Jāzeps LoginsAssistant Professor
PhD Eduards BaķisSenior Researcher
PhD Oļesja KoledaReader
PhD Viktorija VitkovskaReader
Rihards KlūgaResearcher, Laboratory Manager
Artūrs MazarevičsLecturer, PhD Student
Oto FilipsonsLecturer, PhD Student
Matīss BojārsPhD Student
Andrejs SavkinsPhD Student
Anna StepanovaPhD Student
Beatrise SilavaLaboratory Assistant
Alika AņisimovaLaboratory Assistant
Artūrs JubassLaboratory Assistant

Organic synthesis of natural products and their synthetic analogues

  • Koleda O., Sadauskis J., Antonenko D., Treijs E. J., Steberis R. D., Suna E. “Entry to 2-aminoprolines via electrochemical decarboxylative amidation of N‑acetylamino malonic acid monoesters” Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 630–638. https://doi.org/10.3762/bxiv.2024.71.v1
  • Koleda, O.; Prane, K.; Suna, E. “Electrochemical Synthesis of Unnatural Amino Acids via Anodic Decarboxylation of N-Acetylamino Malonic Acid Derivatives” Org. Lett. 2023, 25, 7958-7962. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.orglett.3c02687
  • Le Marchand, T., [..], Jaudzems, K., [..] “1H-Detected Biomolecular NMR under Fast Magic-Angle Spinning” Chem. Rev. 2022, 122: 9943-10018. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00918

Design and synthesis of task-specific ionic liquids

  • Goloviznina, K.; Bakis, E., [..] “Attraction between Like Charged Ions in Ionic Liquids: Unveiling the Enigma of Tetracyanoborate Anions” J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2024, 15, 1, 248-253. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02983
  • Bakis, E., [..] “Unravelling free volume in branched-cation ionic liquids based on silicon” Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 9062-9073. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SC01696F

Design of chiral nucleophilic catalysts 

  • Kluga R., Kinens A., Suna E. “Chiral 4-MeO-Pyridine (MOPY) Catalyst for Enantioselective Cyclopropanation: Attenuation of Lewis Basicity Leads to Improved Catalytic Efficiency” Chem. Eur. J. 2024, e202301136. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202301136
  • Kinens, A.; Balkaitis, S.; Ahmad, O. K.; Piotrowski, D. W.; Suna, E. “Acylative Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Secondary Alcohols: Tandem Catalysis by HyperBTM and Bäckvall’s Ruthenium Complex” J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 7189–7202. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.1c00545

Development of novel synthetic and crystal engineering methodologies 

  • Zabolotnii, V.; Tamuliene, J.; Drava, M. M.; Kirova, T.; Tepliakova, I.; Lukinsone, V.; Kinens, A.; Viter, R. “Investigation of Structure, Optical Properties and Chemical Stability of the KL1421 Pyridinium Luminophore with High Quantum Yield” Appl. Mater. Today 2025, 46, 102890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmt.2025.102890
  • Mazarevics, A.; Kinens, A.; Leduskrasts, K.; Suna, E. “Tailoring Emission Lifetime for Dopant-Induced Phosphorescence” ACS Materials Lett. 2024, 6, 4590–4595. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.4c01412
  • Mazarevics, A.; Leduskrasts, K.; Suna, E. “Impurity-Induced Phosphorescence in Purely Organic Materials” ACS Materials Lett. 2024, 6, 2703–2713. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.4c00447

Theoretical studies of adsorption and redox processes in the electrical double layers

  • I. Vetik, N. Žoglo, A. Kosimov, R. Cepitis, V. Krasnenko, H. Qing, P. Chandra, K. Mirica, R. Rizo, E. Herrero, J. Solla-Gullón, T. Trisukhon, J.W. Gittins, A.C. Forse, V. Grozovski, N. Kongi, V. Ivanistsev, Demonstrating “Electrochemical CO2 Capture on Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks” 2026. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2411.16444
  • V. Ivanistsev, R. Cepitis, J. Rossmeisl, N. Kongi “Twenty years after: scaling relations in oxygen electrocatalysis and beyond” Chem. Soc. Rev. 2025, 54, 10956–10976. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5CS00597C
  • R. Cepitis, N. Kongi, J. Rossmeisl, V. Ivaništšev “Surface Curvature Effect on Dual-Atom Site Oxygen Electrocatalysis” ACS Energy Lett. 2023, 8, 1330–1335. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.3c00068
  • H. Ers, I.V. Voroshylova, P. Pikma, V.B. Ivaništšev “Double layer in ionic liquids: Temperature effect and bilayer model” J. Mol. Liq. 2022, 363, 119747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2022.119747
  • A. Bagger, O. Christensen, V. Ivaništšev, J. Rossmeisl “Catalytic CO2/CO Reduction: Gas, Aqueous, and Aprotic Phases” ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 2561–2568. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.1c05358