Copper-Catalyzed Alkene Difunctionalizations
In our copper-catalyzed chemistry, we seek to develop methods for the difunctionalization of olefins, a cheap and available chemical feedstock. We study reactions involving copper, an inexpensive and earth-abundant metal, and how it can be used to perform multi-component reactions to synthesize value-added products. Primarily, we examine how atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) can be utilized to perform multicomponent 1,2-difunctionalizations of alkenes as well as a variety of other precursors.
Palladium and Iron Co-catalyzed Borylation Chemistry
Palladium-catalyzed olefin functionalization is a powerful method for accessing diverse motifs from simple precursors. Our group has previously explored Pd-mediated C–N bond formation via aza-Wacker oxidation. Recently, we have harnessed the ability of Pd alkyl intermediates for accessing various functionalities, most notably boron moieties. Excitingly, we have developed a directing-group-free aminoboration of unactivated olefins using Lewis acid co-catalysis. Our group continues to explore this methodology to perform borylative cross couplings, olefin 1,n-functionalizations, C–H functionalizations, and more.